Hey everyone, it's Elle. This is my first piece of fanfiction on this account. I really hope you like it!

Kurama sat down at his desk and sighed, looking at his watch only to discover that it wasn't even close to the end of the school day. He felt strange for wanting to leave so early, because, as outlandish as it might have sounded to other people, he rather liked school. His mother had always said (affectionately, of course) that it was because he was naturally gifted at academics, and had been ever since he was a child. Whether the subject was Trigonometry, World History, or Japanese, it didn't really matter: he always got exceptional grades, and as such, enjoyed his classes, especially Biology. He pursed his lips. Obviously.

What he didn't enjoy, however, were the constant attentions of almost every girl at school. There were a few girls that he considered to be friends, if not very close ones, and they seemed to consider him the same, judging by the fact that they didn't spend their time ogling him. Instead, they merely smiled at him in passing and made small talk if they had time. Unfortunately, these girls made up a very small percentage of the female population at Meiou Academy. As if it weren't enough that there was a 'fan club' of sorts dedicated to him, some other girls from neighboring schools didn't find him too bad looking, either. Not bad looking at all, in fact. He shook his head and started flipping through his history book, stopping where they had left off last class to begin rereading the chapter they had finished. He had just started the third paragraph when the bell rang, and all the other students scurried to their seats, most of them making it before the teacher walked in a split second later. The three unlucky ones, however, remained erect, their defeated expressions somewhat amusing to the green-eyed teenager. They knew as well as he did that Mr. Kobayashi was adamant about his class starting as soon as the bell rang.

"Megumi, Jiro, and Rei," the thin, balding man said, pointing to each of the standing students in turn as he took his place at the chalkboard. "To the office. Now. At the beginning of the year, you were made fully aware of the policy about not being in your seat when class starts. I will not allow you back in unless you have a genuine tardy slip, and remember, the key word here is 'genuine'. I'll be able to tell if you've forged Ms. Arai's handwriting." He gestured towards the door. "Go."

Jiro, a boy that Kurama didn't particularly care for, shot a dirty look at the teacher as he walked out, saying something under his breath that was obviously insulting. The other two students followed him meekly, the shortest one tucking a chunk of mousy hair behind her ear before quietly shutting the door behind her. Mr. Kobayashi produced a piece of chalk from his pocket.

"Now if you'll recall, class, last class we spent time talking about..."

Kurama rested his chin on his hand, looking down at his open textbook, then again at his watch. Still not time to leave. He shifted slightly in his chair, trying to pay attention to what their bespectacled teacher was saying.

"...and of course the slogan 'Fukoku Kyōhei' that was so popular during the Meiji era entailed that--"

The door opened, and the trio of students that had been sent out filed back in. Mr. Kobayashi inspected all three tardy slips and sent them back to their seats, apparently satisfied.

"As I was saying, 'Fukoku Kyōhei' embodied the concept of--"

The door opened again, much to Mr. Kobayashi's chagrin. "I'm in the middle of a lecture, if you haven't noticed," he said loudly, turning to face the intruder and frowning, somewhat surprised. "And who are you?"

Kurama looked up from his book and saw an unfamiliar girl making her way to their teacher. She silently gave him a note, looking down at her feet as he read it. He cleared his throat when he was done.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it has come to my attention that we have a new student. This is Sayuri Yamazaki. She's just moved here from Toyama and is, of course, relatively new to the area, so I trust that you'll be nothing but helpful and cordial to her during the time she spends with us, correct?" He didn't wait for an answer. "You can sit in the empty desk in the second row, the one by the window."

She nodded and silently took her seat, ignoring the stares and whispers of the other students. Mr. Kobayashi cleared his throat again, effectively restoring order, and continuing his lecture. Kurama pretended to pay attention to the lesson, but he was looking at the new girl--Sayuri, he corrected himself--out of the corner of his eye.

There was no way around it: she was attractive. Attractive enough to earn desirous looks from most of the other boys in the class, anyway. She was pale and long-legged, with dark hair that fell past her shoulders. As he studied his classmates' lewd glances at her, he felt a rush of anger that he knew was completely and utterly pointless because, well, she wasn't his to claim. Besides, it wasn't like he was minding his own business, either.

But the looks she was getting from some of the boys...

The bell rang and he closed his book, but he barely heard Mr. Kobayashi tell them their homework assignment due to the scraping of chairs against the linoleum floor. Standing up, he slowly put his belongings in his bag and watched Sayuri walk out the door.

Glossary:

Fukoku Kyōhei -- A popular slogan during the Meiji Era, it translates to "Enrich the country, strengthen the military". It symbolized the beginning of Japanese nationalism.