Miko Miyamoto dwelt at the top of the social pyramid. As a gaijin, Jack was not only not anywhere near the top, he wasn't actually anywhere on the pyramid. This truth was reflected back to him by the shocked and occasionally amused faces of his fellow students as he and Miko  walked, arms wrapped around each other, back to the school’s main entrance. Everyone who saw them stopped and stared. “Mind if I change clothes real quick? I need to go get my uniform anyway.”

“I don’t mind.” She clung to him as if he were a life preserver that might drift off if she let go.

With great reluctance, Jack peeled himself away from her as they came to the shoe lockers and they separated long enough to put on their indoor shoes. She looked visibly relieved to see Jack come round to her locker afterward. He took her hand and they walked down the halls together, gathering more surprised looks.

“I'll be right back,” Jack promised. He left her outside the classroom where the boys changed. Since no one was around, he stole a quick kiss. He didn't linger on her lips knowing he wouldn't be able to tear himself away if he did. “I love you Miko-chan.”

“I…love you...Jack-kun.”

Hearing his first name from her lips sent a thrill down his spine.

Jack walked in and pulled off his T-shirt. Using a wet-wipe, he tried to quickly clean himself off. As he changed, he heard girls’ voices coming from outside.

“Miko-chan! I heard they are going to make you a starter in volleyball. Congratulations!”

“Er, thanks.”

“Hey, what are you doing here?” a second voice asked.

“Are you waiting for a boy?” another voice teased. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Why are you blushing? You can tell us!”

“Do you? Really?”

“Actually she does,” a male voice joined in as a whole troop of male voices came noisily down the hall. “She was making out with him on the practice field.”

“What?” The first girl's voice rose an octave and was accompanied by a chorus of squeals.

“Really?”

“We only kissed a couple of times.”

“Ah!”

“You kissed?” several voices chorused.

“Who is it? What class is he in?”

“It's Jack-kun,” said a voice that sounded like Takashi's.

“Who?”

“Jakku Patorikku-kun.”

“The gaijin?”

“Go search Nicovideo for Miyamoto's First Kiss,” said another voice which sounded like Daisuke's.

“You didn't!”

The boys laughed and began pouring into the class room.

“There's our Romeo,” one of his fellow soccer players walked by and punched his shoulder a little harder than necessary.

“You sure have some balls going after Miyamoto-chan,” another player laughed.

One of the senpais, a third year, clapped a massive hand on his shoulder and squeezed hard. “I hope, when crunch time comes, you can make the big play on the field as well.”

“Heh-heh, yeah.” Jack tried to laugh along with them.

As the boys stripped, Jack hurriedly dressed in his uniform and poked his head into the hall.  Miko, once again, waited alone. “Are you still here?” he asked.

Miko looked up with a somewhat bewildered expression. “Hai.”

“Good. I was afraid you had come to your senses and fled.”

Miko shook her head.

They walked hand-in-hand down the hallway, changed their shoes, then walked together toward Miko's home in the rich part of town. She normally had a driver to drop her off and pick her up, but when her parents sometimes needed the car, she would take the bus home. It took them an hour to walk the distance. They didn't speak often, just enjoyed each other’s silent company. Along the way Jack had to repeatedly remind himself that he was actually walking home, hand-in-hand with the most desirable girl in school. Miko was now his girlfriend. He grinned like an idiot.

Her house was on a huge lot surrounded by a tall wall. They paused outside a locked gate.

Jack pulled out his phone. “We should exchange numbers.” They both turned on their infrared, sent their numbers to each other, then Jack took a picture of her looking up at him with those big dark eyes and assigned it to her number. “I'll try not to message you every minute, but I'll still be thinking of you.” He put away his phone and looked up and down the street. “I suppose I shouldn't kiss you out here where your neighbors might see.”

Miko just looked up at him with an almost pleading expression.

“How can you be so cute?” Jack moved closer and caressed a cheek. “Just remember this, when you go inside, when you eat your meal, when you study in your room, you are loved far more than you know.”

Miko's eyes glistened with unshed tears.

“Goodnight, my sweet Miko-chan.”

Miko's voice barely rose above a throaty whisper. “Goodnight, Jack-kun.”

Again, the sound of his first name on her lips made his heart pound. Jack stayed until she had unlocked the gate with a button on her key fob and drifted toward the door. A part of him worried about her distracted manner. She hadn't seemed much like the confident and decisive student leader he had admired from afar. She had seemed more like a sleepwalker. As he started back to the nearest bus stop, he wondered what she would be like when she awoke.

永 遠

His kisses burned like fire.

...you are the most beautiful woman in Japan...

...love you more than any other person in the world...

Miko paused outside her door and put a hand to her face where he had touched her. She could still feel the heat from each of his fingers on her skin. Her vision blurred and Miko fumbled at the door, finding it already unlocked. She stepped inside, slid the door closed and leaned back against it gasping for breath.

Just remember this...

Miko couldn't remember anyone telling her she was beautiful or that they loved her. She had worked hard all her life to please her parents, please her teachers and please her tutors, but the most she had ever received in return was an occasional “good work.” She would sometimes overhear boys making comments about her body or her appearance, but that seemed like anything but love. Then Jack had looked into her eyes...

...You are loved far more than you know.

He had kissed her out on the practice field, just like in a Hollywood movie. And instead of being embarrassed of what the others might think, all Miko cared about was what she saw in his eyes when he looked at her. She saw herself. She saw a beautiful Miko worthy of love.

His kisses burned like fire.

She put a trembling hand to her lips wondering if they looked burnt.

永 遠

Yui Miyamoto had just gotten home from a society meeting and was resting on the couch with a magazine. Her husband, Kouta, had called to say he was on the way home and the cook had informed her that she was nearly finished with dinner. Hearing the front door open, Yui realized that while her son, Hibiki was in his room studying for his high school entrance exams, she hadn't heard from her daughter.  Miko should have been home more than an hour ago.

“Miko? Is that you?”

Two shoes clattered to the floor of the entryway. Yui could tell something was wrong before Miko shuffled into the room, tears flowing down her face. “Miko, what happened?”

Miko's voice quavered. “Mom?”

Yui hadn't seen Miko come home crying since first grade when another girl whom she thought was her friend had been mean to her. “Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“Miko, why are you crying?

Miko took in a great shuddering breath, covering her mouth with one hand as it twisted. “I have a boyfriend!” she wailed.

Yui wasn't sure she had heard her correctly. Miko was always such a serious girl. She wasn't the type to allow herself to be distracted by boys. “You have a what?”

“I have a boyfriend!”

“A boyfriend? Did he hurt you?”

“No. He told me he loved me and he k-kissed me.”

“Did he force himself on you?”

Miko rubbed at her eyes with the back of one hand. “Noooo.”

“Then why are you crying.”

“I l-love him. I love him so much!” Miko broke out in fresh sobbing.

“Miko, I don't understand. Why are you crying?”

Miko clutched at her chest. “It hurts.”

“Miko, you're being hysterical. You need to calm yourself.”

She wiped at her face but it remained awash in tears. “I've never felt this way before. I didn't know anyone could feel this way.”

“Miko, go to your room and calm yourself. Your father will be home soon and he won't want to see you like this.”

Miko went to her room sobbing. Yui sighed. This was most unexpected. She was still struggling to understand it all when Kouta came home.

“What happened?” he asked when Yui welcomed him at the door. “You look troubled.”

“Miko came home crying today.”

Kouta gave a slight smile as he walked toward their bedroom. “What happened? Did she get a four on a test or something?”

Yui helped him out of his suit and into a kimono. “No. A boy.”

Kouta stiffened and his expression hardened. “What did he do?”

Yui shrugged. “As far as I can tell, he told her he loved her and kissed her.”

“Sexual harassment?”

“No. She loves him. She says she loves him so much it hurts. She was hysterical.”

“Must have been some kiss.”

“You shouldn't joke. I'm concerned. This isn't like her.”

“How is she now?”

“I sent her to her room to calm down.”

“Let's discuss this after dinner.”

Kouta and Yui had busy lives, but Kouta was of the new breed of father. Having grown up with a salaryman for a father, he made every effort to get home at a reasonable time and insisted, whenever possible, that the family try to eat together. Both children came to the table red-eyed. Hibiki was exhausted from studying while Miko smiled dreamily through puffy eyes. Kouta asked Hibiki about his studies while Miko rubbed her eyes and hiccupped.

“So, Miko, I hear you made a new friend today,” Kouta said a few minutes later.

“Yes.”

“What is his name?”

“Jakku Patorikku-kun.”

Kouta straightened. “He's not Japanese?”

“No. He's American.”

“How do you know him?”

“He is in the homeroom next to mine.”

Kouta frowned at Yui. 

“What is he like?” Yui asked.

Miko blushed as she picked at her food. “He's a good student and a good soccer player. He's very gentle and I love him with all my heart.”

“Can we talk about something else?” Hibiki complained.

“Perhaps we should invite him for dinner sometime.” Yui gave Kouta a look.

Miko's eyes lit up. “Can we?”

Kouta rocked back in his chair. “I hardly think that's appropriate at this time.”

Yui faced her husband and made sure she had his full attention. “You weren't there when she came home.” She gave him her I'm serious, don't you doubt me look. “It's obvious that he means a great deal to Miko. I think we should get to know him and find out what he's like.”

Kouta rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Can we?” Miko asked.

Watching a smile tremble on her tear-stained face, Kouta nodded.

“I want to call him!” Miko jumped up and ran to her room.

“After dinner!” Yui shouted, but she was gone.

永 遠

“Jack! Come to the table. Your pizza rolls are ready,” Setsuko called from the kitchen.

“Coming, Okaasan.” Jack's family usually used English at home, though Jack liked to call his step-mom okaasan. He still felt a little sorry for the way he and his brother Andrew had treated her when she was only their nanny and he thought that hearing the word “mother” in her own language would have more meaning for her.

“Andrew, make some room here.” Setsuko gathered up some of the textbooks Andrew had scattered across the kitchen table. “Your dad is going to be late at work again, so you guys can go ahead and start eating.”

“Worried about your entrance exams?” Jack asked his brother.

“Not really. Atarachi High let you in, didn't they?”

“So why are you working so hard?”

“So I can embarrass you when you see my entrance score.”

Jack bounced a pizza roll off him. “Yeah right.”

Andrew snatched the greasy roll off his homework. “Hey! I have to turn that in.”

“Jack stop throwing food.” Setsuko blotted at Andrew's paper with a napkin.

As Jack took a bite of pizza roll, his phone lit up. “Hey! It's my girlfriend.”

“What?” Andrew said.

“Girlfriend?” Setsuko said.

“Ow!” The pizza roll filling was hot and Jack waved at his mouth to cool it down. He held up his ringing phone so his brother and mother could see Miko's picture.

“There is no way that is your girlfriend,” Andrew said. “You must have gotten that picture off the internet.”

Jack shot him a look, swallowed and answered the phone. “Moshi moshi, Miko-chan.”

“Um, Jack-kun?”

“Yes.”

“I told my parents about you.”

“Please don't tell me they freaked out.”

“No, but they would like to meet you and they've asked me to invite you to dinner tomorrow if you could make it.”

“Yes! Oh, wait. Let me ask my mom.” Jack looked up into his brother's and his mother's incredulous stares. “Um, Okaasan? Miko-chan's parents have invited me over to dinner tomorrow. Is that alright?”

“Her parents invited you?” Setsuko looked startled. “Why?”

“I don't know. She didn't say.”

“I suppose, if you really want to go. But she needs to return the favor. Can she come over the next day?”

“I'll ask.” Jack put his phone back up to his ear. “Mom says tomorrow is good, but she wants to have you over for dinner the next day.”

“Just a moment.” Jack heard her talking in the background, but couldn't make out the words. She sounded a little breathless when she next spoke. “Yes.”

“Good.”

“Yes, good.”

“I'll see you tomorrow, then.”

“At school.”

“I'll be waiting for you at the front gate,” Jack said.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Miko-chan.”

“Oh! I have to decide what to fix,” Setsuko began looking through her pantry. “And you'll also need a gift to take. I'll pick up something at the commissary. Something imported.”

A wadded napkin hit Jack in the face. “Don't look so smug,” Andrew said.