And Then, They Fell in Love

Author's Notes: If you think you have seen this story before, chances are, you probably have. While reading over the last version this summer, I found there were so many places I wanted to take this story, but left loose ends hanging in my rush to get it finished. Because of that, I am now redoing it. For those of you who have read/reviwed this story previously, the ending will not change . . however, there will be a few differences. If you have read this before, you might want to stick around for that. If you are interested in the original version of this story, I (hopefully) will have a website up soon. If anyone knows how to design a webpage. . . would you mind e-mailing or IMing me? I would greatly appreciate it.


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The week had definitely 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 so. 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. 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 no turning into Hell on Earth. The sad thing - Sara had only arrived three days ago.

Her parents had become friends with a Japanese couple during their college years. The two had kept in contact with one another through the years, rejoicing at one another’s triumphs and 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. Sara needed no convincing - she was up for the challenge.

The question was not - was this for the good or for bad?

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 - 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, spotting 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 to herself, Sara began pushing her way through the crowd of people, trying to spot a landmark of some 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.

She didn’t even notice the person until she crashed into them, only 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. Blue violet eyes stared into hers for a moment, before blinking away. A slim eyebrow raised as he gathered the rest of his belongings. “Watch were you are going next time.”

With that, he was lost in the crowd.

It took Sara a moment to realize he had spoken English to her. Shaking her head, she once again found Aoi, determined to stick by her side this time.

It was neat to see how certain people reacted with others. Everything was busy, at a fast pace that kept Sara’s mind spinning.

She was jolted out of her thoughts as Aoi stopped, next to a young woman, chatting away with her.

That was when Sara noticed the teen standing next to Aoi’s friend. The boy she had bumped into not fifteen minutes before. He raised his eyebrows, recognizing her as well.

Aoi seemed to notice the two staring at one another. “Sara, this is Ichijouji Osamu.” She paused as if waiting for Sara to say something. When she didn’t, Aoi nodded slightly. “He will be attending your school this year. . . It is your last year, right?”

The boy nodded.

“Same year as Sara, then. Good, she could use a friend. Someone who can speak her language.”

The slightly disgusted look “Osamu” was giving her, told her he’d rather die.

She didn’t seem to be making good impressions today.

As Aoi continued talking, Sara took the opportunity to study the boy in front of her. He was at least over six feet, taller than most of the boys in her school. Hair so black it had a blue tint framed his face, and thing glasses rested on his nose. Those gorgeous eyes stared back at her. Was that a hint of violet?

If he hadn’t been such a jerk before, Sara would have considered him attractive.

“We need to go,” Osamu stated suddenly, causing both Aoi and his mother to shoot him a look. He shrugged, speaking to his mother. She nodded said her goodbyes to Aoi.

“It was nice to meet you.” Sara stated.

He smirked. “Pleasure.”

By the time they arrived home, Sara was exhausted. She flopped down on the tiny couch, closing her eyes. She opened them a second later to find Kenji, Aoi’s husband, staring down at her, a grin on his face.

“Tired?”

“That is an understatement. Exhausted.”

He chuckled. “Go to bed, then. We can wake you up when dinner is finished.”

Sara shrugged, looking at the paper lying on the stand. Her heart stopped.

There, gracing the front page, was the picture of the boy she had previously seen in the store earlier.

“Kenji!” she cried, grabbing the paper. “What is he doing on here?”

Kenji looked puzzled. “Another interview? You would think they’d have taken every bit of information from that poor boy. He’s so sick of interviews, he could scream.”

“Interviews? What for?”

The Japanese man blinked. “He’s famous, Sara. A prodigy.”

Sara stared down at the paper, seeing the smiling face of Ichijouji Osamu looking back at her. It was the same ‘smile’ he had used on her in the supermarket. That cold, fixed smile.

The first person she bumped into was famous.

This trip seemed to be getting better, and better. . .