Not this time
[Disclaimer: Characters mentioned in the story that are part of AnC rightfully belong to Yuu Watase. In no way do I claim to own them.]

Prologue

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"Aogiri."

Today was such a normal day when everything was, well, normal. There was nothing particularly wrong about that, but it was as if his whole body was craving for something more than this.

"Aogiri."

He was in class, but wasn't really paying attention to the teacher. Finding no way to escape other than daydream, he stared through the window to the outside, at the birds perched upon a branch. There wasn't something overly interesting about them. They were just... there.

"Aogiri!"

He didn't even have the time to see what was flying straight at him.

A piece of chalk that was well aimed, years of teaching had honed the skill... well, probably.

And it sent him jolt straight up after the impact.

"Itaaaaa-i," He breathed rubbing his sore temple. And then slowly he stopped, blinked twice before it hit him, the realization that is. Recovering whatever dignity he had left, he took a quick bow muttering a quick "Sumimasen, sensei." The teacher wasn't really a forgiving one.

The teacher then only raised an eyebrow at him, shook his head and sighed - a reprimand beginning to come out of his lips. But as he was about to speak a faint giggle reached his ears. And it came from the new girl who was standing right next to him. And now it was at her that he directed his attention.

"Gomen nasai, sensei.. I... I couldn't help myself." She apologized after her giggles subsided, wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes. Surprisingly even after that, the whole class was still silent, well, save for a few muffled attempts at laughter. It didn't take too long, however, when the teacher found himself laughing too.

And the whole class burst out laughing as well. The whole class except Yuuhi and the new student. No one knew why though.

It was only then that he noticed her. And for some reason he knew her. That face. A face that was familiar, stimulating his mind, arousing a desire, a want, a need - to remember. When, where, how? Now he felt like he always knew that face, her face. The curves of it, the texture and the warmth of it. And now more than anything he wanted to touch it. To see if the face was truly familiar to him. A face that had showed happiness when she was with him, and how blind he was not to see it.

A face that he was so sure, he had never seen before in his entire life. And said something he normally shouldn't have known yet--

"Chidori?"

--her name.

--Tsuduku--