Noah Esselius was one to get up early.  Well, she was also one to stay up late... sleep was never a friend or real interest to her, she preferred to see everything she could.  Consuming the world with hungry eyes she stretched upwards, careful not to wake the sleeping April next to her.

It was 6 AM, the cold morning air cracked against her skin with a cool sting as she dressed quickly in her uniform.  The outfit would signify that she was on the student council at her old school, but in this new academy it only signified she was an outsider, someone that didn't belong.  Still, her pride would have her continue to wear the dark outfit, pleased with how it made her vibrant orange-pink hair stand out like neon.
 
A letter was left on her school desk with 'Noah' written neatly upon it... it smelled of roses, and had a strange crest.  Long fingers with bandages decorated with skulls traced over it, there was something in it.  Oh well, letters would be for later.  Now she wanted to meet whomever else might be wandering around at this early hour.

Deathly silence surrounded her as she opened the door to be met by the beauty that is Ohtori.  So cold... Noah walked over the dew-covered grass, her black leather boots protecting her from the damp.  Since she saw no one around in sight, it seemed like a good idea to go to her favorite tree.  As careful as she was, she managed to still cut her leg while climbing up the trunk, but it was worth it to look down and watch as the academy awoke.

Last edited by Iris (08-20-2008 05:19:07 PM)

The sharp cold of early morning cut into Siid's lungs as he jogged the sprawling beauty of the campus. He didn't look at the frozen fountains or baroque architecture, intent only on his heartbeat and the music from his cheap walkman. He wore an Ohtori Judo team hoodie and the unused hood bobbed up and down with each step.

He passed a clocktower and turned around, moving briefly backwards so he could read the time. Almost time for that chingado assembly... he thought, wondering if he'd even bother going.

Siid whirled, his hands coming up in an open handed guard. Adrenaline dumped in him and he was prepared to throw whatever had come down next to him to the ground.

It took a moment for his reflexed to give way to his brain, which told him the bright haired girl before him was not threatening to him. Yet why did she want to know who he was? Was she questioning him? This happened to him a lot. He wasn't Japanese and people tended to think he looked suspicous or dangerous.

"Siid Desencaden~ar, Grade 11. Here's my ID card..." He began digging in his pockets.

Unfortunately, relations between Spain and Britain were much like relations between the USA and Mexico: The Spanish thought the British were snobby and repressed. The British thought the Spanish were lazy and untrustworthy. Yet this one seemed to just want...conversation? He was still unsure what it was she wanted out of him, so it seemed prudent to try to lead it out of her. She wasn't dangerous...rather slight in fact.

"I dunno. I think it won't be worth my time." This was truth...though, like everyone else, he wanted to catch a glimpse of the secretive chairman. Maybe he'd excuse himself to go to the bathroom then simply slip out if it got boring.

He considered for a moment. Clubs were seemingly everywhere in Ohtori, for everything from flower arranging to camping. He wondered which Noah belonged to...Actually, more he was curious about the name. Noah was a boy's name.
"Clubs? I'm already on the Judo team. I'll go and just sneak out if it gets boring. C'mon." He took long, loping strides towards the assembly hall, seeing if she would follow. Her behavior was odd, yes, but it made him curious.

The night had passed much too quickly, just like the summer. The first day of school had arrived.

Having caught the last train from home, Tatsuya Kazami hadn't been able to finish unpacking last night. He wearily tossed his suitcase onto his bed, and the squeaking springs of the mattress momentarily broke the silence of the early morning. Holding up the familiar uniform to examine it for wrinkles, he was struck by a faint mix of nostalgia and apprehension.

Like the uniform, this stuffy dorm room looked exactly the same as his previous one, but it was different. So was the campus itself, in some intangible and unexplainable way. Everything looked the same as it did last semester, but it was almost as if something was missing.

His familiar morning routine finished, Tatsuya knew he would get used to things here again soon, even after his rather chaotic summer. But he lingered by the doorway for several moments before leaving for the day to make sure he didn't forget anything. Keys, books, cellphone. No, he couldn't forget. The urge to call her had been with him all summer. But what could he say? It was so easy to be charming and witty with other girls. The words just came naturally. But not with her; not when it really mattered. It would have to wait.

He left the quiet dorm on the edge of campus, and soon the relative silence gave way to the clamor of students on their way to school. The assembly was starting soon, and rumor had it that there was a veritable flood of transfer students this year. How many of them came to Ohtori looking for a secret crush, Tatsuya wondered. How many of them came to start over? And how many of them would later wish they had never transferred at all?

Tatsuya Kazami had made his decision to stay. But was that really such a good idea?

School had started again, and it was a great time to show off her brand new clothes! Oh, that's right, because she had to wear stupid ugly old uniform. Although it would do her absolutely new good, Wakaba kicked a nearby rock and winced as it hurt her foot. Why couldn't Ohtori be more modern and cool, like those American schools? That one friend had always worn a really nice outfit. She had worn shorts, Wakaba remembered. The girl didn't think that was much her style. If she had her way, she'd be wearing that adorable summer dress with the floral patterns her aunt had bought her in Tokyo. Ooooh it was so pretty! But she guessed she'd just have to wait until the right occasion.

For right now, it was back to all the serious school stuff. Another year of toiling and hard work just to get average grades. Toss that in with avoiding so much as looking at the Student Council Vice President - she had decided to just ignore him and go on with her daily life. Of all the things Wakaba Shinohara was, a moper wasn't one of them. She didn't have time to sit around and feel sorry for herself. She always bounced back! In reaction to her thoughts, she pumped her fist proudly in the air. The students surrounding her stared.

There was an extra bounce to her step today, as she made many resolves to be practical and pay attention to her academics. All of those disappeared, however, when she spotted a familiar figure making his way to the gym. She burst into a huge grin and ran up behind him. "HI TATSUYA! It's me, Wakaba! Missed me?!" Her greeting was accentuated by a friendly smack on the back. She wasn't usually quite so hyperactive. But she hadn't seen her friend for an entire summer. She couldn't help it! "I have so much to talk about! Oh, but look at me blabbering! How are you?! How was your summer?!"

***

It seemed like only yesterday that the school year had ended. Like many of the other students whose families couldn't afford it, Shiori hadn't traveled anywhere over the summer. Most of her parents' funds went to providing for her education. She had stayed on campus, but thankfully, most of the others had gone. Things had been quiet - which was good. The last year had been too stressful, too dark. This time around, she just wanted peace and time to practice with Juri. Her friend had promised to teach her the more complicated techniques with a foil this semester. Clutching her books to her chest, a small smile curved her lips at the thought. It had gotten better, at least.

She was one her way to winning back her old friend's trust. This time, she wouldn't abuse it. Liar, her shadow thoughts whispered to her, their tones taunting and cruel. That's what he called you, and it's true. You don't deserve to be even near her. A sharp pain blossomed in Shiori's chest. At this point, it was a familiar companion. It had arrived after Ruka's assault, then grew more severe after his death. Over the summer, she had come to realize it was exactly what Juri must have felt for her. Her poor friend. What had she done?

Don't think about it. She turned her thoughts back to the day ahead. The start of the year assembly was soon. Locking her door, she stepped outside and forced a cheerful smile on her face as she made her way to the gym alone, secretly hoping she would spot a familiar golden-haired figure and at the same time a part of her dreading it.

Continuing along the campus, Tomoe had realized not eating breakfast before coming to the campus was a bad idea. Stomach  growling, she stopped and reached into her bag. On the search for her bento, she lifted her head and noticed that she was quite lost.

"Ah, hell."  She muttered, withdrawing her hand from the bag and smacking her forehead.

She had seen some other students show up early too, so maybe she could find one off them. Most importantly, she hoped that she wouldn't be late for the morning assembly.

Unhealthy habits were easy to fall into. Orange lay scattered about her room, their edges tinged gently to a reddish-pink that would eventually brighten to white as the day progressed. One hand was draped over her knee, her eyes wandering to the obnoxiously large windows - their curtains spread wide to reveal a greened campus below. Silhouettes lined paled skies, their edges rimmed in a light that might later come to symbolize hope for the day. Waking up so early was not a characteristic she was used to, but lately she'd rose when the sun had, marveling in the quiet of the hours before the rest of the world cared to wake up. The light chime of the clock sounded. The hours drifted by. Five, six, and finally seven. School would wait for her no longer.

Her eyes drifted slowly to the stark orange and white folded neatly next to her bed. It was perhaps the finest shape this particular uniform would see all semester. Smirking at the humorlessness of the thought, she dressed with a casual tempo, dragging her fingers through her hair to give some semblance of having it be kept. She caught her reflection in the mirror across the gregariously large room and pulled herself up straight, evening the lines of her jacket. Her hair was naturally a bit of a mess despite her fingers, and it would need to be curled tight before she left. It wouldn't take much time; it was simply the same habit she'd taken on everyday. There were times when she'd pondered coming straight from her bed just to see what the world thought of their perfect girl when she looked nothing more than an overtired student. But then, she'd have to spend the whole time working up her perfection once again, and it was more trouble than it was worth.

Her hair finally once again it's typical fullness, Juri let her eyes wander towards the clock. She had approximately three-quarters of an hour to make her way out to the assembly. In theory, she should head to the fencing hall first to check that everything was in order, but she would be there directly after the assembly and was in no rush for the time being. Thoughts of fencing brought images of lightly coiled purple hair, and a sweet smile. Juri caught the curl of her own lips fast enough to silence them, her own gaze hard at her from the mirror as she left the silent room.

The light click of her own shoes was drowned out by the light hum of a chatter from far across campus. Some students had already found one another, and others she noted to walk alone. Her own head was held high for once, neither inviting company nor rejecting it. She took a route that was untypical for she had the time. The quietness beneath the trees was a nice time to think and not feel guilty for those thoughts.

The strained complaint of another student reached her ears. A girl with the appearance of being lost. If her expression did not say it all, her current location did. Juri did not stop the smile that slid over her features this time: How typical of them to get lost. Brandishing her half-interested demeanor, she drifted by the girl, stopping just short of past her.

"Are you looking for the assembly?" Her voice was evened and held a low tone. She was to make it clear that she knew exactly what she was doing. "Or are you enjoying an early morning campus excursion?" The last comment was to stop short any snarky comments these students tended to like to make. Some saw authority, bowed and ran. Others saw it as a challenge and a way to test the growing weight of their tongue in the world. She'd succeeded, and she intended to hold her position.

"GYAH!"

Tatsuya had been lost in thought, watching old Friends reunite and new students meet for the first time when the sneak attack came. He wasn't sure how high he jumped, but felt like he may have reached orbit.

"Wakaba! Man, you sure startled me," Tatsuya laughed nervously. So vibrant and full of energy, Wakaba couldn't have looked prettier even if she was framed by spinning roses or something. "Uh, yeah, I missed you. We've got a lot to catch up on."

As they walked toward the assembly hall, Tatsuya felt like it was already the high point of his day. It was so fun just to be near his princess, to talk casually with her about things. Maybe he was selfish for wanting more. He could already feel his hand gravitating toward hers, and fought back the urge. Just focus on not saying something stupid, he told himself.

"...And then I visited Nara and Harima prefecture, caught up on some of my hobbies, met some interesting people. It was pretty cool. How about your summer?"

So far, so good. Just don't blow it.

"I'm really looking forward to this year, aren't you? I got accepted into the AP art class. It'll be great. Guys who are into art get lots of chi--"

Old habits die hard, it seems. Tatsuya barely caught himself in time.

"--credits! College-level credits, you know? Anyway, I hope we have some classes together this semester. It almost seems like the chairman just just decides everyone's schedules arbitrarily or something."

The crowd of students got thicker, and Tatsuya was so lost in conversation that he narrowly avoided bumping into someone.

"Oh, please excuse me," Tatsuya began to say before recognizing who it was. "Hey, aren't you...?"

Zhenia shifted uncomfortably from his right foot to his left. His collar was too tight. In fact, his entire uniform was too tight. He found himself wondering if that idiot tailor had thought he was exaggerating when he'd read off his measurements over the phone. And so he stood in the assembly hall, acutely conscious that he looked very much like a blond gorilla poured into a student uniform. And everyone here was so tiny. In his second week in Japan, he was still getting used to the view of the tops of everyone's heads. Back home he had been tall, but here he was a freak. Of course, that part isn't really new, he told himself, smiling slightly as he did so. The benefit of his grotesque height was that it made it difficult for people to see his face clearly...and everyone at this particular school was so disgustingly pretty as well. Already today he had had to resist the urge to break someone's nose three times. The third time it had been a girl's...Zhenia almost laughed aloud at the memory. Stupid little rabbit. And what did that make him?

Lost in his thoughts, he was taken by surprise when someone jostled him. He looked down at a bowl of brown hair that was slowly turning up toward his face. "Oh, please excuse me," the bowl said, "Hey, aren't you..." but whatever he had been about to say didn't happen, because instead the other boy's face came into view from under that bowl and met Zhenia's eyes. One nice thing about Japanese people was that they tried not to let things show on their faces much, but it wasn't hard to guess what the slight widening of the eyes meant.

"Careful what you say boy," Zhenia growled in his thick Russian accent, "you're speaking to a prince."

And Zhenia laughed...

She could hear her friend's voice from afar and finally started to run, just to meet her in the middle of their distance, taking her time to gasp for air.

"Why didn'T you wake me up? Don't blame me for being too late Noah, I can't be that fast as others..." Brushing away annoying strands of shoulder length  hair she panted silently, eyes widened at the sudden contact. Nearly squeaking in first shock her gaze rushed around; just to see that it was just Noah pulling her closer.

"Good grief, you just scare me sometimes...", the girl whispered, leaning just a little closer while she could hear her heart racing so madly. But why? It was not proper to feel like that with a girl. Running. Yes. She was simply exhausted. How could she even think about it, that such little contact would cause her to react this way?

Shaking her head in absence she tried hard to keep up with Noah's pace. April couldn't rest now, she had enough chances to do so later, when they arrived at the building. The young student tried to feel safe in this crowd, all the faces staring at her scared the girl. Out of reflex she gripped her friend's hand, like in old days when they still were children. It gave her the slightest feeling of comfort, a sign that she wasn't alone at all. But such actions needed too much power to overcome her shyness and she wasn't sure if people started to stare at this couple directly. All eyes on her... she couldn't stand it.

Glancing to the ground her grip became a little softer, about to let go of her friend's hand. Students would think bad about that, April was so sure of it. At least it was like that in her old school, where every day ended like running the gauntlet. But... why the hell was the girl so worried about that? IT wasn't like both would love each other more than close friends would do.

Last edited by beautifulpanther (08-22-2008 08:41:49 AM)