The GATE Academy [Please read description]

Chapter 1: The First Day/Introductions

The sun seems to rise extra slowly on GATE's island. Today was the best day to watch the sun rise because later on in the year, this rock, my favorite rock, will be shared by couples at this same time. The spot is a lovers' paradise at the right times...

Just like it's students, the nature surrounding the GATE Academy seems almost unreal and supernatural in itself.

Knowing my two friends well, Keita would be impatiently waiting for Riku to finish his breakfast at this time. I decided to catch up and walk with them to class in a few minutes. The three of us are on the same CL, combat level, so we all ended up with the same teacher: Professor Cloud.

Professor Cloud is a young guy, in his middle-to-late twenties I believe, and is considered to be one of the most skilled alumni in all of GATE's fifty-three year history. Despite being a young adult, his hair is silver-gray, but I'm pretty sure that's his natural hair color.

Walking down the familiar halls brought back a sense of nostalgia. Four months ago, at the end of last school year, I fought side-by-side to protect this school. Apparently my valiant stand earned me enough respect to be voted as the class president.

I waited outside of Keita's and Riku's dorm for a few seconds until knocking thrice on it. Seconds later, the door swung open, and the silver-haired Keita stood at the doorway, a black backpack slung over his right shoulder.

"Shizuo," Keita shifted his right shoulder up to prevent his bag from slipping, "It's been a while."

Keita's voice was nearly expressionless, but I've learned to read him past his emotional difficulties.

Before you jump to conclusions, Keita is not a victim of abuse or trauma. His story is... Quite complicated, but for the lack of simpler terms, Keita is a demon. And again, before you start jumping to conclusions, he doesn't conduct black magic rituals and human sacrifices.

Koto-Keita was born a demon of wind out of the chaos from the Abyss, which I understand to be a place of tangible confusion and chaos. To make a long story short, he was driven out of Hell for stealing and reincarnated himself as a human on Earth.

Besides the whole demonic part, Keita's a pretty simple guy and a great friend.

I pocketed my hands into my black shorts and grin at Keita.

"Waiting for Riku, eh?"

Keita turned his head to left and looked back at Riku over his shoulder.

"It would appear so..."

Keita also struggles with today's norms, which may include his dialect, attitude, and occasionally his style. Then again, some people at GATE go overboard with their appearances...

Riku looked up from his bowl of Lucky Charms, having been intently trying to separate the marshmallows, and upbeatly asked Keita.

"Who's at the door? Is it Shizuo??"

Keita stepped to the right side, opening the door all the way, to let Riku see past himself and at me.

Still grinning, I threw up a "peace" sign with my right hand and pocketed it again.

"You almost ready to go?"

Riku stood up abruptly and grabbed his backpack from beside him and slung it over his left shoulder, leaving his bowl of half-eaten cereal on the table. Keita closed his eyes in disappointment.

"Of course!"

Riku stopped next to Keita on his way out and turned around on his heels and picked up a cheap black Bic pen from his bed.