Welcome to my new story, Little by Little! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoy writing it! Please do send me advices through reviews, or just your general opinions on this chapter. Every review is appreciated! :)

~~~***Hakoniwa High School***~~~

"Yui-chan! Did you hear about the new student?" Yui Kusanagi turned around to greet one of her friends, who was out of breath from running from the office to their classroom.

"Oh no, I haven't. I was reading this book." The purple-haired girl replied as she put her book down from her hands just as the teacher walked into the classroom. Everyone quickly got into his or her seat as the teacher cleared his voice.

"Everyone, we have a new student who will join us starting from today. Please, come on in."

He announced as he gestured to the door. Everyone immediately direct their stares at the door, anticipating to see what the new student looks like. Even Yui was a bit curious as she looked toward the direction of the door. After around three seconds, the door opened to reveal a fairly tall girl around 5'8" with a pale complexion walked in. Her peach pink hair is tied up into a loose messy bun, and her canine-like light orange eyes warily observing the people in front of her. Besides the school's uniform, she also has a pair of red headphones around her neck. Yui also took notice that the girl's shoulders were tense, as if she was ready to defend or hide herself at the slightest movement from the people around her. The girl slowly walked toward the teacher's table, but she also stood around 3 feet away from the table.

"This is Megumi Nohara. Please treat her with respects, and I hope you guys will get along well." Immediately, there were hushed whispers sounded all around the room, startled Yui a little. The teacher cleared his throat as the classroom became quiet once again.

"From now on, Megumi will sit next to Kusanagi Yui. Yui, please raise your hand."

Yui immediately raised her hand upon her name, but she noticed that those that sit around the empty desk next to her seemed to try to scoot as far away as they could. Megumi said nothing as she made her way toward the desk, and quietly sat down as she stared straight ahead and said nothing else. Taken aback by Megumi's action, Yui could only stay silent as she observed the new girl who seemed to show no emotion as she wrote down her notes.

~~~***After school***~~~

"The new girl's last name is Nohara? Like Kenichi Nohara?!"

"I heard he ran away from his family after he accidentally killed a mafia or something…"

"No! I heard that it was because he made a huge gamble and he lost everything…"

"So that was his daughter?! I heard bad rumors about her from previous schools."

"Shh! Here she comes! You don't want to anger her!"

The whispers stopped as the students caught the sight of the said girl as she was walking toward the school gate. Megumi simply paid no attention as she walked past the crowd, her eyes looked straight ahead as her earphones were up on her ears, streaming her favorite songs as usual. She walked past countless of streets, intersections, buildings, and houses toward an old apartment building that looked shabby and worn out from times and lack of remodel. She walked up the flight of stairs to a faded wooden door, found the key and unlocked the door as she walked in.

"I am home."

Megumi said to her empty living room as she took off her shoes, and place them neatly on the side next to the wall. She went into a small hallway that lead into a small kitchen with a single table at the far corner, and a frail and sickly woman with chestnut hair sitting on a nearby chair while staring at the gray wall ahead of her.

"Mama, you didn't eat your food again. You need to eat, you know so you can be healthy for my graduation day! I am sure papa will come home to see it too!"

Megumi said with a fake smile as she sit down next to the woman who appeared to be her mother and pulled her into a light hug, but the older woman's expression didn't change as she kept staring ahead of her, never once returning the hug or even move a single muscle. Megumi's face fell as she quietly stood up and retreat toward her room, where the girl lay on her bed and sighed. She pulled out from underneath her uniform a necklace charm the shape of a tiny silver shield that she got from her Grandmother as a protection charm before she passed away.

"Grandma… I wish you were here with me…" Megumi whispered sadly as she clutched the charm tight into her fist, and suddenly a brilliant light emitted from the charm as it lit up her entire bedroom.

"What the…" A startled Megumi watched in amazement and bewilderment as the glowing charm floated ahead of her, and soon white light enveloping her as her vision went black.

~~~***Somewhere only Gods know***~~~

"Urgh… What was that?"

Megumi asked herself as she opened her eyes to the ceiling above her, and immediately sat up when she realized that she is not at home. She quickly stood up as her body tensed up, her eyes sharply looking around for any potential threats around her. She was soon astonished to found that she was standing in a majestic ballroom, decorated with golden statues and large glass windows with classic and aesthetic details, almost like something based in Greek Mythology movies that she sometimes watched on the Internet out of boredom. Megumi slowly released her stance as she observed the scenery around her, but began to feel that she was not alone in the room.

"Welcome, human. I have been expecting you." Megumi quickly whipped around to face a handsome man, maybe in his early forties with blonde hair and blonde eyes, wearing red robe as he sat on what seemed like a throne. She narrowed her eyes as her shoulders tensed up once again, but a deep chuckle halted her.

"Please don't be too tense, human. I know this is a bit sudden, but don't be shy. Come here." Megumi was slightly annoyed that he just met her and he called her 'human,' but for some reason her body began to move toward him faster than her brain could react to it.

"Did you bring me here? Where am I? And most of all… Who are you?" Megumi asked sternly as she walked toward him, her eyes warily stare at the smiling man in front of her. As she walked closer, the man stood up.

"Yes, I brought you here. And My name is Zeus. I am the god who rules the heaven."

"Like, from Greek mythology? How…"

"Indeed, even the most ignorant humans have heard my name." Megumi's eyes widened as she came into a stop in front of his throne, just right at the steps.

"Do you not believe me, human?"

"It is not like I don't believe you. It is just that I have never seen any deity in person before in my life."

Megumi answered as she stared at the man in front of her with calculating eyes. Her grandmother was a true believer in mythologies, and often told her countless of stories about them. He seemed very intimidating to her, but yet something inside her told her to trust him for the time being. Zeus then surprised her greatly as he changed into a small boy who looked no older than ten as he pointed his staff at her, lightning charges began to appear around it.

"Shall I call down my lightning next?"

"I think I have seen enough. Apparently, my whole life had been a lie up until now." Megumi mumbled as Zeus snorted out in laughter in amusement as he walked away from his throne.

"Nohara Megumi, I summoned you here to play a part in my plan. Since the beginnings, gods had been beings that must both love humanity and be worshiped by them. However, the connection between the heavens, ruled by gods, and the human realm has grown lamentably weak. At this rate, a terrible future is inevitable. That is why I have brought together the gods who struggle the most with their connection to humanity, to educate them."

"Pretty much, to teach them to bond with human and spoon-feeding them by expose them to humans, am I correct? That's it, the purpose of me being here?" Megumi asked bluntly as Zeus chuckled.

"You got my point faster than the other human that I brought her. She seemed to be a little clueless, but she is a nice girl. But no, I am not spoon-feeding the gods. It is a must."

"The other human? There's another person who was here also?"

"Yes. Kusanagi Yui was her name. I believe you guys go to the same school. What is human? What is love? By helping them understand those fundamentals, a terrible future can be avoided. That is why, I created this school. Or I would call it, the academy of the gods. Nohara Megumi! You and Kusanagi Yui will learn alongside with them, and teach them about humanity."

"Um, I am sorry, but you basically kidnapped me from the Earth up here to do just this?! I have a life down there, and I can't just abandon it to do what, baby-sit the gods?!"

"You cannot decide anything. I do." Megumi let out a small gasp as anger bubbling up inside of her. This man couldn't just forcefully remove her from her house and then made her do what he wanted. She can be patient, but this man was wearing it thinner and thinner.

"I can't do that! Even if you pay me with gold or buy me a freaking mansion, I will not do anything!"

"I shall not release you from this world, until you have fulfilled my plan."

This man was driving her nuts. How could he say that and still smiling like it was something he did 24/7 and expected everyone to follow his orders? He maybe the ruler of the gods and very powerful, but he has no rights to force anyone to do anything. Her patience was running extremely slow, and if he said one more sentence, she would gladly rearrange his face and wipe off that annoying smug smile. She was about to retort when suddenly she was teleported into a big ball room with Zeus. Megumi then realized that she was in the room with most of the gods as well, and just as Yui and Apollon arrived.

"It seems like everyone has arrived. Welcome to my garden, to my academy, my beloved students." "My beloved behinds, he said." Megumi thought sourly as she tried to ignore the surprised look of recognition on Yui's face.

"Cut the crap, so you're the one who is behind all this!" A young man with spiky blue hair protested with anger, but Zeus quickly ignored him as he went on with his speech.

"Japanese god of the sea, Susanoo. Japanese god of the moon, Tsukiyomi. Norse god of light, Balder. Norse god of fire, Loki. Norse god of thunder, Thor. Greek God of the underworld, Hades. Greek god of fertility and wine, Dionysos. And Greek God of the Sun, Apollon. You will all learn about humans in order to revive the ancient link between the gods and humanity."

Megumi was pretty amused that he had collected a variety of gods from different elements, and personalities even. Just then Loki and Susanoo summoned their power to fight against Zeus, much to some people's dismay. But of course, they were no match to the ruler of the gods.

"If you use your divine powers indiscriminately, this academy will be destroyed. Therefore…" Zeus then raised his staff in the air as it began to shine brightly, and accessories of all kinds appeared on every god in the room. Soon, protests were heard as some gods were trying to take their accessories off. "These shackles seal your divine powers. No one can defy me here. Those shackles are the proof!"

"Ya know, Zeus… Those are accessories and not shackles. If you keep saying shackles, they would not appreciate it. Just saying." Megumi randomly blurted out her blunt statement as she stared at Zeus, who looked just the slightest bit annoying at her comment, but he shrugged it off.

"You will study here. When you earn the right to graduate, your shackles will remove themselves." Zeus then summoned a giant glass globe from midair as it hovering above the ballroom. "Once you understand the human's heart, this container will be filled. You have one year. In other words, if you cannot fill it within a year, you will all be trapped in this garden forever."

Gasps were heard across the room, and soon protests were thrown towards the ruler of the god. "I shall not entertain the protests. It had already been decided. Thoth will be your instructor." A man, in his late twenties, with glasses and white hair stepped out from the shadows with his arms folded and his expression stern.

"And your classmates will be these many spirits." Just as Zeus said, hundreds of spirits wearing the academy's uniforms appeared all around the building.

"Kusanagi Yui."

"Yes sir!"

"Nohara Megumi."

"No."

"Your responsibility is to lead the gods to graduation. Is that clear? And especially you, Nohara Megumi. I will keep a close eye on you."

"Is that supposed to scare me, or are you trying to imply to me that you will stalk me 24/7, Zeus-'sama?'" Megumi asked with a blank voice, earning snickers from Loki and a stern glare from Zeus at her. She glared back at him, only for him to sigh and Thoth to clear his voice.

"Tomorrow afternoon, you will gather in the auditorium to prepare for the afternoon's entrance ceremony. That is all. You are dismissed for today. Kusanagi and Nohara, come with me." As Thoth finished his sentence, he turned around and started walking out of the room. Yui and Megumi quickly followed right behind him.

"Zeus modeled this school after human's high school. All necessary facilities have been provided. There's even food available in the cafeteria."

"Ummm…"

Yui began to question about her family's beings and sped up after Thoth, leaving Megumi behind just enough so she wouldn't lose sight of them and still be able to listen to their conversation. She was also intend to ask him the same question later, but Yui beat her to it.

"Don't worry about it. After you all graduated, you'll return to the time you came from through the power of Chronos, god of time."

Megumi inwardly sighed in relief, knowing that she won't have to worry about paying her apartment's bills or who will take care of her mother while she stuck here. She was deep in thought she almost missed what Yui said, and the next thing she saw was Thoth trapping Yui against the wall.

"Zeus has the future of both humanity and the gods in mind. The Sword of Heavenly Gathering Clouds, and the Aegis Shield of Heavenly Protector will guide your ways. Take good care of them. Not that you could remove it…" Thoth then continued on moving, making Yui and Megumi chasing after him once again. They began to walk outside and towards two buildings.

"Women's dorms are to the right. The men's are to the left." After guiding Yui to her room, Thoth led Megumi to the door with her name on the wooden door. "This is your room. I'll be in the academy's library. If you need anything, come see me. Farewell." Then, he quickly left, leaving Megumi behind. She could only sighed as she slowly opened the door to her room as the light in there automatically turn on itself. She stared in fascination as she quietly closed the door behind her and walked into the room. She looked to her left and found the uniform on the wall. She slightly frowned as she stared at the uniform.

"Why is the skirt always so short? Every single school I came to, the skirt can barely cover anything!"

Megumi huffed as she looked at the table near her to find a student handbook. This was perfect, she would need the handbook if she doesn't want to get lost at the school. She began to flip through it when a voice caused her to literally drop the book.

"Good afternoon, Nohara-sama…"

Megumi quickly looked around her but she could find nothing. She then looked at the ground to find a little silver platypus doll with a pink bow hiding behind the edge of the cupboard.

"My name is Maria, and I am here to look after you…" Megumi slowly squatted down to take a closer look at the doll, inwardly squealing at the cuteness of the doll.

"Zeus created me from the clays, as… the myth was told that humans have been made by gods from clay or earth. Although, he made a little mistake after he created me. So, this is what I look like for now. But I do like my body… It is easy to move, and small. I like everything small…" Maria explained shyly as she hid herself further behind the cupboard.

"If you have any troubles… Um, please talk to me. I am… not the best advice giver, but I will try my best…" Maria began to stutter as she began to back up even more, but somehow she ended up tripping on her own feet and fell on her butt. She looked like she was about to cry, but Megumi gently picked her up and smiled softly. She hasn't been smiling a lot, and little things like this made her happy.

"Thank you, Maria. Nice to meet you."

"Nice… Nice to meet you too… Ano… May I call you Megu-chan?"

"Of course. You can call me Megu-chan."

Megumi then put Maria gently on her bed as she looked around for some clothing to wear as she headed into the shower for a quick bath. After drying her hair with a towel, Megumi then walked towards her bed to sit down next to a sleeping Maria.

"I can't believe it… Today is nuts…" She mumbled as she slowly dropped down on her bed.

"I hope Mama will be doing okay… And Kakashi-san as well… I hope he can handle the kids while I am stuck here… Well… I have to do this…" Megumi whispered as she began to play with the charm again.

"Grandma, please lend me courage… To do this. Please help me… Get through this…" That was the last thing Megumi mumbled as she fell into a deep slumber.