Part One: Minor Meeting

Chapter 1: Thinking Back to that Day

Some time ago, about seven years; Orimoto Izumi was staring mindlessly out the window and, gazing at the trees and scenery race by. Izumi was overwhelmed with all the hardships surrounding her. Everyone around her hated her, just because they didn't know her very well. No one ever bother to even socialize with her or acknowledge her existence. She was criticized at least once an hour, just because she was different. But mostly, her main issue was Ryusaki Miyamoto. Miyamoto would never miss a chance to come around talk badly about Izumi, even in front of her face. Izumi was doing her best to ignore her, because she believed that even the meanest person had a good heart, deep down inside. She stared at her snow gear, bored out of her life. The bus ride to Iwate-san Mountains was a four-hour drive and it had unfortunately, only been forty-five minutes. Izumi was so bored she decided to take out her work and books to get her mind off the long wait and Miyamoto. As she took the book out of her textbook and papers, it dropped in the middle of the aisle; it weighed fifteen pounds, in her opinion. A mysterious, yet hauntingly familiar figure boy sat across from her and picked it up and handed it back to her. Izumi smiled and said,

"Thanks…"

The boy nodded and looked out the window, just like she was a couple of minutes ago. Izumi stared at her papers and books, all unorganized. She looked up. She began to think,

"I am Orimoto Izumi! I can get through this…I think… even if Miyamoto-san is a big, conceited, mean girl. Maybe I should talk to that guy who picked up my stuff for me, even I felt stupid, being clumsy and all… I mean, I have no one else to talk to."

Izumi turned her head to Kouji and was about to open her mouth to say a few words, but then Miyamoto appeared suddenly in her face.

"Hi, Izumi!" Miyamoto said in a sarcastic, happy tone.

"Uhh…hi…Miyamoto…" Izumi gritted through her teeth.

"What's this book you are reading?" Miyamoto pointed out.

Miyamoto's voice was beginning to annoy Izumi.

"A book for class," Izumi muttered.

"What book? A book based on how to make some friends?" Miyamoto replied callously, joining back to her ridiculous clique of friends that consisted of at least eight other girls. There was one girl in the clique who was silent and not laughing with her group, but Izumi didn't notice. Izumi groaned. She was really depressed. It was a chilly morning and she hadn't even made even one friend or at least, an acquaintance. She stuffed her mess of papers and books into her knapsack and slammed it onto the empty side of her seat. The seats were meant for two, but Izumi was alone. She stared at the gum-filled bus floor and started fidgeting with her fuchsia colored gloves, thinking of Italy, as she always did. She glanced at her watch. Only ten minutes passed. Izumi buried her head in her hands and thought,

"Will this never end?"

Then a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Don't mind them," said the boy who picked up her book for her earlier, in a dark, low voice.

Izumi immediately turned her head.

"What?"

"Never mind…"

"No, really, what did you say?"

"It's not that important."

"Please, tell me…"

Neither Izumi nor the boy knew why they were talking to each other. Nor did they know each other that well. Or each other's names.

The boy sighed. "I said, don't mind Miyamoto and what she says or does to you."

"Oh, thanks," she said in a cheerful, yet unhappy tone. Then Izumi realized that she didn't know his name. Sure, she saw him in class, but Izumi didn't socialize with anyone once she realized she wasn't wanted by Miyamoto's crowd.

"What's your name?" asked Izumi.

"Why?" he asked quietly.

"Because, I don't know anyone else in the class," Izumi said in a downcast tone.

"Minamoto Kouji," he said darkly.

"Minamoto Kouji? I thought Miyamoto has a crush on you or something…"

"Well, not in much that I care about her. She's an annoying girl who has only air in her head. Anyway, how did you know?"

"Miyamoto talks real loud so I can hear her for about two miles away," Izumi explained, as she chuckled.

Kouji didn't smile and only thought, "What a dumb joke." Then a question came to him.

"I don't know your name," he said quietly.

"Oh! Orimoto Izumi!"

"Well, Orimoto-san," Kouji said as he held out his hand to shake her hand. Izumi let her hand out…as Miyamoto busted in.

"Hey, Izumi! Don't socialize with Kouji!" said Miyamoto in a harsh tone, pushing Izumi's hand back down, which hurt.

"And what is wrong with that, Miyamoto?" Kouji said in a serious tone, standing up for Izumi, seeing that she couldn't defend herself.

"Izumi is a stupid low-life! She thinks she's so cool just because she came from some country we don't even care about! Plus her color choice is horrible!" Miyamoto declared to the class. Everyone began laughing hysterically. Izumi felt completely tiny and wanted to hide under a hole. Any hole.

"Why, you!" Kouji snarled.

Just then Izumi stood up, slapping Miyamoto square on the cheek. Then she quickly grabbed one of her heavy textbooks out of her knapsack and threatened her with it saying,

"Here's some book on how to make friends for you!"

Miyamoto screamed incredibly loud; the bus making a sharp stop for everyone to motion forward from their seats. Someone put their hand on Izumi's shoulder.

"Huh?" Izumi's rage dissipated and she dropped her book on the floor.

"Orimoto Izumi! Please come to the front!"

It was her teacher, Yanagimoto-sensei.

"Yes, Yanagimoto-sensei…" she said submissively.

Miyamoto faked being "injured" and said,

"Kouji, help me up…"

"…No," Kouji replied quietly, and very darkly. He picked up Izumi's book and stared at her trudging to the front, and thought,

"She shouldn't have done that."