Chapter 1: First Time for Everything

A girl sat alone, perched comfortably on her seat beside a window down the middle of the train as it bumped and rattled onward toward its destination. A large bag took up all the remaining space on the bench beside her, her enormous plaid suitcase in shades of pink and pale purple. The girl's long, dark brown hair trailed down her back in waves as she absentmindedly pressed her face against the windowpane, her lightly freckled nose nearly touching the glass as she stared out at the world passing by outside. Wondering what was to come.

Sunlight filtered through the window in beams, landing over the girl's skin and making her feel comfortably warm. It was a beautiful September day, just at the end of summer when the sweltering heat of August hadn't quite decided to let go just yet, and the girl watched as the train sped past rolling green hills, lush leafy forests, and small towns that could just be made out on the distant horizon. Oh, how she wished she could simply freeze time in this moment, and sit on this train forever.

Her fingers gripped tightly at the sheet of neatly folded paper that was nestled in the pocket of her jeans, holding on to it as though her life depended on it. This very piece of paper held the one and only reason she was on this train in the first place, hurtling off toward a new town, a new life. She bit her lip in deep thought as she recalled just how her family had sent her off at the train station back home, letting the recent memories wash over her.

Her mother had been ecstatic, as usual, all smiles and laughs. "Good luck, Rina! I'm sure you'll do just fine! And be sure to write us!"

Her father had grinned at her, too. "Just another adventure, right? We'll see you again soon, Rina."

But her little brother had given her the best sendoff, his skinny little arms wrapped around her waist in a tight hug as he looked up at her and said, "I'll miss you, Rina."

Rina smiled back at them, though she still felt a little sad inside, and ruffled her brother's dark hair affectionately with her one free hand. "Don't worry, Yuki. I'll write you lots of letters and tell you all about my adventures at school, okay?"

The little boy smiled. "Every day?"

She nodded. "If you want me to."

He giggled, probably excited at the prospect of hearing all about his elder sister's new animal classmates. Rina couldn't blame him.

Taking a deep breath, the girl pulled the piece of paper from her pocket again and unfolded it. It was a letter - her eyes quickly scanned the printed words that she had already read many times over. Oh, how surprised she had been to receive this letter! Her parents couldn't believe it, and neither could she. This would be a first for everyone!

The envelope had been stamped shut with a uniquely official-looking seal, an image of a leaf with what looked like a rounded little bite or hole in it stamped into the circle of green wax. She had pried it open with shaking fingers, back when she first received it in the daily mail only two weeks prior, wondering just what to expect inside. And ever since, she had always kept the letter close.

-x-x-x-

Dear Miss Rina Hayashi,

After thorough review of your application, including the analysis of your entrance essay, test scores, and questionnaire, we, as the official board of admittance to Animal Crossing Academy, are pleased to inform you that your exceptional record is deserving of a coveted scholarship position at our school. We here at ACA believe that someone like you is just what the academy needs to become a more diverse and accepting institution, and your personal qualities are exactly what we would expect of a successful student at our school. We sincerely congratulate you on your acceptance into the academy, and look forward to seeing you on campus at the start of this coming term. The Academy opens on the 1st of September, but classes officially begin on Monday the 2nd to ensure that students are given enough time to settle in, enabling a sleeker transition into the school setting.

Please bear in mind that Animal Crossing Academy is a prestigious and widely renowned school, and that continuous misbehavior will not be tolerated.

Enclosed with this letter, you will find a list of transfer requirements, scholarship details, and more information to be familiar with before starting at Animal Crossing Academy. Please ensure that this second sheet is promptly read over and filled out as needed.

See you on the 1st!

- Pelly Crane, Academy Staff

- T. Tortimer, Headmaster

-x-x-x-

Rina Marie Hayashi would be the first human to ever attend the prestigious all-animal Animal Crossing Academy. She was making history, she told herself.

It did make her quite a bit nervous, the thought of being the only human at the school. Sure, she knew all about the animals, but there weren't very many back in her hometown. And none went to the public high school that she had previously attended. In fact, she had never actually spoken to one, though she knew their language well enough - Animalese was practically the same as the human language, but with many different unique accents and ways of saying certain words. While at school, she would surely become an expert in the dialect, soon enough.

She had made it onto this train, after all. That morning, she met her first animal up close, politely nodding in greeting to the brown-furred monkey dressed in uniform blue who had accepted her train ticket and welcomed her aboard.

"Hi there!"

Rina was startled by the sudden unfamiliar voice that jolted her from her whirlwind of thoughts, the papers on her lap fluttering. Speaking of Animalese...

She hadn't even noticed that the train had stopped, and a new passenger had climbed aboard. A passenger who now stood right in front of her, watching her with an expectant grin...

A passenger who was a cat.

"I'll just plop down right here, if you don't mind. It's much more fun traveling in pairs, anyway. Or so they say, haha."

Rina glanced down at the suitcase on the seat next to her - should she move it? - but then again, nearly all of the train seats were empty, she thought fleetingly…

However, in the end it didn't matter, because the cat sat down on the bench directly across from her. Rina relaxed slightly and raised her eyes to observe her new company in greater detail. It was a cat with sleek navy-blue and white fur, and bright, narrow-pupiled eyes that were positively beaming at her. He was dressed neatly in a checkered sweater vest and khaki pants.

"By the way, um… Can I ask your name?"

Rina quickly snapped out of her trailing observations of the cat as she was interrupted by his high-pitched voice. "Oh, um… yeah. My name's Rina… Rina Hayashi."

The cat smiled again, flashing his clean white pointed teeth. Rina hoped he wan't laughing at her terrible accent, but he seemed much too nice for that. "That's a pretty name. Anyway, I'm Rover. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

He held out a hand… er, paw. Rina tentatively raised her own hand to shake it, ignoring the strange feeling of fur and paw pads against her skin.

"So… Where are you headed today, Rina? I don't think I've seen you around before…" He paused for a moment, then laughed to himself. "Actually, of course I haven't! I don't see all that many humans around here, you know. And I've never spoken to one before, so this is exciting!"

She nodded shyly. "Yes, I-I'm new around here… I've never spoken to a cat before, either. I'm on my way to New Leaf Town to attend the school there…"

"Wait… Animal Crossing Academy, you mean?" He rested one paw against his chin thoughtfully, muttering to himself. "It's gotta be, that is the only school in the area..."

The brunette girl nodded, and Rover's feline eyes widened. "Huh, that's where I'm going, too!" He gave her a look. "But… um, like I said, you're a human… and the Academy is an all-animal school…"

Rina smiled nervously. "Well… Not anymore, I guess. They've accepted me."

She flashed her acceptance letter at the cat, and Rover gaped at her in awe. "Oh, wow! Really? A human at our school?"

To her relief, he beamed again, as though he were in the presence of a celebrity and not just an ordinary human girl with a plain face and shy smile. "Awesome! We can be friends, then! Because you won't know anyone up at the Academy, right?"

Rina nodded with a hint of sadness - she had left everyone she knew back at her old school, not that she had very many friends there, anyway - and Rover let out a small laugh as though he could tell exactly what she was thinking. "I don't have many friends up at the school, myself… They all think I talk too much. Can you believe it?"

"Um…"

At that moment, the train let out a shrill whistle, saving Rina from having to respond to Rover's question. A booming announcement sounded over the train's PA system in clearly worded Animalese.

"Now arriving in New Leaf! New Leaf Station! Eek, eek!"

Rover nodded and stood up, grinning excitedly at her. "Hey, looks like our stop! Come on!"

The train slowed to a halt, and Rover hurried down the aisle between the rows of seats and off the train with his small red backpack in tow, leaving Rina alone to hoist up her heavy suitcase and drag it with her onto the station platform. The same uniformed monkey she had met earlier helped her carry it down the steps.

"There you go, young lady! Have a nice time in New Leaf Town, eek eek!"

He helped her stand the suitcase upright on the cobblestone, positioning it so that it could easily be wheeled away into town, and Rina quickly grabbed the handle and took off down the stairs where Rover was waiting for her with his tail twitching impatiently. Rina waved a quick goodbye to the porter and stole one last glance at the train station behind her. The official flag of New Leaf soared high above their heads, a pale background displaying a large green leaf with one rounded hole cut cleanly at the edge, much like the seal that was on the acceptance letter she had received from the school.

She smiled as she let her arm fall to her side, and her hand brushed lightly against the folded paper still tucked snugly into her pocket.

"Come on, Rina!" Rover meowed happily at her, gesturing her forward in the direction of Main Street just beyond the station. "We haven't got all day, the Academy is waiting for us!"

This was it... A new town, new school, and hopefully a whole heap of new friends, were all in store for her. She gave her suitcase a tug and took off after her new cat friend, butterflies of mixed nerves and excitement fluttering within her chest as she took her first steps toward New Leaf Town. Who knew what could happen this school year?

Rina Hayashi was well on her way to her new beginning.


A/N: Hello, Cotton Candy Mareep here with a brand new story! I was just kind of thinking about how nearly every fandom has a high school AU, but I've personally never seen one done for Animal Crossing, so... yeah, this happened. Don't ask me why. I had a few headcanons regarding the idea, and in the end, I figured I might as well write some of it out and post it here.

I'm not really sure how far I'll continue on with this story at the moment, seeing as how I don't know whether or not there will be any readers, and more importantly, I have a few more fanfics on higher priority right now, along with a ton of other fanfiction ideas I'd like to write soon as well. But if you read this and want me to continue on with the story, or have any good ideas I might be able to use, please let me know via review (though I won't be accepting OCs - canon villagers only)! Otherwise I'll probably just update sporadically.

-CCM