Chapter 1-Obligation

I have it burned into my few brain cells (as I know an endless number of my fellow classmates have told me how stupid I am and how I should just shut up) the very moment I lost my heart to my dark angel. As long as I can remember my family has owned the Green Acres bakery just a few blocks down the street to the town's premier grade school, Akademi HS. The mobs of students in uniform in the morning, glazed tile floor, bank of gleaming baking ovens, stainless steel prep tables, and smell of fresh baguettes have been as much a part of my childhood memories as my home above the shop. Despite the store's popularity the Gurin family has always been looked down in Buraza as a bunch of airheaded motormouths. I wonder why that's true? Is it because we're naturally inquisitive? Is it because we're easily confused, and like to ask the obvious? Do people hate our emerald eyes and hair? Am we just annoying? Yes to all of the above?

Anyway…where was I?

It was the third trimester of my second year at Miduru MS, and I tried my best to put on a cheerful face despite being the shunned by all my classmates for my quirks. I whistled as I walked down the busy street to my Middle school in early February, bundled up in a lime green jacket, and pine green scarf. I tried hard to push the gnawing pain out of my mind as my schoolmates rushed by having animated conversations in pairs and small groups but completely ignoring me.

Suddenly I heard a shriek ahead of me, "Eww! Gross! It's a dying bird!"

Her friend chimed in, "Don't touch it! You'll get sick!"

I rushed over and saw a blood spotted pigeon with grey plumage and brilliant orange eyes fluttering weakly on the sidewalk, under a cracked shop window. I gasped, "Oh my gosh! Is it the birdie hurt?"

One of the school queen bees named Sunobu with an imperious sneer in her fushia eyes sniffed airily down at me as I gathered up the gravely injured bird in my shaking hands. She brushed back her styled violet hair and tittered, "It has a broken neck my dear, empty-headed fool!"

Her fawning toady laughed at me as the pigeon dribbled blood onto my pleated skirt, "Ew, stay away from us you filthy girl!"

I shivered as I was assaulted by their cruel stares and crueler words. I pleaded pathetically, "B-but can't we do something to help it?"

The girls around me all laughed derisively at my question. I squeezed my eyes shut, and I felt tears stream down my cheeks.

Directly behind me, a sinister alto voice that chilled the air to below zero slashed the student's laughter to ribbons, "Shut up."

I heard the drama club leader start to protest, "Aishi-san, h-how dare y-"

The uncaring monotone voice cut in, "Leave. Now."

I heard a hitch in Sunobu-senpai's voice, "W-we have to depart anyway. Emiko-chan, let's go before we're tardy!"

"Y-y-yeah!"

I heard the rapid dash of receding footsteps as the new girl walked around and crouched in front of me as I felt the light tickle of her breath on my face. I tentatively opened my eyes and saw a girl one year my senior stare at me with unblinking charcoal grey eyes that were more doll-like than human. Her raven hair was cut in a practical bob haircut. I wiped at my eyes as Aishi Ayano stared at me impassively as she took off the wrapped bento cloth cover off her lunch box and placed it on the ground. She donned a pair of black nitrile gloves from her bag, reached out and picked up the pigeon out of my bloodstained hands, and gently deposited it on the cloth.

I stammered out "A-a-aishi-senpai, I'm Gurin Midori! How do you do?" I foolishly extended my bloodstained hand, and wasn't at all surprised when she ignored the idiotic gesture. I asked as I wiped my tears away with my wrists, "How are you going to keep your bento together without the wrap?"

She calmly removed the gloves, and tossed the away. She then took out a small plastic jar from her satchel, and pulled out a few black cable ties to secure her lunch boxes.

My eyes widened, "Wow! Why do you have those in your bookbag?"

She looked back at me with a blank face, without answering my question.

I felt like a bug under a magnifying glass as I shivered under her implacable, unreadable expression, "T-thanks for helping me out."

Her icy voice bore into me, "I did not do it for you."

"S-sure! What about the birdie?"

She quickly wrapped up the pigeon, and stood up. She extended her hand to me.

"I um, my hands are all messy. I'll get up mys-"

Her response was to forcefully take my wrists and pull me up with a strength that I hadn't anticipated. Our noses almost collided, as I instinctively hopped a step backwards, and I felt an intense tingling down my spine at her forceful contact. I guess she wasn't put off by the blood? I kicked my ankle lightly with my other toe bashfully, and fidgeted slightly, "Thanks Aishi-senpai! You're so cool! You're the very first schoolmate who has been nice to me. I'm h-happy that we finally got to say hello!"

She handed me some alcohol wipes to clean off my hands, and shook her head, "I'm not nice."

I cleaned the blood off my hands and threw the wipes into a nearby trash can, and was surprised at her response. "Huh? Why say that?"

"This is why." To my abject horror, she raised her right foot and brought it down on the bird with a sickening crunch!

I nearly threw up my breakfast, and just barely managed to keep it down! My head spun crazily as I felt sour acid in my mouth. I started to sob, my knees quivering uncontrollably and choked out, "W-why, senpai? How could you? God, why did you do that?"

Her expression briefly flickered, as she picked up the morbid bloodstained cloth parcel, "Mercy kill." She turned around, and then looked back at me with a faint air of sadness, "Stay away from me, Gurin-san." She departed with the dead pigeon leaving me beside myself with a thousand questions that I couldn't answer.

…

I cried myself to sleep that night and comforted myself over the next few days by playing horror-themed online games on my computer, and reading up on my Future Diary manga. My folks have never been able to explain why I was drawn to gothic stories from as soon as I could read. Why did I always prefer Frankenstein and Dracula over Cat in the Hat and Goodnight Moon? Was it an inexplicable compulsion? Despite my cheerful demeanor, I have always been a sucker for tragic tales of monsters both inhuman and all too human. From our brief encounter, I could almost predict that Aishi-senpai could end up as a serial killer someday. Didn't many killers start out by torturing animals as kids?

However there were issues with that idea. If she was as heartless as she appeared, why had she borrowed a spade from the gardening shed and used it to bury the dead bird in the school flower bed, and spoken a brief prayer over its grave? Why did she kill the mortally wounded bird instantly instead of making it suffer? A remorseless killer wouldn't properly bury her prey; she'd use the incinerator or a trash can, wouldn't she?

A few days later just before I left for school in the pouring rain, I nervously tucked a hand wrapped package into my satchel. Surely she wouldn't even accept them would she? She had all but ordered me never to talk to her again. But I felt I had an need to repay her kindness which was a duty I knew I couldn't shirk. I needed to approach her and convey my appreciation, even if I was brusquely turned away. I waited until I saw her pass through the foyer and switch to her school shoes. I would just leave my obligation gift in her shoe locker, and she wouldn't have to be embarrassed by my company. I shook the rain off my neon green umbrella, gently opened the teal metal locker labeled Aishi Ayano, and blinked in disbelief at the contents inside with my mouth agape. I was stunned there were no Valentine's gifts in her locker at all. I hastily nestled the letter and homemade wrapped mint chocolates atop her street shoes, still in shock. I was certain that someone as amazing as her would have a locker filled-

That cold voice cut into me like an ice pick to my brain, and made me shudder all over. "What are you doing, Gurin-san?"

I whirled around and saw Aishi-senpai stare at me with a befuddled expression. I sputtered, "Wha..I…um…I…nice day isn't it?"

She looked out the door at the steady rainfall and back at me with a flinty expression. "No."

I crumpled inside and sheepishly retrieved my Valentine's present. "I-I am sorry to bother you. You wouldn't like obligation chocolates from an annoying and ditzy girl like me would you?"

"Why me?" Her melancholy eyes seemed to be daring me to say something.

I braced myself for the inevitable rejection and held out my present with both hands outstretched, "T-this is for you, Aishi-senpai!"

A few seconds ticked by as I had to fight down the urge to flee with every iota of my willpower. I waited for the boom to fall any second where she would turn on her heel or knock my gift to the floor and stomp on it just as she had done with the crippled bird. I was completely taken by surprise as she accepted the small package with a confused expression, and unwrapped the small box of green-tinted layered chocolates.

My pathetic, earnest words erupted like a lava flow from Mount Asama. "I made them myself! The chocolates are made up of equal amounts of mint chocolate and dark chocolate. The cloth wrapping is to replace the one you sacrificed from your boxed lunch. I know its tradition for girls to give out treats today, but I swear it's simply to express the fact I like you! Well I do like you…but not like that! You know what I mean right? Its just I saw you give the bird a proper funeral in the flowerbed and I can see despite your ominous reputation that you're a kind girl that I admire. Although it's not like a lovers kind of like! Right?" My furious blush felt like it ran all the way down my body!

To my surprise she popped one of the chocolates in her mouth, and chewed on it with an introspective look. She nodded once and looked at me solemnly, "This is really good. Thank you." She bowed and turned around to head to her classroom.

Wow. She's so awesome, isn't she?

…

Late in March, I giddily bounced in my seat and I had my green flip-phone out ready to take pictures of the gym stage as the graduates walked up to receive their graduation scrolls. After nearly an hour of sitting in the muggy air sitting through the boring speeches I felt rising excitement as the first graduates mounted the stairs. As soon as I saw Aishi shake the principal's hand I snapped as many pictures as I could manage and then I stood up and whooped, "Woo-hoo! You did it Aishi-senpai! You rule!" No one else cheered for her, but glaring students around me tugged on my uniform in annoyance. I gave her a cheerful whistle and sat down again, beaming from ear to ear.

I saw the dark haired girl look over to me with a surprised expression, but she quickly collected herself and proceeded to the end of the stage.

Finally after the endless ceremony I ran out and went looking for my folks. My father in his worn blue suit chuckled as he tousled up my shoulder-length green hair. "Did you have fun sweetie?"

I shook my head, "Nope! It was super dull, except seeing Aishi-senpai graduate!"

I could see a twinkle in his kindly blue eyes, "Yeah, it will be more fun next year when it's your turn."

My mom came over and gave me a hug, her green eyes sparkling. She was short and slender with her green hair tucked into an elaborate bun, and looked stylish in her dark green kimono decorated with light green flowers. "You are now officially a third year middle school student. Do you feel any different?"

"Nope!" We all laughed.

"Gurin-san?"

We turned to see Aishi-senpai accompanied by her matronly mother and wiry-thin, weary looking father. I impulsively gave my friend a crushing hug. She seemed agitated, but didn't push me off. "Congratulations, Aishi-senpai! I'm sorry we won't be in the same school next year!"

Aishi's mother looked remarkably like her daughter with the same clinical grey eyes and dark hair. She chuckled amusedly behind her hand. "Awww, how adorable! Is this the one, Yan-chan?"

Aishi-senpai shook her head as she looked at me, "No mother, I haven't met the one yet. Gurin-san is just a schoolmate."

Her mother smiled in a way that chilled my blood, "It's alright. You'll meet the one someday. After all I found my one true love, right dear?"

His brown eyes regarded his spouse with a listless expression, "Yes dear."

My parents bowed to the Aishi family. My father piped up, "Great to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Aishi. Are you happy to see your daughter graduate?"

Her mother giggled again, "What a silly question. Of course we are! She's such a smart girl, and we know she's onto great things!"

Aishi spoke flatly, "Thank you mother."

My mother beamed, "My, My! Midori-chan says such great things about Ayano-chan! She's never been happier. Aren't they great friends?"

"Certainly, Mrs. Gurin. It's so nice to see Ayano-chan open up to her classmates. Isn't that right my love?"

Her father spoke quietly, "Yes dear."

I smiled to Aishi-senpai, "I'll text you every day, so it will be like we're still together when you start Akedemi High School next month! Won't you text me back?"

She looked at me seriously and gave a slight nod, "I will."

Her mother flashed a wide smile, "Well it was great to meet your daughter. We'll see you around. Take care!"

I watched the three of them walk away and earnestly hoped to join her at Akedemi HS as soon as I could! Why can't time move faster?