One... Two... Three.... Go!

The sound of the hard track pounding underfoot shivered in the evening air as Shogi took off at the imaginary buzzer in her mind. Cool wind caressed her face; ran its pleasing fingers through her neat pink hair. Oh, how wonderful it felt to run! Had she not consumed a vast amount of sugar earlier in the day, she would have simply allowed herself to collapse and rest in the grass. But with all the energy from the sugar surging through her body, rest, however, would have been impossible. The girl lithely rounded the first curve of the track at an impressive speed. She could already feel the fire of weariness tearing at her legs. It was invigorating, but a little disappointing. Just last month she could have made it a whole lap around her previous school's track without even beginning to display any signs of weariness. Well.... that was until that woman she had loved had-

"Ah-!"

Having lost concentration, Shogi tripped herself up and plummeted to the ground. Her bare knees took the force of the impact first before the rest of her body hit. "Ow....." What'd I tell you, you good-for-nothing? Can't do nothing right! No matter what you do, no matter how hard you try - you'll always mess up!

Agh, not right! The pinkette shook her sister's sour words from her mind. She wouldn't allow herself to believe that. Not anymore. Shogi began to push herself up off the track. Her knees stung. Her head pounded slightly. When she went to dust herself off, she even discovered a smear of red on her hand from her scraped knees. Instead of sobbing, she produced a giggle at the sight. Jeez, what a fall!  Guess I really messed up! Suddenly concerned if someone saw the fall, she stole a glance at her surroundings. Nothing but the wind stirred.

Relieved, Shogi hobbled to the sidelines and withdrew a piece of white chocolate from her pocket. It was a little crushed form the fall, but still edible. She unwrapped it and nibbled at a crumbled corner. She'd crossed the starting line...Missed the finish line. Just like always. Nibbling on her chocolate, she let her gaze wash over the windswept track. Maybe someone would come across her? Maybe not? With knees scraped and a light coating of dirt on her face, she wasn't too sure how presentable she would appear. She chuckled at the thought and glanced at the evening sky.  One day, Shogi...

(First post... Hope this is alright.... ^ ^")

A sigh escaped the pale lips of the white haired girl as she ran a shaky hand through her windswept locks. How the setting sun caressed the edges of the school, enveloping it within a pinkish red light that seemed to cast a pallid hue over everything it touched. It seemed somewhat odd to her, to even have the idea implemented in her head to visit the expanse that was the track for she never had too much reason to venture there. Her attention was drawn when she spotted a lone girl sitting along the sidelines, head lowered with item clutched in hand. What was she doing here, all alone?

Her silent steps drew her closer to the girl, azure eyes scanning the mysterious girl wearily. Neat pink hair with a red and golden eye, an interesting combination considering the white of her uniform. On closer exception, she noticed the red that dribbled down her knee and her brows furrowed downwards in concern.

"What might be the problem? Why are you all alone out here, and why is your knee bleeding?" She mumbled quietly, approaching the girl with slower steps.

Shogi's gaze drifted from the resplendent evening sky to the Spica girl in front of her, almost choking on her piece of chocolate in surprise. Someone had approached! Ah, what should she do?! She sat in stunned silence for a moment as she looked the girl over. Long, flowing hair the color of alabaster. Ivory skin. Bright azure eyes. And a white Spica uniform to match... Why, this girl was absolutely beautiful. The pinkette confirmed the girl must be a bit older than her. Perhaps a third year?

"Oh, this? I just tripped while running!" Shogi giggled in response, beaming a wide grin. Stealing a glance down at her chocolate, she continued, "And I just transferred here so I don't know anyone yet...." It felt a little strange talking to someone other than her sister. As long as she kept herself under control, everything would go fine, right? Well, at least she hoped. The girl in front of her looked more like a serious type and not one for childish burdens like her. Still, what harm could be done by showing a little of her hyper personality? Shogi flipped the piece of chocolate in her hand in thought. Guess I should probably introduce myself...

"I am first year Kuroyuri Shogi of Spica." She grinned in introduction. "Who are you~? Would you like some chocolate? Your hair is the same color as it! Well, almost.... A-"

 She cut herself, panting lightly. It was better she stopped herself now before escalating to the point where she could not turn her voice off. Flashing an apologetic smile, she waited for the girl to respond. Hopefully she had not already irritated her into desiring to leave...

Usagi watched as the girl expressed surprise at her appearance, a small smile lifting the corners of her lips upwards. She seemed stunned by her, the girl in front of her seeming to finally get her voice with a few small seconds. The words the pinkette spoke came out at a hundred miles per hour, slipping through the younger girl's lips like a river until it finally stopped. Well, she certainly seemed like the energetic type...

"I am third year student Hinamoto Usagi of Spica. A pleasure to meet you, Kuroyuri-chan." The girl bent over in an elegant bow, arm sweeping under her chest with the gentlemanly position so accustomed to her. Straightening up, she flashed a very small smile before taking the invitation to sit beside her. "I don't care for sweets that much, but if it is fine with you. Chocolate in moderation is known to be somewhat healthy." Usagi mumbled, stopping to glance over at the girl next to her.

Her attention was drawn to the girl's knee, studying it intently before wiping out a white handkerchief. Applying mild pressure, she pressed it against the wound before tying it around her leg.

"There. That seems better. Couldn't have you walking around like that, now could we?"

"Nice to meet you too, Usagi-san!" Shogi's veiled her mouth with a pale hand. She'd just called the girl by her first name. Such a thing was far too casual for someone she had just met. Had she not been so excited at the moment, she would have skipped making such a mistake. "I am so sorry, Hinamoto-san! Forgive me. I got too excited!" She hoped the white-haired girl would forgive her. It was a completely honest mistake, really. She warned herself not to make the same mistake in the future. Sometimes overly-friendliness could really make someone uncomfortable.

Flashing another grin, she broke off a corner of her chocolate and handed it to the girl. "I have some dark chocolate if you would like. I do not really eat it often, but it is not that sweet. If you prefer." She giggled. The conversation seemed to be going well, she hoped, other than a few mishaps here and there. At least the girl had not run off yet. That was good. Shogi's eyes widened a little when Hinamoto-san produced a pure white handkerchief from her pocket, her gaze fixated on her knee. Was she planning to clean it? A sound escaped Shogi's throat that sounded something like a cross between a soft whimper of pain and a childish giggle of amusement as the girl pressed it lightly on her scraped knee. It did not hurt very much; the action had just surprised her. When the girl had finished, a grin crossed Shogi's face.

"You're really nice, aren't you Hinamoto-san? Thank you~" She chirped, reaching out a pale hand to ruffle the dazzling windswept white locks. The other girl's hair was soft and thick. like...Like a--- "Bunny." She hadn't meant to say that out loud, but it had escaped on its own free will. Shogi herself hadn't noticed, but if she had, she would have folded in on herself and crawled into a hole in embarrassment. How had this serious girl remained this long around such a childish one like her?

Usagi only stared in slight shock at the mention of her first name but made no attempt correct it. Despite the sudden informality, the mistake would probably stick with her until for as long as she would know her. "No, it is fine. Honestly, I don't think correcting your mistake will fix the problem so I'll leave it be, as odd as it sounds. I'm in a fine mood and I don't wish to ruin it..."

When the pink haired girl handed her the piece of chocolate, she generously accepted it. The Spica student listened contentedly as Kuroyuri-chan spoke about the different kind of chocolate and what seemed sweeter, as much as it didn't matter to her. She twitched slightly at the sound of the other girl's squeak/giggle, watching the grin that spread wide across her face. What was she smiling for?

The hand that reached out to ruffle her hair was delicate, but Usagi would never admit she somewhat enjoyed the feeling of another person petting her hair. As the girl uttered the word 'Bunny', the white haired Spica student almost smirked at the mention of such comparison. "It amuses me in someways, how people can see me as so akin to a rabbit..."

Shogi could not help but giggle. "Well, Usagi does mean rabbit in Japanese, does it not? And your hair is as soft as a rabbit's fur... Oh! The white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland!" The comparison she had concluded made her produce another giggle. Hinamoto-san really did remind her of the white rabbit now that she thought about it. That little white ball of fluff sometimes clad in an expensive coat and gold-rimmed glasses running about with a golden pocket watch in hand. Well...paw.  "All you need is a pocket watch! And shout, "I'm late! I'm late! Ah, what is it in Japanese? Chikoku da! Chikoku da! "

The pinkette elapsed into a small giggling fit. She was having a great deal of fun with this. Oh, what a sight it would be, seeing Hinamoto-san run around like that! She tried to imagine the girl with white rabbit ears. It was quite a funny thought. "Ah-- S-Sorry about that...! Kind of lost myself there..." A nervous giggle escaped her throat. Hopefully she hadn't made the girl want to run off - she would have to watch what she rambled on about carefully in the future.  

"Have other students regarded you as a rabbit, Hinamoto-san?" She continued slowly, nibbling at the corner of her chocolate. It had started to melt a little from the lukewarm heat of her hand. Realizing this, she stuck the top of it in her mouth and removed her hand from it after removing the wrapper. She wouldn't be able to speak like this, so she chomped in it while waiting for Hinamoto-san's response so that she could speak again when required.

"The White Rabbit, huh?" Usagi pondered on the thought, contemplating the idea of the rabbit from the beloved child's tale, Alice in Wonderland. Glancing up into the sky, she drew another hand through her hair before looking back down at the girl. "To shout 'I'm late, I'm late' while running around would put a damper among my reputation and the other students." The girl chuckled quietly, watching as she consumed the rest of her chocolate.

"Regarding me as a rabbit, I am unsure if others have thought of me that way. One other girl, I believe, assumed as such a creature. You are perhaps the second one to do so." She turned her attention towards the girl beside her and blinked slowly.

"How about you, Kuroyuri-chan? Has anyone regarded you as an animal yet?"

Put a damper on her reputation? It probably would. Yet again, it probably would to any year higher than a first year. Shogi pondered the thought a little more. When she heard another student had regarded Hinamoto-san as a rabbit, another grin found its way upon her face. So she wasn't the only one! For some reason, that made her a little happy. Why, she did not know. Scarfing down the last bite of her chocolate, she inhaled heavily before proceeding to speak, "Really? I thought for sure more people would have regarded you as one! ...Or is it that you are not a very social person, Hinamoto-san?"

There was a smear of melted chocolate on her face as she spoke, and she wiped it off with the back of her hand. It would have been embarrassing, but the girl was used to it. After all, when one consumes candy as much as she does, one often ends up walking around with small traces still clinging to their face, whether they noticed it or not.

The pinkette tilted her head to one side in surprise as the white haired girl asked her if anyone had regarded her as an animal. She had just transferred to Astrea, so she had not met anyone else yet except for Hinamoto-san. If anyone had regarded her as an animal, she would not have known. Still, the question made her think what type of animal she would be seen as. Perhaps a cat? Or a sparrow? Or a pig. She shuddered a little at the last possibility. If one day someone saw her as a certain type of animal, she really hoped it was not a curly-tied, flop eared, smelly, fat little pig! "No, not yet." She giggled, leaning back a little. "You are the first person I met so far, Hinamoto-san."

There was something about the last thing she said that made her smile. Meeting people was nice, but meeting someone new in a place you'd never been before was even nicer. Well, to her at least. It opened up your eyes to new things, information, and knowledge. Especially if that person had been their longer than you had, which in this case, Hinamoto-san had. Unless, of course, she had transferred recently too. The possibility did stir a curiosity in Shogi. Reaching into her pocket again, the girl withdrew a pink lollipop which she quickly unwrapped and popped into her mouth. She produced another one - this one vanilla flavored - and offered it to the white haired girl. "Would you like one, Hinamoto-san? If not, I have a cookie that you could have~ It might be a little crushed from the fall I had earlier though..."

Usagi watched as Kuroyuri-chan grinned once again. How could the girl smile so easily? She perked up when the girl asked her a question, fixating her gaze onto the pinkette whom had just finished scarfing her chocolate. "Well, I am not that social. I never got along that... properly with people. I just don't see the point of being... social." She mumbled quietly, noting the smear of chocolate smothered on her cheek. When the girl giggled, Usagi couldn't help but feel a small smile lifting the corners of her mouth upwards.

"I am the first person you met, huh? Well then... If you don't correspond to an animal at the moment, I shall just have to deem you one." Her attention was drawn into the air as she thought, taking a few moments of pause to image the creature best suited for such a girl. "A Hedgehog." The white haired girl uttered, glancing down at her carefully. "They can be cute in their appearances, and soft if you know how to handle them. Although, they are capable of turning harsh rather quickly and you seem like a person who can change emotion in a flash if something occurs badly..."

The thought of the younger girl looking like a hedgehog nearly made her chuckle, imagining the small spines and timid appearance. She could get along with this girl, if nothing went wrong of course. Energetic people were not really her cup of tea. At the motion of holding out a lollipop, the girl gracefully accepted it before taking a lick, savoring the taste of rich vanilla. "Thank you..."

Shogi giggled. A hedgehog? An odd little creature with soft white underfur, a fat little body, stubby little legs, a cute, endearing face, and a back covered in brown prickles that were soft like fur when touched gently. They were cute, but well known to puff up in a deadly ball of spikes when threatened. Hinamoto-san's explination next of why she selected a hedgehog for the pinkette's animals resemblance made her twitch a little. Cute in appearance... Capable of turning harsh if something occurs badly... It was all true. If someone were to leave her, no matter how much they pleaded they would return, she would coil herself in those spikes of insanity and become a psychopath obsessed with making that person never stray from her side... She was a yandere. Endearing on the outside, and psychotic on the inside. Though she hoped no one would have to experience the wrath of it so early on. Violence was known to bloom...

"I guess I am a hedgehog~" The pinkette giggled, removing the lollipop from her mouth as she spoke. She grinned when the white haired girl took the vanilla lollipop. "You are very welcome, Hinamoto-san!" With a contented giggle, Shogi folded her arms behind her head and flopped backwards onto the grass. It tickled her face. "Hey, do you like to run, Hinamoto-san?" She inquired softly. Though her knees still ached from the wipe out she had earlier, her legs were bursting with energy from the sugar and she had the slight urge to run again. Even if she were to trip and hurt herself even worse. Maybe she could even challenge Hinamoto-san to a little race? The white haired girl was much taller than her, and would cover much more distance in a single stride, but the shorter someone was, the quicker. Who knows, maybe a race could be fun?

The pinkette closed her eyes and waited for the girl to answer. The wind and mild warmth from the sun felt great. Especially mixed with the lukewarm coolness of the lush grass. It made her get a little sleepy. She stifled a yawn. Astrea Hill was quite a nice place.

Usagi nodded as she giggled. It seems this girl was someone she could get along with, someone who wasn't as obnoxious as she first thought would be. Glancing up, she watched a bird drift against the wind, the cool breeze wiping her hair around in a wave of white. The Spica student smothered her hair down as the girl beside her asked her a question, the invitation to hold a race. A race? Why, she hadn't run in quite a while, such movement having been lost to her as she picked up equestrian. Known to have been one of the fastest runners in her elementary class, perhaps her speed would still be able to be implied despite not having ran in years.

"I haven't ran in years... It was something I ceased to do once I picked up equestrian... On top of that, my parents drilled me to only walk everywhere and to never run." She paused, looking over at Kuroyuri-chan slowly. "Still, I guess I could go for a run. I would not mind doing so with you, if that is you would like to partake in such an event." A race could be fun, but she still could get beaten by the younger girl. The smaller one is, the quicker they are and the harder they try.

The pinkette grinned. Hinamoto-san had accepted her invitation! Wonderful! "We could always do a warm-up lap before we actually race, Hinamoto-san! I want to make it fair for you, since you said have not ran in years." She offered. If they were going to race, might as well make it fair. She capitulated herself up on her feet and brushed the dirt from the grass off of her uniform. Beaming a grin, she stretched fitfully. Who would win? She wasn't quite sure, but she surmised the other girl was quite fast. All Spica students did seem quite sporty, including herself. She giggled to herself. It did not matter who won. All it mattered is if they had fun.

"Careful not to tire yourself out though if you are to do a warm-up lap!" She commented as she pranced onto the track after finishing her lollipop, looking over her shoulder to address the white haired girl. "You would not want to exert all your energy before the real event!" Testing her leg, the pinkette checked under the handkerchief. A little blood was present, but the stinging had for the most part stopped. Perhaps she'd go clean it off afterwards. Not that it was really urgent. She'd had worse. Turning her attention back to the track, Shogi started off on a warm-up lap in a little jog. She made sure not to push herself and managed to complete it without tiring. It felt nice to run after a little rest. She offered a weary smile when she turned back to Hinamoto-san.

"Your turn, Hinamoto-san!" She giggled. The weather was getting cooler as the sun continued to descended in the fiery sky, making it much more pleasant to run in. Had it been summer, Shogi would have practically melted on the spot. The delightful coolness is why she loved the evening. It was her favorite time of day to exercise in. The pinkette pulled a small piece of hard candy out of her pocket and popped it into her mouth triumphantly. She was eager to see how well Hinamoto-san ran. Perhaps they would be evenly matched?