In truth, there is no better place to be Than falling out of darkness still to see Without a premonition, could you tell me where we stand? I'd hate to lose this light before we land And when I feel like I can feel once again Let me stay awhile, soak it in awhile If we can hold on, we can fix what is wrong Buy a little time for this head of mine Haven for us "Yuki Tries Even Harder" Mihoshi Kogure should've been on cloud nine—after all, during the holiday break, she had experienced her very first kiss, and with a girl, too! She feared the immense guilt would've showed when she returned home late that night, her heart beating fast and her breath stolen away from the touch of those gentle, smiling lips. Would it be obvious, like an onion's stink, or—harkening to a study of Nathanial Hawthorne in Miss Madsen's class—would a telltale scarlet letter be placed on her clothes? Coming inside her house well after one in the morning was bad enough, even for a holiday; her parents had been waiting for her all night. Oh, the verbal abuse she got, but they were angry for her truancy, not the fact that she had engaged in forbidden liaisons (never mind that kissing was a New Year's tradition; it had been with a girl, and her parents did not tolerate same-sex relationships at all). Mihoshi felt lucky to get just that, and went to her room apologizing and wheezing out thanks to Kami, if Kami could sympathize with her plight. The week following had brought suitable punishments, including a stricter curfew and something the American kids called "being grounded", which Mihoshi didn't understand. Then again, being kissed by Kula Nanahara sure did make her feel heavenly... Her week of punishment was nearly up by the time school came back, and once people started settling in, it had been lifted, but not without a stern warning. Mom and dad told her about how they expected her to never stay out that late again, even on weekends or holidays, even for when she left home and lived on her own. She had a cell phone, and they expected her to use it in case an emergency cropped up that forced her to stay out, but she had had no good excuse for New Year's. It could've been a lot worse, so she thanked her good fortune, bowed politely, and returned to school a more humble soul. Coming across a fork in the road, Mihoshi couldn't help but throw a stick in the air to determine her path. It landed left—both sides led to Stanton eventually—and so this she took, shuffling her shoulders and keeping her right arm hidden in her jacket, just like a ronin (instead of a sake jug, though, she had a Coke bottle). Now people called her Yuki because of her white hair and pale complexion—"Yuki" apparently meant "white" in Japanese, and she was quite happy with the nickname. Aside from her "ronin gear", Mihoshi kept a long kendo stick with her, a bokken, officially citing it as a means of defending herself in rough times. None of the teachers looked kindly to this equipment, and had forced her time and time again to get rid of it before even setting foot inside the building. Mihoshi could usually recover it after classes, because she stowed it where she believed nobody would find it, but one day it got lost. Around that time, she began to really blend in—not with the other girls; her schizoid demeanor forbade that—but her appearance resembled the clean white of the world as snow heaped in small piles and slush made roads treacherous. Most people knew her by her white hair, or the way she was constantly challenging strong-looking girls to sparring matches (with one exception, she usually won), or perhaps how well she mimicked the samurai of old (she claimed she was the reincarnation of a proud female samurai warrior, who had served Japan during the Tokugawa shogunate, before Meiji and Okubo). After school on that snowy day, Mihoshi went to check on her tool, poking around the same secluded grassy spot she always kept it in. It was back behind the school, where nobody went, not even the kids that smoked. A heater/cooler unit, as large as she and considerably loud, was nearby, blowing smoke like the head of a gray dragon. She parted the snow aside with her boots, searching for the long kendo staff of hers, but after a long search, her only prize was freezing ears and a cold nose. She didn't want to give up, but she had looked everywhere. The next day, all the snow had gone, and so were Mihoshi's hopes of finding her tool in its place. She felt heartbroken. The loss of a sword, wooden or no, was like the loss of a life to a samurai—the two were one. She went to the lost and found department first, but was laughed at when she described the item she misplaced: just a mere stick to the receptionist. She could go around anywhere and find them. But no, insisted Kogure, this was special. The receptionist gave her no sympathy and howled out a weary "Next?" as soon as she was done making poor Mihoshi miserable. Kogure's face fell limp, and she trudged away in defeat. The very next day, she had a genius idea: perhaps Ancelin, thinking it a stray piece of kendo club property, had confiscated it and taken it back. Being the only leader remaining in the club, she was permitted to store the tools in the gymnasium, provided that Leena gave her permission (which she naturally did). Mihoshi was one of the few people who were friends with Ancelin, and she loved the older, stronger girl immensely. Ancelin was beautiful beyond words, and skilled well above her years, but was as graceful and humble as a true samurai; she was in many ways Mihoshi's idol, and the two were famous for the sparring matches they held. "Annie-sensei! Annie-sensei!" Ancelin looked over from her lunch and noticed Mihoshi Kogure calling for her, running quickly and bouncing just a bit. She had to smile—Mihoshi was so cute! Ancelin waved her over and invited her to sit, but Mihoshi was too excited. "Annie-sensei, I have a question!" exclaimed Mihoshi. "You remember how I always used to carry a bokken with me, don't you? Do you recall me ever saying to you that I had to hide it while I was still in school?" "Yes..." "I have lost it recently," she said gravely. "I was wondering if you, Annie-sensei, knew of its whereabouts." "Where do you usually put it?" asked the older girl, who didn't mind being called Annie-sensei. "Back behind the school, near that heater and cooler." "And it's about a meter long?" "You know of it?" she exclaimed, grinning. Ancelin nodded. "Oh, that was yours? I'm sorry, I thought it was one of mine. I found it out there and took it back." "Thank goodness!" squealed the white-haired girl, and started muttering in Japanese, which Ancelin didn't know any better than any other girl there. "Arigato, arigato, arigato! May I have it back?" "Why don't you let me hold onto it while you're in class? That way, we'll know where it is and it won't get stolen by anybody else." "You are so wise," sighed Mihoshi, giving her best smile. Ancelin grumbled darkly. "No, I just...offer my services. Come, sit. Let's have something to eat. Have you eaten yet?" "No," answered Kogure. Ancelin dug around in her pockets and pulled out three one-dollar bills. She held them up, offering them as a gift. "Here, take this." "But I couldn't." "Go on, please. I know what it's like to be hungry. I'd feel a lot better." "If it is for you, Annie-sensei, then I will." Mihoshi bowed, whispered a final arigato, and took the money, which she spent on a fine meal. Farrah, who was with Ancelin at the moment, gave a smile. "That was really sweet. I'll tell Ivory about this; maybe she can give you a, uh, reward." Ancelin blushed at the mention of a "reward" from Ivory, but humbly declined. ...... Mihoshi Kogure was in a grave dilemma: she was infatuated with several girls at school, four of whom she shared a shower with after kendo club. Now Ancelin and Ivory were there—on separate sides of the large room so they "wouldn't be tempted to do anything"—but Mihoshi had nothing but respect for them. She did love them both, but as comrades, equals, and partners. Besides, ultimately, they were much better for each other. The way they doted and looked out for one another was adorable. No, she fawned over others, and at first glance, nobody could blame her. First there was Kula, whom Yuki had gotten to know through the kendo club, and whom she had kissed so scandalously on December 31st. Kula was smallish and deceptively cute, but had a mean streak and a fire that seemed to only grow hotter in the cold weather. Yuki saw her strength and ached to test it out, to see how grand Kula was in combat, and perhaps felt that she could tame that hot passion, or at least harness it to...other means. Besides, she looked really sexy under a stream of water. She had a hopeless crush on Corona—hopeless because by then, nearly everyone knew that she and "Allie" Blair were lovers—as well as Rai, who was equally smitten with Ana Lu (not that she could blame either one). Marcos and Zanders seemed unattainable, in a sense representing her unusual attraction towards girls in general, and even though they barely knew her, the way they paraded around with their respective blonde love interests carved great gashes in Mihoshi's heart. They were saying, we have this and you can't, and our parents are okay with that (though in Rai's case this was not true). Olivia Johnson was the last of the four. Like Corona, she had joined the kendo club for exercise and broader social contact, and like Corona and the other two, her mere presence gave poor Yuki butterflies. Never mind the two were costars in the play and had gotten to know each other well; Olivia was beautiful and wise, eloquent and level-headed, traits that made Mihoshi flop. She could just fantasize how wonderful it would be to have their brown and white skins mesh so perfectly... She forced herself to turn around, not wanting anyone to know that she was staring. She covered her face and hoped it wasn't obvious. She was still relatively new to the school, and had no idea how loose the same-sex policy was on the grounds, so of course she was bashful. Challenging Ivory and Ancelin to duels of honor was brash enough, and what did she get for that save a humble kiss on their cheeks? Kula might've liked her—they were friends—but that kiss might've meant nothing except for a year's-end tradition, much in the same way mistletoe was. And Olivia...well, the girl had a limp. Yuki knew it would be terrible if her parents found out, but it would be just as terrible for her to go through this all the year long and be worse off than before. There was nothing wrong with sparring with a girl she liked—better that than stuttering out her feelings—and her mother had always instructed her to work with whatever made her comfortable. She turned off the water and resigned to do just that, and scurried off to dry herself. She'd need at least a day to muster up the courage to challenge Kula or Olivia, never mind the time it'd take her to decide which one she wanted. When Mihoshi went to bed that night, she knew she wanted to be Olivia Johnson's girlfriend. ......... Mihoshi only had one chance to see Olivia during the day, and after that, she'd have a long dry spell of waiting before the two met again for after-school kendo practice. She steeled herself and breathed quietly, meditating as she stood waiting. She and Olivia had one class together, Miss Madsen's, and they knew each other well enough from their assignment to be comfortable with a conversation. Yuki was first to arrive at the class that day, and found the door opened, presuming her teacher was off "visiting" Ms. Keeping. A few girls came by, smiling or nodding hello, and went inside the room to talk. A few passed her by, going to their lockers, or the bathroom, or to visit friends. Lilian, a fellow "Yuki", gave her a ghostly smile as she passed and joined her friends inside, giving a squeal as Gabrielle flung her arms around her (Mihoshi politely looked away). As Mihoshi distracted herself with looking out the window, she noticed Olivia approaching her, limping slightly from her cerebral palsy. The poor girl stopped once to wince and rub her leg before continuing. "Konnichiwa, Liv-chan!" exclaimed Mihoshi, bowing politely. She was taller than Olivia but considerably thinner, almost too skinny for her own good. Her pale complexion, whether brought on by sickness, lack of sun, or genetics, contrasted sharply with Olivia's beautiful tint of brown. "Hi," said Olivia as she turned to enter the class. Mihoshi took hold of her shoulder. "Pardon me, Liv-chan. May I speak with you?" "I guess," she shrugged. Mihoshi smiled. "Arigato! Liv-chan, I would like to formally challenge you to a sparring match later today at kendo class! I hope you will be able to attend." "Huh? A what?" "I'd like to challenge you to a match," Mihoshi repeated. Olivia's eyebrows knit in frustration. "A what? Yuki, I don't have time for this." "Please, Liv-chan! I would be most honored and pleased if you accepted." "Sorry, I don't do that sort of thing." "But I would love it—" "I know, I heard from Ivory. I don't know why you do that sort of thing. I came to that class to exercise," she said, gesturing to her weak leg, "not to...fight in some silly duel. Go ask somebody else." "But I would be most honored to spar with you, Liv-chan!" "I told you," said Johnson harshly, "I don't do that sort of thing. I don't like violence. I resolve my conflicts differently." "But—" "Problems, girls?" Miss Madsen stood over them, placid and happy from another merry romp with Abby Keeping (she had the good sense to look decent and be on time that morning). Olivia rubbed her forehead wearily. "No...Mihoshi's just being her usual self, ma'am. Pardon." Olivia walked inside the classroom and gave a weak hello to her friends. Madsen crossed her arms, giving Yuki a quizzical look. "Is this something I need to be worried about?" "No, Madsen-sensei. I apologize for disrupting and being a nuisance." Madsen gave her a small smile of understanding and touched the girl's white hair. "(If you like her,)" she whispered, "(then maybe you should go about it a different way. Be more friendly, and not so...aggressive. I think Miss Johnson would love to have somebody like you in her life.)" Yuki grinned at her teacher's soft words of encouragement, and bowed deeply, giving many an arigato. Madsen became more serious and ushered the girl inside, and promptly greeted everyone before marking all missing girls as absent. Olivia came to the kendo club (looking, Mihoshi thought, ravishing in a gi) and chose Corona as her partner; Mihoshi got Ivory. Now Miss Tran liked Miss Kogure just as much as Yuki liked her, and the two got along, claiming their weird traits made them good friends. Ivory had contemplated seducing Mihoshi and subsequently bedding her, but her dedication to Ancelin won over easily. She hated how her old self sometimes resurfaced, but at least she had Ancelin to think of, to look to, when things got hard. That girl was everything to her and more; why give all that up for a fling? Mihoshi couldn't beat Ivory because she was far too distracted (and vice-versa), so the match came out a tie. Ancelin accepted victory with frosty humility, bowing to Rai Zanders as the taller woman merely nodded, and called everyone together for some social time. Chatting, she said, was just as good for training as sparring was—it gave people the opportunity to dive into their opponent's minds and learn more about them. She quietly got into a conversation with Corona, asking about the Hispanic girl's love interest; Mihoshi badly wanted to gravitate towards Olivia. "Konnichiwa," said Johnson amiably as Yuki scooted over to her. The taller girl grinned proudly. "Arigato! Where did you learn to speak like that?" "Overhearing you," muttered "Liv-chan" wryly. "And also, overhearing people in Mira's fan club." "Oh, of course. Liv-chan, might I have a word with you?" "Look," she sighed, "if this is about that challenge, forget it." "Forgive me," said Mihoshi humbly. "I do not know how people behave around each other. Of course, even back in Japan, people saw me as a baka for what I did. My parents even took me to a doctor, but she said that I was normal. Mother and father think I am...uh...it is a long word. Skits-oh-fren-ick." "Schizophrenic?" mimed Olivia; Yuki nodded. "So is that why you behave like that?" "No! I am nothing of the sort! I truly believe in what I do say! However, I am sorry if it offends you. I just want...um..." "Look," said Johnson with a smile, "there are better ways of getting friends than challenging them to duels. If you want to get to know me better, just ask me what you like." "Madsen-sensei gave me the same advice, but I'm afraid I don't know anything else," admitted Yuki bashfully. "The way I do things, I can see into a person's soul, see how their strength affects their lives, and see into their heart. I can then admire them further, especially if they overcome me." "That's just ridiculous! You shouldn't do that! Why on Earth would you do something so violent, especially if you want to get to know them? Miss Madsen had the right idea; all you have to be is inquisitive." "I am sorry, but that is not how I work." "Then change," said Olivia, concluding her ultimatum as she stood to leave: "Or be lonely forever." She took a few steps away... "Wait! Gomen, Liv-chan, gomen nasai! Forgive me! I did not mean to offend you so much! Please come back and give me another chance!" Seeing as how the desperate Japanese girl was making a scene, and wanting to avoid further spectacle, Olivia agreed and went back to sit with her (a few of the more lewd girls watching and grinning to themselves). Mihoshi bowed deeply and started anew. "You are truly strong!" she exclaimed admirably. "Such a will! I cannot overwhelm your mind, and I am wise enough to know that the mind lasts many years longer than the body! You have defeated me, and I admire you for that!" "......Okaaaaaay." "I would be honored to be your friend, Liv-chan—perhaps even more!" gushed Yuki, grasping Johnson's hands. Olivia made a face—frankly, Yuki was too weird for her tastes—but it wasn't like she had a lot of potential love interests to choose from. She had been distant and grouchy too long, and succeeded only in isolating herself from others. She could just imagine how many lovers she could've had, if she had just been more cheerful! With a sigh, she decided to trek down this path and at least give poor Yuki a chance, even if her bizarre nature caused Olivia to distance herself further. "If you say so." "Yes!" To say that Yuki squealed for joy when, two days later, Olivia asked if she could be her girlfriend, would be an understatement. At least all her hard work had finally paid off.
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