"Italicized" = Signed

"Regular" = Spoken

Italicized = Yō typing

= Someone else typing

----- = A spoken word Yō can't understand (or at least not lip read)

...

Yō's POV:

The next day at school was a nightmare. I tried to avoid Chika and Riko. I couldn't tell them. Not right now. I wasn't ready. But, Chika found me anyway. I gave her a bright smile and acted as though nothing was wrong. I could possibly fool her if I tried to.

"Hey, Yō-chan, will you sign this to state you're a member of the club?" Chika asked as she held a paper in front of my face.

I shook my head, "I had second thoughts about it and I don't want to join. Not now, at least. I'm too nervous."

"Aw... please?"

"No. I'm not signing it." I stated a bit too harshly.

"Yō-chan?" Chika asked, tears filling her eyes, "What did I do?"

"Nothing. I promise you did nothing. Things just happened and I'm taking it out on you. I'm sorry." I quickly stated.

"What happened?" Chika asked me.

I froze. I guess I have to tell her, "I'm moving. My dad died and my mom couldn't find a job that can actual sustain us around here. I'm leaving tomorrow night."

"--..." Chika stopped mid-word and launched herself into me.

I hugged her tightly as I tumbled to the ground from her weight, taking the two of us down together. The position we ended up in was a little sexual looking. Chika stared at me with wide eyes as a blush formed on her cheeks. She was on top of me and pinning me to the ground. I looked at her with an equally embarrassed expression.

Chika looked to her side in fear. I followed her gaze and was met with Dia's stern look.

"Care to explain?" She asked, directing it more toward Chika than me.

"We fell and the position we ended up in was not the best?" Chika offered as she pushed herself off of me.

Dia shook her head, "You expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth." Chika defended.

She held out a hand to me and helped me to my feet. Once I was standing, Chika hid behind me. She wrapped her arms around my waist and refused to move.

"-----, you can't hide." Dia stated as she shook her head.

I shrugged at Dia as she looked at me expectantly. She sighed.

"What were you two doing?" Dia asked, "The truth, please."

"I told her I'm moving and she tried to hug me. I lost my balance and we fell. I swear that's the truth." I replied, knowing Chika wouldn't.

"It better be. You should know better than to do dirty things like that at school." Dia stated before she turned away and left.

I turned to see Chika was pouting, "What right does she have to assume we were being dirty?"

"Calm down. To be honest it probably looked that way to her." I tried my best to keep Chika calm.

Chika continued to pout, but said nothing else. She grabbed my hand and tugged me away. I had no idea where she was taking me. We walked through the halls until we came to the music room. I looked at Chika with a confused expression.

Chika opened the door and tugged me inside with her. Inside was Riko playing the piano. She looked up at us and stopped.

"Is there a problem?" Riko asked.

Chika nodded and pointed to me, "She's moving!"

"Moving?" Riko repeated.

I nodded, lowering my gaze, "My dad died and my mom can't support us in this town."

I looked up after a few seconds. They both looked at me with sad eyes.

"Where are you moving to?" Chika asked.

"America." I stated.

Both of their mouths dropped open. Then Chika hugged me again. She was crying. Riko also had tears forming in her eyes as she watched.

"How am I gonna be able to talk to you?" Chika asked as she forced herself to look at me.

"I don't know. I guess we can text or use Skype. It sucks that we can't do a phone call. And you'd have to sign on Skype." I replied sadly.

"Is this the end? We'll be in opposite timezones and all..."

"I don't know... it might be. I don't know if I'll ever get to come back."

"When are you leaving?" Riko asked.

"Tomorrow night." I replied.

"Well, we'll just have to make the best of these two days then."

...

The two days went by in a blink of an eye. School had just ended. This was probably the last time I would ever be here. Chika and Riko walked up to my desk with somber expressions on their faces.

"Goodbye. I guess this is it. I'll try and text you. I promise." Chika started the farewells.

"Yeah. I'll try and text you as well. Good luck in your new school." Riko followed up with.

"Thank you. I'm sorry." I signed to them.

"Goodbye." They both signed back as we parted ways for what could very well be the last time.

I trudged home to find my mom waiting for me. She already packed up the car. We were giving it to a friend who would pick it up at the airport. After I changed, we drove to the airport in silence. Normally we would sign to each other while driving, but the mood was too low to even consider it.

As the plane took off, I felt the tears come. My mom hugged me as she apologized for what happened.

...

I was not ready for my first day at school. I had practiced my ASL as much as possible, but I kept mixing in some JSL with it. I hope my interpreter doesn't mind. I walked to my bus stop and waited along with the other kids on my street. Here we had to take a bus to school because it wasn't close enough to walk to.

I sat by myself in the back and prayed no one would talk to me. No one did, thankfully. I was dreading this. Now I couldn't even lip read anything. And I knew I would probably soon not be able to speak. My mom refused to talk to me out loud. She only signed.

I walked myself to the office of the school after we arrived. I had a paper my mom had given me to hand to them since I couldn't speak to them. The lady in the office read it and spoke something into a phone. She motioned to a chair so I sat down.

A few minutes later, a blond girl walked in. She spoke to the lady and then made her way over to me. I guess she's my interpreter.

"Hello. My name is M-A-R-I. I'll be your interpreter this year." The girl introduced herself.

I stared at her with bored eyes, "Hi. I'm Y-O-U. Nice to meet you."

Mari smiled and repeated the nice to meet you back. She led me out of the office and to a classroom. She spoke to the teacher and then motioned for me to stand up front. The teacher introduced me to the class and explained that I was deaf. After that, Mari showed me my seat. I was right in front.

She signed everything the teacher said throughout the class for me. I occasionally wouldn't understand her because of my limited knowledge of ASL. I did my best to take notes. I was relieved when it was over. But, then Mari took me to another class and everything was repeated.

When she led me to a cafeteria, I was very relieved. I finally got a break. Mari showed me how the lunch line worked and then sat with me. She pulled out some books and started doing work.

I pulled my phone out and typed a message to her. I only realized I wrote it in Japanese after I showed it to her.

What are you working on?

Mari took my phone and typed something on it before she handed it back. I bet she wrote that she doesn't understand what I wrote. I was wrong.

She knew Japanese. I was in shock. Mari seemed to be laughing at me.

You know Japanese?

There are 4 years of school here. Is it weird?

No way. She went to the school I just came from.

I just moved from that school.

I nodded, giving her a pained expression. Mari gave me a sympathetic look as she grabbed one of my hands and squeezed it.

"Do you want to go back?" Mari asked, before she realized she had spoken it.

Thankfully she had spoken in Japanese so I could understand what she said.

"Yes. I didn't get a say coming here. I want to go back." I replied as I saw her start typing the question out.

Mari looked up at me with wide eyes, "You can speak?"

"Yeah. And lip read. Not very well, but..." I trailed off.

"That's cool!" Mari smiled at me.

I was unsure how I should react. I had the opportunity to keep my skills up with Mari. But, did I want to?

"Yō, I have an offer." Mari stated.

"And what is that?" I asked. What on earth could she be offering me?

"If you can get straight A's this school year, I'll let you come back with me and transfer back to Uranohoshi." Mari replied.

I looked at her with wide eyes, "You... you can do that?"

"Yep. I'm sure I could convince your mom to let you come back. I bet she would love if you could."

"Yeah... I'll accept the offer." I nodded.

"Alright. I'll tutor you if you need help. I'll do everything I can to help you succeed. I just feel if you get good grades it'll be easier to convince your mom to let you go back." Mari gave me another bright smile.

And that's what we started doing.