SIM: Oh wow… It's been a long time since I've updated. I am so sorry for those of you reading this story. This year has just been insane and I've been kind of jumping from fandom to fandom. This story kind of got pushed to the back of my mind. I can't guarantee that I'll update with any sort of regularity and it'll probably be a long time between updates, but I am determined to finish this story… eventually… Sorry again.

Hiei: We don't care about your life, onna. Just get to the damn story already.

SIM: Just for that Hiei, you get to do the disclaimer.

Hiei: Hn... the onna doesn't own anything (thankfully)

"Maya!" I heard grandma call the next morning. "You're going to be late for your first day of school!"

Groaning, I pulled myself out of the cocoon I had managed to wrap myself in, and succeeded in dumping myself -covers and all- on the floor. Sighing, I stood up and dragged myself to my closet where the uniform I was to wear hung ominously, wrapped in plastic. I removed it and changed quickly. Looking into the mirror over my dresser, I decided it wasn't worth it to try and do anything with my hair. I wondered idly, as I tied it up into a ponytail, why I had ever allowed it to grow out in the first place. Short hair was so much easier to take care of.

"Maya?" my grandmother called again.

"I'm up!" I called back. Mom was probably still asleep. Oddly, it felt nice to have someone actually care if I got to school on time.

I hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen. I smiled when I saw Grandma there, a boxed lunch in one hand and two pieces of toast ready in the other.

"Thanks, Grams! I'll see you after school!" I called as she passed the items to me. I stuck a piece of toast in my mouth, grabbed my bag with the same hand that held my lunch, and headed out the door.

"Have a good first day, dear!" Grandma called back, a smile in her voice. I smiled back at her (a difficult trick when you have toast in your mouth) and waved before heading down the street towards the school.

I quickly finished my breakfast on the way there and wiped the crumbs off with a napkin I pulled from my pocket. The short, yellow and brown plaid skirt I wore made me nervous.

At my last school, the female students could choose whether they wanted a skirt or shorts, but my new school required skirts that barely graced the knees. The top was a white, short-sleeved blouse with a yellow scarf. As I entered the school grounds, I was immediately lost in a sea of people wearing the exact same thing I wore.

"Maya!" I heard a familiar voice call. I turned my head in the direction the call came from. "Over here!"

Standing next to a cherry blossom that towered over the sidewalk were two familiar faces. The first was my best friend, Fumi, a short black haired girl with dark brown eyes. The other, Takasa, was a tall, brown haired boy who used to have a crush on me. Mentally I hoped he'd gotten over it. There was no way I needed a boyfriend.

I smiled lightly and made my way over to them. Fumi immediately tackled me with a hug and a barrage of squeals. Tasaka gave me a sympathetic look and a wave.

"Oh my gosh! It's soooo good to see you Maya! We've missed you soooo much!" Fumi gushed.

"It's good to see you guys, too." I said happily. Despite my distaste for the town, it was true. I did miss my old friends.

"Well, come on! We'll take you to the office so you can get your classroom assignment." Fumi exclaimed excitedly and I followed her into the school.

When we got inside, the secretary, a young, dark haired woman with glasses rimming her light brown eyes, smiled and asked, "How may I help you?"

"This is the new student, Maya Kitajima." Tasaka stated from behind me. The secretary smiled wider and pulled out a few sheets of paper from her desk.

"Welcome to Kireina High School, Ms. Kitajima. You've been placed in class 4A. Here's a map of the building and a note I need you to get your teachers to sign. Bring it back at the end of the day." She explained, handing me the papers. I nodded in thanks. "Have a wonderful day."

The three of us retreated out of the office and towards class. "Oh, isn't this so exciting?" Fumi asked. "You're in the same class as me and Tasaka, Maya!"

"It's great." I answered honestly.

We entered classroom 4A and took our seats. Fumi pulled me into one next to her and Tasaka sat behind us. The teacher entered as I was hooking my bag to the desk.

"Good morning class!" she called excitedly. "It appears we have a new student joining us this morning. Would you please come up here?"

I stood and stepped to the front of the room. The teacher sat in the chair behind the desk and motioned me forward.

"Don't be shy. Here are your books and a list of things you'll need for this class." She said kindly, passing me my materials. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"Alright…" I said, hesitantly. I turned to face my new classmates, who were all staring at me like I'd grown three heads suddenly. I smiled and waved before saying, "My name's Maya Kitajima. Some of you may remember me. I used to live here up until my mom and I moved to the city about a year ago."

I paused long enough to see the awed looks on everyone's faces before sighing in frustration.

I growled, "I know you're all wondering, so just ask."

A girl in the front row raised her hand. I nodded to her and she asked, "A year ago when people started disappearing… aren't you the only one who was found?"

"Because Shuichi Minamino found you and saved you?" another girl, one with light brown hair and blue eyes added from near the back of the room. I winced slightly at the mention of his name.

"Yes, that's pretty much what happened." I replied, attempting to keep my voice even. I was pleased that it didn't shake or break. The class then erupted into chatter. I could hear people calling, 'Oh, Shuichi's so cute! And strong! I'm not surprised he played the hero!' and 'She's so lucky she got to be saved by him.'

The little voice in my head grouched that he wasn't exactly the perfect person they envisioned him as. Perfect people don't just stop talking to you after they rescue you. But I cut off those thoughts before they led to more painful memories.

As the teacher, Ms. Sasaki, attempted to quiet down the class, I slipped back to my seat next to Fumi. She was animatedly engaged in a conversation with a girl to her left, assumedly about Shuichi and my rescue. I felt someone poke me in the back and turned around to see Tasaka.

He shot me a concerned look and whispered, "You okay?"

I forced a smile and shot back a quick "Fine."

I could tell he didn't really believe me, but fortunately he nodded and turned back to the teacher. I followed his example and turned back around as the lingering conversation died out. The day passed rather dully. Mostly people stared at me but seemed too scared to talk to me. A group of girls shot me dirty looks as they passed me at lunch. I mostly stuck with Fumi and Tasaka, an island of familiarity in the vast sea of unknown. They were the only ones who were brave enough come within a two yard radius of my. Honestly, it's not like I have the plague or anything. Darn rumors…

"I'll see you tomorrow, Maya." Fumi called as she ran after a group of her friends. Tasaka repeated this and followed her. My house was in the other direction. I turned and started back to Grandma's house.

"Welcome home, Maya!" Grandma called from the kitchen when I entered the house. The smell of food wafted through the hall as I took off my shoes and put on slippers.

"That smells great, Grams." I said, entering the kitchen to watch her work. She smiled and paused in her chopping.

"I'm making beef stew. Would you like to help?" she asked with a smile.

"Sure." I smiled back. I remembered cooking with Grandma when I was little and she'd babysit me. That was back when everything was good, Mom and Dad were still together, I couldn't see things…

"Go get changed and then you can help chop vegetables." Grandma's voice broke me out of my thoughts and I nodded. I changed into jeans and a blue baby tee, before poking my head into Mom's room to see if she was still in bed. The room was empty.

"Hey Grams?" I asked as I reentered the kitchen. "Where's mom?"

"She went job hunting." Grandma replied.

"Seriously?" I questioned, incredulous.

"Seriously." Grandma verified. "I don't think she wants to stay here any longer than she has to."

"Oh, you know we love you Grams. This place just doesn't bring back the greatest of memories…" I assured her.

"I know. Memories are powerful things, and I don't blame you for being uncomfortable here." She replied, chopping celery. "Now we're going to add these to the broth."

"I'm home!" Mom's voice came from the doorway.

"Hey mom!" I called from the kitchen.

"That smells great. What are you two making?" Mom asked as she entered the kitchen.

"Beef stew. It's just about ready." Grandma answered, stirring the contents of the big pot on the stove.

"Awesome. I'm starved." Mom said, wearing a three-piece suit and holding black pumps. She unpinned her hair from the bun it was in and climbed the stairs to her bedroom. When she came back she was wearing a tank top and jeans.

"Alright, Maya, will you set the table, dear?" Grandma asked a few moments later.

"Okay." I replied, moving to the cabinet to get out three bowls. I set them on the table along with spoons and glasses. Mom filled each glass with iced tea as Grandma filled each bowl with beef stew.

"So I ran into an old friend in town today." Mom said as we sat down to eat.

"Really? Who might that be?" Grams asked.

"My friend Shiori. She's getting remarried next fall, actually. You remember Ms. Shiori, don't you Maya?" Mom answered. I nearly choked on my stew. Swallowing, I nodded slowly and continued eating.

"Such a shame, what happened to her husband. And she was left to raise Shuichi all by herself." She continued. I winced once again, at hearing his name.

"Did you find any jobs today, Aiko?" Grandma asked, effectively changing the subject. I sighed in relief and finished my stew.

Mom had found a few openings, which once again made me hopeful. I tried to crush that hope. Hope was dangerous.

We finished dinner and I excused myself to my room. All of the excitement of the day was exhausting. Not to mention that I was forced to remember many things that were less than pleasant. Upon entering my room, I collapsed on my bed still in my clothes.