10 years ago…

“Will you promise to remember me?” the little girl asked.
“I promise.” the little boy said. “And when I come back, will you play with me again?”
“I will.” the little girl replied.
“Pinky promise?” the little boy asked, raising his hand.
The little girl smiles and raises her own hand. “Pinky promise.”

10 years later….(Present Day)

“Pink…pinky promise…ah!” Michiko shouted out, rising from her bed. This is Hamasaki Michiko. She’s 16 years old and a second year student at Seikei High school. When she was 9, her father had her take Aikido lessons for self-defense. She’s also a talented athlete. At school, she’s quite popular because sometimes she beats up guys who tries to hurt her friends.
“ugh…that’s the fifth time I’ve dreamt of that dream….” Michiko murmured, hand on her head.
“Michiko? Are you all right?” her mother said, outside of her bedroom door.
“Uh yea.” Michiko replied. Her mother enters her bedroom with some breakfast in hand.
“What happened? It looks like you’ve seen a ghost.” her mother joked.
“Just a bad dream.” she told her mother.
“Even on the opening day of your sophomore year?” her mother said. Michiko turns her head and looks at the clock; 7:40.
“OMG!! I’m going to be late!” Michiko shouts out, getting out of bed and running into her bathroom. “Why didn’t you wake me up, mom!?”
“Didn’t you tell me that you would turn on your alarm clock? Also, you’re a high school student now. You don’t need me to wake you up every morning.” her mother explained.
“Sorry.” Michiko apologized while putting on her uniform. “My fault.” Then she looks at the clock again; 7:50. “I’m going to late!” Then she bends over and kisses her mother on the cheek. “I’ll be back around 10 tonight. Bye” and she runs out the door.

For Michiko, it doesn’t take her long to get to school. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Now, she’s running. Then she hears the school bell.
“I better hurry before I’m late.” she mumbles to herself while running. She gets to the front gate of Seikei High school and stops to take a breath.
“Michiko!” a voice called.
Michiko looks up and sees her two best friends, Airi and Chiya, walking up to her.
“Wow, Michiko. You look like you’ll pass out right this second.” Airi said, trying not to laugh at Michiko’s flushed cheeks.
“Are you ok?” Chiya asked.
“I’m fine.” Michiko said. “Have you guys looked at your homeroom yet?”
“No. We were about to since you were late, but now that you’re here, let’s go look!” Airi exclaimed.
They ran to the bulletin board and searched for their names. Then….
“Michiko! Airi! There they are! Our names are in homeroom 3-B.” Chiya pointed out.
“Yay! We’re in the same class again!” Airi exclaimed. Then the warning bell rings.
“We better hurry.” Michiko said, and they all hurried along to class.

Three weeks later, Michiko goes to school, looking very tired. Airi and Chiya worried that she might have caught the flu or something. Then Michiko explained.
“I’ve worked over-time for the past week.”
“Why are you pushing yourself so hard?” Airi asked.
“Since my mom is the only one working, I don’t want her to work too hard for me and Akira.” Michiko said. ‘I can’t let my friends know that my family is in debt to a business company. If they do, then they’ll try to get involve.’ Michiko thought.
Michiko’s family had went in debt by the last two years. Michiko’s father had worked very hard until he collapsed. Her mother worked in a pharmacy and as a nurse. Michiko’s little sister, Akira (10 years old), baby-sit the neighbors children and tried to help out, but then she fell ill and had to stop. After Akira got better, neither Michiko or their mother would allow Akira to help out anymore. While Michiko herself worked herself off. She worked at three different jobs; waitress at the Kimura’s Café, cashier at a flower shop, and as an assistant nurse at a senior center.

While in P.E., a bunch of the girls in Michiko’s class takes a look at the guys on the track. Some of the guys teased the girls by calling out to them while most of the others ignores them. Then…
“Ahhhh~♥!!!” the group of girls screamed. “OMG. Look at him” “I heard that he just transferred here.” “I told you he’s new!” “Isn’t he the greatest!?”
Michiko heard them all say this and that about one of the guys in the other P.E. class so she decided to take a look herself. She walks to the side of the group and sits down.
“Michiko. Have you heard? There’s a new transfer student here and also I heard that he’s pretty cute.” Chiya said, excitedly.
“So that’s what those girls were talking about?” Michiko questioned, even though she didn’t care who it was.
“Yea.” Chiya replied. “Where’s Airi?”
“Right here!” Airi said, running to where Michiko and Chiya were sitting. “I went to the bathroom.”
Another scream came from the group of girls.
“What the hell are they screaming about?” Airi said, covering her ears.
“They’re checking out a new guy.” Chiya and Michiko said at the same time. Then the teacher blew the whistle.
“All right girls! Today we’re having a race against the guys!” the teacher said. “I want you all to work hard and show me how much you’ve improved this week!”
The girls lined up and were numbered into 5 different groups. Michiko was separated from Airi and Chiya and was numbered one.
‘Great. Everyone is going depend on me since I’m numbered one.’ Michiko complained in her thoughts.
The whistle blew again and each group went side by side to the groups of guys.
“Ok students. Today we’re having a competition between who’s faster. Boys or girls. To start the competition, who would like to nominate the best runner out of the girls’ group?” the teacher asked.
Silence took over, then Airi shouts out, “I nominate Michiko!” After her, girls started to shout out Michiko’s name too.
“Ok. Hamasaki, please come stand here.” the teacher ordered. “Ok now for the boys’ team.” Again, silence took over.
Then a guy shouts out, “I’ll nominate Kazumi!” After his nomination, guys also started to shout out his name.
“All right. Kazumi, please come stand to the other side of me.” the teacher ordered.
Out from the group, came a guy (Kazumi). He had black spiky hair, slim but had some muscle built in him, and quite tall (not to mention, very handsome).
“Ok. Let me explain the rules. First, you’ll be running around this 2 mile track twice. The first one to finish their second lap wins. Second, since its between you two, you can try to do anything to win. Just don’t die. Understood?” the teacher explained.
“Yes ma’am.” Michiko and Kazumi said, at the same time.
“Ooo….Michiko seems to match up pretty good to Kazumi-kun. What do you say, Chiya?” Airi whispered to Chiya.
“I know what you mean. It seems like they were made out for each other.” Chiya said, not looking at Airi.
“This looks interested. Think she’ll be lucky this year?” Airi asked.
“I’m not sure, but I predict that there will be trouble coming to Michiko soon” Chiya said with a serious face.
“You and your predictions. I’m scared that it might come true like always.” Airi said. “Every time you predict, it become true.”

It’s true. Every time Chiya predicted something, it happens. In school, everyone call Chiya the ‘Seer.’ Not very many people are friends with her. Only Michiko and Airi is.
Michiko had met Chiya in 6th grade. At that time, Michiko had found Chiya being beaten by a group of girls because her predictions were scaring everyone. The latest prediction was that the girl’s would never be loved by boys if they didn’t stop bullying others. Michiko had pushed the girls away and dragged the crying Chiya away. Michiko confronted Chiya that she was a coward and didn’t fight back. Michiko also told Chiya that it was all right to predict since predicting was part of who she was. Chiya cried over those words and on the next day, Chiya predicted that Michiko would become a very good friend. That was how they became friends.

“Ok. Take your places!” the teacher commanded.
Michiko and Kazumi walked over to the track and stood in place.
“Heard that you’re a very good runner, Hamasaki.” Kazumi challenged.
“People says that. I’m not pretty sure myself, but just to tell you, don’t underestimate me.” Michiko challenged back.
“Oh, I won’t.” Kazumi chuckled.
Then the gun was fired. Michiko and Kazumi ran off and everyone cheered. ‘Good. I’m in the lead.’ Michiko thought. Then suddenly, Kazumi appears by Michiko’s side.
“Think you will win?” Kazumi challenged.
“Not sure. All I could say is that if I don’t fall then, yea. I probably could win.” Michiko said. Michiko and Kazumi passes the finish and starts their second lap. Later, they both matched paces and were heading toward the finish line. Kazumi took the lead and finishes the second lap, a foot before Michiko. Everyone at the side line stares with shock.
“The winner is Kazumi!” the teacher announces. “Ok everyone, line up and get ready to jog 3 laps while Kazumi and Hamasaki rests.”
A lot of complaints went around, but they knew not to argue.
“Michiko.” Airi said. Michiko looks up from where she was resting.
“What is it, Airi?” Michiko asked.
“What happened out there? We thought you had it.” Airi said.
“Does it look like I care if I win or not? Anyways, it wasn’t me that wanted to run, you decided to nominate me.” Michiko said.
“Oh yea. I did. Ahaha…sorry. Well I better get moving. See you after the laps.” Airi said, jogging off to join Chiya.

“Ok.” Michiko said.
After a little while, Kazumi returned with water bottles.
“Here” Kazumi said, tossing one of the bottles. “Never seen a girl run like you before.”
“Thanks.” Michiko said, taking it as a compliment.
“You know….you look like a friend of mine from a while back.”: Kazumi said. “What’s your name?”
“Hamasaki Michiko.” Michiko said. “And you?”
“Kazumi Too, but you can call me Too.” Too said.
“Too? Sounds familiar.” Michiko said. “You from around here?”
“Yeah.” Too said.
“Really? Then how come I haven’t seen you before.” Michiko said.
“I just got here a few days ago. I left when I was around 7 years old.” Too explained.
“Left? To where?” Michiko asked.
“America.” Too said. Then he looks at Michiko really closely. “You really look like someone I know.”
Michiko backs away. “O.k. I look like someone you know, but you didn’t have to look that close.”
“Sorry.” Too said.

“Let’s wrap it up!” the teacher shouted. Everyone went to the locker room and changed.
“Hey Michiko.” Airi said. “How was Kazumi-kun? We saw you guys talking to each other and getting really close.”
Michiko laughs. “We didn’t get close at all, Airi. We just talked. Also, he kept saying that I looked like someone he knew.”
“Really? Too bad. He must have a girlfriend or something.” Airi said. Then Chiya comes behind them.
“Are you guys talking about Kazumi?” Chiya asked.
“Yeah.” Airi said, then she suddenly changes the subject. “Hey lets go eat at the rooftop today. I heard that you can see many things from there.”
“Let’s go then!!” Chiya said, excitedly.