Chapter 1:
First Sight

Six o' clock. The alarm clock went off. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Haruka turned in her bed quickly; her hair flew in all directions. She tried to reach the clock before it becomes louder. She missed the button by an inch. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

She sat up and pushed the button a bit too hard. BEEP. BEep. CLICK.

Groaning, she stood up and headed for the shower. She despised waking up early in the morning, but the warm shower made up for that. As the steamy water poured at her face, her chest and her body, she thought about the try-outs. If she succeeded, she might be going all over Japan, competing in races and, who knows, winning.

She closed the tap and went to get her towel. After drying herself, she donned a pair of sweat pants and a white shirt. She packed her school uniform in a bag along with her books and left for school.

BANG! The shot signaled for the runner to start. Haruka ran quickly, but maintained her stamina for the finishing lap. As she reached the last lap, she began to pick-up the pace to sprint to the finish.

"Great work! The results will be posted on the bulletin later," said the track team coach, beaming at her.

"All right," she said wearily, apparently out of breath.

"Rest for a while and head for the showers. And maybe, I'll be seeing you in practices," winked the coach, before leaving.

"Yeah… maybe…"

Panting, she bended down to catch her breath, her hands on her knees. Sweat was forming on her forehead, her chest, her legs. Some girls were chattering nearby. She looked up and saw something black that resembled a guitar case, only smaller. A violin case!

She stood up straight and looked at the owner of the violin. It was a lovely girl who looked back at her. She was somewhat familiar. Her face was framed by her wavy, shoulder-length, aqua hair. She bore an expression of surprise… and happiness. Her azure eyes seemed to shimmer faintly. She was so beautiful.

Haruka felt her cheeks grow warm. Her pulse quickened. Her hands slowly grew cold. She was perspiring, but it's not because of the running and all. It was something else… something she couldn't explain…

The girl with aqua hair stared at the blonde who had just finished the tryout. The athlete was bending down, seemingly breathing heavily. Then, the runner stood up and gazed directly at her. Green eyes searching her blue ones. The aspiring track member was so handsome and elegant. The girl flushed.

"Michiru-chan?" said her companion uncertainly. "Are you listening to me?"

Michiru did not respond. Her attention was still on the handsome blonde, who was now heading towards the shower room.

"Mi-chan!" called her a bit exasperatedly. She waved her hand in front of the other. "MI-CHAN!"

"Huh?" said Michiru, jerking out of her trance. "Oh, Mako-chan. Sorry about that."

"What's up with you?" asked Makoto, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You seem dazed."

"Nothing," replied the other, her face pink. Her friend seemed to be even more suspicious. "Really, it's nothing!"

"If it's nothing, why are you blushing?" Makoto looked at the place Michiru had been staring at before. A boy with jet-black hair was dashing across the track. A conclusion came to mind.

"Who were you looking at?"

"What?" Michiru's face went from pink to dark red. "What made you…? What are you…? N-no one!" she stuttered. She averted her face to hide it from her friend.

"C'mon, tell me," pleaded Makoto. "Was it Kazuya-kun?"

"No," said the other. The bell rang at the same time. Some students started rushing towards the building. "Let's go, we're gonna be late."

It was three o' clock… dismissal time. Most students had filled the halls, eager to get out right away. Some hung around for a short moment of relaxation. Others, like Haruka, were headed for the main hall for announcements.

Haruka slowly paced towards the bulletin board. There were some students crowded in front of it. She immediately searched for the results of the tryouts, which was rather difficult since the other students were pushing each other for a quick look of something.

She found the results. Her name was there. She couldn't help grinning at herself. Then, someone collided with her, breaking her good mood. She turned to glare at the other, but softened when she glimpsed the familiar aqua hair a little down the hall.

It was the same lovely girl from earlier. She was looking at a poster. Her blue eyes were deep and thoughtful.

Haruka walked towards her direction. She stopped just behind the other, and then glanced at the same poster. It was about the auditions for the annual school play, tomorrow, after classes.

She continued walking. Acting was another interesting hobby… and perhaps someone very interesting would be there…