Title: Triangle
Author: Lowdeen
Disclaimer: All original characters belong to me. Haruka, Michiru and the show all belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The story contains implied love between two women, so if such things offend you, read something else.
Spoilers: None
Author's Notes: Alternate universe. Haruka/Michiru/Usagi story. Sequel to "Intermingled Gazes". Takes place in the future (pick a year). Although not required, a healthy suspension of belief is encouraged.
Rating: PG-13
Usagi cracked one eye open, slowly blinking as if the slightest motion might bring about a very painful, messy death. And for someone like her, it might as well have ended that way as she finally focused on the clock face next to her bed. Noting the early hour, she continued blinking for several more seconds before the info clicked in her sleep addled brain and a mournful groan erupted from her throat as she tossed the covers back over her head.
It would take another thirty minutes for the girl to even poke her head out of her makeshift burrow and another half an hour after that to make her first appearance out of her room. And like every other day, it was a heated race to get to school before the first bell could ring to signal her tardiness. For Usagi wasn't, by any means, a morning person. In no way did she enjoy the beauty of a sunrise or appreciate the the fact that the sun's rays always managed to seek out her eyes even when she'd remember to shut the shades the night before.
Stopping just short of barreling into class, she skidded to a halt and took in a few deep breaths before walking in at a more sedate pace. Automatically finding her seat, she tossed off a few cheery greetings to her friends, jumping only slightly when the bell finally did ring. Luckily she'd made it just in time which meant no detention ... today.
"Everybody," the teacher said, clapping her hands together as she walked into the room. "We're going to have a very busy day today but before we start, I'd like to introduce you to our new transfer student."
Everyone's eyes moved over to the second figure standing in the front of the class and already, there were excited whispers erupting from various corners of the room. Coolly waiting under the intense scrutinization stood a tall handsome boy with intense blue eyes. Black hair contrasting pleasantly with ivory skin, he was every bit the dream come true for many of the girls that were openly ogling him.
"This is Mamoru Chiba," the teacher continued, waving the new student to an empty seat near the back. "I hope everyone will take the chance to introduce themselves to him later on. Now, please take out your textbooks and turn to chapter four ... "
Usagi found herself staring just as unabashedly as the other girls until she realized exactly what it was she was doing. 'Idiot,' she mentally berated herself, turning away to stare down at her desk. 'You've already got the coolest guy in the whole school so what are you doing, drooling over someone else?'
'No', she thought, immediately correcting herself. 'I've got the coolest *girl* in the whole school.' Just the mere thought of Haruka put a goofy grin on her face and a dreamy look in her eyes as all other thoughts magically vanished into thin air.
Usagi wasn't a stupid girl although there were times when she acted like the typical blonde ditz. She knew she wasn't perfect --- far from it. She was clutzy, emotional, immature ... put a test in front of her and she would totally spaz out. But somehow, despite all these shortcomings, whenever she looked into the other girl's eyes, she found nothing there but a gentle warmth.
Haruka never lost her temper or yelled at her even when she'd probably deserved it --- like that time she'd spilled that cup of juice all over the lanky blonde's white shirt and Haruka ended up calming *her* down because she had been in tears ... again. She honestly didn't know how or why someone like Haruka would put up with her but she wasn't about to question her own good fortune.
That's not to say that in the beginning, she hadn't often found herself vaguely uneasy with the idea that she was dating another girl. But it was as if the doubts and fears melted away as soon as Haruka's arms wrapped around her. It was like no feeling she'd ever had before --- it was like nothing she'd ever felt and if she closed her eyes now, she could almost imagine herself being held again. She could almost smell Haruka's perfume ...
"Usagi ... Usagi!"
Her eyes snapped open and if her seat weren't attached to her desk, she would surely have toppled over too as she involuntarily jerked backwards.
"Usagi," her teacher began, clearly exasperated. "Is it too much to ask for you to pay attention in my class?"
"N-no ma'am," she stuttered, already feeling a hot blush spreading across her cheeks. Steadfastly looking down, she tried to ignore the occasional snickers and inevitable stares from the rest of her classmates. Already, she wished the day would end or at the very least for lunchtime to roll around so she could see Haruka.
****
With her chin resting in the palm of one hand and her elbow leaning against the table, the aloof blonde stared off into the distance, grunting every so often at her friend who was obliviously chattering away. It was obvious to anyone looking that her mind was somewhere else entirely so when two delicate hands came around from behind to cover her eyes, she didn't react right away.
However, there was no way she could miss the shiver that ran through her own body when something warm pressed itself against the length of her back as a sing song voice whispered playfully in her ear, "Guess who?"
Grinning, she answered back, "If this is that mail-order bride I bought, I want my money back cause you were supposed to get here a couple of weeks ago."
"Haruka!" The indignant shout only made her chuckle as the hands moved away from her eyes only to be replaced by a pair of arms that wrapped themselves securely around her neck. Turning around in her seat, still in the circle of those arms, she found herself face to face with a grinning Usagi. They spent the next few moments contentedly staring into one another's eyes, letting the rest of the world slide away.
*Ahem*
Haruka spared a glance over at Manny who was tapping his fingers on the tabletop. "Oh sorry --- don't mind me," he said with a completely straight face. "Just pretend like I'm not here staring right at you and oh, by the way, if you two get any sweeter, you're gonna give me cavities."
"Funny," Haruka drily commented before turning back around, letting her eyes trail over Usagi who took a seat next to her while simultaneously sticking her tongue out at Manny.
"I speak only the truth," Manny stated, taking a big bite of his apple. "Hey," he suddenly exclaimed. "There's that new kid. I had him in one of my classes today." Unfortunately, since he hadn't finished chewing his food yet before making the announcement, most of what he said came out a garbled mess.
"What?" Haruka asked, furrowing her brow. "Say again ... and this time without the gratuitous spray of food."
Flashing the tall blonde a smirk, he started waving his arm instead of answering. "Hey Mamoru," he shouted, surreptitiously making sure to swallow first. "Over here." Just as his greeting rang across the cafeteria, various other shouts simultaneously erupted, mingling with his own. For a moment, Mamoru looked flustered as his head snapped left and right in response to his name being called. Then his eyes came to rest on their table and there was a noticeable relief shooting across his features as he started loping towards the trio.
"Hi," he said with an affable smile. "Is everybody in this school always so friendly?"
"Only if you're a cute boy," Manny said, winking conspiratorially to Haruka. "For some reason, our school features an abundance of neurotic girls who tend to salivate at the sight of a pretty face ... present company *not* excluded," he added, grinning brightly at Usagi's fuming face.
Taking a seat next to Manny, Mamoru nodded politely as introductions were made before being bombarded by questions from the tiny blonde across from him. As many who knew her were aware, tact wasn't a word used very often or at all in Usagi's vocabulary. Taken aback only for a second the dark haired newcomer adjusted quickly, answering each question almost as fast as it was asked.
As much as Haruka tried to concentrate though, she couldn't keep focused on the conversation taking place around her. Her mind was inevitably drawn back to the same thing that had been plaguing her since that day ... even now, she couldn't quite believe it. Michiru had ended up transferring to this school after her last school had burned down --- how much of a coincidence was that? Remembering back to that encounter of a few days ago, she winced almost imperceptibly as the scene played itself out again in her head.
"M-Michiru!" She finally forced out, her eyes going wide in astonishment as the green haired girl came closer. Dimly, Haruka registered someone else following behind the girl but the school could've blown up right then and there and she wouldn't have batted an eye, so transfixed was her attention.
"Haruka," Michiru greeted again, nodding formally as she came to a stop in front of the small group. Although it didn't show on her face, Michiru was a mass of nerves as she stood in front of a still gaping Haruka. She didn't want to think about why the cool green gaze disconcerted her so much, only that it did.
The awkward silence would surely have continued on for much longer if Usagi, still nestled snugly in girlfriends arms, didn't choose that moment to innocently ask, "Haruka, is this your friend?"
Haruka looked down into blue eyes full of curiosity and gulped, finding her mouth inexplicably dry. She had to say something but her mind was a blank. "Um ... " She glanced back at Michiru again before muttering a barely intelligible "Yes, she's a friend."
"That was a nasty hit you took, Haruka," a new voice interjected. "Are you all right?"
For the first time, Haruka noticed there was someone else standing beside Michiru ... wasn't her name Mina-something?
"Minako," the pretty blonde haired girl said as if reading her mind. "Minako Aino. Don't worry if you don't remember. You were kind of running away the first time we met." A bright smile suffused her features as she laughed lightly.
Haruka could only stare dumbly back, hearing what was said but not really listening all that intently. She wished everybody would just disappear for at least a few minutes so she could get her bearings back ... maybe then she'd be able to string two sentences together and sound halfway intelligent.
"Haruka's fine," Usagi answered for her when it became clear she wasn't going to say anything. "We were just going to take her back to her house."
A pause.
"Then we won't keep you," Michiru said, putting on a weak smile. She had felt the tightening in her chest as soon as she first laid eyes on the blonde and now, more than ever, it felt like steel bands were closing around her heart, making it difficult to breathe. Why did it feel like a slap in the face when she saw another girl in his arms? Why did it hurt so much? "Have a safe trip home," her mind automatically supplied, making her mouth push the words out as she watched them leave.
... Why did it hurt so much?
Haruka shook herself out of the reverie as a soft, warm hand wrapped around her own. "Sorry, what was that?" She asked, blinking slowly as if emerging from a deep sleep.
"Haruka ... lunch is over," Usagi said, observing her girlfriend closely as the other girl looked around at the now mostly empty cafeteria. For the past couple of days, she'd noticed a definite mood change come over the taller girl --- spacing out, general listlessness, and just basically shutting herself off from everyone. "Haruka," she began, deciding that she was going to get to the bottom of this right now.
"Let's get to class," Haruka interrupted, standing up and barely acknowledging that she'd spoken. That's when Usagi began to get mad. The nearly always upbeat blonde didn't get mad very often but when she did, you could almost see the fire shooting from her eyes. Unfortunately for Haruka, that fury was directed squarely at her this time and as her feisty girlfriend unleashed a long tirade that would have cowered the strongest man, she was just glad for the fact that there weren't many people still around to see it.
"... I know you don't like talking about the things that bother you," Usagi continued, finally winding down. "But don't you know? Whatever upsets you, upsets me too. I thought ... if you wanted to, you could talk to me about it."
Haruka stood there speechless for a good half second before pulling the smaller girl into a bone crushing hug. Not being able to think of any words that could come close to describing her feelings at that moment, she let her actions speak for her. No one had spoken like this to her before --- no one had cared enough to. And to suddenly realize that someone *did*? It was as if she'd been given a gift for no other reason than that it was Wednesday or something equally prosaic.
"Haruka ... "
"Hmm?"
"I ... can't ... breathe."
"Oh, sorry," she said, quickly releasing a gasping Usagi who still had a brilliant smile on her face.
****
"What is that?" She asked, shouting to be heard and continuing to wince as the alarms ceaselessly blared through the speakers. She had been in such a comfortable, oblivious state since lunch that the sudden noise was doubly jarring to her senses as it started up for no apparent reason at all.
"We have to go," someone else shouted. Haruka wasn't sure if the speaker was addressing her or not or even who the speaker had been but as she watched, she noted a definite order underlying the apparent chaos. Everyone, excluding herself, had started filing out of the classroom and since she had no idea what else to do or what could be happening, she got up, following suit.
The hallway was brimming with bodies hurrying in the same general direction and Haruka found herself swept up in the tide as soon as she stepped foot into its path.
"Hey ... uh ... excuse me ... STOP!" She finally shouted when the polite approach failed to work, pushing the first person she saw against a wall and holding him there as everyone else detoured around them. "What's going on?" She asked, getting impatient and angry at the non-answers.
The guy looked back at her, equally as confused by her actions as she was by his. "What do you mean what's going on? We're evacuating ... what's wrong with you, man?"
"Evacuating?" Haruka repeated, feeling very much like she was talking to a brick wall. "What? Why?"
"Because there's going to be a major throw down," he explained, rolling his eyes as if he couldn't believe how stupid Haruka was. "And if you don't want to get in the middle, you'd better get the fuck out of here while you still can." And with that final bit of advice, he pushed the blonde away, jogging to catch up with the other students.
Haruka stood there for a good bit, mulling over what he'd said, still not sure what it all meant but as the alarms continued blaring, she started out after them. After all, she couldn't stand there all day. As the retreating backs of the last students came into view, she could see they were all being ushered out by a couple of harried teachers. And if looks could kill, she would have been struck dead on the spot as one of them turned to glare at her when she tried asking a question.
Unceremoniously shoved out the door and up the stairs of one of the many waiting buses circled around the yard, it took all of her self-control not to curse out loud at the mounting frustration she felt. Stiffly looking around for a familiar face, her eyes settled on the one person she really didn't want to see. Cool blue eyes regarded her through green bangs and Haruka suddenly found the floor eminently fascinating as she stared down at it. This is stupid, she thought to herself, irritated at her own skittish behavior. It was just Michiru ... it wasn't like the other girl was going to take her head off if she were to look at her or dare she think it, speak to her. And anyway, she *really* wanted to know what was going on.
Taking in a deep breath, Haruka marched with as much confidence as she felt down the narrow aisle, stopping next to the other girl. There was already someone else sitting next to Michiru but a quick glare freed up the spot and she sat down almost gingerly. While the rest of the bus was filled with anxious, even panicked voices, no words passed between the two of them. Haruka took quick, nervous glances at the other girl out of the corner of her eye and finally decided that it was pretty ridiculous to just sit there and say nothing. Jerking back slightly as the bus started up, she turned to fully face the other with the intention of saying something --- the idea promptly dying a swift death before it even left the gate as she saw the green haired girl already looking at her.
Why couldn't she say anything? Why was she so nervous? And why did she feel like such a heel all of a sudden? Her mind supplied her with the answer to the last question in a startlingly succinct answer --- because you never called. It was such a simple thing. Pick up the phone. Dial the number. Talk.
So why hadn't she ever done it? Sure, she'd picked up the phone plenty of times, gotten halfway through dialing only to hang up again. It was always with an excuse --- from 'she might be busy, I don't want to bother her' to 'she probably doesn't remember me anyway.' When it came to Michiru, it seemed, Haruka would inevitably devolve into a socially inept and awkward kid with sweaty palms. Why this was, she didn't know nor did she feel particularly inclined to probe it further.
Feeling inexplicably hot under the scrutiny of the other girl's gaze, she spoke just to break the tension. "So what's going on?"
That earned her a look that was this side of amused which only made Haruka want to bash her head into the seat in front of her.
As if taking pity on her, Michiru explained, "We're evacuating to a safer location until the protectors have passed through."
"Protesters?" She asked dumbly as the bus started with a sudden lurch, throwing the two girls none too gently into one another.
"Protesters who are usually immediately followed by rioters," Michiru answered, untangling herself from the blonde as gracefully as she could. "It's been better recently," she continued, ignoring her heart which she was sure had skipped several beats in the interim. "Ever since they've called in the National Guard, it hasn't been as often."
Haruka was too busy trying to digest this new information to notice the way Michiru's cheeks were tinged a delicate pink. Never once had she thought about the implications of living in a city like this --- sure there were the usual thoughts one had when being uprooted so suddenly. But they all usually revolved around mundane questions such as 'where will I go to school?', 'will I get along with anybody there?', 'do they sell that chocolate I like so much?'
To actually sit down and contemplate the fastest route of escape should she get caught between the rioters and the police never once crossed her mind. It was true that she'd known before coming that this country was still on shaky ground in the aftermath of the disastrous economic crash that crippled its government and its industries, along with the reemergence of the random terrorist bombings in its major cities. But in a naive sort of way, she thought nothing of it. And now, as if to make up for her earlier negligence, her brain was being overloaded by all that was happening.
"Haruka?" She turned at the sound of her name being uttered and saw a slightly worried Michiru studying her. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. This happens all the time and it's really more of a precaution than anything else."
Haruka mustered up a wan smile for the other girl's benefit but she stayed tense the rest of the ride which lasted another ten minutes. When they finally stopped, the blonde craned her neck, trying to see where they were. Unsurprisingly, she wasn't familiar with the territory but Michiru helpfully explained that they were on the east side. Haruka nodded along dumbly, her mind still feeling like it was weighed down in mud.
"I'm sure Usagi's all right," Michiru added, mistaking the silence as worry for Haruka's girlfriend.
"Huh? What do you mean? Why wouldn't she be all right?" As if the day wasn't already turning out bad enough, the blonde thought with a wild eyed gleam.
Seeing that her reassuring statement had been taken all wrong and that Haruka looked about ready to bolt out of her seat in search of said girlfriend, Michiru did the first thing that came to mind. Placing both hands on top of Haruka's own, she effectively calmed and anchored the tense figure by her side at the same time..
"That's not what I meant, Haruka," she said quietly in a tone of voice generally reserved for those times when her little cousin became distraught. "Look," she said, pointing out the window at the other buses that had pulled up alongside their own. "She's probably in one of the other buses so don't worry."
Even when it seemed that Haruka had calmed down somewhat, Michiru didn't pull her hands away even though it wasn't entirely appropriate. The blonde, for her part, didn't seem to notice either way as she fidgeted in her seat, waiting for something, anything to happen that didn't involve sitting here, waiting. It seemed forever before the two-way by the driver's seat started squawking, indicating in its garbled way that it was safe to proceed back to the school again.
Haruka turned to face the green haired girl sitting by her side, a wide smile spreading across her face, more from relief and still strumming nerves than anything else. That's when she noticed they were still holding hands and, were she in any other situation, she would have quickly pulled away from embarrassment. But she didn't. Because this was Michiru and somehow, a niggling voice in the back of her brain kept telling her that this was right.
So all through the ride back, they shared that small bit of physical contact --- neither one mentioning it, neither one ready for the possible implications of such a seemingly small act. Only when the bus finally jerked to a stop at the back of their school once again did they reluctantly separate, marching out with the rest of their classmates.
It was weird, Haruka reflected a little later as she sat in class. One minute, she was strung out, anticipating something terrible happening and the next minute ... well, the next minute, she was here, going about her routine like nothing ever happened. Everybody seemed to be acting that way and she had to wonder if it didn't affect them even the tiniest bit. But then again, she reasoned, they had to have been used to this sort of thing by now. For someone like her, however, it wasn't so easy playing along with a farce everyone else seemed to be in on and every now and then, she caught herself nervously tapping her fingers against the desktop or fidgeting in her seat unsure of what was wrong exactly, knowing only that there was an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.
The unease lasted the rest of the day, refusing to be pushed aside or banished to the back of her mind like so many other unpleasant thoughts in the past. In a fit of nervous energy, she slammed her locker door shut, making several students in the hallway turn and stare at her in surprise. Sighing, she rested her forehead against the cold, unyielding metal of the door and willed herself to calm down.
"Ha - ru - ka !"
The familiar voice that called her name from down the hall made her jerk her head up, expectant eyes roaming until they locked onto a pair of bright blue orbs and a brilliant smile. The mere sight of Usagi running down the hall, nearly crashing into several people foolhardy enough to be in her way, made Haruka feel ... better, lighter. And she laughed as Usagi launched her small frame into her arms, propelling her back a step or two before she regained her balance and straightened the both of them up.
The smaller girl had wrapped her arms securely around her waist and her face was upturned, shining that beautiful innocence on Haruka and making the taller girl suck in a quick breath. She didn't even notice that the uneasy feeling that'd plagued her most of the day had all but disappeared.
"Are you okay, Haruka," Usagi asked, noticing the shadow which had passed briefly across those beloved features.
"I am now." Her voice was a low burr that hummed through the slim body in her arms and she smiled fully when she noted the blush that was already creeping across Usagi's face. "Come on, Odango. Let's get out of here."
As the two figures walked away, one could hear a question asked earnestly drifting down the corridor. "Haruka? What does Odango mean?" And immediately after that, a burst of laughter that was as light and earnest as the initial question.
****
Nose buried in his book and in a world of his own, Mamoru loped down the halls of his new school, oblivious to everything but the words on the page. So engrossed was he in the writings of a long dead poet that he never heard the frantic pounding of feet on the hard wood floor. Nor did he notice that the noise was not only growing increasingly louder but making a direct beeline towards him. And so it was that a few seconds later, two forces, headed in opposite directions collided with each other, inadvertently proving that physics really do apply as both parties found themselves sprawled on their butts, wide-eyed and not a little bit annoyed.
"Mamoru!" Usagi huffed, getting up and brushing her skirt off. "Why don't you watch where you're going?"
Normally a very easygoing guy, Mamoru's jaw practically dropped open as he all but scrambled to his own feet. "Where I'm going?!" He asked incredulously, staring at the girl in front of him like she had two heads. "Where *I'm* going? Why don't you watch where you're going sometime? You're the one who crashed into me!"
"Well, if you didn't have your head buried in a book, you'd see me coming and get out of my way!"
By this time, the two of them had attracted the attention of every one of the students still lingering in the halls. For them, the prospect of a possible confrontation far outweighed the need to get to class on time.
"And if you weren't running down the hall like a herd of cattle, you wouldn't have crashed into *me*!"
No one would've thought the blonde's face could've gotten any redder than it already had but that last comment made her burn as red as a tomato. "Why you ... you jerk!" She shouted, taking a step closer to the taller boy until they were standing toe to toe, nose to chest.
As it were, the 'audience' for this confrontation would no doubt have witnessed something interesting if it weren't for the fact that both combatants simultaneously decided they had better things to do than stand in the hallway with each other and huffed off in opposite directions. The sigh of disappointment was nearly audible as the rest of the students filed off to class, having wasted their time with a fight that ultimately wasn't.
****
The small vein above Usagi's right temple had popped up and was throbbing in time with every angry stomp her feet made as she walked to her next class.
Five times.
Five times in five days she'd run into Mamoru. Five times they'd either run over each other, spilled food on each other, or knocked each other senseless. It was as if fate were playing a strange, twisted joke on her, she thought as she continued to stomp down the hall. Why else would this be happening? Usually she could get along with everybody and anybody but Mamoru was just so difficult to like. And when she'd brought this up with anybody else, they'd laughed at her for being childish.
Well that was just fine. They weren't the ones getting run into by Mamoru time and time again. They didn't know what a jerk he could be. In fact, everybody but her thought he was the greatest thing ever: smart, handsome, kind ...
BLEEEEEECH!!!
That was all she had to say to that.
Even her Haruka would smile indulgently at her whenever she'd bring up the subject, saying she just had to be nice and get to know him better. It was as if Mamoru had everybody fooled ... everybody but her.
****
On the other side of the school, someone else was walking the halls in a similarly agitated state. As if it wasn't bad enough to have transferred to a new school in the middle of the year, Mamoru thought, rubbing angrily at his right temple all the while. But now, there was some deranged girl stalking him.
Everywhere he turned, everywhere he looked, there she was, ready to ambush him. It was getting to the point where he was having nightmares about it. And whenever he tried to tell anyone what a psycho she was, they'd all say the same thing. That she was all sweetness and light and wouldn't even hurt a fly. Well, he wasn't a fly but why'd she have to hurt him, he asked himself rhetorically, wincing at the pain still shooting through his back from their earlier encounter. At least the weekend was coming up. Two whole Usagi-less days.
He couldn't wait.
****
Somehow, without her even realizing it until it was staring her in the face, Haruka finally had to accept the fact that lunch --- that most mundane of school rituals --- had somehow evolved itself into an event. And a stressful one at that. As had become routine, the three other people at her table had taken their seats --- Manny directly across from her, Usagi next to her, and Mamoru across from Usagi. And as also become routine, her girlfriend and Mamoru were out and out glaring at each other.
That wouldn't have been so bad --- weird maybe, but not entirely bad if the glaring didn't then turn into an argument which it inevitably did. An argument that, if they were all lucky, wouldn't escalate into a full blown shouting match by the end of lunch. She didn't understand how this could've happened and one look at Manny who was trying to hide behind the pages of a magazine told her she wasn't alone in the matter.
Luckily for the both of them, it seemed that Mamoru and Usagi had picked today to utterly and completely ignore each other which would have been all well and good if the tension had lessened any ... which it hadn't. It was ridiculous really, Haruka thought to herself, mechanically eating the food on her tray as she mulled over just how out of control the situation had gotten. So engrossed was she that she in shoveling food into her mouth that she nearly jumped out of her chair when Manny quietly commented, "You know, I'm getting really sick of the catfights you two get into. So until you learn to sit together without reenacting the Cold War, Haruka and I are outta here."
Trust Manny to get to the heart of the situation, Haruka thought as she automatically followed his lead, going over to another table on the other side of the room.
"You think they'll be all right?" She asked, glancing back once and regretting it immediately as she saw the pitiful look Usagi had on her face.
"I doubt there'll be any bloodshed," Manny answered in his usual laconic manner as he took a seat. "But if that's what it takes to make them settle their differences ... " He shrugged, leaving the rest unsaid.
Haruka nodded, still worried but willing to go along with it because, truth be told, she was getting really pissed off at the constant bickering and fighting too. If leaving the two of them together ultimately accomplished nothing, at least it was a temporary respite from the crossfire for her.
Lunch passed with no further incident and the last time she chanced to look over at the other table, she saw that Mamoru and Usagi were at least talking to one another.
"See? Told you everything would work out if they just sat down and talked it over," Manny said with a triumphant gleam in his eyes.
"Yeah, you're real good with the conflict resolutions," Haruka smirked, walking down the corridors with her friend. "Maybe a career in politics isn't too far off."
Manny screwed up his face in distaste as he reached out and playfully punched the blonde on the shoulder. "What kinda friend are you anyway?" He asked. "To wish a fate like that on me?"
Haruka reached out, retaliating by slapping him on the back of the head and laughing at the affected expression of hurt on his face. Her mirth, however, immediately died in her throat as soon as she caught a flash of familiar green walking towards her. She really wished something so ordinary as a color wouldn't affect her so much but it was almost reflex by now --- something she didn't entirely understand and for which she could control as well as the beating of her heart, which was to say, not at all.
"Hey, isn't that -- "
"Michiru," she finished for him.
****
It took her a minute to realize there was a hand waving in front of her eyes.
"Uh, sorry, what?" She asked, trying to regain a smidgen of composure, made much harder as Manny's puzzled but intense gaze bored into her. "Cut it out," she whispered, referring to his scrutiny as the aqua haired girl drew nearer.
"Cut what out?" Manny rasped back under his breath, simultaneously cocking one eyebrow.
"Hi," Michiru greeted with a smile as she came to a stop in front of them. If she noticed the urgent whispers exchanged between the two friends, she didn't mention it.
"Hi, Michiru," Haruka answered brightly as her eyes all but lit up like two stars. The two of them stood there with identical grins on their faces until Manny interrupted with a none too subtle cough.
"We'd better get to class, Haruka," he said, grabbing the blonde's arm and leading her away before she could even get out a word of objection.
"What was with that?" He asked as soon as they were out of earshot.
Haruka blew out an irritated breath as she yanked her arm away. "What was with what?" She asked, her mind still centering around the girl they'd just left.
"That!" Her friend nearly shouted as he pointed an accusing finger at her. "That's exactly what I'm talking about."
Slightly taken aback, the blonde shook it off and batted his finger away. "You're not making any sense at all. You know that, right?"
"I'm talking about that 'look' you get whenever you see her or think about her ..." Looking at her accusingly, he asked, "You were thinking about her just now, weren't you?"
Haruka's faint blush was all the answer he needed. "It's not what you think," she vehemently protested. "I mean, I was just talking to her so, of course I'm going to be thinking about her ... you've got it all wrong."
Manny made a derisive snort, pointing out, "You doth protest too much" as they walked into class together.
Haruka took her seat without answering, trying to look busy even as her mind whirled, poking and prodding at the recent conversation from every angle. Did Manny seriously believe there was something going on between her and ... He must be insane, she thought decisively. How else to explain it? Because there was nothing, absolutely nothing going on.
......
Still, it nagged at her --- that idea nipping at the edges of her brain just wouldn't go away and the more she tried not to think about it, the more it intruded into her thoughts. It was a good thing the teacher didn't call on her during the period because it was a sure bet she wouldn't have had the presence of mind to answer.
Damn Manny for bringing this up. If he hadn't opened his big mouth, she would have continued on with her life as oblivious as ever. Still, she knew, deep down, that she was never truly oblivious in the first place. Sure, she denied there was anything between Michiru and her, almost to the point of believing it herself but it was just that --- denial. And behind every denial, there was the truth --- hard and immutable. And if she looked at it that way, the only thing she could blame Manny for was being way too perceptive.
But how was she supposed to deal with this though? *Did* she have to deal with it? After all, things had been just fine before so who was to say they couldn't be just fine now? All she'd have to do was pretend that nothing had changed. She could do that, she thought, mentally congratulating herself for settling the issue. How hard could it possibly be?
****
The loud crash of brittle glass on unforgiving floor drew an audible sigh from the teacher and an even more audible whine from the blonde, looking down at the floor near her feet.
"Usagi," the teacher began, slumping further into his chair. "Please be more careful." There was a time when he wouldn't have hesitated in yelling and berating the clumsy act but that time had been weathered and blunted by this particular student's inherent lack of grace. If he yelled every time Usagi were to break or spill something, he wouldn't have much of a voice left. It was generally better for his health, all things considered, that he look at Usagi's presence in his class as a sign that early retirement was the right road to take.
It wasn't that she didn't try --- the problem might even be that she tried too hard sometimes and anybody would be hardpressed to fault her for that. Still ... what he wouldn't give for some vacation time right about now.
After sweeping up the broken pieces and depositing the fragments in the trash bin, the blonde went back to her seat. She was all too used to the occasional snickers by her classmates but it was particularly aggravating when it came from the mouth of the one person who never failed to grate on her last nerve. She shot a dirty look at Mamoru sitting two rows behind her, hoping he'd take the hint and shut up but unfortunately, his head was turned, talking to someone else.
"Maybe ... maybe, I should finish the rest of the experiment ... alone," a hesitant voice said next to Usagi, drawing the girl's attention back to her lab partner. Ami Mizuno squirmed slightly under the scrutiny, hoping she hadn't offended her partner with the offer but knowing also that they'd never get done otherwise. Class was almost over and they still hadn't managed to get halfway through the experiment.
Usagi tried to keep the hurt from her voice as she answered, "I'm sorry Ami ... I didn't mean to drop it. You'll probably be better off without a klutz like me in the way." Laughing in what she hoped was a good-natured sort of way, Usagi watched as Ami smiled back, giving her a few reassuring words before turning her attention to the project at hand.
The blue haired girl was the certifiable genius of the school --- studious, polite, and well-mannered, she was every teacher's dream come true. And because of this very fact, Usagi often felt useless next to her. She hated that Ami had to do most of the work --- hated that whenever she tried to help, more often than not, she'd mess things up. Why couldn't she even do the simplest things without help? Heaving a small sigh, she sat in her chair, staring out the window into the cloudless afternoon sky. At least this way, she wouldn't get in the way.
****
Luckily for both of them, Ami was able to finish the project before the last bell of the day rang, allowing them to share a wan, if slightly relieved smile as they parted ways. Usagi, hefted her bookbag more securely onto her shoulder before walking down the hall. You wouldn't call it brooding exactly but she wasn't in the most cheerful mood either. The day had started out 'blah' and progressively gotten worse with each passing hour.
Scrunching up her brows in an uncharacteristic scowl, she stopped short as her 'blah' day suddenly took another nosedive. Leaning against the wall a few feet in front of her was Mamoru --- arms folded, ankles crossed and head bowed at a slight cant. As soon as she stopped, he looked up, his intense blue eyes piercing her own as he stood up straighter.
"What do you have against me?" He asked, coming straight to the point.
"What?" Usagi asked, taken aback by his blunt question. "What do you mean what do I have against you? I should be the one asking you that. What do you have against *me*?"
Mamoru's face twisted into a sour expression. "Ever since I've transferred to this school, you've held a grudge against me or something. Admit it, you've never liked me. You've never given me half a chance."
Usagi shook her head forcefully at his statement. "Like you've been so friendly and approachable," she scoffed. "I'm not the only one who's holding a grudge."
They stood there in silence as they both warily eyed each other, neither one comfortable in the other's attention. As if on some silent cue, they suddenly both heaved a sigh which caused a chuckle to escape from the raven haired boy and a giggle to pass through the pink lips of the petite blonde.
"So you want to start over?" he asked, closing some of the distance between them with a grin still lingering on his face. "Cause I think we just started off on the wrong foot."
Usagi pretended to give it some thought before breaking down and fully smiling back. "Deal," she replied, gladly putting their differences behind her. She wasn't normally one to hold grudges and being able to reconcile whatever rift happened to pop up into her life at any given time relieved her to no end.
They fell into a surprisingly easy rhythm, walking towards the school's exit and Mamoru was just commenting on one of their teachers when he noticed with a start that he was talking to no one but himself. "Usagi?" He asked, looking behind him to see the blonde girl with her eyes wide open and her mouth slightly ajar. Her feet were planted to the spot as if she'd been frozen midstep and her knuckles were turning white from gripping the books in her arms so tightly.
Mamoru's brows furrowed as he followed the girl's gaze. "Shit," he muttered as his eyes took in the two figures in the distance who appeared, for all intents and purposes, to be in a heated embrace.
"H-Haruka ... "
He spun around, cringing at the strangled despair entwined into that one word. Right then, he wanted nothing more than to walk right up to the couple and punch Haruka in the face for putting the pain and betrayal in those blue eyes he was staring into. But before he had a chance to do anything, Usagi had turned on her heel and run, the books she'd been carrying dropping to the floor with a loud thump.
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