( 1x1 Amaru & ForeverKnight )

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Kyoto, Japan. December 12th, 2010. (Present)

Kihaku groaned when his alarm went off, and shifted around beneath the covers on his bed. An arm slid out and felt for the alarm before pressing at the *SLEEP* button, shutting it off and ceasing the beep he had come to despise throughout the school year.

'One more week,' Kihaku thought to himself. 'Then I'm through with alarms until the new year...' He sighed dreamily before thrashing around in his covers until he kicked them off the bed. He sat up, running a hand through his hair, matting it down as he pulled on some pajama shorts over his boxers.

Kihaku moved over to his dresser, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He looked like hell, covered in sweat even though it was freezing outside with the recent snow. He glanced at his alarm clock. "6:47... I've got time for a shower and a bite to eat." He murmured underneath his breath before pulling out a black long sleeve t-shirt, ratty jeans, a clean pair of boxers and socks.

He moved out into the hallway and shuffled along til he reached the bathroom, walking right in without asking. His mother was at the sink, brushing her teeth. She flashed him a beautiful smile. "Morning, Kihaku. Did you sleep well?"

Kihaku managed a smile for his mother's sake, and waited until she finished before kicking her out so he could undress. Running some hot water in the shower, he stepped in and felt it cascading down his body, cleansing the night's sweat from his skin.

After finishing up in the bathroom, he stepped out dried and fully clothed, rubbing a towel at his hair. He never usually brushed it. Kihaku made his way down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, heading for the cabinet. He grabbed a box of cereal, a bowel, and a spoon and set it all on the table.

Turning for the fridge, he got the milk out and set it on the table as well before taking a seat again. Sitting across from him was his father, reading away at the newspaper.

Kihaku poured his cereal, then his milk and began to eat away. He hurried though, because he wanted to get to school before morning traffic set in. After finishing, he dutifully put everything away and gave his father a hug, then ran to the door. He yanked his coat off the rack and slipped into his sneakers before throwing the coat on. He grabbed his gloves out of the pocket and yanked them on, then pulled out his headphones and eased them onto his ears before grabbing up his backpack.

He reached into the pocket and hit play, and the music blared into his ears as he rushed out into the cold, buttoning up his coat and beginning the walk to school. It didn't take him long. When he arrived, barely half of the students all ready dwindled in and were standing around at their lockers, chatting away.

Kihaku sighed and glanced down each hallway before pulling off his headphones and leaving them on his neck, turning off the music and unbuttoning his coat. "Another boring day in the story of my life..." He muttered to himself.

The digital clock glowed an alien green in the dark of the room. 5:59 AM. Anton narrowed his eyes, pulling the covers up over them so that all he could see was the fuzzy outline of the digits. Any second now, any second now... There was a harsh beeeeeeeeee tone. Anton flung the covers from his torso and brought his fist down on the snooze button. Apparently, he was a little too forceful; there was a cracking noise. "Second one this semester..." he muttered to himself, grimacing.

The truth was that he actually was very fond of alarm clocks. They were such a useful invention, and it was sort of like having a friend there to nudge your shoulder. There were only two problems: 1) Since moving to Kyoto, he could only find alarm clocks which were terribly high pitched and frustrating to hear, and 2) he wasn't getting any sleep anyhow, so it was like having someone nudge your shoulder when you were already awake. It wasn't that he was an insomniac -- it was that his grandparents demanded they speak to him everyday, and, allowing for time differences, he never got properly to sleep until around midnight, at which point it was fitful, miserable sleeping.

He stood, stretching, surveying his small apartment. He could've easily afforded a larger one, but he wanted a confined space. A cluttered space. There would be no room for loneliness in such an apartment. He went over to his desk, where a pile of mostly clean laundry had been haphazardously tossed the day before. Picking out what looked to be his school uniform, he dressed hurriedly, brushed his teeth, and paused to look at his hair. He grimaced, pushing a few strands here or there before giving up, and heading out the door.

He checked his watch. 6:23 AM. If he ran, he'd be able to catch the train in time. He was always hurried in the mornings, since his apartment was a pretty large distance from the school, but he preferred it this way. There was no chance of running into his classmates when he didn't want to see them. On the train, he kept his nose tucked tightly into a novel, which he kept in front of his face when he got off the train and walked leisurely from the station to the school -- a ten minute distance.

As he entered the building, saw that there were still very few people. Anton scowled. He hated being early. He hated being late. Ideally, he'd just show up to school and class would start right then. Being tutored had spoiled him.

"Another boring day in the story of my life..."

Anton overheard the words from someone standing nearby him. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw an unhappy looking boy, headphones around his neck. "You can say that again," Anton muttered, partly to himself, and partly to the boy.

Kihaku hadn't noticed that another student entered behind him, and he almost jumped upon hearing his voice. He looked over his shoulder, towards the direction of the voice, and looked up into a face he did not recognize.

He didn't make a point to know everyone in school, but he did notice faces. It was sort of his thing, in case he ever became friends with them. He'd just associate a face with their name, and remember them easily.

"Another boring day in the story of my life," Kihaku remarked as he repeated the phrase. He didn't stand around long enough to find out whether or not the new kid laughed at the little joke or not. He turned left and was heading down the hall to find his locker so he could put up what he didn't need to bring to class, such as his coat.

Once arriving at his locker, he quickly twisted in the combination and yanked it open. A lot of the lockers in school were old, and needed a little abuse now and then. He slipped out of his backpack and pulled off his gloves before shoving them into his coat pocket. He shrugged out of his coat and hung it up in his locker, then paused to roll up his sleeves before slamming it shut and twisting the knob towards 0. He bent down to collect his backpack and noticed it was open. He immediately shot up and looked around.

Standing there, not quite five feet away was the local prep and bully of the school, Ace Hammerschmitte. Another foreign exchange student who had been coming to this school even longer than Kihaku, and loved picking on the unpopular ones. He was holding Kihaku's math book, which was his next period. "Hehehe, looking for something pipsqueak?" Ace sneered. He was 6'3" and technically towered over Kihaku.

It took a moment for Anton to realize that he was standing still. Technically, he should've been moving in the direction of his next class, but as things were, he was a little surprised. Startled, even. Had that kid seriously answered him? It wasn't that Anton was expecting to be ignored, exactly; it was just that most days, if he were to make a careless comment, the person it was directed at would sort of smile, or nod, and move on. He had gotten used to it. Being a foreigner meant you were always a little bit outside of the group.

Anton quickly shook his head, snapping himself out of it. What did it matter if someone spoke to him or not? Annoyed with himself, he hunched his shoulders down and ambled over to his locker, not paying attention as he spun the dial through the correct combination. It was a lock he had brought from home, the same one he had been using whatever box he held his valuables in during his childhood (the box changed over time, but the lock stayed the same). At this point, he knew the string of numbers like muscle memory. Unfortunately, he had done this automatic action without thinking, and having opened his locker, he realized he didn't actually need to put anything in it or take anything from it. A little embarrassed, he kicked it shut once more, pushing the lock closed, and shuffling away.

He was not looking where he was going, so he did not notice the 6'3" muscular student standing before him until he had walked straight into his back. "Hey, watch where you're going, asshole," he snapped, even though he realized that he was the one who had walked straight into this kid, not the other way around. He regretted his words almost instantly, when he realized just how strong this student looked, just how much taller 6'3" was in comparison to 5'10", and most of all, the fact that this student was holding someone's math book aloft in the air. In perfect position to swing it down on Anton's head. ... shit.

Ace felt something smack into his backside, and heard each word perfectly... "Hey, watch where you're going, asshole," Growling, he turned and looked down into Anton's face. "What the hell did you just say to me, short shit?" He snarled and was indeed about to bash him in the head with the math book when Kihaku intervened.

"Hey jockstrap, why don't you leave him alone? He can't help that your fat ass takes up most of the hallway." Kihaku jested at Ace, which got his attention, and the rest of the hallway as kids burst out laughing. Now Ace was fuming in the face, and looked like he was about to beat some ass when the bell rang for the students to get to class.

"You're both a couple of lucky pricks. I'll see you two during lunch," Ace spat and walked off with Kihaku's text book before dumping it into the nearest trashcan. Kihaku sighed and picked up his backpack, walking over to the new kid.

"That was a close call..." He murmured. "It's best to keep your head down when Ace is around. That way he won't focus on kicking your ass..." Kihaku mumbled under his breath to the foreigner.

Anton blinked down at the kid. A few replies were running through his head, retorts like, I could've taken him anyway, or my dad's clinically insane and my mom's a goddamn ballerina, you think I'm not used to being made fun of and fighting? but the truth was, neither of those were true. It would've made sense if they had been, but Anton was enough of a liar and a sneak that he'd always managed to weasel his way out of any bad situations. One thing he definitely would never have done would be to stick his neck out for some random student he didn't even know. And yet, the kid standing in front of him had done just that. Anton wasn't sure whether to feel ashamed or annoyed. If he felt ashamed, though, he'd have to admit that he was wrong for always being a coward.

Annoyance it was, then. He frowned. "And who are you, giving me all this wise advice?" he said, his tone harsh. It didn't feel right, though. He had no reason to be angry at this person. He didn't particularly want to be angry at him. Besides, the kid looked so fragile, his frame was so slight, it seemed like if you spoke to cruelly to him, you might knock him over. He stood up to that Ace kid well enough, though... Anton thought absently.

But that wasn't the point. This person had done something kind for him. It's not like I asked him to help me! Anton thought, not realizing that as he was having this internal argument, he continued to glare at the kid in front of him. I should just say thanks and get it over with, one side of him thought. But why was he sticking his neck out for me anyway? Does he want me to owe him, or something? Does he expect me to return the favor? another side of him retorted, leaving him, ultimately, unable to say anything. All he could do was wait for the kid to respond. Maybe he'll just run away. We've got to get to class anyhow. With this thought, Anton straightened his backpack over his shoulder, ready to make a dash for the class doorway, but lingering just a moment, in case the person should say something.

Kihaku had no idea why he had just stuck his neck out for this new kid. Of all people to stick his neck out for, and to protect them from Ace, no less. But... He supposed he saw a little of himself in the new kid. New school, new faces, on the wrong side of everything.

"I don't want to keep you from class. The teachers here aren't exactly fond of new students, and it just fuels their stereotypes when you're late." He mumbled and moved away towards the trashcan. He sighed and reached in, silently thanking that the janitors had emptied it the night before, and stuck it in his backpack before shuffling down the hallway to his next classroom. He looked so downtrodden, and world weary.

"It just fuels their stereotypes when you're late." Anton watched as the kid shuffled away. He still didn't know his name. He opened his mouth to make some remark, and then shut it. He fumbled for words, as if he could pull something witty out of the air through magic. Of course, it was impossible. Resignedly, he called down the hall, "Thanks." Half of him hoped the kid didn't hear. Well, more like 75% of him. 75% of Anton wanted this kid to be like any other: a part of the background, a piece of scenery on the stage of his life. Still, a little 25% of him still couldn't believe that there were people in the world who would just stick up for others. A quality like that sort of glimmered, and Anton didn't want that glimmer to go out of sight.

It wasn't necessarily a good thing. It was just fascinating to watch, like a painter creating art, or a car crash in motion. You just wanted to see how it would end up.

With a start, Anton realized that he was standing still, again, and that if he didn't hurry up, the late bell would ring. Shit! he thought, wondering if maybe that would become his personal mantra for the year. He fumbled in his pocket, pulling out the crumpled sheet with his schedule. First Period - Math - Room 217. He glanced up at the room closest to him. Room 117.

Shit! He stuffed the schedule once again into his pocket and dashed down the hall, narrowly dodging other students, nearly knocking over a few of the shorter ones. He made it to the flight of stairs, taking them two at a time, and was just slipping around the bend of the hall, coming to a skidding halt outside of room 217, when the bell rang. He had his finger on the door handle. Aaaand I'm late. He grimaced, pulling the door open and sliding through, trying to be as unnoticeable as possible. Not that it did him any good, for as soon as she saw him, the teacher realized he was a new student, and made him go stand at the front of the room for the customary self introduction.

Anton sighed. "My name is Anton Kierkegaard. I came here from Russia. I hope we can all become great friends. Please treat me kindly." He spoke in a monotone, repeating whatever nonsense introduction he had heard others around him say before.