Ayano's Traumatic Christmas

Chapter 1

It all started on a cold Christmas Eve morning at Akademi High. The streets were frosted over with ice and snow and the sky overhead was light grey. Little snow flakes danced around in the cold air of December and gracefully melted into whatever it landed on.

The students at Akademi High seem to be in a jolly mood for Christmas which would be tomorrow on a Saturday. Students gossiped on what they were going to do on their Christmas and the variety platters of food that would be on the table. While others exchanged gifts with each other from good friends to bashful lovers.

Ayano Aishi stood silently on the pathway to the High School, she briefly observed the many students walking past her then stared straight at the school entrance, hoping to see someone in particular. 

"Oh...silly me...such a force of habit." Ayano murmurs as she catches herself in the act. White puffs of clouds escape from her pink lips and she averted her eyes. A small present, the size of her palm laid neatly in her right hand. The present was decorated in shiny green wrapping paper and tied with a vibrant red bow. She squeezes her hand tight around it. Her precious gift for that precious boy.

Ayano gently tucks the small present into her coat pocket and proceeded to walk down the snow covered pavement to her school.

"My father and I are going to my Grandfather's for Christmas, so this year It won't be just the two of us." Kokona says cheerfully over to Saki as they pass by Ayano. Kokona Haruka was beautiful girl with purple trills and vibrant purple eyes. Her friend, Saki Miyu, was also quite beautiful with her curly, cyan hair trailing behind her.  

"That's sounds great Kokona, I hope you have fun there." Saki replies with a warm smile on her flushed face. 

"Of course, my Grandfather is always so lively during this time, you probably couldn't tell that he is 68 years old."

"Hehe." Saki giggles causing small clouds to escape from her lips.

Ayano studied the two girls as they make their way to the school entrance. She was sort of envious of the purple haired girl to be having Christmas with her family. Ayano's own parents had went on another trip to America to handle some business there. Ayano would be all alone for Christmas unless her parents arrived a day earlier from their trip, which was unlikely. At first, it didn't really bother her that her parents left but just hearing other students talk about their families made her feel out of place.

Ayano wasn't normal, her mother wasn't normal and her life wasn't normal. She had come to terms with this at a young age but even now she couldn't help but pondered the thought of what it would be like to have a normal Christmas.

Ayano shook the thoughts out of her head and eventually arrived at the entrance of the school. She stamps out her snow covered shoes and walks over to her locker. She opens the locker and grabs her pearly white shoes and kneels down to set them on the cold floor of the school. She then takes off her own black, snowy shoes and slips on the white dry ones onto her feet. Finally, she puts her black shoes away and closes the locker. 

As Ayano turns away from she comes face to face with someone towering over her. Ayano steps back in surprise.

"Hehe, did I scare you? Yan-chan." The Martial Arts Leader teases with a boyish grin on his face. Budo Masuta had dark midnight hair with charcoal colored eyes much similar to Ayano's. His smile was warm and friendly and his eyes seem to twinkle at her.

"Just startled." Ayano replies quietly as she averted her eyes from him.

"Hey, are you alright? You know...you seem really down yesterday. Wanna talk about it?" Budo asks cautiously as he looks down at Ayano's expressionless face.