BEB|Chapter One|"Hirakata, are we home?"

The schoolyard is nice and warm in the evening, many students flock to stay inside the cool building for the duration of their club meetings as it is likely the last they will have before summer break, but not the students in the Kendo Club, they are taking this time to run some laps around the track. "Everyone, keep up the pace! One last lap and we will conclude the running exercises!" A tall slender female with dark hair is leading the pack, from watching them, it is easy to ascertain that she is slowing down to keep up with some of her fellow classmates. "P-Prez, look, the finish line!" an average sized girl with reddish-brown hair following behind the leader points out, "Yes it is Natsuki! Come, everyone, we must push on!" the group of girls running now cheer with determination, and while crossing over the finish line, some fall over taking in deep breaths on the ground. The taller girl with dark hair gathers everyone's attention, "Good job everyone! You did well today! And remember, just because our break starts today, doesn't mean you can slack off!" her eyes drift over to Natsuki, "Especially you! just because you're moving away doesn't mean you can forget to exercise! You're too good to let yourself go now." All of the girls in the group all look on, some tearing up, others physically sobbing, but all in unison manage to say, "We will miss you Natsuki, but we wish you the best! Good luck!" before some that are closer to her come up to give her hugs. Natsuki is close friends with the President of the Kendo Club Erina Fujii, as well as two other girls Aoi Ono, and Futaba Endo. After practice is concluded, the three of them decide to make a detour towards a new cafe that opened up recently in the newly renovated shopping district. "Oooh, this place looks interesting on the outside!" Futaba exclaimed aloud, "Indeed it is, it looks pretty cute from here, but I wonder what kinds of drinks they have on the menu.." said Erina who was looking sad. "Cheer up prez!" Natsuki throws her hands over Futaba and Erina's shoulders "Don't look so sad, this is a learning opportunity! We all need to blossom, but with three superstars in one place, how can we grow?" her smug grin being enough to light a fire in Erinas eyes as she strikes a confident pose, "You're right Natsuki! There is no time to look sad! Besides, this is my last year, you both still have another year ahead of you. We can all meet again in university, this I am sure." her fire slowly fading back into a sad smile, tears forming in her eyes, "B....but I will still miss both of you.." she grabs hold of Futaba and Natsuki, both of whom look like they too want cry. Natsuki, Erina, and Futaba all enjoy their day together reminiscing of their school years together, and then of the future before them. Before parting, they all agree to stay in touch with one another no matter where they end up. Natsuki knows Futaba and Erina will likely be alright since they have a little more time with one another, but her school life is being flipped on its head since she has to transfer schools mid school year! And to such an amazing school at that. "I hope.." her words trail off into thought, 'I hope I can make a little more effort.. I don't want things to be the same as they are.', with those thoughts having passed Natsuki makes it home, officially beginning her summer break, but with a twist! The moving trucks in front of her house and her neighbors talking to her mother, Natsuki begins to think that it is surreal, this entire episode unfolding before her. "Ah, Natsuki, I'm glad you're home. I packed you luggage, but Hinata still needs help packing up. Will you go and help her so I can finish my business?", Natsuki sighs and with a uttered response she agrees making her way inside. "Urk..!" Hinata sits on the floor, desperately trying to tape a box shut using all over her upper body strength but to no avail. Natsuki can't help but think this display is a bit shameful and tells Hinata to move, and as usual she complies with a saddened look on her face. In a few minutes, the entirety of the boxes a seal shut by Natsuki, while Hinata finishes labeling them. At this moment their mother Satomi walks back in, "Ahhh, everyone was giving me their offerings of good luck, it feels so shameful accepting so many.." her smile seems forced but her attitude is genuine, this her daughters can tell.

After packing all of the boxes into the truck, Satomi tells her daughters "Alright, officially starting tomorrow we will be leaving, make sure to take a shower, brush your teeth, and look to make sure you aren't leaving anything.", upon hearing this Natsuki and Hinata both smile, having heard this all their life each time they went anywhere with their mother. Satomi looks satisfied with her speech, and decided to go to bed early since she is driving in the morning. Natsuki and Hinata however, no matter how hard they try to, can't fall asleep for various reasons.

Hinata sits up in bed, deciding whether to read or study to try and make herself tired, and decides on studying. 'Ahh, I knew it was gonna turn out like this, it always does..' Hinata has a exasperated sigh leave her mouth as she gets out of bed to go sit at her desk. She looks around the walls, taking in her situation. She packed everything up, she is officially moving schools. She no longer has to take a train to travel all the way to school each morning. She lets the excitement out in the form of a carefree smile. 'I wonder what our new house will look like.. wait if I remember correctly Mom didn't say we were moving to a house did she?', she pauses a moment then says "Oh well, however it has to be in order to start over." Hinata Ogawa has a secret she has never told her family about although she feels it is obvious, she unfortunately has no friends. In her current school everyone was hyper competitive, since it was all female she had to deal with the normal interactions in day to day life as well as the non-familiar things such as bullying and romantic feelings. Hinata is interested in boys, yes, but she was awakened to another interest whilst she has been enrolled in her current school, and that is her romantic feelings she has towards the very handsome girls that ran the school. Hinata Ogawa, despite everything you know this far, is also quite ashamed of her habit of reading Manga for a girl her age, although it might have been better if it weren't 'Boys Love'. "Alright, I have studied all I can, it is two in the morning, I can't go on.." he head slumps down onto the desk, her mouth agape, and her eyes now fully sealed shut, she enters into her own dreamland full of her own repressed desires.

Morning came fast for all of them, but they were all ready, having the moving men grab the last of their belongings, they prepare for their journey back to where Satomi, Natsuki and Hinata's mother, calls home. The drive is long, but everyone is pre-occupied with their own interests; Hinata is reading a good novel quietly, Natsuki is texting her friends while giggling to herself, and Satomi is listening to the radio as they all travel on down the road. The roads remind Satomi of home, something she tries to remember minimally, but she can't leave a good opportunity to wither away. Natsuki decides to take a break from her friends chatting to see how the driving is coming along, possibly stir up some conversation. Natsuki takes a look at their surroundings, impressed with how their little country side town was much simpler than the single neighborhood they are in. "Hah! This place is amazing y'know! All these people living in such tight conditions, no privacy whatsoever because you're right on one another. Did you used to live a place like this Mom?", Natsuki turns smiling towards her mother, who excitedly responds "Well, yes but when I was a kid I lived in the country side we were just in, the place we are going is where I- where your father wanted to live, since the rent seems reasonable there..." Hinata looks towards her Mom since she normally tries not to talk about their father, "..but I am gonna make it up to you, the train ride isn't horrible for me to commute to work, and you girls can walk to your school from where we will be staying, in fact I heard it is a popular area for girls attending your private school!" Hinata wants to sigh, but thinks against it, 'She really doesn't like talking about Dad, huh? I wonder why, I can't even remember him at all.', her nose then dives back into her book. Natsuki trying to keep the conversation going asks her mother more questions, "Oh yeah? Where are we going again Mom? Hara... somethin'?", "Harakata, it's a little town close to where you'll being going to school. It has a few amusement parks, shopping districts, it even has its own tourist locations during certain parts of the year. It's nothing to look twice at, but it will do for now." Satomi's smile softens "After all, I want you girls to make good memories there, and to give school everything you've got." Natsuki shouts "Yes Ma'am!" while Hinata simply says "I always give it one hundred and ten percent." a fierce look in her eyes. The conversation starts to fade away, Natsuki checks her phone, but her friends have yet to send her anything else, so she resorts to looking information up on her Smartphone, skimming through news articles, she fires off the titles like a machine gun. "Did you know that Harakata is a must see location in fall?! It looks seriously good! Oh, oh! Harakata's traditional festivals as well shrines make the town a spectacle throughout the year, heh, it sounds like I will never be bored again!" Hinata digs her face deeper into her book, showing she is obviously annoyed with her sister, Satomi feigning interest in her daughters words. Natsuki knows it's all going downhill, if she doesn't do something fast this truck ride will become super awkward for everyone! She skims faster and faster through the news articles, trying her best to identify an article that will interest both Hinata and her Mother. And then she found one, she stops her finger, feeling a little underwhelmed with it, but knowing that her family will take interest, "Oooh, wha'da'ya know, Harakata is home to a gifted child. Apparently the child is already a on track to graduating Kyoto University." she pauses to look up from her reading, and she was right on the nose! Hinata is now looking up from her book, and her Mother is thinking of something to say. Satomi asks, "Oh! How old is the child?", "Uhh, it says he is twelve years old." she responds, "A twelve year old getting ready to graduate, that's nonsense.." exclaims Hinata. Satomi can feel the air thicken as Hinata is getting ready to start ranting, and in a desperate bid to prevent it she blurts out a question, "Soo! Does this child have a name?", she smiles knowing she might've just prevented a long winded rant, "Hmmm.." Natsuki searches the article for a name, but all she finds is a first name, no last name "Ah-You-Moo.. Ayumu is his name. What a strange name!" she begins to giggle to herself, Hinata, barely interested at this point, is about to fall back into her book, but takes notice of how troubled her Mother looks. "Ayumu...!?" Satomi mutters with a serious frown on her face. The conversation ends there, as Satomi didn't talk much the rest of the way, and instead appeared to be in deep thought.

Satomi pulls into the parking lot of a large extended stay hotel, she looks around for a good parking space, her daughters asleep, but now coming to with the changes in their mother stopping and accelerating. "Hmmm, is this our new home Mom?" Natsuki asks rubbing her eyes, Satomi smiles and says "It is! Luckily all we have to do is move all of this furniture up the stairs now before we can settle in!" both daughter look horrified, setting off a cannon of laughter from their Mother who shouts, "Relax! I already scheduled some moving men to help us get it upstairs." tears welling in her eyes as she laughs, "But you two looked so petrified that you had to do a little work.." her laugh now almost contagious, both Hinata and Natsuki try their best to look upset but soon give in to their Mother's laughter while they wait for the moving men. Natsuki and Hinata talk amongst themselves about their new school they are gonna be going to from now on, Hinata giving facts about the academy, Natsuki talking about all she has heard from her friends and teachers about the place, however Satomi is deep her mind, the name of the child resonating with an old memory of hers, back to when she just left her Fiancé.

"It's a boy! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Murata." The Doctor, looking exhausted, hands the newborn to the Midwives who help clean him up and get him ready to be held by his mother. Satomi, barely conscious due to the epidural and stress was handed the child, she had already been here before, she knew the routine, but this was different, Ryuu was smiling at her, telling her how happy he was to finally have a son, and thanking her over and over again, all while her newborn son cries in her arms, she looks down, and gazes into his small soft face for the first, and perhaps last time, and says "I love you, my one and only son. I hope you know that." losing consciousness, she falls asleep and dreams of herself holding her two daughters, they are both crying, Satomi herself is crying all while a scary shadow looms over them. She awakens from the nightmare in her own bed, her fiancé had checked her out since he knew how to take care of her from the previous two pregnancies. She was alone in her room, her body sore and still recovering, but she had a very bad premonition, that something bad was gonna happen to her daughters. She got up from bed, takes some medicine for the pain, and proceeds to grab both of her daughters. She grabs most of their belongings, and in a rushed manner packs it altogether. She grabs the car keys, and takes her and her daughters to the closest train station. She left it all behind, fully aware of the kind of man Ryuu is when he is angry and annoyed, but fearing for her daughter more than anything, she keeps on moving forward. The train ride was peaceful that night, and her daughters awoke to many new sights and sounds. They traveled a good distance, back to their Mothers home town.

Satomi never looked back to that town she once knew.

"Alright Ma'am, we finished moving everything up to your apartment. You already paid us in full before we started so this receipt is just for your records." A young, short haired man rips a small piece of paper from a booklet and hands it over to Satomi, he takes a small bow, bids her good day and takes the rental truck back as his means of transport. The Ogawa family has never owned a personal vehicle, instead they prefer to take the bus, ride the train, or just walk as it helps save on living expenses. Since Satomi is the only one who is supporting her daughters, taking jobs that are inconvenient to her isn't abnormal, but this time her job opportunity was something right out of her dreams, it was a position as a teachers aide in Kyoto University, to be exact a chance to work in the field of Mathematics as a teacher of some sort, although she will be merely assisting a teacher this will still be quite good due to her time and dedication she put into getting her Masters Degree. Natsuki and Hinata both sat down with their Mom individually before moving to discuss whether they were gonna be alright with the change, and though only Natsuki really had any complaints, they both agreed, thinking of the same thing, 'When was the last time Mom did anything for herself?'. Satomi instantly feels happier thinking of the future ahead of her, the serious atmosphere she had about her dissipating as she stuffs the receipt into her pocket and walks into the apartment Complex. "Mom, have you seen my phone anywhere?!" Natsuki shouts as she tears through her personal belongings, "Did you make sure to bring it in from the rental truck?" Hinata asks, never looking up from unpacking. "I...Guh...! Mom, can you call the rental truck place!? I really think I left my phone in there!" Natsuki asks, almost in tears, "I can, but there is no guarantee that they will find anything, and even if they do we will still have to swing by to grab it, they won't just deliver your phone back to you." she gives a slight smile as she continues to unpack, Natsuki, looking ready to wither away, sighs and continues to unpack the rest of her stuff as well, thinking to herself 'God I hope my phone is in that truck! It had all of my friends contact information on it..!', she clenches her jaw, and tries to calm herself by thinking of all the fun things she is gonna do here.

The sun has set, all but a few boxes are unpacked and The Ogawas sit around a small fold out dining table they brought with them. "Alright girls, I think it's finally time... we need to discuss this here and now, no more dodging the questions.." Satomi sits, her hands propping her head up as she leans into the table, "Mom..." Natsuki looking troubled, "We...we really can't.." Hinata covers her mouth, Satomi gives a playful smile, "C'mon girls, you know the answer.." Natsuki cries out, "Not leftovers! I can't believe you brought the leftovers from the house!", Hinata nodding in agreement "I can't stomach any more leftovers Mom..". Satomi looking troubled, says "Well, if you had money to get something to eat it wouldn't be an issue for me, but we are low on funds and until I start my job properly, we have to try and go easy on Money." Natsuki, about to give in, nearly jumps out of her skin when there comes a knock from their front door, "I'll get it Mom!" Natsuki volunteers to get away from the conversation. She practically runs away from the table, and as she goes her Mother says "Ah, don't worry, we can wait for you to return to finish this up." Hinata looking rather sick to her stomach continues to try and persuade her Mom, meanwhile Natsuki checks through the peephole who is knocking, only to see a rather beautiful girl, black hair, long and wavy, and on the taller side standing on the other side of the door.

Natsuki opens the door, and asks, "Hello, how can I help you?" the girl in front of her looking to be older than her, she gives a small bow and says "Good evening, my name is Chitose and I have come to understand that you are the new family who moved in?" Natsuki, in the face of someone so formal tries her best to respond as such, "Ah.. y-yes, we are the new family that moved in. Why do you ask?" The girl stepping closer, she says "There is no need to be so formal with me, I heard from the Admissions Committee at my school we were gonna be getting two new transfer students after the summer break!" Natsuki, even more shaken, decides it's best to try and close the door now, "Uhhh, well we may be the new students, but we are very tired at this moment, we are trying to get dinner figured out so-" Chitose cuts her off, "Ah, if you're seeking dinner, I would love to have you over! I live on my own and I have plenty of room for everyone!" Natsuki, thoroughly creeped out, says "I-I'm sure my Mom wouldn't want me to just go to a strangers house all of a sudden." Chitose, looking confused, smiles and says "Ah, where are my manners, I am Chitose Matsuo, I am the granddaughter to the principal of Shizune Mastuo's Private School. I was instructed to come and welcome you, and possibly show you hospitality by my Grandmother." Natsuki gives a blank stare, nearly startling Chitose when she starts to laugh, "Hehe, you really had me scared! Let me go let my Mom know, you can come in if you want!" Natsuki gives a big bright smile to Chitose. Chitose smiles sweetly and heads on in behind Natsuki.

Natsuki introduces Chitose to Hinata and Satomi, both of which get a chuckle with the misunderstanding that was forming. "If it's alright with you, my Grandmother would love to have you all over. It's not too far a walk away from here, though she lives in one of the older neighborhoods." Hinata looking excited, as it is her first time being invited out by a girl her age other than her sister, asks her Mother "Can we go Mom?!" her eyes lit up, Natsuki smiling happily, Satomi already wanting to go as well, if not to make her girls happy, so she too wouldn't have to eat her leftovers again, "We would love to go over, let us get ready and we will be right behind you!" Satomi says.

The streets to the very core feel old and dated, not too many people drive them, but many people walk them ever day. Natsuki, Hinata, and Satomi treading not too far behind Chitose who is talking about the school they will be attending on the way over. "Your uniforms will be delivered to you over summer break, so don't worry too much about that." Chitose says, responding to Hinata's concerns, "And I know you are new to the school, but know we are all a family at school especially for those who have a scholarship, everyone will likely have a great opinion of you. There aren't many that really pay their own way through, but those that do tend to stick out sorely most of the time." Natsuki wants to probe into that statement, but feels she already has a good image of the kind of people who can afford to attend private school on their own. As they continue on down the street, they come to a particular turn into a noticeably older neighborhood, one Satomi is very familiar with, the serious thoughts slowly returning as they take the turn. This was the street she walked with her children while they were in strollers, she remembered how broken the sidewalks were, and how incredibly nostalgic everything felt. She feels the nostalgia, but it feels tinged with bitterness, and she knows why. There it is, in all its glory, the house looks very old on the outside, but certain parts on the outside look like recent additions, the front yard is somewhat maintained, and all the windows are covered by curtains. She pauses, her thoughts slowing when she sees there is a light on in the house, on the upper floor closest to the street, she stands staring at the house. Chitose stops walking when she hears Natsuki ask her Mom if she is alright, she looks at the house Satomi was staring at, "Ah, you are looking at the old house with new parts right?", Satomi, trying to clear up what she was doing, says "Ah, yes I was! It seemed a little out of place so it caught my attention." Natsuki looks over at the house, "It's really not anything special though is it?" Chitose responds "There is supposed to be a really smart person who lives here, and if he isn't smart then he must be amazing since he gets attention from some pretty amazing people.." she smiles back towards everyone, then says "But we can't really dilly dally too long, or else my grandmother will get mad." she beckons them to follow as she starts on again. Satomi couldn't help but wonder if Ryuu lived there anymore, or if Ayumu was the amazing person, her mind couldn't help but wander as she tried to reason who was in the house.

Ayumu sat in his Study looking through prep materials teachers have sent him in the different areas he helps with, but his thoughts wander back to the conversation he had with Akiko just yesterday when he treated her to some food. "Ayumu? Hey, why are you spacing out so much recently? You always have this serious expression on your face and you look like you're always lost in thought.. well now that I think about this, you always have that serious face on." she gives Ayumu a sly smile while she digs into her ice cream, "But you know Ayumu, you really don't seem too happy, you haven't seemed happy for a while now, is everything alright? I have been wanting to talk to you for a bit now, but you know how it goes with work. I worry about you, you know? If you ever feel lost, troubled, or even angry, feel free to let your favorite sister know, won't you?" her smile full of confidence. He smiled faintly back, and replied "Of course Aki, if anything happens I will come right to you, okay?", Akiko stops eating and leans over the table, "Pinky promise me, promise me you will talk to me." Ayumu is surprised, but he does so without hesitation, wrapping his pinky around hers, "I promise." he closes his eyes and smiles. Akiko can't help but wonder how such small hands can hold so much responsibility already. They continue eating, but Akiko starts to fidget, knowing the next topic is gonna be uncomfortable for Ayumu and herself. "You know Ayumu, I often reminisce about my high school days. So full of emotion and passion! It's not something so easily forgotten!" she turns her eyes to meet his, however he tries his best to not meet her gaze, as he knows where this is heading. Ayumu has often doubted himself, never being fully sure of anything he does so he always sought some sort of validation from his Guardian, and at times Akiko or Fukumi, Mr. Ishidas wife, but one thing he has often wondered is if he should return to his proper grade level, as it is always a viable option, albeit a bit unnecessary to someone so accomplished, but nonetheless a path to take. "Ahhh, yeah, I guess High School is unforgettable to some, but probably not for everyone, I-I mean, some people probably just wanna forget the enti-" before Ayumu finishes his sentence, she grabs his face, pulling his eyes to meet her own, "Is that how you really feel, Ayumu?" Akiko's tone changing to a serious one, "Is it really just something to pass up? Is this everything you have ever wanted Ayumu? Living in my fathers shadow?", Ayumu shocked by the sudden attack tries to pull away from her, but the agony of her intense stare burns into his mind "I-I mean i-it's not like..I.." he thinks carefully before completing his statement, but Akiko won't let him, she releases Ayumu, sighing as she sinks back into her seat she says "Ayumu, you can lie to Mom, and you can lie to Dad, but did you really think you could lie to me? I pretty much taught you how to lie at this point, you idiot.", Ayumu, flustered by the event that had just transpired, stands up "I.. I think I should go, the walk home should calm me down, please Akiko, enjoy your ice cream. Thank you for waking me up today, I really appreciate it." Ayumu turns to leave, Akiko staring daggers into his back, but he refuses to cave, instead he recomposes himself and exits the little café.

Ayumu arrives back at his house, the sun now high in the sky, sweat pouring down his face he says "I really don't like physical activity...", a disgusted face as he strips down and gets ready to take a shower. Shortly after getting out of the shower he makes a list of chores to get done, most of them basic such as doing the dishes, mowing the lawn, trimming the hedges, but there are some chores that require a little more effort such as preparatory work for the teachers at Kyoto University, not all but quite a few who rely on Ayumu. Before he began his chores, he noticed his home phone had a new voicemail, checking it he finds that Akiko called a left a voicemail telling him to talk to her when he is ready to be honest with himself, not too sure what she meant but he knew she was angry with him. Knowing Akiko was angry at him put him in a slump and put him in a depressed mood, leaving him with little motivation to complete the chores so he chose to get the most important ones done so he could just go to sleep. And that's where we are now, Ayumu is putting himself through the torment of completing his school sanctioned work. After a few hours he finishes a majority of the work before fumbling over a name he hadn't seen before, "Ms. Satomi Ogawa, Teaching Aide to a Mrs. Leslie Hollister.." a Japanese native working under a foreign immigrant who came over to teach and then got married, not to mention one of the toughest to get along with, Ayumu felt sorry for Ms. Ogawa, as he has had run ins with Mrs. Hollister in the teaching environment, and since his area of expertise was not math she made it clear I was not needed. He finally finished the rest of the paperwork as the sun started to set, he rubs his eyes after focusing so much, he didn't even have time to go buy ingredients for dinner, instead he just sighed and resigned himself to bed.