Chapter 1

That Fateful Day

"See you tomorrow," her friend Mizuna shouted at her as they separated. They always walked together from school. They've been friends since grade school, and they were inseparable.

The two of them lived in a world called Orion, where everything was peaceful. In all her life, she hasn't known hate, war, or even anger, but because of this, she is seeking for a higher level of truth and feelings. Walking alone to her house, she looked at the gateway to another world that only, in all her 15 years of living in Orion, one person was able to cross. And that was her grandfather, Grandpa Chie. He often tell her stories about the other world and how it is made of complexities that isn't present in theirs. Sadly, just a month ago, her grandfather died and he wasn't able to tell her how he activated the gateway. Before he died though, he left her with a crystal blue necklace that she always wore. Her grandfather was her most favorite person in the whole world, and which made the necklace her treasured, most prized possession.

Her thoughts drifted back to the gateway, the entrance to a world called Gaia is located just in front of their house. Members of her bloodline is the appointed gatekeepers and are assigned to keep the gateway sealed as a punishment for what Grandpa Chie has done twelve years ago. The gateway was a huge platinum-like door that even a hundred or a thousand men couldn't open by force. It was outlined in gold and silver with a single hole in the center. She walked closer to the gateway, doing so for the very first time.

Hmmm... Ai thought as she squinted her eyes and studied the hole very carefully. "That is awfully a familiar shape," she said to herself. A few seconds of staring at it, her necklace seemed to sparkle. Then, the small sparkle grew even brighter, and it dawned on her why the shape was familiar. It was because she was always wearing it, and to make it more obvious, the necklace seemed to react to it.

She was getting more and more excited. This is what his grandfather was trying to tell her. She got ahold of her necklace and put it inside the hole. "Huh!" she exclaimed, "perfect..." before she could finished what she was going to say, the gates shone brightly and turned into a two way mirror wherein she could see the other side. She tried to make out what was there but all she could see was a dark void. Her feet, much to her surprise, reacted on its own and crossed the small gap between her and the unknown, this immediately transported her to another place.

She didn't know how long it took, but it seemed like it was only a mere second that she felt like she was floating and the instant she opened her eyes, she was in a whole new different place. When her eyes began to adjust to her surroundings, she could see that she was in a room - a different room than that of her own in Orion. The bed was not as big as the one she has, but it was cute - a wooden-styled bed painted with blue flowers, a closet, a cabinet with books and picture frames of, to her amazement, her and her grandfather, a computer and a bedside table. Well, she thought, at least it's not as different as Orion.

After a while, she heard sounds from the outside. "Honey! I heard the sound! I heard it! The same sound when Chie-san came here!" a female voice from the outside called. Then there were footsteps hurrying to the room where she landed, and just as they stopped, the door to the room where she's in flew open.

"Ai! You came! You finally came!" a woman, in her mid-thirties exclaimed. She was beautiful, with flowing red hair, like hers, a small face and slender figure. The man beside her smiled at her with a gentle expression in his eyes. And, the girl beside him, wearing a wide grin, suddenly hugged her! "I finally get to see you!" she said, and when she got a closer look at her face, she was shocked! "You're... me," she said, with mouth slightly agape, she stared at her.

The girl laughed softly as she shrug. "We are twins, so we're supposed to look the same, right?" she said nonchalantly, as if seeing her was a normal thing for the other.

"Anyway," interrupted the woman, "let's go downstairs, I'm sure you have lots of questions but for now, you have to eat. We can talk about the things that are in your mind after."

She grew quiet as the girl, who claimed to be her twin helped her up. She was a little groggy and very hungry, which might be the effect of teleporting from Orion to this place, but she was excited and curious at the same time. She looked at the people walking in front of her, and smiled to herself. She was in a foreign place, but she isn't scared at all.

Later that afternoon, Ai and Akemi were in the living room talking about Gaia. Akemi knew that she must be tired from the effects of the crossover so she didn't take her outside. They sat on the couch and their talk seemed endless.

"Akemi, Ai," Kyouko said, "I'll be going out a bit. I realize Ai needs some things here so I'll go and buy them. What's your favorite color Ai?"

"It's blue. And thank you Fujiko-san!" she answered.

"You can call me mom, and don't worry about it," Kyouko replied with smile.

She smiled back. "Ai, you should get used to it," Akemi said. "Grandpa Chie said that there's really not much of a difference between Gaia and Orion. It's just that, people here tend to feel alot. I don't understand that though, but it's what he said."

When Kyouko came back that night, she brought her a number of clothes, and a blue mobile phone with a cute beaded phone strap. "I already put in our numbers in here Ai," she said. Ai took the phone and said thanks. She was really grateful for them. Her parents and relatives in Orion were kind, but it feels monotonous for her. In here, it's like... Rainbow colored... A kaliedoscope.

The Fujiko's explained everything to her during dinner. Apparently, when her grandfather was in Gaia, he also "landed" in the same room that she did which made them believe that there must be a link between the room and the gateway. The Fujiko family, at first were doubtful about her grandfather, but he was gentle and kind, at the same time smart, so in the long run, they became instant friends. They were fascinated with his stories about Orion, and about her.

The Fujiko family is made up of Fujiko Kyouko, Fujiko Izumi, and their daughter Fujiko Akemi. Kyouko managed their small store that sells different accessories and trinkets. Izumi is a businessman who frequently travels. And Akemi is their 14 year old daughter who looks like her. They spent the entire night talking about Orion and Gaia and how her grandfather predicted that one day, she, Ai, will be able to crossover. Izumi gave her Chie's diary; he left it with him and made him promise that he will give it to Ai when she comes.

The four of them agreed that Ai will use the room she "landed" in. According to Kyouko, her grandfather prepared it for her. That night, she hugged her grandfather's diary, not opening it yet. Grandpa, she thought, I now have another one of your treasures. Thank you!

The next day, she woke up early and prepared breakfast. Everything was just about the same as in Orion, and she wonders why. She also wondered why she and Akemi looks the same. Maybe, everything will be answered if I read grandpa's diary, she thought and made a mental note to read it tonight.

"What are you doing?" Akemi asked, still looking sleepy. "You need to be ready for school Ai!" she added.

"School? What do you mean? I'm not even enrolled here yet," she looked at the other with a confused expression.

"Of course you are! Grandpa Chie made sure you were! When he was still here, he made sure to register you as my sister. You're Fujiko Ai, and you're part of the family," she explained. "You'll be in Seigaku, okay? Today is the start of the new term and we'll be in third year middle school. Now remember, you were studying in the United States before and transferred here with dad, okay? About the language. It's weird because maybe Orion and Gaia are two parallel worlds coz we have the same language, that's why it was easy for Grandpa Chie to adapt. So, it will be a piece of cake for you too," Akemi excitedly talked on and on.

A few minutes after, she found herself standing in front of her mirror, wearing the Seigaku uniform. The uniform is made up of a dark blue checkered skirt, a lighter blue sailor jacket with gold and yellow trim on the edges, a white blouse underneath and a red bow.

"Ai!" Akemi shouted from downstairs. "Let's go!'

Both of them walked to the station, then to Seigaku. She marvelled at the people around them, wearing different expressions. Now she knows the difference between this world and Orion. It was the people. The people in Orion didn't wear different expressions. Everyone had the same serene look on their face, it was easy to understand them. But somehow, the people in Gaia were different, she could tell by how they look.

When they reached Seigaku, Akemi and her checked which classes they are in. She wanted to be in the same class she's in, but sadly, she wasn't. Akemi was in Class 3-6 and she was in Class 3-1. Akemi nudge her on her side, "You're lucky, you're classmates with him," she said with a sad expression. "What? Who? I don't understand," Ai asked her. "I'll tell you everything later," Akemi said.

There was still time before the bell rings, so Ai decided to look around the school. Her feet took her to the sakura trees near her school building, a gentle breeze was blowing and blossoms were falling. She was looking at the cherry blossoms while walking, not realizing that she was about to bumped into someone, until she did.

"Owww," she said. "I'm sorry," she murmured as she looked up to a guy who has the sweetest smile, and for a moment she thought she was back in Orion.

The brunette wrapped his arms around her waist to prevent her from falling to the ground. When she murmured an apology, he gave her a soft smile. "It's okay Fujiko-san," he said. "Anyway, are you okay?"

Ai was speechless. He knew her? "Ugh. I'm okay," she said, rubbing her chest. Something in her heart just won't behave when she looks at this guy, so she diverted her gaze. "Oh, and I'm not Akemi, I'm Ai her twin sister. Just in case you mistook me for her," she added.

The guy calmly let her go and helped her steady herself. "Yes, I heard from her that you were coming here for your third year. I'm Fuji Syuusuke," he introduced himself.

She just stared at him, not because he looks handsome, although she has to admit that he did look attractive, but because of the way her heart reacts to him. Her heart was somehow beating a new rhythm whenever she looks at him. She heard him chuckle and said, "The bell is about to ring. We should get going," he said. "I'll show you to your classroom. Which class are you in?" he asked.

She swallowed a lump in her throat, and was finally able to find her voice to speak. "Class 3-1," she briefly answered.

When he heard her answer, Fuji felt smiled at her. "I see... You're classmates with some of my friends," he said as he walked her towards her class.

She was quiet, but she smiled to him after his comment. Still trying to assess how to react to this guy beside her, she observed him and his actions in that few minutes of their interaction. Aside from Akemi and her parents, he's the first person she ever talked to. When she was ready to talk to him, unfortunately, they arrived in front of her classroom. "I guess, we'll have to separate here for now, Fujiko-san," the guy said.