A/N: Hi all. It's been a while. I've been in a bit of a funk in terms of writing and just life in general. Fortunately, I'm back on my feet as I've gained a better hold of my shit (or so I'd like to hope). Most importantly I've been writing again. Anyway, that's enough about me. What I have here is basically a planned collection of ficlets set in a fictional upstate New York liberal arts college where Makoto and Ami are first-year students. I know, I know, it's not canon, they're portrayed as Japanese Americans, yabba dooba yabbaa, but I'll do my best to have them remain true to their original personalities. Let's see where this goes. And of course, please let me know your thoughts/comments/laments/etc. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of Naoko's lovely ladies. If I did I'd put them in a girl group and make mad money off of them by sending them to China.

Bitten

Ami had always been a good listener. Especially when it came to directions. Yet on this night, she found her attention slipping away from the sleepy voice of the RA, away from all the do's and don'ts of a resident at Wordham Hall.

"And please don't let me catch you with an open container," the RA said. "I don't like bein' the bad guy, but I'm gonna have to be one if any of y'all decide to break the rules. That's just me doin' my job."

The RA kept droning on, but none of his words registered in Ami's mind. Her eyes were glued to one individual who, unlike the other freshmen at the meeting, sat comfortably with an easy smile on her face. She was by far—at least in Ami's opinion—the most enticing girl she had seen in her first week at college.

Ami could not settle on why she found the girl to be so attractive. Perhaps it was her eyes—warm emerald green, brimming with mischief. Or her hair—voluminous waves of brown that framed her high cheekbones. Or her lips—full and pink. Absolutely kissable.

It wasn't like Ami to get distracted like this. She believed in self-control. Her whole lifestyle was grounded in it. Like logic, it was simply a matter of prioritizing, a tightly wound system that allowed her to postulate foreseeable outcomes. However, an anomaly presented itself in the system from time to time, and Ami knew from experience that this one was a virus. And a powerful one at that too.

She threw another look at the brunette sitting across from her. She caught the girl in the middle of a yawn, her chest thrown outwards, her back curving sensually against the couch she leaned on. Once again, Ami felt warmth swelling from the pit of her stomach and to her chest.

"Are you okay? You look a little feverish," her roommate whispered to her.

Ami shook her head. "I'm fine, Usagi. It's just a little hot in here."

"It really is," Usagi replied, fanning herself. "The weather here is constantly PMSing. Like, in the morning it's cold enough that you have to throw on a sweater, but come noon, everyone's dying from the heat!"

"That's so true. But hey, that's upstate New York for you."

"I know, right? I totally should've gone to ASU instead. At least it's nice and sunny there. But Daddy was like, 'Usagi, I'm not paying for your college education for you to turn into a party animal.' Geez, talk about having faith in your own daughter."

"You'll certainly be getting your money's worth here, though."

"You think so? I dunno. Everyone seems so intelligent here and I'm just like 'hey, I can count to ten'! Like, I was a 100% sure I was getting rejected, but boy, you should've seen the look on my mom's face when I showed her the acceptance letter. She gave me this look like she was seeing me for the first time in her life. It was priceless."

"She must've been very happy for you."

"It took her a while. She thought I was playing a prank on her."

The girls burst into fits of muffled laughter. Ami glanced at the RA, but he didn't take any notice of the noise they were making. Barely anyone was listening to his drawling at this point. When the girls had regained their composure, Ami directed her gaze once more to the lovely brunette, who at the moment appeared incredibly absorbed in looking at her fingernails.

Then the RA said, "Alrighty then. That's all I've gotta say for now. Why don't we wrap things up by doing introductions?"

Ami felt her mouth go dry. She couldn't do this right now, especially not after those awkward interactions at freshmen orientation. Why did RAs and OLs insist on making people uncomfortable by forcing interaction? And why, oh, just why was she placed in this situation in front of HER of all people?

"Would anyone like to go first?" The RA looked around him.

The room was all silence and nervous smiles. Ami realized her palms were sweaty. She really wanted someone to go before the RA started calling on people. She looked at Usagi, who sat with her knees drawn to her chin, her lips perked in a tiny smile. Her roommate looked back at her and shrugged. Then she raised her hand.

"Go ahead. Tell us your name, where you're from, and what you're planning on studying here," said the RA almost mechanically.

"Hi everyone," Usagi chimed, "My name is Usagi Tsukino and I'm from Evergreen, Massachusetts. I'm not sure what I'm gonna be studying here, but I do plan on making popcorn after this meeting is over. Nice to meet you all!"

Laughter abounded the room.

"That's an excellent plan," the RA said, his usually stony eyes now tinged with amusement. "Okay, who's next?'

A hand went up. Ami raised her eyes and saw that the brunette had volunteered.

Pushing herself off the couch in one fluid motion, the girl stood up and cracked a toothy grin. She was tall, at least 5 feet 9.

"Hey, what's up," she began. "I'm Makoto, Mako for short. I'm from Oakridge, New Hampshire and I plan on studying environmental science. Hope to have a good year with you all."

God, Ami thought. I could listen to her talk forever. She found herself gazing at Makoto once again. Her mind was a blur. No thought of cool reason could bring her out of her current state. She knew she was indulging herself, but there was nothing more gratifying than dipping into what she considered were forbidden pleasures. No, scratch that. These could no longer be forbidden let alone restrained. The glass had been tipped over the moment she had set eyes on Makoto.

Suddenly, Ami felt her breath hitch in her throat. Makoto was looking directly at her. Her gaze was steady and curious and Ami could not turn away. Instead—and to her complete surprise—she sent Makoto a soft smile. Her cheeks were burning—her heart palpitating. But none of it mattered because Ami could not deny herself the pleasure of getting lost in those deep, green eyes.

And Makoto smiled back.

When Ami finally looked away, the RA had called on her four times.