I still don't own the pictures!!

In this world, perfection is unattainable. 

Due to this, the human mind will lower its standards in order to reassure itself and find some semblance of peace. A prime example of this is the weather in early autumn, when the mellow golden sunshine melts away the frost that accumulates during the crisp mornings, and the edges of the leaves are just beginning to tinge with gold and red. 

It was on one of these September mornings that Kyoyo Zloto's life began changing. The walk to school was peaceful, since many people in the city were not yet out at this hour. Kyoyo always walked to school early so she could finish her homework there, considering she was unable to do it at night. She was busy watching the geese fly in their gappy Vs and didn't notice the person walking down the sidewalk right in front of her.  She walked right smack into him. 

"Eek, sorry!" Kyoyo stammered. 

The boy looked at her strangely through his tired eyes. "That's fine... It's my fault."

"Do you go to school around here?" Kyoyo asked, feeling that she had to make conversation with him. 

"No, I go to the private school down by the river."

"Oh, that must be so nice to have a clear view of the river like that! I go to the school by the Boulevard. It's fun to hang out there, but it's definitely not as pretty as Somei River! Oh dear, I'm just prattling on, aren't I?" Kyoyo laughed awkwardly. Social interactions were not her strong suit, and she had picked up on some of the Timekeeper's quaint old-fashioned speech. "Well, bye!" 

Kyoyo rushed off hurriedly, cheeks burning, as the boy did nothing but stare after her as though she were an alien. 

School was uneventful as ever, though Kyoyo's only friend had some interesting news. 

"Last night, I had this crazy dream that someone was pulling my brain out on a fishing line. Then, I woke up and saw someone standing over me!! But I blinked and they were gone. I must have still been half asleep." Zhenya -Kyoyo's friend- concluded.

"Yeah," Kyoyo agreed distractedly, trying to act normal. 

"You're acting weird, Yo." Busted.

"A-Am I?"  

"Yeah." Zhenya gasped, then squealed. "Yo, is it a boy??!"

'Oh, thank goodness she didn't figure it out.' Kyoyo thought, mentally breathing a sigh of relief.

"I guess kind of." Kyoyo admitted, thinking of the boy she had quite literally run into earlier. 

Zhenya squealed again, louder.

"Miss Midori, is there something you would like to share with the class?" Their math teacher asked, eyebrows arched. 

"Sorry sir, it's girl business. Restricted access." Zhenya replied, pulling her long chestnut hair into a ponytail. 

Zhenya Midori was, in Kyoyo's opinion, the bravest person ever. She wore rock band T-shirts and flannels and didn't care at all what the rest of the school thought about her. She was the one that inspired Kyoyo to be more outgoing, and together they had more fun than the rest of the school combined (Or so they thought.) 

After math, the rest of the school day was extremely boring, excluding when Liz Riley stuck a piece of cheese to the ceiling at lunch. Kyoyo and Zhenya sat at the table with the other girls from school, as they all tended to group together, but the two were typically lost in their own conversations. Kyoyo was fascinated by Chemistry and spent most of the lunch period explaining it to Zhenya, who grinned and somehow integrated talk about music and cute boys into the mix. 

Soon enough, the final bell rang and Kyoyo was caught in the stampede for the doors. Friday afternoons were always like that. She waited with her book until nearly everyone had gone, then headed out the glass doors and into freedom. The weather was lovely, but the breeze was a bit chilly and Kyoyo wished she had brought her jacket. She had left it in the Recall Shop yesterday. 

She was busy searching for her work key when, for the second time that day, she ran into someone. 

This someone caught her before she fell, though. 

"Are you okay?! I'm so sorry!" 

Kyoyo shook her head dazedly. "I'm fine. Sorry, that was totally my fault. I seem to have a problem with running into people."

The boy she had run into laughed. "Nah, it's on me. Hey, you're all shivery! Are you cold? Here." He took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. 

"Thanks" Kyoyo stammered, her cheeks flushing. 

"No problem! Hey, I know, let's get some tea to warm up!" He pulled at her sleeve excitedly. 

"Oh, yeah. I'm Kana by the way."

(A/N) Another chapter finished!! I just couldn't wait to add Kana, so expect to see more of this guy. Big shoutout to @GarySun0 for helping me figure out the bold/italics sitch! Couldn't have done it without ya!!