Little Secret

Chapter 1: School begins…

Morning sunshine poured into my window. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I've been waiting for this day for a long time. It's my first day of high school! I've been home schooled my whole life but now my parents are finally letting me go to a real school. When I was younger I wasn't allowed to go to school with other children because of a dark family secret. My mother and father thought it would be better to keep me at home. But now that I was older and more responsible they enrolled me in a new school. Today I can finally start living like a normal girl!

"Aki-Chan! Come down for breakfast or you're going to be late!" I heard my mother call from down the stairs. I glanced at the clock and saw that I had been daydreaming far too long.

"I'll be down in a minute mom!" I answered then rushed to the bathroom. I splashed my face with water and rushed to brush my teeth. I ran a comb through my long raven colored hair then rushed back to my room to get dressed. Now I wished I had laid out my uniform like my mother told me to last night. I spent another five minutes digging through my clothes to find it and put it on. With only a few minutes left I rushed downstairs and raced to the kitchen.

"Aki, really, must you always sleep in?" my mother scolded as she sat a plate of food in front of my father's usual spot at the table. I noticed he wasn't anywhere to be seen,

"Where's dad?" I asked as I grabbed a piece of toast off the table.

"Your father is outside getting in some exercise before he leaves out. Today's a big day for him too, you know."

I smiled, remembering that today my dad was going to start training for a big competition he was to be in. My father is famous around here for being one of the best mixed martial artist.

"Dear, as much as I'd like you to sit down for breakfast if you don't leave soon you won't make it in time," mother said, pointing to the clock.

I gasped, and grabbed my bag and the bento lunch my mother packed for me. I kissed mother on the cheek then rushed out the door.

The bright sunlight shone in my face as I leaned on the door. I tugged on my shoes, my piece of toast hanging out of my mouth.

"Late as usual?" I heard my dad tease from behind me as I rushed past him. I whirled around and smiled at him. He looked great standing there in the morning sun, sweating from his workout. I noticed him holding something in his hand, wrapped in a cloth. He tossed it to me. "Here, I hear your school has a great kendo club." He winked at me then walked inside.

He must have bought me a new sword to practice with. Since I was little he always took me out to practice my swordsmanship skills. He never told me why he was so strict about my training. All he would tell me is that there would come a day when I would need to use them to defend my honor and family. I had no idea what he meant. He talks like we're still in ancient times or something. The feudal era ended over 500 years ago. But I always took him seriously. Up until today I would always use dull worn down swords. This was the first one he had ever given me of my very own. I would have ran in to thank him but time was not on my side.

I rushed and jumped clear over our gate and down the street. I didn't have a minute to lose. To make up for lost time I took a short cut I had learned of. It was a tight, high traffic area but since I was so late not many people were around. I ran as fast as I could, with the school in sight. I picked up speed and sprinted to the entrance. Just as I stepped passed the school's gates I crashed into someone full force and knocked us both over. I guess that's what I get for not looking where I was going. Sometimes I get caught up in the thrill of running.

"Ouch! Oh! I'm sorry, I was in a rush and I-" I stared down at the person I crash landed on. It was a guy. He was surprisingly good looking. My apology got lost as I took a long look at him. However, something about him was off, I just couldn't put my finger on it. Maybe it was the strange shade of his eyes. They were a peculiar silver color. Those same silver colored eyes turned annoyed as I stared into them. I realized I was still sitting on top of him. I scrambled to get off and my face flushed.

"Watch where you're going next time! I don't have time for stupid girls running me over," he said coldly then turned his back to me. I could almost physically feel the chill from the cold shoulder he was giving me.

My anger instantly flared up. Did he call me stupid? The heat of my anger fully overpowered the icy aura around him. I apologized didn't I? I took a deep breath. There was no sense in getting into a fight the first day of school. Forget about him, I have to get to the opening ceremony. Better to just keep that jerk off my mind so dad won't have me running laps for getting in trouble my first day. I took a deep breath and followed a crowd into the school's auditorium. It looked like I hadn't missed much though.

"Welcome new and returning students! We hope to enjoy another wonderful year at-" and at that point I tuned the principal out. I was searching the crowd for my friends Akemi and Natsuko. Even though I'd been home schooled all my life I still managed to make friends with a few girls who lived near by. I've been best friends with them for as long as I can remember. I was so excited to hear they both got accepted into this school too. It was so crowded it was hard to find them though.

As I was searching I heard the principal say that the student council president was going to speak. Ordinarily this wouldn't even caught my attention if my eyes hadn't met with the guy I ran into at the school gates. I had missed his name, I think it was Yuki or something like that. I scowled at him even though I knew he couldn't see me. Somehow though, his eyes seemed to stare right at me when I did. I figured he must have looked at someone else. I continued to scowl until he looked away. Once he finished we were all released and I caught up to my friends. They had been quite a few rows ahead of me.

"Hey! There you guys are!" I shouted and waved. They rushed over, all giggles and smiles.

"Did you see the student council president, he's so cute!" Akemi squealed. She had a dreamy look in her eyes and her short light brown hair swayed in the breeze. I just stared at her like she was insane.

"That jerk? Cute? You must have been seeing things." I stuck out my tongue and crossed my arms. "I might have accidentally bumped into him this morning and then he called me stupid!" I complained, stomping my foot for emphasis.

Before I could continue I felt a cold aura from behind me and I swung my sword back at whatever it was. I knew it was him. No one else could send a chill down my spine like this guy. I decided I'd just play dumb if it happen to smack him in his far too good looking face. It would be just what he deserved anyway. I had no such luck. He dodged my attach easily. Crap, he just had to be fast, didn't he?

"If accidents like that were allowed we wouldn't need the police," Said Mr. mean guy himself, as if our conversation had called him over. Didn't he have someone else's day to ruin or was I just that unlucky?

"Excuse me Miss Mendoza and Miss Kang, but I need to speak with your friend privately." He flashed a smile at them that no doubt was to charm them into obeying him. And of course Akemi and Natsuko bailed on me, completely falling for his trick. Thanks a lot guys. Great way to back me up. I turned back to my new enemy and glared. He seemed completely unfazed by it.

"So what do you want?" I growled at him.

He started me down, unaffected by my sour mood. I could sense that he was sizing me up as an opponent. He may not have known it but I was way out of his league. He stood straight stared at my sword. "Weapons are not allowed, I hope you don't plan on using that."

"I merely intend to join the kendo club though some practice on your hard head might be fun," I mocked, grasping the hilt of my sword.

"You don't know who you're dealing with. As I told you before I don't like dealing with stupid girls." The look in his eyes remained frozen with disgust, as if he'd hated me for years.

"Yeah, well this girl will turn you into sashimi if you call me stupid again! I apologized for running into you this morning so what's your problem?" I argued. I was upset that I'd even let this jerk make me lose my cool. I couldn't afford to get into a fight so soon. Something about him just made me want to rip his head off and kick it like a ball.

"I don't have to answer to you," he replied as coldly as ever and turned away. He stopped a few feet away and looked over his shoulder at me. "You said you intend to join kendo club, correct?"

I glared at him, wondering what angle he was working at. I nodded simply.

"Meet me behind the school after classes are over, I wish to have a match with you," he said then walked off without another word.

I stood there dumbfounded. One minute he complains that I have a weapon the next minute he challenges me to a duel? What is this? Battle royal? Well if he wants to get whipped by a stupid girl that's his choice. To me, even though I'd been waiting for this day for so long, I was itching for the day to end. I don't care how much trouble I get into, he needs to be taught a lesson.

I sat in class, trying to pay attention to what the teacher was saying but I couldn't concentrate for more then a few minutes at a time. I had to get my mind off the fight or else it was going to get me in trouble. I let my eyes wander the room and I noticed a few people would look away and whisper when I looked at them. Something fishy was going on…

After class I flagged down one of the girls who kept looking at me and whispering to the girl next to her.

"Hey if you have a problem with me then say it to my face!" I growled, a little meaner then I intended. She looked just as upset so I didn't try to apologize for my tone.

"Today's your first day here and you've been seen with the prince twice already. Some girls here would kill for that. You better watch your back if you know what's good for you," she threatened.

I clenched my fist and was about to shout back at her when Akemi and Natsuko ran up and pulled me back.

"What's the deal with people here! That jerk gives me trouble and yet everyone is mad at me! And why in the world did that crazy airhead call him prince, more like prince of the butt sniffing monkeys!" I shook out of their grasp and huffed angrily, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed. So this is what high school is like…great.

"Calm down Aki. A lot of girls here like Yukimaru and they think he likes you," Natsuko explained. I stared at her like she was crazy and she continued. "We've known you since we were little and we know you don't go after guys that fast but you see Yukimaru has never shown any interest in anyone. He's barely ever spoken two words to anyone."

I snorted and put my hands on my hips. "So little Mr. I'm-so-cool-and-don't-speak-to-anyone is popular and has spoken to me a few times. If those crazy girls want that jerk they can have him. I'll wrap him up in a box with a big red bow and gladly give him to them. I just want to beat him today after school! Then after that they can do as they please with him" I could feel my battle aura blazing and the fire in my eyes. That fight couldn't come soon enough.

"Wait! You're going to fight Yukimaru?" Akemi asked, completely shocked.

I nodded and told both of them the story of crashing on Yukimaru and of how he challenged me to a duel after school today. I was even more pumped after I told the story but my joy deflated when I saw how worried they both looked. "What?"

"Don't fight him! Just be nice and apologize. Maybe he'll forget the whole thing," Akemi suggested, tugging on my arm.

"No! I never back down from a fight. Besides that guy is asking for a old fashion beat down." I cracked my knuckles and headed to my last class of the day, with Akemi and Natsuko trailing behind. All the way to class they both tried to get me to change my mind but it wasn't going to work. Father told me to never back down from a challenge and I certainly wasn't going to start by being afraid of some pretty boy like him

End chapter 1

Hello readers new and old. It has been ages since I wrote anything I was happy enough with to post but here's the start of my new story. I'll try to keep up with this one at least once or twice a week and also finish the others I started. To all my loyal fans thank you for waiting and all your kind reviews. I hope you continue to read my work!