Akurei walked awkwardly through the halls of her new school, glancing from a scrap of paper to each of the small signs above every door. She sighed, turning a corner, still looking for her homeroom. Her spirits lifted a little when she saw a familiar face, and she quickly moved to his side.
"Akurei," Toji said, almost sounding surprised.
She smiled apologetically, holding out a slip of paper to him. "Can you help me find my homeroom? I'm kind of lost in this school."
Toji took the slip from her hand, nodding as he glanced at it. "1-3. You're in my homeroom. It's just around..." He paused as a girl walked up and stood by his side. The two girls sized each other up.
The tall, tan girl stared at the other through hazel eyes, shaking her long blonde hair from her shoulders. "Who is this girl, Toji?" she asked, still looking at the girl in front of her.
"Akurei Hitoshi. We met at the mall this weekend. She's in our homeroom, and I was just going to show her where the room's at," he replied calmly.
The blonde turned to look at Akurei again. She looked out of place in this school. Her hair was long and raven black, untied about her shoulders. Her ears were pierced numerous times, and she raised at pierced eyebrow, her dark blue eyes challenging the beach bunny to keep critiquing her appearance.
Akurei's dark lips parted. "It's rude to stare," she said coolly.
The other girl's eyes narrowed slightly, as if in thought. "have we ever met before?" she asked, studying the other girl's face once again.
"Do you know Sae Kashiwagi? She's my cousin. I'm living with her right now."