bzzzzzt bzzzzzt! The aged alarm clock drills its shrill tone. Kuru groans into consciousness, slapping his hand out and hitting the clock. As the alarm stops, the clock's front plate breaks from the impact. "No! not again!" Kuru jumps up, grabbing the alarm like a wounded animal, trying to stuff the pieces back together. The limp flap of the duct tape on the top edge of the plate taunting him, he cautiously sticks it back together hoping to keep it working. As it clicks back into place, he releases a relieved sigh. "One thing we won't need to replace today" he beams. he sets it back on the crate, he uses as a nightstand. he looks around the loft he 'acquired' when the home's owner had left for vacation. It was dirty, with insulation sticking everywhere including the kid's mattress he pulled in through the loose slat he had found the first night. "today's the day" he said with pride as he looked at the new clothes hanging on the nail by the window. He had been saving up for weeks. Chengdu Academy was having open entrance exams today. Kuru lived a life of full intelligence and empty pockets. "Today everything changes" he reassured himself as he took the clothes carefully from the hook and folded them carefully into a bundle before crawling out of the slat and climbing down the tree that brushed against the side of the house. heedless of his tattered clothes, he shimmied down the tree, ignoring scratches from the bark. On the ground, he used the water spigot to clean himself and dressed carefully in the new clothes. He was only a ten-minute walk from the academy. He'd show up, impress the examiners, and begin his new life at the academy. clean rooms, hot meals, maybe, finally a girlfriend. His head in the clouds, he walked at a brisk pace to the academy.

Seeing the kids arriving on scooters, and family cars, Kuru stuck to the edges and waited with his head down in the entrance line. His fists secretly clenched in his pockets he vowed, one day he would be like them; would have it all, and then they'd pay for the ridicule, and dirty looks he had spent his life receiving. As the line flowed through the gate, Kuru broke away from the crowd and went to the waiting area for the open entrance exams. An empty room with a desk, 3 fold-out chairs, and a bored looking older gentleman, leafing through a pamphlet were all the greeted Kuru when he entered the waiting area. "No, this isn't the bathrooms, its two doors down" the man droned, without lifting his eyes from the pamphlet; proof he'd uttered those words several times already.

"Actually, I'm here for the exam. I'm Kuru Unigawa" Kuru tentatively approached the desk. "Oh! *ahem* Welcome! Please have a seat, we'll get started in just a moment. I'm Examiner Chen." Chen appeared to gather himself as he stood and pulled a briefcase from the side of the table. "Started?" Kuru looked at the two vacant seats "Are we waiting on others?" "Oh no, there hasn't been a walk-in to the Academy in 10 years. Every year though, they have me set out three chairs and wait. I nearly thought it was a joke when I received your papers. Your uncle sent the forms in at the last possible moment, you should be grateful the council accepted them." Kuru thought about the paperwork he filled out, just last week. Poor, homeless, and orphaned, he'd taken a few ... liberties in his backstory. "Yes, my uncle sends his apologies. He had business to attend to at work." "Of course, we understand business is a priority. If you'll follow me, i'll show you your dorm, here is your schedule." Chen passes a folded paper to Kuru as he heads for the door, not waiting for a response. "But, what about the exam?" Kuru rushed to his feet to keep up. "Well, we haven't had to make one in 10 years, and I wasn't sure you'd even come, so I never got around to making one. I'm sure we'll find out your worth in the next few days." Kuru followed behind quietly fuming.

As he added another name to the list of people he'd show up, he followed Examiner Chen to the fourth floor. Stopping to look out over the mezzanine to the throng three floors down, Chen smiled "This year's students are the cream of the crop. Chosen for impeccable scores AND -Chen looked at kuru- Upbringing. they come from the finest families and will be the future pride of this school." Chen led the way to the end of the wing, as far from the school's entrance as you could get. Kuru had the feeling while he'd been accepted, Chen saw through his ruse. Still, he was in, and they'd have to pry him out. He was going to climb to the top, his answers on the tests no less correct than any others. "Your dorm is here, you'll be sharing it with 3 other students. I've let them know a - Chen smiles smugly- brief intro about you." Chen pointed at an end door, and turned to walk past Kuru, headed for the entrance. "Your schedule has a map, classes start tomorrow, don't be late."

Kuru watched Chen walk away, his joy turning a little as he realized he'd have to endure more from these three before long. Perhaps he could make them believe Chen lied? Entering the dorm, Kuru looked at the small living area with five doors leading off. With one being a bathroom, I get my own room, kuru thought happily, at least he could shut out the others when it got rough. Kuru examined the doors, and realized each had a plaque with a name, next to the door except his own, which had a paper taped to it. Entering his room, Kuru examined the new furniture, the double bed, and new alarm clock. His mind briefly touching on his past possessions, Kuru pushed past the thought. New, better, nicer life was here. He settled down on his bed, tucked his arms behind his head and enjoyed his new life.

The clock read 9:40, when Kuru heard a shuffle, and a note slipped under his door. By the time he reached the door, the outer dorm door was closing. Retrieving the paper, he read it: NEW STUDENT WELCOME PARTY! DRESS CASUAL FRONT HALL 10 O'CLOCK, DRINKS AND FOOD PROVIDED. 'Finally,' thought Kuru, 'I'll meet some students, make a friend, maybe even meet a beautiful rich woman' Kuru smiled and made sure his outfit was clean, it was the only one he had for a few days. He was sure he could "borrow" a couple items in the coming days, he hadn't seen any locks on the dorms. A brief stop to the washroom, and Kuru headed out the dorm to his new life. Most of the hall lights were off, casting shadows in places. Kuru was nearly to the stairs when he peered out over the mezzanine to the ground floor, hoping to get the lay of the party. As Kuru noted the dark empty floor far below, he heard a voice behind him "It's my job to keep trash like you out of this Academy" Kuru spun around as an arm shot into his chest pushing him back. Chen's face full of dark glee, his arm continued pushing Kuru into the banister, over it. "Wait! Stop.." Kuru tried to grab Chen's arm as he felt himself tipping back. His thoughts growing from shock to fury as he continued over and began to fall. 'No, I'm here, I've made it' Kuru thought as he fell to the hard tiled floor three stories down. His body crumpling into the impact and his vision going black his last thought was 'I will be back.'

"Look at you. Weak. Blind. Pathetic" Kuru came to, hearing these words, but unable to see anything. His eyes slow to adjust he saw shadows and a blurry figure with red eyes. "It still amazes me, he chose you. I'll never know what he saw." the Figured approached shaping into a man in a cloak. "Get up. you want to live? You want that life your dreaming of? To finish that list? Get up and get started. The path back is long and hard. You'll lose. Alot. Let's hope it's worth it." the Figure grabs Kuru and pushes him stumbling towards a door that was behind the stranger. As Kuru stumbles to it, he turns around, seeing the figure walking through another door at the other end. "What? what was wrong with his hand and eyes?" Kuru still felt the odd grasp of the stranger. One hand seemed fine, and the other felt... smaller. Kuru turned and went through the door the stranger was pushing him to. Kuru entered a large, long room. the other end had a door, sealed with bars. there was a man standing in the middle of the room, his back to Kuru, he appeared to be wiping his face with a kerchief. "Hello?" Kuru spoke tentatively. "Oh yes, you've come! I've been waiting for you, for longer than you think." the man turned showing a youthful, radiant face, which seemed to be lit from within. The man gestured, and a screen appeared in mid-air next to him "Now, a few notes before you begin. What is your name?" "Kuru, Kuru... -Kuru thought for a second, unsure- Unigawa. Kuru Unigawa" Kuru wasn't sure why his last name was harder to remember. The screen next to the man little with Kuru's name. "Great, and where are you from?" "...." Kuru thought but couldn't remember "I don't remember" the man beamed "Excellent, you're doing great. I'm sure it'll come back. Now, first things first: bad news. Your dead. But hey! only place to go is up, heh literally." Kuru began to rub his head, the man's attitude starting to grate. why couldn't he remember where he just was? Kuru approached the man and the screen "Who are you? Where am I? I'm really dead? I can't be dead! I made it. I... I was... I was where? Why can't I remember anything?!?"