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Chapter Text

The Momobami twins Kirari and Ririka were seven years of age when they were forbidden to enter one of the chambers in the basements of the Bami compound. It was said to house several cursed items which were formerly used as weapons of witchcraft. Several monks were housed in one of the smaller huts within the Bami compound to preside over the prayers and preservation of said cursed items in the basements but over time, their piety had been corrupted by the many temptations that surrounded the vicinity--gambling, drunkenness, and lechery. 

Still, none of these said sins combined could ever compare to the strange customs and practices of the Bami's which reached its height during the period of what Christians term as easter. Come winter, some sacrifices were too terrifying to their servants to even speak aloud. For several generations, the Bami's were able to evade certain sacrifices by passing off and raising the eldest under a different gender disguised. The alternative had always been to hand over the eldest child to one of the delegates of the four corners and not one of those infants had ever been returned nor spoken of except for the delivery of a pair of red shoes as a gift to the family that had given the child away. The names of those infants would ominously be omitted from the list of genealogies. In exchange for these sacrifices, every member of the Bami family were insured an opulent lifestyle to which no doors ever remained closed whether it be in politics or business. 

In the past, esteemed members of Japanese royalty would come to visit the infamous basement that housed such cursed items. Presently, delegates of the four corners have been voraciously acquiring a significant number of the cursed artifacts which were then transported to either Rome, Paris, London, Washington, Nepal, Karmel, Xochimilco, and Mount Hermon. Kirari often tried to persuade her twin to sneak into the basements to see whatever artifacts were left but Ririka always defied his twin and took the side of the Bami elders. Ririka wanted to be seen and known as the obedient and loyal twin. 

On the eve before their 9th birthday, Kirari had bribed one of the monks with expensive soju she had stolen from her father's private cellar. And since it was stolen, Kirari requested of the monk to consume every ounce of the small-sized tokkuri so that its container could be burried. The prized liquor had loosened the monk's tongue and Kirari was able to press him for details of the most prized cursed artifacts. One was a cursed Karuta card set with 75 cards and whoever possessed the set would always win against one's opponent. Another was a hand-painted antique fan that could grant its bearer charm when unfolded with the design facing its target and when the fan was turned around, it could grant the wielder invisibility. Soon, the strong liquor had gone into the monk's head and he had collapsed with a smile on his face and a pool of drool at the side of his lips. Kirari quickly fished for the keys to basement room. 

The room was indeed delightful to a young Kirari who spent several minutes running to and from staring into the objects that were encased in glass cabinets. None of them seemed particularly creepy or scary. Yet she knew better than to handle them with her bare hands. There were antique tankō and keikō armors and naginata weapons behind those tall glass cases. A mirror that was shrouded. Another statue that was also shrouded. Collections of jars that contained strange-looking bugs. Beautiful kimonos that were inlaid with gold and gems. A glass case that contained several pairs of the infamous red shoes that were gifted to their family. Then, Kirari paused in front of a room that didn't seem to have any light switch. She fished out her flashlight and pressed the button twice to get the brightest illumination. The room seemed to contain only a small square glass case with a ceramic figurine inside it.

Curiously, Kirari entered the room and the first thing she noticed was that the air was still and the slightest sound seemed to echo in her ears. The hairs on her nape stood up and goosebumps began to form. Why did this room contain a single item, Kirari thought to herself. Then, she dropped on her knees and lay on her front to get a better view of the ceramic doll encased within the glass. She moved her flashlight to focus on the object and her breath caught in her throat when she noticed that it seemed to have moved its head. She blinked twice, wondering if her mind had played tricks on her in the semi-darkness of that room. She peered into the case and the doll's eyes seemed to have changed from dark black to purple. Her hair was dark-violet and held together by a single white ribbon in a pony-tail to the right side. Her Kimono was violet and inlaid with silver thread. 

"Beautiful," Kirari could hardly breathe. She searched the glass case for an opening to which it had none. It was perfectly sealed. There was no way she could get the doll case out by herself it would take at least one adult to carry it in its arms or two children. Quickly, Kirari rushed out of the room and made her way stealthily back to the room she shared with Ririka. Her twin, who was too sleepy to argue with Kirari, let the younger one wake and lead him around the hallways and into the basements. Kirari had taken her blanket with her. 

"Kirari, its eleven. We have to go back before midnight. You know our grandmothers always like to greet us first." 

"This can't wait, 'Riri. Help me carry this special glass case back to the room." 

"Wait, 'Rari! This is the room we were told to never enter!"

"Quiet, or the monk will wake up. He's presided over the evening prayers for this basement, no harm will come to us," Kirari lied, "You can have the cursed fan. Its said to grant invisibility and charm to its owner. Or perhaps the Unsun Karuta cards? If you have that you will always win the game." 

"I'm not sure the cursed fan is going to do me any good I'm invisible enough as it is with the mask I'm wearing. Perhaps the cards?" 

"Whatever, but help me quickly. It will be your birthday gift to me and my birthday gift to you," Kirari led her twin into the room and bewildered, Ririka had his mouth agape as Kirari dragged him across the hall filled with trophy cases of curious items. Ririka's eyes took in the sights of the cursed artifacts as fast as he could because his sister was rushing them both towards a dark and seemingly empty room. Kirari picked up the flashlight she had left on the floor of that room and then wrapped a blanket around the square glass case so that Ririka could not see its contents. She placed her flashlight in her pocket, "Help me carry this," she whispered and they both made their way out of the room carrying the glass wrapped with Kirari's blanket. Ririka realized that they couldn't carry both the Karuta deck and the glass case and the eldest twin settled for the cursed fan instead which he inserted into his pajama pocket. On the way out, Kirari returned the keys she had stolen to the drunk monk who lay on his back, belly up. 

A quarter to midnight, both twins had returned to their room. Kirari hid the glass case under the bed she shared with Ririka, a bed that was situated at the center of their huge room. The elder twin played with the fan and discovered that when the design faced him, he disappeared from sight. Kirari and Ririka giggled, entranced by the magic held by the item. Ririka turned the fan in the opposite direction and folded it and he reappeared. The sound of movements in the stairs caused both of them to scramble into the bed they shared as siblings and the eldest twin hid the stolen fan under the pillow. They both pretended to be asleep when their shoji screen had slid open and their grandmothers, also twins, opened the lights and cheerfully greeted the younger twins a happy 9th birthday. Both elder women took turns showering Kirari and Ririka with hugs. They then bade them to sleep well with promises of a special gift to be shared by them both at the party next day. 

At about one in the early morning, the glass case that Kirari had hid under the bed had suddenly expanded to a height and breadth six times larger nearly filling the entire room and lifting the low bed the twins lay in almost to the ceiling. Terrified, the twins awoke and embraced each other and the sound of glass cracking forced them to keep absolutely still. 

"What have you done, 'Rari?" Ririka whispered, wide-eyed. 

"Don't move, 'Riri. I think our bed is resting on top of the glass. If it cracks we'll fall in." 

"You brought this cursed item into our room," Ririka whispered with a frown. 

"I'll ask the monk to help us tomorrow."

"If we make it to tomorrow alive," Ririka whispered back. 

"Where am I? Who brought me here?" A muffled voice suddenly filled the room. It was gentle and shy yet carried the pitch and tones of a full-grown woman, "Anyone there? I am Princess Sayaka Igarashi and I was placed under a curse. It was always dark where I was trapped but now I see the moon shining through the windows. Has the witch set me free? Is the curse broken?" 

Kirari was about to say something when Ririka lifted an index finger to Kirari's lips forbidding her to speak up. It seemed like an hour had passed by before a bright light filled the entire room and the glass case had shrunk back to its original size. Quickly, both twins scrambled on their hands and knees on the floor and peered at the glass case underneath the bed. Kirari took out her flashlight and shone a light on the cursed item. True enough, the ceramic figure within had changed its position. When it once stood proudly with hands together, it had now turned in the opposite direction to where their windows were and the figurine was now kneeling with its head looking up, seemingly at where the moon was. 

"The doll moves. What have you done, 'Rari?" Ririka whispered, "You must return the item to the basement."

"No! The doll is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! And her voice is so lovely."

"You're bewitched! Its cursed!"

"So is your fan! If you want me to return my doll, you have to return the fan." 

"Let me sleep on it. I'll make my decision tomorrow." 

That night, the two of them tossed and turned agitatedly, wondering what to do with the glass case underneath their bed as well as the magic fan. The next day, they turned to face each other not having slept a wink. And with the telepathy of twins, they both exclaimed, "I want my own room!"  

Ironically, the gift they were both presented with the next day was the 75-deck Unsun Karuta that Ririka had decided not to steal. The twins gave each other a knowing look and Kirari burst into laughter while Ririka held his composure. 

"Baabaa, I would like to give this deck to 'Riri but I would like a different gift." 

"Name it and its yours, Kirari," The elder twin of the grandmothers spoke. 

"Do you not want to know how special this card deck is, Kirari?" The younger grandmother asked. 

"No and as for what I want as a gift, I wish to have my very own room tonight and the right to keep my door closed to anyone who knocks." 

The younger grandmother twin began to protest when the elder grandmother lifted her hand to silence her, "Very well, your own room. And you cannot change your decision once we grant this special deck to your elder sibling. Do you fully agree?" 

"I do, and I want my own room tonight!" 

"You may come to regret it, Kirari. This special card deck always grants one victory," The younger grandmother twin cautioned.  

"But...a victor always stands alone," Kirari looked at Ririka meaningfully. 

"Baasan, I want my own room, too. As for the Unsun Karuta, 'Rari and I can play for it. Whoever wins gets to keep the deck." 

"That is not necessary, 'Riri. I give it to you. You can always choose not to use it." 

"Very well, it is settled," The eldest twin grandmother clapped her hands and several servants scrambled to kneel in front of her, "You heard my grand babies. Prepare two new rooms. And give them futons of their own just for tonight. They can choose their own beds later on."  

"You've made your bed, Kirari. You'll have to lie in it," The younger grandmother added ominously. 

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Chapter Text

Hitachi TV Advert

"What the hell, 'Rari. Tell me you got that at a flea market," Ririka Momobami sneezed from the smell of dust and then gave Kirari a nervous look.

"Nope, I got it from the basement," A sweaty Kirari Momobami hauled an old boxy type 1984 Hitatchi TV into the second floor gaming room. 

"The basement? Aren't all the items in the basement cursed?" 

"How can something manufactured in the 80's be a cursed item?" 

"There must be some reason why its down there. And do you have to do this today? Midari and Yuriko are coming over to celebrate Sayaka's birthday party."

"Come on, it will be fun. Now all we have to do is get our old Famicom and plug in Super Mario or Donkey Kong. I bet the rest of our cousins are going to sleepover tonight once we get the gadget up and running."  

"Assuming those still work I mean the cartridges have to be full of dust. Besides, this is Sayaka's birthday party. We do what she wants, not what you want." 

"This will be good for Sayaka. You know that she has so much to catch up on culture seeing that she's been trapped in that magical glass cage for centuries." 

"You mean that cursed cage. Just because the cage is gone doesn't mean the curse has been lifted." 

"Will you relax? I have briefed Midari and Yuriko about this," Kirari plugged the old television into the wall. Then, she crawled and fiddled with the knobs until she figured out how to turn it on. The TV blared loudly as she switched the knob dials past the empty channels until colored moving pictures emerged from the screen.

"Why is it showing old commercials and TV series? Why isn't it showing anything from this day and age," Ririka squinted at the screen and Kirari seemed mesmerized as she searched her memories for what it was they were looking at. 

"Oi!" Midari shouted from her position on the room's open shoji doorway, "That's SHADOW WARRIORS!!!" 

Kirari and Ririka turned to their house guests. Yuriko was thoughtfully carrying a box of strawberry castella. Behind them, Sayaka was holding candles for her own cake and Midari playfully flicked at her vintage Kent lighter that still had a calendar on it. 

"This is epic! My uncle used to keep VHS tapes of these and we would watch it. He had such a great collection." 

"Oh yeah? My family had laserdiscs of SUKEBAN DEKA," Mary Saotome arrived shortly after and chimed in. For the moment, Ririka forgot her fears at the sight of her girlfriend at the entrance to the living room. Mary walked over to Ririka and they awkwardly angled around each other not knowing which cheek the other would kiss and Mary ended up bumping her forehead on Ririka's nose, "Ow!"

"Ehrm...that will need some work." 

"A lot of work," Kirari giggled and Ririka shot her twin sister a glare even though her cheeks were pink from blushing. 

"Man! I wish! I wish--"

"SHUT UP, MIDARI! DIDN'T KIRARI TELL YOU THAT WAS THE ONE WORD WE WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO SAY?" Yuriko screamed in high pitch and a deathly silence descended upon the living room. 

"I should go," Sayaka set her birthday candles down on the nearest table, "I shouldn't hear what any of you have to say at the moment." 

"Naw, Sayaka. Kirari said that the curse works in reverse, right? So all I have to say is--"

"Shush!"

"Shut up!"

"Quiet!" 

"Uhm...Ikishima--"

"--I don't want to live in the 80's." 

"Fuck!" Kirari screamed and without warning, a bright light filled the entire living room and the cursed television swallowed all its occupants.  

THE PACHINKO PARLOR, 1985

At one of the backrooms of the pachinko building the Bami Corporation owned, Kirari Momobami lay sprawled over the black leather bench pads of Midari Ikishima's tattooing station. The nearby radio was blaring the latest punk rock hit "THE ORIGINAL" from SS. Normally, Kirari preferred live jazz and Midari's music was giving her a headache. But since she entrusted her entire back to gangland's most famous tattoo artist, she let the inconvenience slide. The last thing she wanted was a bad skin job. 

"Prez, I'm about to do the most painful part of yo back." 

"Aspirin?" 

"Nah. Not good to thin yo blood at this point. I have some manga ya can read? I got FIST OF THE NORTH STAR." 

"Nevermind. Just do it as fast as you can then. I have a meeting with her highness Onoue Nui at Egawa."

"The dark lady of Osaka? What time?"

"Ten-ish in the evening." 

"It be fini by then. Left the most painful part last," Midari scratched her left eye-lid underneath her white eye-patch. She liked to work with only one eye, her right.  

"Maybe I ought to have a meeting with her toad instead," Kirari chuckled. 

"Do I do the same dragon tattoo for yo twin in the mask?" 

"No, she'd rather get scars from all her skateboarding at Mitake park than get a tattoo. Ouch!" Kirari grimaced in pain, "Watch it, Ikishima. My skin is extremely sensitive." 

"Ya have to sleep naked tonight and on yo front." 

"I already do." 

As soon as Kirari had uttered her last word, the door opened to reveal someone wearing an orange overall and a black cap. At first Kirari thought it was a man but as soon as the black cap was off, her long dark-violet hair held by a pony-tail tied in a white ribbon fell over her right shoulder. The smell of sweat and pheromones filled the room and Kirari could feel goosebumps beginning to break out over her nape, her arms, and thighs. In one arm, the girl with dark-violet hair held a welder's mask and on the other hand a black tool box. She had a tennis bag slung over the arm that pressed the welder's mask against her hip. Judging from how she was able to quickly take off her cap, Kirari gauged that the girl was ambidextrous. And then, their eyes met. 

Lost. Kirari held her breath as the girl's dark ebony eyes pierced her cerulean gaze. 

"Why don't you ever knock, Igarashi?" Midari complained without taking her eyes off Kirari's back as she marked her boss' skin. And strangely, Kirari had such an out of body experience that she was able to ignore the rhythmic piercings on her spine. The girl's baby-face beauty had Kirari completely awe-struck. 

"I need a place to change before my shift at Juliana's," Sayaka Igarashi mumbled, "Thanks, roomie."  

The girl's accent sounded as if she were raised at the countryside. And without any apologies, she briskly walked to where Midari had her room divider. Kirari's eyes followed her movements. Midari's changing screen had a crack in the glass and it allowed Kirari a glimpse of the girl taking off her clothes. Her overalls fell halfway down to her thighs. Her body was slim and covered in sweat. Her back was tattooed with a purple snake and from the level of artful detail, Kirari suspected it was also done by Midari. The girl slipped a black top over her white lace bra and kept her black panties. Then, she took off her workman's boots and pulled her overalls out of her legs and slung it over the changing screen. She added black leg warmers. Then fished into her tennis bag for elastic tape and started to wrap her toes and sole with it. After she was satisfied flexing her taped toes, she rolled black socks over her taped feet and finished them off with black ballet dancer's shoes. Then, she moved out of the changing screen and pulled a nearby chair. 

Kirari's jaw had dropped as she watched Sayaka warm up. Her legs quickly moving in place before she did her stretches. Then she straddled the chair. The sight of her lifting her hips as her lower body and upper back bent backwards sent Kirari's libido into overdrive. 

"Prez? Gotta say its amazing you aren't screaming. Most peeps be shouting by the time I start doin' them designs at the spine." 

"What?" Kirari tried not to salivate as she watched Sayaka lift one leg and stretch it over the top of the chair as her lower body bent forwards displaying a perfect split. 

Midari looked at what Kirari was staring at and realized that her gangster lady boss was fascinated with her roommate's lithe, athletic body, "Yo, Sayaka. Say hi to my boss. Remember I told ya bout her."

"Pleased to meet you, Madam Momobami," Sayaka called out not breaking a beat out of time from her workout. Then, she fished a towel from her tennis bag, wiped herself down then donned a purple top and rainbow-colored baggy skirt that fell halway down her thighs. She hung her wet good-morning towel next to her orange overalls on the changing screen. She sprayed her body with lightly scented perfume that made her smell clean and invigorating, "Gotta run. Can you bring the rest of my junk home, Midari? I just need my overalls to dry up first before you stuff them in my bag." 

"Wallet," Midari mumbled in between her tattooing. Sayaka walked back and fished into her bag for her purple sequined purse and giggled.

"You know me so well."

"Scatterbrain," Midari poked fun at her, dead-pan.

"Baka. Give me a break. I work three jobs. Oh, and one of them's yours, Madam Momobami. I'm with the construction firm finishing on the west wing of your pachinko palace," Sayaka muttered before closing the door behind her with a brisk, "Gomenasai. Itterasshai."   

It took a full fifteen minutes before Kirari got over the shock of falling in love at first sight. She shouted in pain as soon as Midari was doing her finishing touches on the dragon tattoo on her central back. 

MITAKE PARK, 1985

Miles away at Shibuya Children's Hall, a gang war between skateboarders and rollerbladers was well underway. Ririka and her Bami cousins were fighting for time to skate on their brand new boards against Mary Saotome's rollerblading companions. Although the entire park surrounded with evergreen trees was skateable, the fact that Mary Saotome had accidentally crashed into Ririka Momobami had sparked the feud over turf. 

To aggravate the situation, Ryota Suzui had brought his huge NATIONAL RX-5350 boombox and Yumemi Yumemite began playing her own brand of danceable popular music that the Bami cousins considered trash. Cassette tape after tape, Yumemi carefully picked songs that greatly annoyed the sisters Miri Yobami and Miyo Inbami while Yumeko Jabami danced in time to the beat cheering Mary on though she kept falling over time after time while Ryota and Saori helped her to stand up and balance on her own red rollerblades. Her style of rollerblading often involved putting her hands over her short mini-skirt that kept flying up in the wind as well as falling over on her ass, legs spread out. 

Yumemi hooked her microphone into the jack and started to sing along to the latest Madonna hit, "MATERIAL GIRL" while Mary Saotome showed off her rollerblade dancing. She twirled several times and skated on one foot as she circled Ririka and stuck her tongue out. Ririka still lay on the cement next to a broken skateboard she had bought from her trip at California last summer. She had a slight sprain because Mary had landed on top of her earlier. The gang war hit fever pitch to the sound of Finzi Kontini's "CHA CHA CHA" which had Nozomi Komabami screaming at the top of her lungs while her Saint-Bernard dog Innu howled alongside her.  

"Fuck off to Funabori, rich dicks!" Mary gave all of them the finger as she passed them by. Yumemi switched the cassette tape to The Pointer Sister's "JUMP (FOR MY LOVE)" and soon joined Mary in rollerblading where they both showed off their dance moves, swinging at high speed while holding hands. 

"This isn't disco hour, freaks!" Sumika Warakubami shouted. 

"Who you calling a freak? You're the freak all wrapped up like a mummy," Mary shouted back.  

"I bet you can't jump as high as Ibara on those fruitbooters, you rollerdinks!" Rin boasted. 

"Oh is that a challenge? I'll mop the floor with his hair 'til its black!" 

"Yo, boomboy," Ibara motioned to Ryota and handed him his own cassette tape, "Play this before my ears bleed." 

When Ryota refused to move, Rin snatched the tape from Ibara and squatted in front of the stereo. He stopped the music and plugged it in. Billy Idol's "REBEL YELL" blared over the speakers and although Ryota didn't want to side with them, he began snapping his fingers to the catchy beat and stomping one foot in time. He stopped as soon as he saw Mary's cougar yellow eyes glowering at him. 

"I'll have our bodyguards sweep the sandbox then so we can slide the bowl," Miroslava Honebami motioned to the guards who took off their jackets and used them to clean up the sand until the cement appeared. All of them headed for the high side and this time, Mary and her companions looked at each other. It dawned on them just how high it looked up at the railside and how scary it was looking down. 

"Whoever jumps the highest from the lower end wins," Ibara issued the challenge as he pointed across to the lower end of the rail. He laid his colorful skateboard over the end and got ready. 

"I'll be your arbiter!" Runa Yomozuki chimed in raising a hand that held a pink lollipop as she made a run for the other end in a bouncy, playful manner. 

Yumemi tugged at Mary's sleeve and whispered in her ear, "Mary, we're going to have to lose this one. Remember, we can't get injured and lose our jobs at the club." 

"Big deal, we can miss one night," Mary hissed back.

"No we can't. We already owe Sayaka for covering for us twice last month." 

"Sayaka's easy. We'll give her more money to cover her rent and she'll dance in our place. She knows all our moves, including Ryota's. She's done it before." 

"Yeah and she got fired for not showing up at her third job." 

"And thanks to Midari, she got another third job really quick. We can do this, Yumemi. Rich kids can't skate." 

"I can't watch," Saori shook her head.

"Mary, you could break your neck if you don't land on your feet," Ryota cautioned.

"Baka!" Mary snapped back.  

"This is so exciting! I can hardly stand it," Yumeko's eyes started to glow bright red as she salivated and screamed, squeezing at both her breasts, "KAKEGURUI MASHOU!!!"  

Chapter Text

    "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!! You all owe me enough for 2 months rent in advance. From who? WHO?!!! From all 3 of you, dammit. Do the math!!!" Sayaka screamed over the phone as the club manager flinched, seeing that he got the bad news first that Ryota, Mary, & Yumemi weren't able to do their dance numbers as Mary had slightly sprained one of her legs and all of them were at the hospital. Mary was shot with pain-killing drugs and out of sorts. Sayaka slammed the receiver on its cradle then looked at the club manager, "I'll do it...I just need like...fifteen minutes in between to rest and change into their costumes."  

    "You sure you can do Ryota's number too?" The club manager raised his brow. 

    "I may need to borrow one of your hats to cover my hair. It has to be bigger than Ryota's to hold all of it in." 

    "No problem. Take the one at the top by the door, that's new. I just bought it this afternoon. I'll even spare you lots of Krating Daeng but you seem to like the Jolt Cola more. Tie your hair well so it doesn't go flying off in mid-performance. Oh, and Sayaka...you have ten minutes in between. Any more and the audience will lose interest." 

     "Twelve." 

     "Seven." 

     "Fine, ten minutes. Fuck my life," Sayaka raided her manager's mini-fridge and grabbed all the Lipovitan she could hold. She popped all of it open at once and started drinking. The manager watched in awe as she didn't seem to be breathing in between. After she finished six bottles straight, she snatched her manager's hat by the doorway and walked briskly and angrily to the dressing room with a scowl on her face. 

    The first number was supposed to be for Ryota Suzui and he usually did a Michael Jackson dance number. Sayaka reluctantly took off her clothes and got into the suit. As she tied her hair tightly, she played one of his cassettes. She placed her manager's hat over her head and fiddled with the gartered suspenders. She started practicing to get into character. 

    At the Bami pachinko building, Midari was running after Kirari who insisted on going to see Sayaka dance at the club. Kirari had left her dress in distinct 80's Lolita fashion at Midari's tattooing salon and opted for the black baggy robe to cover her freshly tattooed back, instead. Fortunately, it went well with her silver-grey high heels.

    Miles away, Ririka and her Bami cousins were packed into the limousine with Mary Saotome's pack. Mary and Ririka had casts on their legs and they eyed each other suspiciously. The limousine was filled with lively banter from Yumeko who recounted how thrilling it was to watch the skaters battle it out in the bowl. 

    Mary fished for her lipstick in her bag and it accidentally rolled on the floor when the driver had made a sudden turn. As she bent to pick it up, Ririka had also bent as it had rolled closer to her leg that was in a cast. They both ended up bumping their foreheads together as they bent to pick up the same item. Ririka's mask dropped on the floor. Mary winced, "Ow! You stupid or something? The last thing I need is another bandage." 

    "I was being nice..." Ririka whispered, her voice was gentle and no longer distorted by the mask she wore. She picked up her own mask as Mary picked up the lipstick. 

    Mary gasped as soon as the light shone through the glass windows illuminating Ririka's face, "Kirari?" 

    "No...I'm...Ririka," Ririka whispered back shyly, "Ririka Momobami."  

    "Kirari has a fucking twin!" 

    "Shut up, twink," Terano scowled, "Now you know our leader has a twin you ought to keep that to yourself." 

    "I suppose that's worth something, huh?" 

    "Not anymore. Too many people in this car," Erimi Mushibami shrugged. 

    "Let's drop them off," Ririka spoke to break the long silence. 

    "Fine. You can drop us off at club Juliana. We have to hand over our checks to a friend who's going to dance in our place." 

    "You're a club dancer?" 

    "And what's it to you?" 

    "C--can I...watch you sometime?" 

    "Baka. My leg's broken. I'll be lucky if I can dance after two months," Mary sulked. 

    "Seems like karma. You broke Riri's leg now yours is broken too," Rin chuckled.

    "It's hardly broken, sweetie. The x-ray shows its just a sprain. Its not that bad. Doc said a week, right? Plus you've got lots of painkillers," Yumeko replied in sing-song fashion, "As for Ririka...only her skateboard got broken. She just has a severe sprain like you. The casts are overkill."  

    "She's a Momobami, they didn't want to take any chances," Sumika retorted. 

    "Hey! Lets celebrate. All of us. Drinks are on me. We can all go to Juliana," Ibara was in high spirits because he had won the contest, "I'll even foot your hospital bill, Saotome." 

    "Yumemi and Yumeko settled it between them already." 

    "Children. I'm surrounded by children," Terano scoffed and the rest of the ride to Tokyo was quiet except for Yumeko and Rin bantering. 

    Back at Juliana, Kirari arrived dressed in black slacks, black heels, and a black silk robe tied loosely around her. Midari insisted on escorting her as she gave her tips on the aftercare for her new back tattoo. Flanked on both sides by bodyguards, people made room for the Momobami clan leader to pass through the crowd even if the disco was packed with partygoers. 

    "So where does Sayaka dance, usually? In a cage?" Kirari shouted above the noise. 

    "My roomie's no cage dancer. She center stage mostly tho its Saotome that's the star dancer and our Yumemi sings," Midari shouted back. 

    "Oh yes, Yumemi did mention she had some sideline gig. I should have expected it would be at Juliana's. As for Saotome...do you mean Mary? The Mary Saotome at Hyakkaou?"  

    "Ya," Midari answered. 

    "My back really hurts," Kirari complained. 

    "Ask your sis to rub the ointments I gave ya when you get home. And remember. No aspirin. No alcohol. No nothing."

    "I don't care. Hurts too much I'll have some cognac later," Kirari groaned. 

    "Better not get some infection. Don't tell me I said nothing to ya. Hey Prez, I'll be back. I need to check if my girl Yuriko's still working the registers. She sidelines as an accountant here along with Manyuda and Sumeragi."

    "Sure. Give Yuriko, Kaede, and Itsuki my regards. I think the show's about to start."

     The club manager got on stage and explained that Ryota Suzui and Mary Saotome were not able to perform their dance numbers but Sayaka Igarashi would be taking their place. Wolf-whistles filled the air as Sayaka took centerstage. The spotlight was on her as she assumed a pose, one hand on her hat as her other hand was high up in the air with her legs bent. She was wearing a man's suit with suspenders and a hat. As soon as the music began, the crowd went wild listening to the first few beats of Michael Jackson's "BILLIE JEAN" and If Kirari's jaw had dropped the first time she saw Sayaka, it was clear to say that this time its her panties that have dropped. 

    Sayaka was limber. Her lithe body allowed her to mimic all the unique dance moves of the rising star from The Jackson Five. And everytime she grabbed at her crotch mimicking the star the crowd just went wild. Kirari was so spellbound she stood from where she was sitting at the bar and moved closer to the stage. She had completely forgotten how much her new tattoo hurt. Her bodyguards made room for their gang leader pushing the crowd back. And although Sayaka was too busy with her dance number, one part of the act was throwing the black hat towards the audience and Kirari, ignoring the pain in her back, caught the hat she tossed. Sayaka was too busy doing the moonwalk to notice but Kirari stared into the hat as if it were the holy grail. She bent to smell it and her hands trembled. It seemed unreal. The crowd around her was going wild but Kirari felt as if she were in a bubble and deaf to everything else, including the song. 

    Her mind was speeding 200 miles per minute as it flashed forward into a future filled with all the romance she wanted to shower Sayaka Igarashi with. Vast fields full of flowers for her. Elaborate and expensive dates. Trips around the world. Jewels. A wedding proposal. A mansion for her and their future heirs. Kirari's fascination was disrupted when the club manager got back up on stage and Sayaka took a bow. The stage hands then got busy and placed a chair, string light bulbs, and a bucket of water with a rope which they hoisted above the chair. What on earth was going on, Kirari wondered. The manager then spoke into the microphone to introduce the second dance number which was supposed to be from Mary Saotome. Sayaka appeared on the stage once more but this time in bulkier men's clothing but with a woman's high heels. The manager left the stage as soon as Shandi's "HE'S A DREAM" started to play. 

     The song title looped in Kirari's head except that it was retitled to "she's a dream" instead. Somewhere in between the song, Sayaka had discarded the man's suit to reveal a sequined white dress underneath and she started to stretch over the chair. When rolled the zipper down her front to reveal a red silk slip, the crowd was going into a frenzy. After a few moves, she pulled at the string where a bucket was hoisted and water splashed all over her slip and body. The petite shape of her breasts and nipples began to show because the thin fabric had soaked up the water. At this point, Kirari had lost consciousness and fainted out of sheer sensory overload. 

    By the time she woke up, Sayaka was looming above her. Her bodyguards were too busy trying to hold the crowd back as they boo-ed and screamed for more of Sayaka to dance on stage. It seemed that she had stopped her number as it caused someone in the audience to faint--a VIP who had an army of thugs. 

    "Boss Momobami?" Sayaka reached down to stroke Kirari's cheek, "Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't you just get a tattoo on your back? Doesn't it hurt?" 

     Her mouth wide-open like a fish out of water, Kirari shook her head, "I'm on fire." 

     Sayaka moved her moist, soft fingers from Kirari's cheek to her forehead then down to her neck, "You have a fever."

    Kirari's heart was beating wildly out of control. Sayaka was touching her. She had no idea just how touch-starved the Bami clan leader was. 

    Midari and the club manager tried to push their way towards Kirari and Sayaka but the bodyguards held them back. Just as this was happening, the Bami's have arrived fresh out of the limousine and all its occupants were trying to get into the already packed club. Somewhere in between all that jostling, Mary and Ririka ended up getting pushed together and because they each had a cast on the leg and a single crutch under it, they ended up wrapping one arm around each other for balance as the rest of the Bami party went ahead. Ryota and Yumemi ran for the backstage. Saori went to find the club manager seeing if Yumemi could sing one of her songs. 

    "Uh...is this okay?" Ririka was blushing in deep red as her arm was wrapped around Mary for support. Mary tried to move forward slowly on one leg with a crutch underneath her arm. As funny as they looked, it seemed apt that they kept the legs with casts between them for mutual protection from the crowd that pushed and shoved at them from all directions. 

    "I can't hear you!" Mary shouted back. 

    Ririka bent forwards and something about her gentle whispering into Saotome's ear sent all of Mary's nape hairs standing, "I asked if it's okay...that I put my arm around you." 

     "Put them both around me or we'll get squashed and trampled on," Mary didn't know if it was all the morphine coursing through her system but she couldn't help but smile back as she wrapped one arm around Ririka's waist. This one was different, she thought. Not Kirari. Shyer. Gentler. Nicer. Cuter. 

     It seemed as if they were both in a bubble too, just as Sayaka and Kirari were from their positions on the floor near the center stage. Soon, the crowd started cheering when Yumemi Yumemite took the stage dressed in a bodicon peppered with colorful sequins, her hair done with ribbons, and her legs covered in fishnet stockings with knee high boots. 

     "I'm glad I don't have to sing tonight," Sayaka smiled as she loomed over a love-struck Kirari.

     "What?" Kirari shouted as Yumemi started to sing Jane Wiedlin's "BLUE KISS" though with a thick Japanese accent behind the English words. 

     Sayaka bent her head and whispered in Kirari's ear, "Can you stand? I would hold you longer but I'm afraid I'm wet from all that water from my Flashdance number," Sayaka winked. 

      All that registered in Kirari's love-struck brain was that Sayaka had just said she was wet. She smelled so good to Kirari. Their moment was interrupted when Midari and Yuriko crawled under the wall the bodyguards had made and they sat next to Sayaka and Kirari. 

     "You OKAY Prez?" 

     "I think she has a fever," Sayaka shouted at Midari.  

     "Too early to get the infection. If she's hot, its probably cuz she got a mad crush on you!" 

     "A WHAT?" Sayaka looked astonished. She blinked several times. 

     "Koi no yokan..." Kirari whispered as she reached up and stroked Sayaka's cheek. Her body was full of glitter and her skin shone from getting splashed with water. The red slip clung to her lithe, athletic frame. A blush started to darken the dancer's cheeks. Not because of the words but because of Kirari's tender touch. 

     "What?" Sayaka shouted. Kirari pulled her closer and whispered in Sayaka's ear. 

     "I said...koi no yokan, Sayaka Igarashi." 

    "Ho-ho, what do we have here, Sayaka?" Mary Saotome and Ririka Momobami were able to inch their way to the center of the crowd, balancing together on one foot each with their arms still around each other. The bodyguards made room for them. Mary had one hand on her own hip, "When I told you to catch a big fish, I didn't mean a shark." 

    "Who you calling a shark?" Rin and the other Bami's made their way to the center. 

    "I see the all the best of Hyakkaou is in the club tonight," Yumeko grinned ear to ear looking around her. 

    "Where's Terano?" Ririka asked. 

    "She's with Runa, Yumi, Nozomi, and Innu by the bar," Miroslava shouted above the noise. 

     "Sayaka, look at me," Kirari gently turned her head away from the direction she was looking at distracted by all the new faces that were surrounding her, "Sa-ya-ka...I wish this moment won't ever end. There's nowhere I'd rather be than here now. This moment, forever." 

     As soon as Kirari had uttered the words, the curse had reversed their situation and spat everyone out of the old 1984 box type Hitatchi TV and back into the second floor gaming room of the present age. The bright light that temporarily blinded them dissipated. 

    Sayaka and Kirari were still in the same position on the floor. Giggling, Sayaka launched herself back into Kirari's arms and they started kissing passionately, oblivious to everyone else. Around them, Yuriko started to hit and slap Midari. She cursed Midari for launching them all into 1985. Ririka grinned at Mary and without a word, they both walked towards the cursed TV hand in hand and they both gave it a hard kick until it fell over backwards. The cursed TV screen cracked, fizzled out, and popped.