APRIL

There was hardly a cloud in the sky this morning, the sun shining brightly overhead and casting its rays over the countryside; though the sun this morning seemed to shine its brightest on the grounds of a certain educational institution situated atop a hill deep in the beautiful urban countryside. Today, the sound of a bell could be heard chiming on the wind, its high and pleasing tone dancing in the wind stream alongside the cherry blossom petals that seemed to hang in the air, spiraling and slowly twirling as they made their descent to the ground below. The start of cherry blossom season, the shining sun, the bell chime, all of these elements added up to one equation. Another school year was starting within the prestigious grounds of Lilium Girls Academy.

A single road marked the way to the academy's main entrance, lining the path were rows of trees and flowers that seemed to sprout just to mark the occasion. Trucks carrying the Lilium logo were slowly making their way towards the academy, making a sudden left before arriving at the gates. Following the road, pedestrians could see the top of the main building as they ascended the light hill. The light blue gates leading to the immaculately maintained paths of Lilium Academy were currently open and groups of girls all adorned in similar uniforms could be seen sitting on the benches, laughing, socializing, greeting old friends and starting on the way to making new ones, all the while the campus-planted cherry blossoms had their petals blowing around in the wind, giving the air inside school grounds a charming atmosphere of pink.

Though the mood was one of socialization and warm greetings, there was a student who was opting to stay out of the social scene, instead sitting on the edge of the fountain dedicated to the founders of the academy from way back in the day. The girl, whose name was Reiko Ishida, was looking up towards the cloudless sky, her short, unkempt, boyish hair lightly blowing in the breeze, though her hair was so short that there was no danger of hair obscuring her eyes. Like the other students, Reiko was wearing the school uniform, though hers came with the addition of white, fluffy high socks that stopped at her calf. This was to be her second year attending Lilium and all she had to show for it was her name on the drama club roster. The only other student she considered a friend graduated, leaving Reiko to fend for herself. The other students all seemed friendly and inviting enough, but Reiko wasn't about to let looks deceive her again.

The bell chimed again, signaling the change of the hours. With a loud popping sound and some slight feedback, the social air was silenced, replaced now by the sound of a staff member making a campus-wide announcement.

"The headmistress' welcoming speech will begin in fifteen minutes. All students, please report to the auditorium at this time."

The announcement was repeated a second time and was then silent. The hustle and shuffle of students all migrating towards the auditorium, the large building behind the classroom building, replaced the silence left in the wake of the announcements. Reiko sighed and stood up from the fountain. She was familiar with the auditorium, it was the main haunt of the drama club. Just once she wanted to perform on stage, in her first year she was just an understudy. That was her goal this trimester. To perform. As Reiko shuffled along the paved path towards the auditorium, she couldn't help but chuckle at the number of first year students asking their senpai how to get to the auditorium. It didn't seem like that long ago when Reiko was doing the same thing. Except when she asked an older student, the student expressed shock at Lilium accepting a male student. At the time Reiko was a bit upset, but Reiko's voice was a bit rougher and masculine compared to the majority so confusion was almost expected.

Reiko shuffled into the auditorium, being directed to the area for second years by a glasses-wearing staff member who was smiling so widely Reiko wondered if she would be able to close her mouth without hassle. There were sounds of talking and whispers in the auditorium seats that were immediately silenced as a stern looking woman in heels and an expensive suit took the stage, tapping the microphone before speaking.

"Welcome, students, to Lilium Academy!" In contrast to her appearance, the woman's voice was friendly and jovial. "Welcome to returning students and welcome to new students! Lilium Academy has been educating and raising young ladies for centuries, and I am proud to be carrying on the tradition set forth so many years ago. For those who don't know, my name is Junko Serizawa and I am the headmistress of Lilium Academy. It is my job to ensure that your education proceeds as smoothly and as fully as possible. I work tirelessly to ensure that every minute of your time here is memorable and fulfilling. And I'm not alone." At this, Serizawa motioned to the row of staff behind her. "These are your teachers, but more than that they are your friends. If you ever find yourself in need of someone to talk to, the teacher's offices are always open during school hours. Here at Lilium, we work together to be the best we can be, and we listen to the feedback from our student body. I encourage you students to get involved, to make memories you will cherish forever. Remember, this is more than just high school, this is the start of your life. Make it one worth living!"

The auditorium filled with applause, the loudest coming from the staff on stage behind Serizawa.

"Now then, school is officially in session! Ah, but don't rush off to class just yet. As today is the start of the term, students have one hour to get situated before class starts. I suggest going to the dorms and meeting your future best friend - your roommate. There will be room listings posted on the bulletin board outside the dorm building. The movers should be finished bringing your personal bags to the dorm building, you will find your bag outside the entrance to your rooms. Classroom listings can be found in the ground floor of the main building. Until the bell rings, your time is yours. Use it wisely and enjoy your school life at Lilium!"

Serizawa now left the stage with moderate applause, which was overtaken by the sounds of students shuffling out of their seats and heading out of the building. Reiko headed for the dorms, trailing behind other students with similar minds. Hopefully, her roommate this year would be better than in her first. In her first year. There was a modest gathering of girls crowding around the bulletin board, but Reiko was able to find her name quickly enough.

"Junko Kuriyama," she said, uttering the name of her roommate for the school year, "Room 306." Reiko nodded, committing the information to memory. Pushing away from the group of girls, Reiko took a seat by her self on the bench outside the dorm hall. She let out a heavy sigh as the reality of another year set in.

"Welcome back, Reiko," she said to no one in particular, tilting her head up towards the cloudless blue ocean of sky.

As soon as the assembly was over, Nadeshiko made her way to her room as quickly as possibly. She didn't like crowds, not one bit. Being around so many people just made her shake so much... But at least there was one good thing about it, about being bunched up so close between so many cute girls...

That was, of course, being bunched up so close between so many cute girls. She'd even thought of maybe reaching out and grabbing one of them, but... That would just cause a scene. And she didn't want to cause a scene, not at all. All those eyes staring at her... She'd just die if that happened. Maybe if she could get one of them alone...

"Heh, n-no-one... No-one's here y-yet, eheh..." She was so relieved that her roommate hadn't gotten here yet. She was dreading meeting them, really... What if they weren't cute? What if they were too cute? What if they thought she was a creep? What if they...

No, that was no good. Thinking so much wasn't good for her at all. She was already hyperventilating... She needed to calm down a bit.

"...W-well, um... N-no-one's here, s-s-so..." With a perverted grin on her face, Nadeshiko pulled out her sketchpad, and begen sketching... Something rather lewd involving the headmistress in an intimate moment. "H-h-heh..."

Kotone had made a beeline straight for her room--predictably, 004, suggesting to the somewhat paranoid girl that whoever was in charge of room assignments disliked her as much as her schoolmates. Once there, she opted to get the inevitable over with, and drive her new roommate to try and find space elsewhere before this evening. She'd tried to hide her tattoos for as long as possible last year; it hadn't ended prettily. This year, she wasn't even going to bother trying.

In short, the yakuza heiress had chosen to sit in her room, topless, and facing the door. Even without the coverage of her back, the black outlines and the colouring already spilling over her shoulders was more than enough to let whoever came through that door note just what they'd been assigned to room with. And then, like last time, they'd leave. If she was lucky, it would be someone that already knew from the rumour mill, or was here last year. That would speed the process greatly: no shock.

"A'right, move aside. C'mon, I ain't got all day, jeez!" Tohru trudged through the frolicking gaggle of girls crowding around the bulletin board, shoulder checking most of them who stood in her path. Another year, another headache she presumed here at Lilium's school for preppy rich daddy's girls and stuck up know it alls. Just on the first day here, she wanted to gouge her eyes out with a plastic fork. She despised Lilium with a vengance, but with special, begrudging thanks to the truancy officer and the Tokyo Police Department, she was forced against her will to endure the Hell of boredom again, more homework, more annoying quizzes, and more being surrounded by people she would rather shove through an industrial meat grinder. "Ugh...what I wouldn't give to be on tour with Anthrax by now." She groaned, craning her neck above the giggling girls' heads to see the board. "Yeah 'scuse me! I can't see the frickin' board!" She spotted her name rather quick, but still couldn't see who she was bunking with in the dorms. "What the hell is this? A Justin Bieber gig? One side!" Coldly, she shoved one girl out of the way, and right there she was with the board. "Hmmm let's see.....Honada, Tohru and.....Mira, Aino? The heck kinda name is that? Oh well. Hope she ain't like the last chick I roomed with. She still owes me a new distortion pedal."

Haruka gave a little smile as Headmistress Serizawa finished her well practiced and much repeated speech. She vaguely recalled her first welcoming ceremony, she had been generally unamused and unimpressed with the whole affair but now, in her final year, it was actually quite nostalgic. She gave a gentle applause along with everyone else and took a look around her. She recognised alot of people but she hadn't made alot of friends in her school life, not that that bothered her too much. She was generally content with solitude if perhaps a little lonely at times.She rose slowly from her seat as anxious first years bustled about around her. She was certainly taller than most of the girls in her year and probably taller than most in the school so it wasn't hard to wade through the mess of excitement and push through to the outside. She did not have to go to the Bulletin board to know that she was rooming with a first year this year, her track record at encouraging younger students was used to the best benefit by the staff.

She decided to give the first year some space to acclimatise and breathe without having a rather intimidating third year looming over them. She would go and say hello later, for now she began a brief tour around the Dorm building, calmly watching as the younger years fumbled with campus maps and tried to find out where they were staying and who they were staying with, Haruka jumping in sometimes to point struggling students in the right direction.

These welcome back speeches are pleasant, but such a pain in my ass, Cho mentally scowled to nobody in particular. The beginning of the school year was a busy time for her, though. Not the headmistress, that is. Well, her too, but Cho also kept herself busy once a new year started. There was a whole year of new students who she had to make herself known to, be it by artistic reputation (which wasn't necessarily a good reputation) or by personally going up to them and saying hello. Her fashion sense made her the kind some don't easily forget, what with all the gold on her face. A little secret was that the gold - in all its pieces on her body - was all fake, but Cho never made a point of making others wonder if it was real or not. All she cared was that people knew her and she could keep working on her art. And as she headed up toward her dorm - number 203 - she was almost certain her new roomie would be somebody she didn't know. Just a hunch.

And her hunch was proven right as she swung open the door to her new room and exclaimed "Cho has arrived!" In this room was somebody she'd never seen before, with a sketchpad. A fellow artist? How exciting! Already Cho was liking her new roomie...unless they liked drawing fluffy pink unicorns or something overly girly like that. It would be weird if on one side of the room the art had fluffy pink unicorns, and the other had assorted twisted monstrosities that were destroying people in countless different ways. Too weird. To confirm or deny early on that her roommate wasn't a unicorn artist, Cho put out a simple question as she brought her bags into the room. "So, what's that you're drawing, roomie?"

Nadeshiko was in the zone right now. It was all turning out perfectly; every inch of what she'd drawn more than did justice to the headmistress's sexy body. She was a bit older than what Nadeshiko would usually go for, but... Cute girls were cute girls, and Serizawa's body was like fine wine, aged to perfection. She was so focused on sketching that she didn't realise that someone had entered the room, and only responded when questioned out of instinct.

"H-heh, I'm, um, I'm drawing the h-headmistress, um, uh, eheheh, schli-" ...And then she realised that for someone to have asked her that, there had to be someone else in the room. "...W-w-waaaah!"

Flailing about in shock, Nadeshiko's sketchbook went flying into the air, landing on the ground between her and Cho with the picture in question facing up, fully visible for the brief moment before the perverted girl lept down to pull it out of view.

"Y-y-you d-didn't see anything, r-r-right?" she mumbled, her voice barely over a whisper. "I... I'm n-n-not some k-kind of w-weird p-p-pervert if th-that's what you th-think! I... I j-j-just th-think the... The f-female form is s-s-something to be admired, th-that's all!"

Her family name meant Light Dragon. Her first name, curtsey of her German father, was Celtic, and was thus written in Katakana. She had a more traditional name she could write with Kanji, but she preferred this one. This made it exceedingly easy to find where she was staying, even glancing at the board from the back of the crowd. Her height advantage was also thanks to her father, though she wasn't as tall as certain other people in the school. Before she left, though, she took the opportunity to spot for some of the other girl's caught in the back of the crowd, bidding them on their way, and also spending time to greet her Kendo Club subordinates.

The grounds were certainly familiar to the woman. She'd memorized the layout and, to her slight dismay, subconsciously memorized many hiding places for potential, hidden assailants. Not that she thought something like that could happen to her here, but her mother's rigorous training had effectively programmed her to always prepare. It was bothersome, but she had to wonder if, some day, she would appreciate it.

For now, though, it was certainly bothersome.

She couldn't spend all day standing by the bulletin board, however, and so she went to go find her room and unpack. Second floor, room 212. Now, to see if her roommate was in yet. The woman paused at the door and opened it, stepping in and calling out. "I'm home~. Hello?" She looked around for a moment before she frowned softly. Not here... well, that just means she should unpack before her roommate arrived.

Oh, good, her small collection of katana had made it...

Mira ~ Haruka

A petite girl with hair the color of cherry blossoms squeezed her way into the crowd of bustling girls trying to find out who they were roomed with. This was her least favorite part of the first day, dorm room assignments. Her first year she got paired with a third year student who always had students in and out of their room, which she really didn't mind, but when she was gone they would touch her instruments and eat her snacks. Mira sighed lightly as she finally made her way to the front of board. Large, ruby eyes scanned the board for the unfamiliar name matched with her own, and their room number. Tohru? What a cute name... She followed the flow of girls who had gotten their room numbers already, all the while wondering what type of person her room mate would be. She hoped they would get along, and that they could be instant friends. Mira found herself a little disappointed in herself for not making any close friends her first year. Sure, she knew the people in orchestra and on the softball team, but that hardly counts if they never hung out outside of practice.

Finally emerging from the sea of anxious girls, Mira started to make her way up the stairs leading to her dorm. Everyone ahead of her was moving at a glacial pace, and her thoughts about the coming school year began to consume her. Hm, I'll have to make sure I secure my spot as first chair this year... She nodded to herself, allowing her feet to step on the stairs without paying attention to where she was going.

The person in front of Mira stopped abruptly on the stairwell, and she ran into them face first. "N-n-n-nooo." She screamed, and reached forward, hoping to grab onto their shirt to catch her balance, but her fingers came back empty. Her heart dropped, and she flailed as she fell backwards, expecting to meet the hard tile floors of Lilium Academy.

Having arrived at the school with the bus she stepped off the large yellow land vessel and looked around. She indulged into the familiar scents and sounds that she had come to know as home for the past two years and now her last. She was rather nostalgic. This was her home and knew this was the last year she could call it that. She shook the thought from her mind, digging her iPod out of her skirt pocket and placing the ear buds into each ear. Flipping through the music she found a song and hit play. Slinking through the crowds of girls she let the music wash over her senses and get some alone time before the morning announcement she knew was to come as it did every year.

She couldn't tell if anyone tried to stop her, which was one of the biggest reasons she mostly had her headphones in when out and about. She made her way to the auditorium before anyone else, excluding the teaching staff, taking a seat in the back. As the auditorium filled she paused her music and stuffed the headphones in her pocket with her iPod. During the speech she nearly mimicked the speech word for word, having heard it so many times. The speech coming to an end she continued to sit for a bit as the crowds thinned, not wishing to push herself through the heavy crowd.

Finally as the crowd of chatting girls thinned she stood and made her way out and towards the bulletin board with the rooming listings. 004, yes, the ground floor finally. She dearly hated stairs despite her rather athletic nature. And her roommate was a girl named.... Shinobu, Kotone. She then began to trek towards her dorm. Having arrived she noticed that only her bag remained outside the door, giving away the fact that her roomie had already arrived. She picked up her duffle bag and slung it over her shoulder before pushing the door open. Looking up to find a young girl sitting on a bed topless. She suddenly stopped right in her tracks and stared directly at the girl *cough*herchestprimarily*cough* for a few moments as her cheeks slowly changed from a light pink to a deep red in a hurry. Suddenly realizing what she was doing she quickly looked to the other side of the room and tried speaking but it came out as a mumble. She cleared her throat and tried again.

"Uhhmm.. Uh.. Do you mind putting your shirt on?" She asked sweetly and innocently, nervously brushing some of her silver hair behind her ear. She finally remembered where she knew the girl from, noticing the tattoo and remembering the rumors; though she never really trusted rumors until proven before her eyes.

Room 312, that was where her dorm was. It felt a bit nicer being on the third floor, such a nice view of the school grounds and whatnot, but Tohru could care less for that. For now, she just wanted to get to her room, lock the door and plug in her amp. "309....310...311..." She trudged down the hallway in her black demonia boots, her prized guitar nestled safely in a black hardcase crudely plastered with stickers from every band from Anthrax to Dethklok. "312! Yes! Like Motley Crue says, home sweet home!" Without warning, Tohru barged in through the door with her guitar in one hand and her Spyder amp in the other. That was really all she needed, no fancy clothes, no tasteless furniture, just her guitar and her passion for metal, and to her joyous luck, no one was in the room. A smug grin crossing her face, she immediately plopped the guitar onto the nearby bed and plugged it into her amp.

Just the feel of her fingers against the instrument's neck and the gauged strings sent chills through her body, as much as the echoing ring from the amplifier in her ear, such beautiful noise it made to her. She couldn't help but barrel into a thrash metal classic, "Adrenaline starts to flow! You're thrashing all around! Acting like a maniac!! WHIPLASH!!" Her fingers danced gracefully across the fretboard and her hand drove the pick with such intense speed to rival even Kirk Hammet. Tohru was sure everyone knew the queen of shredding had returned to Lilium.

Takako had felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb as she sat in the auditorium, surrounded by all the other first years. There was an air of nervous excitement that she shared with them, but they also all carried a certain level of refinement that she felt a distinct lack of. They all held their heads high and sat with perfect posture, even as they chattered amongst themselves and looked around excitedly, while Takako slumped slightly in her seat. The difference between herself and her peers had been obvious from the moment she'd arrived at the academy. She'd stumbled out of her cheap taxi, carrying her brown twenty year old hand-me-down suitcase, only to be confronted by the sight of a girl no older than herself stepping gracefully out of a limousine, of all things, helped by an aide who carried her pristine pastel pink luggage for her. Welcome to the elite class indeed...

Once the opening ceremony had concluded and the students had been dismissed, Takako had found herself swept along by the crowd, everyone rushing to see what rooms they were in. Takako just tried not to step on anyones toes as she reached the bulletin board. She was slightly shorter than everyone around her so she had to strain up onto her tip-toes to see the board clearly as she scanned it for her name. She found it and noted the number alongside it before carefully weaving her way out of the crowd of excitable girls. Breathing a sigh of relief at having escaped she tightened her grip on her cheap suitcase and, remembering the layout of the school from the map she had memorised, made her way towards the large student dorm.

Takako stopped in front of the dorm building and stared up at it in awe. She had been expecting it to be big but the sight still rendered her speechless. She was going to be living in this place for the next three years? It was bigger than the whole building of her old school! Her gawking was suddenly interrupted when another first year, rushing to meet one of her friends, bumped into her back as she ran past. The girl gave a short apology over her shoulder but didn't even break her stride. Takako, on the other hand, almost toppled forwards and ended up dropping her suitcase. The clasps on the case sprang open when it hit the ground and spat most of her belongings out onto the ground, a mass of old clothes, 100 yen store accessories and, contrastingly, shiny brand new textbooks that she'd only be able to get her hands on thanks to her scholarship. Takako scrambled to the ground, hastily scooping the things back into the suitcase in a distinctly unladylike fashion, her face turning a dark shade of red as some girls stopped to look.

Himawari didn't take too long to find her way through the crowds. So many girls... hmph. If they had to crowd like this, they should at least be more careful! She didn't want to get bumped into or anything... so she made her way to her dorm quickly. It wasn't long before she located her room, and took in the sight before her. It looked comfortable enough, at least... the short girl hoped that, whoever her roommate was, they weren't stupid or perverted or something. That was the last thing she needed, especially if it was both at once! That would just be... just... just the worst thing ever! She couldn't even stand the thought of having to deal with something like that!

Himawari shook her head. Well... maybe they wouldn't be some idiot. Maybe they wouldn't bother her. That would be nice. Quickly, the small girl set about unpacking. Unpacking, naturally, the most important thing in her luggage. Her vast collection of soft, adorable plushies. They varied greatly, from bears, to birds, to humans, to an anthorpomorphized tophat in one case. And she had so very many.

The girl set about arranging them on her bed. They had to be set up right, she wanted to make sure they were all in good, solid spots so she could admire the cuteness of her vast collection.

Shrugging, Kotone turned around--baring the much more extensive artwork, dominated by a coiling dragon, that adorned her back--and began to put her clothing back on. Still facing away from her white-haired roommate, she started to speak. "Yes, the rumours are true. My father runs a ninkyou dantai, and that is why my body is as much a canvas as anything the art club works on. This can be used as an excuse to move room--it happened multiple times last year."

Silently, and now dressed appropriately for lessons, she turned to the stack of posters on her desk and began sorting through them, picking which would adorn her half of the room this year--and who knew, she might get to put the rest up. A handful of expensive-looking cars and motorbikes, one rather inexplicable guy in a plastic outfit, and then... a series of posters, all of foreign bands. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Metallica, and a band with fairly ridiculous hair.

Regan had just finished unpacking when it happened. She learned who she was living beneath. That metal woman, perpetually playing her guitar. This would simply not do. Such playing would interrupt her meditation and... well, hopefully, she knew better than to play during lights out. The buxom young woman was quickly out of her room, locking it behind her. Before she could stomp off up the stairs, she stops herself. She shouldn't let anger guide her... not over something like this. She was liable to break down a door or something, and that was no way to start the school year.

No, instead, the girl decided to go for a walk. She would return to her room shortly, to await her roommate.

Tohru was in the zone now. Her frantic fingers were chewing up the frets, nearly bleeding from the fury she conjured through her whole body and into her hands. She played harder and faster, riff after amazing riff blazing from her amp. Who cared if she was a noise violation waiting to happen? Her amp was cranked up to the highest decibel, so how could she even hear the knocking on her door or the rancorous shouts of "You're playing too loud!" or "Shut it off already!" Unhindered, the girl kept playing with all her heart, all her soul honoring the metal gods, "Someone help me! Oh please God help me! They're trying to take it all away! I don't want to die!" Her unkempt, auburn hair whipped around her hardened face, and her neck was slightly sore from episodes of headbanging, not to mention her fingers were damn near blistered, but still she soldiered on doing what she loved the most.

After she finished playing, she set her guitar to rest in its case and fell back in the bed with a satisfied breath of air escaping her lips. "I think this could be a good year. Who knows?" She mused staring up at the ceiling. Tohru still had no idea who this Mira chick could be. Hopefully she wasn't so stuck up like the rest of these dames around here. At least then, Tohru could have some sort of friend. "Hmm....now what?" She wondered, looking around the room. Still she was the only soul here, and already....she was bored. "I guess I could go to class...but.....nah, screw it! This bed's too comfy to leave." Class? Really? For Tohru? Like she would even step foot in a classroom this year. Lazy as always, the young rocker closed her eyes and snoozed, fingers still blistered from an intense jam session.

Lilium Academy. Junko was finally here, an hour to spare before the entrance ceremony. She glanced around the premise, observing the huge building and whistled at the sight. “Jeez...not even our town hall was as big as all the buildings here.” There were students walking about, and Junko was barely able to make it to the door without bumping into a dozen.This was going to take a lot more getting used to than she thought – there were girls everywhere. Of course, she knew that it'd be an all girls school, but now that she was actually coming to terms with it, it felt...surreal. Really, really strange. Was she complaining? Not exactly, but at her old school she got along better with the boys than she did with the girls. It was also fair to say that her high school was rather small, and the girls who may have been interested in what Junko was were probably too shy. Traditional roles, worrying about the opposite sex, keeping up with the values on the town...the usual things, of course, and Junko couldn't blame them. Her old residence was dull, but an all girls school had it's perks. As Junko squinted up at the blazing sun, she somehow felt a little...free.

“Alright, time to conquer! Lilium Academy here I come!” Junko raised her gripped fist at the sky and shouted passionately, catching a couple of odd stares from the students. This was going to be a compelling day, she could feel it in her blood!

[An hour later...]

If by blood rush, she definitely meant it, but not in a good sense. Junko sat stiffly, just as the countless other girls listened into the headmasters speech. Her upbeat attitude felt slightly uncomfortable, but it was probably just Junko feeling odd that they both shared the same given name. Junko felt a little bit restless, sitting in one place always tended to do that to her, but thankfully the speech didn't last very long. She let out a long relieved sigh as class was finally in session, but she first had to go find her dorm, meet her roommate and get settled in. “It's just like in one of those drama shows or somethin, can't believe I'm actually in a boarding school...” She mumbled quietly while looking at the list. “Room 306...Reiko Ishida. Hmm.”

Junko had a little bit of trouble trying to find her way to the dorms, not only being obviously lost, but genuinely curious of the school and tried to check out the track field that was around the area of the dorms, apparently. She didn't get a great look at it, but it was enough, for now. With a great amount of direction she was able to find her dorm room, 306, but froze. Crap, she'd actually have to talk to someone. For the whole year she'd probably be stuck with this person. Junko sighed and cracked her knuckles. She hoovered her hand over the doorknob, but hesitated. “So hey, what's up...Ishida...sa--chan? Howdy. Nah that's too dumb. Hello...pleased to meet you....” Junko ruffled her hair a bit and grabbed for her bags in frustration and flung open the door, mumbling out some kind of greeting....but to her surprise no one was in the room. “Huh. Maybe she's not here yet...” Junko dropped off her bags and ran to the bed by the closet. “...Which means I get to claim a bed! Hell yeah, I'm beat.” Junko flopped on it and sighed in relief.

Rika Suehiro was already starting her second year now, age 16, and yet here she was being escorted by four large well groomed men in fancy suits as if she was some lost child. She wasn't angry with them. Their hearts were in the right place and her father probably put them up to this, being as overprotective as he was, but their stomping around was scarring off some of the other girls. Plus it was an all girls school anyways. She let out a short, exasperated shy when it became painfully obvious that they weren't leaving on their own accord.

"Umm...I'm going to the dorms now..." She explained to them, her voice trailing off as she glanced over to the building along the way. "The all girls dorm...where girls sleep and get changed at..."

"Yes ma'am, of course. We'll find your room number and relay the information back to you as soon as-"

"No, that won't be n-n-necessary," Rika explained, her voice becoming frantic when she noticed one of them getting pushy while trying to navigate up to the billboard. Most steered well clear of him, making his job a bit easier.

"I know that I'm an idol and all, but I can assure you that I'm perfectly safe here on my own at an all girls school. An all girls school that grown men can't enter," She tried to stress the point as much as possible. Perhaps the guys knew full well what was going on and just wanted to be around a bunch of girls. Rika couldn't blame them, but there was a huge difference between them and her. Well...maybe not. Actually, deep down she found herself feeling exactly like them. Perhaps the difference was that she could get away with it, as horrible as that sounds. As for her security detail, on the other hand, if they continued for much longer than school security would be called on her own security, and that would make things turn messy in a hurry, not to mention cause undue distress on both her and the other students.

"You don't need us? For the entire school year?" One of them said, clearly disappointed.

"Not on campus, no," she stressed again, well aware of the stares she was beginning to receive. She didn't want to play the part of the bad guy so she quickly came up with something. "Actually, I need my anime cd collection arranged by the amount of sentences I contributed to, starting from 0 on the top right shelve, and in no particular order amongst similar sentence numbers."

"Does screaming count towards-"

"Yes! Yes. So please..." she was practically begging, placing both hands on the back of his suit to subtly push him away.

"Death gurgles?"

She just realized how often she tended to die in her roles. Whatever. That wasn't important right now.

"No, unless I'm trying to make out words. Now please..."

She let out a sigh of relief when at last they turned around and headed for the black car parked just outside of the school property. Looks like she'd need to make a phone call to her father after school to make sure that they wouldn't be sent out again the following day. At least the crisis was averted for now. She gave an awkward nod to some of the girls who had witnessed the scene, although luckily most of the girls were already heading into the dorm by now. Some girls asked for her autograph or a short exchange of pleasantries and a handshake, but for the most part they were too excited about this being the first day to put much notice towards her. She didn't mind it that way too much. It's not like she would explode if she didn't get so much attention every day.

She walked up to the door to her dorm room, picked up the one bag she had sent her, wanting to travel light, and stepped through the door after a brisk series of knocks. What she first noticed was the massive amount of plushies that occupied the room, her eyes darting around them all before finally falling onto the plushie-like girl who they belonged to. She was small and cute with long brown hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. How sweet. A cute little girl who loved stuffed animals.

"Hajimimashite! My name is Rika Suehiro," she said with a small bow after closing the door lightly behind her. She set her bag of belongings down and walked further into the room, extending her hand for a handshake.

As she finished adjusting her numerous plushies, Himawari straightened and surveyed her handiwork. Perfect! They all looked so cute arranged on her bed, and all across the room... on whatever surface she could manage, really. At least as long as it wasn't too far towards the space her roommate would be occupying. She hardly wanted to risk idiocy endangering her plushies. As she surveyed her collection, she began to wonder if she should work on unpacking a certain... other collection, one she needed to keep hidden. It was far too embarrassing to leave in the open, but she couldn't just let it sit in her luggage either...

It was around then that she heard several knocks on the door, and quickly turned towards it just in time to see it open. The girl who went through was pink-haired, purple-eyed, and... taller. Hmph. At least she didn't have too much in the way of other... other... advantages! Himawari responded to the girl's bow in kind. She wasn't some rude moron, after all. However, she paused at the handshake. So far, this girl had not displayed any sign of idiocy... and looked strangely familiar... but Himawari was cautious when it came to those she did not know.

Finally, she settled on her choice of response. Himawari folded her arms before speaking.

"I'm Kobayashi Himawari," she introduced herself, "Before I shake your hand, I want to make sure that you're not going to do anything stupid and annoying. That's the last thing I want to deal with right now, so you better not be planning anything!"

Silently. Swiftly. Like a shadow, the dark creature moved.

The petite young girl slinking towards her dorm room with the utmost concentration, having just escaped from an assembly orchestrated by some devil from the Light. She had been assigned a room number, which was most certainly filled with vile traps made with the intent of sealing her away. The bespectacled girl grinned at the challenge. As if they could stand up to her terrifying powers!

Her room was in sight. If the truth had been spoken, her belongings would be located within. She would need to cleanse them of Order's influence, but that was okay. After all, her powers far exceeded anyone at this school!
Makoto Yamada, or rather, 'Nanako of the Dark', approached her room door with a grin, glasses flashing brilliantly, no doubt from the sheer power exuded. Once she was reunited with her tools, she would truly have nothing to fear in this place! Then she could begin corrupting the agents of Light that inhabited this place with her Dark Teaching! And then- why was the door locked?

Rattle. Rattle. Rattle.

"...Aw." Makoto said in mild confusion.