[IC] Katawa Shoujo: School for the Disabled

[Mattchew]

The cherry blossom fell on the sidewalks of the school up in the mountains. It was separated from the rest of the world...some would even consider it separated from the “real world.” For most of the students in the school a “real world” life is far from reality. The students of the school are there for a reason, because they are have a hard time living in the real world. Disable, that is what these students are, whether it be a missing leg here, or a blind girl there, even someone who feared all of society, these are the students of the school. Yamaku High is not a place these students go to be forgotten and shunned from society, no, it is a place they can feel part of the real world. Whether it be a blind girl from a rich family, or a girl that can not even communicate with her own family. Everyone is accepted with open arms no disability is too much of a task for the staff of Yamaku.

The students are like everyone else they love, they laugh, and they have fun just like any other high school students in Japan. That is the point of the school, to show these students that life can be normal. Their disabilities will dictate some aspects of their lives, but that most of their life can be taken into their own hands and they can live a normal life after their time Yamaku high school. That is where the story begins a school for the disabled and a couple of disabled students trying to work towards a feeling of normality.

---

Shiori
“Thank you all for coming to the opening ceremony. We hope that everyone has a good year, and for those of you that will be staying in the dorms, I hope you have a good time,” The principal of Yamaku ended the main part of his speech with this statement. Shiori grimaced at this statement, she wasn’t much of an optimist. She could see that some of the kids were definitely not happy to be here, some of the students could not even be at the opening ceremony because of their disabilities. The principle began to introduce her, she could tell by the way he was making hand gestures at her. Even if she did not see the signals, that the schools native sign language teacher was signing the entire speech. The teacher would also be translating Shiori's speech for the students that could not understand sign.

Shiori brushed off her green skirt as she stood to give her speech, it was not as optimistic as the Principles, but she still had to appeal to all of the students. She cracked her knuckles, she considered this close enough to clearing her throat, before she started,Hello, my fellow students. I am happy to being this school year on such a nice day, and a nice speech from the principle of this fantastic school. I want to welcome you all to this school year, and as 4th year, as you all know, this will be my last year. There are other like me too, 4th year, 1st years, and all of you in between I hope that this school year memories will be made for all of you. Whether you cry form sadness or laugh from joy, I hope we can all make and share these memories together.” With that Shiori’s speech was over and she took her seat that was off to the side of the stage. Shiori saw as all the other students got up to leave go back to their homerooms, it was loud, but it was quiet to Shiori. It was always quiet.

[cerozer0]

Day 1
Place:
Main School Building; Opening Ceremony
Mood:
Nervous

'Alone'

Hitori sat in complete and utter silence among the mass of children, eyes locked on those giving speeches but not exactly seeing or hearing any of them. There were whispers surrounding her, teens muttering sweet nothing's and stupid jokes to their friends or seat neighbors, all typically unaware of each others inner turmoil and nervousness. Hitori knew they were all unaware, because if they did notice someone might speak up about her fright in particular. While her face was blank, just a bit pale, and her posture was straight, inside she was churning. Worry turned to panic in her head, panic into trouble breathing, which was calmed by nails digging into her thigh. This cycle continued over and over, and the more she began to panic the more white lines were clawed into the pale flesh underneath her school skirt. Pain distracted her for a moment. Distractions...

Hitori shifted slightly, hands curling into two small fists as she began staring holes into her lap, thinking about her arrival to this strange school. Just a week ago, she had been deemed suitable for school by the always kind therapist, Ms. Rin, but there was a catch. Or, rather, another option that was sort of forced on Hitori (much like therapy and that one year in the damnable psych ward), and that option was this school. Yamaku Academy, a school for the disabled, and Hitori wasn't exactly too keen on it. Her reason for that was these teens probably had REAL problems; missing arms and eyes and muteness, nothing like her stupid, self-destroying illness, but Ms. Rin insisted, saying that the calming environment will probably be beneficial. So, just yesterday she was put on a train with her few belongings, a number and address for a new therapist that was closer to the school, school supplies, and about twenty pill bottles. She arrived late, around seven at night, and was quickly ushered into a dorm room to unpack and get some rest for the first day. Everything, at first, was all new and exciting and even frightening, but Hitori actually found herself feeling peaceful already, and as soon as she was unpacked and changed she went out like a light.

And then she woke up, and everything was a mess. Her head was aching, excitement and nervousness swirled like a vortex in her chest, causing her breath to catch from time and time again. She downed three different pills, remembering one started with an "a" and the other with an "o", and while they did help calm her it was not enough, so wandering through the large halls of the main building was a rather nerve-racking experience, and now she was here, scratching canals into her thigh while some teacher she didn't notice spoke about memories. Pain helped, yes, but there was something else that couldn't be stopped by drawing blood. Something she felt that was stronger then her anxiety and pain, and that was her feeling of isolation. Being surrounded yet alone. Being spoken about ("Did you see the new girl?" "I wonder why she's here!") but not spoken too. Hitori smiled, a small, lonely smile, eyes dull with lack of focus as her nails slowly dug tightly into the soft skin once more with intent, and then something brushed passed her leg and jolted her from her own brain. Everyone was moving, getting up to leave for homeroom, and Hitori drew her dark eyes up to the stage once more, taking note of the pretty girl in glasses before getting up as well, hurrying out of the room. Chatter filled the hall air, much like pink petals did outside, and together it sounded like a chorus of white noise with laughter strewn in between. Hitori wandered within the crowd, long hair swaying around her hips as she followed after her class, back to the homeroom they had started in just a few minutes before the whole opening ceremony. Now, she was beginning to catch her breath and calm down, perhaps the pills finally took effect? Or maybe getting out of the crowd was helping ease her nervousness, she wasn't exactly sure, all Hitori knew was that she suddenly felt...

Okay.

Hitori began to smile again, pushing back a strand of black hair before lifting her head higher, confidence returning. It's just the first day, yes, friends will come, no one knows anything about you, no gossip yet. Suddenly, her once bleak mind was filled with hope and cheeriness, and Hitori's face broke into a wide, friendly grin, taking much wider strides until she was ahead of the rest, and then finally in the simple class room once again. Without missing a beat, she returned to her seat, humming a cheery tune as she resettled into the plain wooden desk and awaited the arrival of the other students.

[LovelyAnastasia]

There in back with sitting with her nursemaid, a doll of a girl sat with her eyes close. Her lashes were long and dark, fanning over porcelain flushed skin. Her rose bud mouth was drawn in a small serene smile, and her long wavy hair was drawn over one slender shoulder. Both delicate hands folded in her lap she sat perfectly still. In a soft colorful kimono, she almost looked like one of those collectible doll that grandmother collected. Slowly her eyes opened, sightless and glazed, like two perfect round clouded crystals in an odd shade of purple black.

"You should of worn your uniform, Miss," her childhood nursemaid murmured nervously in her ear, "You'll get in trouble."

"Please, Kitome, I'm trying to listen," her voice was soft and warm, musical yet a bit stern.

"Your parents had everything shipped in," the worried elder's voice mumbled, "but leaving you here by yourself..."

"Kitome," it was a sharp whisper, odd sounding from such a sweet voice, but she turned her head to worrying hen of a nursemaid, "It is time I rely on myself. I shall be safe here but I will also be free." A sad smile was painted across that beautiful young face, "You should go now Kitome. It's time for the first class. I'll be fine by myself."

"But Miss..." the elderly woman murmured. Tomo could hear the choked emotion in the kind time worn voice. Her small pale hand lifted, searchingly and soon the familiar touch of the hand that had alway guided her clasped hers. Placing both hands over the elder woman's she smiled.

"Thank you so much Kitome," her musical voice sighed with farewell sadness, but a mature logic, "Write me often, please?"

"Yes, Miss," the hesitated voice of her loving nursemaid Kitome answer, before she was pulled into a warm hug. The smell of lilac and cinnamon, the feel of a plain uniform kimono and the warm of a caring old woman. The one who had always fussed over her and raised her like a loving grandmother. The alien feel of tears stung Tomo's unseeing eyes.

"I love you Kitome," she whispered softly, "My soul's mother." The old woman gave one last caring squeeze, a pat on Tomo's head, and what felt like a stack of starchy clothes before the sensation of her presence was gone. Empty air, cold and empty, now filled the spot where he caretaker had once been. The childish side of her wanted to cry and take back her decision of Yamaku Academy. She wanted to be a child again, sleeping with her head on Kitome's lap as the summer sunlight brushed against her face and the sound of Kitome's voice singing old folk songs rang through the air.

But she had to grow up. She had to stand by her decision. Taking a walking stick out of her small traditional japanese bag, she waited for the sounds of the people around her to fade a bit before undoing the folded stick. Suppose she should change into her uniform... Kitome would want her to have a pleasant first day. She went through much trouble for her... With a small sigh, she made her was gracefully and confidently inside the school building. Thank full she had a brail map of the school with her so finding a bathroom to change in wasn't too much trouble. Well, once she found out where exactly she was first. Navigating from there was a breeze.

From there she went to her locker, which was a bit harder to do, since getting the right turn was a bit difficult. But she wouldn't ask for help either, so it took a bit longer. However once she found it she felt victorious. I'll get the hang of this in no time, she thought cheerfully. Placing her kimono in her locker, she locked it up and check the map for her homeroom. It might take her a bit longer than most, but it was the first day. Certainly lots of younger students, especially first years and new students, like herself, got lost.

So the sightless doll maneuvered her way through the school, unaware of some of the looks she got. It would of surprised her, since those looks were so vastly different from those at her old school. Instead of envy and jealous hate, she was being looked at in gentle appreciation. She was a beautiful girl certainly. There were many beautiful girls in the school. But she held herself with a traditional Japanese air of refinement and grace, even with her long white cane. She touched the brail sign next to the door to her classroom and a glowing smile crossed her face as she recognized it as her own homeroom class.

Sliding the door open, she heard the talking and laughing of students soften. Ah, she must be a bit late then... With an honorable bow of that of a young lady, she apologized for her tardiness. "Apologies if I am late, Sensei," she stood up in a straight and polite stance that held just as much delicate grace as an old Japanese doll, "I took me a while to find the classroom."

"Not at all, Mizukimura-san," an old man's voice smiled, "Just make sure to memorize the halls well so you are not late again."

"Yes, Sensei," she smiled and gave a shorter bow, before taking a few cautious steps forwards, "P-Pardon me..." The silence crashed down on her and she blushed a bit in her embarrassment, "Could you direct me to an open seat? I'd sit down quietly, but..."

"Of course," the teacher voice was kind and patient, which eased her embarrassment some, "First row, third seat. Next to the window."

"Thank you Sensei," she smiled graciously, before gliding over to the area he specified and sitting down. Sunlight streamed in and she closed her eyes. The warmth touched her face and she smiled. It streamed through her long dark wavy hair, which was now loosely tied to one side, and across her porcelain skin. It felt good to take part in a normal school life.

[Tatsua Aiisen]

First day of the new school year...
...deciding not to go to the opening ceremony this time.

Satsuki wasn't feeling any more glum than usual today. She was sitting somewhere far away from the school's crowds, resting in a secret place that none other had ever found. She didn't remember arriving here, but she was certain she knew why she did it. This was the only place she could go in the school where she could be completely alone, with no chance of anybody disturbing her. She was leaning against a familiar window, gazing out aimlessly over the empty grounds. For the first time in a while, she was...at peace. Somehow, over this entire day, she had not come in contact with a single human being. She wasn't aware of the fact that she was lonely, she had zoned that feeling out long ago. In this moment of solitude, she was content with not thinking about anything in particular...until she heard the noise. After an entire hour of silent stillness, the noise seemed deafening to her ears. It took Satsuki a few moments to place it, but once the noise repeated itself, she realized what it was.

My stomach is rumbling. That one thought sticks out in the subtle waves of melancholy enveloping her mind. She thinks on the matter for nearly a minute, before redirecting her attention to the grounds below. Just like before, not a single person entered her sight, the only movement being the falling and rustling of the leaves and flowers. Content with watching this peaceful scene for a few more minutes, Satsuki's stillness returns to her, until it is interrupted by another untimely rumbling.

This time, she can't bring herself to ignore it, for she knew it would continue bothering her until she sated its hunger. She vaguely remembers something the nurse had told her, about eating more, but the notion is quickly lost in the sounds of her cushions as she shifts her position to rise. The stiffness in her limbs doesn't bother her, she's already made up her mind. She would leave her secret place, just for a moment, to venture out to the hall vending machine. Just a bag of chips, that would be all it would take for her to be content with her day. She could feel her depression lifting ever so slightly, minutely excited by the notion of soon grabbing one of her most favoured flavours of chips. But first, she would need to get out of her safe place, she would have to risk running into another person.

Not hazarding a passing thought to her little alcove, Satsuki moves to the other side of the small room and squeezes through the only entrance. It wasn't much of a squeeze, especially with her rather thin frame, but it was still a bit of a squeeze to extract herself and travel out to the library. She left at a meandering, unfocused pace through the library, her nearly silent footfalls going completely unheard by the quietly sleeping librarian. Soon, she finds herself out in the hall, standing before a familiar vending machine. She stops, rummaging in her pocket for some loose change and carefully examining the machine for her food of choice. Luckily for her, there was a single bag left, a fact that brought her surprisingly close to smiling.

Maybe this day really will go well, she muses, not taking the time to watch her surroundings...

[Lennon79]

The opening ceremony was normally a good chance to scope out new students, update the student council president's profile and maybe even catch a few snippets of important conversation. This year however, Fuyuki chose to avoid the main hall, instead wandering the empty hallways and classrooms, hunting for more elusive prey. Many of Yamaku's more... nervous students avoided school assemblies, preferring the gentle silence of the library or one of the many computer rooms. When he felt like skipping assembly, Fuyuki simply roamed the school, taking in the familiar sights and smells, taking note of all the little nooks and crannies. Every piece of data, no matter how seemingly irrelevant, was valuable to the right person and he was an expert at pairing the right people with the right information. Or at least that's what I'd like to think, he mused gloomily. Truth be told, he had skipped the ceremony on a whim, using the excuse of a chance encounter with an unsocial student to avoid having to suffer through an hour of pointless speeches again... and so far, his walk had been just as empty as the Principle's words were bound to be.

Fuyuki longed to have a weekend away from this place, away from broken people, missing limbs and the pervasive sensation of gloom... Perhaps Tokyo, Shibuya; somewhere with shops, a bit of life... He had been dying to try his new maid outfit in public, just once... He stopped suddenly, shaking his head to clear it; there was a time and a place for his... hobbies and it certainly wasn't Yamaku. If anyone ever found out about it... He shuddered and blocked that line of thought. No-one had caught him to date and even if they did, he could just blackmail them into silence; his secret was safe for the time being.

As he passed by, Fuyuki considered checking out the library. There were always one or two hermits there, hiding among bookshelves and buried in some pointless story or another. In the end he decided against it, as those who dwelt within left so rarely that, to be blunt no-one cared enough about them to pay for their information. It was sad, but even here at a school built for the disadvantaged, there were social outcasts. Worse still, they weren't even worth his time befriending; none of them were useful for anything except recommending a good book... Useless people can stay useless for all I care, he thought derisively while peeking through the open door. Although you do get the odd diamond in the rough...

To his surprise, there was movement inside. A girl, much taller and presumably older than him; hardly an uncommon occurrence but he found himself unable to place her. Most of the campus had their own profiles on Fuyuki's computer and it was rare to find someone that he hadn't mentioned at least once. A small smile crept across his elfin face and he quickly hid behind the door frame. This girl was exactly what he had been hunting for and Fuyuki never let a good opportunity pass him by. He stepped out of the shadows as the girl hunted for change and began typing out a greeting. 'Good morning. Never met you before; new student?' His PDA had a gentle, androgynous voice and it spoke exactly how he typed; the result was sometimes disjointed, but it got his point across. 'I'm Todoroki Fuyuki, second year. May I ask your name, Senpai?' He pointed to himself as he typed, then gave a respectful bow. When he stood back up, he wore a cheerful smile, hiding his calculating eyes as best he could.

[Major Ursa]

He'd have carelessly fallen asleep, and lost track of his roommate. It was sort of...his thing to follow the guy subtly, since they were of the same grade and had the same classes. But now, Haru had lost track of him. The present area was not as...noisy? Loud? It didn't seem like it was as crowded, but Haruto had made mistakes before. This was probably his cue to leave and find his homeroom...on his own this time. Getting up, meeting some resistance in the form of bumping a leg into another chair, he made his way out into the halls.

Though he couldn't make heads or tails of the exact features, and sounds made by 'them'...the combination of their individual movements, sound patterns, and then that...they were all human. Though he may have known this in his mind, his brain was slower to process. It was like trying to make head or tails of a highly pixelated image, that only becomes slightly less pixelated upon careful inspection. To see a person for who they are, to hear them speak...it would take a lot of time, and despite the nature of the school for students with disabilities, there wasn't enough time for him to make sense of things on his own time.

At times, it was like...he was the only person in the world.

Wandering a bit lost, obviously lost...it was only when he clenched his hand in worry that he realised that he had been holding something. Unclenching his hand and looking down at it, it took a moment to remember that it must have been his schedule on paper. When he had found it this morning, he had held onto it, careful not to let it go and lose it forever...he didn't even let it go when he had fallen asleep. Haru could only stare, and try and figure out what to look for. Was it folded? Were there words on it? Was he looking at the front or the back? What colour was it? Trying to get his head right around this single objects, he was lucky enough to catch the attention of one of 'them'.

This shape, a shape who must have been another person held out...before taking the object slowly from his hand, making a medium pitch sound that seemed to trail off...before taking his arm and leading him somewhere, handing him back his schedule. It was only a few minutes of so, he was sure, before he was brought to his classroom. Stepping in, and nodding at the one who led him to it, he turned to face back into the area. There was some silence, before low and measured sound from one area of the room. Instructor, maybe? It didn't hurt for him to just bow his head apologetically, the worst he could do was bow his head at the wrong person...or accidentally headbutt somebody, "I'm sorry for being so late, I got lost."

His apology was met with more low, measured sound, "----------- s ---- a -- t h -- b a - k --------"

Internally, he was scrambling to put together the possible things the 'instructor' had told him to do...but externally, he just gave a easygoing smile and nodded, before gazing out over the things he could discern. Likely other students, based on the smell. Watching slowly, he intentionally bumped the objects lightly in passing. The object did not give, and seemed heavier...an occupied chair, an occupied desk, another occupied desk and chair, and--*push*, what must have been an unoccupied seat and desk. Finally, he leaned down and pulled the two objects apart, before sitting on the flat of the smaller object (chair).

Facing 'forward' at the source of the low and measured voice, Haru wondered if his head would finally make some connections and allow some cues to figure out a face or two...and then, he couldn't help but stare out a nearby window. The features weren't discerned perfectly in his mind, but he recognised the bright light values coming in from them, the slight warmth of sun on his skin.

[Tatsua Aiisen]

First day of the new school year...
...encountering somebody new, and they're a robot?
Satsuki freezes at the sound of a voice, strangely artificial tones emanating from what she had thought to be thin air. She doesn't turn at first, waiting a few moments before the voice continues, introducing itself as her junior. Now she could be certain that the strange, robotic voice was coming from another student, so she couldn't just continue to ignore it as she was. Tilting her head towards the voice's source, she hesitantly allows her gaze to envelop the strange individual standing before her. It was a boy, that much she could hazard a guess at, but matters such as this were not exactly her specialty. He was holding some sort of small computer, and that must have been where the voice had come from. She allows them to stand in silence for a short time, until her good mood finally gets the better of her, driving her to conversation.

"Good morning..."

She speaks clearly at first, but soon drifts back into the silence of her thoughts. She pauses, and continues what she was doing, seeking comfort in the familiar activity. She slowly places her change into the machine in front of her [i](not the one in the boy's hands), and inputs the simple code for her desired snack. The machine makes a loud noise as the various workings move along, pushing the bag forwards. Just when it was about to drop for her, the bag gets caught, and her chips sit frozen in their place-

"Oh."

Her snack didn't seem to be coming, and for as long as it sat there in its place, her mood dropped accordingly. Until, at the last moment, the bag pushed itself over the edge and fell down into its little cabinet. Relief spread through her body, although her expression didn't show it. She leans down and reaches into the compartment, seemingly intent on claiming her prize before turning to face the boy directly. A haze of discomfort crosses her expression as she accidentally gazes at the boy's face, so she quickly looks away, continuing their conversation where they left off-

"...Todoroki Fuyuki. I'm Tori Satsuki, and this is my third year."

Clutching her chips protectively, Satsuki begins to move, as if to return to the library. Halfway through the motion, she sends a cautious look in Fuyuki's direction, as if wondering if he would continue the conversation. Either way, she would begin walking back towards the library entrance, her movements noticeably less stiff than before.

[TimasheTiger]

“Oh Jesus am I late!” A voice screamed across the grounds.

In full sprint, Kyle was hustling from the Dormitories to the main building where classes were being held. Shirt half buttoned up, only partially tucked into his pants and his tie flowing in the wind, held tightly in his left hand, Kyle was the prime example of not knowing how to be a student. His morning exercise had taken up more time than he thought it was going to. After about an hour and a half of light jogging, punching exercises and weight training, Kyle had completely lost track of time.

“Day one of being a student and I’m going to be late to my first freaking class, -50 points to the foreign kid.” He scoffed at the thought, slowing down as he neared the entrance, he attempted to catch his breath and compose himself as he entered the building. Once inside he picked up his pace to more of a power walk, attempting to button up the rest of his shirt with his one hand. “Now where the hell am I going? Homeroom right, that’s around…this corner? Wait, no, it was…up one floor? Damn it…I’m no good at this.” Frustrated at his own inability to figure out where he was going and focusing on the shirt buttons he didn't even notice the outstretched hand in front of him before he ran right into it. The sudden disturbance finally popped the cork on his lid.

“Hey kid, why don’t you watch where the hell you’r-,” he cut himself off short and hung his head down.

What the hell was he doing yelling at this guy, it wasn’t his fault that Kyle bumped into him, frankly Kyle wasn’t paying attention in the first place and its not like it was this guy’s fault that he’s late to class. “He’s probably scared out of his mind right now, you just yelled at him you idiot!” Kyle sighed and clenched his fist, “gotta make this right.”

“Hey look man,” Kyle scratched his still hung head, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault, I didn’t mean to-“ a piece of paper slowly made its way into Kyle’s view. Following the outstretched hand to its owner, he found…."this guy….literally has the blankest expression on his face"…not the reaction Kyle was expecting. Standing more upright he took in the sight of this guy, his clothes looked a bit disheveled, his hair was white, long, his eyes, mouth…general face area completely blank if not slightly confused, Kyle couldn’t tell. His hand though was waiting expectantly, Kyle thought that maybe he wanted Kyle to take the paper from his hand. When he finally did and skimmed its contents Kyle realized this guy was just looking for his homeroom too.

“Man you seriously picked the wrong guy to stop today.” At most, a slight head tilt was the guy’s only response, maybe he was deaf? No…if he was just deaf he would have made a better attempt to stop Kyle then just an outstretched arm, there was definitely something up with the guy. Regardless he couldn’t just leave him here, so handing the guy back his schedule, Kyle motioned for him to follow, when he didn’t immediately Kyle took him by the arm and started leading him to his homeroom. There was zero resistance which could mean that the guy was used to being dragged around, but that wasn't the prevalent thing on his mind. With him this close in proximity Kyle couldn’t help but notice that there were some pretty strong scents coming from the guy. Most of the scents were pretty weird smelling and while Kyle couldn’t place half of them, he didn’t really have the time to think on it. At least now when he went to homeroom he’d have a better excuse than, “Sorry I lost track of time because I was working out so I could cope with my failed life goal.”

...Actually that excuse was pretty valid too.

Eventually Kyle found the guy’s homeroom and greeted the teacher before pulling the guy in. The teacher seemed to know this student and thanked Kyle for his help. He wrote a quick note down and handed it to Kyle telling him to give it to his homeroom teacher so he wouldn’t be considered tardy. After exiting the homeroom Kyle couldn’t help but stay behind for a few seconds, peeking in through the window in the door he saw the guy bumping into filled chairs before sitting down at an empty seat in the back. What his deal was, Kyle couldn’t be sure, nor did he really have the time to be doing this. Putting the note in his pocket he continued on his search to find his own homeroom. Finishing up the buttons on his shirt he now only had one problem; how the hell was he going to put on this tie?.

[Makatsume Haru]

Today marked Kaori's first day in Yamaku and, needless to say, she was really nervous about it. The chairman decided to give an speech, one which Kaori didn't attend, there were way too many people for her to be able to keep her cool. So she decided to tour around the school, trying to get acquainted with it. She had already seen the dorms, so she decided to check out the remaining surroundings of the school.

She went to the running track, where she supposed P.E. classes would be in, but wait, do they have P.E. here? After all, many can't run... She shakes her head trying to get such morbid thoughts away, since it seemed cruel to think like that about others in Yamaku and even more now that she was also an student there. She walked all the way there to have a closer look. It was just a normal running track, Kaori didn't know what she was expecting to be special about it, maybe special tracks for wheelchairs? She was being kind of cruel about her expectations of Yamaku, but she couldn't help it.

Not everyone in here was like her, with a 'simple' mental disorder and a deep fear for things, and even like that, she might be one of the most normal girls in school, at least physically speaking. Some of them were blind, deaf, mute, others missed limbs and she had even heard one didn't have eyes. But still, such things didn't make them less, Kaori could even say she admired them, many of them, despite their physical disabilities were still pushing onwards. It was really something admirable seeing girls without legs running, or people without arms using their feet as hands. Compared to what they must have suffered throughout their life, Kaori felt that she paled in comparison.

She felt bad, she shouldn't be comparing her disgraces with others, after all, here in Yamaku it would be a totally new start, here people would understand her, not judge her, they wouldn't promptly jump at her with lecherous intentions and she felt relieved because of it. Letting out a great relieved sigh, she continues her tour around school. She passes through the nurse's office, which she hopes she never has to visit, through many classrooms and even passes in front of the library. She opens the door slightly, just to see how big it is, but after she sees some people talking in there, she abruptly closes it and continues with her tour.

After a while, she sees the waves of students exiting the room in where the director was giving his speech. Out of panic, she turns around and goes to hide in the bathroom, until the crowds of people subsided. Few minutes later, she peeks from the bathroom into the halls, to see if the coast is clear and, thank god, it is.

She exits the bathroom and heads to her homeroom classroom, before something else can happen.

Upon entering her classroom, she is relieved that the desks have a considerable space between one and the other, it was good, that way she wouldn't have to worry of being cramped with lots of people. She timidly makes her way to her seat, after asking the teacher where her seat was. She relaxes her body after she sits down and lets out yet another relieved sigh. It was good to be starting fresh, without prejudicial eyes on you all the time. Now, her only concern was whether she had to present herself in front of her classmates or not, and she seriously, seriously hoped that wouldn't be the case.

[Lennon79]

First impression of the girl; dozy. And yet... somehow interesting. Maybe it was her uncertain movements or the irregularity of her rhythm, but Fuyuki found his curiosity piqued. She didn't have any obvious disabilities, no glaring physical faults... perhaps it was a mental problem? Neurological? For a boy with a thirst to know everything, this young woman was a new and exciting challenge to be solved. Fuyuki waited patiently, observing her as she operated the vending machine. Slow movements, vagueness intent, perhaps a hint of nervousness? He laid his observations out like a mental jigsaw puzzle, trying to guess the overall pictures from the scraps he could glean. So far, he had no idea what could be wrong with her and that only drove him harder to find out.

He learned more in the brief moment that she looked at him properly than in the rest of his observation combined; her eyes hadn't met his fully, implying that while she could see him, she either couldn't make out details or was too nervous to make eye contact. What's more, that vaguely clouded expression could have any number of implications; when paired with her other attributes, he had a good enough idea of what to expect from her. Whatever her disability was, it would likely prevent a full conversation and therefore limit her usefulness as an asset... Still, he had time to kill and he was still curious. 'Senpai, are you busy? I can leave if you want.' Contrary to his words, Fuyuki followed on behind the girl, turning his speaker volume down as they entered the library. 'Do you spent a lot of time in here? I hear the librarian has a few regulars who she covers for.' It wasn't subtle, but he tried a bit of fishing; perhaps Tori was familiar with the libraries' other denizens, many of whom he knew well. If she refused to satisfy his curiosity, perhaps taking a more roundabout path would work.

[Mattchew]

Shiori always walked the halls after the opening ceremony and other events. The time she had spent at Yamaku taught her than some kids like to hang around the halls and some forgotten parts of the school. Shiori had a little bit of a secret too. She did not just wander the halls because she had to as the student council president, she also did so because she could listen to her music. She always carried around her music player and headphones, a lot of the time they would actually be in her ears, but her hair covered them up most of the time. Her hearing aids were widely useless sounds were muffled and she couldn't even here the Sensei from the back of the classroom. She considered those hearing aids a waste of money, a feeble attempt by her parents to make her normal. They were always too lazy to change for her, they never wanted Shiori she was a bad child in their eyes, even though she was the oldest. She had to write everything on a notebook because her family did not want to learn sign for her. That forced her to rely on herself so she never really trusted other people, she has acquaintances and people she knows, but no one she really feels she can really talk to...well talk is a loose word. That was another reason she did not have any real friends her deafness, there were other deaf people on the school, many others, but she didn't like them or thought they were all lazy. At least that is what she told herself, really she feared making friends. She thought they were make her weak and she would lose who she is...

She shook the thought out of her head...

Shiori placed the headphones over her ears, they were the ones that sort of just hung on to the earlobe and do not actually go into the ear, as she turned into the hallway that had a lot of the third year rooms. There were a few people mingling in the halls, but that was fine considering that homeroom did not actually start for a couple of more minutes. She got some looks from people that did not know her very loud, if they could hear like a normal person they would probably say that the music is way too loud and causes somewhat of a disturbance. Shiori was not disturbed by it, and she was the student council president, so she thought it fine to listen to the music. She was nearing the end of the hallway when she saw a boy that was pretty well built, he looked confused...and foreign.He is new..., Shiori thought to herself as she watched the young man look at a piece of paper and look around all confused. Shiori sighed to herself and turned off the music she was listening too. She tapped the boy on the shoulder and handed the boy a piece of paper that said, "Lost? Maybe I can help you then. If not carry on with your day."

[TimasheTiger]

“Where the hell am I even going?” The thought flowed out like mustard, sour and tangy.

After dropping off that guy to his class room Kyle had to struggle just to find his own homeroom. He had completely given up on the tie, opting to just hang it around his neck like an open scarf. Hopefully teachers here were more lenient when it came to people without arms and certain articles of clothing. Somehow, based on how strict Japan was supposed to be, that might not be the case. He sighed in defeat at the piece of paper in his hand; after wandering aimlessly for about 10 minutes just looking for the classroom he was pretty sure he was going to be late at this point.

“Great, -100 points to the foreign kid,” he bemused disdainfully.

Wallowing in his defeat, Kyle barely registered the sharp finger tapping on his shoulder. Turning around a girl stood before him, average height, sharp features, shoulder length hair and glasses, again a piece of paper was held out to him. “Seriously, what is it with people handing me papers today?” He folded up his schedule in his fingers, sighing as he placed it in his pocket,

“What? You want me to find your classroom too?” he said, taking the piece of paper from her hand.

"Lost? Maybe I can help you then. If not carry on with your day."

“Lost? Well yea, but you could’ve just ask-“, the slightly annoyed look on her face brought up an embarrassing realization. Why would someone hand you a piece of paper with writing on it, asking a question? She was either deaf or mute; based on her look, probably deaf.

“Oh god I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize…” he stopped himself, “shit I’m doing it again…um…”

He looked around a bit frantically wondering what to communicate with her with until an idea struck him. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a smart phone, while it was currently in the English language, he quickly turned the settings to display Kanji and immediately went to work on writing a text message. When he was finished he showed it to the girl.

“Yea actually, can you help me find my homeroom?”

When he was sure she had read it, he placed it in his mouth and fished out his schedule from his pocket, handing it to her.

[LovelyAnastasia]

Tomo sat in her seat, dozing in and out of the English lesson. Her fingers lightly trailed over the sentences, but she wasn't paying attention at all. English was just about as interesting and Japanese literature. But maybe that was because she was already well versed in it. He father's business often require them to be visited by foreigners. English, American, French, German... Tomo had been tutors and taught in all of those since she was little. It was necessary in order to make good impressions for father and mother's business. But it didn't make it any more interesting.

"Mizukimura-san," a sharp call of her name made her jolt in her seat, "Please, read paragraph five to the rest of the class." Her fingers slyly found the selected paragraph and she stood up with her book in her hands.

"I am not yours, not lost in you,
Not lost, although I long to be
Lost as a candle lit at noon,
Lost as a snowflake in the sea.

You love me, and I find you still
A spirit beautiful and bright,
Yet I am I, who long to be
Lost as a light is lost in light.

Oh plunge me deep in love -- put out
My senses, leave me deaf and blind,
Swept by the tempest of your love,
A taper in a rushing wind."

She sat down, cradling her chin in her palm, a serene expression on her face. The classroom was silent. She sat up straight and then raised her hand. The silence was broken by a cough, that sounded like it was coming from the teacher. Was it that surprising?

"Yes, Mizukimura-san?" that voice sounded tinged with irritation. Ah, maybe next time she should feign ignorance and not speak so well...

"May I have leave to visit the rest room?" she asked softly, calmly.

"Yes!" came a curt and almost angered response. Ah, the teacher was irritated with her... She stood up and maneuvered her way out of the classroom. How uncomfortable. She was not doing well, this 'normal' thing. Apparently even in a school accepting of disabilities she was still out of place. Well, she'd have to try harder then. Tomo closed the classroom door behind her back and swiftly started down the hall, her white cane tapping away in front of her.

Once again she seemed to of missed a turn somewhere and ended up running into a dead end. Perhaps the way to the roof was up some stairs down the second hall on the left? Had she gone up stairs to get to the classroom? Oh, she should of paid more attention. With a bit of a flustered turn about, she started away again. Left... Right... Eep! Stair case. Whew. Upward...upward...upward...Forward...to the left.... Ah..better.

Yes, it was probably not the best idea to skip on the first day, but she was so bored. Sitting down under the shade, after feeling around a bit to make sure it was safe, she let out a pleased sigh. The wind was so gentle today. And it smelt of honeysuckle and lilac. Summer wind smelt so good, especially mingled with her shampoo. There were so many sounds, even up on the roof. Birds seemed to still be going crazy trying to impress one another with all their songs. Tomo started to hum, her head resting on her arms, one leg over her knee, foot swinging lazily.

The sun finally came back out from behind the clouds, sunshine brushing over her face as she smiled. The wind swirled over her and she closed her eyes, her foot tapping away as she sang happily to herself. She just felt so happy she couldn't help it. She could make friends here and she could fit in. Well, she could try anyway. And it was sunny here. It wasn't sunny where she lived. At least not very often. Everything smelt so good and their were so many birds. Such a beautiful day...

Tomo

[Lennon79]

After spending a good half hour in the company of the less than talkative Tori, Fuyuki took his leave. In the end he hadn't learned much about the mystery girl and had trouble padding out her profile; hopefully she didn't have any secret admirers in need of the information he simply didn't have... He was able to meld back into the throng of students leaving the main hall and headed to class in a thoughtful state of mind. Trying to coax Tori into a conversation had really taken it out of him and Fuyuki soon found his mind wandering soon after the lesson began. A new school year should have meant a huge influx of new sources and perhaps even some people that shared his utilitarian social philosophy, but to date the few new students he had talked to hadn't brought much to the table. The boy sighed inaudibly and tried to focus his attention on what was going on around him.

To his surprise, a girl he didn't recognise was reading aloud in English, her delicate fingers tracing along the print of a textbook. Braille presumably, which implied blindness. The girl had excellent pronunciation and was clearly not in need of this class; along with an air of poise and refinement, Fuyuki could safely assume she came from money. As far as he knew, the recital was perfect but that didn't stop the teacher from becoming annoyed with the girl, this Mizukimura. He made a mental note to update the teachers profile to reflect what appeared to be something of an inferiority complex... Fuyuki watched interestedly as Mizukimura took her leave, ostensibly to go to the rest room; he had his doubts however and soon put his hand up as well. 'What is it, Todoroki?', the teacher said with a defeated sigh. Clearly, dealing with the Ojou-sama like Mizukimura had taken it out of him. Definitely an inferiority complex. Sensei, how low can you be... The boy tapped into his PDA, making sure to leave gaps in the dictation. 'Sor--ry Sensei. My P-- is running low on -ower. May I go ch--rge it?' He left without waiting for a proper answer, taking the teachers vague wave for permission, and set off after Mizukimura.

He couldn't see which way the girl had gone, but could still hear the characteristic rapping of blind person's cane. Following the sound, he eventually arrived on the rooftop, where the rhythmic tapping had been replaced with soothing tones and gentle song. Fuyuki pulled up short, finding himself uncharacteristically enthralled by the song; music did not normally do anything for him and singing felt more like a personal insult than art, but he found that he... enjoyed this particular voice. After listening a while longer, Fuyuki stepped out onto the roof in silence and, aware that she had probably heard him coming, started tapping away industriously. 'You are Mizukimura? I am Todoroki Fuyuki, we are in the same class.' As always, his PDA's voice seemed disjointed and fake. 'Please do not be alarmed by my voice. I was rather enjoying yours, to be honest.' A thoughtful smile came to his face as he took a good look at the girl; she had such a slim figure, delicate arms and legs... She would probably suit some of his clothes better than he did, he thought glumly.

[LovelyAnastasia]

Tomo tilted her head slightly at the sound of a broken voice and something a bit more muted near that voice. It was an electronic male's voice, more like that of a computer talking. Perhaps he was mute then, or simply did not wish to talk. It was only guess work, but after doing it for all her life, she found she was pretty good at guess work. The dollish girl couldn't help but let a small smile pass her face, her dark hair falling neatly behind her in soft waves. She had heard someone at the rooftop doors and he said he was in her class. So he must of heard her irritate the teacher as well. Tomo smiled, her hands neatly in her lap, her ankles crossed as she leaned against the wall.

"Pleased to meet you, Todoroki-san," her soft, sweet voice said pleasantly, her head dipping slightly in something that resembled a bow-like greeting, "No need to think you may have upset me. I'm tougher than you may think, as most of us are." She smiled, just happy for the company, since it appeared he was not here to tell on her or try to drag her back to class. Making a gesture to the cool concrete beside her, she offered for him to sit next to her, though she could not see whether he would accept of decline.

"I was just enjoying the afternoon sunshine and shade," she said with a bit of a wistful sigh, "It's a shame that most people forget to do so, don't you think? They coop themselves up in little boxes with windows and think that nothing could be more pleasant... It's all a shame really..." She let out a small laugh and waved her ramblings away. "Pardon me, it's just I have not much experience in talking with classmates," she smiled in the direction she guessed he would be in, "Todoroki-san, would you sit with me? It's only the first day anyway. They'd rather us demonstrate what we already know, than teach us anything. Of course... if you are like me, it gets a bit tiresome... giving them a good show..."