A/n: Well here is the first actual chapter. Sorry for taking the time in the posting of it but xx Sunshine Girl xx whom offered to be my beta reader for this story was being very thorough with the corrections. Her help was greatly improved this fan-made babbling of a story this is. Anyways a big thanks to her. Also another thanks to bloodstoneDenise for the positive review. Thank you so much!

One more thing before I start with the story. I have decided to use name-suffixes such as -san and -chan despite the story being written in english. Sorry if you people don't like such but its a personal decision.

Anyways I hope you will continue to read and enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it. On with the story!

Chapter 1: The Foreigner

The room was rather quiet, only the soft clacking of chalk being written on the blackboard echoed throughout the room. Occasionally the twitter of birds would be heard, though it was so quiet that one could easily miss the noise. Eventually the only major source of noise, the chalk, stopped. It was placed down by the blackboard as the kindergarten teacher sat down on a nearby stool, giving off a yawn. Kyou sighed, resting her head in her hand, the arm of which was propped up on her leg. Though it was rather unpleasant to do so, Kyou had set her alarm clock earlier and had also been double-checking it every night before she went to sleep. It was tiring but Kyou did not want to take any risk at all of repeating that one nasty day. Her tardiness and the resulting scolding for it was barely balanced out by Ushio and Nagisa's kindness, in addition to the mysterious act of kindness that was done for her by washing Botan.

Brows furrowing the moment she thought of that mystery, Kyou went into deep thought as she waited for her students to come to class. No matter how hard she thought she had not a single clue as to who was responsible for that enormous favor. When it had happened she was sure that Nagisa was the culprit. Yet, she denied doing it and Kyou knew that Nagisa was rather terrible at lying. It couldn't have been any of her students because she had was with them the entire time.

Kyou stood up, growling as she paced like a tiger. She didn't know why this simple thing bugged her so much. Something about not knowing who it was . . . somehow it just made her go insane. While Kyou herself could sometimes be curious, this went beyond the norm. She began to regret coming in extra early, there wasn't anything she could do to pass the time. Well, nothing but think that is, and as soon as she began to think her mind would immediately hone in on that mysterious act of kindness. Attempting to distract herself, the young woman walked over to one of the windows that granted a view of the outside.

Kyou gazed out and saw that the skies were overcast, their shades of gray causing the normally jovial nature of the sunshine to be somewhat gloomy. Kyou sighed; the gloom seemed to spread to her own emotions. Looking away from the depressing sight the young woman looked towards the ground instead. There, she saw one thing she expected to see, that being her pet Botan. Though, what she didn't expect to see was someone standing by Botan, gently stroking her fur. Taking this opportunity of distraction, Kyou walked briskly out of the classroom. Once outside she continued her brisk pace towards Botan and the random stranger.

Before, she hadn't been able to get a good look as to who this person was, since she was mainly concentrating on getting outside and seeing what was going on. Now though, as she walked towards the pair with gaze fixated upon her target, she was able to make some detailed observations. The person had his back to her, so a view of the face was impossible. She could tell this person was definitely male, though. His hair was cut short, its color reminding her of warm chocolate. Since the hair was short, it allowed Kyou to somewhat see his skin. It was rather light, leading the young woman to believe that he was a pale individual. The other thing she noted about him was that he was wearing a dark blue jumpsuit that hinted at a job of labor. It was not something one would wear for a simple desk job.

When she was but a few yards away, Kyou stopped and uttered a simple, "Hey." While it could have been said in a kinder tone it also could have been said in a harsher one as well. This person was interacting with her precious pet without permission. Though the thing that saved him from a roughly thrown dictionary to the head was that he seemed to be acting kindly towards Botan, nor did the boar seem to be afraid of the stranger.

Turning as he stood from his squatting position, the man looked directly at Kyou. Now face to face, Kyou could tell even more about him. The main thing that caught her attention was that he was not just pale, he simply wasn't Japanese. Judging from the light color of his skin Kyou guessed that he originated from a Western country. This realization staggered her mentally somewhat, as she had never talked directly to a foreigner before. Kyou was not one to give in to fear of such a thing though, which allowed her to recover from that brief moment of surprise. As the surprise of his nationality wore off Kyou began to notice more things. This person was actually not that remarkable; in fact his face was lightly cursed with acne, bearing thick eyebrows and such, was rather forgettable. Were he Japanese and she passed him on the street she wouldn't have given him a second thought.

"Ah, hello," said the stranger. "I apologize for any disturbance I may have caused," he bowed respectfully to her. Again Kyou was surprised, this time not by sight, but by sound. The man, whom she was dead sure was a foreigner, spoke fluent Japanese. This was another surprise though this one a welcome one for Kyou since she was not very confident in her English language abilities.

"N-no its alright." stammered Kyou, still recovering from all the surprises. "Who are you, though?"

"My name is Kale, Saunders being my family name," he smiled though he seemed to be slightly nervous. "I work here as a janitor."

"Really?" mumbled Kyou. Thinking back she realized that she had never actually seen the janitor for the preschool. Maybe what he said was true? Kyou couldn't be certain just from his words alone.

"Can I see some I.D. then?" Kyou knew that the question sounded sharp but she valued the safety of her students over being polite.

Thankfully Kale did not seem offended. He gave a compliant, "Sure." He took off the white glove covering his right hand and stuck his hand down in his pocket. Pulling his hand back out, he held a small rectangular piece of plastic. Kale handed it to Kyou. Eying it carefully she saw it was an employee I.D. and that it did indeed confirm Kale's claim. Kyou handed the card back, an apology hovering on the tip of her tongue, yet her pride held the words back.

"Had to make sure you were who you said you were," grumbled Kyou. In a way her explanation served as the apology for her acting suspicious. Kale shook his head though; no animosity seemed to come from him.

"It's perfectly alright." he said. "One has to be careful nowadays."

Kyou grew quiet for a moment, yet again surprised. Most people she confronted the way she did would grow angry and upset at questions that could be construed as doubting of honesty. But Kale showed no anger at all.

Finally Kyou regained her composure, attempting to make small talk to be polite. "So did you start work here recently, then?" she inquired. "I don't remember seeing you before now."

"Well . . . actually I've been working here for a few months now," informed Kale. "I'm pretty quiet and forgettable," he chuckled sheepishly. Botan snorted, bumping Kale's back just enough to get his attention. He looked at Botan and smiled, then began petting and scratching her again.

Kyou smiled; she was almost always happy when Botan was. "It seems Botan here likes you."

"Ah, so that's your name is it?" softly said Kale, looking at Botan with a loving gaze. Giving a few more scratches behind her ears, the boar gave a sound that was very similar to a happy sigh. Kale averted his gaze away from Botan and turned it to Kyou. "Well that makes me happy," he said.

"You like animals, huh?" asked Kyou.

"Aye," replied Kale. "There's something about them that seems so . . . I dunno, special I guess. Animals can make you feel love and happiness even when you're depressed. For some reason, something about them makes me want to care for them and for others." The boar's presence seemed to draw Kale's attention to it like a magnet, for the janitor looked yet again at Botan, his gaze full of love. The sight made it so that Kyou couldn't help but smile. Seeing someone with such gentleness to something so precious to her made her very happy. It was also nice for someone to meet Botan and not joke about eating her.

Suddenly an idea began to form in her mind. At first it sounded silly to her, but the more Kyou thought on it the more it made sense. It grew to the point that the kindergarten teacher was sure it was the truth.

"It was you, wasn't it?" she suddenly exclaimed, pointing her finger accusingly at Kale.

"M-me?" stammered Kale, nervous and surprised at her outburst. "What did I do?"

"You were the one that washed Botan a few days ago weren't you?" questioned Kyou loudly. While most people would be more conscious of the volume of their voice, Kyou was not. For one reason, she was in a way excited to finally figure out that mystery. Another reason was that . . . well, Kyou was Kyou.

"Well . . . um . . . yeah I was," admitted Kale. Before he continued on he bowed apologetically and remained in that position. "I apologize if that was a bother but I just simply couldn't leave Botan in such a state." The young man fully expected to receive either a physical or verbal assault. If one were able to see his face they would see it cringing in fear of what was to come.

But today seemed to be one full of surprises; not just for Kyou but for Kale as well. What he received instead of anger and dismay, was happiness and gratefulness. Laughing loudly, Kyou slapped him on the shoulder with nearly as much intensity as her laughter. The young man staggered some but did not fall over. He stood up straight from his bowed position, his face full of surprise.

"A bother?" laughed Kyou. "It wasn't a bother at all. In fact it was quite helpful." These words were effective in calming Kale, who began to smile again since his fears were chased away.

"Ah, I'm glad . . ." he sighed.

"Let me treat you in return for your kindness," offered Kyou. It sounded like more of an announcement then a request. "How about I treat you to lunch today?"

"Oh, there's no need to do that!" Kale said quickly. "It was my pleasure to take care of Botan." Laughing nervously, Kale noted that Kyou was giving him a strong glare; one that seemed to scream, Just shut up and take the offer. In one last feeble attempt to deny her offer Kale pointed out something. "I don't even know your name, though."

Though she felt stupid about not introducing herself earlier, Kyou was quick with her reply. "It's Fujibayashi Kyou, Fujibayashi being my surname," she said. Normally she didn't think it necessary to specify which one was her surname, but with him being a foreigner Kyou wanted to make sure.

Though she had given her name Kyou's glare persisted. Eventually Kale's denial crumbled, he finally sighed, "Alright, if you insist."

"Good," said Kyou, her deadly and insistent aura dissipating instantly, replaced by her smile. "Meet me here for lunch then, alright?"

"That's fine with me," Kale sighed in defeat.

"Don't forget!"

"I won't."

Kyou sighed disappointingly as she let her chin rest in the palm of her hand. She was staring outside the window as her class ate lunch and played in the classroom. Unfortunately for Kyou the gray clouds from earlier never dispersed, instead they had begun to pour forth their rain. The rain battered relentlessly against the window, the sound almost drowned out by the children in the room. Most of them went about their business, though a small number, including Ushio, would occasionally glance at their teacher. They were worried about her depressed mood.

The sudden rattle of the door being slid open drew a few of the kids' attention along with Kyou's. Standing in the doorway was Kale, a small covered bowl in his hands. He bowed slightly saying, "Sorry for the intrusion." Most of the kids didn't give Kale a second glance. A few, mainly the curious ones, continued to stare at Kale. One of them even spoke up.

"Hey, it's San-san!" the child exclaimed happily.

"San-san?" inquired Kyou, curious as to how this name was given to Kale.

"Yeah, San-san!" the child repeated simply, acting as if it were common knowledge. Sighing, Kyou eventually looked to Kale for an explanation.

"Well one time after class had already started, I was cleaning the halls, when this little guy came running in. He was late and had muddy shoes," Kale smiled at the memory. "His shoes made a big mess and then he started crying, afraid I'd be angry with him. Well, I wasn't and cleaned up the mud for him. Apparently, he also forgot his lunch that day so I gave him mine. He called me Saunders-san, but well . . . eventually it devolved into San-san."

"Ah...I see," said Kyou, finally understanding. Getting off from her stool, Kyou pulled out a sheet that she then spread out on the ground. Sitting down on it, Kyou patted a spot next to her. "Come and sit down, Saunders."

Kale complied, walking over and sitting down next to Kyou. She glanced at the bowl he had, and then gave him a hard glare. Seeing this the janitor quickly spoke up, "I had already brought my lunch here before you had offered," he explained nervously. "I figured I could share some of it with you. An exchange, if you will." Kale's words were like water poured onto a fire as it doused Kyou's glare.

Kyou smiled as she brought out her homemade lunch and opened the lid. Before Kyou could think of how to best serve the food to him, Kale procured his own chopsticks. He offered his bowl to her and Kyou took it, opening the lid. It smelled delicious. It hinted at being some kind of soup.

"Smells quite good," complimented Kyou.

"Thanks," smiled Kale. Taking out a small spoon out of a bag he had also been carrying the young man handed it over to Kyou. She took it with a simple, "Thanks," and dipped it into the stew. Putting the food into her mouth Kyou was somewhat surprised at how good it was.

"Tastes good too!" exclaimed Kyou.

"Ha ha . . . thank you very much," Kale rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I have to admit though, I've never been that confident in my cooking."

Kyou's eyes widened in surprise, "You mean you made this?"

The only response from Kale was another nervous laugh.

Kyou looked between Kale and the stew repeatedly. "I must say I'm amazed. Most guys I know can't even cook half as well as this."

"Now you're just flattering me," said Kale.

To this Kyou shook her head. "No, seriously, this is really good," she insisted. Kale gave her an unsure glance, but he seemed to accept it for the time being. He used his chopsticks to take some of the food Kyou had offered him. Popping it into his mouth, it was now Kale's turn to be blessed by good tasting food.

"Well I can say it to you too, this food is really good," he said.

"Well of course it is," Kyou grinned. "Thanks anyways, though." The two ate for a few moments in silence, enjoying the taste the food gave unto them. But, they were interrupted when Ushio approached them.

"Um . . . . Sensei?" mumbled Ushio, gazing up at Kyou.

"What is it Ushio-chan?" kindly asked Kyou, putting the food she was eating down for the moment.

"Is um . . ." Ushio put her finger to her lips nervously; she seemed to be reluctant in asking her question. "Is San-san your boyfriend?"

As soon as the question was uttered both Kale and Kyou blushed furiously. Kyou frantically waved her arms and head. "N-no of course he isn't!"

Ushio's face was twisted into confusion as she looked from her teacher to Kale. She finally settled her gaze on the janitor until he spoke up. "It's true . . ." he said quickly, his voice wavering slightly and his face still red.

Having heard so from both sources, Ushio was satisfied enough that she turned away and went back to playing with the other children.

Looking at each other, Kyou and Kale laughed nervously before quickly averting their gaze and continuing to eat, traces of their blushes still present. It was funny how one innocent question from a curious child could be so embarrassing.

"Well it's about time I got back to work," said Kale as he stood up. Kyou stood up along with him, she being done with her lunch and needing to get back to work as well.

"That was quite fun, we should do it again sometime," said Kyou, smiling happily. She was, in a way, like her old friend Tomoya Okazaki. When she said something she meant it, and her words were sometimes rather blunt, though in this case her blunt honesty was pleasant to hear.

"Indeed we should," agreed Kale with a smile. "Shall I bring another Western dish for you to sample then?"

"Sure, I do enjoy good food," said Kyou. "So you are from the West, then?"

"Yep, I was originally born in the United States," informed Kale.

"Really? How come you moved here to Japan?" Kyou couldn't help but ask.

"Well I-" Kale began, but was interrupted by the chiming of an electronic bell that signaled that lunch was over and classes were about to begin. "I guess I'll have to tell you tomorrow. See you."

"See you tomorrow," returned Kyou, waving to Kale as he left the room. When the door closed Kyou sighed happily, looking outside the window. The rain had stopped and the clouds had begun to disperse, rays of bright joyful sunshine were beginning to break through the cloud covering. Kyou couldn't help but smile happily; she greatly looked forward to tomorrow.

a/n: Well I hope that you have enjoyed the chapter. The next update shouldn't be too far away so look forward to it! Reviews of course of any nature, besides flames, are very much appreciated. Thank you so much for taking the time to read the story thus far.

Until next time!