Jimmy & Kyo, chapter 1: Moving In

Orlando International Airport, Florida

Kyo Sohma stepped off the plane and into the gate at Orlando Airport and onto American soil for the first time in his life. There was an excited feeling in his gut, almost the same rush he felt when the Sohma Curse broke a few months ago. After the Curse was broken, he was allowed to come here to the United States and pursue his dream. And it wasn't martial arts.

It was football.

That's right, you heard me! Kyo in this story is an American football player. You see two years ago, after watching an American football game on TV he decided to try it out. Thanks to help from former NFL cornerback and Japanese native Sadaharu Fuji, he became a good wide receiver. He already had some speed and agility, and all he needed to do was bulk up a bit, which he did-without steroids, of course. But a few months ago, a man showed up at Shigure's house on the Sohma property. And I must tell you that at this time, the Sohma Curse was not broken. Eventually the curse was broken, but some months later. The man was University of Central Florida head coach George O' Leary. His team had just come off a successful season in which they won the Conference-USA Championship for the second year in a row and won the AutoZone Liberty Bowl that January behind freshman quarterback Jimmy Michaels. And O' Leary had an offer Kyo couldn't refuse. It wasn't one of those offers you see in mafia movies, it was an offer he didn't want to refuse. Basically, O' Leary offered Kyo a free ride. Kyo took the offer, but with one major condition:

"Wow, America!" said Kyo's girlfriend Tohru Honda. Kyo told O' Leary that the only way he would come to the States to play was if Tohru got a scholarship, as well. Well, she's in America with him, so you see how that went. "I can't believe we're finally here, Kyo-kun!" It had been a very long flight from Japan; so naturally, Tohru was excited to finally land. But of course, the both would have to deal with some massive jet lag later on.

"Neither can I," said, trying to hide the growing excitement growing inside. Football season was some ways away, but he was here for the summer training camp for the UCF football team. He had managed to find a Sohma relative to stay with until he could move into the dorms for the first time. And no, that relative was not a member of the Zodiac.

Orlando Airport amazed the two young migrants as soon as they took a look at its architecture. The airport utilized a literal glass ceiling that allowed the Central Florida sun to shine in the terminal and the main part of the airport. But clearing customs would be a nightmare. Prior to their arrival, both of them had to get visas so they could enter the United States and stay there for an extended period of time. By accident, they got immigrant visas, because they both filled out the wrong forms. Oops. Customs, as stated previously, was a nightmare. It was so bad that it took nearly an hour to get through. Sure, that sounds a little extreme, but in the end, they made it past Customs and into the United States. But what made it worse was that they had to go through border preclearance while in Canada (more on that later)! Talk about a nightmare! The airport also had a monorail that connected to gates to the terminal that Tohru personally found interesting. It was the middle of the day in Central Florida, and there was not a cloud in the sky. As they rode the monorail, Kyo sat silently while Tohru, in her eagerness, looked out at America for the first time in her life. Mom, she thought. I hope you're proud of me. What am I saying, of course you are with me. I've made it to America, mom! And I'm with the one I love.

"Are we done yet?" asked an exhausted Tohru. I guess things change quickly.

A just as exhausted Kyo said, "We still have to get our luggage. Now why don't you just enjoy the scenery for now?" The main terminal of the airport amazed them even more, especially when they noticed a hotel in the middle of it!

Finally, they had to get their luggage. Even that was a nightmare. Tohru had brought too much stuff with her, probably 3 or 4 suitcases total! Kyo also brought a few extra items, including his football gear. Since he was a wide receiver, he had to have shoulder pads that could allow movement, but also protection, because he was going to be hit pretty hard.

Finally, after goodness-knows-how-long, they left the airport terminal and into America. The two were on the west side of the terminal because that's where the carrier, Air Canada, had come from. For some reason, they had to go to Toronto, because they couldn't get a flight to LA since they flight they needed was booked. So, they had to take Japan Airlines to Toronto Pearson International and then transfer from there to an Air Canada flight to Orlando. And yes, it was confusing. But they were finally out of there and waiting for Yuki's cousin, Makoto, who was not a member of the Zodiac. About two minutes after stepping out of the terminal, Makoto drove up in his SUV (great timing) to help load Kyo and Tohru's things into his car.

"That's a lot of stuff," said Makoto. "You're really planning on staying here?"

"I got a full ride to UCF," Kyo replied while trying to stuff one of Tohru's suitcases into the car. "I should be here a while." Makoto looked a bit like Ayame, but with much shorter and darker hair.

Tohru sat in the back of Makoto's SUV while they drove to his house in Orlando. Kyo meanwhile, rode shotgun with Makoto.

"So you know what you're getting into, Kyo?" asked Makoto.

"Yeah, I do," said Kyo. "Why do you ask?"

"A lot of these guys who play college football here in America are a lot bigger than the players in Japan. Sure, you probably faced a few players in Japan who were as big as an NFL player, but this is NCAA Division I we're talking about."

"So you watch football?" asked Kyo.

"It comes with living here in Florida," said Makoto. "They say in the Southeastern United States that college football is practically a religion, and that's no different here in Florida. The Gators, who play in Gainesville, have won two national championships in the past three years."

"What about UCF?" asked Kyo. You might as well get some information about your own team.

"Well, they were pretty close to an undefeated season last year," said Makoto. "But they fell short in a game against UTEP and although they won their conference championship, they couldn't play in a BCS bowl game." Kyo, having studied what football is like in America, knew what Makoto was talking about. Tohru, on the other hand, didn't even know what Makoto was talking about.

"Uumm, excuse me?" She asked. "What does BCS stand for?"

"Bowl Championship Series," said Kyo. "It's a system used by the NCAA to determine the top team in NCAA Division I-A. And it's very controversial."

"Oh, okay," she said. She still didn't know what that meant, but she was too tired to continue her line of inquiry.

"Do you want to know about your quarterback?" asked Makoto.

"Sure," said Kyo.

"His name's Jimmy Michaels. He's not from Florida, he's from the Chicago area, and he's really good."

"How good?" Kyo tried to verify.

"Like I said, they almost went undefeated. That should tell you how good he is. He basically has both a strong arm and a sharp mind, and can read defenses like a book."

"Wow, he's that good?" asked Kyo. "Sounds like a Mary Sue (A/N: I'm having some fun here)".

"At first glance, he seems like one," said Makoto. "But I haven't gotten to know him, but he has made mistakes." Kyo nodded. They almost went undefeated, which implied that Michaels must have made some mistakes at some point during the UTEP game. "But of course, you have to realize that unlike you, he's been playing football since he was four years old." Kyo was dumbstruck. Four years old? No wonder he was so good! If you've been playing for most of your life, then you're bound to be among the best; compared to Kyo, who had only been playing for two years. Of course, Kyo also had some abilities Kazuma taught him. He was already fast and agile, so that helped, and he also had some fantastic endurance. He just needed to bulk up, which he did. Compared to the scrawny, in a sense, Kyo that was first introduced, Kyo had gotten bigger muscularly and in terms of height so that he could play football. But since he had only two years playing experience under his belt, he'd have to prove himself big time.

"What about the receiver corps?" he asked next.

"It's supposed to be pretty good," said Makoto. "But their star receiver from last year Demetrous Williams has gone to the NFL, so there's a gaping hole that needs to be filled. But they've got some pretty good receivers, like David Marley, who's from Atlanta, Georgia, he's one of their better receivers. You also have Jim Oakley from a small town in southern Illinois who's also very good, in fact he made the third-most catches last year behind Marley and Williams. Of course, they also have two other receivers, John Howard and Louis Goldman who graduated last year. But Byron Johnson and Josh Stevens make up the remainder of the receivers. They also have some new recruits coming in, not including you, who are supposed to be very good." Kyo listened intently to Makoto's words. Considering the guys who were coming in, he had his work cut out for him.

This was going to be a long summer.

:-:-:-:-:

It wasa long summer. In the intense Florida heat, Kyo worked and slogged his way through the summer practice sessions and training camp. The other players, who had been playing most of their lives, mind you, would barely speak to Kyo because they didn't think he belonged there. Although some of the other players tried to ease things up for him, including the brown-haired quarterback, which he assumed to be Jimmy Michaels, he almost came close to quitting. But after a pep talk from Tohru, he began to perform harder, impressing the coaches. Finally, the summer practice and training camp ended, and he and Tohru were ready to begin their college careers at UCF.

Makoto helped Kyo and Tohru move into their apartments. They were both living in the same building, Tower Four at Knights Plaza, so he didn't have to do as much to help them move in. Over the course of the summer, Kyo and Tohru had gotten used to the time zone and America a little bit, but they were still suffering from culture shock. And they would continue to do so. After Kyo and Tohru were moved in and Makoto left, they began to get used to the fact that they were now technically alone in the United States. But the thought both frightened and excited them. Of course, they had each other, but Tohru didn't have Uo-chan or Saki to help her out in times of trouble, but she did know she could count on Kyo just in case. It was August 21, 2009; the first official day of their new lives in the United States. The previous days in summer didn't count. But Kyo's roommate hadn't showed up yet, nor Tohru's. So, they asked their RA where their roommates were.

"They're probably moving in tomorrow," said the RA. "I'm not sure why, though. It's probably for personal reasons."

As Kyo and Tohru slept that night, they wondered what their roommates were like. Were they interesting? Would they be friends? Would they hate each other's guts? But they also had to get used to the bathrooms. American bathrooms aren't like Japanese bathrooms, particularly since there is no furo, which is a Japanese bathtub. Instead, the showers were the only thing available. Kind of screws up your traditional bathing rituals, doesn't it? That was basically the first item of culture shock. And believe me, there were a lot more to come!

Kyo had to respect the UCF air conditioning. Dealing with the intense Florida heat can take a lot out of a guy, even if they are pretty tough. Kyo had grown a bit emotionally after the Curse ended as well. He wasn't as brash as he used to be, but he still had a bit of a temper that could match anybody's. But whether or not it'd match his roommate's was another thing.

So, on to the business of the roommates. That morning, Kyo got up around 10:00 while Tohru had been up earlier, around 9:00. Since it was a Saturday, they both just sat and watched TV until their roommates arrived. That came soon. Around noon, Kyo heard his door open. Must be my roommate, he thought to himself. He was eagerly waiting who it was. Was it another football player? The question was answered as soon as his roommate was in the two-bedroom apartment. Kyo's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in shock as he saw who it was. The roommate also showed shock on his face when he saw Kyo. It was...

"Aren't you that Japanese kid from training camp?" He asked. The roommate was wearing a Chicago Bears cap while wearing a 'Liberty Bowl Champions' shirt. He was well-built, had medium-length brown hair and brown eyes and a very small tan that was barely noticeable.

"Aren't you Jimmy Michaels?" Kyo asked in complete shock. The quarterback was his roommate? What an odd coincidence!

"Yeah, but you didn't answer my question," said Jimmy. "Are you that Japanese kid?"

"Yeah, I'm that Japanese kid," He said.

"Okay, then," said Jimmy. "Why is it that you speak English without an accent?"

"I don't know," said Kyo.

"You don't know?" asked Jimmy. How the hell is it that you can speak English with a perfect American dialect and don't even know how?"

"Well maybe I just don't know!" said Kyo. This guy was starting to push his buttons. But before things could get elevated,

"Hey!" said the RA, who had just come in. "Knock it off, you two, I don't want to see you get into any fights. Now Jimmy I'm gonna need you to sign..." Kyo glared at Jimmy as he and the RA talked. What's with this guy? Who does he think he is? Jimmy finished up signing his forms with the RA and began moving in his stuff. Kyo watched as Jimmy and his dad brought a few boxes in. One box that Kyo had to admire, though, was a box that contained things from Jimmy's past. They included a few photos of Jimmy in high school in his high school football uniform, his football helmet from high school, and a medal. Kyo wondered what those items were, so he would have to ask later. Soon, Jimmy finished moving in and said goodbye to his dad. When the door closed, the two of them were finally alone. Kyo gave Jimmy a dirty look that Jimmy (obviously) did not appreciate in the least.

"What?" asked Jimmy.

"Well," said Kyo. "Why'd you ask that?"

"Ask what?"

"Why don't have an accent!" Kyo yelled. "Are you implying that you don't think I'm Japanese?"

"I never said that you moron!" said Jimmy. "I was only wondering why you spoke English so fluently without a Japanese accent!"

"Well maybe I can't control the way I talk!"

"You know, you're overreacting to an innocent question, so why don't we just end this, right now!" said Jimmy. Kyo tried to object, but Jimmy ended the conversation by holding up his hand as if to say, 'enough'.

Instead Kyo looked in Jimmy's room and noticed a few things Jimmy had brought with him. "What's that stuff for?" Kyo asked while pointing with his head to Jimmy's paraphernalia.

Jimmy looked in the direction where Kyo was pointing and got what he was talking about. "Oh that stuff?" Jimmy asked. Kyo nodded in confirmation. "That's stuff from when I was in high school and before." He pointed to one photo of him in action. "That's me during the IHSA Class 8A State Finals in Champaign, Illinois; New Trier, my team, versus Mount Carmel during my senior year. We won that game after dropping behind by 14 points in the first quarter." He pointed to his helmet, which was a Riddell Revolution, solid green save for a white stripe going down the middle of the shell and a block interlocking "NT" in white. "That's my helmet from high school. My coach let me keep that, and he usually doesn't let you keep your helmet."

"Why'd he let you keep it?" asked Kyo.

"Because I'm the best!" Jimmy said. Kyo sighed in exasperation.

Oh great, he's got a massive ego, thought Kyo. This is going to be a long season.

Tohru, meanwhile, was reading some shoujo manga when her roommate came in. Being the polite girl she is, she panicked and tried to get in position in time to greet her roommate. Her roommate entered the two-person apartment and Tohru said, "Hello, my name is Tohru Honda. It's very nice to meet you; I hope we can be friends." She took a bow as she said that, pausing for a second before coming up to look at her roommate.

"Why did you do that?" asked her roommate.

"Oh dear, I really hope I haven't offended you," said Tohru, while bowing again.

"You're not from around here, are you?" said her roommate.

"Um, no," said Tohru. "I'm from Japan. I've only been in America for a short time." Her roommate came up to her and gave her a pat on her shoulders.

"I guess I should apologize," she said. "You were only trying to be polite, and I hope I didn't offend you."

"Oh no, you didn't!" said Tohru. "By the way, you never told me your name." The young woman in question looked to be about her age with light skin, a light body structure and dark hair that was tied in a pony tail. Her eyes were brown and she had some pretty features.

"Oh forgive me," she said. "My name's Karen McKenzie. I'm from Orlando."

"Nice to meet you, Karen, I'm Tohru Honda." She said it again just to be polite. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you to, Tohru," said Karen. Unlike Jimmy and Kyo, both of the two young ladies seemed to hit it off well.

Speaking of which, the two of them were giving each other the silent treatment. Not exactly the silent treatment when you're extremely angry at someone, but more like a slight tension in the air. Kyo was still upset at Jimmy's question, while Jimmy was trying to study his playbook. Unfortunately, Kyo's anger at Jimmy's question got to him again and he began looking at Jimmy. Jimmy noticed Kyo's expression and gave him a 'what gives?' gesture and said, "You're still mad about that? Get the fuck over it; it's not even worth talking about."

"You implied that you didn't think I was from Japan," said Kyo. Although he wasn't happy with the way he acted prior to falling in love with Tohru, he still had retained enough of his temper as the years went on. Enough that it was starting to get to him again.

"I never said that," said Jimmy, who didn't even look up from his playbook. "I was just expressing wonder at why you spoke perfect English without a Japanese accent."

"I was taught from an early age, okay?" said Kyo.

"See?" said Jimmy. "That wasn't so hard. If you had answered my question, We wouldn't be having this discussion."

"Alright then," said Kyo. But Kyo ended up insulting Jimmy by saying, "So what's with the way you speak, you don't sound like any American I've ever heard." Kyo didn't notice it, but Jimmy's hand twitched as soon as he heard that. Back in Japan, Saki Hanajima could feel Jimmy's 'waves' of anger.

"What?" He said in a very angry tone of voice.

"You don't sound like-"

"It's a Chicago accent," said Jimmy. "We have regional accents in this country, not everyone sounds like they're from California! Or Iowa!"

"Jeez, what are you getting so hostile about?" asked Kyo. First he was yelling at Jimmy about his accent, and now Jimmy was yelling at him!

"So you're Jimmy Michaels' girlfriend?" asked Tohru. She was getting to know Karen, so she was asking her some questions.

"Yep," said Karen. "We've been dating since December. But the thing is, we knew each other before we met up here at UCF."

"Oh really?" asked Tohru. "Did you go to high school together?"

Karen did a combination of giggling and chuckling. "No," she said. "I went to high school here in Orlando at Freedom High School. He went to high school in the Chicago area, specifically in a town called Winnetka at New Trier High School."

"Chicago isn't that in Illinois?" asked Tohru. Although she had a general idea of where Chicago is in the United States, she still needed verification to Chicago's location. Karen nodded her head. "So, where's Winnetka, anyway?"

"It's in Chicago's northern suburbs," said Karen.

"Oh wow," said Tohru. But she also had other questions. "But how come he's here in Florida?"

"He has his reasons," said Karen. "But you know, I could ask you the same question about why you came to Florida. "

"Oh, I'm sorry!" said Tohru. "I didn't mean to be rude, I just-" She calmed down a bit so she could talk. "Well, I'm here because my boyfriend Kyo is here to play football as well. He said that he wouldn't come unless I got in, too."

"Oh, that so sweet!" said Karen. "What's he like?"

"Well, at first he was a little rude, but eventually he warmed up a little; especially because of his family Curse." With the Curse broken, Tohru felt that it was okay to tell people about it-but only a few people, she wasn't that stupid. She was only going to tell people that she trusted, like Karen. "Oh by the way, that Curse is supposed to be a secret, so don't tell anyone about it, okay?"

"Okay, but what is this curse?" asked Karen.

"You see, there are twelve animals in the Chinese Zodiac. Twelve members of the Sohma family-that's my boyfriend's family-were cursed with the spirits of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, plus the cat and the Jade Emperor. If they were hugged by members of the opposite sex, then they would turn into these animals."

"Wow," said Karen, after hearing this. "Things must have been hard for them."

"Generally, members of the Zodiac were treated badly by their parents because of this curse," said Tohru. "Kyo was the worst though. He was possessed by the spirit of the cat, and because of that, he was hated by members of his own family, even his dad."

Wow," said Karen. "That must be so sad for them. But I assume the curse is broken?"

"Yes it is," said Tohru. "I'm not sure how it happened, but it's probably when Kyo and I expressed our love for each other."

"Ooohhh, that's so romantic!" said Karen. Then she stood up from the bad and said, "Hey, what do you say we go talk to Jimmy and Kyo?"

"I'd love that!" said Tohru. "But first off, do you believe me about the Curse? And second, if you do tell anyone, please tell Jimmy only."

"Sure thing," she replied. "Scout's honor!"

Jimmy and Kyo's room wasn't too far from the girls' a[artment, just a few floors away. The door had their name tags on it, so the apartment could easily be identified. When they got to the door, Karen knocked on the door. "It's unlocked!" Came a voice from the other side, But it sounded strained for some reason. So they opened the door and came through the threshold to see Jimmy with Kyo in a headlock. "You want to run that by me again, punk?" He asked.

"JIMMY!" said Karen. Jimmy looked up and his eyes widened with shock.

"Karen!" He immediately let Kyo go as soon as he saw her. Kyo dropped to the floor and coughed while trying to catch his breath. Karen ran over to Jimmy and smacked him on the cheek while Tohru ran over to see if Kyo was alright.

"I'm fine," said Kyo. "Damn it, Michaels, what was that about?"

"I know what happened!" said Karen. She turned to Jimmy and said, "Your temper got out of control again, didn't it?" Jimmy nodded sheepishly, since she was right. "What was this all about?"

"Accent trouble," said Jimmy. "We both insulted the way each other speaks and it descended from there."

"Accents? Are you kidding me?" Karen asked. "Of all the things to have a fight over you fight over accents?"

"Jeez, why the hell did you go berserk on me?" said Kyo.

"Despite the fact that you nearly went medieval on me?" said Jimmy.

"Hey, watch what you say, Michaels, otherwise I-"

"Kyo, stop!" Tohru's words stopped Kyo right in his tracks.

"Tohru, I-"

"Kyo, just please stop this already," said Tohru. "Maybe if you both apologize to each other, you'll get along better."

"Alright, alright!" said Kyo. "I'm sorry!"

"Yeah, me too," said Jimmy. They wanted to get it over with, but Karen glared at the both of them, as if she wanted them to do something else. "What the hell do you want us to do, Karen?"

"Either hug or shake hands," said Karen. "But since you follow the Man Laws, I guess you'll just shake hands."

"You do realize I barely even talk about them even more?" said Jimmy. "They're stupid, anyway."

"Whatever just shake hands!" Jimmy and Kyo did so, at first grudgingly. But after a few seconds, thanks to the firm grip they both had, they started to gain some respect for each other. "Much better."

"Well, I guess it was pretty silly," said Jimmy. "Fighting about accents. Who knows, maybe he won't be as bad as Taylor."

"Taylor." said Tohru. "Who's that?"

"My roommate from last year," Jimmy said with an exasperated tone. "Dude pissed me off big time."

"Well, we'll have to talk about that later," said Karen. "I think we need some groceries."

"Oh, dammit, I forgot about those!" said Jimmy as he hit the side of his head. "Come on, Karen-"

"Oh no, I'm not going," she said.

"What!" Jimmy replied.

"Take Kyo along," said Karen. "I'm sure you'll do some guy bonding."

"You ain't going?" said Jimmy. She shook her head no, and added that it was her final decision. Jimmy sighed and turned to Kyo. "Hey, I'm going grocery shopping, wanna come with?" Kyo was surprised at Jimmy's request, as just a few minutes earlier they had practically been trying to kill each other. He turned to Tohru, who nodded her head 'yes'.

"Alright, I'll come," said Kyo. "Do you have money?"

"My folks give me a monthly budget for groceries," he said. "I may get a free ride here, but that doesn't mean I don't have a budget. Come on, I'll show you the wheels." He motioned for Kyo to come along as Tohru and Karen watched and waved. For Karen, she smiled as she knew that her plan to get them to become friends was working.

Jimmy led Kyo out into the late afternoon Central Florida sun. Kyo lamented internally that he was not wearing sunglasses while Jimmy was. "You're gonna love my wheels," said Jimmy.

"Is it a good car?" Kyo asked.

"You'll see," said Jimmy. Kyo could only wonder what Jimmy was talking about as the two headed for the parking lot where Jimmy said his car was. Then, they came upon it. Kyo stopped mid-stride as his eyes came upon a red Ford Mustang.

"Woah," he said, completely in awe.

"You like it?" said Jimmy. "It's a 2000 GT. My dad got for me this summer. Of course, I had to get a job in order to help pay for it."

"It's incredible!" said Kyo. He tried to touch it, but Jimmy tried to stop him.

"Hey hey hey hey!" He said rapid-fire. "Don't touch it!"

"Why not?" said Kyo.

"Because I don't let anyone touch it," said Jimmy. "Anyone."

"Oh," said Kyo.

"You think its appearance is great, wait till you see how this pony performs," said Jimmy as he unlocked the car doors. He ushered Kyo into his car, and Kyo got in. "I know you're Japanese and you have some pretty good cars," said Jimmy. "But now you're going to see how an American muscle car hauls."

"Nice," said Kyo as he took in the car's interior. Then Jimmy inserted the keys into the ignition and turned it on. The car roared to life as Jimmy turned the ignition, getting an amazed reaction for Kyo. Jimmy revved the engine a bit to give Kyo a feel for the car's power. Needless to say, Kyo was impressed.

"There's a stretch of road that's a bit out of the way," said Jimmy. "Some racers tell me they use it for racing, but I don't use it for that. But we will use it for some extra speed," he said with a mad glee.

"Really?" said Kyo.

"We're not going to go too fast," said Jimmy. "All right, let's get moving."

To Be Continued

Alright! First chapter of Jimmy & Kyo! By the way, if you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'll try to put the answers up somewhere.

As for Jimmy, here's the thing: He's not a character I made up just for this story. I created him last year for a story called "Jimmy & Taylor", but it never went beyond two chapters. But, I'm going to make it clear that you understand the events of that story. As for writing Jimmy, it felt like meeting an old friend again. Why? It just felt that way. Oh, and by the way, Jimmy's much nicer than you've seen in this particular chapter. He just has a bit of a temper.

Please review!