Hey guys! This is a new spin on things!

Authors Note:

This story takes place on an island off the shores of America. The world has a steady growth rate of Rasetsu around the world and it's becoming a problem as doctors still can't figure out how to cure them. Kondou Isami therefore started the school, Kondou University to both harbor Rasetsu from around the world and to provide excelling academic programs to both humans and Rasetsu. It's also to help Rasetsu in controlling themselves and such.

The world is aware of the Rasetsu existence...though they aren't fond of them.

The language here is English, so suffixes like -san, -kun, sensei etc will not be used, and they'll be using first names. This is a college so ages range from 18-any age really, mainly mid 20s.

Hope you guys will enjoy this story! I hope to finish this one as well!

CHAPTER 1

Boundaries

"Here it is, Kondou University," the driver said as the taxi staggered to a stop. Nenna took out her earbuds and stuffed them in her jacket. She nodded to the driver and got out. "Do you need help with your bags?" He asked, leaning out of the window as she went to the trunk.

"Nah, I got it. Thanks though," she threw him barely a smile before the trunk flung open. Grabbing her suitcase, she hefted it out of the car and slammed the trunk down. Handing the money to the driver, she watched as the old taxi crawled down the hill before disappearing into the forest.

She looked up at the large building that stood on the other side of a stone bridge. This was Kondou University. Nenna, or Jenna, Denton was fresh out of high school and she put off her search for colleges until the last minute. If you asked her and her parents how they found a college at the last minute they would say it was a miracle. What kind of school would allow year-round applications at an affordable cost? It was standing right in front of her. And it was also located off the shores of America in the Pacific.

It was known for it's excellent academic program, and our rather apathetic heroine had no idea what she wanted to master in. Oh well. Nenna was just glad it was out in the middle of nowhere—not that she wanted to get away from her parents...it was because of something else.

She walked down the empty bridge. Her flight was delayed, so technically the first day started yesterday. The journey was rather long, she had to fly down to California from Virginia, and then take a boat that took a day to get to the island. Nenna was in an awfully tired—and grumpy mood.

Reaching a fountain, she pulled out her paper and squinted at the map under the fading light. The girls' dorm was…"Ah, konnichiwa!" She picked up her head to see a man walk up to her. What was that...Japanese?

The man had black hair and a wrinkled face, probably from smiling too much. He was dressed nicely in a suit with a cup of...something in his hand. "Came in late I see," he chuckled.

"Yeah," she tried not to yawn. He looked at the map in her hand. "Do you need some help?"

She nodded, blinking her tiredness away furiously, failing in the process...and looking like an idiot. "Where's the girls' dorm?"

"Ahh, that's on the other side of the campus...sometimes I wonder what the builders were thinking of when designing the place," he muttered. "Here, I'll show you."

Taking a better look at the building, it was a couple stories high with an archway underneath, allowing people to walk into a courtyard covered in grass, plants and benches. A couple students were in small groups, chatting amongst each other. "So, what's your name?" He asked.

"Jenna, but people call me Nenna."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Kondou Isami!" He greeted.

"Oh! You must be the dean then…" she said slowly. Again, it was a long day.

"Right. Welcome to Kondou University then!" He smiled. This man had some fatherly aura about him, really, he seemed that nice. "Was the trip here okay?"

Don't get her started on it. "It was long," she managed to say, trying her best to not sound grumpy. "I just want to find my bed and sleep."

He chuckled, nodding his head. "It must've been."

They arrived at the girls' dorm. It was quiet as they walked down a dimly lit hall. "I believe you have another roommate. I wish I could've given you a tour of the campus...but it's getting late," he apologized. He knocked on the door and a girl's head popped out.

Light brown eyes greeted Nenna's. The girl sported braids in her grayish brown hair, and it looked like she was about to sleep, considering her sleepy expression. "Yes?"

"Forgive me," Kondou gestured to Nenna, "but this is your roommate. She came in late." Nenna nodded at the girl, giving her a little smile.

"Oh!" She said, with a bit more life to her voice. "Yeah, come on in. I'm Sen, what's your name?" The door swung open as Nenna walked inside. Kondou took his leave, closing the door behind him.

"It's Nenna." She replied, glancing at the bare side of the room. Sen's side had small posters and pictures of her and others tacked on a corkboard, but it was still pretty bare. She moved to her side and started to unpack her things, as in lazily tossing things in drawers. After setting up her bed, she flopped onto the mattress with a loud floof! Her dirty blonde hair splayed across the pillow with her face buried in it.

"Tired huh?" Sen giggled as she sat at her desk, cramming papers into a binder.

Nenna let out a muffled response. As much as she wanted to get to know about her roommate, she was completely exhausted. Too lazy to change or anything. Hopefully Sen wouldn't think of her as rude or anything. Burying herself in the mountain of blankets, she pulled the hood over her head and closed her eyes.

Opening her eyes, she groggily sat up. She hadn't moved much since she crashed, though her hair was in all sorts of tangles and knots. Nenna felt around her pillow, trying to find her phone as the hood lazily fell off her head. Finding said phone, she looked at the time and groaned loudly, slumping her shoulders.

It was ten o'clock. Ten. She slept through her first class! That explained the fact why Sen wasn't in the room. Digging out her schedule from her pocket, she read the rest of it. She had thirty minutes before the next one...astronomy.

Nenna changed at a turtle's pace, putting on some skinny jeans and a sweater that screamed, 'I'm not even trying'. After brushing the life out of her hair, she picked up her bag and crinkled schedule and grabbed the key on her nightstand that had: DORM KEY 226 on it, and shoved it in her pocket. Sen probably left it. It was a hunch.

Skipping breakfast altogether, Nenna scrambled, rather clumsily, to find her class. Maps didn't do her any favors, as her eyes were still trying to get out sleepy mode.

Getting to class went by in a blur. After asking countless people, she was turned to a general area of where the class would be. Finding the right class was an answered prayer as she flopped down into a seat just before the professor walked in...followed by a guy who ran past him at ultrasonic speeds. Panting, he went up the steps and basically mimicked Nenna's oh-so graceful flop into a seat. The one right next to her.

Astronomy went by in a blur, with Nenna nearly falling asleep every few minutes. She wrote a few words out of the entire lecture, and was probably gonna kick herself when a test would come up...and she would have nothing to go by.

But then the sound of her stomach roaring to life snapped her out of her daze completely...followed by a held back chuckle next to her. Her heart beat faster out of embarrassment and she looked at the guy. "Only you heard that, right?" She whispered.

He nodded, covering his mouth. "Not sure…!" Her eyes finally greeted his blue-green ones. Sporting messy brown hair, he was dressed in a hoodie and jeans. Nothing really crazy, but she would admit his smile was dorky.

"I skipped breakfast," she muttered, putting an arm over her stomach to muffle any more sounds...and there were plenty more.

"Obviously. You want a muffin or something? I stockpiled food last night," he said, nudging his bag, which was sitting in the empty chair.

She could only nod as she watched him pull out a banana nut muffin. "Thanks," she whispered and started digging out pieces of it and shoveling it in her mouth. Covering her mouth, she said, "I'm Nenna."

"Heisuke." He grinned.

Eventually class was dismissed, with Nenna begging silently to get a water bottle. She wolfed down the muffin within a few minutes. "I don't suppose you know where to get a bottle of water."

"Did you sleep through the entire tour?" He joked.

"I just got here last night. My flight was delayed," she replied matter-of-factly. She swallowed, feeling the muffin that had caked her throat. "And then I slept through my first class." She sighed.

He gave her an apologetic grin. "Sorry, I didn't know. Anyways, there's a store nearby that's always open. C'mon, I'll show you." He nodded his head in the direction and Nenna followed. "So where did you come from?"
"Virginia. You?"

"Japan."

"Japan?" She widened her eyes. "Like...Tokyo or something?" It wasn't like she met people who came from halfway across the world every day!

"Kyoto." When he received a blank stare, he added, "It's west of Tokyo. Personally I don't like the bustling cities and the crowds...are huge." Nenna noted his height...she was a few inches shorter than him, and she stood at 5 feet. She held up her hand against his head in gesture to his height and he shook his head and exasperated. "I'm not that short!" It was as if he read her mind.

"You're short," she replied smugly.

"You're shorter!"

"Pretty short for a guy though."

He groaned and threw his head back. "Why do I even try?!"

Reaching the shop that smelled like coffee and cleaned floors, she got three bottles of water. Yes, three. Cramming two of them in her bag, she took a huge swig from one, sucking out half of its life in a few gulps. She could still feel the cakey muffin in the back of her throat, but she wanted to save it.

"So what do you have next?" Heisuke asked, adjusting his backpack strap.

"Uhh, calc." You could say she went crazy and got a lot of math credits in high school, and all she needed now was one more in college. She wasn't looking forward to doing math without her parents nagging her and breathing down her neck to get it done. Whoops.

"Ah, seriously? I sucked at math in high school… I have English next. Maybe you'll meet some of my other friends."

"What, did you and your friends plan to go to the same college?" She arched a brow. It was rare to hear that, since her friends ranged from community college to fancy universities. He shrugged.

"Yeah, that." His eyes seemed distant before flickering back to normal. The two walked out of the semi-crowded shop. "Well," he grinned, "I'll see you later I guess!"

"Yep," she admitted to herself that she wouldn't mind seeing him again, since he was the only person she came into contact with―and held a conversation that lasted more than three syllables.

She found her next class easier than the previous one. And this was her last class for the day...which meant probably more sleeping. She got her first assignment from astronomy, but a nap was on the top of her priority list.

As usual, class went by slowly. Her hand had a mind of its own and scrawled down the notes, being legible for once. Her brain was slowly starting to work, getting stuck a couple times, but she managed. She missed her friends elbowing her because she was in their writing space, or whenever they would ask her for the answers, which she wouldn't give. Math was the only class she overachieved in, and everything else was just at a regular pace, which was ironic because she was horrible at math in middle school. At least she wouldn't have to worry about taking more math for the next few years here.

Class ended as quickly as it came, and her hunger was on a steady slope to being active again. Gathering her things―she managed to go through a second water bottle―she stood. A tap on the shoulder made her turn around. A guy on the row above her had his book spine resting on his shoulder. He wore a button up shirt, untucked. His auburn hair didn't mimic her clothes, as it was messy. A pair of honey gold eyes sat behind this one strand of hair that hung his face, irritating the snot out of the blonde.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Did you get the last part of the lecture? I kinda zoned off." He gave her a grin. Now on the same platform as she was, she looked up at him. Including Heisuke, everyone towered over her. This guy was no exception.

"Yeah," she snapped out of her reverie and started to head for the door at the top of the auditorium-like seating. The tall man obviously didn't see that coming and rushed up to her, stepping in her way.

"So...you won't?"

She shook her head. "Afraid not."

"C'mon," he sighed, still grinning. "It's not like a super handsome guy, such as myself, comes up and talks to you." He studied her unamused expression and quickly added, "Joking, just joking. You remind me of my friend, Saito."

"I need to get going," Nenna replied. Lie number one.

"Please?"

Just when things couldn't get any worse...her stomach gurgled. The tall man arched a brow and a smile curled his lips. That muffin wasn't enough. She fumed and looked up at the ceiling, shifting her weight on one leg, concocting an idea. The store Heisuke showed her only had candy and junk food; she wanted a meal. "If you don't have any other classes today, you could show me where I can get actual food."

"Ahh, that's no problem! There's a lot of shops in the town. I'm Sanosuke, by the way."

"Nenna...what's with all the Japanese?" She muttered, only to realize that that was supposed to be in a thought bubble. Sano nodded at her as they finally made it out of class.

"It's an international school, so people from all over the world come here."

The blonde thought for a moment, "I don't suppose you know some kid named 'Heisuke'." Wouldn't it be a coincidence that he would know him―

"You met the shrimp? Yeah I know him, for a while actually." He held up his hand next to Nenna to compare heights with said kid.

Nenna rolled her eyes and slapped his hand away gently. "I've already been through this conversation. So there's no restaurants on campus?" The trek down the hill and into the distant town didn't sound so thrilling.

"I take it you're a freshman, huh?"

"Yes. What are you? Junior...senior?"

"Senior. You scared yet?" He chuckled. Nenna still wasn't in a joking mode. If you would retry in the next 3-5 business days, then maybe she would lighten up. Sano was nice, in her point of view. He seemed really cheerful and easygoing. Maybe his attitude can make hers a little better for the rest of the day.

As of now, the girl had exceeded her goals for the entire week: make at least one friend. She had the potential of getting two.

"Hey, Nenna!" Her attention was torn away when she heard a familiar voice to her left. Turning to look, she saw Heisuke wave at her with two other guys in his wake. In no time, a little group was formed on the pathway. "Ahh, you already met Sano then huh?"

"Don't keep us from the girl, Heisuke," one man mused. The two others were taller than Heisuke, one sporting purple hair and deep blue, impassive eyes, with an apathetic expression to compliment the rest of his aura. The oceans in his eyes flickered as she and him caught each other staring before dimming down to a placid sea.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry." Heisuke said with no meaning in those words, brushing his friend off with a dismissive wave of his hand. Gesturing to Nenna and then to the others, he said, "This is Nenna, and these two are Hajime and Souji."

The one named Souji nearly met Sano in height, again another towering figure to add to her collection. She scrutinized those emerald hues that glinted, holding a similar smirk he had plastered on his face. Both of these men, including Heisuke, emitted something...off. Something very small tipped what she deemed normal, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Hajimemashite." The reddish-brown head responded, throwing her a wink. Saito, however, said nothing. Getting a confused look from Nenna, he added, "Nice to meet you."

"Oh," the girl nodded. She wanted to say―no, scratch that. She didn't want to say anything until she had a plate of food in front of her. Nonchalantly putting an arm over her stomach, she felt it growl under her shirt and whimpered mentally.

She pushed back the empty plate of food on the table and stretch. The food coma was setting in. She and the others decided to go to a restaurant in town, catching a shuttle because the walk would be too long. "Oh! Here, a deal's a deal." She rifled through her back and took out the notes from class, handing them to Sano.

"Thank you," he winked, getting a gagging expression from Heisuke.

"Don't you even think about flirting with her, old man."

"I'm not that old, kid," he retorted and flipped to the last section of her notes. He scrutinized the neat handwriting and arched a brow, flipping the paper over to see if there was anything on the back. "Hey, where's the rest of the notes?"

"Oh, that was it. He was just talking about something about his life." Nenna pulled on an ever-so sly grin. The table went still and Souji and Heisuke broke the silence with laughter. Sano put the papers down and stared. Resting an elbow on the booth, he turned to Nenna, who just smiled innocently at him. "You tricked me."

"I didn't lie. You said the 'last part of the notes' and those are it!" She explained, pointing at the last few lines on the page. Her smile softened, "But thanks for the food."

"Ahh I like her already!" Souji cheered. "She's as devious as me."

Sano squeezed the bridge of his nose. "I wouldn't go to that extent."

The food did help her a bit in waking up, but it still felt like she had weights in her body. Her gazed shifted over to Hajime, who still didn't say anything. It looked like he wasn't even capable of smiling. As their gazes locked, he was the first to look away. She still couldn't figure him out.

As they headed out of the restaurant, Souji inquired, "So, are you thinking of any clubs to join?"

That never came across her mind at all, just the part where she needed to get accepted into some college and emerge with some degree. "Never thought about it."

"Well, just a tip, you should check out the kendo club! We're all in it."

"What's that?"

The four looked at her for a moment, probably remembering that she was from America, and had no idea what kendo was. "It's basically where you spar one another with bamboo swords. It's fun." He grinned. The idea of smacking each other with bamboo swords sounded fun―to watch. Nenna wasn't even good at using foam swords with her friends in a store...before they got kicked out. Let's just say she would make a fool out of herself.

"No thanks, maybe to watch―but not join." She replied.

"Well you should just drop by one day!" Heisuke insisted.

When they got back to campus, they showed her where the club was held, and mentioned that all the clubs will be open to new members soon, so she could join one if she wanted to. Her eyes flickered over to the horizon with the sparkling ocean that stretched over yonder for miles. She completely forgot that she was on an island.

"Hey, you there." A voice came from behind her. She turned and immediately, her heart staggered. A man with blonde hair and blood red eyes approached her. That looked strange to her already, but there was something about him too! Dangerous―powerful. Not to mention his voice was incredibly low. Standing over her, he had this kind of presence that would feel like it could feel a room. With one hand in his pocket and another hand holding a bag.

"You're new here," the man said. Nenna didn't say anything, since she was still trying to find the deepest corner of her brain to get away from this guy. He looked her over, "I would say be careful...but it seems that people should be wary around you."

"Weirdo," she exclaimed. "Wh―why would you say that to someone?!" She huffed and gripped her backpack strap and briskly walked around him.

"Hmm…" the stranger watched as the girl walked away. The hues in his eyes glinted with curiosity.

"You didn't have to scare her off," a female voice came from the side of him.

"Don't play dumb, you could sense something from her from the start, didn't you?"

Sen walked up to him, her arms folded as she gave him a glare. "Yeah, I did, but you still didn't have to confront her so quickly!" Sighing, she watched as Nenna walked off to the girls' dorm. "Honestly, Chikage, you have no idea how to talk to girls in general."

The blonde closed his eyes, as if trying to concentrate on something. "You talk too much, you know?" Opening his eyes, he commented, "But there is something off about her."

Thanks for reading! This was brewing in my mind and I just wanted to finally put it down on paper! What do you think? :D Let me know in your reviews! And a question: who would you want to see paired with Nenna? I think I have an idea now that I typed the chapter, but your thoughts are more than welcome!

Apologies for the ridiculously long chapter.

-Jen