Prologue is short; normal chapters will be much longer.

*Prologue and Ch. 1 edited on 5/21/15

+-As Radiant as the Sun-+

"I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun."
― Suzanne Collins

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Prologue

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The first thing most people noticed about Sasaki Botan were her eyes; a deep pink that seemed to glow in the right light – one of the many colors a peony flower blooms in, and the main reasoning for her given name. She seemed perfectly normal otherwise, what with her long black hair, pale skin, and pretty smile. She was, in essence, a stereotypical Japanese youth upon first glance.

The second thing that people noticed about Sasaki Botan is that she just seemed to just know truth from fiction. For example, when Kobayashi Naomi's last boyfriend had claimed he would never cheat on her, Botan had automatically responded with a resounding "liar" which had ultimately led to the truth, and the truth to the couple's breakup. Said breakup had also led to the dark haired, pink eyed girl earning a new friend in the bubbly, brown-eyed brunette who was simply fascinated by Botan's ability as a human lie detector.

If given the chance to explain herself Botan would simply say that she was observant; the gestures people made, the tone of their voices. She just… noticed things. Not once had someone been able to successfully lie to her, though she wasn't usually one to call people out on it unless it was a harmful lie. But even then she found it hard to say something if it didn't affect her in any way, as doing so had had bad consequences in the past.

She was fine with that though; not telling people. Thanks to Naomi's nosy nature and her brother's affiliation (and drinking tendencies) to that strange police-like group Scepter 4, they'd discovered the term 'strain.' And according to Naomi's brother strains were dangerous and needed to be registered and monitored – which, apparently, most were as children upon taking a specific test.

Botan did not remember such a test – but she figured she must not have shown anything worth registering, considering how nice he was to her (and he was being truthful and genuine with his niceties).

There was one thing she was certain of though – she did not want to be some human zoo animal and she didn't want to be discriminated against for being a human lie detector; if she was, in fact, a strain.

Naomi didn't want that either.

So the girls made a pact to keep Botan's knowing-ness a secret, to never keep secrets from each other, and to, of course, be the best of friends for as long as they lived (Simple in thought, hard in nature).

Neither expected anything odd or strange to happen, for their otherwise normal lives to veer off course onto the path leading to abnormal (Not that things weren't already somewhat abnormal, what with Botan's ability). A path of clans and colored auras and kings. A more dangerous path. A more exciting, friend filled, dangerous path.

It was all because Sasaki Botan was a notorious klutz.

She'd just wanted to pick up some dinner, an innocent bag of takeout was all she'd wanted. But she just had to trip into the arms of someone that would set her world on fire.

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Orange nails dug into Botan's shoulders as Naomi spluttered and shook with laughter, "Y-you did what?"

Another snort followed by a stream of giggles.

"I-it was an accident!" Botan slapped away her friend's grabby hands, her face so red that her ears were practically blowing steam, "He just – I just – Stop laughing!"

"But that," Naomi wheezed slightly, her face cheery and red from laughing, "That was your –"

Botan slapped her hand over the brunette's mouth, "It doesn't count!"

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Sasaki Botan – Wren; Peony – 佐々木; 牡丹

Age: 17 going on 18

Height: 5'2"

Eyes: Pink; a couple of shades darker than hot pink (same pink as a darker pink peony)

Hair: Black and curled in soft ringlets with side swept bangs; reaches just below her bust.

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Kobayashi Naomi – Small forest ;Honest beauty – 小林;直美

Age: 17 going on 18

Height: 5'3"

Eyes: Dark, almost black, brown

Hair: Warm, medium brown. Straight to her shoulders and flips up at the ends; hime bangs.

*Both are incoming seniors at Ashinaka High School.

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