Schoolyard Melody

Written By: Bushy

DISCLAIMER: Let me say this now so there isn't any confusion in the future. I do not on any portion of Azumanga Daioh or its characters, scenarios, etc. The only thing I DO own is my original character that I have placed into the story. Along with that, these are pretty much original ideas, thought up of by me. Well, now that THAT'S taken care of, let's begin. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 1: Begin With A Spin

"Hm. So it's finally that time of year again."

Raffaello looked around his room. He just woke up, so he was still in bed, clad in a plain white t-shirt and his silk boxer shorts. The sun had just peeked over the horizon, signaling that it was time to get ready for the day ahead. He sighed and lazily slithered out of bed, casually slinking past all of the assorted manga and video games and whatnot you'd find in a male teenagers room nowadays to get to his closet. He opened it and sighed again. "Man, it feels like only yesterday that school ended... And now I'm going back... And I'm even going to high school," he said, yawning. "Ah well... Time to eat some food." He put on his new school uniform (which was a lot nicer-looking than his old middle school one) and headed downstairs to grab some breakfast, in which his mother had lovingly prepared for him. After a considerably unexpected yawn, he looked at his mother. "G'mornin... What's for breakfast?" he asked, seating himself accordingly.

"Oh, good morning. I made your favorite," replied his mother, placing chocolate chip pancakes on the plate sitting in front of him. "Oh, and here... This came in the mail for you yesterday. You fell asleep a bit early, so I never got to give it to you. Here you go," she said, handing Raffaello the envelope.

"A letter? For me? How weird. Usually the only things that come in the mail are bills or birthday money from relatives and stuff. Wonder who it's from," he said while looking at the letter. He poured himself a glass of milk then began to read the letter. It went like this.

Dear Raffaello,

I'm glad to hear that you've been admitted into high school. That makes me very proud of you. Although I can't come see you again any time soon, I want you to listen to what I'm about to tell you. Don't try and rush through high school just to get it over with. Try to find some new friends to share some good (and maybe some bad) times. Remember, you never know what's going to happen next. I hope that you live a good life, and make sure that you follow my advice, alright? I love you, son. Good luck with school.

From,

Dad

Raffaello smiled. He was glad that he got this letter when he did, what with being unsure about what to do from this point forward. This letter... This piece of advice from his father... Gave him confidence. He finished his glass of milk, put the letter in his bag, kissed his mother goodbye, and headed for his new high school.

--------------------------------------------------

"Ah... I always love these morning walks."

Raffaello was naturally athletic, which really didn't bother him much (how could it?), so he liked being physically fit. He'd normally take walks on weekends or holidays, just to see the sights. The different seasons added different views and perspectives on the ever-changing scenery, which he personally enjoyed. Snowfall was his favorite type of weather during his periods of morning walks, but he didn't mind sun or rain, either.

All of a sudden, the ground started to shake. It sounded like a herd of rhinoceroses charging at him from behind. He stopped walking and turned around, only to meet someone running right into him at full speed. The person knocked him over and he hit the ground. HARD. "Sorry, dork, don't wanna be late!" the person yelled, still running off into the distance.

He got up, still dazed at the fact that he got smashed into a concrete sidewalk. "Ugh... Who the hell WAS that...?" he thought out loud. "It sounded like... A girl." He brushed himself off and looked at his watch. "Hm... I better get going. Dad was right. I never can tell what's going to happen next." Raffaello sighed and continued on his way to school.

--------------------------------------------------

"That was so strange."

He continued his walk, passing many stores and apartments. That girl had confused him in a way that he couldn't even explain. I mean, c'mon, who runs at full speed to get to school? And how in the world could she have so much energy so early in the morning? "Ah, well, no matter. It's not like it's really any of my business anyway," he said, shrugging. He looked around and saw a brick fence, which supported a grey cat lounging in the morning sunlight. "Huh? A stray cat? That's cool, in a way... The way he's just kinda lying there and all..." he pondered.

He smiled and waved at the cat, only to bump into a girl standing on the sidewalk. "Oh, uh, excuse me..." he said, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh... It's alright, really..." the girl replied slowly, glancing at him for only a brief second before looking at the gray cat.

Raffaello stood there a tad confused before starting to walk again. "I'll see you around, I guess," he called to her, before hearing a yelp of pain behind him. He turned around and saw the gray cat gnawing the girl's hand. He figured this situation was WAY out of his jurisdiction (or his business, for that matter) and continued on his way.

--------------------------------------------------

"I hope her hand heals quickly..."

Raffaello figured that by this point he was ready for anything. It occurred to him that his father's words were becoming more and more apparent every few minutes or so. "I bet that next a building's gonna explode or something..." he said with a laugh. "Dad, you have NO idea how right you are." He chuckled to himself while he was walking, wondering if the school year will be ever crazier than his morning constitutional. He passed by a bakery and looked in the window, acknowledging all the yummy-looking sweets displayed on their own pedestals. He noticed that a girl that looked about his age was getting a treat at the front counter, occasionally looking around to see if anyone was watching her. "Huh. Wonder what's got her so worked up," he thought to himself.

The girl purchased her morning snack and walked out the door, munching on it while smiling to herself. "This new diet should work, I'm sure of it," she said quietly, unaware of the pair or male ears that were staring in the bakery window. The girl giggled and walked off.

Raffaello watched her walking away and scratched his head. "But she's so good-looking already... But, that's the problem with some girls these days. They ALWAYS think they're fat or not skinny enough or whatever," he declared. "Well, better get goin'. I'm almost there, and I don't wanna be late," he said as he began to jog his way towards the school.

--------------------------------------------------

"I wonder if those girls go to my school."

He had been wondering that for a while now. He thought they looked about his age, but he was never very good at guessing games. "Well, there's only one way to find out. Er... One way that's easy, anyway," he figured. "And that's by getting there." He groaned. "I didn't know it was such a long walk from my house to the school... Good thing I left early..." he said. He looked at the road to see if there were any cars coming so he could cross over to the opposite sidewalk. "Nope, no one's coming," he said, looking left, then right, then left again.

Naturally, he was wrong.

He was just about to step off the curb when a woman on a bike came flying by, almost giving him severe physical (and mental) injuries. Luckily for him, he dove out of the way just in time, landing in the middle of the road. He quickly got up and yelled, "Yo! Watch where you're going!" to the woman on the bike. It seemed as though the woman was unfazed, seeing as she didn't slow down even a smidge. He brushed himself off and continued on his way.

A few minutes later, he had finally arrived. "Ah... Finally!" he said triumphantly, like he just completed a marathon or something. "Well... Time to see just HOW true my Dad's words were." He smiled excitedly and walked into the school with the utmost confidence.