DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LUCKY STAR. IT'S KAGAMI YOSHIMIZU'S PROPERTY. I DO OWN MAREO HOSHIDA THOUGH, SO DON'T STEAL HIM FROM MEEH!

Walking slowly through the calm street was an average boy with his backpack in hand. It was the beginning of his school year and his stomach was already feeling the symptoms of anxiety.

His name was Mareo Hoshida. He'd been accepted in Ryoo Gakuen not so long ago. After he and his family moved to Tokyo, Mareo had a hard time finding a school that would accept a boy with such low grades. But he finally managed to study a little harder and made it trough. But even though his mother and sister were extremely happy for him, Mareo couldn't help but feeling nervous. And his nervousness got even worse after his new teacher, Kuroi Sensei, came to visit his house.

The sunlight touched Mareo's pale face as he walked. He closed his eyes, remembering the teacher's words that day.

----

"Now remember, smile, be polite and don't forget to be respectful to Kuroi Sensei. She will be your teacher for the whole year."

Mareo's mother spilled instructions to her son while tidying his shirt and combing his brown hair. The boy could only stand still, nodding when possible.

"We worked a lot to get this for you, so don't waste this chance."

She kept talking after cleaning Mareo and making sure he was perfectly presentable. The boy looked down, seeming annoyed by all that.

"Are you even listening…?"

Hoshida-san was interrupted by the doorbell. Her heart leaped and so did Mareo's.

"Coming!" yelled her, running to the door. Mareo went upstairs with the sudden panic. He watched his mother opening the door and facing a blond woman.

"Hello! You must be Hoshida-san." said the teacher, cheerfully. His mother bowed and chatted with her a little before inviting her inside. After the proper introduction, it didn't take long for them to be sharing a cup of tea offered by Mareo's mother.

****

"Thank you so much for coming here, it's a real honor."

Hoshida-san said, politely. Kuroi Sensei took a sip of her tea, looking around the house discreetly. She put her cup down after a couple of seconds and smiled.

"Oh, don't mention it. It's an honor for me having your son studying in my class this year."

"I'm pretty sure he will enjoy it. I'll call him now. Mareo!"

The shy boy walked slowly downstairs. His clothes were cleaned and he looked very professional for somebody his age, but even so, he didn't feel comfortable. He entered the living room.

"Mareo, this is your new teacher, Kuroi Sensei."

"It is very nice to meet you ma'am." said Mareo, bowing lower than expected.

"Howdy." Kuroi Sensei was way more loose and informal than he had imagined. The teenager straightened up, looking at her a little surprised. Hoshida-san coughed.

"Well… Mareo, you can go now. Me and Kuroi Sensei will discuss some things for a while."

"Nah, let the kid stay! He'll watch me talk all day from tomorrow on anyway." Offered the blond teacher.

The boy didn't know if he was supposed to stay or leave the room, but something about his teacher made him feel comfortable, yet awkward at the same time. It was a feeling he'd never had before.

So he walked carefully to the couch next to her and sat quietly.

"So, Mareo-kun," started Kuroi Sensei. "what are your hobbies?"

He didn't like being called Mareo-kun by a complete stranger.

"I like… to read. And riding horses too, I suppose…" Answered him. He could see his mother observing every move and word he said. The pressure was almost crushing.

"I see. Horses are nice, if you know how to manage them to keep still. I certainly wouldn't." Giggled Kuroi Sensei. An awkward silence followed and all Mareo wanted was to get out of there and lock himself in his room. Nanako Kuroi observed the boy curiously.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

He shook his head, his gaze on the floor.

"Well, if you want to be a part of my class, I guess we'll have to change that."

He looked up, with fear in his eyes. But Kuroi Sensei only smiled gently and patted him in the head.

"If you knew that kind of students we have over there…" The image of a little blue-haired girl was formed in the teacher's mind immediately. She chuckled. It would be fun to watch how Konata and her friends would treat that poor little frightened boy.

"May… May I go upstairs mother?" Said Mareo quietly. His mother gave him a disapproving look.

"Oh, don't worry about me. Go ahead." Kuroi Sensei answered. He stood up, bowed to his teacher and then walked fast to his room.

"I'm sorry about that. My son isn't really outgoing."

Kuroi Sensei took another sip of her tea. When she finished there was a smirk on her lips.

"Hoshida-san, when this year finishes, something tells me that your son will be completely changed."

----

After reminding the blond teacher's last words, Mareo didn't feel like going anymore. He didn't want to be embarrassed. His plan was to sit furthest away from his classmates as he could and pay attention to class. His mother had really given her all for him to pass in the school's exams and he wouldn't let her down this time.

Mareo could already see groups of students going inside the school's yard. He stopped. Turning around and running wasn't a possibility, so he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

I can do this. Just stick to the plan.

He opened them again and walked a little more confident.

A little.

----

The class was easy to find. Class 3 – B, at the end of the corridor. Mareo was one of the last people to arrive, so his plan already had flaws. He needed to find a chair quickly before the options ran out. And he didn't like to stay out of options.

He sat down in a chair in the middle of the class. It wasn't too far neither too close of the board and he could see perfectly. Behind him a group of four girls chatted about random things they've done in their vacations. Mareo thought that being surrounded by so many strange students would make him feel nervous, but that wasn't what happened. For an unknown reason he was a bit excited for the beginning of the year. His muscles relaxed a little as he put his backpack on the floor next to him.

It didn't take long for the teacher to enter the room. Kuroi Sensei opened the door with a BLAM!

"All right you guys, sit your butts down!"

Mareo tensed again.

The class took a while to be in complete silence. Kuroi Sensei walked to her table and put some papers in order. Then she turned around to face the students.

"All right people, today we have a new student in here, so I want you all to make him feel welcomed."

Mareo's heart started beating faster. The time he feared the most had arrived, when he would need to stand up, say his name and everybody would be watching. Any time now and Kuroi Sensei would call out for him.

"So, since he is new," continued her. "I want each one of you to get up and introduce yourselves. I know we've done this before, but this is a special occasion."

Kuroi Sensei scanned the class and when her eyes met his, she gave a comfortable, yet encouraging smile. Mareo smiled softly back. He noticed that after what his teacher said, the girl sitting behind him stopped whispering something to her friends immediately.

So each one of the students started to present themselves. They stood up and announced their names and hobbies. Some said interesting facts about themselves, like where they were born and why did they move to Tokyo. Mareo paid attention at the information so then he could fit in with everyone when his time arrived. He also wanted to know their names so then he wouldn't be unnecessarily embarrassed by getting somebody's name wrong.

It was getting closer and closer. Finally his time had come. He stood up, still trembling a little and his lips moved.

"I'm Mareo Hoshida. This… This is my first year in this school. I moved here from Kyoto last year… My hobbies are r-reading and riding horses." He bowed, politely. "I hope I can get along with you this year."

Then he sat. There were warm applauses from everyone in the class and Kuroi Sensei nodded, approvingly. He let the air he was holding out of his body. The worst was in the past now. Or so he thought.

The girl behind him stood up right after he sat.

"From Ryoo Gakuen, Konata Izumi. I have no interest in ordinary humans, so if there are any aliens, time travelers or esp…"

She was interrupted by a flying chalk that hit her right in the middle of her forehead.

"Not this again, Izumi" said Kuroi Sensei, irritated.

All the other students looked at her, but not as surprised as Mareo. A girl wearing pigtails that was sitting next to Konata put a hand on her head and sighed. The boy sunk even deeper into his chair.

His nervousness came back to him like a lightning.

I fear what the future holds…

Ok, so, this is the introduction to Mareo's character. More about him is to come. Things he believes, things that happened to him, and things that made him so closed to new experiences.

Please, please, this is my first long fic. I don't want to ruin it. So Reviews are much appreciated!

- TSL