Skating To A New Dawn

A New Day, A New Dawn?

The photo is from a stage play that you can see in Tokyo at the moment. I love it. The characters look exactly like Ash and Eiji in real life✨ If you want to see more photos, you can go to my Tumblr account emeraldeyes23.

This chapter is about how Ash and Eiji meet and what that how they get involved with skateboarding. I hope you'll like it✨

Eiji sat in his Japanese class and watched Ash scribbling some notes in his notebook while the teacher announced the students who'd work together on their next group project. He had a hunch who he'd team up with.

"Kyan and Hasegawa.", their teacher Mr. Nakamura announced next. Reki groaned and let his head fall onto the table in defeat.

"How do you work together with someone who isn't capable of human speech?", he muttered under his breath to Eiji, who had just turned back to him. The teacher cast him a scolding glance but didn't say anything.

"Okumura, you're with Callenreese for this year's group project. Help him out, ok?"

Eiji nodded and heard how all the people around him sighed in relief, glad they hadn't been forced to team up with Ash. Eiji didn't mind. Since he had sat next to him and had explained some things to him here and there, he had expected it. However, before he even had the chance to talk to him, Ash had rushed out of the classroom.

"Ash, wait!", Eiji called out to him. "What about our group project?"

When Ash didn't react and just kept walking, he ran after him and gripped his wrist to stop him. That got a reaction from him, alright. Only one that Eiji hadn't expected.

"Don't touch me!" Ash immediately pulled his hand away as if he'd been burnt, then shoved him against the wall. The look in his green eyes was piercing and so intense that Eiji froze up for a second. Ash let go of him again and walked away, but Eiji quickly caught up to him. He wouldn't give up so easily.

"You can't write in Japanese. And you don't understand most of the class."

"That's none of your fucking business." Ash glared at him, then walked on. "I just forgot to take my glasses with me. That's all. I don't need your help. As for the project, I don't fucking care. I'll just do it by myself." Then, he stormed off.

"How will he do that without understanding Japanese? He knows that this is a Japanese lit class, right?" Eiji shrugged and looked back at Reki, who had just left the classroom.

"Why do you look as if you want to run after him?"

"Probably because I do want to run after him. We have a group project together, after all."

Reki gave him a mischievous smile. "Is that the only reason you want to talk to him?"

"Don't tease me, Reki. Fine, he's fascinating. He's -

"Tall, blonde and gorgeous?"

"It's not like that!", Eiji exclaimed angrily. "I just want to help him."

Reki suddenly turned serious again, looking directly at him. "Eiji, be careful, ok? Ash is dangerous. You've heard the rumors about him, too, right? He was a gang leader and a killer with ties to the mafia. He ruled New York's underworld with only 17."

"So, you listen to those stupid rumors, too? I thought you were better than that.", Eiji scolded him although he knew he was being unfair to Reki. He just couldn't stand all those rumors. Ash probably came here to start a new life. To forget his past. But how was he supposed to do that if people spread stupid rumors about him? No wonder he kept his distance and buried himself under a tower of books in the library. Escaping to a fictional world probably kept him sane.