EDIT: Hello! Thank you for checking out my story. I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I'm trying to use this story to improve as an author. Your feedback will be really helpful in that. I just want to see if you're thinking what I'm picturing. With that, I can really improve on specific aspects of the story. If you find something to be horrendous/ preposterous, please do let me know that too! Any feedback is appreciated in terms of reviews/PMs. Thank you!

"First Years." The pretty girl with long brown hair and matching eyes announced. "Let's extend our thanks to Yotsubadai High School for their warm welcome and hope to bring laurels and glory to this wonderful school."

"How does it feel, Zakuro?" Kagakuni Toya teased. "How does it feel to lose out being the first year rep at the opening ceremony by one mark?"

Zakuro sighed and faced her friend. She looked at his bright orange hair.

"I will feel better when the teachers drag you away for that outrageous hair colour." Kinomoto Zakuro commented, nervously tugging on her braids.

She hated it when Toya sat close to her. It felt like everybody was reading their relationship. His dark grey eyes twinkled and he flashed her a dimpled smile.

"They don't call you Miss Luckless for nothing." Toya commented. "The teachers will believe my story of you forcing me to dye my hair."

Zakuro stammered insults and wondered if that was really a possibility. Is it possible to be that unlucky?

Toya casually pulled Zakuro's braids. Zakuro blushed under his touch. But Toya didn't seemed to have noticed.

It hadn't always been this way between the two. They had been friends for a very long time. His family moved in next to hers when she was 3 yrs old. They had played together, gone to school together and every year they were in the same class together. When people called her Miss Luckless, she didn't mind too much. She had Toya in her life and that made her lucky. Zakuro was an only child and Toya and his kid sister were family to her.

However, over the past year, the feelings of family changed. She began to notice Toya more often. Every time he was around her, she could feel butterflies in her stomach. Every time he casually reached over and tugged her braids, she felt heat rise to her face. For a long time, she couldn't figure out what was happening.

One day, she heard few of the girls in her Junior High class talk about crushes. She pulled her chair closer to them and casually blended into the conversation. She was good at doing that.

The symptoms that she had been suffering from for a while seemed to indicate that she had a crush on Toya. She shook her head at the absurdity of the idea. Toya was Toya, right? There was no way that she could like-like him. She just liked him.

This was the same Toya who got her into trouble with her parents a million times. This was the same Toya who made her do his homework for almost 6 months. This was the same Toya who stuck "Kick me" on her back numerous times.

But...

This was the same Toya who walked home with her every day since kindergarten because she hated going to an empty house. This was the same Toya who bought her, her favourite ramen everyday from across the town when she had the chicken pox. This was the same Toya who had rejected every girl who ever had the nerve to confess to him.

There were unofficial rumours in school that Toya and Zakuro were a couple. Rumours made worse by Toya grabbing Zakuro out of the blue almost all the time. Zakuro's hopes grew taking all these factors into consideration.

Maybe Toya was just shy.

So at the closing ceremony of their Junior High, Zakuro confessed to Toya. She still remembered that warm summer day. Toya was quiet for some time and with each passing moment, Zakuro's hopes faded.

"Don't be silly." Toya had replied. "You're Zakuro."

Zakuro's heart broke that day. She controlled herself from crying and managed to chuckle.

"I know." Zakuro replied. "I don't know what I was thinking. All this closing ceremony drama."

Toya smiled.

Zakuro clenched her arm, willing herself to not cry.

"Can't believe you, of all the people, got caught up in something like that?!" Toya said, controlling himself from laughing. "You're such a girl!"

The sentence pierced Zakuro. It wasn't like in the movies where the male lead didn't realise that the female lead was actually a girl and treated her like a guy. In the movies, the female lead got a big make-over and the male lead fell for her. It wasn't like that.

Toya knew full well what Zakuro was. He simply rejected the notion of the possibility of them together because it was absurd to him. Zakuro poised herself.

"Is being a girl supposed to be an insult?" Zakuro said, pulling up her sleeves. "Let me show you what girls a capable off."

Toya smiled and pretended to back away. Zakuro smiled too and pretended to flex her muscles.

'KINOMOTO!" Zakuro heard the P.E teacher, Kurosawa Ishiin, call out.

"Crap!" Zakuro and Toya cursed together.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE GETTING INTO A FIGHT ON THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL." Kurosawa said, launching himself between Zakuro and Toya.

Toya winked at Zakuro from behind Kurosawa.

"Sensei." Toya started. "We were just m-m-messing around."

"You don't have to be scared, Kagakuni." Kurosawa said. "I know what sort of a trouble maker Kinomoto is. She is lucky to have loving parents who take responsibility for her behaviour time and again. Kinomoto, mark my words. The road that you're on only leads to sorrow. Just because your grades are good, doesn't mean you can get away with anything. All actions have consequences. And, furthermore,..."

Zakuro watched in horror as Toya blew her a kiss and ran away, leaving her with Kurosawa. But the horror was soon replaced by relief.

Toya was gone. Zakuro slumped to the ground and put her head in her palms. She started sobbing hysterically.

"That's right." Kurosawa continued. "My responsibility as a teacher is completed if I can make students like you repent and make hard changes in their lives. Don't worry, Kinomoto. I will be your guide. A sound mind comes from a sound body. I have seen you in PE and I don't think a group sport is the activity for you. Have you tried the ancient Indian practise of yoga? It cleanses the mind and the spirit. Also,..."

At this point, Zakuro started wailing. She was so sure that Toya would say yes. She didn't even prepare for this. She wasn't ready to let this feeling of love go. Was this how her life was going to be? Was she going to watch Toya from the sidelines fall in love and get married to somebody who wasn't her? This was too much. She couldn't leave Toya nor could she cut him off from her life.

For all this turmoil, Zakuro truly was Miss Luckless.

Zakuro's attention was pulled back to the opening ceremony when Toya caught her arm and motioned her to stand. The opening ceremony was over and all the students were standing and bowing to the teachers.

"What a disrespectful child!" Zakuro heard one of the teachers comment.

Zakuro hastily stood up and bowed. When the crowd dispersed, Zakuro cursed her own luck. She should have known that the teachers were paying attention the boy with the bright hair and thereby Zakuro.

"Those who have less luck need to work harder." Zakuro's dad always reminded Zakuro.

Looking at the way Zakuro's life was playing out, even Zakuro's parents were convinced that Zakuro's luck was cursed. No amount of Shinto, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Pagan worship seemed to undo the curse. In the end since this lack of luck wasn't physically harming Zakuro, her parents gave up on going to a witch for the solution.

Zakuro was relieved when that happened.

"What's on your mind, woman?" Toya said, walking with his hands in his pockets next to her.

Toya was 6 ft 2 inches with broad swimmer shoulders. All the girls looked at him with awe and didn't seem to mind his bright orange hair. And Toya noticed each and every one of those girls and winked at them.

"That if I manage to squeeze in one more hour of studying a day." Zakuro replied, talking to the ground. "I think I can get the highest score in class."

Zakuro hadn't noticed that Toya wasn't walking beside her anymore.

"YOU'RE JOKING!" Toya exclaimed.

Zakuro blinked and turned around to see Toya standing a few steps from her. The rest of the first years were whispering to each other. Toya jogged to Zakuro and, in jest, flicked her head.

But as luck would have it, Zakuro lost balance and fell to the ground. Everybody around her, including Toya, erupted into laughter.

"How do you manage to fall on flat surfaces?" Toya asked offering Zakuro his hand.

The first time Zakuro had fallen in public, she remembered being angry and embarrassed. Now she just smiles weakly and makes sure she gets up on her own. Zakuro ignored Toya's hand and rose.

"You pushed me." Zakuro muttered.

"Flicking is not pushing." Toya retorted.

He took Zakuro's hand and dragged her to the announcement board where the class list was put up.

To most by-standers, this may look romantic.

But Zakuro knew the truth.

Ever since they were kids, when Toya wanted to get somewhere in a hurry he would grab Zakuro's hand and drag her along. Quite often, she would trip and fall. But he would continue dragging her on the ground till they reached their destination.

Toya maneuvered through the crowd and soon enough, Toya and Zakuro were standing in front of the announcement board. She scanned the list for their names.

"There." Toya said, pointing. "You're in B and I'm in C. Let's go."

Toya turned heel. But Zakuro was rooted to the spot. Toya and she weren't in the same class. That had never happened before. Zakuro and Toya always sat next to each other.

"I said, let's go." Toya said, tugging Zakuro's sleeve.

"We are not in the same class." Zakuro mumbled, barely a whisper.

But Toya heard her. A big grin appeared on his face.

"Oho." Toya said. "So that's why the wittle baby is going to cry? Want me to call mommy? Or are you going to cry to a teacher? It's not like we're joined at the hips. Big deal if we aren't in the same class. I'm sure I will have to see you atleast once a day because we're neighbours and all. Don't be..."

"Shut up." Zakuro said, her hands shaking in anger.

Why wasn't this important to him? Didn't he like sitting next to Zakuro? Didn't he care about her at all?

"Are you gonna cry?" Toya teased, his grin back on his face.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Zakuro shouted. "Let's get to the stupid class." Zakuro said marching past Toya.

"Hey!" Toya called out.

Near the class room, Toya managed to catch upto her. He caught her hand and swung her around.

"Will you stop being such a cry baby?" Toya said, unfazed by Zakuro's anger. "You're giving girls everywhere a bad name."

Zakuro lost her restrain.

"DAMN RIGHT I'M A GIRL." Zakuro retorted. "BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I'M A PERSON. NOT SOME DOLL YOU CAN JUST STRING ALONG. I'M NOT EVEN UPSET ANYMORE ABOUT NOT BEING IN THE SAME CLASS WITH AN INSENSITIVE, JERK LIKE YOU. DO I EVEN MATTER TO YOU OR AM I JUST A TOY YOU USE FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT? I'M NOT A DOLL WHOSE HAIR YOU CAN PULL! I'M NOT A DOLL WHO YOU CAN DRAG AROUND! I'M NOT A DOLL WHOSE CONFESSION YOU CAN DISMISS!"

Zakuro clasped her mouth at this and looked at Toya horrified. Toya's expression was unreadable.

"Break it up, you guys." One of the teachers intervened.

"Toya." Zakuro mumbled.

"Are you from this class?" The teacher with the blue eyes and dark hair asked Toya.

"I am." Toya replied. "But she isn't."

"Honestly." The teacher said exasperated. "Getting into trouble the first day. Come with me."

The teacher gestured Zakuro to follow him. Zakuro was still looking at Toya, thinking of words to reverse this damage.

"Come along, now." The teacher repeated, his tone serious.

Zakuro nodded and followed him. She read the name tag on his PE uniform – Sukunami Taka.

"I'm sorry for causing trouble, Sukunami-sensei." Zakuro apologized when they reached her class.

Sukunami brushed it aside.

"I understand how young love can be." Sukunami said, nodding his head knowledgeably.

Zakuro looked uncomfortably at Sukunami.

"It was around this age that I met my wife, you know." Sukunami continued, adding to Zakuro's embarrassment. "Well, nobody could have met the way we did..."

Sukunami cleared his throat. "Don't get into any more trouble, you hear?" Sukunami said, turning around.

"Yes, Sir." Zakuro replied and bowed.

She turned to look at Toya's class but Toya wasn't there.

AN: Hello everybody! I'm back! First thing's first.

Translations:

Sensei= Teacher

Cultural Reference:

In most Asian countries, the family name comes before the given name. So Kinomoto Zakuro is a girl named Zakuro whose family name is Kinomoto.

I had a huge crisis on how I wanted Zakuro to be. When I wrote this the first time around, I didn't realize that I was already making her a super hero without any real back story. Hopefully, this time I can correct that. The plot remains the same but the personalities of the characters may change. I will try to explain why the Seven Star Warriors had the type of powers that they did... Oops. Getting ahead of myself here.

And I wanted to give more airtime to Taka (Tamahome's reincarnation from the OVA's). Let me know if this is any better.

Keep reading!