One year, it had been a VERY long year since I'd found myself in the land of the Rising sun, with no memory of how I'd gotten here, documentation indicating that I was a Custodian at some high-end high school in a city whose name I didn't recognize.

Today was actually the anniversary of the day I'd found myself in a dingy apartment with a custodial uniform in one corner and a note attached to it. Written in Japanese script, which I found to my shock that I understood perfectly, was a short letter explaining that I was now a Janitor for some place called Fujimi high, all documentation was taken care of and I even had a bank account. It was the end of the note that made a chill crawl up my spine that day.

One Year Ago

"Please be sure to bring the items found in your closet one year from now to your school. You will need them."

Hesitantly I had opened the small closet and a cold, hard knot formed in my stomach when I saw sitting at the bottom of the closet three things. A ax, a spear, and a shield. Why in God's Name did I need weapons like that, I had no clue but if ROB, as I'm sure ROB had something to do with my situation, said I would need them, then I had better listen to what he had to say.

Shutting the closet I had dressed myself glanced into the mirror...which had brought me to a complete stop yet again.

"What the fu...?" I had muttered staring at a small mirror hanging in on one of the walls of my apartment.

I....looked like myself...sort of... a more apt description is if I had visited one of those caricature artists like they had back at Six Flags, only the caricaturist was replaced with a Japanese style artist and had made me into a cartoon character....though, much more detailed than any that I'd seen in my entire life. I was leaner than I'd ever been in my entire life. Lifting my shirt I noticed that the sheathing of fat I'd carried for pretty much my entire life was...gone....replaced with hard muscle. I wasn't model lean by any shape but I looked more like a miniature linebacker than the pint-sized offensive lineman I was before....

"Damn...looking good..." I'd muttered to myself. Even IF this didn't make up for the fact that I'd been ripped from my home and life...it was a start.

Pushing it out of my head I headed out of my building and glanced in the direction of my job....about a stone-throw away from my new home...convenient. Glancing under the stairwell I noticed the moped I apparently had a key for....never had one of those before...but shouldn't be too hard to learn to ride.

Locking the door behind me I'd trotted along at a sedate pace, my mind a flurry of questions. So deep I was in my thoughts I'd failed to notice something else about my new...home. In fact I failed to notice said trait until I was walking through the student parking lot when the driver side door of a little bug car happened to open and I stopped dead in my tracks...

Blonde hair was the first thing that stood out. Bright as the sun and long enough to reach a gloriously formed posterior. Then this glorious tribute to feminine beauty turned around to face me. Amber eyes that seemed to glitter with bubbly happiness. A perfectly formed face that seemed to permanently smile and light up everything around it. Oh yeah and a bosom that'd make Anna Nicole in her prime feel self-conscious.

Apparently I'd been staring for a while when a horn honked right next to me. I nearly jumped out of my skin and scrambled out of the way of teacher trying to get to their parking place. I caught a glance of dark hair and glasses before the car passed by me.

I heard a female voice giggling. I turned my head back towards the focus of my attention. Apparently the woman about my age had seen the entire affair and had been amused by my antics.

I could feel my face going red as I chuckled weakly. "Thank-you, I'll be here all week." I replied as if I'd been doing a comedy routine.

That set her laughing even harder, her shoulders actually shaking a bit....along with other things. "You're funny Sir. Oh but are you alright?" Even her voice was a wonder to hear...I was starting to wonder if I had a problem...

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just scared me out of a year of growth is all." I managed to sputter out.

"Are you sure? Because your face is all red." The blonde bombshell walked around her car and actually pulled that stunt with the hand and the forehead. Unfortunately, or fortunately, that also meant that certain somethings were rather....close, nearly pressing into my chest really. A small corner of my mind noted that we were nearly of a height, she being just a hair shorter than me at about 5'8''.

"N-no really I'm alright just had a scare is all." I had finally managed to sputter out, and backed up just slightly so as not to intrude on her personal space.

She smiled and said, "If you insist but if you don't feel alright later you can come see me, I'm studying to be a doctor and I could use the practice."

"Thank-you Miss, kind of you. Oh where are my manners, I'm Tom Brody" I managed to sputter out, "I'm the new Custodian here."

She bowed in return. "My name is Marikawa Shizuka. I'm the School Nurse here. I'm also new. It's my first day actually. I hope I'll be able to find the nurse's office."

A detailed map of the school flashed in my mind, well Fortune Favors the Bold and all that.

"I think I can help there. I kinda had to learn every nook and cranny of this place when I started here. I can take you to the nurse's office before I head down to mine." Really just a glorified broom closet my implanted memories said but I wasn't about to say that out loud.

That brilliant smile snapped right into place, "Oh thank-you!" I think my heart skipped a beat.

"Not a problem, the least I could do really. Us newbies have to stick together right?" I managed to say without getting tongue-tied.

"I guess you have a point, lead the way Brody-san."

With that I turned and headed into the building, Miss Shizuka behind me, a chipper smile on her face.

As I guided the two of us through the large school a niggling familiarity began worm its way through my mind. This all seemed really familiar. The names, and the young lady moving up to walk next to me, I felt like I knew them from somewhere.

Then it struck like a thunder-clap I knew where I was and what was going to happen in a year and why I needed those weapons when it happened.

I managed to cut off a curse before Miss Shizuka noticed the change in my demeanor. A quickly plastered smile covered the growing terror that rose us from my soul. Then a sort of resolve seemed to harden as I headed down the hallway that held the Nurse's office.

"Well here's your office Marikawa-san. "If you need anything or help finding a room I'll be on the first floor by the stairs, can't miss it."I hope you have a good day." I gave her a slightly clumsy bow.

"Thank-you Brody-san. I hope we'll meet again soon. Us newbies have to stick together right?" Marikawa echoed my own words and returned the bow, then headed into her office.

I smiled again then headed down to my office. I knew why ROB had armed me and given me a year. I needed to prepare.