The meaning of friendship and teamwork : Chapter 1 : The new beginning.

"Honey, are you ready to go?"

Twelve year old Nozomi frowned as she stared at her reflection in the mirror that rested in her room against the wall near her bed. She had her long brown hair pulled up into a neat high ponytail, her bangs pushed and pinned off to the right side of her head by a hair pin. She also was wearing the school uniform that she had received on the day she had been enrolled. A white buttoned up blouse, a gray skirt with a purple hem, a teal colored tie, and white shoes. She didn't feel like herself. She felt like a complete stranger to herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Blinking a few times before she turned to her mother, she frowned deeply.

"Do I really have to wear this?"

Her mother frowned."I'm sorry sweetie but you're required to wear a uniform. Japan isn't like America, you can't wear whatever you want in these schools."

Nozomi frowned and looked down, reaching up and grabbing the ring that Taiga and Tatsuya gave her, still hanging around her neck from the silver chain. She then let out a small sigh and shook her head.

"I don't like this, I don't even recognize myself." Nozomi mumbled as she moved away from the mirror, walking over to her bed where her bag rested.

It has been a little over two weeks since Nozomi, her mother, and Hikari moved to Kyoto, Japan. Hikari's parents had immediately taken a liking to Suki, saying that they would be honored to have her apart of their family. They were going to get married next month and Nozomi couldn't help but still feel scared, scared of being all alone.

She missed Taiga and Tatsuya, gods does she miss them, but there wasn't anything that she could do. She would just have to keep hope and faith in the promise that the three of them made to one another.

Grabbing her simple single strap bag from her bed, she looked at her mother with a small frown on her face. "I'm ready…..the school is just down the road right? I'll walk, see you when I get home." She mumbled as she left the room, her head bowed.

"What about breakfast? There's more than enough time to-"

"I'm not hungry." Nozomi responded, interrupting her mother causing Hikari to frown from his spot on the couch in the living-room.

""Have a nice first day Nozomi, I hope you make yourself some new friends." He called out.

"Thanks." With that said and done, Nozomi soon left, closing the front door of their house once she stepped outside.

Hikari sighed as Suki sat down next to him. "Maybe coming here was a mistake. She looks so dead, so lost, and I'm the one who made her this way."

"No, don't you ever say that. Nozomi just needs some time to adjust. We moved around alot when she was a child, and due to her shy personality she had some difficulty making friends. She's attached to Taiga and Tatsuya, those two boys helped her more than any one of them realizes. But she'll get over it, just give her some time to get used to things here." Suki said.

The Japanese man gave his wife to be a small smile. "Alright, I'll take your word for it."

….

I wonder how you guys are doing, are you two still playing Basketball? She thought to herself as she walked down the sidewalk that led to Yasogami middle school, the school where she would be attending until she was fifteen, three long years at Yasogami middle school, and she was probably one of the youngest first years. She wasn't supposed to start her seventh year until her thirteenth birthday, but thanks to her mother, she basically skipped the remainder of her sixth year. Her birthday was in May, and school just started last month which was August, so Nozomi didn't really understand how her mother got into the seventh grade.

Soon enough Nozomi got to the school and she took a nervous gasp of air before slowly walking through the school gates, keeping her gaze down.

"Is that the first year transfer student?"

"She looks so scared, I feel bad for her."

"She comes from America right? That's a long way to travel."

"She's pretty cute."

Nozomi gulped softly, trying her best to just ignore the comments the other students were making about her. She soon got to the front doors where Nozomi immediately rushed inside, pushing past and dodging the crowd of students as she entered the big building.

For some reason the inside of the school seemed bigger than the last time she had been there, maybe because she wasn't used to Japanese schools yet. Her own schools had all been small, this was a giant to comparison. Nozomi had already gotten her schedule, it was given to her when her mother came in to enroll her in the school. Taking the folded up piece of paper from her bag front zipper pocket, Nozomi unfolded the paper and looked at it.

Everything was in Japanese, and due to her reading English for most of her life, trying to make sense of the lettering was difficult, but it also didn't help that her nerves were on the edge. At least she could speak Japanese, that part was simple, she just couldn't read the damned language. Closing her gray eyes for a few moments she took a deep breath and held it, releasing it a few moments later, reopening her eyes to only let out a scream and jump back in utter shock and fear.

There was a white haired girl standing in front of her, wearing the same uniform as her but her hair was down, her bangs going all the way down to just above her mouth, hiding mostly everything, the sight caused the hairs on Nozomi's body to stand up.

"You're…..the new first year….Saki Nozomi right?" The unknown girl asked, her voice soft and gentle, taking several short pauses every few words.

"Y-Yeah, but my surname isn't Saki….I don't really have a sur-"

"I'm sorry….I was told that name….I didn't think that it would be…...incorrect….." The white haired girl interrupted causing Nozomi to bite down on her lower lip. Something about the white haired girl's appearance creeped her out, hell everything about the girl creeped her out. Her hairstyle, the lack of showing off her face, her pale as snow skin, her still statue like body, the girl reminded her of a doll.

"That's uh...fine…..but uh, who are you exactly?" The brunette asked and for a few moments, the albino stayed silent.

"Higurashi Yukiko…..I am….a first year as well…..I was assigned to be…..your tour guide until...you got used to the school."

So I get a girl paler than snow itself, awesome. The brunette shook the thought away and put on a smile, she then reached her hand out in offer of an handshake. "Nice to meet you."

The chuckle that the girl named Yukiko let out was monotone and it caused Nozomi to shiver, okay, this girl was definitely not normal in any shape, way, or form.

"You really…..lack the Japanese knowledge don't you? Here…...here we greet one another with bows, not handshakes…..but most foreigners does it, so it's a….common mistake. Handshakes...are more formal...in away."

Nozomi blinked a few times before she blushed in embarrassment and let her hand drop. "O-Oh...I uh…..sorry." She said softly, reaching up and rubbing the back of her neck, a frown on her face as she glanced off to the side.

"It's okay….like I said….it's a common foreigner mistake….." Yukiko said simply before she went silent. "...Give me your schedule….so I can….show you to your class." She said.

The way that the white haired girl spoke was weird, Nozomi never met someone who spoke so slow and….monotone….was the girl always like this? Nozomi blinked out of her thoughts and made a small sound and nodded. She then shifted and reached out, holding the paper out to the white haired girl.

The albino was silent, she grabbed the paper and held it in front of her face.

How can she even read it?! Her bangs are covering her eyes! I can't even see them!

"You have the same first period and lunch hour as me…..so I guess we can….get to know one another in class…..I have an empty seat next to me…..no one sits next to me for some reason…..I don't know why." Yukiko said softly.

Nozomi deadpanned. It's because you creep everyone out. She then put on a smile and nodded. "Really? Cool, let's go then. I'm depending on you to be my successful tour guide!" She said giving her a bright smile.

Yukiko stayed silent before her lips twitched slightly at the corners of her mouth before she slowly nodded. She then reached out and grabbed Nozomi's wrist, walking forward, turning Nozomi around in the process as she led her down the hall.

"We have…...many clubs here at...Yasogami…"

"Really? What kind?"

As they made their way down the hallway, Nozomi kept her gray eyes glued to the floor. Her heart was beating violently against her chest, her stomach was in knots, and she felt lightheaded. She felt so out of place, so awkward, she wanted nothing more than to go back home and beg her mother to move back to America. She would feel better if they did. Then she wouldn't have to put up with the difficulties of finding friends again.

"There is…...a music club, a book club,...anime club, and there are also sport clubs here too….but mostly all male teams." Yukiko said softly. "But I think…..I think I heard something about two of our female senpais are planning on making an...all girl Basketball team….but that's just a rumor."

Nozomi immediately perked up at that, her gray eyes widening slightly. "An all girl's Basketball team? If that does become a thing I'd sign up immediately!"

The albino paused for a moment before she looked over her shoulder at her, her eyes still hidden underneath her white bangs. "You…..like the sport then?"

"Like it? More like love it. Before I moved here I had two best friends who taught me how to play better, we played with one another all the time! Playing with them was so much fun!" The brunette said, a bright smile appearing on her face. She couldn't help it, whenever she thought about it all it made her heart flutter.

"...Basketball here….is a lot more…...difficult. Japan has really good players…...it's nothing like what you have in America…" The pale skinned girl mumbled. "You may have good Basketball teams, but here…...here we have the Generation of Miracles."

This time it was Nozomi who paused, looking down at the white haired girl with furrowed brows, her head tilting to the side in confusion. "The Generation of Miracles?"

"...A group of boys who go to Teiko academy. They were given that name….due to their skills. They are strong, unbeatable. Five star players and a said to be….phantom player on the team….They played against our male's team….we got crushed. It was humiliating but not unexpected. It would take a brand new set of miracles to be able to...beat them."

Nozomi was quiet, staring down at the floor with a blank expression on her face.

The Generation of Miracles?

A team full of strong teenage boys who were unbeatable?

It was almost scary to think about.

But also really exciting!

Nozomi looked back up and made a small sound, the grin reappearing on her face. "Heh, they sound really cool! A Basketball team that can crush all their opponents? That sounds like the dream team!" She said. "Maybe if we do form a female Basketball team here we can play against them?"

"Don't get too hopeful….it would never happen. Females wouldn't be allowed to play against an all male team. It would go against the rules." Yukiko shook her head.

Nozomi furrowed her brows and frowned slightly before she made a small sound and looked down. "Maybe, but it's still nice to think about yeah?" She asked before she shrugged. "Oh well, it doesn't really surprise me. People at my old school back in America were like that too, they think that boys and girls shouldn't be allowed to play with or against one another due to their differences." She rolled her eyes. "Just you wait, one day things will change! Just you watch!"

It didn't take that long for Yukiko to guide Nozomi to her first class, when they finally arrived in front of the classroom Yukiko turned to Nozomi.

"Since you are a transfer…..some other students may start picking on you…..they like picking on the new student to see if they can…..make them crack on their first day. Just don't do anything…...reckless and you should be okay." She said softly before she turned to the door and knocked on it, a few moments later she opened the door and walked inside, pulling Nozomi inside as well.

There weren't that many students in the class yet since the bell for the beginning of the school day hadn't rang yet, but there was a black haired teacher standing in front of their desk. Yukiko walked over to the said teacher.

"Ms. Taoshi."

The raven haired woman jumped in surprise, her brown eyes widening as she lost her grip on her pencil pouch causing it to fall to the ground with a small thud. She then blinked several times before turning her attention to the albino.

"O-Oh Higurashi-san, what c-can I do for you?" The woman named Ms. Taoshi asked, a small awkward smile appear on her face. She must've not have noticed Yukiko at first.

Don't worry that was my reaction too. Nozomi thought to herself with a small smile.

"I…..brought the new student…..like I was….assigned to do."

Ms. Taoshi turned her attention away from the albino and onto Nozomi, she gave a small smile and nodded. "Ah, you're the transfer student then, Ms, Saki Nozomi isn't it?" She asked before she gave the brunette a bow. "I am Ms. Taoshi, I'll be your History teacher for the rest of the year, it's very nice to meet you Saki-san."

Nozomi made a small sound before she awkwardly gave a bow back. "U-Uh it's nice to meet you too Taoshi-Sensei." The brunette then flushed in embarrassment and looked down at the ground. Oh geez, this is so embarrassing, I hate putting myself out there when it comes to strangers!

"Since there aren't many students here now you can go and take your seat next to Higurashi-san, when the class is in session I will have you introduce yourself to the other students." The raven haired woman said before she crouched down, picking up the pouch she dropped when Yukiko startled her.

Nozomi nodded before she let out a small sound when she was pulled away, Yukiko leading her to where they would be sitting next to one another for the rest of the school year. The seats were in the middle of the classroom, about three or four desks away from the windows and two desks from the back of the classroom. Yukiko sat down in her seat on the left from Nozomi's, sitting across from her, the brunette hesitated for a short moment before she sat down as well, biting down on her lower lip before she turned her attention to the albino.

"So you're going to be showing me around all day?"

Yukiko nodded. "Yes...I'll drop you off and pick you up from class, and then when lunch comes we can walk around more or just eat…..I usually skip lunch to go up to the roof…..but….I'm okay with whatever you decide."

Nozomi nodded and gave the white haired girl a small smile. "Thanks Yukiko."

"You….may not want to call others by their first name…...only family or very close people call one another by their first name, everyone else calls one another by their surname." Yukiko said softly, shaking her head.

"Oh! U-Uh I um….o-okay, um...thanks for the heads up then Higurashi."

The albino nodded.

Everything here is so different from America. Speaking it is the easy part, but reading and writing? It's going to kill me! Ugh! Why couldn't I just stay back in America with Taiga and Tatsuya!? Nozomi mentally sulked as she shifted, crossing her arms on top of her desk and placing her head on top of them, but instead of hiding her face she turned her face to the side so she was staring outside of the window.

The sky was blue and the sun was shining, only a few clouds in the sky.

This is the beginning of my new life now...I just hope that I'll be able to survive.

Soon enough the school bell rang and last minute students piled into the room, filling the once quiet room which was now full of chatter and life. Nozomi pulled her head from her arms that acted like her pillow and looked around the room.

Many girls and males her own age and possibly older crowded into the room. None of them really stood out, most of them having the same height and weight as all the others, in fact no one stood out except for Yukiko who was the only one with an odd hair color. The rest of the students either had brown or black hair, but the albino didn't really seem to care, in fact Nozomi had no clue what she was thinking and she wasn't too sure if she wanted to find out or not, she creeped her out.

"Everyone, today we will be having a new student joining us from this day forth. She comes all the way from America so please be nice to her. Saki-san, can you please come up to the front of the class and introduce yourself to everyone?" Ms. Taoshi asked.

Nozomi tensed when she was put on spot, her gray eyes widening slightly before she slowly nodded as she swallowed. She stood up from her desk and slowly made her way from her seat to the front of the class, bowing her head as she walked. When she got to the front of the class she looked up and her voice got caught in her throat. Everyone was watching her, waiting for her to say something. It was nerve racking. Nozomi swallowed hard before she let out a small shaky breath.

"I-I'm Saki Nozomi." She said softly, bowing as she blushed in embarrassment.

Waaaah, what is this?! I'm acting so shy! I hate this, just let me go sit back down please!

"Please share something about yourself to the class." Ms. Taoshi said, pushing her into saying something more.

"Something about….m-myself? O-Oh uh….w-well." Nozomi said as she glanced around the room, biting her lower lip hard before her eyes landed on Yukiko who seemed to have her attention on Nozomi as well, but the brunette couldn't be sure since her eyes were covered up.

Just be yourself, who cares what others think! Taiga's voice echoed through her head causing Nozomi to blink before she inwardly smile.

That's right.

"I love playing Basketball, it's one of the few times I really enjoy doing. I made a promise to my friends that we would meet one another again and when we do I would be stronger than them and beat them!" She said, a smile on her face.

The classroom stayed silent before it filled with whispers.

"Did she just say she likes Basketball? Is she for real?"

"Girls don't play things like Basketball here."

"I wonder if she would join the Basketball team that Mori-Senpai and Amagi-Senpai are setting up."

"Ah, thank you Saki-san, you may return to your seat now." Ms. Taoshi said causing Nozomi to blink before nodding, returning to her seat almost immediately. When Nozomi sat back down in her seat she let out a small sigh.

"I….I hope to see you play Basketball."

"Huh?" Nozomi asked in surprise as she looked at Yukiko.

"You sound….very passionate about it….I hope to see you play…..one day."

Nozomi smiled brightly. "Really? Thanks! I sure hope those two Senpai of yours will make an all girl's Basketball team! I want to play again as soon as possible!"


"Why do you cover your eyes like that?" Nozomi asked as she and Yukiko sat on the rooftop, deciding to spend their lunchtime up there.

Yukiko made a small sound, turning her head in Nozomi's direction. She didn't answer right away and after a few minutes without getting an answer, Nozomi opened her mouth to change the subject to they wouldn't be surrounded by awkward silence, but that's when Yukiko gave her answer.

"People…...people are scared of my eyes…..they say that the color is unusual…..and that they look non-human….three different colors are in my eyes….they swirl around one another….and make a weird shine…" She shook her head before she looked down, reaching up with one of her small pale hands, reaching up under her bangs, placing it over one of her eyes. "Even though they never said anything…...my guardians probably fear my eyes too."

Nozomi didn't know what to say, she wasn't expecting something like that. She just thought that the girl was shy or something, not because people are supposedly scared of them. Nozomi frowned at that.

"Do you hate them?"

Yukiko shrugged. "I haven't seen them….since I covered them up…...I haven't seen my eyes in years…..When my bangs get too long I have….one of my guardians cut them for me….but low enough so my eyes aren't shown…." She then shook her head again. "You'd probably be afraid of them too."

"How can you be so sure though? Will you show them too me?"

The albino stayed silent for a moment before she shook her head. "You're nice…..you didn't say anything mean to me…...I don't want to scare you away like the others…."

Nozomi pressed her lips into a tight thin line before she figured to change the subject. "You keep on saying guardians instead of parents, why is that?"

"I'm adopted…...I wasn't wanted anymore so...I was put up for adoption, I live with my two fathers."

Nozomi blinked, she opened and closed her mouth a few times before she swallowed and nodded.

Yukiko let out a monotone chuckle. "You seem surprised…..here in Japan they have nothing against Homosexuality…...you just won't get any protection from abuse or violence from others….and in the same sex relationships…...they aren't married…..but they are together. Does that bother you?"

Nozomi immediately shook her head. "Of course I don't mind! Why should it matter if you live with a homosexal couple? As long as you all are happy that's all that matters right?"

Yukiko hummed and nodded. "Yes….but not many are open minded about it…...I'm happy….that you don't mind it….."


Journal entry number 1

Okay so I might have made a new possible friend who is adopted and lives with her homosexual guardians, she also speaks in pauses and with a monotone voice, and her chuckles are weird. I feel kind of bad about calling her creepy and freaky when I first met her but she just gives off that aura! She almost may have alien eyes? Either way, I decided to make a small journal to keep notes in! From this day forth I will be writing in here every single day and when we meet again I'll give this to you so you can read all about my life from the time I spent away from you!

This is just the beginning of my journey, I hope you enjoy reading all the entries that are to come after this!


Author's notes : Okay, so this is the first official chapter to part two of the Oc chronicles.

Sorry for it taking so long, I was trying to figure out how to exactly start the chapter and how long I want to make it, I don't want to jumble everything up in one chapter like I did with the first chapter. This chapter is a little over four thousand words long, so only half as long as the first chapter to this book!

Sorry for any errors that appeared in this story, I have no beta reader, we die like men in these parts!

I hope you all enjoyed.

Please let me know what your thoughts are about this so far!