1. Introduction

"Hello, Kyoko, sweetheart, I'm Mrs. Koenig, your teacher," The woman, in her mid thirties, smiled. The little, dark-haired Asian girl looked up at her shyly.

"Hi," she whispered.  Her voice carried a Brittish accent that contrasted sharply with the natives' sharp American words. Kyoko looked  around curiously. Happy preschoolers tottered around, carefree. She noticed a boy with his hood pulled up over his face so that it was totally hidden.

"Feel free to play with all the other kids, honey," Mrs. Koenig explained. "The first day of school is for making new friends." With that, the teacher strode across the room to break up a fight between two girls over a Barbie. The four- year-old immediately wandered over to the boy she saw sitting in the corner. He frowned.

"Go away," He said harshly. It didn't deter the girl.

"Why are you in the corner all by yourself?" She asked, sitting down next to him. The boy sighed and turned away.

"Leave me alone." Kyoko frowned. She grabbed the boy by the hood and pulled angrily. The hood came away to reveal slanted, light blue eyes, messy, dark blue hair, and a sour expression. The girl gasped.
  
"What happened to your face, umm..." The British trailed off, unsure of what to call him. She reached out toward an ugly yellow bruise on his cheekbone, but he swatted her away.

"Oblio," he murmured. "Call me Oblio." The little kid pulled up his knees to his chest and put his face in his arms. "Don't look at me..."

"Kyoko." She finished. "Will you be my friend, Oblio?" Kyoko asked.

"You don't want to have me as your friend," Oblio assured. "They all hate me. They make fun of my hair, and my bruises."  He self-consciously placed a hand over his cheek.

"That's okay," Kyoko dismissed easily. "They make fun of my voice. So, will you be my friend, Oblio?"

"Maybe, Kyoko-San." The little boy said mysteriously. "Time will tell."