Turning Pages [Keiji Akaashi]

Chapter One

     She lay in her bed, eyes closed gently. She felt the morning sun warming up her cheek, but she couldn't bring herself to fully awaken. It was comfortable in her bed, so warm and cozy. She never wanted to leave, but alas, all good things must come to an end.

     "Yuki!" A voice called outside her door, a hand slammed against the wood. "Yuki! Yukiko! You gotta get up!" It continued to yell, but the girl in question only rolled over. "It's your first day of your second year! You're gonna be late!"

     Yukiko Nakamura couldn't care less if it were her first day, or if it were her last. School wasn't very important to her, and she knew she could read a history book and would be good to go. She had great memory, and seemed to be able to retain anything she read or saw, which wasn't always a good thing for her.

     Sleep was close in her grasp once more, as her breathing became lighter. She was so, so close, before a body landed on top of her. She hadn't even heard her door open. "It's time to get up, sleepyhead!"

     Yukiko sat up with a start, her black hair sticking up in different places. Drool was dried up in the corner of her mouth, and her brown eyes stared sharply at the boy laying on her lap. His whitish hair was spiky as always, with black streaks blending in slightly throughout.

     "Kou, you have three seconds to get up before I punch you." Yukiko warned, holding up three fingers. One fell down.

     Koutaro Bokuto whined like a child, rolling off of her and more onto her mattress. "Your bed is so comfy, though! I swear, Mom likes you more than me." He turned to lay on his back, glancing at his sister. "We really gotta go soon, though. We don't want to be late."

     "If you were to get out, maybe I could change." Yukiko muttered grumpily. She wasn't a very nice morning person, but Koutaro laughed anyways.

     He moved to stand up, before his golden eyes widened. "I forgot to mention! My friend is gonna be walking with us. You remember Akaashi? I met him last year. Well, I actually met him when we were kids, but I don't remember that. He's actually a second year, too! Do you know him?"

     Yukiko sighed, before running a hand through her tangled hair. She winced. "For the last time, I've never met a boy named Akaashi in my life. Are you sure we even went to the same middle school?"

     The girl had never met this Akaashi that had won over her brother's heart. Supposedly, he had told Bokuto that they had gone to the same school in their youth: Mori Junior High School. For the life of her, Yukiko could not place a face to the name. The taste of his name on her lips wasn't familiar, either.

     It was still strange to her, how the two hadn't met. This Akaashi had known her brother for a year, and had come over countless times to their home. It seemed anytime he was over, Yukiko was gone for the day, only to return with him gone. She hadn't passed him in school, either. It seemed as if fate hadn't wanted them to meet, and that was okay with Yukiko.

     "I'm positive!" Koutaro smiled. "It's so strange how he knows you, but you don't know him! Well, he knows your first name."

     Yukiko shrugged. "Well, you know how I never really paid attention to people around me. Especially after the accident." At the mention of the accident, Bokuto's hair seemed to deflate a little bit. His smile dropped, too. "Everyone's kind of a blur to me."

     He rested his hand on her shoulder, causing her to glance up at him. "I know I may be goofy, but you're still my sister. If you need me for anything-"

     "Yes, yes. I know." Yukiko brushed his hand off. "I promise I'm doing better. You can keep being the silly older brother now. Your serious-side scares me."