The Circle of Life

Chapter One

Seinward High, Charse City: a city that clings to "normal"

Planet Earth, main lands

Despite being called such, it was really hard to believe that Charse City is one of the few cities left that retained something as crazy as "normal". Ren Minoru (suppose you could call her a resident) would be the first to say such things and based on her cold and detached exterior, she was anything but what used to be considered normal. Not just her either, almost everyone in Charse had the same expression, but unlike Ren, they all had a fashion to match. The City had several schools, but the two most reputable schools were Seinward High and Maluby High. Neither was reputable because of their high academic achieving students, but because all students were the lowest of the low. They were gangsters, Yankees, delinquents and each school sported their own representative gang that constantly clashed for no apparent reason.

Though she didn't seem like the type, Ren too had a major impact to the clashing tides of Seinward and Maluby. Short, petite and slim, the only indication that she was caught up in such wars was her hair of silver and white tassels, cropped randomly at places and pulled into a high side ponytail, the longest strands reaching to the small of her back with purple dye streaking the mismatching lengths of her bangs. Truly, she was a sight to behold. Upon first glances, she was clearly rebellious and her facial features, though somewhat childish, were like a doll. She had pearly skin and round cheeks, tinged with the lightest shade of natural pink, and she had wide eyes that were so dark that they seemed to reflect the lights of her environment from within. Hidden somewhere was a tone of Asian that was impossible to specifically pinpoint by the naked eye but could somehow be noted in her soft features and sharp eyes.

Though her hair and attitude was usually a clear enough hint for most people, what essentially announced her dual occupation of student and gangster was her Seinward High uniform. Surprisingly enough for such a rough-edged school was that it supplied a uniform at all, but it was the formal assembly that was even more shocking. Complete with a crisp, white, button-down shirt, grey tie, green plaited skirt and the Seinward crest of eight stars embroidered on the left collar and the arrowed tip of the tie, the uniform hinted at nothing of being one of the main gangster schools of Charse. In fact, it suggested at anything but, considering that a white shirt would be the last thing you'd want to get into a fight in. But the uniform was perfect, at least to Ren's preferences.

However, as far as school went, the uniform was the only thing she approved of. As she made her way along the path parallel to a wide road with her grey schoolbag rattling with loose object that suggested anything but textbooks, a loud bell rung from the direction of Seinward High. Even with such an undeniable warning of her tardiness, Ren made no sign of picking up her pace and proceeded in the same careless and casual fashion. As she finally turned the corner to her school, she saw that the heavy gates guarding the white buildings of her school had already long since been closed. Despite that, it seemed that no classes had yet started or at least according to some loitering students near the gate. Upon nearing the gate, Ren found the two boys standing with their backs to the gate familiar and her lips twitched in a quarter smile before returning to the usual emotionless, tightlipped expression. Judging by their close proximity to the gate, it was clear that they too had only just made it to school before the bells had rung, but at least they had made it over. Not that the gates were of any concern to Ren in the first place and she entered the school in her usual manner.

"Man, you look like you haven't slept a wink," commented the shorter of the two boys as Ren quietly swung herself up the enormous gates that were more than several times her size.

She used several footholds from the brick wall beside the gate to hoist herself up, but only once did she use her hands and that was to grasp the cold and steely edge of the top of the gate.