Green Horizons

Prompt: On January 1, 1892, Ellis Island opened for the first time. Write about or depict a situation in which the start of the New Year marks a character’s entry into a strange new world. Will they thrive or are they forced to fight to survive?

Written By: KC
*WARNING: Japanese may not be perfect. If you read kanji, please don’t judge. Google Translate isn’t perfect.*

Title: Green Horizons *a DRRR!! Based story*
Genre: realistic fiction, action, romance, drama
Rating: T (Teen) *for some mild romance, language, action, and situational intensity*
Main Characters: Karitani Ayame, Orijima Ryou, Watanashi Senri, Shimizu Maika

---

Dappled spots of light shone through the tinted windows of a small company jet, the sun having just broken the horizon on an unfamiliar skyline. Only thirteen hours ago, Ayame had said her final goodbyes to her friends in New York. She had lived in the ‘Big Apple’ since she was only three years old, and now her family was being transferred back to Tokyo, Japan for her father’s job with an international marketing company. While her parents were fluent in the Japanese language and culture, Ayame was less acquainted with it, worried her first days at a new school were going to be hell.

She grumbled as her mother nudged her gently awake.

“Ayame, dear, look! We’ve just landed!”

Ayame let out a groan of displeasure as she made a weak effort to open her eyes, only a thin strip of her vibrant blue irises scanning the sight of another new and bustling city. She lifted her hand and ran it back through her onyx colored bangs, sighing as she moved into a straighter seated position.

“That’s just great, mom….” She replied, her voice void of any excitement, unlike that happy-go-lucky mother of hers.

Her eyes now open and adjusting to the light, she looked back across the aisle, wondering where her father was. But really, she never needed to ask. He was always working. At the moment, there was a 99.9% chance he was either in the lavatory changing into his suit or taking another one of the million phone calls he seemed to get every day. Ayame could care less for her father. He was someone she wouldn’t miss if something unfortunate were to happen. He rarely spent time with his own daughter and seemed to think his job and the money he made was more important to them than he was.

Looking back at the seat in front of her, Ayame ignored the cheery voice of the too attractive female flight attendant as she pulled out a blue mp3 player and a pair of matching silver and blue headphones. She slipped the headphones over her head and adjusted them on her ears before cranking the volume on her music. She closed her eyes and let the pounding beat of drums and hardcore guitar turn the world around her to silence.

---

Music was her escape from everything. Whether it was school trouble, a fight with her friends, an annoyance, or just the nagging of her parents, Ayame was almost never seen without a pair of headphones on her head and a trusty mp3 player nestled in the pockets of her clothes. And this was exactly how she was spending the current moment.

With her head in a book, she was lying face down on a new bed, in a new bedroom, in a district of Tokyo she’d never heard of before, Ikebukuro. According to her father, it was a famous commercial and entertainment district in the city, centered by Ikebukuro Station, Tokyo’s second busiest train and subway station next to the one in Shinjuku. There were plenty of offices, shops, restaurants, and department stores within the city that Ayame would have access too. She guessed that’s why her parents chose this specific district as their new home. The last thing those two would want was for their daughter to be completely miserable.

They were living in an apartment much like the one they’d had in New York. It was simple, two stories, with a living room, kitchen, and two bedrooms. Ayame’s bedroom was on the second floor while her parents slept on the ground floor. The complex was quite the tower, and being on one of the top floors of the building, they were given an impressive view of the city from their windows. But at the moment, Ayame was focused on something much more important than the city skyline.
She opened up her black messenger bag which contained a white laptop and her other supplies for school. She pulled out her laptop and opened her internet browser. She typed in the address to a popular chatroom that had been started by the very residents of Ikebukuro. Ever since she’d heard they were moving there, she’d put a lot of dedication in to seeing who she could meet beforehand, especially so she could practice her Japanese for the start of school.

She typed her username and password into the login box and clicked on her usual chatroom. Instantly, her icon popped up with bold letters behind it, reading,

*Yu-kun has logged on*

Ji-chan: ちょっとゆうくん！池袋へようこそ！ (Hey Yu-kun! Welcome to Ikebukuro!)

Ji-chan: 飛行はいかがでしたか？ (How was the flight?)

Yu-kun: それは大丈夫だった。ちょうど退屈。(It was alright. Just boring.)

Yu-kun: 何が起こっているのでしょうか？ (What’s happening?)

Ji-chan: 私は学校のための準備をしています。私は、終了までに宿題を持っている。とする？ (I’m getting ready for school. I have some homework to finish. And you?)

Yu-kun: 学校？私は、私も準備をしていると言うことができるとします。我々は今同じ学校に行く？ (School? I wish I could say I was prepared. We go to the same school now, right?)

Ji-chan: ノーススターアカデミー？ (Nōsusutā Academy?)

Yu-kun: それはそれです。(That’s it.)

Ji-chan: 素晴らしい。私達は会うはず。(Great. We should meet.)

Yu-kun: あなたがそう思う？とき？我々は昼食のために試してみて？ (You think so? When? Should we try lunch?)

Ji-chan: 私は完璧な場所を知っている。昼食時に屋根に来る。私はそこになるでしょう。(I know the perfect spot. Come to the roof at lunch. I’ll be there.)

Ji-chan: ああ！ (Aah!)

Yu-kun: 何ですか？ (What?)

Ji-chan: 私は行かなければならない。さようなら。(I have to go. Bye.)

*Ji-chan has logged out*

Yu-kun: さようなら。(Bye.)

*Yu-kun has logged out*

Ayame shut her laptop and flopped down onto her back with a sigh, her blue eyes staring lazily at the ceiling. Every time Ji-chan left the chatroom, she got gloomy. She had grown fond of the girl, or at least she assumed Ji was female, over the past few months. They would sometimes talk for hours about their family, their interests, what kinds of fun things Ikebukuro had to offer, what New York was like… Even though they still hadn’t met, Ayame felt as if they’d become inseparable friends. She hoped that by the end of lunchtime in the coming day she will have gained Ji as a true acquaintance.

With a final longing sigh, Ayame tilted her head backwards to watch the moon rise above the Ikebukuro skyline. With a smile, she shut off her light and slipped into bed. She closed her eyes and the blankets up to her nose, finding pleasure in the soft warmth. As the natural procession of night darkened the room, she drifted into unconsciousness, her dreams happily laced with thoughts of the next day.

---

Orijima Ryou wasn’t the average seventeen year old high school boy. In fact, he’d been a little odd his entire life. With the record of a first rate, juvenile delinquent, he had always struggled with making any friends. That’s why he allowed that ‘flea-brained’ classmate of his to convince him to join this new chat site called “COLORS”. No one really knew what the name meant, but no one really cared either. The site was highly social, and as long as people are entertained something like a site name just became trivial.

He sighed and leaned back in his desk, letting his head drop behind him limply, his light green eyes narrowed and brimming with an endless boredom. He hated school. It was pointless. The government forces kids to spent eight hours of their day locked away in a dreary, old building and have unpleasant concepts drilled into their heads that they most likely won’t even need in the future. The only reason he was actually looking forward to school that day was because he had someone to meet.

Having grown up in Ikebukuro, Ryou knew the city like the back of his hand. He had always hung out on the streets by himself, not wishing to waste his time with the giddy school kids in his class. He was a troublemaker at heart and getting people to hang out with you when your record was as bad as his was a near impossible task. When he finally gave “COLORS” a shot, he was shocked to find a complete stranger offering to chat with him. Of course, they had no idea who he was, thanks to his more feminine screen name, but so used to being alone; having someone to open up to was a sort of shock for him.

Yu-kun… That was his name. Ryou had told him so many things. All about his family, his life, and the secrets that the city held… He had promised to show it all to Yu when he arrived. Even better, about a week before, Yu announced that he’d passed the entrance test into Ryou’s school, Nōsusutā Academy. It was one of the best in the city and from what he could tell, Yu was a pretty smart kid. In just a few hours, he would be meeting up with the boy on the roof for lunch. He would finally have someone to talk to; someone who cared about him. The thought made his heart swell a bit and a faint dust of pink lighted his cheeks.

It wasn’t like he was interested in guys, but something about Yu just made him smile. The way he talked, how he could be so cleverly cocky and sarcastic, all the times he had presented a story that made Ryou laugh out loud… he felt an odd attraction to the kid, and he kind of liked it.

As he sat there, leaning over the back of his desk, a blush on his cheeks, a shrill voice rang out most annoyingly from in front of him.

“Oh, Ryou-chan~~ Good morning!”

Ryou twitched angrily, a low growl escaping the back of his throat. It was that ‘flea-brained’ classmate he despised so much. The way the brat used that sly purr in his voice made Ryou’s spine tingle in disgust. He grunted and leaned his head up to glare into the dark-haired menace’s sinisterly thinned auburn eyes. There was a cruel sneer on the boy’s face that caused Ryou’s fist to clench up tightly, gaining to sudden urge to drive the nuisance straight through the school wall.

“Tch… ‘the hell do you want, flea-brain?” Ryou grumbled.

The ‘flea-brain’ chuckled darkly. “Aww~ Didn’t you miss me? I thought you’d be dying to see your poor Senri-kun again!!” He smirked at his sarcastic remark.

Ryou narrowed his eyes even further and stood up, the tension in the school room quickly building as the rest of the students had succumbed to silence. All eyes were trained on the two rivals.
“Buzz off! I wouldn’t give a damn if you were found dead in some dirty back alley. In fact…” Ryou took a step forward, leaning towards him with an intimidating grin. “I think I might actually enjoy seeing your lifeless body… Watanashi Senri…” Ryou hissed Senri’s name while glaring daggers into his auburn eyes. The familiar clash of light green and red-brown brought up a gasp from the other students as Ryou, standing a good foot above Senri’s height, grasped him by his shirt collar. Blond locks crashed with black ones as Ryou slammed their foreheads together with a growl. He wanted Senri to get the message.

“Listen brat, there’s actually someone I plan on seeing today. If any of your damn games screw up my meeting, I won’t hesitate to send your ass flying back to that hell hole of a ‘home’ you keep in Shinjuku. Are we clear?”

Senri grinned, his eyes gleaming mischievously at this new discovery. It wasn’t like Ryou to be so protective over someone.

“Of course~” He purred, his voice reflecting nothing but his completely untrustworthy nature. “I’ll make sure this little friend of yours sees you for exactly who you are, a brutish wild animal.”

“WHY YOU LITTLE!!—“ Ryou had drawn back his fist to throw a punch at his adversary when he was interrupted by the sharp clearing of a woman’s throat. Both boys turned their heads to see a woman clad in a fashionable black suit and heels standing before them. Her onyx colored bangs fell over the crimson rim of her glasses with an irritated stare.

“Orijima-san, Watanashi-san, see me after class, won’t you?” She removed Ryou’s hand from Senri’s collar and dragged both boys back to their seats.

Ryou was left to grumble and groan while Senri was left grinning in sweet success. Making Ryou’s life miserable was his prime source of entertainment. Ever since they met back in junior high, the two had been strict enemies. Their personalities were so different that the probability of the two ever getting along was close to zero. Senri was, in most people’s eyes, completely psychotic. He enjoyed spending his time observing the lives of the people around him, trying to figure out just how the human mind functions. It was his passion and he claimed to love every person in the world except for one, Orijima Ryou.

Ryou on the other hand was usually solitary and not one for conversation. He kept to himself and enjoyed peaceful things, like walks in the park, seasonal festivals, and just hanging out by himself. But the problem with Ryou was his temper. He was extremely short-tempered, even the tiniest annoyances setting him in a complete rage. Most of all, he utterly loathed Watanashi Senri. The kid was a nutcase who screwed with people’s lives for his own entertainment. Ryou found it disgusting beyond belief. That’s why he’d developed his ‘bad boy’ reputation. The number of times he’d tried to beat Senri senseless only grew throughout his high school years. He’d even begun dropping in his studies, focusing more on finding some source of enjoyment to keep the brat off his mind.

But sure enough, if Senri planned on messing with Ryou’s meeting with Yu, Ryou was bound to lose it. He would chase Senri all throughout the city until he could have the satisfaction of beating the brat unconscious. He deserved it anyway...

As the class began, Ryou rested his chin upon his hand, staring glumly at the whiteboard as the teacher prattled on about the importance of keeping a budget. He didn’t bother to take notes and let his mind wander.

‘Geez… I sure hope Yu-kun is having a better morning than I am…’ He sighed and glanced wearily out the window.

---

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Ayame groaned in distaste, looking at her reflection in her bedroom mirror. Even though she had specifically instructed her mom to order her the male uniform, her mother had still ordered the female one. In the entire course of her life, Ayame had never willingly worn a skirt. She only did so when forced to on rare occasions. Now, she stood before her mirror, horrified at the short, ruffled black skirt and black blazer that she had to wear. At least the school allowed her to wear something else underneath the blazer, so she chose to slip on one of her azure blue tank tops. She pulled on a pair of thigh high, black and azure stockings and a new pair of sneakers to match.

At least she could add some off her usual tomboyish flare to her new wardrobe. Otherwise, she might have gone crazy. She finished by slipping on her headphones over her ears and sliding her mp3 player safely into her pocket. Luckily, they only lived a few blocks from the school, so she had some extra time to sleep in. Grabbing a slightly burnt piece of toast from the toaster and slinging her messenger bag over her shoulder, she called out a short goodbye to her mom and rushed out the door. She took the elevator down to the lobby and headed out onto the street. Looking around, it appeared she wasn’t the only one making a final rush to school before the bell.

This caused a small smile to light up on her face. She prayed she wouldn’t be late for her first day, and with all the other students lagging behind, her wish was granted. Maybe her first day wouldn’t be as terrible as she’d imagined.

---

A sudden turn around a corner and two students later, Ayame’s dreams were crushed. Letting out a grunt, she lied on the cold linoleum flooring of the school hallway, her bag slipped off of her shoulder and onto the ground. Just a few inches away from her lied another girl. The girl had been sprinting through the hallway when Ayame turned the corner, clearly in rush from the disheveled appearance of her hair and uniform, and had crashed into Ayame as she was turning the intersecting corner. It took another few seconds for Ayame to take hold of what had just happened. She pulled herself to her feet and helped the girl to pick up her scattered books, hoping the crowd of gathered students would begin to clear.

“I-I’m so sorry!! …I had no idea you were coming around the corner and I was going to be late for class and-- !!”

Ayame sighed and handed the girl her books, stopping her midsentence. “Don’t worry about it… It’s my first day so I expected something to go wrong…”

“OOOH!! Are you the new transfer student!!!” The once stuttering girl gasped with excited surprise, light reddish-brown bangs shaking from vibrant green eyes as she jumped energetically up and down. “I’ve always wanted to meet someone from America!! And New York City, no less!!!” She grasped Ayame’s hands in her own. “Oh please! Can I show you around?! You’re in my class you know!! We’ve had the news for weeks but you’re finally here!! Pleeeeeeeease!~”

Ayame chuckled quietly and gave in to the cheerful teen’s request. “Alright. Since we are in the same class…”

“Yay!! Let’s go!!” She grinned and began to drag Ayame toward their classroom. “My name’s Maika by the way! Shimizu Maika! What’s yours?” Maika looked back towards her.

“Ayame Karitani. It’s nice to meet you Maika-chan.” She smiled softly.

Maika smiled in return as they reached the classroom. “What a beautiful name~ I think you’re really going to like it here! Do you mind if I call you Aya-chan?” Her eyes glittered childishly.

Ayame sighed and nodded. “Thank you. That’s fine…I don’t mind.”

Maika squealed and jumped a few times in excitement. “Eeeee!! This is so much fun~~” She slid open the class door and stepped into the room, quickly turning around and blocking Ayame’s entrance. “Ah, ah~ I have to announce your arrival to the class first!!” She giggled and winked, heading to the front and center of the room.

Ayame watched in silent amusement, praying that Maika wouldn’t embarrass her even more with her introduction.

Maika cleared her throat, calling the class to attention. “ATTENTION!! EVERYONE!! I have a special surprise for you!! May I present… OUR AMERICAN TRANSFER STUDENT!!” She motioned both arms toward the door, signaling for Ayame to enter the room.

With a final deep breath, Ayame summed up her courage and took ten steps to the center of the room. Little did she know how life changing those ten steps would be…

In progress ;D lolz i love how I started this before you made Ayame your OC xDDD I almost died laughing when I saw they had the same name

Lmao I know right? XD

YESSS XD

I'm writing a new story.

awesome :3 im updating this one soon~

Yay~
:3

x3

Ryou had been gazing dully out the classroom window, ignoring the ramblings of their uptight female teacher, when one of his other classmates, a girl he knew as Maika, had run into the room. Like the rest of the class, he turned his attention to the little red-head, wondering just what had her so excited. Having stopped the teacher mid-sentence, Maika came out with her news.

“May I present… OUR AMERICAN TRANSFER STUDENT!!”

Hearing these words, Ryou nearly jumped up out of his seat, standing up abruptly in his place. A few girls around him squealed in surprise as he found himself staring wide-eyed at the girl entering the classroom. ‘Wait…the girl?’ Speechless, in thought, he comprehended what he knew. Yu was beginning school today…from America…And Ryou was sure he was a boy… Even though, Yu had never actually said so and Ryou had never asked…

After a few moments of watching him stare at the girl in silence, the class erupted into laughter. But Ryou heard nothing of it. He was captivated by this girl. Her eyes had a quiet spark to them, full of energy and determination, and they were such a beautiful azure shade of blue… Her black hair was cut short, but still long enough that you could tell she was female. She was obviously a tomboyish type of girl; the way she dressed was enough evidence for that.

‘She can’t be Yu-kun….Can she?’

“Orijima-san!!” The teacher raised her voice to catch his attention. “Please return to your seat. I would like to continue the lesson that was just interrupted….” She shot a sharp warning glare at Maika, who let out a weak nervous chuckle.

Ryou nodded, a faint pink blush flooding his cheeks in embarrassment as he sat down.

“You too Shimizu-san, please find our new student a seat and return to your own.”

“Yes Ma’am!!” Maika giggled gaily as she arranged Ayame a seat, right beside the still-blushing form of Ryou.

Ayame sat down and offered him a nervous smile before pulling out her books.

Ryou gave her a small smile in return, his heart accelerating. Why was he so embarrassed all of a sudden? What was it about this girl that made him act so clumsily, so differently, than his normally cool façade? His heart was practically beating outside of his chest.

‘There’s no way it’s him…calm down, dammit…’ He held a hand to his forehead in frustration as he tried to pry his eyes from her captivating being. Finding study impossible, his hand shot up in the air. He asked to go to the infirmary and received permission from his teacher, pacing deliberately and quickly out the classroom door.

---

As Ayame stood in front of the class, she shuffled her feet nervously. There was a boy staring right at her, and he seemed oddly familiar to her. But how could that be? Had she not only arrived in Japan a few days ago? The single person she’d “seen” or rather, spoken to, since her arrival was Ji. There was no was a guy, and one with a bad reputation by the looks of it, could be the calm and collected girl she has become so close to.

But the longer they kept eye contact, the less convinced she was about the image of her friend she had formed in her mind. Those green eyes of his…they were wild, but underneath all of that…she found a much calmer being just dying to be understood. They were eyes that just screamed at you for help, pleading for someone to see them as who they really were…And Ayame was drawn into them so easily…

His eyes caused her to barely notice the bleached roots of his hair. He certainly wasn’t the average guy... Perhaps, they too, could become close friends…

As she thought about this, she felt herself being dragged to her new seat by Maika. The girl had placed the two conveniently next to each other. Ayame looked over at the boy a final time, offering him a nervous but genuine smile. He had an obvious blush on his cheeks, but whether it was completely from embarrassment, she wasn’t sure.

‘I bet Ji-chan knows who he is…I should ask her about him….Maybe she can introduce us…’

She nodded curtly to herself in determination as she pulled out her books. That’s just what she’d do.

A few minutes later, she was startled as the boy’s hand shot into the air and he left for the infirmary. There were hushed giggles and whispers all around the classroom. Ayame ignored them. The only thing she could think about was him.

‘I hope he’s alright….’

Her expression saddened subtly, her small smile turning to a barely noticeable frown. It was her eyes that truly reflected her worry for him. Hopefully…no one had caught a glimpse of that.

But, of course, someone had.

---

As Senri sat quietly in his seat across the classroom, he was observing the unfolding scene with much interest. There was a sinister mischievous light in his auburn eyes as he saw his nemesis come completely undone by just the simple arrival of this girl. His curiosity was officially piqued. He would soon make this new girl one of his special test subjects…

“My dearest Ryou-chan~…” Senri chuckled slyly to himself, no louder than a whisper. “Very soon…I believe our long standing battle will come to an end…. Because I’ve found the ideal weapon to use against you…”

A dark smirk crossed his lips as his eyes shifted to Ayame’s worried form. That anxiety in her eyes, no one could have read it better.

‘Just be a good little girl and play along with my games now…And in the end…All your insignificant human feelings will fade away for good… Senri-sama will set you free….’

And thus, Senri had made his final decision. He would get to know this girl, inside and out. Finding out the secrets that people withheld was but child’s play for the teen. He had connections…underground connections. Ryou was one of the only few that knew this and who strove to stop him so passionately. Ryou…was the one person who could see Senri’s true nature. Psychotic. Insane. Manipulative. Evil. Yes…That was exactly who he was, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

With a sigh of glee, Senri relaxed back in his desk, staring wistfully at the whiteboard.

Oh, how he loved his games!!

Oooh~ me like Senri. He reminds me of Izaya<3

Precisely ;D <3

Hehehe :3

xD