-Chapter 1-

For some reason, everyone hated her. She never did anything wrong. She tried to be nice, even though nobody was ever nice to her. In fact, the only one who'd ever been nice top her was the school's nurse. However, it seemed to her that the teachers followed what the students did. They hated her, too. Why? That was the million-dollar question.

"Maron! Get over here right now!" her teacher screamed. They were on a field trip. The world's largest library. It was in Alexandria, Egypt. Rumor has it that another class was taking a field trip here due to a mix-up in the schedules. By the time they found out, it was too late to change them.

They were in the gift shop when this rumor came true. They finally met the other school's class.

A blue-haired boy looked over and examined the other class. His school was Mizuni High. Rumors told him that this school was called Kashinumu High. As he looked from student to student, he noticed a thin girl with brown hair and brown eyes. She looked kind of down, though. Actually, she looked miserable.

He turned to his classmate, Miyako. "Hey," he asked, "Doesn't that girl look sick?"

Miyako looked for the student he was talking about. She soon spotted her. "Yeah. I wonder what's wrong with her."

It wasn't long before their conversation was interrupted by someone in the opposite school shouting, "Hey! Maron broke something!" Everyone, including the teacher, looked over at the said person. Truth be told, she wasn't even near a shelf to begin with, so she couldn't have broken anything. But apparently one person wanted to stay clean out of trouble, so they must've blamed the poor girl.

Seconds later, they saw the students nearest to the brown-haired girl scooted back, away from her. She was now left to face the teacher's wrath all alone.

"Chiaki," Miyako said, turning Chiaki's attention from the girl to her, "I think that girl's name is Maron."

Chiaki nodded his head, focusing his attention back on Maron.

She was getting scolded and the teacher told her she not only had detention, but she had to pay for the item she broke. The girl simply nodded and didn't say anything back.

The class moved on, Maron following. The opposite school, which to her knowledge was called Mizuni High, was following them.

A blue-haired boy boldly walked up to her. "Hiya." he said.

"Hi." Maron muttered back, waiting to see what he'd do next. Would he dislike her and disrespect her like everyone else?

"So, uh... I...kinda saw you back there. Boy, your teacher's pretty harsh, huh?" He smiled, letting her know he meant no harm.

"Only to me. She's nice to all the other students." she replied.

"...Oh. Why is that?" he asked, letting his curiosity get the best of him.

Maron shrugged in response. "She just doesn't like me. I don't know why."

He scratched his head, wondering what action he should take next. Realizing he hadn't even told her his name yet, he decided what he was going to say next. "By the way, my name is Chiaki."

"I'm Maron. Nice to meet you." she said.

"So, uh... Why are you all the way in the back?" he continued to question, know well how awkward this conversation was getting. He just couldn't find a topic she'd stay on or talk about.

"Because some has to be." Again, she shrugged.

Chiaki sighed. "You know, I was thinking of transferring to Kashinumu High. Mizuni High is getting old. Plus, it's got a ton of problems with it. Like the fountains... Man! Every time you try to get a drink of water, they end up spraying you. It's like something you see in a cartoon. Except it happens in real life."

Maron couldn't help but smile at his comment.

He smiled too, knowing he'd finally gotten her attention. "And then at home, my cat attacks me the moment I come through the door! He once shredded my homework, and when I told the teacher about what happened, he got mad and said he'd heard that excuse a hundred times over!"

Maron stifled a laugh.

Chiaki's smile just grew wider and wider. "And then there was this one time I found a baby mockingbird. It was all huddled under a pine tree. I picked it up, wondering where its nest was. Even though I was trying to help it, the little guy kept pecking my hand until it looked like it had the measles! Then it peeped and its parents heard it. By the time they got to the scene, there was a large group of children gathered around me, wanting see the bird. The parents couldn't find their chick, so they started dive-bombing the entire group! I sat the chick down and escaped. Everyone else was scared for life. Me, too. Even to this day I have a healthy fear of mockingbirds!"

Maron burst out laughing. Her laughter was so contagious, Chiaki soon found himself laughing with her. She was actually fun to be around, something he hadn't expected when he first came up to her. But now she was truly someone he wanted to get to know better. And he finally found a topic she liked: comedy!

A sharp whistle and Maron was told to be quiet. She obeyed.

Chiaki, feeling as though he'd gotten her in trouble, returned to his class, leaving with a, "See you later, Maron."

Maron, on the other hand, was happy he'd come to talk to her. Nobody ever really did, so that one person had made a bigger impact on her than she thought. She smiled sweetly. That boy was a nice one. She may never forget the kindness he showed her.

Quickly shaking the thought of Chiaki out of her mind, she turned her attention back to what the teacher was saying. They could explore the library on their own but had to be back at the front door in at least three hours. Perhaps, if Chiaki's schedule was the same, and it should be, she could meet up with him again and he could make her laugh once more. But that would mean wandering alone through the entire library trying to find him.

Chiaki listened as his teacher told him they could explore the library as long as they went with a partner, for safety reasons. The only one on his mind, however, was Maron. For some unknown reason, he couldn't let his mind dismiss the image of her smiling face. He had a strong desire burning in him. It kept telling him he needed to see her again. Even though that one moment they spent together was short, it was important. In fact, he felt like running out of his class and going to search for her.

Miyako insisted that she be Chiaki's partner. The two classmates also happened to be best friends, so it only made sense she'd want to be with him often.

The teacher asked Chiaki if this was okay, and of course, he agreed Miyako should be his partner. Surely she wouldn't mind if Chiaki went to see Maron again.

After everyone had chosen partners, the teacher dismissed them and left for the gift shop.

Maron's teacher dismissed them and left for the gift shop as well. This was where the teachers were supposed to go in case any of the students needed them.

Maron excitedly searched the perimeter with her own partner, who hated her. The huge library had many rooms ranging from big to small to janitor's closet-sized. Chiaki could be in any of them. She checked door after door looking for him. No Chiaki. Did his schedule change?

Chiaki was wandering around with Miyako, trying to find Maron. No matter where he looked, however, it seemed like she was eluding him. She had to be around here somewhere! But where?

"Chiaki?" Miyako said, averting his attention. "We've been walking around almost frantically! I'm gonna take a break. You can go exploring by yourself. Meet me back by that bench," She pointed over toward the direction of the bench he should meet her by, "when you're done."

He nodded, his body language telling her he understood. Then he took off, desperate to find Maron. Yes, perhaps it would've been best if he'd told Miyako about seeing her today. But he didn't, thinking if waited too long she would leave and he'd never get to see her again. That would kill him. Why did he feel such a strong pull towards her? He just met her! But, if this was what destiny had in mind, then he would accept it with grace and happiness.

Maron had just about given up. As she walked through isles of bookshelves, she noticed a familiar blue-haired boy across from her, just a few isles down. He obviously hadn't seen her yet and looked as though he was searching hard for something. He opened a door that was to his side and went in the room behind it, still looking for something.

Maron instantly knew it was Chiaki. She had to get to him before he ran off again. But first, she had to ditch her partner. Especially since her partner was a girl, she would hate it if she wasn't with Chiaki. And she would hate it if she caught Maron with Chiaki, too. Chiaki was hot, and Maron was hated by her whole school, including teachers and staff. So if Maron was caught with Chiaki, the entire school would hate her more and try to keep them apart.

She slyly slipped through a narrow bookshelf isle when Naru, her partner, wasn't looking. Now that she'd ditched her partner, the only thing left to do was go and greet Chiaki.

Inside a semi-dark room, with only a few candles flickering here and there, Chiaki searched almost blindly for Maron. Behind him, he heard the door open and he jumped. He swiftly turned on his heel to find the person he was looking for. Maron.

"M-Maron... I was looking for you. Where were you?" he cheerily asked.

She smiled a gentle smile and answered, "I was with Naru, my partner. I saw you come in here and... well, I had to get away from her to come see you." Seeing how many wrong conclusions that answer could lead to, she blushed.

"Oh. My partner, Miyako, is taking a break. She went to sit on a bench. She told me to meet her back there." he explained. He found his way to a bench and patted his hand on it, beckoning Maron to sit beside him.

She turned only to shut the door behind her so the two could be alone together. Then she seemed to almost drift over to him and sit down beside him. "So, I assume your partner, Miyako, right? She's your girlfriend, isn't she?" Maron said, disheartened.

"Miyako? My girlfriend? You gotta be kidding me! Miyako's my best friend, but she's not my girlfriend." he reassured her. He put his arm around her shoulders in a somewhat protective manner. "I don't have a girlfriend. Actually, I've never had one. You have a boyfriend?"

She blushed and thought of asking him if he wanted to apply for the job, but she was way too embarrassed. Instead, she had to settle with, "No. I've never had a boyfriend."

"Wow. Really? Don't any boys at least have crushes on you?" he asked.

Maron smiled, knowing that wasn't possible at her school. "Nope."

"Huh. I wonder why." Right after saying that, he thought Maron might think he was saying it sarcastically, so to correct this mistake, he quickly added, "I mean, I-I didn't mean to say you aren't pretty or anything, 'cause you are, it's just, well, I wasn't being sarcastic when I said that, that's all."

She chuckled at his stammering and trying to compensate for what he thought she might have taken as mean, but in truth, she listened to every word. Her heart bounced with excitement in her chest when she heard him say she was pretty. "Don't worry about it, Chiaki. I know you weren't meaning it in a sarcastic way."

He pulled her closer to him and in response she snuggled up to him. Lost in what seemed like a trance, she hardly knew what she was doing. She became completely engrossed in Chiaki. His scent, his warmth, even his muscles. The only thing that interrupted her thoughts of him was his voice.

"Comfortable much?" he asked, chuckling lightly under his breath. Then he grew serious. "If you're tired, you can have my lap as a pillow."

Feeling like she was invading his space, she tried to pull away, only to be stopped by a strong arm. "No," came the voice that the arm belonged to, "Please...just a little longer. Please..." it begged.

She instantly gave in and snuggled back up to him, blushing hotly. Once she got engrossed, again something snapped her out of it. This time it was the feeling of her hair being petted. She jerked her head up as a hair was accidentally plucked.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Chiaki asked, not sure why he did something like that to a girl he hardly knew.

She shook her head, "I liked it. Keep doing that. It felt good until you pulled out one of my hairs." she laughed out the last sentence.

He smiled and continued stroking her soft mane. He loved hearing her laugh, seeing her smile, and making her happy. It meant so much to him. More than he realized.

"Hey, Chiaki?" Maron's sweet, gentle voice asked. "Can we do this more often?"

As much as he didn't want to deny her, he didn't know for sure. Unless... "Sure, but it might be a little hard. We can meet after school. Is that okay with you?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah, it is." Then she remembered her classmates and other schoolmates. "But..." She continued when she felt Chiaki's gaze turn to her, "We'll have to keep it a secret from my classmates and schoolmates. The nurse is fine; she can know. But the school doesn't...uhm... Nevermind. Just don't talk about it to the people in our schools, okay?"

He nodded, but had to ask why.

"Please. Just don't." she begged him.

He once more nodded and began stroking her further down, until he was stroking not just her hair, but her lower back as well. The new action sent chills up and down her spine, following Chiaki's hand. But she liked these chills. They created a new feeling in her that she'd never experienced before. It wasn't a bad feeling, however. She loved this feeling and wanted it to stay in her forever. Perhaps this was how an animal felt when she'd finally found that perfect mate she'd been looking for all her life. Either way, Maron didn't want this moment to end.

Chiaki felt a light pressure being put on his side. Maron was pushing against him, trying to get as close as possible to him. He took his arm off of her shoulders and stood up. He picked her up bridal style with a huge grin on his face. She was dangerously light. He sat back down, positioning her on his lap so she would be comfortable.

She shifted in response to the position change of her body and asked, "Chiaki, are you sure you're okay with this?"

He didn't let up on the grin one bit when he said, "I am if you are."

She smiled again, the confusion lifting from her thoughts. Never in her right mind would she have thought there would be a boy in the world this nice and sweet and gentle. And yet here he was, letting her sit on his lap to make her more comfortable.

"Maron," he said, "When did you last eat?"

She chuckled nervously and replied, "At breakfast."

"So you haven't had lunch yet?" he questioned.

"No. I figured it was a little too early for lunch." she answered.

"Maron, it's 1:30pm." he said, lowering his voice a little.

"Oh, it is? Well, I'm kind of on a diet right now, so-"

He interrupted, "Come on. Let's go eat something. I know for a fact you've gotta be starving. I know I am. I'll treat you to lunch, okay?" He said this as though nothing was wrong, but just by lifting her up, Chiaki knew she'd been on a diet way too long. He could feel her bones protruding from her skin. Her waist was so tiny he could probably cup his hands around it and his fingertips would meet each other. She was extremely bony and light. Severely underweight. All he could do now is hope her diet wasn't bolemia.