Chapter 1

Xius Academy

“Mutter, Mutter, Mutter."

The people on this train are so loud! Kyo thought to himself. Why didn’t I bring my headphones? Kyo “sighs” aloud while looking at himself in the reflection with his black hair and green highlights going around the sides and back with his bangs up. He was about 5 '8, 16 years of age, and on his way to one of the most prestigious schools, Xius Academy in Tokyo.

“Look out coming through!” A middle-aged man yells while holding a cup of coffee with his right hand.

“Aaayyy, watch it!” Kyo screams angrily at the middle-aged man as he bumps into Kyo, almost spilling all his coffee on him.

“...Sorry…” The middle-aged man says to Kyo.

“You have to be more careful. You almost spilled coffee all over my new school uniform.” The middle-aged man examines the uniform more closely and realizes it's from Xius Academy.

“Oh my god…I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to,” the middle-aged man says in a frightened tone.

“Ah… it’s fine; at least it didn’t get on my uniform.” Kyo says to the frightened middle-aged man.

“Ah… well, I'll be on my way now, super sorry! To have become an inconvenience to you.” the middle-aged man starts to rush off to the back of the train.

God, what was he in such a hurry for? There's no reason for him to rush like that with a cup of coffee through many people. Ah, why did I care so much about my uniform? It's not like it's anything special. It’s an all-white uniform with a black tie and stars going around the collar.

Hmm… hey, that's a girl from Xius Academy to my left. How did I not realize she was there? I was so distracted by that guy that I overlooked her. Whoa, she’s beautiful. She has long blue hair with a long strip braid to the right side of her head, long eyelashes, and perfect blue eyes; she looks about the same height as me, if not a couple of inches shorter, and no nail polish looks like a perfect girl. Maybe I should introduce myself…

Ding! Ding! “This train has arrived at Xius Academy,” the announcer says.

Ah, we're already here! Terrible timing. I was just about to introduce myself. -Swoosh- the doors swing open.

“All students of Xius Academy, please exit the train.” The announcer says in a happy voice.

Ah—- dammit, I missed my chance to introduce myself. I'm sure I'll see her again, he thinks to himself in disappointment. Alright, well, I'm here, so I'll worry about that stuff later. Kyo steps off the train and looks at his new school, Xius Academy.

Kyo steps off the train, and as soon as he does, he feels the calm wind against his ears, the sounds of birds chirping, all the kids talking, and the sun just hot enough that it doesn’t feel like you're going to die of heatstroke. It was a perfect day.

“Whoah!” Kyo looks up and sees that the school is enormous. Maybe three stories high easily, with tons of windows. But other than that, it was nothing special, to be honest.

Now that I'm looking around, the girls' uniforms aren’t different from ours except for the fact that they have to wear a skirt and a black bow tie.

Ah, I can hear all the other kids excited to start. Just hearing that makes me want to start. Kyo blushes with excitement as he's about to begin his first year at Xius Academy.

Alright, let’s go inside. Kyo walks up to the front doors and opens them. As soon as he does, he feels a breeze of cool air surrounding him. Woah, he thinks to himself as he enters the school. It really is enormous! He thinks again to himself.

Now, I need to figure out which way.to go. Kyo looks around and needs help figuring out which way to go. Maybe I should just ask someone. Over there, I'll ask him. He is genuinely going in the same direction as me.

“Hay…Umm…Hello? Do you, by chance, know where class 1-a is?” Kyo asks in a kind voice.

“Hmm, me… oh yeah, I don't. I was just asking this kid right here.”

“Oh, really well, does he know the way?”

“UmMmM, YES! I'll show you guys the way if you'd like to follow me,” the kid says nervously.

If this kid isn't nervous enough, Kyo thinks to himself.

“Oh yeah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kyo Ito. It's very nice to meet you!” Kyo bows his head.

“Hey, Hey, raise your head, man, we're all cool here. Also, I didn't know we were starting on first-name bases.”

Kyo blushes.

“It’s fine. Also, my name is Inoue,” Inoue says, laughing.

“ First or last?” asks Kyo

“Last, like I would give you my first name just upon meeting each other,” Inoue says while smiling.

Aww…dang it, I’m already messing up. God, today just has not been in my favor. Well, Inoue seems cool. I would say he’s about the same height as me. His hair is parted down the middle, and he wears glasses. He looks pretty stylish. The other kid is definitely shorter, maybe 5 ‘6. He has brown hair, and he is super nervous. Oh yeah, I never got the other kid's name, so let me ask.

“He—” Kyo gets interrupted.

“So hey, what's your name?” Inoue asks, beating Kyo to the punch

Huh! Kyo thinks to himself. That bastard beat me to it. Ah, that's so unfair, Kyo thinks to himself in defeat.

“UHhHhH—my name is… Tadashi Matsuda..” He says all nervously.

This guy is seriously nervous, Kyo thought to himself.

“AH…uM were here,” Matsuda says again, although in an even more nervous voice.

Ah, is he really stuttering now? I guess he's really nervous. Well, now we're about to enter the classroom. God, just thinking about it makes my skin go so cold, but I have to push my nerves away and be ready to start my first year at Xius Academy.

-swoosh- Inoue pushes the door open, and they walk in, ready to start.

Dang, this class has a lot of kids in it. Kyo turns to the right and sees a class seating chart on the chalkboard.

Oh, I’m in the back, just two desks away from the door. Uhh, that's got to be one of the worst seats, Kyo thinks to himself in such sadness. Hm, oh, Inoue sits in the front row far left, right next to the window, and Matsuda sits right behind… him. Ah, that's so unfair, Kyo thinks, his face squinting, trying to cover his tears of sadness.

“Dang Kyo, you got a bad seat, man; I pity you,” Inoue starts laughing hysterically.

“It’s not funny. Inoue this is terrible what am I SUPPOSED TO DO!” Kyo screams

-class goes silent-

“Uhh— I don't know, man, but that’s your problem,” Inoue tells Kyo.

“Umm, sorry for the disturbance, everyone—” Inoue says apologetically to everyone in the classroom.

“So— we're going to take our seats now, talk later, Kyo,” Inoue says.

“YeA TaLK LaTEr Kyo,” Matsuda says as nervously as ever.

Ahh, where did that guy get off to? He laughed at me first. God, he’s honestly annoying.

“YO— you there?” someone says to Kyo.

“WhO Me?” Kyo says, shocked and flustered

I was so zoned out that I didn’t even realize he was there. Kyo thinks embarrassingly to himself.

“Yes, you obviously… who else would I be talking to.”

AH, this guy doesn’t seem to beat around the bush, but he gets right to it.

Now that I’m looking at him, he’s definitely taller, maybe 6 ‘0 tall; he has blonde hair, although it seems dyed, he has a fade going from sides to back, and he puts his bangs up; he also has earrings. Dang, this guy looks really cool and probably already popular with the girls, Kyo thinks to himself.

“Um, so my…name is Daichi Tanaka. What about you?” Tanaka says in a curious tone.

“OH YEA! My name is Um-Mm-UM Kyo Ito, and it’s okay just to call me by my first name. I would prefer it if you did.” Kyo says while blushing.

“Oh hey, that's a pretty cool name,” Tanaka says with a big smile.

“Well, I hope we can be friends,” Tanaka says in a kind and sweet voice.

-DOOR OPENS-

“Alright, class, take your seats.” the teacher says

“ Oh shoot, well, I guess I will talk to you later, Kyo. Oh, and I sit in the third row, far left. So if you need anything, just ask.”

“Ok.” Thanks says Kyo, who is still mad that he has a bad seat.

Ah, I guess I should sit down now, Kyo thinks. Huh, it’s that girl I saw on the train earlier. WAIT, WHAT! Kyo starts to go into panic mode. She sits right next to me. Oh, jeez, I didn’t even notice that she was sitting right next to me. Wow, she is just as beautiful as the last time I saw her. Now that I'm sitting near her, she smells really good, almost like flowers.

BANG!

Huh, oh, the teacher just dropped a bunch of books on her desk.

“Alright—class, let's start; firstly, my name is Ms. Midorikawa.” She says in an exhausted voice.

Oh, right. I was zoned again, huh? Jeez. I need to focus; after all, I’m at Xius Academy. Oh, she is pretty tall, maybe 6 ‘1. She has long black hair that she has tied up, and she’s wearing a white coat. She looks kind of cool, Kyo thought.

“Ok… shall we start with an icebreaker?” the teacher says.

“NoOOOOOOOOOOoo,” The class says in Unison.

“Thought you guys would say that, but we're still doing it. Anyway, it’s simple: all I'm asking is that you introduce yourself. So who would like to start?”

“Oh, I would!” a student stands up.

“My name is Daichi Tanaka, and I'm pleased to be here! My favorite thing is railguns. I find them very cool, mainly because they shoot with such power.

“I'll go next. My name is Inoue.” I don’t have anything I like to do,” Inoue says calmly but subtly, as if his mind is entirely focused on something else.

Inoue signals Matsuda to go next.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“YeS! My NaMe Is Tadashi Matsuda!” Matsuda says very nervously. “My favorite things to do are read manga and play video games,” Matsuda says, very panicky.

Inoue Singles an excellent job with a thumbs-up smiling.

“Ok, I’ll go next; my name is Hayate Hayashi.”

Ohhh, he seems relaxed, Kyo thinks. He has brown hair, his bangs are up, and he’s also relatively tall, maybe 5 ‘11.

“Ok, I'm next. My name is Kiyoshi Ryuko, and it’s very nice to meet you. My favorite thing to do is dress up and look cute.” Ryuko says with a sassy voice

Right to the point, huh? She has blonde hair that is tied back. Oh, and it looks like she has pink highlights at the bottom strands of her hair. She has nail polish on, which looks like they are all in different colors.

“Ok, me next, my name is Nanako Momo. I also have nothing I particularly do.” Says Momo with a calm expression.

She has brown hair that is cut to about shoulder length, and it kind of resembles the wolf cut in a way. I would say she is about 5 ‘9".

“Next, oh wait for me next, please!” a girl shouts, standing up.

“My…na—name is Aiko! And I love reading! And uh yeah, very nice to meet you.!” Aiko says, all panicky.

Hmm, her name is Aiko, and that’s not a bad name. Of course, I'm assuming it’s her last name, but I don't want a repeat of what happened earlier. She also has brown hair and two ponytails, one on her left and one on her right. I would say they are shoulder-length. Oh, she also wears glasses, the same as Inoue. She also talks just nervously, like Matsuda.

“Ok, I'm next…” a student says.

“Ok, I'll go next…” another student says.

“Ok, let me introduce myself…” another student says.

-This process repeats until-

“Hey!... you back there, introduce yourself.” Ms. Midorikawa says

Oh…Shit, it’s me; I definitely wasn’t paying attention, Kyo thinks to himself nervously.

“Oh uH, YEaaas, I’m here!” Kyo stands up, blushing in embarrassment.

“Introduce YOURSELF ALREADY!” The teacher screams, obviously annoyed.

“HahAHAhAhAhHAHAh!” The class laughs.

“O–Oh right, sOrRY!” Kyo says, blushing in embarrassment again.

“My name is Kyo Ito, and it’s very nice to meet you!” Kyo bows his head and sits.

“All—alright next?” the teacher says, ready for this to be over.

Oh, finally, I’ll get to know her name, the girl that I saw this morning.

“Umm, my name is Mei,” she says softly, calmingly.

Oooooh, she has a charming voice. It's so soft and welcoming. But it feels too soft like something is wrong. Uhhh, I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I haven’t even really met her; I just got to know her name, that’s all.

“Alright, let’s talk about history.” Ms. Midorikawa gets the class started.

“As you are hopefully aware, Japan has been in isolation for 12 years, and we are not the only one. almost every country is due to the aftermath of the brutal war.” Ms. Midorikawa says in a deepened tone.

That’s right, Kyo thinks to himself, I was born during the war. Everyone here is.

“Let’s deep dive a little into the war now, shall we.” Ms. Midorikawa gets more serious after she says that.

“First of all, this war started in the year 2044, and as you know, it went on for about ten years.”

“All of you were born during the war, specifically during the year 2051.” Ms. Midorikawa says.

“Now, this war supposedly ended in the year 2055, right? Or so you have been told, but the truth is we're still kind of at war,” Ms. Midorikawa says hesitantly.

Wait, what? Kyo thinks to himself, "We're still at war." Jesus, that caught me so off guard. It looks like I wasn’t the only one, though. Just about everyone here was caught off guard. God, I thought my eyes would burst outside of my head from what she just said.

“I know that probably caught many of you off guard, but that’s the truth. We are still technically at war.” Ms. Midorikawa says.

“Now let's get to the facts; this war could be described as a blood bath. I mean, billions of people died, about 4.45 billion to be exact. A lot of people died out of the 9 billion population, which is the biggest reason for the global isolation of all countries.” Ms.Midorikawa says in a very hardened tone.

“The countries used a Lot of weaponry in this war spanning from bombs, guns, drones, NUKES, and even railguns.” Ms. Midorikawa says with a frown.

“This war al—almost ended the world as you know it.” Ms.Midorikawa’s face looks in pain as she says this.

Oh, right, my mom used to tell me stories of how the war was going before I was born. She said the war caused her to lose a lot of loved ones, including her husband and my father.

I still remember her describing the war to me, her telling me the number of bullets she saw tear right through people, then them falling to the ground dying out, how blood was coming out of them, and how their eyes went lifeless.

God, I don't even want to imagine it.

-DING! DING!-

“Oh… shoot, I guess I lost track of time. Well, that's the bell. We will cover more of this history in the next class.” Ms. Midorikawa says.

“Ok, have a good day, Ms. Midorikawa!” Tanaka says

“Yea, have a good day, teacher!” Inoue says

-More of the class says this-

“Hey man, ready for our next class!” Tanaka says as he sneaks up on Kyo.

“Oh yeah, actually, what is the next class?” Kyo says.

“Oh man, it's AWESOME! We're going to be using railguns.” Tanaka says, very excited

“Railguns?” Kyo asks confused

“Yea, Railguns!” Tanaka says

“They're not official railguns, of course, but they're pretty damn close to the real thing. OMG, I'm so excited just thinking about it.” Tanaka says with a massive smile on his face.

Railguns, that sounds fun, Kyo thinks to himself.

“Oop, we’re here,” Tanaka says.

“WHY HELLO THERE!” the instructor says with a lot of enthusiasm.

“Please take your seats if you would.” The instructor says.

“Okay, to get started, my name is Raiden Fujikawa. I’m your instructor for this class,” Fujikawa says excitedly.

Hmm, our instructor is HUGE! Kyo thinks, "I mean, seriously, he is huge, but other than that, he has nothing going on for him." He has normal brown hair that is semi-long. Uhh, is this guy boring?

“Let’s get started!” Fujikawa says.

“Also, we are not doing introductions here. I already have a roster with your faces, so there's no need.” Fujikawa says.

Does that mean our other teacher had a roster with our names and pictures as well? What was the point of an icebreaker if you already knew our names?

“Alright, let’s get started. First, I will teach you how to use a railgun.”

“To start, the railgun should go to your dominant side, then rest the back on your shoulder and the front end on your arm; of course, it depends on which railgun you use,” Fujikawa says seriously.

“Just think of it like a gun; you have seen how people hold them; it's pretty much the same,” Fujikawa says.

“Alright, now who wants a demonstration of how to use one!”

“ME!”

“ME!”

“ME!’

-EVERYONE SAYS ME-

“Alright, alright, I get it now. Watch and learn, kids! I’m aiming for that target right there with the big red X.”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Whoah!” The class says in excitement!

“Dude… he didn’t miss a single shot!” Tanaka says in excitement.

I wish Tanaka could see his face right now. Jeez, he sure is in awe of what just happened. I mean, his mouth is wide open, and I catch myself giggling and smiling. I have to admit, though, that was impressive.

I guess he isn’t just some boring guy after all.

“Alright, class, now that you just saw what I did, does anyone have any questions?” Fujikawa asks the class.

-raises hand-

“Me.” a student says.

Hmm, who is he? Wait, I think I recognize him… Umm, oh yeah, he was in our homeroom class. Ah shoot, I totally don't know his name, so I zoned out. I guess I’ll ask Tanaka.

“Hey, Tanaka,” Kyo whispers into Tanaka’s ears.

“What?” Tanaka whispers back, confused.

“What's that guy's name?” Kyo whispers

“ Oh…his name is Shin Aozora,” Tadaka says

“Wait, don't tell me you seriously weren’t paying attention when they were introducing themselves, jeez man,” Tanaka says, teasing Kyo.

“Mphh.” Kyo makes a weird sound as he turns back to the instructor.

“WhA—Whatever… Thanks, jerk.” Kyo says, embarrassed.

Hmm, so that’s his name, huh? Shin Aozora. I would say he is about my height has blonde hair, and has red eyes. That’s interesting.

“Yes, I have a question. What railgun model is it?” Aozora asks.

“Oh, the model, huh? The model is X-GHOST. It was made to have a somewhat quick charge speed and mediocre power,” Fujikawa says, answering the question.

“Are there any more questions?” Fujikawa says.

“Umm…YeS me I HaVe One.” Aiko says quietly, too quietly.

“Alright, well, if there are no more questions, let’s get started,” Fujikawa says, trying to hurry things along.

“Alright, I want everyone to pair up to start today's training,” Fujikawa says.

“Hey, bro, do you want to be partners with me?” Tanaka says to Kyo.

“Umm… sure.” Says Kyo with a smirk on his face.

“HEY Matsuda, do you want to partner with me?” Inoue asks Matsuda.

“YeS… iF yOu WoUlDn’T MiNd mE bEIng Your PaRTnEr,” Matsuda says, acting shy and very nervous.

“Hey, wo—would you like to be my partner, please!” Aiko's cheeks are getting red like apples.

“Huh, me? Umm, sure, if you wouldn’t mind me as your partner, then sure.” Ryuko says with a smile on her face.

“Um, thanks, Ryuko!” Aiko says, sounding very pleased.

“No problem. Also, could you call me Kiyoshi if you wouldn’t mind?” Ryuko says.

“UuM… I mean, I can if that’s what you want, but are you sure?” Aiko says with concern and a little bit of blushing.

“Yes, that's what I would like,” Kiyoshi says with a very pleased face.

“So… um, hey, would you like to be partners with me, Mei?” Momo asks.

“Sure,” says Mei with a very unserious look.

“Uh… ok, thank you.” Momo grabs both of Mei's hands and smiles.

Mei looks away, displeased.

“OK! Class, let’s get started with today’s lesson.” Says Fujikawa.

“Ok, I want you guys to go get one pistol for the both of you. I don't care who just do it and make it snappy.”

“Alright, now that you have your pistols, I want you guys to take turns shooting at the target before you. You may now begin,” Fujikawa says.

“Hey, Bro, let me go first, please!” Tanaka says, pleading with his hands and showing off his puppy-dog eyes.

Oh god, he’s pleading and showing his puppy dog eyes. Their sparkling so bright I guess I can’t say no.

“Sure… go ahead.” Says Kyo.

“THANKS!” Tanaka shouts in excitement.

Tanaka picks up the railgun and adjusts it as the teacher instructs, ready to shoot.

BANG! BANG!

He hit the bullseye all three times.

“Dang man, that’s impressive.” Says Kyo in shock.

“Can I go for another round? Pleaseeee, Kyo?” Tanaka asks begging

“Sure…go for it.” Says Kyo

Now that I look around this huge classroom, it’s more like an arena than a classroom. As soon as you enter, you get the seats to your left, kind of like something you would see in a university. Then, to your right, there is a massive space with many targets to practice shooting.

“Hey, Bro, It’s your turn,” Tanaka says.

Kyo thinks this place is enormous. Man, this school is incredible!

“HEY— BRO! IT’S YOUR TURN!” Tanaka shouts at Kyo.

“Huh… oops, sorry, man,” Kyo says apologetically.

Jeez, I was zoned out, huh, Kyo thinks to himself.

Alright, it’s my turn. Let’s see how good I am!

Kyo takes the pistol from Tanaka and gets ready to shoot.

Geez, this feels just like the real thing, Kyo thinks to himself as his heart races.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Ahh, I missed the bullseye and by a whole lot, dammit,” Kyo says in frustration.

“Hey man, it’s alright; you just gotta keep working on it, so let’s keep practicing.” Says Tanaka, roaring to keep going.

That gives Kyo the motivation to get better.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Whoa," says Matsuda, "that is impressive. You hit the bullseye every time,” says Matsuda with a shocked face.

“It’s not big of a deal.” Says Inoue.

“Yes, it is dude, that’s super cool.” Says Matsuda with a pouting face.

“It’s not, I just grew up this way.” Says Inoue with a sorrowful look on his face.

“Nice shot!” Says Aiko with a proud face.

“You really think so? I mean, I only hit one bullseye while you hit all three of yours.” Says Kiyoshi

“No, I mean it, you did a good job!” Aiko says with a pouting face.

“Whatever you say. But you better not be saying that to pity me, understand.” Says Kiyoshi, slightly blushing to herself.

Kyo glances at Mei to see how she is doing.

Huh? What’s happening over there? They seem like they are arguing.

“AHhh, come on, Mei, you have to give it a shot, please. For Momo?”

“Nope, I won’t,” says Mei with no hesitation.

“COME ON! Let’s get that gloomy look off your face already and try!” Says Momo with frustration in her voice.

Momo tries forcing her to shoot by trying to put the gun in her hand, and Mei fights back.

“Hey, Stop!” Says Mei

“No, come on, just give it a try.” Says Momo

“HEY! You two knock it off!” Fujikawa screams at them.

DING! DING!

“Alright, that’s the bell, so everyone clean up and get going. Also, remember to practice during your free time or something, ok.” Fujikawa says

“That’s the bell, so I’m gonna get going now, ok?” Says Mei with a frustrated look on her face.

Hmm, what happened over there? Maybe I’ll ask, Kyo thinks to himself.

Kyo walks over to ask.

“Hey!” says Kyo as he shouts.

Shoot, what was her name again…oh right, Momo.

“Hey! Momo!” Kyo shouts.

“Huh…Uh, yes.” Momo says, confused.

Her eyes meet his, her pretty green eyes. Kyo blushes.

“I want to ask, what happened with you and Mei?” Kyo asks, worried that something terrible happened.

“Oh..nothing, just that she wouldn't try to shoot the target. So I simply tried to force her and me, and she got into a fight. Honestly, I didn't think she would be so stubborn.” Says Momo

“Oh, so that’s what that was,” says Kyo, satisfied with the answer.

“Umm, hey, not to be rude, but what was your name again?” Momo asks, puzzled.

“Huh…Oh, ok. My name is Kyo Ito.” Kyo fixes his posture so he stands straight, arms to his side.

“Hahahah!” Momo laughs gently enough that only Kyo can hear it.

“No need to act so formal. Anyway, nice to officially meet you.” Says Momo

“Right!” Says Kyo.

“Anyway, I’ll talk to you later, so cya,” says Momo as she rushes to her next class.

“I guess I’ll get going!” Says Kyo with a big smile on his face on the way to his next class.

DING! DING!

“YES! That’s the final bell man. I have been seriously waiting for it.” Says Tanaka out loud to Kyo, sitting right next to him.

“Yeah, man, finally.” Says Kyo with a gloomy face.

“Hey, Kyo, let’s walk out together, ok?” Says Tanaka.

“Sure.” Says Kyo with a small but gloomy smile on his face.

-Whoosh-

“Man, it's freezing compared to earlier. Don’t you think Kyo?” Asks Tanaka.

“Yeah, it has gotten colder.” Says Kyo

“Anyway, man, I go this way. So see you tomorrow, okay? " Tanaka says in a shivering voice.

God, it really got cold fast, huh? As soon as I walked out, I felt a cold breeze against my face. It kind of hurts, to be honest. But it’s still so nice out. It may not be as sunny, but it’s still a perfect day. The birds are still chirping, and people are still talking, Kyo thinks with a smile.

[ETA 1 MINUTE UNTIL TRAIN LEAVES, I REPEAT ONE MINUTE]

Ah, Shit, the trains leaving, I have to hurry and get on. I don’t want to be late to see my mom. Kyo thinks to himself with a sad expression.

Phew, I made it in time. Hmm…oh, it’s Mei.

They glance at each other.

Oh shoot, we totally just made eye contact, ah man, and to make it worse, she is standing right next to me. I mean, seriously! Kyo thinks to himself while blushing a little on the outside.

“Hey…”

She speaks thinks Kyo.

“Hey, why do you have eyebags?” Asks Mei

“Huh, so you noticed, huh? I guess I couldn’t hide them forever.” Kyo says silently to himself.

“What?” Asks Mei in confusion about what he just said.

“Oh, nothing… I just overwork myself, that's all seriously.” Kyo says.

Mei turns her head forward, not satisfied with the response.

“So…um, hey? Why did you not want to shoot today?” Asks Kyo

“That’s none of your business,” says Mei coldly.

Jeez, that's cold, man. She has an invisible wall no one can reach, but her Kyo thinks to himself. Kyo’s smile fades away.

[ARRIVED AT STATION TWO, I REPEAT ARRIVED AT STATION TWO]

“Well, this is my stop.” Says Mei

“Oh…ok?” Kyo acting confused

Dang, she lives not that far from the school, huh? It must be friendly, Kyo thinks to himself.

“Where’s your stop?” Asks Mei.

“Oh, mine, um, it’s station 6,” says Kyo.

“The hospital?” Mei says with a confused expression

“Yea,” says Kyo with a small smile while he looks up.

“Well, cya.” Says Mei as she stepped off the train.

“Cya.” Says Kyo.

Wow, she really is beautiful, Kyo thinks to himself. Just like the first time I saw her this morning.

Some time has passed.

[ARRIVED AT STATION 6, I REPEAT STATION 6]

Oh, we're here; it's time to see Mom, Kyo thinks.

God, I just hate walking in hospitals. They always give off a sinister or negative aura. I mean, I’m feeling right now as I’m walking through one, and it makes me almost want to puke. To make it worse, there are plain white walls and long hallways. Hospitals just suck.

Right, where is the elevator? Oh, there it is.

DING!

The doors open, and Kyo steps inside.

Right, which floor was it? Oh, right, floor 2

The doors open, and Kyo steps outside into the long hallway.

Seriously, man, I hate these hallways. The smell and atmosphere make me want to puke. My mom’s is the last room on the far right.

The door opens to her room.

“Hey, Mom,” Kyo says with a disgusting look on his face like he’s about to puke.

Chapter 1, END