Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Yuri ❯ Chapter 1

My apologies for this. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at a shaggy dog story and this seemed as good a time as any. I’ll explain a little more at the end.

New Student

‘Too early.’

A slender hand crawled out of a pile of blankets and pillows to slap the alarm clock on the nightstand. A moment later, Sakura Yamada rose to face her first day of eleventh grade. She dressed quickly, throwing on her school uniform– blouse, black blazer, and checked skirt– in minutes. She slipped on the red tie she kept tied on a peg and adjusted it as she headed downstairs for breakfast.

Sakura’s mother had toast, milk, and a variety of spreads on the table. Sakura ate quickly and was soon out the door with her lunchbox tied in a kerchief. Her friend Asuka was waiting at the gate, an ornamental thing that guarded a yard no more than five paces across in any direction. Asuka waved cheerily and called out, ‘Good morning, Sakura. Ready for school?’

‘Am I ever? What’s up? I know that smile.’ The bright weather and her friend’s cheefulness did nothing to improve Sakura’s irritation at the end of vacation and the need to rise early.

‘Did ya hear? We’re getting a new student this year. From America.’

‘America? Are you sure? You said we were getting a Frenchman last year.’

‘Positive.’ Asuka looked around the empty street and leaned close to Sakura’s ear. ‘Akari Yamamoto in B Class, her mother’s the school nurse and she said that the new student’s name is Yuri Sakamoto.’

‘Sakamoto…a Japanese name, that’s weird. Maybe her parents wanted to come back home.’

‘Growing up in America, she must’ve learned all sorts of interesting things. I bet she’s a major babe, too.’

‘Hiroshi! Is that all you think about?’ Sakura raised her bag and drew back her arm. Hiroshi ducked behind a lamp post. Sakura grabbed him by the arm and started off down the street ‘Come on, we won’t find out just standing here.’



The classroom was humming with conversation as students caught up on what they’d done over the break or planned activities for the new semester. Sakura and Asuka took empty seats by the window and started a conversation with the other girls on that side of the room. Soon, the bell rang and the teacher entered. Mr. Otonashi was a portly middle-aged man whose bad toupees everyone ignored by unspoken agreement. He coughed loudly to gain the class’s attention and said, ‘Welcome back. A new student will be joining us this year. Please, come in and introduce yourself.’

The door opened again and a boy stepped in. He looked quite ordinary: black hair cropped short, medium height, dark eyes. However, his eyes were a little larger and rounder than most and his skin paler than usual. He bowed awkwardly and said in passable but accented Japanese, ‘I’m Yuri Sakamoto. Pleased to meet you. I’m sorry if my name confused you. My mother is Russian and insisted on naming me after her late father.’



I promised I would explain the premise. Yuri is a girl’s name in Japan. However, it is a boy’s name in Russia. In fact, the first man in space had this name. For some reason, this little coincidence turned itself into a terrible joke in my mind and I have been forced to inflict it on an unoffending audience. Still, the fact that this audience does not exist greatly relieves my sense of guilt.