A/N: A Spiritual Successor to "Information Exchange," this is also me first "serious" foray into more dramatic (read: "angsty") writing. This is very tough for me to write, almost as bad as it must be for ShizNat fans to read NaoNat fics...ahem.
Anyway, the title comes, as one might guess, from the most popular (and frequent) of dancing calls (or cues, if you're a round dancer, instead of a square dancer; yes, those are real dance types). It just means to walk about, but I couldn't find a phrase that meant "swap your partner,"
so I used one that tells folks, "this has to do with dancing." Hopefully, when the first one is seen, the clue of the second one will make more sense, as will this note.
I mentioned this as a successor to InfoEx; you should be able to see how the two stories fit together well. So, on with the show!
Hands-down, this was turning out to be the worst week of Haruka Suzushiro's (admittedly short)
life. Every day this week, something normally small, and all-but inconsequential, had come buzzing into her head, into her heart, giving her grief, and not having the decency of giving her a clear target at which to charge, like a bull her less charitable friends took pleasure in comparing her with. It was never anything major, but it was always something irritating,
and something which only added to the irritation of the indignity she had had to suffer with just before it.
On Monday, Haruka forgot her lunch, and had to buy it in the cafeteria; not a disaster,
but...annoying, nonetheless. The worst part of it was that Yukino bowed out of eating together by the time she picked something up. Understandable, since she was compiling the weekend report from the executive committee members on patrol, to present at the weekly Council meeting,
on which she would write up another report. Haruka had tried to figure out a way to keep her best friend active in Council affairs, but the result seemed to be that they sometimes wound up spending less time together, not more. Haruka had felt it most strongly over the past month, but she'd written it off as concerns about the fast-approaching end of the school year, and "senior jitters." She even read the report Yukino sent by email that evening, but when she tried to call Yukino and talk about it, she didn't even pick up. Haruka told herself that it wasn't necessary for Yukino be constantly at hand, but it was the first time in years Haruka could remember not being able to speak with her whenever the impulse appeared.
On Tuesday, someone left a puddle of something slippery right in the middle of the Council room,
and Yukino spent valuable time cleaning it up, instead of taking notes. Haruka suspected it must have been some spilled tea from that addicted addle-brained _kaichou_ of theirs, but predictably,
it was let to her - or in this case, Yukino - to clean up the mess. As the most junior Council member, it wasn't out of the ordinary for Yukino to do this, but Haruka could tell that despite her quiet disposition, Yukino was bothered by it. It was especially aggravating to Haruka, because her friend was in a fantastically good mood just instants beforehand. Haruka resented anything that disturbed her friend's cheeerful outlook, and not just because it affected how the two dealt with the constant crises the school always posed for the executive committee. As her friend,
_kohai_ and protege, Yukino was like the little sister Haruka never had, and HAruka always felt it as a personal insult, when she could not give her friend the perfect environment for living and learning in.
Wednesday saw that bubuzuke flaunting how she does nothing, even less than nothing, now that she and that leather-wearing, motorbike-riding harridan are a couple. _Is that right, harridan;
maybe it should be hoplite, or howdah,_ Haruka thought to herself. Yukino giggled at "harridan,"
but said nothing else about it; still, Haruka was sure there was another word she may have meant instead, but since Yukino didn't say anything, she figured she must have got one right, for once.
She just felt glad that Chie Harada, with whom Yukino had been hanging around a lot recently,
had not been around to offer her own ideas. Not that she had anything against the girl, Haruka thought, but even though she always seemed to know something about what Yukino wanted to find out, something about Yukino's fellow-classmate made her feel...unsettled. Yukino seemed to handle her well, even though Chie-chan seemed, well, "cheeky" came to mind. Again, though, if Yukino-chan vouched for her, than it wasn't anything which Haruka could, or would, object to. At least Chie's own companion, Aoi Senoh, was much more appealing to be around...
Other small incidents over the rest of the week were also small, unremarkable, yet more aggra-
vating in the whole. Lately, Yukino had been finally breaking out of her shell - still much too quiet for her own tastes, in Haruka's opinion, but a good start - and even dating for at least the past week. Haruka wondered who it could be; she never saw Yukino around anyone besides her,
or Chie and Aoi. Haruka was curious, if only to be sure that whoever the boy (of course it was a boy, if only because a girl would have come up to Haruka to be sure it was okay to "split up the Dynamic Duo"), whoever he was, that he would be a good match for Yukino-chan.
For a moment or two, Haruka considered whether Yukino-chan might be interested in a girl as a romantic partner. As long as it didn't interfere with her duties, or wasn't a breach of protocol, like the _kaichou_ and her pet pup delinquent, it didn't matter to Haruka. In fact,
not only was it somewhat expected for girls at this time in their lives, but it seemed more safe, if only by virtue of avoiding an early and embarrassing marriage. Haruka couldn't ever recall Yukino even mentioning any boys - or girls, for that matter - that had caught her eye.
Praise Buddha, that included her not being one of the Mongol Horde-sized fangirls of that teetotaller Shizuru-kaichou...ah, for a depraved, decadent, lazy, girl-crazy, always-smiling-
for-no-good-reason...bubuzuke, Shizuru-chan wasn't that bad; heck, she seemed to actually like talking with corporate sponsors. If only she didn't have to have any real responsibilities, it would be great all-around.
Haruka sighed, and checked her pigtails, to make sure they were properly up, as they should be.
Since they were - they wouldn't dare disappoint the fearsome, dreaded Haruka Suzushiro - she crossed her arms, and sighed again. Haruka knew something was going on that she ought to know about, she just didn't know what. Since she didn't know, she did what she always did; she turned to Yukino, to see if she knew something they should be working on, or even just to have a nice girl-to-girl chat.
No sooner had she taken a breath, but Chie and Aoi came along side them, talking about all of the latest rumors running through the school. Ever dutiful, Yukino took out her laptop, and started typing, and pointing out how a couple of them couldn't be true, usually because the girls involved were fighting, and likely spreading the rumors themselves to get back at each other.
Chie giggled, clapped her hands, gave - in Haruka's not-so-humble opinion - a nowhere-near appropriate kiss to Yukino, and grabbing Aoi's hand, started running off to tell people about the feuding girls, now the newest bit of gossip in school.
"You shouldn't encourage them Yukino-chan, they spread enough morbid rumors as it is."
"Uh, I think you mean 'sordid,' Haruka-chan. I can't help but try to correct when someone says something that's so easy to correct...as Haruka-chan should be well aware by now."
"Ha-ha, yes I am. But still, there's something iimproper about it."
"I suppose there might be, but Chie-chan is such a good girlfriend that I can't help myself at times."
"I guess...what, 'girlfriend'? Are you sure you know what that word means, Yukino-chan?"
"Yes, Haruka-chan, I know what it means, and that you don't approve of such relationships. I am who I am, though, and if you want to find another student to be your secretary, I won't try to stop you. If you don't want to be friends anymore...I-I'll understand that, too."
"Wait, what? Not be friends any more? Not be my executive partner? When did I ever... Hey!
Get back here, Yukino, I'm not done yet!"
Yukino didn't stop looking at the ground, or stop tucking her shoulders over her ears, but she did stop walking away. She also started blushing a deeper shade of red than her hair, since Haruka...
well, let's say that Haruka isn't that much for restraint at the best of times. Quickly looking around, Yukino pointed to the nearest building corner, asking in a voice barely louder than her normal tone, for Haruka to come with her. After demanding why she should act llike she's trying to hide, Yukino explained that she didn't want to give the impression of the two fighting, even though her deep frown and tight lips certainly made Yukino look like she thought it would be one soon. Raising her fists to the heavens, and wildly waving them in demanding shouts for enlighten-
ment "if Buddha knew what was good for him," Haruka relented.
"Haruka-chan,...I like girls."
"I should hope you like girls, since you are one. You certainly have enough friends to make that obvious, too!"
"No, Haruka, I mean, I like girls a lot, as more than friends. So does Chie, and...we're a couple."
"Oh, okay, that makes sense. I couldn't understand why you would spend so much time trying to get good information out of that girl, but if you two are 'a couple' that explains it. Maybe you can get her to act more properly, I've seen her trying to sneak into the most inappropriate places..."
"Haruka! Don't you get it? I'm a lesbian!"
"Yes, I heard you, I'm not deaf! I swear, you ignore one blathering idiot, and everyone assumes you can't hear. I can hear fine, I hear plenty, it's just all nothing to do with setting things in order! I care about things being right, and I don't like it that so few others don't!"
"Don't you...don't you hate me for it?"
"Yukino-chan! What is wrong with you? I could never hate you, you're my best friend, we made a pinky-swear on it, and everything! I'd never go back on an oath, and even if we were too young to really know what we were doing, it's never wrong being friends, and stick to them, no matter what!"
"But I thought...well, you're always going on about Fujino-san and her fan club. I thought it was becasue you didn't approve."
"I don't approve. She does absolutely nothing, unless she has to do something, and then when she does, it's only the squallest thing possible."
"'smallest,' Haruka-chan."
"Yes, yes. It just makes me so mad to hear all of those praises for her when she hardly does more than breathe...and drink tea. She never takes anything seriously, she's always teasing,
or playing little word games, and faking little pouty faces...ooh, sometimes I just want to slap that fake pout right off of her face. Maybe next year, once she's just another college student, and we're on even standing again."
"Then, you're not mad at me for being a lesbian?"
"Are you just doing this to please, Yukino-chan? Is this really what's in your heart?"
"Oh, yes, yes it is, Haruka-chan!"
"Well, if you follow whats in your heart, then you can't go wrong!"
"You're my best friend, ever, Haruka-chan."
"Of course I am, we pinky-swore on it, right? 'Best Friends Forever' and I never go back on a promise, what's the point? If you're not going to keep a promise, you shouldn't make one."
"So, Haruka-chan...you don't mind me spending more time with Chie-chan? I won't neglect my duties to the Council, and we can still...Haruka-chan?"
"No, I think it's great that you have...a girlfriend, and you want to spend more time with her.
I'm even more proud that you still want to keep up with your duties on the Council."
"Haruka-chan, you're crying - why are you crying, Haruka-chan?"
"I-I...maybe I'm jaundiced because of you happiness."
"Do you mean, 'jealous,' Haruka-chan."
Unable to talk, Haruka just nodded, gave Yukino a bone-stressing hug and a huge shove back towards the rest of the lunch crowd. Once she regained her balance, Yukino turned back around,
but Haruka just stood, head down and finger dramatically pointed away. Just then Chie called her,
and with a short giggle of thanks, Yukino followed her heart, and her lover's call. Once she had rounded the corner, and only then, did Haruka allow herself to collapse to the ground, a shuddering, sniveling wreck.
A/N: Whoa, kind of a Downer Ending, eh? Well, you know what they say, first you break it/her/him down, then you can rebuild [the one] up again. So, consider this Haruka's beak-down.
Too bad, this is really just the start of it, not the end...aw, poor Haruka. Maybe she can find some dastardly law-breaker and take her frustration out on her (or him) - after all, that's how she seems to act norma...okay, typically.