Author's Note: This first chapter will be quite short, and I don't plan on the overall story being very long. In any case, this is my first real attempt at things, so I hope you love it.

The Red Strings Encompassing Fate's Flower

Keiko Yanagiri

Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter of Less Than 45 Seconds

It was a very hot afternoon, and warm droplets of sweat went down my face as I ran at full speed. I wasn't going anywhere in particular. In truth, I was worried about my weight a little; physical exams were coming up, and I wanted to be at my best. Hayate would have laughed at me if she knew I was so concerned, which was easy for her to do since she never seemed to put on any pounds.

I ran even faster now, thinking about her, not wanting to be humiliated. The sweat got into my eyes, and I used my arm to wipe it away, as I was blindly turning a corner.

"Ek!" A soft voice came out as I collided with something, or someone for that matter. My vision cleared up, and I found myself hanging over a very beautiful girl that looked to be about my age.

Her skin was pale, like she'd never seen the sun before. Her hair, brown like the autumn leaves, and her eyes were just as wonderful a color. They were wide, and her cheeks flushed, and I just stared at her for a few moments before realizing my stupidity.

"I'm sorry!" I got up off her, and extended my hand to the girl. Her delicate fingers touched mine; I pulled her up to her feet, and let her go. Noticing a parasol at her side, I reached down and grabbed it, handing it over. "I'm very sorry, I should have been paying attention."

"N-No . . . its no problem." She seemed a little frightened, and hung the umbrella over her, sighing with relief now that the sun being blocked by it.

There was a quiet period of time that passed, before the girl finally got the nerve to speak again. "I-I have to go."

"Y-Yeah." I stuttered out, and watched her pass me, moving along at a pleasant pace. I even noticed that from a distance she looked quite refined, and was also pretty from the back.

Once she was gone, her spell over me was broken and I was finally able to come back to reality. Shaking my head I started running again, filled with images of the beautiful girl under the parasol.