The Arrow Shall Strike - Chapter One - Introductions
"Hey." - Speaking in Japanese.
"Hey." - Speaking in English.
'I am thinking.' Thinking in Japanese.
'I am thinking.'Thinking in English.
Another day.
She sighed, shutting off her alarm clock. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she looked towards the window of her bedroom, watching the sun seep through the curtains.
Today was the start of a new year. The one dreaded by most teenagers. High-school. Of course, she didn't realise why their disdain was present, considering she had recently moved from the United Kingdom with her best friend, still getting used to the system in Japan.
The 'she' that the point of view is currently present on, well, her name is Megan Beck. Her parents, who still loved in Britain, apparently trusted her enough for her to move Japan alone and share an apartment responsibly with her friend. Of course, she was nearly fluent in Japanese so that wasn't a massive problem. Megan's best friend, Alycia Carnall, started to learn Japanese with her when they were younger, already loving the culture, without even visiting the country itself, and wanted to grab onto it a little more by learning the language.
Megan had been best friends with Alycia since they were at least one years old. At four, once they actually talked in an 'alright' amount of English, their parents allowed them to learn Japanese, but, of course only simple phrases. With time progressing, the words got more complex. Soon, it was basically a second language to them. Everyday, during their primary school, they often spoke Japanese to each other, confusing their friends dearly.
Megan, after stretching out her stiff muscles, plodded downstairs, still clad in her pyjamas, after smelling the wonderful aroma of a Full English breakfast. Alycia, being the early riser that she is, always prepared a cooked breakfast on special occasions, before Megan could even be bothered to open her eyes. They were both good cooks, so neither of them really minded.
Walking into the kitchen, Megan saw Alycia, already fully dressed in their uniform, putting bacon, tomatoes, sausages, eggy bread on two plate. Megan walked up, sat on the breakfast bar seat. She groaned, smaking her head onto the top in tiredness. Alycia just laughed at her. "Morning to you too." Alycia said, still chuckling to herself. She knew how Megan was like.
"First day of high-school in Japan, eh?" Megan asked her, speaking in English, considering they weren't out and about in public.
Let me, the author, tell you about these two girls. Megan Beck, sixteen years old, height; 181cm, hair colours; brown with natural blond highlights. It reached down to her mid back. Her eye colours a bright green with a streak of brown in her right eye. She stuck with this habit of drawing strange markings above both of her cheeks. Two streaks of black, identical to one another.
Alycia Carnall, also sixteen years old. Height; 180cm, hair colour; dark brown. Her eye colour was really a bit of everything. It was a mixture of brown, blue and green. Her hair reached down to just under her shoulder.
"Yeah… Feels a tad weird, doesn't it?" Alycia asked Megan, placing the breakfast plate next to her head.
"Indeed." Megan mumbled, lifting her head off the breakfast bar. "Itadakimasu." She tucked in. Alycia came over and sat down next to her, and also started eating, repeating what Megan said.
After both of them finished, Megan collected the plates and placed them beside the sink, waiting to be washed later on. Walking away, Megan went upstairs to get changed, getting ready for high-school.
"Seiren Private High School Opening Day." Megan muttered to herself, still not believing that she and Alycia had finally made it. She and Alycia turned to each other, grinning, before they sauntered into the school.
They were suddenly overwhelmed by a hoard of people, offering different clubs. However, they already had their mind set on two different clubs, but, the second one was out of the picture, considering its a boys team. But, oh well. Making their way over to their favourite sport's table, Archery, they suddenly heard a group of second years conversation.
"Basketball! Basketball club! A guy with short, spiky, dark brown hair with short bangs shouted to the new first years. His name is Koganei Shinji. Height; 170cm, age seventeen. "How'd you like to join the Basketball club?"
"Koganei, you can't be serious." A guy with straight black hair complained. His name is Izuki Shun. Height; 174cm, age seventeen.
"How else am I supposed to say it?" Koganei replied.
Izuki smiled, lifting up his finger to the sky in wisdom, saying "New kids, join the basketball club! The basketball club need some serious help!"
Koganei looked at him like he was crazy. "I've had enough of your jokes, Izuki." Then he turns his head to the last of the group. His name is Mitobe Rinnosuke. Height; 186cm, age seventeen. "Mitobe, make sure they hear you!" THere's also something you should know about him, he doesn't speak. At all…
After hearing Koganei, Mitobe nodded, smiling. He then turned back around to the crowd, handing out the flyers, still silent.
Koganei looked at him. "You're not going to do it, are you?"
By the end of this, Megan and Alycia starting chuckling to themselves. That is until Megan noticed the light blued hair someone, walking past the second years, without them even recognising his presence. Megan just shook her head.
Alycia started dragging Megan away to the archery club table. Smiling to herself, she followed Alycia quietly, liking the atmosphere surrounding her.
After signing their name to the club, Alycia and Megan started to make their way to their seat in their newly founded classroom. Surprising enough, Alycia's seat was directly behind Megan's, two seats from the back, next to the window. Perfect.
The bell shrieked and everyone started to take their seats just as the teacher walked in.
Alycia looked around the classroom, taking in everyone's faces. She notices that the person sitting right behind her was some scary, broad guy with fiery red hair and eyebrows that split off at the end. The eyes looked like a deathly glare, set on his face 24/7.
Alycia quickly turning back to the front when Megan's name was called, which meant she had to introduce herself.
Megan stood up and faced the class, her hair flailing around her shoulders. "Hello, my name is Megan Be- I mean Beck Megan. I was born in the United Kingdom, in a county called Devon to be exact. I moved here with my friend Alycia this year. My favourite sports are archery, badminton and basketball. I like all music, movie and book genres. Except horror, that gives me the heebie jeebies!" The class chuckled. "Take good care of me!" She bowed to everyone, setting herself back into her seat.
The teacher thanked Megan, before calling out Alycia's name. She stood, turned to the class and spoke. "Hello, my name is Carnall Alycia. I'm also from England and moved here with Megan, of course, since she mentioned that already. My favourite type of music is Rock and my favourite sports are basketball and archery. Hope to have a good year with you all!" Alycia bowed to the class, returning to her seat, The teacher chuckled.
Everyone else introduced themselves, Megan and Alycia not really paying attention to the names.
Let the class commence!
Arrow locked into place. Steady breaths. Aim, fire.
Megan released her arrow, a smile creeping up on her face at the different style of archery here in Japan, but still loving the feel of the bow and string in her hands. The feeling of aiming at the target and the release of the arrow. It's like it's taking all of your stress away with it.
She and Alycia both shared this passion.
It was the same for basketball.
The feel of the rough leather of the ball in their hands. The squeak of the floor against trainers. The swish of the net. Everything.
And that's why, after club activities, Megan and Alycia snuck into the empty gym, got a basketball and faced each other. Preparing themselves for a one-on-one.
Alycia on defense. Megan on offence.
Megan bent her knees, always keeping her eyes on Alycia's. She started dribbling the ball. Concentrate! Megan breathes in, shutting her eyes for the tiniest of a second, preparing to move, to shoot.
All of a sudden, her eyes shot open.
She moved.
She dodged past Alycia like a pro, but, Alycia was fast. She caught up to Megan again, blocking her, causing a standstill. Megan performed a fake, causing Alycia to go one way, where she went the other. Sprinting towards the hoop, Megan performed a perfect Finger Roll. The swish of the net filled the gym. Megan smiled. She turning around, after picking up the basketball, to Alycia. She passed her the ball.
Switch.
A basketball hitting the floor echoed. They resumed a standstill. Every once in a while, Alycia performed a cross-over dribble, keeping Megan at bay. In a split second, Alycia moved forwards but when Megan tried to block, she performed a euro step, going in for a layup.
It went in.
However, the moment was ruined when they heard footsteps squeaking relatively close to them. Their faces turned into one of panic.
All of a sudden, they turned around to the door and sprinted out, nearly knock over the person around two metres away from where they originally stood.
A certain brown-haired coach, Riko, stared after them, shock making a presence on her face. 'They… They were perfect shots.' She thought.
Suddenly, she grinned. A creepy one, not a blinding one.
She chuckled.
Maji Burger. The hangout of the Phantom 6th Player. As he drinks his milkshake, as he normally does on a daily bases.
A tiger prowled over to his table, not noticing the shadow sitting at the table he was stalking over to.
Sitting down, he went to take a bite out of his burger, however, he paused. He turned around towards the seat opposite his, noticing that, it was suddenly occupied.
He choked on his burger, quickly swallowing it whilst the shadow said "Hello."
"Where'd you come from?" The tiger shouted towards the milkshake slurping person. "What are you doing?"
"I was sitting here first." The shadow spoke calmly. "I like this place's vanilla shakes."
"go somewhere else." The tiger smirked.
"I don't want to."
"If someone sees up, they'll think we're friends!"
"This is my usual hangout."
The tiger sighed at the exact moment he chucked a burger to the shadow, saying "Here. I don't like guys who suck at basketball. But you've earned yourself one of these."
Panting and gasping for breath, Megan and Alycia stood in the middle of Maji Burger, trying to gasp oxygen into their lungs. They were bent over in pain. Feeling eyes on them, Meagan gestured her hands at them, hinting for them to carry on with their lives.
Finally gaining breath back, Alycia turned to the red faces Megan, speaking in English, "Do you think we're safe?"
"I hope to God we are." Megan muttered back, looking around the fast food restaurant, her eyes immediately landing on the two boys, and accidentally locking eye contact with them. She yelped and turned back to Alycia, who had also noticed the duo.
Kagami Taiga and Kuroko Tetsuya.
Kagami's age is sixteen, height; 190cm. Part of the basketball team, judging by his structure. He has a overwhelming aura, which some say is like the intensity of a wild tiger. He has two toned deep red-and-black hair and eyes. His eyes are pointed and narrow and his eyebrows are quite thick and split in two. His school uniform is made up of his gakuran unzipped, while wearing a white shirt underneath.
Kuroko is 168cm and is of the age of sixteen. He is also a basketball player, despite his fragile outlook and very small build. He has light blue hair that is styles to the left. His eyes are blue, filled with a black glaze. Despite his looks, Kuroko is the Phantom 6th Player from the Generation of Miracles, even if not many people know the name. He is a shadow.
Ignoring the presence of the two, Megan went over to order two lemonades and two portions of chips. Smiling, she paid the lady and went to join Alycia at the table she had chosen. Not too near and not too far from the duo of boys.
"I didn't know they were this close." Alycia giggled.
Megan laughed aloud, saying "They're like complete opposites!"
Five minutes they spent conversing until they were interrupted by a tiger coming over to them.
"You didn't see anything." The looming shadow spoke, making their heads turn towards it. It was creepy really, their heads moving in sync.
"See what?" Alycia asked innocently, though her eyes betrayed her. They were filled with amusement.
"You know what I mean." Kagami Taiga, in the flesh, spoke, a frown present on his face.
"You're from America aren't you?" Megan asked in English, looking at him with a smile on her face.
"Kind of… Why?" No reply. Kagami frowned even more, replying in the same language as the girl.
They were joined by an unnoticed Kuroko, except Meagan, though he didn't know that.
Turning away from Kagami, Megan and Alycia went back to talking about archery, which was their discussion before the interruption.
Kagami, being the ferocious guy that he is, got pissed, his eyebrow twitching. He easily understood what they were saying and didn't take too kindly that he was being ignored.
"Oi…" He spoke slowly. They continues to ignore him. "Oi!" This time he shouted.
Megan turned her head around to face him and Kuroko. "Yes, Kagami?" She said sweetly, but with an evil glint in her eyes.
"Don't ignore me." Kagami growled.
Megan just laughed, motioned to Alycia and they stood up. They made their way to the door but through it, they saw the brown haired coach. Panic flittered across their faces. Opening the door verociously, they sprinted out and turned right, away from Riko.
Said person spotted them running and started chasing after them, shouting for them to stop.
Kuroko and Kagami watched the scene, confused as to why it was happening.
"Was that… Riko?" Kagami said slowly, eyebrow raised.
Kuroko nodded and said "I think so."
"Why was she chasing after them?" Kagami looked towards Kuroko, now not being able to see the trio.
Kuroko didn't reply. He just had a small smile and traces of amusement flutter on his face.
They would just have to wait till tomorrow.
School. The thing everyone dreaded. Waking up early in the morning. Well, except Alycia. She was a one in a million early bird.
Groggily sitting up, Megan stretched. She completed her morning routine and made her way downstairs. Her hair was in a half-up half-down style. The half-up being clipped with a huge daisy clip.
She walked to the breakfast bar, sitting down next to Alycia, who was watching an anime on the television, which was built into the wall, whilst eating her morning breakfast.
"Ohiyo." Megan mumbled. Alycia laughed as she replied.
Megan waddled to the cereal cupboard, taking out a box, placing it into a bowl and pouring milk into it. She turned to Alycia after getting out a spoon. "I'm dreading going to school today." She said, slouching on a kitchen counter.
"She was the coach, right?" Alycia asked her. "I'm worried, too. I wouldn't want Kagami to find out. He'll either look down on us or challenge us…"
Megan just waved her hand in denial. "Even if he does, we'll just beat him to the ground." She grinned like one of the stereotypical evil villains and punched her right hand into her left palm. Alycia sweatdropped at her friends antics.
Suddenly, Megan remembered her cereal and picked it up, taking it over to the breakfast bar to sit down,l but there was a knock at the front door.
"Ignore it." Megan grumbled, tucking into her cereal.
The door was still being knocked, causing Megan to gain a tick mark. Alycia sighed, standing up and made her way to the door. She opened it and was presented with a girl with brown hair and a male with short, dark hair and was wearing a pair of glasses. He looked reluctant to be here.
Alycia looked at her face, reacted quickly and tried to shut the door. However, Riko slammed her foot between the door and the frame. She was still smiling, even with the tick mark present on her face.
"Is there something you need?" Alycia asked slowly.
Megan just stayed in the kitchen, munching on her cereal, trying to be as quiet as possible.
"Well, Hyuga and I were in the area, so we thought we could walk to school together." Riko replied.
"Right…" Alycia muttered. "We're not ready yet, though."
"We'll wait. Excuse the intrusion!" Riko exclaimed, pushing past Alycia and walked into the apartment, taking off her shoes. Hyuga followed, apologizing on Riko's behalf.
They heard a scream, followed by 'why the hell are you here?' Alycia sighed. That would be Megan spotting Riko. She heard the coach reply. About five seconds later, there was a bang.
Megan's head met the breakfast bar.
Megan and Alycia were being dragged away from their Archery Club by the one and only Riko.
Still equipt with their archery equipment, despite their protests of needing to take them back to the club room, Riko shoved them into the empty gym.
The two victims of the kidnapping were chucked to the ground, always being spectated by the She Devil.
Being startled by everything, courtesy of Riko, when they heard footsteps and the gym door being slammed open, they reacted.
Nocking the arrow into place, they shot an arrow each, in sync, towards the first… disturbance… in the door.
The arrowed flew off the bow string at lightning speed, creating a whistling sound. Well, that might be overreacting, but it was still pretty fast.
Then it stopped.
Both arrows were lodged into the wall, either side of a certain red haired basketball player and fellow student.
Al was silent.
Well, that was until Izuki decided that that moment was the perfect time to 'die' laughing.
That broke everyone out of their shock.
Kagami looked the most stricken.
Looking left and right, he slid down the wall and scrambled away as quickly as he could. Looking up, he saw two females with their bows ready. Well, that was until they both broke out of their daze, looked at the two arrows in the wall in disbelief. Then they gazed towards Kagami who basically looked like he had shit his pants.
They burst out laughing, pointing at Kagami's face, shouting out how ridiculous he looked, whilst apologising every now and then.
Megan was the first to stop laughing. Wiping her eyes, she walked past the dead Kagami, patting him on the head for the fun of it, to the arrows. She ripped them out.
Turning to Kagami, she spoke sheepishly, "Sorry about that…"
Kagami just stared at her, then back at the two holes in the wall, then back to the female standing before him, checking over the arrows. She met his gaze, smiling apologetically. His gaze slid to the still laughing Alycia and frowned whilst sweat dropping.
"What are you two doing here anyway?" Hyuga asked, looking between the standing Megan and the sitting Alycia.
The latter immediately stopped laughing.
"Kidnapped." They spoke together emotionlessly. Their gaze slid to the grinning coach.
Hyuga understood immediately. Just that single glance explained it all.
"Why are we even here anyway?" Alycia asked, looking to Riko, still holding her bow, the same as Megan.
Riko chuckled, scaring everyone present. "They're going to help us train."
"Eh!?" Screamed everyone in the gym, except Riko and Kuroko, of course.
"We can't even play basketball, so… if you'll excuse us!" Megan and Alycia basically ran towards the exit but what Riko said stopped them dead in their tracks.
"I saw you." She stated. The two females turned around to stare at her. "When you sneaked into the gym. You guys are good runners, by the way." She said the last part offhandedly. Alycia and Megan had gone pale.
"So, for starters, you two can go against two from our team." Riko said, walking towards the basketball team. The two girls watched her every move.
"Izuki! Hyuga! Come!" Riko shouted. The two mentioned walked forward, if a little bit reluctantly, on Hyuga's behalf. "You two!" She pointed to the girls" They stood to attention, shouting 'hai!'. Riko chuckled inside, but said "Play against them."
The reactions were immediate.
A.N: For a basic idea of how both Megan and Alycia look, there is a link on my profile.
As for their personalities, I'll give you a brief synopsis of them.
Megan: She's basically a person who smiles a lot, even through a hard time. She has a good sense of humour and likes to listen to others and have fun. Not fun as in parties and going out all the time. I mean, sitting in the garden playing with a pet, or just talking to someone, or maybe even read a book. Things like that. When a friend is hurt or is in need for assistance, she'll always be the type of person that can lend you a shoulder to cry on or ask for help.
Alycia: She and Megan are like the same person, the reason why they get along well and have minimum arguments. Alycia is also the kind and helpful one, but if there is a problem with her, she'll always tell someone, seeks assistance, whereas, Megan keeps it to herself. She also has a good sense of humour and she loves to spend time with her family, where ever they shall take her. Alycia is also the one who takes pleasure from a peaceful atmosphere of reading.
Thank-you for reading!