Please Teacher! Fan Fiction ❯ Visitors ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Please Teacher!. Please! owns Please Teacher.

 

A/N: For those of you who have read this before, I decided that my chapters were WAY too short, and condensed the first couple chapters, in addition to adding more story and a little more editing. Hopefully you won't have to wait as long for the next additions. This is the new and improved “Visitors”

 

~~

~~

 

“Mizuho…” Kei sighed. “You can't let yourself get distracted.”

 

“SIMULATION OVER,” A mechanical voice announced. And suddenly, Kei found himself standing in one of the rooms on Mizuho's spaceship. The grey walls were a welcome change over the bleary landscape they had shown moments before. Kei walked over to the prone figure of his wife. “Ma'am, it's over, you can get up now.”

 

Mizuho didn't move. She was sprawled on the floor, her red hair a mess.

 

“Ma'am? MA'AM!” He started shaking her prone body.

 

She looked up at him with a large grin on her face. “Sorry Kei, I couldn't resist teasing you a bit.”

 

Kei smiled and hugged his wife. “I'm serious. You shouldn't let your guard down like that. I know we're doing this for me, but that doesn't mean you can play around. I got worried there.”

 

“I know, I know. But you were doing so well, I just had to watch.” She stood up and reached for her sword, which was lying nearby. “I could have handled him, but this is for you, not me. I'll have to watch the replay to see what happened after I went down.”

 

“No, that's alright, you don't have to do that! You already saw most of it, why watch it again,” Kei pleaded. He didn't want her to see how he had reacted after she was `killed'. He knew it was a simulation, but he let his emotions get the best of him. He had even made the error of leaving his sword behind when he charged the leader.

 

Kei went to retrieve his sword, which was about ten feet away. He picked it up and willed it to collapse. The two and a half foot blade quickly collapsed in on itself and within two seconds appeared nothing more than a pen. Mizuho likewise collapsed hers into a comb. Galactic Federation technology had created the concealable weapons, which is why they had to take care never to leave them around extended. They would not open again until they received a signal from the combat suit.

 

“By the way, this suit is great!” Kei said, changing the subject. “Those hidden thrusters really surprised that guy.”

 

Mizuho giggled. “Yep. It also enhances your strength and provides you with some armor.”

 

“It enhanced my strength? That means that it wasn't all me that punched those men.” Kei said with mock embarrassment. He knew about all the enhancements the suit gave him, having read them over Mizuho's shoulder on the computer while she created it. He had secretly been learning the Federation's written language, and was still waiting for the proper time to surprise her.

 

“Lets go home, Ma'am.”

 

“Okay. Marie, return us to our apartment. This is a priority one.” A now familiar glow surrounded the couple, and a moment later they were standing in their bedroom, dressed in their pajamas.

 

“So, just who were those guys we were facing today? They looked human, aside from how tall they were.” Kei asked, making small talk.

 

“Oh, those were the Stryk. They view combat as the highest art form. You noticed how they all used handheld weapons, it's because they believe that a kill is only honorable if you can look your opponent in the eye. Using a blaster or a bomb would be a disgrace, because your opponent cannot defend themselves as they could against a sword or an axe. They're relatively few in numbers, but due to their close combat fighting, they have been incorporated into Federation battle simulators.”

 

“Hmm, okay.” Kei mumbled. He reached out and kissed Mizuho. She was still for a moment, then began to passionately kiss him back. He moved his arms around her and stroked the back of her neck with his fingers. “I want to thank you for helping me learn to fight. I was never very good at physical sports, but after that incident with Galdrix, I wanted to make sure I could always protect you. I love you so much, I never want to lose you again.”

 

~~

 

Four months ago:

 

“So that's Earth. All indicators show a level 3 technology norm, with some areas actually at level 1. Constant in-fighting, no initiated contact with higher life, and no populated system anywhere near. This is truly a place to get lost in. No wonder Mizuho ran here.” Galdrix said to himself.

 

He was seated on the bridge of his S4-E29 Scout ship. The ship was small, not even half the size of Mizuho's personal craft. It was designed to get in undetected, and leave the same way. It had two sleeping chambers, one holding cell, a small refresher, and barely enough cargo space to hold more than three standard sized crates. It was, however, equipped with the highest quality cloaking capabilities, a small yet powerful arsenal, and a shield, which had just been designed by Federation scientists.

 

“Mara,” said a voice, and Galdrix looked up to see his ships system, Marble, looking out the forward view port. His system was also top of the line, with teleportation abilities capable of reaching twice that of Mizuho's Marie unit. It also had a potent jammer, laser defense mechanism, and a sonic burst.

 

“It's a lot of land to cover. Where on that backwash surface do you think she went Marble?” He asked. He had a good idea, but in the confines of his ship, he found that thinking aloud helped him keep his head clear.

 

“Mara-Ma?” Was the reply.

 

“Well, I suppose we could start with the area she was originally stationed in. Although you'd have to be pretty dumb to hang out in the same spot you worked in, especially after skipping town. But still, I wonder what Mizuho's doing now. I bet she'll be surprised to see me. Hopefully I can use that little crush of hers to get her to come quietly.”

 

He started thinking to himself about his youth, even if it was only a few years previous. He had attended one of the most prestigious schools in the Federation. Only the best and brightest were even considered for enrollment. Of his entire class, no one had worked harder to get there than Mizuho Kazami. The daughter of a high ranking Frontier Explorer and a man from a backwater planet, she had pushed herself hard to even be considered for acceptance.

 

It was a shame, he thought, that she had wanted to work as an observer. She could have made a fine Marshal, much like himself. For not only was she incredibly smart, she was also skilled in combat and espionage. Combat training was part of their curriculum at the school, and she had excelled, beating all the girls in their year and most of the boys as well. Galdrix still remembered when he had faced her in unarmed combat. He had thought himself skilled, but was soon looking up at the ceiling, a dull ache in his head, wondering just how that had happened.

 

A beeping from the console in front of him snapped him out of his memories. “Alright Marble, prepare the cloak. We'll be within range of Kazami's sensors in two standard units.” As his ship raced towards the blue and green planet, he began to look for an appropriate place to land. “There, the clearing on the top of that mountain. If the data is correct, these mountains overlooked the town Mizuho was last known to reside in. Bring us down.”

 

Half an hour later, Galdrix had landed, and began to don his disguise. Unfortunately, fashion was not something that any of the reports from Earth mentioned. He had completely forgotten to check what the average inhabitant would wear. Angry at his lack of foresight, he quickly began to search the archives for any indicator of clothing.

 

Reaching the last of the small list of entries, he resigned himself to leaving in his flight suit. He would have to rely on his stealth abilities to get him clothing from the town.

 

Navigating the rocky terrain was difficult, but he forced himself to do it with his own brawn, a punishment for his previous lack of foresight. Marble floated nearby, wondering why his master did not simply ask to teleport to the city below. “Mara?” it asked.

 

“No Marble, I've got to go down this way. I'd be in trouble if anyone saw me teleporting,” he lied. They both knew it would be no problem to teleport to an area without any sentient life. Marble's sensors were powerful enough to ensure no one would be near. “I think you had better go wait with the ship. I'll call if I need you.”

 

“Ma,” the system responded, and then it vanished. The teleportation glow was non-existent for stealth models, to better aide getting in unnoticed. The glow itself was unneeded, and was actually added to most models as more of an indicator of use than a function.

 

It took him the rest of the night to reach the bottom of the mountain. Finding a nearby stream, Galdrix drank and pondered his next move. There was still a substantial amount of forest between him and town. “Navigating the forest should be no real problem,” he said to himself. As he pushed towards the edge, the forest grew lighter and lighter, and the bushes and trees thinned to the point where he could see the road.

 

“Probably time for stealth,” he said to himself. At the sound of his voice, several of the forests animals took flight, scared by the unknown noise. `Drat,' he thought. `I've been in space to long. I'll have to remember to keep my thoughts inside my head.' He slowly started moving towards the edge of the forest. He was getting tired and hungry; he hadn't eaten since the previous night. The sun looked to be high in the sky, and using what he knew of astronomy on Earth, he deduced it to be time for lunch for the inhabitants.

 

More people had started walking past the forest, and Galdrix feared being discovered, so he halted his forward progress. He sat in a clump of bushes, carefully watching the passers by. The heat was high, and he began to sweat. He wiped the sweat from his brow and returned to observing. The number of people dwindled, and he thought it safe to move again.

 

After a moment or two of forward movement, he noticed that his head and hands were burning. Looking down, he saw great red welts had formed all over his hands, and a touch to his forehead revealed the same. The pain was becoming greater by the second.

 

“AHH!” he screamed, and ran. His forehead was swelling to the point where his eyes were actually being forced shut. Through the thin slits, he could see that he was running towards the road. His foot tripped over a tree root, and he collapsed, hitting his head. Suddenly, the world went black.

 

~~

 

Matagu Shido was walking home from school a little later then the rest of his class. It had only been a half-day today, but he had promised Ichigo that he would help her with a project for the Student Government. The diminutive girl had been elected class president this semester, and he was more than happy to help her out. Even though she seemed cold and distant, he had been around her enough to know that she was actually a very kind, if blunt, person. He had never really thought about her romantically before, but his friends always joked that the two should get together.

 

'I wonder why Ichigo asked me to help her,' the young man thought. 'She could have requested aide from anyone.'

 

“AHH!” came a voice from inside the woods. Matagu looked up, startled out of his trance, and saw a man running terrified through the woods, about thirty meters in. He saw the man pitch forward and heard a loud thud.

 

“What the?” he cried. He watched for a moment, but didn't see anything chasing the man. 'Maybe it's so small I can't see it from here,' he reasoned. 'But I can't just leave someone out there hurt.' He took a moment to build up his courage, and then, grabbing a fallen stick for a makeshift weapon, carefully worked his way to where the man had fallen.

.

It didn't take him long to get there, and what he found surprised him. It was a man, lying on his face in the dirt unconscious. Grunting, he rolled the man over. The stranger was taller than Matagu, and had a muscular physique, although he wasn't all bulked up like a wrestler.

 

His clothing also drew attention. It was an outfit the likes of which the young man had never seen before. It was mostly teal, with raised magenta sections that almost looked to be pockets. There were two raised magenta stripes running down the side of each leg, and raised black cuffs at each ankle, as well as on the wrists and neck.

 

When Matagu looked at the man's face, he saw a large rash that had caused the man's face to swell. The very edge of his hairline had a trickle of blood from hitting his head, on what looked to be a moss-covered rock that was lying nearby. The hands also contained the same rash. The man looked vaguely familiar, but the boy couldn't place from where. The swollen features on his face didn't help with recognition either.

 

`He needs to get to a doctor right away!' he thought. Carefully, he picked the stranger's arms up and got underneath the mans chest. With a great heave, Matagu stood up. The man was heavy, and because of his height, his feet, and practically his knees, were dragging on the ground. The man's face was rubbing against Matagu's cheek, and he could feel the odd texture of the rash. “I hope I don't hurt you moving you like this,” he said, and started the awkward walk out of the forest.

 

Matagu ran through his options. There was the hospital, but it was unfortunately on the other side of town. He could hike as far as a road and try to flag down a car, but traffic was light in this town and almost non-existent at this time of day. Suddenly he had an idea. `Kei's uncle is a doctor, and he doesn't live very far from here. I just hope I can make it that far.'

 

It took the boy the better part of an hour to get from the woods to the Edajima clinic. The trip shouldn't have taken that long, but shortly after they emerged from the woods, his hands and cheek had come down with the rash, and the pain of it had slowed the pair considerably. With a grim sense of determination, Matagu pushed forward.

 

At last, they came to the front of the clinic. Ringing the bell with swollen fingers, Matagu prayed that the strange man who claimed to be his friend's uncle was home. A moment later, a voice sounded through the door.

 

“I'm sorry, but the clinic will be closing shortly,” Konoha Edajima said, more mechanically than anything.

 

“Please, give us a ride to the hospital then Mrs. Edajima. I can't make it much further,” Matagu pleaded.

 

Konoha recognized the voice as one of Kei's friends. Her nephew would be hurt to think they had turned away one of his friends, so she shouted back to her husband, who was getting ready to go out with his wife “I'm sorry dear, but it looks like we'll have one more tonight.” Before the man could respond, she opened the door and gasped. Matagu had used the last of his strength to ask for a ride, and he collapsed forward at the same time the door opened. “Dear, quickly, help me get them to some beds.”

 

~~

 

Minoru Edajima was sweating, he had just finished cleaning and suturing the cut on the unknown mans forehead, and was getting a drink from the kitchen when he heard someone stirring. He looked into his small recovery room to see that Mr. Shido had woken up. Walking into the room, he asked “Are you feeling better? That was some brave thing you did. Judging by the rash you two had, I'd say you were in the forest. That, plus the plant matter I found in his head wound.”

 

“What? Oh, yeah, I was walking home from school and I heard a scream in the woods. I looked and saw him trip. You were the closest place that could help him, so I brought him here. He reached up to hold his head, and realized that both of his hands were covered in gauze, and there was a bandage on his own face, covering most of his cheek where the man had rubbed against him. “What happened to me? What was that rash?”

 

“It was poison ivy. It must have transferred from him to you while you were carrying him. You should have been careful not to touch it. But you'll be better soon, just make sure to use this ointment three times a day until it's gone.” He reached into the pocket of his lab coat and removed a small tube, placing it with the rest of the boy's belongings.

 

“Okay, I'll be sure to do that,” Matagu answered the doctor. Suddenly, his previous thoughts about Ichigo came to his mind. Remembering that Kei seemed to know her better than most, he decided to discuss the situation with him. “Oh, by the way, is Kei home? I've got something I'd like to talk to him about.”

 

“Kei, uh, well, uh, you see, he isn't back from school yet,” Minoru stuttered.

 

“But today was a half day, I saw him leaving school, and he mentioned that he was going straight home!”

 

“Uh, that's right I forgot that he stopped by for a moment. But he went straight back out again, and said he didn't know when he'd be back.” The doctor lied. “You should rest a bit more; you exerted yourself a lot today. I'll call your parents and let them know you're having dinner with us, and we can give you a ride home after eating. Kei should be back by then, and you can talk to him.”

 

“You don't have to do that! I can just talk to him tomorrow,” protested Matagu. As if on cue, his stomach growled, reminding him that he had skipped lunch earlier. “Okay, maybe I will have dinner with you. Thank you very much for everything.”

 

“It's no problem. Now, you should rest, you can talk with Kei after dinner. By the way, what was your phone number again?”

 

Matagu told him his number and lay back down on the clinic bed. As his thoughts swirled, he slowly drifted back to sleep, the events of the day taking their toll once again.

 

Minoru left the clinic and returned to the `house' portion. He headed for the phone and called the Shido residence. The doctor told them of Matagu's predicament, and that he would be having dinner with them that night. When Mrs. Shido asked about payment, Minoru replied it was on the house, claiming he couldn't accept payment from a close friend of his nephews who was also the hero of the day. When Matagu's mother insisted, he relented, but told her a figure much lower than the actual cost of care.

 

He debated calling over to Miss Kazami's apartment, but decided against it. Kei was pretty reliable, stopping by every night to check for mail and messages. Wandering back towards the clinic, he checked in on his charges. Mr. Shido seemed to have fallen asleep again. That was good, he needed the rest. As for the unknown man, The doctor looked at him and wondered who he was, and where he had come from.

 

The suit the man had been wearing was certainly strange. He'd never felt a material quite like it. Both he and his wife had tried for nearly fifteen minutes to remove it. They could find neither seam nor any other indicators of how it was put together. It was skin-tight, and Konoha, while examining the arm, had accidentally pressed a small button on the left wrist cuff. The entire suit immediately went slack enough to pull him out of it.

 

The entire purpose of removing the suit was to check for more rash and injuries, but the man's body was in pristine condition, athletic, yet still muscular, with a broad chest. He was wearing a hospital gown at the moment, and the strange suit was in a small bag next to his bed.

 

~~

 

Lying in the clinic bed, Matagu Shido was slowly waking up. His face and hands were throbbing, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been on the way over. He didn't feel like getting up and moving around yet, so he turned inwards, thinking about how he was going to pay for his treatment, about the man, and about what he had done.

 

Slowly, his thoughts drifted towards Ichigo again. He knew that most of the kids in their class didn't like her. Not because she was a bad person, but because they didn't understand her. Ichigo was quiet, but her eyes were always attentive and watching. Matagu had noted on more than one occasion where she had surprised either himself or the others with her perception. It was part of her charm, and the boy suddenly wondered why he had never really thought about asking her out.

 

All of a sudden, the quiet of his thoughts was disturbed by a low moan. Matagu opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the noise. It appeared the man he had saved was dreaming. His arms were moving, and he was shaking his head. Matagu wondered what he was dreaming about. It had not been a pleasant sound he'd heard, it had sounded almost painful. Fearing that the pain killers were wearing off, Matagu decided to retrieve the doctor.

 

He slowly got up off of his bed and made his way towards the door. Just as he was about to open the screen, the sound of slightly muffled voices reached him. He leaned in with his non bandaged side and listened.

 

~~

 

Kei and Mizuho had just arrived at the Edajima residence. Just outside the door, they made sure no one was looking and had a quick, yet passionate, kiss. Smoothing their clothes, Kei gave a quick knock and opened the door. “We're here,” he announced. “And we brought the groceries you requested with us.” He stepped into the house carrying a small number of bags from Herikawa Groceries.

 

“Thank you so much for doing that you two,” Konoha said. “We didn't have time to go out today. We had two emergency patients just before we closed. Tell us what we owe you before you leave.”

 

“You don't owe us anything Mrs. Edajima. We're more than happy to help,” Mizuho exclaimed. “But two extra patients does explain why you requested more than we would normally need.”

 

“Please, Mizuho, you can call me Konoha. What kind of in-law would I be if I forced you to be so proper with me. You're family. And I insist on paying you back for the food. I called and asked you to pick it up, therefor it's only fair that I pay for it as well.”

 

“You win Konoha. But I'll have to get you the amount later. We got supplies for ourselves as well.”

 

“Hey Konoha,” Kei asked. “You asked us to get ingredients for Sukiyaki. What's the occasion?”

 

Before his aunt could answer, Minoru entered the kitchen, the smell of his bath following him in. “The occasion is that we have a hero dining with us tonight. He's sleeping at the moment, but he should be waking up soon. Now you lovebirds head into the other room and I'll go get him in a moment.”

 

“Wait, Minoru,” Kei asked. “Konoha said you had two patients. Isn't the other one joining us?”

 

“I'm afraid not tonight. He hit his head pretty hard, and the pain killers I gave him will have him knocked out for quite a while.” He then turned and went over to see if his wife needed any help with dinner.

 

“Oh, okay,” his nephew replied. Then he and Mizuho headed into the living room to await the 'hero'. As they were getting seated, Kei asked “So, I guess we'll have to be on our best behavior tonight. We don't want Minoru's hero to find out about us.”

 

“You're right, Mr. Kusanagi,” Mizuho replied with a straight face. “A teacher and her student, scandalous.” She couldn't bear it anymore and cracked a huge smile. “Hopefully it's no one we know, it's hard enough treating you like a stranger at school. It would be impossible to relax otherwise.”

 

“Yeah. If we're having Sukiyaki, I want to enjoy it with my wife, not with my teacher.”

 

Suddenly, they heard a crash.

 

~~

 

Matagu strained his ear to listen. It sounded like Kei was home. 'Good,' he thought. 'Now I can ask him about Ichigo.' He was just about to open the door when he heard another voice. 'Was that...Miss Kazami? I guess she does live next door, but why would she be joining us for dinner? Kei's never mentioned her eating over before.'

 

He couldn't hear all of the conversation, but he distinctly heard the words in-law, family, and lovebirds. 'What are they talking about? It sounds way too casual for a teacher visit.' Then he heard the doctor tell Kei that he would be going to get the 'hero' in a few minutes.

 

Realizing he had been eavesdropping, Matagu was about to hurry back to his bed when Kei and Miss Kazami's voices got louder. Remembering some of the layout of his friends house, he realized they had gone into the living room, which was right outside the clinic door he was listening from. Pushing his luck, he decided to listen a bit further.

 

“So I guess we'll have to be on our best behavior tonight. We don't want Minoru's hero to find out about us.”

 

“You're right, Mr. Kusanagi. A teacher and her student, scandalous.”

 

'A teacher and her student? What are they talking about scandals for,' Matagu thought. He heard Miss Kazami laugh.

 

“Hopefully it's no one we know, it's hard enough treating you like a stranger at school. It would be impossible to relax otherwise.”

 

Realization rushed into Matagu's head. Kei and Miss Kazami were seeing each other!

 

“Yeah. If we're having Sukiyaki, I want to enjoy it with my wife, not with my teacher.”

 

Hearing this, Matagu passed out.

 

~~

 

Minoru was busy preparing the beef for dinner when he heard the noise. Hearing both Kei and Mizuho gasp, he realized it had come from the clinic. Quickly, he ran to the door and slid it open.

 

Lying on the ground behind the door was Mr. Shido. The doctor quickly bent down and did examined him. The boy was breathing, and didn't appear to have hit his head. Suddenly, Matagu's eyes opened. “What happened to you,” the doctor pressed. “How come you're on the floor!”

 

Matagu didn't want to admit what he had just heard. Thinking quickly, he came up with an excuse. “I woke up for dinner and heard voices. I got excited since I thought Kei was back, and stood up too quickly. I got dizzy, and then I fell over.”

 

“Okay, I'm glad you're alright. You should be more careful. Here, let me help you into the living room.” Minding the gauze, he helped the boy stand up, and then supported him into the living room, where he guided him to a spot on the couch next to Kei. “You can wait here until dinner's ready. And if you feel dizzy, let one of us know, alright?” With that, Minoru headed back to the kitchen to help finish dinner.

 

“Hey Matagu, I didn't know you were the 'hero' they kept talking about. What happened to you,” Kei asked. 'Great,' Kei thought. 'It would have been bad enough to have someone we know here, but he's one of my best friends. It's going to be a rough night.'

 

“Mr. Shido, I didn't know you would be joining us for dinner. Oh my, what happened to you, you're hurt,” Mizuho said, walking into the room. When they had realized just who the patient was, she had quietly removed herself from the room to prevent suspicions. While Mr. Edajima had tended the boy, she had talked with Mrs. Edajima to figure out what to do.

 

“Miss Kazami? Are you having dinner here too,” Matagu asked.

 

“Yes, I ran into Mrs. Edajima on her way back from the grocery store, and she invited me to dinner. Said one of my students was a hero, and that I was welcome to celebrate with you. But enough about me, what happened?”

 

“Oh, yeah, this,” the boy started. He knew they were lying to him, but he didn't want to reveal that he'd been listening. “On my way back from school today, I saw a man get hurt in the woods. I found him and carried him to the clinic here. But the man had poison ivy, and it got on me. It's just a rash, and I should be better in a few days.”

 

Just then, Konoha came into the room, drying her hands on a dishtowel. “Dinner is ready everyone. Kei, would you help your friend to the table?”

 

Kei supported Matagu, and the group made their way to the small table. A large pot was simmering on a burner in the center of the table, filled with an array of vegetables, along with some beef. The table normally only sat four, so a fifth table setting had been added to the end near where the table legs were.

 

Matagu was seated in one of the normal seats, while Kei took the slightly uncomfortable added spot. Mizuho, in an effort to appear as though she was not in a relationship with Kei, sat next to Matagu, as far from her husband as she could get.

 

“Alright everybody, dig in,” Minoru said. And with that, everybody started eating. Kei helped his friend get some of the food, since the gauze made it impossible to use chopsticks.

 

Realizing she had forgotten about the condition of his hands, Konoha remarked “I'm sorry Mr. Shido, it completely slipped my mind that you would be unable to use chopsticks. I'll get you a fork.”

 

“That's alright, Konoha, I'll get it for him. It's the least I could do after you invited me,” said Mizuho. She quickly got up and retrieved a fork from one of the drawers.

 

'She's not doing a very good job of hiding that she's comfortable here. She called Mrs. Edajima by her first name, and she knew right where to go for the fork,' Matagu thought. Outwardly he said “Thank you very much Miss Kazami.” 'I feel bad for them, having to hide it. I'll bring it up tonight when I'm talking to Kei about Ichigo.'

 

The rest of dinner was uneventful, save for one time when Miss Kazami called Kei by his name. They talked about school, and heard more details about the man he had saved. After dinner, Miss Kazami excused herself back to her own apartment, claiming she had some papers to grade. Matagu decided it would be as good a time as ever to talk with his friend.

 

“Hey Kei, can I talk to you about something,” Matagu asked.

 

“Sure, what's on your mind.”

 

“Um, I don't want to talk about it down here, lets go up to your room.”

 

“Okay, come on up.”

 

Matagu followed Kei up the stairs and into his bedroom. He wasn't surprised to see that it looked as though no one lived there. It was clean, but the closet was nearly empty, and there were no books or anything school related on his desk.

 

“What did you need to talk about,” his friend asked him.

 

“I wanted to talk to you about Ichigo.”

 

“What about her?”

 

“Well, I don't know, but she's been really nice to me lately, nicer than usual at least. And today, she asked me to stay late with her to work on something for the student government.”

 

“And? She is a nice girl, and you're her friend, why wouldn't she be nice to you. As for staying late with her, she doesn't trust many people. Kaede and Hyosuke were going out today, Koishi had to work, and I dodged her, knowing she needed help.”

 

“Oh. And here I was thinking that maybe she liked me as more than a friend.”

 

“Ichigo's friends are everything to her. Believe me, she doesn't want to risk what little friendship she has on a relationship. Besides,” Kei paused.

 

“Besides what?”

 

'Our friends had to find out sooner or later,' Kei thought. He took a deep breath. “Besides, when Ichigo does decide she wants a relationship, she wants one with someone her own age.

 

“What are you talking about, we're all the same age!”

 

“No, um, actually,” Kei started 'Please don't hate me Ichigo.' “Actually, Ichigo is 22 years old.”

 

“You're kidding me, right? That tiny little girl, who barely looks like she belongs in our grade, is six years older than us.”

 

“Well, six years older than you and the others. She's only three years older than me. I'm actually 19.”

 

“What are you talking about Kei? I don't understand what you're telling me.”

 

Kei sighed. “Both Ichigo and I have a disease in common that we call 'standstills'. Whenever we get stressed or depressed, our bodies shut down. When I was 15, my body went into one of these standstills for three years. My body didn't age at all during that time. Something similar happened to Ichigo, except hers lasted for six years.”

 

“But why hide it?”

 

“We wanted to live normal lives. Away from everyone who knew how old we were supposed to be. We both decided to move forward and make up for the lost time. We didn't tell you because we didn't want you guys to feel weird or put out. Please don't tell anyone, no one knows about Ichigo's condition besides me and my uncle and aunt. The same with me, the principle knows, but no one else. Please don't tell anyone. Can you keep it a secret for us?”

 

Matagu had been planning on bringing up Kei's relationship with Miss Kazami, but after hearing Kei's story, he decided against it for the time being. “Don't you worry, I'm good at keeping secrets. I won't tell a soul. It's getting pretty late. I'm going to ask for a ride home now. I'll see you at school tomorrow.”

 

“Yep, goodbye Matagu. I'll talk to you later.”

 

Matagu went downstairs, his head full of all the new secrets he had learned today. He didn't want to hurt his friends, and Kei had just trusted him with a large personal part of his life that no one else knew. His relationship with their teacher could wait for a different time. When he got to the living room, he politely requested a ride back to his home.

 

After getting to his parents house, he had to dodge a barrage of questions from his family before finally making it to his room. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.