Ryou had been gazing dully out the classroom window, ignoring the ramblings of their uptight female teacher, when one of his other classmates, a girl he knew as Maisa, had run into the room. Like the rest of the class, he turned his attention to the little red-head, wondering just what had her so excited. Having stopped the teacher mid-sentence, Maisa came out with her news.

"May I present… OUR AMERICAN TRANSFER STUDENT!"

Hearing these words, Ryou nearly jumped up out of his seat, standing up abruptly in his place. A few girls around him squealed in surprise as he found himself staring wide-eyed at the girl entering the classroom. 'Wait…the girl?' Speechless, in thought, he comprehended what he knew. Yu was beginning school today…from America…and Ryou was sure he was a boy… Even though, Yu had never actually said so and Ryou had never asked…

After a few moments of watching him stare at the girl in silence, the class erupted into laughter. But Ryou heard nothing of it. He was captivated by this girl. Her eyes had a quiet spark to them, full of energy and determination, and they were such a beautiful azure shade of blue… Her black hair fell to her waist, but was pulled back in a ponytail at the base of her neck. She was obviously a tomboyish type of girl; the way she fidgeted in her feminine dress was enough evidence for that.

'She can't be Yu-kun… Can she?'

"Heiwajima-san!" The teacher raised her voice to catch his attention. "Please return to your seat. I would like to continue the lesson that was just interrupted…" She shot a sharp warning glare at Maisa, who let out a weak nervous chuckle.

Ryou nodded, a faint pink blush flooding his cheeks in embarrassment as he sat down.

"You too Yagiri-san, please find our new student a seat and return to your own."

"Yes Ma'am!" Maisa giggled gaily as she arranged Ayame a seat, right beside the still-blushing form of Ryou.

Ayame sat down and offered him a nervous smile before pulling out her books.

Ryou gave her a small smile in return, his heart accelerating. Why was he so embarrassed all of a sudden? What was it about this girl that made him act so clumsily, so differently, than his normally cool façade? His heart was practically beating outside of his chest.

'There's no way it's him… Calm down, dammit…' He held a hand to his forehead in frustration as he tried to pry his eyes from her captivating being. Finding study impossible, his hand shot up in the air. He asked to go to the infirmary and received permission from his teacher, pacing deliberately and quickly out the classroom door.

As Ayame stood in front of the class, she shuffled her feet nervously. There was a boy staring right at her, and he seemed oddly familiar to her. But how could that be? Had she not only arrived in Japan a few days ago? The single person she'd "seen" or rather, spoken to, since her arrival was Ji. There was no way a guy, and one with a bad reputation by the looks of it, could be the calm and collected girl she has become so close to.

But the longer they kept eye contact, the less convinced she was about the image of her friend she had formed in her mind. Those green eyes of his…they were wild, but underneath all of that…she found a much calmer being just dying to be understood. They were eyes that just screamed at you for help, pleading for someone to see them as who they really were…and Ayame was drawn into them so easily…

To stand up suddenly in front of the entire class… He certainly wasn't the average guy... Perhaps, they too, could become close friends…

As she thought about this, she felt herself being dragged to her new seat by Maisa. The girl had placed the two conveniently next to each other. Ayame looked over at the boy a final time, offering him a nervous but genuine smile. He had an obvious blush on his cheeks, but whether it was completely from embarrassment, she wasn't sure.

'I bet Ji-chan knows who he is…I should ask her about him… Maybe she can introduce us…'

She nodded curtly to herself in determination as she pulled out her books. That's just what she'd do.

A few minutes later, she was startled as the boy's hand shot into the air and he left for the infirmary. There were hushed giggles and whispers all around the classroom. Ayame ignored them. The only thing she could think about was him.

'I hope he's alright….'

Her expression saddened subtly, her small smile turning to a barely noticeable frown. It was her eyes that truly reflected her worry for him. Hopefully…no one had caught a glimpse of that.

But, of course, someone had.

As Senri sat quietly in his seat across the classroom, he was observing the unfolding scene with much interest. There was a sinister mischievous light in his auburn eyes as he saw his nemesis come completely undone by just the simple arrival of this girl. His curiosity was officially piqued. He would soon make this new girl one of his special test subjects…

"My dearest Ryou-chan~…" Senri chuckled slyly to himself, no louder than a whisper. "Very soon…I believe our long standing battle will come to an end… Because I've found the ideal weapon to use against you…"

A dark smirk crossed his lips as his eyes shifted to Ayame's worried form. That anxiety in her eyes, no one could have read it better.

'Just be a good little girl and play along with my games now…and in the end…all of your insignificant human feelings will fade away for good… Senri-sama will set you free…'

And thus, Senri had made his final decision. He would get to know this girl, inside and out. Finding out the secrets that people withheld was but child's play for the teen. He had connections…underground connections. Ryou was one of the only few that knew this and who strove to stop him so passionately. Ryou…was the one person who could see Senri's true nature. Psychotic. Insane. Manipulative. Evil. Yes…That was exactly who he was, and he wouldn't want it any other way.

With a sigh of glee, Senri relaxed back in his desk, staring wistfully at the whiteboard.

Oh, how he loved his games!