"Hikaru Usui?"

"Here" It was my sixth class of the day, so I was prepared for the curious and confused looks that were thrown my way. I winced as whispers spread like wildfire across the room. "Who's she?" "OMG, look at her hair." "When'd she get here?" "I think she's an exchange student." "Wait, she's the reason why Cheyenne went to Japan and hasn't come back?"

Yes, I was an exchange student. What was so strange about that? Coming here, from my home in Tokyo, to this city in Washington, USA, was like polar opposites. In many, many ways.

"Settle down class. It seems everyone is here. Alright then." Mrs. Johnson, the teacher, stood up at the front of the class. "Welcome to Art I. There are four art classes offered at this school and perhaps you will consider taking them after this year. In Art I we will cover..." She began to discuss the different styles of drawing, painting, and sculpting that we would learn, along with other types of arts. The rest of the class looked bored enough to fall asleep, but I stayed attentive, even though I didn't appear to be.

"Hikaru?" Mrs. Johnson broke out of her discussion.

"Yes Sensei?" I answered instinctively, using the honorific title I would have used in Japan.

THAT got the attention of the class. They began to giggle and gradually it escalated into laughter. At me. I buried my head into my arms as I felt my cheeks burst into flames.

"Enough!" Mrs. Johnson's voice barely carried over the chaos. "Enough!" There was no immediate response, so she crossed her arms over her chest. "For every ten seconds I have to wait, I will hold every one of you back one minute after the bell rings. And I have the right to do that."

Finally the noise fell, only interrupted by the occasional chuckle. Mrs. Johnson walked up to me and held out a stack of papers, which I took.

"Pass one of these out to every student." She turned back to her desk, giving me a sympathetic look.

"Yes sinsay." A voice chirped, attempting to mimic what I had said. I said nothing, feeling my cheeks heat back up.

"Who said that?" She demanded, turning in the direction of the voice. Everyone in the suspected area shrugged innocently as her eyes swept over them. There was no confession, so she proceeded to the front of the room, motioning for me to begin.

Clenching my teeth to prevent any fear from showing, I began my task, wishing I hadn't been singled out. Avoiding looking at anyone in particular, I tried reassuring myself as I passed out the papers.

Remember, I told myself, no matter what happens, it can be worse. Except...at home.

Someone tried tripping me and I barely avoided falling on my face by grabbing the edge of a desk.

"Careful, "sinsay"." A girl's low voice attacked me and I could hear her friend's muffled laughter. Trying to keep my face blank and the angry tears from my eyes, I threw the remaining papers at her, clutching one in my hand as I slunk back to my desk, trying not to crumple it.

I was a fairly easy form to fill out and I silently read it once, twice three times to make sure I had read it correctly, then filling in the first answers with ease, also checking to make sure I had written it down properly. English was a tricky language.

Name: Hikaru Usui
Grade: Freshman
Class: Art 1
Why I Want To Be In This Class:

My hand froze, hovering over the blank area. Wh-what should I put? This wasn't on any of the other forms I've filled out today!

Peeking over at a nearby form, I saw an answer: "Because I have to graduate." The owner of the paper caught me looking and pulled it away, scowling.

My hand shook and my brain was reeling. My pen began to write, automatically, in Japanese. I realized what was going on and scribbled out the characters, instead writing my answer in English letters. Glancing around, I confirmed that no one had seen my mistake. I re-read my answer.

"I need this class to graduate"

I looked away, wondering if I had put the true answer on the paper, and not what I didn't believe. Something whacked me in the face and fell into my lap. It was a crumpled up paper. I didn't look at the place of origin; I knew better than that. Instead, I tried to continue filling out the form while ignoring my tormentors.

~(*)~

"That's two minutes. You're free to go. I'll see you tomorrow." The whole class let out its breath, relieved that the wait was over. True to her word, Mrs. Johnson had held the class back after the bell. Not that I cared; I was walking to the house, which was four blocks away.

The class filed out the door and I paused, letting there be no one left to trip me. Or throw something at me. Or a dozen different things, six of which had happened to me over the course of the class period.

"Hikaru?" I turned to see Mrs. Johnson floating next to me.

"Yes..." I confirmed that no one else was in the room, "Sensei?"

"Is that a Japanese word you used?" Her face betrayed her curiousity. "Um..."sensei", wasn't it?" I was surprised she had pronounced the word correctly, but didn't let it faze me.

"Yes," I said quietly, keeping my eyes peeled on the ground. "It translates to, in English...teacher...doctor...professor..." I trailed off, uncertain if I had chosen the correct English words. "Did I say that correctly?"

"I think so, yes." She tilted her head in confusion. "Why do you ask?"

"My English is still...rusty." I selected the word that made the most sense and described it the best. Mrs. Johnson gave a small smile.

"Everyone's English is "rusty". It's a complex language; it sometimes takes an entire lifetime to master. But..." She sat on a desk across from me. "...what I wanted to talk to you about is your problem. It's a new school and you have to make new friends. I know what that's like; I moved around a lot with my family when I was your age." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "What I just want to say is, if you ever need someone to talk to or a place to hang out, come here. I'm always in my classroom and the door is always open."

"Thank you Sensei." I said gratefully, bowing.

"You're welcome Hikaru..." she gave me a meaningful look.

"-San," I suggested, "or –chan could work, I guess."

"Ah, thanks Hikaru-san." I felt a small smile working its way onto my face, despite myself.

"See you tomorrow Sensei." I grinned broadly, stepping into the afternoon sun.

~(*)~

This is my first fan-fic. story I've done, so don't criticize me TOO harshly. Oh, and this is part of the story, it just goes...at a faster pace after this.

Soooo...what do you think? I appreciate advice and suggestions.

~Inspired