Grade School Dreams

I skipped down the wide second-story hallway happily, as my short blond hair whipped this way and that, along with the small pink ribbons which dangled helplessly on either side of my head, a red book bag, which was too wide for me, clattered about as I continued on. My yellow rubber rain boots squeaked as they hit the already wet floor, and with every little skip I took I could feel the smallest of water droplet hit my legs just below my pink skirt.

It had been raining all week and my mother had alway's made sure I had an umbrella, however, that day I had decided that I would prove to my parents that I was old enough to wake myself up and get ready for school without their help; so I had snuck into their bedroom and turned their alarm clock off and begun my morning routine. My older brother was on his way out the door when he noticed me reaching for the stove, in a flash he had swept me up and away from the stove, I had never seen him move so fast in my life! After a small argument I gave in and let him fix me breakfast, he then dropped me off at my elementary school while he continued on to his high school. In all the excitement that morning I had neglected to collect my umbrella along with a few other items. And so I was skipping through my schools halls on my way to meet my brother at the entrance. As I went, I noticed three girls as they shyly peaked in through a large window in the hall that aloud you to view the inside of the library, they whispered and giggled quietly which made me take pause.

"He's cute, and smart too." One said.

"But he's alway's in the library..." Stated the second.

"He never want's to play with me on the playground!" The third complained. After a few moments more the girls ran off with their matching Fruits Basket lunch boxes and poorly made macaroni necklaces.

I was left standing in the oversized hall staring into the library, where a dark haired boy stared out the window and down at the children who exited the school building. I impulsively entered into the library, not bothering to form any sort of coherent thoughts of the boy. I approached him openly and as I came upon him I tapped his shoulder, he turned to me his rust colored eye's studying me with a sort of intense suspicion that I was too young to fully comprehend, I smiled at him as he sat, his expression had faded to a dull sort of expectancy by then.

"Hi! My names, Kammi Anda, four years old, who're you?" My greetings were not formal as I had been taught they should be, in my opinion formalities were no way for a child to express themself and so I completely dropped them all together. The boy smirked up to me as his rust colored eyes narrowed somewhat, he looked to be up to no good, a trouble maker, my parents had told me to stay away from such children but to be honest he seemed interesting. He stood from his seat revealing that he was a few inches shorter than myself.

He introduced himself as my senior by one year, a six year old, Izaya Orihara, while I found it strange that he was only one grade ahead of me and a full two years older than myself, I decided not to comment on it.

"I've never herd of anyone having a name meaning lord... I like it." He stated a smirk on his lips the entire time, I tilted my head to one side and smiled brightly. The door to the library slammed open as my brother hurried over the threshold.

"Kammi! There you are! I've been looking all over for you! You were supposed to meet me at the gate!" He exclaimed as he approached me. He scolded me a little for making him worry, before he zipped up my bright pink jacket and took my small hand in his, as he tugged me away from Izaya I looked over my shoulder and called out to him.

"Lets be friends! Okay?" He nodded once, and that was when our very strange relationship began.

Everyday I met Izaya in the library for lunch and recess. I remember how we alway's had to sneak past the mean old librarian just as the bell rang, and how the librarians assistant would alway's help us sneak through and keep the old woman busy for us.

We wouldn't do much just sit and talk, play computer games every now and again, or do some homwork which was enough for the both of us. As the years of grade school seemed to fly by Izaya and I grew ever closer and before I knew it middle school was upon us, or rather, Izaya. Soon he would be transitioning from primary school, to secondary and he would leave me behind. Strangely I was neither afraid nor curious as to whether Izaya would move on and forget me as he left our grade school life. To this day I haven't the slightest idea why.

Despite Izaya alway's being in the library I never saw him even take a glace at the books which surrounded us, all he would do was gaze out the window at the children who ran about on the playground. In truth I had alway's wondered why but for some reason or another I found that I had never questioned Izaya about it, until one day.

"Iza-senpai, why do you come to the library if you don't ever read any books?" That afternoon was a particularly hot day, however the air conditioned library kept the two of us cool. In response to my inquisition Izaya moved closer to the window and beckoned me closer; as I approached, I found myself looking down at the various different kids at play as recess ticked away.

"It's the best place to observe them." He stated simply.

"Why would you wanna do that? Their just people."

"I'm not really sure why, actually... I just... Do." Was he's only response, and as I looked at his face I could see that he was deeply wondering about it.

The young assitant, who then stood as acting librarian do to the mean old library-lady's recent passing, approached the two of us with ice-pops in her hands, and a warm smile on her pretty face. We each took one and thanked her, she then ran her fingures through my short blond hair as she had alway's done and complimented me on how it felt like silk and shown like the sun, with that she left us to attend to her work.

"Do you know why she alway's compliments your hair, Kammi-chan?" Izaya questioned, as he continued to stare at the children below, I shook my head in response he turned so he was facing me head on. "It's because her daughter had blond hair too, you know, the girl who was in your class, the one who was killed by a color gang." My eye's widened somewhat as he told me this, I knew that a girl in my class had died the year before but I had no idea that it was her daughter, or that her death was not an accident. I blinked as I noticed the amused smirk on Izaya's face, he had alway's said things in order to envoke reaction from me, but he had never said anything so blatant and dark. I narrowed my eye's to him as I tossed what little remained of my ice-pop in the garbage.

"I hate it when you do that, Orihara-senpai." He cringed as I used his name formally which was something I had never done, he knew I disliked formality my addressing him formally sent the message I had wanted, 'you've gone too far'. He sighed that same deep wondering look returning to his eyes as if he were trying to understand just who he was and why he did the things he did.

"I'm sorry Kammi-chan," he said sheepishly, "I don't know why I say things like that." He turned his attention back to the window, and I couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. Izaya had alway's been mature for his age but I hadn't any idea of just how mature until that day, when I realized that he had already begun trying to find his purpose in life, it was a search he had started years before and I couldn't help but marvel at just how self-aware he had already become.

The final day of my nineth grade year had rolled around only a week after the day I'd become aware of Izaya's vast maturity. It was his final day as an elementary student and, as usual, I found him sitting in the library watching the people below.

"Congrats, Iza-senpai!" I exclaimed as he turned his attention to me, "you finally get to go somewhere other than the grade-school library! Now you can go to the middle school library!" I exclaimed happily causing him to chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah, veeery funny!" He exclaimed, as he leaned against the window ciel. "Ya know I think i'm actually gonna miss this school, and our library time." He said and I nodded in agreement. An announcement came over the loud-speaker, Izaya was being picked up early and as his name was called he gathered his things.

"You're not staying for your graduation ceremony?" I questioned, he stood as he flung his pack over his shoulder.

"Nope. Don't wanna." He approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder, as he did so my eyes widend as I realized something about him had changed. "See ya around, Kammi-chan." As he passed me by I couldn't help but ask a question that recieved no answer as he left the room.

"When did you become taller than me?"