Chapter 1: Teiko Middle School

'It's finally time.' I thought excitedly when my alarm clock sounded.

Today is finally the day I have been waiting for a long time now. My first day at Teiko Middle School.

I got up from my bed and stumbled towards the bathroom. I took a shower and then carefully put on my new uniform, which contained a longsleeved shirt, a dark blue lace I tied into a simple ribbon, a black skirt and a white blazer with the school logo embroidered on it.

I looked at me in the mirror. Having a uniform was a new experience for me.

Well, I returned to Japan only a few days ago from France, where I moved to almost five years ago and there it wasn't common to wear a school uniform so of course having a uniform would feel strange.

I was nervous coming back to Japan especially as I was all alone here. Only at thirteen I had left my family behind and came to live here.

It's not that we didn't get along. No not at all. It was quite the contrary actually. I love them dearly but I wanted to come back for some time now and only at thirteen did they deem me old enough to take care of myself.

I walked into the living room, where I had to dodge some boxes, which I still had to unpack and moved towards my kitchen.

Having prepared my bento the night before, I only had to pack it into my bag, together with the cookies I had baked yesterday.

'Maybe I will share them with a new friend.' I grinned looking at them.

I was almost ready to go when my eyes caught the picture sitting in a frame on the kitchen table.

I still had to move it to its rightful place.

It was a picture taken 5 years ago. In it where two girls, one with pink braids and a large grin plastered on her face and then there was the second one with purple hair and an equally large smile.

This was my childhood friend I had to leave behind. It was one of the hardest things I had to do.

The worst part was that I didn't know where she was now, not having been able to stay in contact with her. Neither of us had a phone back then, but I wanted find her again.

The question was only how.

When I walked out of my apartment, I made my way towards my new school.

It was a 20-minute walk, which I happily took.

Japan was different from where I had lived. Much bigger and livelier. I wasn't used to it yet, but hopefully soon it would feel like home again.

When I arrived early at the gates of Teiko I was taken aback by how prestigious it was. I felt a little bit overwhelmed. This was where I would be studying the next three years of my life.

I hesitantly stepped inside and was immediately greeted by some students who were trying to recruit new students for their respective clubs.

"Welcome to Teiko. Are you interested in joining our Literature club?" A small girl with dark hair and glasses asked me.

"Ehm. No, thank you." I bowed apologetically but the girl wasn't even standing in front of me anymore.

Having heard my answer, she had turned away and started to pester a boy who was walking behind me.

I gulped.

Not a great start into the year.

I decided to start walking around the different booths but nothing caught my attention until I walked by one which had basketball written on it.

It wasn't the sport which caught my attention.

No, it was a tall, green haired boy with black-framed glasses who was standing in front of it.

It was the same boy who had been walking behind me.

It surprised me a bit to see him standing there. Yes, he was tall but this didn't have to mean he had to play basketball.

My first impression of him was that he was more of a bookish person but maybe I misjudged him.

I smiled slightly when I saw him holding a stuffed bear. Some students walking past him cast him funny looks but he didn't seem to notice.

'What an interesting character.' I thought when I began to walk towards the main building.

It was time to find my class. A large board was hanging on a wall in the hallway. Quite some students had gathered around it and I couldn't make out my name und class even though I was taller than most of the female population in Teiko, which did cost me some surprised glances from the students around me.

Being only half Japanese gave me an unusual appearance – purple hair, silver eyes, a pale complexion and I was unusually tall.

Yes, I stood out but the thing was I had gotten used to it.

In France it had been the same. So, I didn't notice the looks I got, like the boy at the booth.

One thing we had in common.

When I finally spotted my name, a few minutes had passed. I made my way towards the first-year corridor, which was crowded with students happily chatting and getting to know one another or greeting old acquittances.

Being new I had nobody to greet. Standing in front of the classroom 1-B I took a deep breath before entering.

I needed all the courage I could muster.

When I entered only a couple of students where already inside -one of them was the green haired boy.

He was sitting in the second last row, his bear carefully placed in front of him together with a notebook ready to be used.

I smiled.

'What a coindidence.' I thought.

I walked towards him and I smiled gently at my classmates when I passed them.

Always good to appear approachable and friendly.

"Good morning." I spoke, bowing politely when I was standing in front of his desk.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" I asked pointing at the seat next to him, near the window.

He eyed me suspiciously before he spoke up.

"What is your zodiac sign?"

I was a bit taken aback by his question but I answered him nevertheless.

"I am a Sagittarius. What's yours?" I asked gently.

"I am a Cancer. You may sit. Cancer and Sagittarius have a good combability and Oha-Asa said to be near a Sagittarius will benefit us Cancer in the future." He said while pushing up his glasses.

Oha-Asa.

I had heard of it.

It was a show about horoscopes and it seemed that the boy in front of me was a fierce believer. Now I understood the flow of the conversation a bit better.

"What would have happened if our signs weren't compatible?" I asked a bit teasingly when I sat down.

He only stared at me but I held his gaze firmly.

This was when I noticed the light green eyes and long eyelashes.

'He is really good looking.' I thought.

He turned away first.

"Then you could have found yourself another seat." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Guess it's my lucky day." I said smiling at him.

He looked definitely taken aback by my response.

"Sagittarius are ranked second today." He said in the same tone.

"Which sign is first?" I asked curiously.

"Cancer."

"Then it's your lucky day." I said laughing slightly.

He nodded with an air of superiority.

I looked at the peculiar boy next to me and I smiled happily. I always had the talent of befriending special people.

But not special in a negative way.

They were extraordinary in my eyes, different from everybody else, but most of the times they had a hard time finding their place among others. This was where I came in.

Maybe it was because I was unique as well. Always standing out.

I shrugged coming back to reality.

"Say why do you carry this bear with you?" I asked.

There it was again. The piercing glance.

Like he was waiting for me to make fun of him, but I was genuinely interested.

"It's my lucky item for today." He said slowly waiting for my reaction.

"I see." I said nodding like it explained everything.

He narrowed his eyes.

"What? You're not laughing?" he asked sounding suspicious.

"Why should I?" I asked him confused.

"Because people normally laugh when they hear about it."

"If we are going to be friends you need to know something. I am not like other people. I would never make fun of the passion of a person. Regardless if everybody else finds it laughable. I don't. I think it makes you unique. And there is nothing wrong with that." I said seriously my silver eyes never leaving his green ones.

"Who says we're going to be friends?" he said immediately.

"Really?" I said chuckling. "This is what you heard."

I rolled my eyes.

"I don't even know your name." He said defensively crossing his arms in front of him.

"Masako Emiyo, nice to meet you." I said smiling holding out my hand for him to shake.

"Midorima Shintaro." He said and shook my hand firmly.

His hand was bandaged but I didn't question his reasons.

If he was injured, he wouldn't have returned my handshake.

"See now we are friends." I smiled brightly.

"That's not how it works." He said exasperated.

"Then how does it work Midorima-kun?" I asked grinning brightly with a cocked eyebrow.

He blushed slightly and turned away from me and murmured something under his breath.

I could only make out: "Certainly not like that."

I grinned remembering something he had told me a few moments before.

"Say Midorima-kun, how can I benefit you in the future if we aren't friends?" I grinned victoriously when I saw his reaction.

We both knew I had won this argument.

He only grunted.

Maybe this was the start of something great.

The seats began to fill themselves but most of the other students seemed to be too intimidated to sit near us, even though I smiled gently at each and every one of them.

My smile grew only wider when a figure appeared in the doorway. He was extremely tall, even taller than Midorima. He had shoulder length, lavender hair and violet eyes and was currently munching from a bag, which looked like it contained an assortment of snacks.

His eyes scanned the room and they rested on me and Midorima. He dragged his feet over to us and took the seat behind us.

"Ehh… you have the same hair as me." He said lazily pointing at my head.

I laughed.

"Mine is slightly darker than yours."

"I don't see a difference." He said while leaning back on his chair. The chair creaked dangerously under his weight.

"What does it matter?" Midorima said sounding annoyed.

"Ehhh… what's wrong with him?" The purple haired giant asked.

"Nothing. Don't worry. I am Masako Emiyo and this is Midorima Shintaro. Nice to meet you."

"Don't introduce me like we're friends." Midorima said bitingly.

"But Midorima-kun we are." I chuckled slightly turning once again towards the giant.

"What's your name?"

"Murasakibara Atsushi." He murmured while he opened a pack of chips.

"Are you going to eat that right before the lesson is about to start?" Midorima exclaimed horrified.

"Yes, I am."

Midorima was about to retort when our homeroom teacher entered and our first day officially began.

The morning passed rather quickly. I was surprised how fast paced and at what level the lessons where held.

I was not worried. I only had to get used to it.

Midorima was taking impeccable notes during the lessons and Murasakibara was quietly munching on his snacks using me as a cover. How he was able to disappear behind me remained a mystery I had yet to uncover.

As soon as the teacher left the classroom for lunch, I unpacked my bento, the stash of cookies and my drink.

I saw Midorima observing me from the corner of my eye and couldn't help but smile a little.

"Midorima-kun would you like to spent lunch with me?" I asked as innocently as possible.

"Why would I like that?" He said immediately.

I shrugged.

"It would be a great opportunity to get to know one another."

"Again, why would I want that?"

I rolled my eyes at him. Then I turned around towards Murasakibara.

"Murasakibara-kun would you like to join us as well?"

"Does Emi-chin have snacks?" He asked still munching on his chips.

"I do." I said pointing at the box containing the cookies. When I saw how his whole face lit up, I smiled.

"Then I am going to eat lunch with you." He stood up and grabbed my hand with a speed I hadn't expected from him. I only had time to get hold of my bento before we were already out of the classroom.

Murasakibara was holding my box with cookies in his other hand. I didn't even see him grab it.

"Wait Murasakibara-kun. We can't leave Midorima-kun behind." I said trying to reason with him.

He didn't slow down. He only glanced back and then said

"He's right behind us." And true to his words Midorima was only a few feet away, his bento in hand.

"Let's wait for him, Murasakibara-kun."

"But Emi-chin..." He said sounding like a whining child.

"I promise you will get whatever is in this box."

He immediately stopped, eyes sparkling and I walked right into him. It gave Midorima time to catch up.

I was about to say something when Midorima cut me off.

"Don't think anything about it. You left your drink behind and I knew you wouldn't stop pestering me to come so I decided to save me a headache and…" he stopped when he saw me grinning from ear to ear.

Of course, he would not say that he simply wanted to spent time with us. No, he had to put it his way.

When I felt my hand being pulled, I remembered that Murasakibara was still holding my wrist firmly.

"Are we going now?" he asked impatiently.

"I am hungry. I want Emi-chins snacks."

"Right. Let's go then." I said and we began walking towards the schoolyard.

The corridors where crowded, but luckily, we managed our way through.

Well, it was more like everybody got out of the way in alarm, seeing the two tallest students walking towards them.

Actually, I wasn't even sure they were the tallest. It's not like I had seen the whole population of Teiko in a single morning to be sure of it.

I couldn't even remember half of my classmates. But I couldn't imagine someone taller than Murasakibara.

We finally settled down near some cherry blossom trees on a comfortable looking patch of gras.

Murasakibara was already devouring one of his bento, which appeared out of nowhere.

Midorima eyed him with disgust.

"So Midorima-kun. Have you already decided which club you would like to join?"

"Basketball." He said immediately.

"I see. Which position are you trying out for?"

"Shooting guard."

"I see." I said nodding.

I took a bite out of my bento when unexpectedly Midorima spoke up.

"Do you play?"

"I don't really. I understand the basics but I would really love to learn it."

"Mhmpf." Was all Midorima replied.

"What about you Murasakibara-kun?" It took him a while to answer. His food was currently more important than my question.

First, I thought he was going to ignore me but then he said

"Basketball, but I don't like it."

"Then why do you play it?" I asked surprised.

"Because I am good at it." He said lazily. I was about to say something when Midorima spoke up.

"What position?" Midorima said eyeing him carefully now.

"Center."

"I see." Midorima responded.

"Maybe you guys will be on the same team. Wouldn't that be great?" I said happily.

One of them gave me a hard look while the other wasn't listening. Instead he looked like he was looking for something.

"Emi-chin, where are my snacks?" he said whining impatiently.

"Stop being rude. They are not yours." Midorima said angrily.

"Hee? Does Mido-chin also want Emi-chins snacks?" he said still searching for them.

"WHAT ARE YOU CALLING ME?"

"Mido-chin." Murasakibara deadpanned.

"At least he knows your name." I said teasingly.

"Don't encourage him, Masako."

I only laughed.

"Murasakibara-kun can you wait until we are finished as well? So, we can all share." I said calmly.

"But I want Emi-chins snacks!" He said impatiently.

"Please, Murasakibara-kun." I said looking pleadingly at him. His violet eyes met mine and for a moment none of us talked.

"Ok." He said and our eye contact ended.

Midorima looked surprised but I only smiled.

"Thank you."

We continued to eat while Murasakibara was looking at us intensely, hoping it would make us eat faster.

"Have you decided which club you would join, Masako?" Midorima asked.

I shook my head.

"No, I haven't. I will wait before joining one because I still have a lot to do at home so I don't really have the time for it yet."

"What does Emi-chin have to do at home?" Murasakibara asked sounding curious.

"Murasakibara stop being nosy." Midorima said sounding annoyed. He pinched his nose and raised his head. He was clearly not pleased with Murasakibara.

"That's fine. I don't mind him asking." I said before adding. "You see I live alone. I moved back to Japan only a couple of days ago and I still have boxes to unpack and furniture to build. So, I want to properly settle in before joining a club."

They both were speechless.

"You live alone at thirteen?" Midorima asked shocked.

"Hai. My family is still in France."

"Don't they worry about you?"

"They do. But a family friend is checking up on me once in a while and their door is always open so my parents feel a bit better about leaving me on my own."

"I see." Midorima said.

"Can I come and visit Emi-chin?" Murasakibara asked, ignoring the gasp coming from Midorima.

"Of course, you can. You are always welcome. Same goes for you too." I said smiling at Murasakibara and addressing the last part towards Midorima.

Murasakibara looked pleased with my answer while Midorima was turning away from us, blushing slightly at my answer.

I chuckled.

"Here do you want to finish my bento? I am already full." I said showing Murasakibara my left overs.

Before I could react, my bento vanished from my hands and Murasakibara was already eating it happily.

I smiled.

When they were finished, Murasakibara finishing a lot faster than Midorima, I showed them what was in the container.

Murasakibaras eyes began sparkling and I only managed to secure some cookies for myself and Midorima before the box was once again snatched from my hands.

I wordlessly handed Midorima some, who took them rather begrudgingly.

I began to eat my own while eyeing the two boys in front of me. After all I was right.

I made new friends.

"How are they?" I asked a bit hesitantly. Midorima sighed and said.

"They're ok."

I grinned.

When he said ok, he meant good. I was very pleased.

"Murasakibara-kun?" I asked looking questioningly at him. I was shocked to find flowers flowing around him, his eyes sparkling in delight.

"I think he likes them." Midorima said rolling his eyes.

"I really like the both of you." I said and Midorimas mood seemed to worsen at my comment.