Dinnea’s POV: “Do I look ok?” Diona asked while fixing her hair. “You look nice, now stop fidgeting” I said while pulling her arms down.   We were going to the pool party my red-headed friend Ichigo invited us to (I never got his name so I decided to call him Ichigo because that means strawberry in Japanese). We had become pretty good friends in just a few short days. He’s a nice guy, cute and funny, but the best part is that he stands out just like me because of his looks. I could say that living in Japan so far has been great! The only thing keeping me from complete happiness is the blue eyed demon…for some reason I feel drawn to him and I don’t know why. –Knock knock knock- my thoughts are interrupted by Diona’s knocking. I looked over at her “what? One of us had to do it and you were just standing there looking pretty” She shrugged. Just then the door opened and Kiyo was standing there. He gave us each a hug and let us inside.

Diona’s POV: Seeing Kiyo gave me a warm feeling inside. I looked outside the sliding glass door and saw people everywhere. I took a deep breath to mentally prepare myself (big crowds weren’t my thing) when Kiyo turned to me smiling. His smile was contagious. “What?” I asked. “I am glad you here” He stumbled out in English. I looked down shyly “Thanks…” “Well I’m going to leave you two lovebirds alone” Dinnea said gently elbowing me and walking outside. I quickly looked up to see Kiyo watching her leave. Thank God he couldn’t understand her. “Hungry?” He asked me and I nodded.

As we walked into the kitchen, I noticed some sushi rolls and sticky white rice sitting out. “Looks good” I thought, “but where are the forks..?” Kiyo was making our plates when I saw him grab two pairs of chopsticks. “Oh crap!” I pretty much yelled to myself. I had never learned how to use chopsticks! I was going to look like an idiot in front of this guy. I watched him eat for a while until he finally noticed. “Eat” he gently said smiling. Oh God…the dread I felt while picking up those sticks was almost unbearable. It took me probably close to a minute just to grab a damn sushi roll, and right when I was about to eat it, it fell back on my plate with a thud. Kiyo looked over right when it happened and burst out laughing. I felt my face get hot.

“Like this” He said scooting over to help me. He showed me the right way to hold chopsticks, then helped me pick up the lost sushi roll. I felt giddy once I realized just how close he was to me. I looked over at him and smiled. He smiled back and nudged the sushi roll against my lips. Victory in the form of a sushi roll never tasted so good! We continued eating for a while until a guy with red hair came into the kitchen and asked Kiyo for some help. “I’ll be back” he said smiling and followed the guy out.

I decided to go outside to see what was going on. This was a pool party after all. “Hey America!” I turned to see Haku standing there with a mischievous look on his face. “Uh hey what’s up?” I asked uneasy. “How come you aren’t wet?” “I don’t know I-“ He started walking closer and before I knew it, he had grabbed me and jumped into the pool. I splashed him when we came up. “Haku I hate you!” he laughed and dunked me under once more. I swam to the edge and got out.               

By now the sun was setting and the breeze made me freezing cold. I sat on the ground with my knees hugged up shivering “this ”. Just then I heard a voice and saw it was the red headed boy. He pulled a guitar from around his back and everyone cheered. “Awesome a mini concert!” I thought. Kiyo came back and sat down beside me. He looked at me confused and grabbed a strand of my hair that was dripping. I rolled my eyes at him annoyed. “Haku?” “Haku” I said. We both laughed, but then a breeze came and I started shivering noticeably. He put his arm around me and held me close, not caring I was wet. We stayed like that for some time as the music played, and at that moment, I knew I was starting to fall for him, even if language was a barrier.

Dinnea’s POV: I had just been playing in the pool and meeting new people when I heard Ichigo playing his guitar. I was enticed with his music. It was like a sweet lullaby to my ears. The way he played was so hypnotizing to watch, and if I wasn’t careful, I might really be in trouble. He played the next song and it was really catchy. He could’ve put professional bands to shame. Seeing him up there comforted me. He makes me really happy.

After the fast song came a slow one. Couples started dancing together but I felt a little out of place so I started to walk off the patio when a hand tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around, and there stood Takashi. He looked a little pleased as he bent his head towards my ear and asked me if I wanted to dance. I didn’t want to be rude, and we were the only ones just standing there, so I said yes. He took me in his arms and held me gently. I thought back to when he held me on the roof. We swayed back and forth closely. When I looked up, he was staring at me the way he usually did in class. “Why do you look at me like that?” I asked. “Look at you like what?” He avoided answering. “Like you’re reading me in some way..trying to figure me out or something.” “Maybe I am” He said, and then the song ended.

He stood there staring at me with those eyes. “Well thanks for the dance” I said gently pulling his arms from around me. He let me go reluctantly. I gave him one last look then headed to the punch table. “Geez you scared me!” I exclaimed not realizing he had come along. “Why are you following me?” I asked confused and agitated. “I want to talk to you” He quietly said. He looked at me with a need and a want. Those blue eyes of his made me want to follow his every will. “Alone”.