Monday, April 6, 2009, 5:12 PM

Tatsumi Port Island

Crammed full of people, loud enough to piece even through his headphones, and hot enough to feel like a sauna, the train ride to his new dorm was enough to make Makoto Yuki regret transferring to Gekkoukan High School.

Two years ago he had applied to a lot of high schools across several nearby prefectures, and it just so happened that the best school he had applied to was also the best place that accepted him...almost a full year after he started another high school.

Evidently someone had lost his papers after signing off on them, and someone else found them months later, sitting unprocessed in a cabinet somewhere.

"That's bureaucracy." His uncle Daisuke told him.

Makoto turned his head, lightly placing it against the window, and watched as the city zipped him by. He had lived here before, for a brief moment as a child. It might have been two or three months before-

Nothing here was recognizable, not the landmarks, the buildings, the sea, anything. It was a beautiful sight, sure but it might as well have been a different country.

"I know you've always said you wanted to go, but if you're not ready, I understand." His uncle placed his hands on Makoto's shoulders. "Just say the word and we'll cancel it."

It's not that he didn't want to go back here, it was always something he intended to do, even as a preteen. It was something he had to do, to go back to this place, to find closure in the place where he had witnessed his parents-

The train slid to a stop and announced the location. As everyone poured out, Makoto picked up his bags, took a deep breath, and began the walk to the dormitory. The place he'd be living for the next year, possibly two if things went well.

"If you ever need anything, Makoto-chan." Aunt Yae said as she gifted him his new MP3. "You can always call us."

Makoto wondered if he should call them as soon as he got there, or just text them now.

When I settle in, I guess. He unfolded his map, and started the trek to the Iwatodai Dorm.

It was nearly six when he arrived to the dorm. The sun was setting, dusk coloring everything a warm orange hue and making the four story building in front of him appear to be almost glowing with energy.

Makoto walked up the stairs, dropped his stuff, let out a deep sigh, and knocked on the door.

So this is gonna be home, huh? When he couldn't hear anyone coming, he used the window pane as a make-shift mirror and adjusted his bow tie. First impressions mattered, his aunt always loved to remind me. Gekkoukan had sent him his school uniforms ahead of time and, if anyone asked Makoto, it was a step up from the ugly beige mess that his previous high school mandated.

Just as he finished straightening it, he heard a series of rapid footsteps from inside and saw a figure sprinting towards him. Just as he stepped back, the door swung open.

"Hi there!" A girl with brown hair and red eyes emerged from the dorm. Her smile was as wide as the sky and as warm as the morning dawn. "The name's Kotone Shiomi!" She held out her hand. "Nice to meet ya!"

"Makoto Yuki." He shook her hand. "Pleased to meet you."

Despite being almost half a foot shorter than him, her grip was strong and her handshake vigorous.

"So, you're the new kid huh?" She let go of his hand, took a step back, and made a curtsy, welcoming him in.

"Yeah." He picked up his things and entered.

"Well, newbie, welcome aboard to the Iwatodai Dorm."

Makoto took in the rather tasteful décor, the tall ceiling, the rather large living space, and the two girls sitting there on the sofas.

"Alright everyone!" Shiomi loudly declared. "This is the new transfer student, it's time for the introductory roll call!"

The girl with brown hair and a pink shirt shirt sighed. "Geez Kotone, do you have to make it such a big procession?" She stood up and walked over to Makoto. "Yukari Takeba, you're Makoto-kun right?" She too offered her a handshake, a strained smile on her face.

He nodded. "Yes." He shook her hand, a much softer and more measured one than Shiomi's. "Thank you all for having me."

"This," Shiomi butted in with aplomb, "is our senpai, the one and only Mitsuru Kirijo." She knelt and presented Kirijo like a brand new car on a quiz show.

The red-hair girl chuckled, walking over and shaking his hand before saying anything. "Bonjour. A pleasure to have you." Makoto nodded back to her. Her handshake was much firmer than Takeba's but less energetic than Shiomi's. She had this air of elegant refinement to her that Makoto couldn't quite place.

There was a lot he hadn't expected after arriving, the amount of physical contact so far was one of them. Then again their red-headed senpai spoke French, so perhaps this dorm was a bit more western than he had anticipated?

"We also have two more students, but they're out right now." Shiomi said.

"I'll be sure to introduce you to Akihiko and Shinjiro later on." Kirijo said. "Your room is at the end of the second floor. Shiomi will escort you." Shiomi flashed them a peace sign and a smile.

As they made their way to his room, and Shiomi made a big show of all the amenities, Makoto read the names on the doors. Two of them were empty, and the other two read "Akihiko Sanada" and "Shinjiro Aragaki" respectively.

"And thaaaat's everything!" She declared.

"It's nice." Makoto said, pretending like he was listening. He scoured his eyes across the room. A closet, two standalone shelves on the wall, a TV stand, a sink with some more shelves next to it, a heater, a desk with a chair, and a fairly sizable bed. Sitting right next to his bed was his two suitcases, which had thankfully already arrived.

Makoto dropped all of his bags and sat down on his new bed, and exhaled deeply.

Without missing a beat, she sat down right next to him. "Brought a lot of stuff, eh? I thought the luggage they made me carry was gonna be everything."

Makoto turned his head and stared at this...inexplicably cheerful and forward girl.

"Something on my face?" She asked with a grin.

He sighed and leaned over, letting his elbows rest on his knees. "No, sorry, just tired. I'm not all here yet."

She nodded. "I gotcha, I was dead tired when I moved in here last December, and that was right before finals!" She shuddered. "I still can't believe I survived that."

"Sounds horrible."

"It was!" She abruptly stood up. "Well, I'll let you get acclimated. I live one floor up, end of the hall just like yours, same side of the room and everything." She snapped her fingers and made little finger guns at him. "You can knock on the ceiling if you wanna get my attention. I'll be down in a jiffy!"

As she left, and took all of the energy in the room with her, Makoto began to unpack his things. He spent some time sorting out his clothes, his toothbrush, and a few other things before giving up and falling face-first into his bed.

He pulled out his cell phone. "Should probably text them now that I'm in." He mumbled out.

A soft, almost whimsical voice spoke. "So close to home, and yet so far." Makoto lifted his head up, half-expecting Shiomi to still be there. Instead, just an open door.

...must have flown in from downstairs. Probably TV or something. He closed his door.

As Makoto finished texting, he took one more look around his room. It was spacious, nicely furnished, clean, and impossibly distant. He might as well have been looking at this room from a telescope. Nothing about it felt real.

Makoto collapsed into his bed. Although part of him considered going downstairs to see if his fellow dorm mates had arrived, he was too tired to do anything else. Tomorrow was the beginning of his life at Gekkoukan High School.

He curled up under his sheets, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

One day I'll go to that bridge. One day...