-----Stand up straight
Do your trick
Turn on the stars
Jupiter shines so bright
When you're around
They tell us slow down,
We're too young you need to grow
The speed's the key
And they don't know who we are-----

Matt anticipated his first day of school...teaching that is...and when the day finally arrived, he was more excited than ever.

Tai walked into the kitchen...no Matt. Into the living room...no Matt. Into the bedroom...no Matt, but there was a note.

"Morning Sleepy Head,

If you're reaing this insted of showering he with your oh so sweet morning smiles, then I'm already gone. This sounds so cliched, right? Haha, just keep on reading. I'll be gone until lunch, I made some stir fry for you to heat up if you get hungry before I get home. It's in the fridge. If you feel the need to speak to me, you can always call the school, they'll page me. The number is on the table.

Love Ya,

Matt"

Tai smiled and hopped on the couch in the other room. He turned the TV on and started watching the sports channel, but something was missing. Something he urned for. Something called Matt.

-----Mother don't tell me friends are the ones that I lose
'Cause they'd bleed before you
And sometimes family are the ones you'd choose
It's too late now
I hold on to this life I found-----

Tai went into the kitchen and got the number from the table and dialed it on the phone.

"Tokyo Tykes Elementary, this is Mimi, how may I help you?"

"Mimi? You're a reseptionest?"

"Tai? Is that you? Long time no speak. Anyway, yeah, you must be calling for Matt."

"I believe you're right, I must be."

"One sec."

After hearing the intercom in the office over the phone, Tai waited impatiantly on the other end.

"Hello?"

"YAMI!"

"Hey Tai! Good to hear from you, I was waiting for a call."

"Really? You've been waiting for me to call? How sweet." Tai giggled for a moment.

"Uh...yeah...anyway, how has your day been?"

"Okay I guess, been lonely without you."

"Aww, Tai, I'll be home in an hour."

"And I'm anticipating it!"

"When did you learn to say 'anticipate'? Have you been reading the dictionary by mistake again?"

"You're not funny Yami!"

Matt exchanged this comment with a light laugh and bid his fare-wells.

-----And who's to say we won't burn it out?
And who's to say we wont sink in doubt?
Who's to say that we wont fade today?
Who are they anyway? Anyway, anyway they don't know-----

Matt heard the bell ring and ushered his class out the door. He went down the three flights of stairs to the central hallway and made his way to the office, dodging a pack of running children.

"How was your first day?" Mimi asked, noting Matt's arrival.

"It went pretty well. But man, those kids are like wildabeast leaving." he let out a short sigh and giggle.

"Yeah, I usually wait about half an hour after the kids to leave." Mimi replied, typing something on her computer.

"So, how has Izzy been?" Matt asked, looking out of the large wall window to his left.

"Alright. He was feeling sick when I woke him up this morning though, so he's in bed now." Mimi replied, pushing a button on her headset and silently told Matt to hold on.

"Yes? Oh yes ma'am. Why? Oh, I'm sorry. You're telling them WHAT? You can't do that, he never hurt anybody!"

Mimi let out a loud "augh!" before turning to Matt.

"Apperantly some kid on the fourth grade floor found out about you and your lifestyle and told his mom, now she's about to go to the school board and complain."

Matt looked down to the floor. "It isn't like they can do anything though, right?"

"I'm afraid they can Matt, this can get you fired. You're teaching a lower grade class, so they can get you for trying to convince them to be homosexual."

"But I would never do that!"

"Well, you'd better go tell the school board that!"

"Come on, you're coming too!"

Matt dragged Mimi out of the building and into his black sports car.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Anything to convince them to NOT fire me."

"Uh...okay..."

They arrived at the building marked "Tokyo School Board of Education" before the woman, so the waited in the lobby until she arrived before meeting with the super-intendent.

-----And you say we're too young, but maybe you're too old to remember
And I try to pretend but I just feel it when we're together
And if you don't believe me, you never really knew us
You never really knew-----

"Mr. Ishida, I want to do everything I can to help, but I'm afraid there is nothing we can do if you don't have any proof that you AREN'T trying to manipulate these children into your lifestyle."

"Are you implying that just because I live an abnormal life that I have to manipulate children to do the same just to be happy?"

"No Mr. Ishida, but said accusations have gotten teachers fired in the past and I'm afraid there is no way we can protect you."

"But he's only been teaching for a day, that isn't fair!" Mimi yelped out.

"Well, all I can do right now is put you under classroom survelance until I've been convinced that you are fit to teach."

The woman sitting next to Mimi gave Matt a cold look before going to the door. "This is a disgrace, this man shouldn't even be able to have a job, much less teach children!"

"Mrs. Ikaguri I--" the super intendent was cut off by a slamming door. "Well, it looks as if you can keep your job if you agree to let us install two camera's in your classroom." he continued, handing Matt a stack of papers.

"Go over these and have Mrs. Takchikawa here sign them as your secretary and you can keep your job."

Matt and Mimi read over all of the papers in the lobby and Matt signed, with Mimi co-signing, and walked back into the man's office. They handed him the papers and shamefully walked back to Matt's car.

Matt dropped Mimi off at the school so that she could get her car.

"It'll be okay Matt. We'll make it through this." she said before waving goodbye. Matt rolled up the window and drove to his apartment complex.