A/N: Just wanted to say thanks for checking the story out! Hope you enjoyed it.

Chapter One: Class Reunion

"Me? Go to prom? With you? No way. Why would I want to?" I laughed in Haruka Nanase's face. It was true, why would I? He wasn't popular, or hot. Heck, he wasn't even decent. He was just a lonely freak with two friends and a weird passion for freestyle swimming. Definitely not my type.

"Hah, look! He looks like he's gonna cry!" one of my friends, Gou, shrieked at me.

"We're just saying the truth dude! Stop right now, ya big baby!" her twin, Kou, remarked.

The three of us continued to gang up on him, calling him names, making fun of him. And then. . .

My eyes quickly snapped open, revealing the surface of my metal desk and sleek laptop. I had another one of these dreams, when would they ever stop?

My name is Sakuno Shashi, and I'm 27 years old. I have jet black hair that passes my waist, fair skin with very little acne, and bright, curious ocean-blue eyes. I'm 5'2, and currently living in the busy city of Tokyo, Japan, working as an accountant for my dad's company that makes uniforms and outfits for team sports. It's a boring job really, never anything exciting happening, but it makes good pay and I do want to move out of my small apartment as quickly as possible. To be honest, I really don't understand why I'm here. After graduating high school, I wanted to become all sorts of things. A doctor, an engineer, a model. Yeah, they were all pretty diverse options. However, I never really got through to any of those careers, because I dropped out of college. With the cash I'll be making from this job, I was planning to rejoin college and hopefully receive a degree to become a businesswoman and move out of this boring place.

"Sakuno-chan! Sakuno-chan!"

I continued sitting in my awkward just-woke-up-please-go-away position, knowing it was just Ree-Kitsu calling my name. Ree-chan has been my co-worker and closest friend for the seven years I've been here. She also went to Iwatobi High with me, although I never really took notice of her, and was one of the loudest people I knew. A lot of people think that she looks like Petra Ral from the popular anime and manga, Shingeki no Kyojin, but to be honest, I don't really see it. Maybe it was just me.

"Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, what now Ree-chan?" I replied, still groggy.

"Look, look, look!"

She was now in my office, bouncing up and down. Her strawberry-blonde bob floated up and down, and her smile looked as if it was ready to just fly off her face. Ree-chan looked like a kid in a candy store, except instead of a bag of sweets in her hand, it was a folded purple, green, and yellow card with a shiny seal. I grabbed the paper from her and started to read, wondering what on earth she was talking about. My heart sank.

"WHYYyyYYYyYYYyYYyYyyyyyYYY?" I cursed, "Why now? Why?!"

On the card, it said that Iwatobi High School's Class of 2003's Reunion was coming up, and that it was a Masquerade-themed ball and would be in two weeks. /sobs/ God, those were the longest four years of my life, I swear.

"Don't worry, Sakuno-chan!" Ree-chan piped up, "I'll be there with you anyways. Plus, don't you wanna see how everyone turned out?"

"No. . . not really," I thought. In high school, I was ultra popular. I was voted Most Likely to Become an International Supermodel the year we graduated. However, despite being well talked about, my personality was one that belonged in the trash. With Koh and Gou by my side, I reigned terror all over school, telling people off, teasing freshmen and even senpais. I was definitely the worst person in Iwatobi, I'm sure that even the teachers could agree. After all, I talked back to them and would make rude side comments during class. I honestly think that they let me graduate high school just to get rid of me, afraid of what I'd do if I had another year with them. Anyways, back to teasing people. Yes, I was a bully. I admit it. After looking back at what I'd done to them, I didn't want to see what they turned out like. What if I had scarred them for life? One student in particular.

I sighed loudly as I walked into Monique's Boutique, an American-based shop that opened a store near my apartments. Ree-chan offered to go reunion dress shopping with me today, and I was to meet her here at 12. Where was she? I sat around, looking at all the pretty outfits in the windows of the other shops.

"SAKUNO-CHAN!"

I turned my head to my right, seeing Ree-chan running up the slope to Monique's. She looked so out of breath, I forgot that she was fifteen minutes late.

"Sorry. . . I . . . gas. . . and. . . PARKING AUGH."

"It's fine, don't worry. Are you okay at least?"

Fortunately, Ree-chan nodded. She directed me into the store, admiring my fair skin tone.

"Any dress color would more than likely look good on you, Sakuno-chan! This should be easy."

It's been three hours in the store, and I have found absolutely nothing to wear to the reunion. I was starting to get frustrated, and from the look on her face, I could tell Ree-chan was too.

"Why aren't any of these dresses doing her any justice?" she muttered to herself, pacing back and forth, "That color is perfect, but it's so frumpy, jesus christ."

"Ree-chan, I think it's time we went back to our houses," I offered, "It's been three hours, I'm starving."

"No!," she replied, starting to flip through a thick catalog on the table near our dressing rooms, "Oh. My. God. This dress! Just wow! Sakuno, you need to try this on!"

She flashed me the picture, and man, she was right. It was a short, loose fitting red dress that was just a bit tight at the bottom, and reach just a little past half of my calves. The model in the photo was wearing black pumps to round it off, making it look both stylish and sexy at the same time.

"Excuse me, do you happen to have this dress?" Ree-chan asked a slim store worker walking past.

"Do I look okay?" I stepped out of the dressing room, nervous to hear my best friend's reaction.

Ree-chan looked up from her catalog shopping. She dropped both the book and her jaw.

"Do I really look that bad?" I asked.

"You. . . omg, okay, calm down, Ree, it's just the greatest dress ever." Ree-chan said to herself.

"Really?"

"YES YES YES YES YES," Ree-chan replied, "You look hella fabulous Sakuno-chan! You'll be talking to so many guys at the reunion."

I blushed, sure that I was going to buy the dress. I have to say though, it did look good on me. It made me look so thin and kawaii, I loved it. And the price wasn't too bad either, it just needed me to starve for only two weeks instead of three.

The two weeks came by quickly. I was dreading the reunion, unsure of what to do or say there. Should I avoid everyone? Apologize? Say hi? Die?

As I began dressing up, I realized something.

"God, what am I going to do about my hair?"

I didn't know my next course of action. The last time I styled my hair was years and years ago, on a blind date my dad set up against my will. Just then, I heard a knock on the door. When I opened it, I saw Ree-chan with a curler in one hand, hairspray in the other.

"LET'S DO THIS!" she battle cried, barging into my living room.

"What. . . how. . ." I protested.

"I knew you wouldn't know what to do with your hair today, so I finished early and decided to stop by and help you," Ree-chan replied. She knew me too well.

An hour and three million spritzes later, my jet black hair was curled to perfection. I applied some mascara and eyeshadow, and stuck on some bright red MAC lipstick. Dang. I'd date myself if I could, I thought as I checked out my work.

"We have to go, Sakuno-chan!" Ree-chan squealed, "It starts in thirty minutes! We'll be late if we don't leave right now. Here, here, a mask for the ball."

I held my white mask in my hand, admiring the silver, sparkly decals on the front. Quickly, I grabbed my black Coach clutch in the other and ran out of my apartment, hoping I'd make the reunion in time.

A/N: Some of you may be wondering, "Where's Rin? Rei? Nagisa? MAKOTO?!" I'll be planning to attach those characters into the story soon. If I had written them in the first chapter, it'd start to mess up what I had in mind.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for Chapter Two: Reunited.