Chapter 3
Fate

'Assemblies are so boring!'

As it was the first day of school at Teikoku Gakuen, we now sat in the large auditorium for the school's opening ceremony, as usual for this time of the year, listening to the same pointless things I've heard every year. Honestly, why would they need to take such a long time to repeat the same things when they clearly understand that we know what they're trying to tell us anyway? Besides, hardly anyone really listens to the speeches.

So I sat, against my wishes, in the back of the elaborately designed auditorium, thoroughly bored. It took every ounce of willpower I had to sit through the vice-principal's opening remarks and initial words of welcome. (The principal, for whatever reason, decided not to attend this dreary event. It isn't very responsible of him but I am so very envious!) By the time they were announcing the new staff members, I couldn't fight the urge to finally let my tired eyes rest and fell asleep the moment I allowed them to close.

My much desired nap was sadly cut short when Ushio gave me a particularly strong nudge that nearly caused me to fall off my seat; fortunately, I managed to catch the edge of my seat before I did so, creating quite some noise in the process and drawing confused stares from several people around us to which I quickly gave short nods of apology.

I pouted at Ushio, who signed her apology but her eyes clearly scolded me for sleeping. As I resumed my slouched position on my birch seat, concentrating on other thoughts that would prevent me from falling asleep again, a resounding thud was heard throughout the large auditorium.

'Did someone else fall too? They must be really heavy!'

My thoughts were interrupted when shrieks erupted from numerous students around the auditorium followed by the urgent shuffle of feet away from the source of the noise.

Curiously, I looked around to see the cause of the commotion… Until, of course, snakes, which I presume is the cause of all this, began to miraculously rain from the sky and slither around the room.

'E?' I exclaimed in my head, understandably shocked as one of the green reptiles fell just two feet away from me. 'What on Earth is going on?'

Somewhere from the mass of students moving around me, I could hear the call of whom I guess is the person responsible for this. "Gwahahahahahaha! We are the Gedou! Fear us!"

'Seriously?'

"Haine, let's go!" Ushio called, urging me to escape from the chaos. Eagerly, I jumped up from my seat, ignoring the crazy mafia-like people who continued to laugh in the middle of all this, and was just about to follow her out when a snake just happened to bite me.

Surprised and slightly in pain, I tripped over the birch bench I had formerly occupied and turned to the source of my current suffering which only hissed at me mockingly and began to slither away.

I'm not afraid of snakes nor was the snake poisonous but there was no way that rotten reptile was going to get away with this! Since I was born in the year of the snake, I've had a special connection with the slithery creatures, one that I was very ready to show at that moment.

The only thing I can remember was Strahl-san greeting me with his characteristic flourish before I threw myself into a fighting frenzy which, perhaps, wasn't the best thing to do in front of practically the whole school…

"Otomiya Haine, am I correct?"

I nodded nervously, clutching my hands together on my lap and keeping my head bent in silent penance. Every so often, I flicked by eyes up to stare intently at the back of the large, leather swivel chair behind the oak desk before me, both dreading and anticipating the emergence of the person behind it.

My "inappropriate behaviour" regarding the snake incident had inevitably gotten me into trouble- though they should really be thanking me for getting rid of the pesky serpents, in my opinion. I didn't dare point out this fact in case it caused me even more trouble.

Suddenly, the chair spun to face me and I found myself staring into a pair of piercing blue eyes that regarded me with calm indifference.

The boy before me was a first year student, like me, but he commanded much more respect and authority. Everything in his being, from the crisp custom uniform he wore to the pointed manner of his movements, seemed to radiate his dignified aura and I couldn't help but stare in awe. I had only heard of him in passing and briefly saw him at the opening ceremony (before my attention was captured by the dream world, of course) but I never thought that I would actually get to meet this esteemed person face-to-face, especially in these most unlucky circumstances.

Before me sat the Koutei, the most powerful person in the academy-perhaps even more than the principal himself.

"You're aware of your offence, I presume."

His icy tone made my hair stand up on end and my whole body stiffened under his cold gaze.

Abruptly, he stood from his seat and strode to the other side of the desk, so that he was standing directly in front of me, then leant on its wooden frame.

"Well?"

'"Well?" what?' I thought unconsciously, despite my growing fear of angering him. 'What else does he want me to say? That I'm sorry? I already apologized over fifty times a while ago! Besides, I can't just start magically talking merely because you demand it.' My confusion probably showed on my face because he furrowed his eyebrows together, as if analyzing me.

I wish he would stop staring at me like that; I'm already nervous enough as it is!

"Are you… speechless?"

"E?" I mouthed in surprise, unconsciously tilting my head to the side.

"Are you mute?" He repeated for clarification, his tone softening as he did so.

I nodded my head slowly in response. 'Only one person has ever noticed that right away...' In my mind's eye, memories of my playmate at the hospital from five years ago came flooding back. 'Is he-'

I looked up at his face hesitantly and his sapphire eyes meet mine as they did just a few years ago. Immediately, I shot up from my seat and stared directly at him.

'It can't be!'

"Is something wrong?" The blue-haired Koutei asked coolly, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrow at me questioningly.

I opened my mouth instinctively and the words slipped out silently into the empty air between us.

'Takanari-kun!'

Updated: 07/23/11