"'Naoki'." Tanaka whispered, mostly to herself, saying the name with
 the love and reverence people usually reserved for the supreme being of
 their choice. "Is it true that he was abandonned because of his eyes?"
 she asked.
    "His eyes?" the janitress asked. She looked at the boy in question
 and soon saw what Tanaka was referring to. Eyes of pale silver, turning 
 pale gold when the light hit them just right, pupils slitted like those
 of an animal. She'd seen those eyes before, she realized, but in a much
 different face. If only she could remember...  "I see what you mean." 
she
 said aloud. "I think he's an orphan." she said, getting it right but 
not
 realizing it. "My name's Kiyone."
    "Tanaka." Tanaka replied.
    "I'm pleased to meet you, Tanaka."
    Tanaka turned her gaze back to the boy in the classroom and 
 Kiyone returned to her janitorial duties, wondering where she'd seen 
eyes
 like that before.
    The schoolbell rang and Tanaka barely made it off the chair and
 out of the way before a horde of students ran out of the door she'd 
 been standing in front of. She stood there panting as they rushed by, 
 then a horrible realization took her. She'd missed her entire third
 period class, staring at a boy she knew nothing about. The teacher 
would
 be livid when she saw her the next day! Tanaka hurried to her next 
class
 and took her seat. As it happened, 'Naoki' was in this class with her,
 too, and again she was seated next to him.

    'Naoki' sighed and slumped over his desk. His posture usually varied 
 between two favorite poses, slumped over, or rigidly upright with his 
 arms folded in front of him. On occasion he wore an expression of 
fierce 
 rage, as if a bitter memory had surfaced, but most times his face 
looked 
 like all the sorrow in the universe had decided that his soul was a 
nice 
 place to live. He'd never smiled in all the time Tanaka had seen him, 
his 
 lips always either noncommittally straight or set in a frown.
 He put his face in his hands and Tanaka thought he was going to cry. 
She
 hadn't seen him do this yet, but given his general mood, she was sure 
 tears weren't far away. Tanaka reached over and patted his head, 
kindly.
 "Don't worry," she told him, her voice kind, "it'll be all right."
    He grunted derisively, as if to say "nothing will ever be all right 
 again." and didn't look up at her.
    She knew it was early to say this, but she thought it might cheer 
him 
 up a bit, so she told him: "I think I love you."
    "And I know that you don't." he replied, bitterly, with an edge
 to his voice that would've cut diamonds.
    Tanaka was rather taken aback by this and blinked away tears.
 He's just acting this way because he's upset, she told herself. Out 
loud
 she said, "No, you don't know that."
    "Yes, I do." He snapped. "And if you do love me, you'd be better off 
if 
 you didn't."
    "I find that hard to believe." Tanaka told him. "And if you're 
trying to 
 stop me from loving you, I don't think you'll be able to."
    "Suit yourself." The boy told her. "If you want to throw your life 
away, 
 that's fine with me."
    That remark confused Tanaka? What did loving him have to do with 
 throwing her life away? She asked and got a startling answer;
    "Everyone I ever love dies." He warned. "I loved my parents and they 
 died. I loved the people who took me in when I was orphanned and now 
 they're dead, too. Now, please, stop loving me. Your life depends on 
it."
    That shook her pretty badly, but wasn't enough to deter her.
    "I'll die eventually anyhow without loving you." She told him, "So I 
 might as well love you while I can."
    "Have it your way." He snorted at her. But within him, his heart
 ached more than ever. True love was, at last, in his grasp, but he 
dared
 not reach out for it. He was right about the ones he loved dying. He'd 
 seen it on a far off world, when a madman had killed his parents and 
his
 people, and again in a distant place where an escaped supercriminal had
 murdered his friends and colleagues. Now that supercriminal was on its
 way to this planet and he was the planet's... the universe's... only 
 hope. He had watched the others, and he knew they had enough power to 
 stop Kain if they knew how to harness it, but Ryoko and Ayeka were 
always
 fighting and he was sure that they didn't have the discipline or the
 ability to work together that would be needed to do the job. No, he 
told
 himself, it's up to me. I have to stop him, even if it means I myself 
must
 die.

    The teacher ahemed loudly and Tanaka returned her attention to the
 front of the classroom. The teacher ahemed, again, this one meant for
 'Naoki'. In his mind, 'Naoki' considered ignoring the teacher. It 
didn't 
 matter whether he passed or failed this class, after all he was only 
 there to bide time until he confronted his foe. When his enemy had been 
 vanquished, he'd return to his own ... he remembered, then, that he had 
 no place to return to and he sank even deeper into a state of 
depression. 
 Anger boiled in him and rage came, once again, into his eyes. Well, he
 reasoned to himself, in a few days his enemy would be dead, and chances
 were so would he. He didn't care about that, however. All that he cared
 about was destroying the vile demon and avenging the brave men and 
women
 it had slain.

-Chapter 2-    

    The ride to Tokyo had not been uneventful. During the trip there had
 been a malfunction on one of the cars. At least, that's what the 
students
 had been told. However, the truth of the matter was, 'Naoki' knew full 
well, 
 that his classmates Ryoko and Ayeka had gotten into a fight and that 
the
 resulting power surge had shorted out the train. He had toyed with the 
idea
 of teleporting to Tokyo, but Tanaka had seated herself next to him and 
would
 not take her eyes off of him, and so it had been impossible to teleport 
 without being seen. He had tried to distract her many times with ploys 
such
 as "Those flowers over there look very nice" but she would simply reply 
"Not
 as nice as you." and continue looking at him. Then she had rested her 
head
 on his shoulder and had fallen asleep. He'd been about to teleport when 
two
 things happened in rapid succession. Tanaka, jostled when he moved his 
arm,
 woke up, and the train started moving again. He gave up on the idea of 
using
 his teleport and pretended to go to sleep. To his chagrin, he felt 
Tanaka
 snuggle up to him, place her head on his shoulder again, and fall back 
to 
 sleep herself.

    'Naoki' had still been sleeping when Tanaka had woke. He was far 
from at
 peace, however. His hands were gripping the arms of the seat and his 
head
 was lolling from side to side. Oddly, there was none of the sweat 
usually
 associated with nightmares on his brow. His head turned so that he was 
 facing her and then moaned, fitfully, in his sleep.

    Tanaka shook him, gently, trying to rouse him, but he took her wrist 
 suddenly, still locked in his nightmare, and his grip was as strong as 
that
 of a steel claw.
    "'Naoki'! WAKE UP!" she screamed in pain. 
    'Naoki''s exotic eyes flew open and he released her wrist, spinning 
his 
 face away from the glaring sunlight that was pouring through the 
train's
 window, signaling the morning.
    "'Naoki'?" Tanaka asked, concerned.
    "My eyes." 'Naoki' explained, sounding less closed-off than before. 
"The
 sun hurts them."
    "Because of the shape of your pupils." Tanaka realized.
    "Yes." 'Naoki' admitted. He took her hand, gently this time, and 
studied
 the deepening bruise on her wrist. "I'm sorry." he told her. 
    "It's okay." She reassured him for the second time. This time she 
took 
 him in her arms and rocked him. And in the arms of this student, 
'Naoki' found
 at last the tenderness and compassion his life had lacked.
    
    They spent the following day together, visitting the many museums 
which
 dotted Ueno Park and enjoying a quiet lunch together. 'Naoki''s manners 
were
 impeccable, this time, and Tanaka realized that he must've had other 
things
 on his mind, or maybe he was only that way when he ate tough meats. 
Whatever
 the case, Tanaka's love for 'Naoki' grew tenfold over the course of the 
day.
    "When we were in school, I told you I loved you." Tanaka told him as 
they
 strolled along the path leading to one of the art museums. "Now, I'm 
sure of
 it."
    'Naoki' stopped and turned Tanaka toward him. His eyes were full of 
deep
 sorrow and pain. He gazed into her eyes and spoke, softly.
    "I know," he told her genty, "and I think if the circumstances had 
been
 different that I would have loved you, too. I thank you for your 
kindness,
 but I cannot return it, nor can I return your love."
    "Your lips deny a love that your eyes are screaming." Tanaka replied 
as
 she pressed her own lips to them. 'Naoki''s own lips remained still, 
and 
 seemed cold, almost lifeless. For a moment, Tanaka wondered if he might 
be
 a vampire, with his cold lips, alabaster skin, and exotic animal eyes, 
but
 then she decided that such a thing was silly. There was no such thing 
as
 vampires or monsters from outer space. This was just a boy with a few 
odd
 quirks about his appearance. No doubt his skin was easily sunburned, 
and he
 had explained that the light hurt his eyes. So, he rarely went out into 
the
 sunlight and its warm never penetrated his skin, that's why it was a 
little
 cooler than usual. 
    A disapproving cough caught Tanaka by surprise and she turned to 
find
 one of the teachers standing there, looking sternly at her and tapping 
her
 foot. "I think we need to have a little talk, young lady." the elderly 
 Japanese woman said, strictly, as she lead Tanaka away.
    "I love you, 'Naoki'." Tanaka called back to him as she was lead 
away.
    'Naoki' watched her go. "I love you, too." he replied, too softly 
for her
 to hear. "I always will."