p style="text-align: center;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"strongPROLOGUE/strong/span/p
p style="text-align: center;"It's Just Not Fair!/p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;" strongBEEP! BEEP! BEEP!/strong Kanami's alarm clock blared over the soft lull of her tabletop fan, just as it always did at seven o'clock a.m. With her eyes still closed, she slapped the top of it until the irksome blaring stopped. She sluggishly tossed the covers to the side and mustered up enough energy to pry herself from the warm cocoon of Jersey-knit sheets, opening her eyes and allowing them to adjust to her darkened room. Her room was only illuminated by the moonlight shining through her sheer curtains. The breeze from her fan caused them to sway back and forth ever so slightly, creating the illusion of dancing shadows on her carpet. /p
p style="text-align: center;" Feeling especially groggy this particular morning, she sat stationary on her pillow top, remembering that today was the day that she was to move to a completely different city. This meant new friends, new school, and an entire new environment. She enjoyed her life here in Tokyo. She loved her friends, her peers, and the subtlety of her blasé lifestyle. If it weren't for her parents getting a divorce and her mother having to go to America for business, her life would go on, perpetually, and she wouldn't mind that./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;" Snapping herself out of distrait, she stood up and walked over to her closet, gathering the school uniform she'd be wearing for the last time today./p
p style="text-align: center;" She could faintly hear her mother downstairs shuffling around getting breakfast ready. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Kanami! Hurry up and get ready, or at least come and say good-bye. Today's the day..." her mother called up through the stairwell./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Yeah, yeah... Don't remind me..." she pouted to herself in a sleepy voice./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Without delaying this impending nightmare any farther, she walked across her room to her personal bathroom and flipped on the vanity lights. /p
p style="text-align: center;"Squinting at the effulgence, she peered at her zombified reflection and grimmaced at how unkempt her bed-head was. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Jesus Christ... I know I don't move that much while I sleep," she retorted. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"After combing her fingers through the half-frayed tangles of her silky black hair, she turned the shower on to finish up her morning regimen./p
p style="text-align: center;"She shifted her gaze to the reflection of her bathroom window, slightly ajar. She felt especially dispondent today. Transfering her focus back to her own reflection, she sighed heavily and got into the shower to continue her morning regimen./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"»»-¤-««/p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"After her shower, she draped her towel over her hair and walked downstairs. Halfway down, she was greeted by the delectable aroma of fresh, grilled fish and kobachi./p
p style="text-align: center;"Her mother was busily finishing breakfast preparations and packing the last of her things into her briefcase./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Kanami! You didn't fall asleep again, did you?" Miyako patronized./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""No, Mom. I didn't. I just got lost in thought is all..." she responded, almost monotone. /p
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p style="text-align: center;"Her mother sighed. "I know this isn't going to be easy for you, just like it isn't going to be easy for me. But, this is going to be better for our future. No matter how unfair it may seem, I'll be back before you know it." She smiled reassuringly at her daugher./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Kanami just rolled her eyes and sighed heavily again. "It emISN'T/em fair, Mom. Why are they making emyou/em do this? No one emelse/em has to go."/p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Kanami, honey... This is a strongemhuge/em/strong promotional opportunity for me. It'd be nice if I had your blessing before leaving." Miyako's smile curled into a frown as she slid a tray with a bowl of rice, miso, and a plate of grilled fish, followed by a cup of hot green tea./p
p style="text-align: center;"By now, it had become daybreak. Sunshine poured through the kitchen window, lighting up the entire kitchen and some of the living room. Tiny glints bounced off of the top of her hot tea, catching her attention. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Kanami sighed again and calmly replied, "Okay... You're right. I'm sorry. It's just upsetting. I mean, what am I going to do for food and paying bills?"/p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Don't you worry. Because I've loaded this debit card with $50,000. That should be enough for a year, right?" Her mother handed her a preloaded Visa in a paper sleeve./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Kanami's eyes immediately widened to the size of the moon upon hearing how much she'd been entrusted with. "Bu-but, why so much?! Mom, that's too much."/p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Well, I want you to have enough for food, any necessities like shampoo and other things, lunch money, and the bills," she gestured./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""I guess that makes sense. I'll make sure to keep a budget. I can also get a part-time job," Kanami suggested, then began eating her breakfast./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""You don't have to do that, sweetheart. That's why I gave you so much," Miyako reassured her, smiling./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Kanami returned the smile. "Well, I want to. I wouldn't feel right just using all of your money. Plus, I have to start saving for tuition," she insisted./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Her mother smiled warmly. "You're growing up so much, honey. I'm so proud of you." /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Kanami returned the smile and ate the last bit of her rice. "Thanks, Mom." She stood up from the table to get her things together for school./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Alright, let the dread commence," Kanami sighed./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Miyako's face showed guilt, but, she knew this would be the best thing for her and her daughter in the long-run. Her father told the two of them that meeting her and having Kanami was a mistake. Needless to say, they don't have anything further to do with him./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"»»-¤-««/p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""No, Kanami, as soon as you get out of school, come straight to the airport. I'll make sure that I leave after you get there, even if I have to miss my flight and have to fly red-eye," Miyako explained, pulling her precious daughter tightly into her loving embrace./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Tears began to well up in Kanami's eyes and through her sadness, she spoke, "I definitely will. I'll even leave school early." /p
p style="text-align: center;"She could feel her mother nod and she pulled away with reluctance./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"The two of them then parted ways via a lachrymose goodbye and headed in opposite directions./p