First off, Mi Querida (I love the name, by the way), I apologize to you. I had no idea his hair was brown, and now I am devastated (I hate making mistakes). However, since I already stated that he blonde hair, I'm going to just go with it. I apologize. Also, to graviluvr, I can understand why you would think it was Hiro because I combined him with the character of Shuichi to make my own character: he has the name, looks, singing voice (as you will find out later) and happiness of Shindou Shuichi, but he also has the laid-back personality, reliability, and guitar skills of Nakano Hiroshi. Neat, eh? Lastly, Em-chan15 thanks for the feedback. I really like your story "Love or Money." I can't wait for your update!
Well, honestly, I think the first chapter was exceedingly boring and I hate it. It was more like an introduction of the characters then anything. But, we're going to get a lot more story in this chapter! You're also going to get a lot more character depth. I hope you all like it! By the way, I did a disclaimer in the first chapter; I don't feel the need to do it every chapter.
-o-o-o-o-
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
'No….'
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
'Okay, okay.'
The clock next to Eiri Yuki's desk read 5:00 am in big, bright red letters. Hazel eyes opened slowly in a dark bedroom, and before the alarm clock had a chance to 'beep' again, Eiri took his large palm and slammed it on the snooze button. He had half a mind to lie back down and go to sleep, but he was sure to get his ass fired if he just slept in, celebrity or not.
Rising groggily from his bed, Eiri walked out of his cave of a room into an equally dark house and headed toward the bathroom where he would then complete his morning duties. From there, he would go to the kitchen, eat breakfast, and head off to the bedroom once again to get dressed. Eiri had been following this routine for a week now, and it was already wearing him out.
Standing in front of the mirror the blonde sighed as he buttoned up his collared, white shirt. Eiri thought he had escaped uniforms when he had finally graduated from school, but now he was stuck right back in them: A white button-up shirt, black tie, cacky pants and closed toe/heel shoe. As the writer thought about it, he himself could probably get away with breaking the rules on dress code, but he didn't need to draw anymore attention to himself. Besides, he pulled off the look very well.
Once at the school, he would head down the same hallway everyday, with the same closed doors and the same admiring faces in the doorway. The obsequious treatment he received from teachers and students, female and male, was sickening in a way. Teachers were there to teach, and students were there to learn, not to drool on him just because he was a famous romance novelist. But still, it remained the same everyday.
However, there was one thing that changed. Everyday, Shindou Shuichi, the guitar teacher, would be sitting in room E137, playing a song different from that of yesterday's. Eiri would pause briefly at his doorway to listen, and Shuichi would nod as a greeting. Eiri, appreciative of the fact that there was at least one person in the whole building that treated him like a normal human being returned the favour, and walked on to E154. Today, Shuichi was playing a softer song that sounded somewhat sad, like a break-up song. The melancholic melody floated down the hall and into Eiri's ears as he walked past, and the ritual greeting was given. He continued on, rubbing sleep from his eyes and fishing for his keys. 'Today is going to be boring ', he decided.
-o-o-o-o-
"Oh, Ueseugi-sensei! I'll pass out the papers!"
Eiri stared exasperatedly at the overly-excited girl in front of him. Her black pigtails, tied at the bottom with pink ribbons, bounced excitedly up and down with her. It was disgusting. Of all the kiss-ass people he had encountered in the school, this girl was most definitely the worst. She offered to do everything for him, she made sure he noticed all of the work she did, and her hand was always up.
"Oh, that's fine, Hanako-san. I can do it…" He said, trying to contain his frustration. Hananko Ruri in his 4th period class was one annoying suck-up.
"No, no! I insist!" she exclaimed, rising from her desk grabbing the papers from him and flying around the room, passing out the paper at lightning speed. Eiri swore she was not allowed to act so demanding towards him, but he wasn't about to send her to the office for doing his work. "Okay…" Ruri panted, "I've passed them all out. Anything else you need help with?" She rocked back and on forth on her feet, smiling happily and staring intently at him.
"No. Sit down, please." He stated firmly. He was sick of this subservient behaviour. He was putting an end to this.
"Oh…okay." She said, not trying to hide her distress. With a bit of a frown, she sat back down, putting her hands on her desk and looking back at Eiri.
"Okay, today we'll be talking about sentence structure. Tell me, who can give me an example of parallel structure?" And, as expected, Ruri had her hand raised the split second he was done speaking. Sometimes he wondered if she even registered what he had said before her hand shot up in the air. Hoping to break her resolve to ingratiate herself with him, he looked around the room and found a boy with his hand half-raised, looking as though he might know the answer. With one last glance at Ruri, he called on the young man.
He could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes.
-o-o-o-o-
"Hey, what're you up to?"
It was the end of the day and Eiri, like every other day, had his head in his hands, elbows perched on the desk. He looked up to see Shuichi standing in front of his desk, head slightly cocked to the side; he looked like such a child.
"Nothing, really. Just wondering why I decided to take this job."
At this, Shuichi just laughed and sat on the top of the nearest desk. "I know that feeling," he said "It's tough, you know, teaching. But it's like I told you, you just have to get used to it."
"Easy for you to say, they're not all kissing your ass. " Eiri spat.
"True." Shuichi chuckled
"They're so damn annoying, especially that one girl…oh, what's her name…Ruri something…"
"Oh! You mean Hanako-san? I have her 6th period. She's such a sweet girl." He said, smiling with recognition.
"Sweet meaning annoying?" Eiri asked snidely
Shuichi stared at him for a bit with his eyebrows furrowed, disappointment evident in his eyes. Eiri looked at the frown on his face, subconsciously deciding it did not suit him. Then, Shuichi slowly opened his mouth and began, "You know, she told me she's a big fan of yours." Eiri snorted at his, as if to say 'so I noticed. 'Shuichi stopped looking at him and stared instead up at the ceiling, swinging his feet back and forth like a child. He continued, "She's always dreamed of being a writer. She has been telling me that since her first year. 'Ueseugi Eiri is my biggest inspiration;' she said, 'his work is what made me want to become a writer. He's amazing.' Have you ever had someone you looked up to like that, Ueseugi-san?" He said, bringing his jet black eyes back to meet Eiri's. They were cold, and the sight of them gave Eiri a chill. It was as if…Shuichi was seeing right through him.
"Oh, is it really 4:15 already? My goodness, time flies," Shuichi said, regaining his joyful appearance, "I'm going to be late! Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Ueseugi-san!" He scurried off, seeming completely normal again as though nothing had happened. Eiri stared after him, shocked.
-o-o-o-o-
'Have you ever had someone you looked up to like that, Ueseugi-san?''
Eiri lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Had he ever had someone he looked up to? Yes, of course he did.
"Kitazawa-sensei…" Eiri said quietly. He silently reminisced of his old life in New York, when he was younger. He was bullied as a young child because of his light hair and eyes, so they sent him to New York City to live with his now brother-in-law Tohma. There, he was given a tutor by the name of Kitazawa Yuki, his inspiration.
Everyday, Yuki and Eiri would meet in Central Park under the big tree at the entrance. And everyday, Eiri would tell his sensei, 'I want to be a writer when a grow up! 'And everyday, Yuki would reply, 'You're going to be an amazing writer, Eiri-kun.' Yuki had taught him everything he knew, pouring his knowledge into Eiri's brain in a way that he could understand. Together, they would dictate paragraphs, apply grammatical rules to their writing, and set their emotions free through poetry. He was the greatest teacher a person could have ever wanted.
But one day, Eiri received the devastating news that he would be moving back to Japan. As he thought back now, he was embarrassed to admit that he had cried into his sensei's shoulder while Yuki whispered words of comfort to him. But, it was understandable; Kitazawa Yuki was the closest thing Eiri had ever felt to friendship, to love. He had always been a reserved person, even when he was little, so he had never taken a great liking to people in general. But Yuki…was different. He was happy, out-going, and friendly. But most of all, he accepted him. He was the first real friend Eiri ever had.
Thinking back on that, he felt like a complete ass. He knew as well as anyone that there was nothing better then being liked and admired by someone you look up to, and he was completely ruining that for Ruri. He had to fix that.
-o-o-o-o-
Hanako Ruri sat in her desk, pencils and pens all neatly in line at the top of her desk, a smile plastered on her face. She watched her sensei, waiting for any chance to help him with something. So far, she had picked up papers, passed out papers, and participated fully in the class activities.
'She never gives up, does she?' Eiri thought, trying to hide a small smile that had crept onto his face. Once he had regained his nonchalant composure, he stood up with his paper in hand and headed over to the board, preparing to copy down a paragraph from 'Julius Caesar' onto the board that the class was to then examine. Each girl he passed giggled and looked away, their hearts bursting out of their chests. He reached the blackboard and picked up the chalk, but was interrupted the minute the tip touched the blackboard.
"Oh, sensei, I can do that for you! I'll copy it down! I have very nice hand writing, I promise!" Ruri said, shaking in her seat. He looked at her before letting a chuckle pass through his lips and handing the chalk and paper to his tremulous student. She squealed in excitement, completely ignoring the jealous glares she received from her fellow female classmates and began writing. Ruri was scribbling furiously across the board when she heard something she never even dreamed she would hear.
"Hanako-san," Eiri said lightly, "thank you for all your hard work."
Ruri stared at him, jaw hanging to the floor, thinking she might die of a heart attack. Then, blushing madly, she turned back to board and continued writing, wearing an expression like that of a person who has just received their first kiss. Eiri laughed quietly to himself as he sat back down in his chair.
He never thought he could inspire someone the way Kitazawa Yuki had inspired him.
-o-o-o-o-
1st asterisk: I don't know if it is spelled Kitazawa or Kitzawa, but I'm going with Kitazawa because it looks better.
For those who started reading this story when it was posted as "Tokyo Arts University," I apologize deeply. I didn't want to write about high school, but I've come to face the fact that I know absolutely nothing about university and therefore am not going to try to act like I do. Besides, the whole story sounds like it's taking place at a high school anyway, with the level of work and the schedule. So, I'm sorry again, but it is now "Tokyo Arts High School."