Chapter 1

Her first week in Japan had definitely been interesting for her. She wasn't quite sure if this was a good thing or not.

As Sara Adams was quickly learning, moving to a different country to spend a school year was much different than visiting for a week or more. Even with her younger sister's 'tutoring' (It was a question if Kara even had a clue what she was doing), Sara was still clumsy at the language. And as Sara was learning, not all countries make exceptions if you don't speak the national language.

What had started as a simple and fun plan was now turning into Hell on Earth. The sad thing - Sara had only arrived three days ago.

Sara had always known that her parents had become friends with a Japanese couple during their college years at the University of Oklahoma. Even when Aoi and Kenji left to return to their homes in Tokyo, both couples had kept in contact through the years, rejoicing at one another's triumphs, and the birth of children. When Sara developed an interest in other countries, Keith and Amanda Adams saw fit to give their daughter an opportunity to experience what she had only read about. With one call to their Japanese friends, Sara was invited to spend the equivalent of her senior year in Tokyo. Sara needed no convincing - she was up for the challenge.

The question was now - was this for better or for worse?

It would have been easier, Sara assumed, if she had taken learning Japanese more seriously. Teenage excitement and ambition had stepped in, taking place of her common sense. Sara had said it could always be worse.

Sara was convinced she had found her worse. She was now lost, standing in a place she really didn't want to be in the first place - a supermarket.

At the beginning of the trip, Sara had been confident she could navigate her way through the store without the help of her guardians. Once again, she wished she had listened to someone. She decided then and there she would work on that.

Ignoring the dirty looks a few were shooting her way, Sara pushed her way through the crowd, and finally spotted her guardian, Akamiya Aoi.

"There you are!" Aoi gasped with relief "We were afraid we had lost you!"

"I almost lost myself," Sara muttered, gazing at the floor. "Never again will I go off alone in a place like this. I thought it might be easier to get around. Something familiar, like a Wal-Mart."

Aoi chuckled. "You will get used to it. This is only your third day. By the end of the school year, you will know these places like the back of your hand."

Sara wished she could believe her.

True to Sara's luck, ten minutes later, she found herself stranded again. Mumbling curses to herself, Sara once again began pushing her way through the crowd of people, trying to spot a landmark of sorts. Maybe she needed a cell phone, a pager, a emergency flare... something. With Aoi not used to having a teenager tagging along, it could be minutes before she realized Sara was missing.

Lost in her thoughts once again, she didn't even notice the person until she crashed into them, only then hearing the spill of foreign words come from his mouth. Startled, Sara dropped to the ground to help pick up the things she had caused him to drop. Dark black hair spilled in front of his face, blocking any view of how he might have felt.

Without thinking, Sara spoke the first thing that came to mind. "I am so sorry! I wasn't even paying attention."

Real smooth, Sara.

The boy looked up, and Sara was startled. Instead of the dark brown or black eyes she was used to, dark blue eyes stared into hers momentarily, and then blinked away. One slim eyebrow raised as he gathered the rest of his belongings. "Watch were you are going next time."