Chapter 1

As the bus pulled away from the stop, Yumi Fukuzawa, sixteen, got her first real look at the imposing gates that were the entrance to the Lillian Girl's Academy high school campus. The tall black, wrought iron gates, piercing an almost equally tall wall that ran left and right as far as the eye could see, stood wide open to admit the crowds of young school girls wending their way to school on this first day of the new term.

She had been going to school at Lillian since her first day of kindergarten. Lillian was a Catholic school for upper-class girls renowned throughout Japan for historically turning out ladies of culture that could mingle with the best of high society. Yumi thought that they probably had their hands full when it came to her.

Her father, Yuichiro, owned and ran his own architectural design company from his home office. She guessed that this technically gave him the titles of Owner and Chief Executive Officer of a small company and therefore made him qualified to send his only daughter to this exclusive private school, but they didn't live in a mansion or own a vacation home. They had no estate, no servants, and only the single car to share between her parents. Yumi and her family lived in a modest western style home roughly twenty minutes by bus from Lillian. Her mother, Miki, was just your typical modern housewife even if she was an alumnus of Lillian herself. Her younger brother, Yuuki, was a brand new first-year student at Hanadera Academy, a private all-boys school located just on the other side of the same high hill as Lillian.

In other words, her family was majestically middle-class.

She had no great family history or lineage, no pretensions to high society, and no anticipation of moving in those rarified circles anytime in the future. She was an average student, neither excelling nor failing in any single course of study, had never been a member of any school clubs and had never acted out in classes, or anywhere else for that matter, requiring a visit to the Discipline Office.

Even looks-wise she was fairly nondescript. Not overly tall or short, not overly large or skinny, certainly not what anyone would call buxom (but she still harbored some small hope in that area) there was nothing about her body that would attract the eye. Her hair was a light brown that was a pain to manage so she typically kept it in two pigtails gathered on either side of her head and decorated with ribbons. Her eye color had been compared to mocha, chocolate, and coffee but was, in her opinion, simply brown. The best anyone (other than her family) had ever said of her was that she was "cute".

Yumi turned towards the pedestrian overpass that would allow her to cross the road in safety and was quickly caught up in the bustle of students and morning commuters all heading in the same direction. She allowed herself to be jostled and steered from one side to another, much like a leaf caught in the current of a strong moving stream, always moving forward but making no impact on those around her. It was a good analogy for her life up to this point, she thought.

She had made a couple of friends or acquaintances over her career at Lillian, but no one she felt she could call on in times of need, go shopping with, or simply chat with on the phone. Most of her classmates, if they ever spoke to her, were interested in her homework notes or whether she understood the latest math formula. She was the quiet girl in the back of the class that, since no one really knew much about her, people would say "good day" to when she arrived or left, but not much more.

All of this meant that she was just your basic, typical, average teenager although maybe a little introverted and on the quiet side. She had never had any great desire to stand out from the crowd and, if Lillian was supposed to make a "Lady" of her, she felt that they had an almost impossible task ahead of them; not that she would make it difficult, she simply had no foundation upon which they could build.

None of which ever really crossed her mind unless she was trying to compare herself to someone else. In her opinion, she was simply beneath notice and believed this to be the natural order of things.

By the time she was able to extricate herself from the bustling crowd of schoolgirls she was already half-way down the tree lined path that led from the main gate to the various buildings on campus. She stood off to the side a moment to catch her breath and watch the groups of girls as they made their way deeper into the school grounds. It was fairly easy to determine which ones were first-years and which were upper-classmen. The heads of the first-year students tended to swivel from side-to-side as they tried to take in all the new sights. Their faces were also uniformly anxious, a small smile indicating that they were happy to be entering this prestigious high school, but their eyes held just a hint of fear for what the future might hold for them. Even those giggling and talking with their friends carried the same look of anxiety in their eyes.

Yumi was sure she was no different in that respect. She had no idea whether she would ever be able to fit into the mold of a "Lillian Maiden". Would she finally be able to make a friend or two, or would she simply continue to blend into the crowd of girls in their dark green, one piece uniforms with its pleated skirt, white sailor collar and neatly tied matching scarf.

Looking forward towards her high school career, she would be more than happy if she could just make a friend or two. She had no expectation of ever being chosen to be someone's petite soeur. For her to hope to be singled out and asked to be the petite soeur of an upperclassman, in Yumi's mind, would be the height of arrogance.

As the crowds of students began to dwindle, Yumi resumed her slow walk towards the school buildings and the postings of class assignments for new students. She continued to watch the groups of girls around her, hoping to see one or two familiar faces with which she could hope to talk, but had no such luck.

The path she had been following abruptly split into two separate paths. According to the map in her student handbook the left hand path would lead her towards the administration and education buildings which were her destination this morning; but directly in front of her, cupped between the two paths, was a small grove of trees with an ornamental garden. In the center of that area, predominant in its location and beauty, was a stone statue of the Virgin Mary. It was tradition that students passing before the statue would stop and offer a brief prayer to Maria-sama before continuing on their way.

Yumi waited for her turn and then said a short, unassuming prayer for guidance and the continued health of her family before she turned and headed towards the large gathering of first years she could just see down the slight incline.

That must be where the room assignments are posted, she thought.

Yumi wandered up to the rear of the gaggle of girls and searched for her name. There, Fukuzawa Yumi, First Year, Peach Class. She followed another group of girls that were headed in the direction of the education building and entered the first floor. A sign indicated the direction to the various first-year classrooms. She followed the directions to her assigned room saw the large, temporary "Peach" sign above each of the two doors to the class. Luckily both doors were open and she could glance in to see if she recognized anyone before having to actually enter the room and search for her assigned seat.

Ah, she recognized Katsura-san from a previous class so she would know at least one face in the room. They had spoken some before but she would be one of those that would be classified as an acquaintance. She made her way into the room and checked the seating chart. She was number 35, so that would put her over by the window on one of the rows towards the back.

"Good day, Katsura-san," she greeted the girl as she found her seat and settled in.

"Good day, um, oh, Yumi-san," Katsura fumbled before remembering Yumi's name. "It's very good to see you again. I haven't recognized many faces, so it's nice to have at least one person to talk to," she smiled, "would you mind, after they allow us to change seats, if I sit near you?"

"Please, be my guest," Yumi replied with a smile. Maybe things won't be as bad as I thought.

The bell toned and everyone moved to their seats as the teacher entered the room. They said a prayer over the PA system and then they all sang the morning hymn. The teacher then called roll, matching faces with names, and then allowed everyone to switch their assigned seating.

Katsura quickly grabbed her things and took the desk directly in front of Yumi, sighing in relief as she put everything away.

"I was so scared that I wouldn't know anyone," she whispered to Yumi as the teacher began reading the announcements for the day. The opening ceremony would occur in about a half hour in the gymnasium and then the students would be released for the day. Books were handed out along with an updated list of items that would be needed throughout the year. Yumi looked it over quickly and decided that they had all of the newly listed items already at home; left over from last year or extras from Yuuki's list.

With the dismissal from homeroom, Yumi and Katsura walked together to the gymnasium.

"Did you do anything over break?" Katsura asked.

"Nothing more than the mandatory reading," Yumi replied, "My father had a project due and so we didn't have an opportunity go anywhere. How about you Katsura-san?"

"We went out to see my grandmother in the country," she said with another sigh. "I love her, but there is absolutely nothing to do out where she lives. I read and did some knitting, but not much more than that."

"Well, quiet times have their own benefits as well," Yumi opined.

"How true. Thank you Yumi-san," she laughed, "do you always try to find the silver lining in every situation?"

"Only when there is one to find," Yumi giggled.

Yes, this year might be better than she had originally hoped.

By the start of the next week Yumi's life had seemed to settle into a gentle routine. She had met one other girl in her class that seemed to be willing to spend some time with her; although the girl seemed to always want to take her picture.

Tsutako Takeshima had already joined the photography club and proclaimed herself to be the clubs "Ace". She always carried her digital camera with her and only seemed to put it down when class was actively in session. Yumi never knew where she would turn up, camera in hand, snapping photo after photo. She had actually shown Yumi a photo she had taken of her while she had been standing off to the side of the path watching the crowds pass by the first day of school. Yumi had been right, the photo showed a girl with fear in her eyes even as she studied the same fear in others. But somehow Tsutako-san had been able to capture just the right angle or just the right light because, despite the fear in her eyes, it was still the best picture she had ever seen of herself.

Tsutako made a copy and gave it to her as a gift, no strings attached. This seemed to be a major concession on Tsutako's part. The Lillian Kawaraban, the school's newspaper, had already used a number of her photos in their first edition of the year. The rumor was that Tsutako was always paid for her pictures, but the rumor had failed to say exactly what that price was.

As she was flipping through the photos Tsutako had taken that first day as she had run around campus before homeroom, Yumi came across one that stopped her cold. She couldn't believe she went to the same school as anyone that beautiful. Even in the stillness of the photo, she could see the grace with which the girl would glide across the ground. The girl had blue-black hair almost to her waist that seemed to give off its own light. Her skin was the color of porcelain or new ivory and seemed softer than a newborn's. Her features were aristocratic and classically beautiful with full, rosy red lips, high cheekbones, and a straight, narrow perfectly shaped nose. But it was her eyes that most arrested her; they were the most beautiful shade of sapphire she had ever seen.

"That is the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton, Sachiko Ogasawara," Tsutako said taking the photo from Yumi's trembling fingers. Her eyes tracked it as Tsutako held it up for inspection. "She is the petite soeur of Youko Mizuno, the Rosa Chinensis of the Yamayurikai. She's a second year in Pine class. It's said that her family is descended from nobility, a true princess, and her grandfather and father jointly run the Ogasawara Zaibatsu. Supposedly even MacArthur listened when her grandfather spoke."

"S-she's b-beautiful," Yumi stammered.

"She does have her charms," Tsutako commented looking at the picture with a slight frown, "but she is also rumored to be one of the coldest fish on campus with a real temper if you cross her. I hear she has mellowed a bit since she became Youko-sama's petite soeur, but she is still a very scary person."

"How can someone this beautiful be scary?" Yumi asked with a large amount of skepticism.

"Even the most beautiful roses have their thorns," Tsutako answered seriously. "You wouldn't the only member of the Sachiko-sama fan club. I sometimes think that half the school is secretly in love with her. Just be careful you don't get too close. Those thorns can pierce your heart as easily as your fingers."

It was one of the strangest conversations that Yumi could ever remember having, but she knew that Tsutako was trying to watch over her by giving her these of warning.

"Thank you, Tsutako-san," she said sincerely, "I will take your words to heart and, if I decide to join this fan club, I will remember to do so only from a safe distance," she finished with a smirk.

"Good girl," Tsutako said with an answering smile and patting Yumi on the head.