Still feeling rather tired from today's commotion, Akira made a huge stretch as he stepped out of the school grounds. The sun had begun to set, and the atmosphere was beginning to get chilly. Even Anna who was following him from behind gave a sharp shiver, clasping both of her hands together. A gust swept by, fluttering their blue scarfs in a melodious movement.
"It's already this late," Akira sighed. He stared pitifully at the shivering Anna. "And it's getting cold too. Was spring supposed to be this cold? Anyway Anna, which way are you heading? As thanks for before, I'd be glad to accompany you to your house," offered Akira with a grin. Anna smiled, and pointed to her left. "My house is that way."
They then made their way towards an open yet empty road, they began to have casual chats among themselves. "So who do live with here in Japan Anna?" Akira asked as they walked past an almost empty park. A few children were still there playing even though it was almost dark. The birds also began to fly back to their nests on the nearby trees, making loud chirps along the way as if a ruckus had happened.
"I live with my grandpa right now," replied Anna as she looked in a worried manner towards the playing kids. "Even though Dad insisted that I would learn to be independent here, but Gramps was stubborn enough to help look out for me. He was really sweet saying that 'What would happen if my granddaughter would get all lonely there?' It was very funny." A smile was carved on Anna's face. Akira just laughed.
Don't...get close to her!
Huh? "Um, did you just said something Anna?" A cold chill ran down his spine. A really weird type of cold. Anna stared at Akira confusingly. "I didn't say anything," she said with another worried expression. "Ah, anyway we're here. This is my house!"
Both of them came to a halt in front of a very decent house. Despite being moderate in size, the decorations and accessories of the house was quite elaborate. It was indeed a beautiful house, but something about it made Akira uneasy. Perhaps it was getting really dark already."Sorry for troubling you to walk me here, it really is late," said Anna as she went into the gates. "You should head home and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow then?"
Not bothered by his disturbed feelings, Akira flashed a smile. "Sure. Jaa ne!"
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
'Dozo Yoroshiku!' means 'Nice to Meet You!'
Usually he wouldn't mind the bleeding that he gets from fights, but for some unknown reason he felt extermely dizzy when he tried to stand up with Anna's help. He almost collapsed again, if not Anna had quickly grasped his arm tightly. What was this sensation? "Haha, this is embarrassing," he grinned as they began to make their way to the nurse's office. "A girl is carrying me to the nurse. I must be dreaming." He noticed that Anna had blushed when he said this. He made another weak laugh, before everything when black.
********************************************
My mystery saviour. When are you going to wake up?
Hey, that's...the voice I heard just now at the tree? Akira pried open his eyes slowly. The smell of medicine and clean sheet filled his nose. Something wet seemed to be on his forehead. "Where am I?" he voiced out, trying to sit up. He wasn't feeling that dizzy anymore, but his mind seemed confused.
"Ah," a girl's voice shrieked when Akira got up suddenly. "You shouldn't be sitting up just yet." He turned to his right. The voice came from the girl that he had saved earlier, Anna. Had she been sitting there the whole time he passed out? He felt that his face was becoming red. This is a first any girl had waited up for him everytime he had to go to the nurse's office.
"Um, are you okay?" Anna asked, snapping him away from his thoughts. Akira smiled warmly. "Yeah, I guess I am thanks to you," he grinned. "You shouldn't have waited up for me you know. Not that it's worth skipping class." Somehow, his new acquaintance shot a worried look. "Actually," she began to explain. "School ended a little while ago."
This surprised Akira. He never expected that he would pass out for that long. He always thought that he had a strong body and spirit, not the type that would easily fall prey to things like 'fainting'. Akira suspected something weird was going on, but he decided that it was not important at the moment. The worried girl in front him now was of more concern.
"Haha, don't look so worried," Akira assured Anna with another smile. "Oh yeah, my name's Akira Matsumoto. Nice to meet you, Anna!"
********************************************
My mystery saviour. When are you going to wake up?
Hey, that's...the voice I heard just now at the tree? Akira pried open his eyes slowly. The smell of medicine and clean sheet filled his nose. Something wet seemed to be on his forehead. "Where am I?" he voiced out, trying to sit up. He wasn't feeling that dizzy anymore, but his mind seemed confused.
"Ah," a girl's voice shrieked when Akira got up suddenly. "You shouldn't be sitting up just yet." He turned to his right. The voice came from the girl that he had saved earlier, Anna. Had she been sitting there the whole time he passed out? He felt that his face was becoming red. This is a first any girl had waited up for him everytime he had to go to the nurse's office.
"Um, are you okay?" Anna asked, snapping him away from his thoughts. Akira smiled warmly. "Yeah, I guess I am thanks to you," he grinned. "You shouldn't have waited up for me you know. Not that it's worth skipping class." Somehow, his new acquaintance shot a worried look. "Actually," she began to explain. "School ended a little while ago."
This surprised Akira. He never expected that he would pass out for that long. He always thought that he had a strong body and spirit, not the type that would easily fall prey to things like 'fainting'. Akira suspected something weird was going on, but he decided that it was not important at the moment. The worried girl in front him now was of more concern.
"Haha, don't look so worried," Akira assured Anna with another smile. "Oh yeah, my name's Akira Matsumoto. Nice to meet you, Anna!"
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Another Message!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Lunch Drama Pt. 2
Hey, Bell. Why are you messing with the new transfer?
Anna's thoughts rushed to the morning when they first met. Their gazes found one another, and they kept staring and staring for a long time. She returned his friendly smile, but for some reason she felt there's something about the smile that makes it so different from the hundreds of smiles she received after arriving in this country (apparently she thinks Japanese are friendly and smiles a lot). There's something about him that intrigued her, an air of mystery and secrecy from a stranger, though alien, felt largely familiar.
Aw, man. We are just getting to know her. Who invited you, by the way? Buzz off, loser!
She remembered that he had that same blue scarf around his neck, similar to hers, and she remembered how it also wavered around the same way as hers in the breeze of spring. Their exchange of gazes was cut short by the striking of the clock, signalling that its the time for class, and he turned and walk casually into the school entrance and dissapeared from Anna's trailing eyes into a sea of students starting their morning.
Hey, get your hands off her scarf. That's not cool, man.
Or else?
Or else I have to do something about it!
The guy in the blue scarf said this in a confident tone, grabbing Bell's hand and pushing it away from Anna.
**********
Are you OK?
The guy with the scarf was lying on the floor, his nose bloodied by the punches he got. The group of delinquents walked away, feeling satisfied with their bad deed, reserving the previous action of extortion for another day. Anna wanted to help him out in the fight that ensued, but she was frozen by the violence (more to the fact of his sudden appearance, honestly) that happened on her very first day in Japan.
Your nose is bleeding... here, let me help you up. Anna extended her hand, smiling. The guy accepted the help meekly, looking rather helpless with his nose gushing blood and his shirt a little torn in the arms, decorated with stomp marks. For a moment their hands touched and Anna felt a weird feeling inside her gut. The feeling of danger, polarity; something so different and alien that makes her uneasy being near him. But, above all, there is this niggling urge to know more of what is this feeling and why is that she (at this moment she blushed) was attracted to it. To him.
Where's the nurses' office? I'll take you there.
Oh, and by the way, I'm Anna.
Anna's thoughts rushed to the morning when they first met. Their gazes found one another, and they kept staring and staring for a long time. She returned his friendly smile, but for some reason she felt there's something about the smile that makes it so different from the hundreds of smiles she received after arriving in this country (apparently she thinks Japanese are friendly and smiles a lot). There's something about him that intrigued her, an air of mystery and secrecy from a stranger, though alien, felt largely familiar.
Aw, man. We are just getting to know her. Who invited you, by the way? Buzz off, loser!
She remembered that he had that same blue scarf around his neck, similar to hers, and she remembered how it also wavered around the same way as hers in the breeze of spring. Their exchange of gazes was cut short by the striking of the clock, signalling that its the time for class, and he turned and walk casually into the school entrance and dissapeared from Anna's trailing eyes into a sea of students starting their morning.
Hey, get your hands off her scarf. That's not cool, man.
Or else?
Or else I have to do something about it!
The guy in the blue scarf said this in a confident tone, grabbing Bell's hand and pushing it away from Anna.
**********
Are you OK?
The guy with the scarf was lying on the floor, his nose bloodied by the punches he got. The group of delinquents walked away, feeling satisfied with their bad deed, reserving the previous action of extortion for another day. Anna wanted to help him out in the fight that ensued, but she was frozen by the violence (more to the fact of his sudden appearance, honestly) that happened on her very first day in Japan.
Your nose is bleeding... here, let me help you up. Anna extended her hand, smiling. The guy accepted the help meekly, looking rather helpless with his nose gushing blood and his shirt a little torn in the arms, decorated with stomp marks. For a moment their hands touched and Anna felt a weird feeling inside her gut. The feeling of danger, polarity; something so different and alien that makes her uneasy being near him. But, above all, there is this niggling urge to know more of what is this feeling and why is that she (at this moment she blushed) was attracted to it. To him.
Where's the nurses' office? I'll take you there.
Oh, and by the way, I'm Anna.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
A Message
Lunch Drama Pt. 1
You may take your seat, Ms...Williams.
Thank you, Ms. Yuka.
Um, Yuka-sensei is what we usually call the teacher.
Oh, I'm sorry, Yuka-sensei.
Good.
Anna took her seat. Being in the class for the first time, she is nervous, facing the expressionless stares, scrutinizing her every move. Some of the stares transformed to friendly smiles and some to unfriendly frowns eventually, but Anna tried to not pay attention to it. The lesson and what's going on in the class flows through time without her realizing it, as her mind was fixed on the guy with the blue scarf. Yes. The same blue scarf with the same golden emblem. The same blue scarf she has around her neck at this moment.
Eventually her thought on the guy is replaced with the start of the Math period. She always took a liking in the subject and she thinks numbers are one of the rare things that makes sense in her life. There are things in her life that she rather not understand and let them be, and at this moment, as the teacher is passionately explaining the Law of Integration, the guy with the blue scarf is one of them.
The big clock on the school compound rang to signal the start of lunch time. Anna closes her notebook and calmly makes her way towards the cafetaria, situated somewhere near the South Wing of the school, if her mind had recalled correctly (she passed it during her way to the office).
Anna pushes open the cafe door, and is suddenly confronted by three big-sized, mean-looking students.
" Oooh, what do we 'ave here, eh? Miss prim-and-proper just transferred here from Londooon. From the Big Ben, Chelsea and Mr. Bean, eh? ", says one of them, scratching his head covered by a scraggly thing he call hair.
Yes, I am. I'm Anna.
" We ain't asking yer name, girl. Look, there's this Chikusa thing..like, tradition. The transfer pays the lunch. Simple. Aite? ", says the only girl in the group, drawing her face closer to Anna's, smiling, yet said in a threatening tone.
Um, no. I never heard of such tradition. May I ask the teacher about this?
" Haha this little girl wantsa look for her sensei. Awwhh how sweet..but there'll have no need for that ", another guy with a lit cigarette (they let students smoke in school? ) grabbing her scarf. " Hey, this looks like a friggin' cute scarf. Looks expensive. She must be all rich, man ", motioning to his peers and incited their laugh. Anna glances at him and notices that he looks familiar. She recalled that she saw his face in the class. Bell was what his friends called him, if she's not mistaken. At this point, Anna fell into silence, being deep in thought. Not thinking how to escape, how to get help; whether she should scream. She's not that kind of girl. She is slowly anticipating what is likely to happen next and what is the best reaction. Her Karate instructor taught her that, before ceremoniously awarding her hard-earned blackbelt.
But one thing that Anna could never anticipate is the guy with the blue scarf slowly walking towards them..
Thank you, Ms. Yuka.
Um, Yuka-sensei is what we usually call the teacher.
Oh, I'm sorry, Yuka-sensei.
Good.
Anna took her seat. Being in the class for the first time, she is nervous, facing the expressionless stares, scrutinizing her every move. Some of the stares transformed to friendly smiles and some to unfriendly frowns eventually, but Anna tried to not pay attention to it. The lesson and what's going on in the class flows through time without her realizing it, as her mind was fixed on the guy with the blue scarf. Yes. The same blue scarf with the same golden emblem. The same blue scarf she has around her neck at this moment.
Eventually her thought on the guy is replaced with the start of the Math period. She always took a liking in the subject and she thinks numbers are one of the rare things that makes sense in her life. There are things in her life that she rather not understand and let them be, and at this moment, as the teacher is passionately explaining the Law of Integration, the guy with the blue scarf is one of them.
The big clock on the school compound rang to signal the start of lunch time. Anna closes her notebook and calmly makes her way towards the cafetaria, situated somewhere near the South Wing of the school, if her mind had recalled correctly (she passed it during her way to the office).
Anna pushes open the cafe door, and is suddenly confronted by three big-sized, mean-looking students.
" Oooh, what do we 'ave here, eh? Miss prim-and-proper just transferred here from Londooon. From the Big Ben, Chelsea and Mr. Bean, eh? ", says one of them, scratching his head covered by a scraggly thing he call hair.
Yes, I am. I'm Anna.
" We ain't asking yer name, girl. Look, there's this Chikusa thing..like, tradition. The transfer pays the lunch. Simple. Aite? ", says the only girl in the group, drawing her face closer to Anna's, smiling, yet said in a threatening tone.
Um, no. I never heard of such tradition. May I ask the teacher about this?
" Haha this little girl wantsa look for her sensei. Awwhh how sweet..but there'll have no need for that ", another guy with a lit cigarette (they let students smoke in school? ) grabbing her scarf. " Hey, this looks like a friggin' cute scarf. Looks expensive. She must be all rich, man ", motioning to his peers and incited their laugh. Anna glances at him and notices that he looks familiar. She recalled that she saw his face in the class. Bell was what his friends called him, if she's not mistaken. At this point, Anna fell into silence, being deep in thought. Not thinking how to escape, how to get help; whether she should scream. She's not that kind of girl. She is slowly anticipating what is likely to happen next and what is the best reaction. Her Karate instructor taught her that, before ceremoniously awarding her hard-earned blackbelt.
But one thing that Anna could never anticipate is the guy with the blue scarf slowly walking towards them..
Friday, March 13, 2009
Prologue of a Woman
If people say that coincidences happen randomly, I choose not to believe them.
2020 marks just another start of the world. Capitalism still holds the world by the throat. Strong nations still bully the weak. New technologies always seem to oppress people more than helping them. Nothing changed much.
What is different is that this year, I started school in Japan. Yes, a million miles away from home. Living in London had been luxuriously comfortable, thanks to my family's wealth. This makes Father's persistence to send me away to a school - Chikusa High School - in Japan rather puzzling indeed. The thought of that kept me awake throughout my long-haul flight to Japan.
I had only been to Japan once during my childhood years, and that was for a holiday. I don't know anyone there, but I hope to make a fresh start and get to make a lot of new friends. Getting into university never burdened my thoughts, I know that I can pass through the qualification exams without much difficulties. I'm sick of having to rely on my family's fortunes and this time, I want to make it on my own abilities.
It is 14th of April and Japan is in spring when I arrived. The blossoming sakuras are just breathtaking to watch. Looking at them and admiring their beauty, I cannot help but to feel a sense of sadness. Such beauty and such burst of life are only temporary; cursed to wither away and die a fleeting moment away. I closed my eyes for a moment to lose that feeling, but it failed. The blowing wind nearly blew my blue scarf away. That scarf, according to Father, is a part of the family heritage, but I treasure it so much as it reminds me of my late Mother. The thought of her smiles filled my head as I tightened the scarf around my neck, the tiny golden emblem on it glistening under the morning sun.
There is a huge tree planted in a park next to the school. Its size and the lush greeneries around it suggest that it had been there for hundreds of years. Realizing that it's still early, I took a seat under the tree, resting my tired legs. It was then I saw this boy. He was walking casually to school and looking really happy, perhaps enjoying the scenery. I felt a sudden sense of attraction to this guy, there is something about him that makes me want to know him more.
Hello! I said, trying to be friendly in my first day in school.
He doesn't seem to notice me (or is it because of that MP3 he's listening to?).
Hello!
Hello!
..and then he turned around towards the park. He was wearing the same blue scarf, His scarf having the same tiny golden emblem as mine did. Little did I know, as I stood there staring at him, and him staring at me; that something was already brewing up for us in the future.
2020 marks just another start of the world. Capitalism still holds the world by the throat. Strong nations still bully the weak. New technologies always seem to oppress people more than helping them. Nothing changed much.
What is different is that this year, I started school in Japan. Yes, a million miles away from home. Living in London had been luxuriously comfortable, thanks to my family's wealth. This makes Father's persistence to send me away to a school - Chikusa High School - in Japan rather puzzling indeed. The thought of that kept me awake throughout my long-haul flight to Japan.
I had only been to Japan once during my childhood years, and that was for a holiday. I don't know anyone there, but I hope to make a fresh start and get to make a lot of new friends. Getting into university never burdened my thoughts, I know that I can pass through the qualification exams without much difficulties. I'm sick of having to rely on my family's fortunes and this time, I want to make it on my own abilities.
It is 14th of April and Japan is in spring when I arrived. The blossoming sakuras are just breathtaking to watch. Looking at them and admiring their beauty, I cannot help but to feel a sense of sadness. Such beauty and such burst of life are only temporary; cursed to wither away and die a fleeting moment away. I closed my eyes for a moment to lose that feeling, but it failed. The blowing wind nearly blew my blue scarf away. That scarf, according to Father, is a part of the family heritage, but I treasure it so much as it reminds me of my late Mother. The thought of her smiles filled my head as I tightened the scarf around my neck, the tiny golden emblem on it glistening under the morning sun.
There is a huge tree planted in a park next to the school. Its size and the lush greeneries around it suggest that it had been there for hundreds of years. Realizing that it's still early, I took a seat under the tree, resting my tired legs. It was then I saw this boy. He was walking casually to school and looking really happy, perhaps enjoying the scenery. I felt a sudden sense of attraction to this guy, there is something about him that makes me want to know him more.
Hello! I said, trying to be friendly in my first day in school.
He doesn't seem to notice me (or is it because of that MP3 he's listening to?).
Hello!
Hello!
..and then he turned around towards the park. He was wearing the same blue scarf, His scarf having the same tiny golden emblem as mine did. Little did I know, as I stood there staring at him, and him staring at me; that something was already brewing up for us in the future.
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