Whether it's high school or university, the first day of class is always the same: get in, get the syllabus, and get out. Mari anticipates the same from her final class of the week, a lab course that would normally eat up three hours of a Thursday afternoon. With no homework yet assigned, a visit to the library seems inevitable; there it will be quiet, and no one will try to talk to her.

Mari glances quickly to the side, a flickering of the eyes that could easily be missed. Yes, the woman sitting one empty seat away is still staring at her. Of course she wants a conversation. It's evident in the way she sits, arm settling against the counter so she can prop her head up on it. The boys at Mari's high school used to do the same, usually when they were working up the courage to talk to her. Best to get this over with, she thinks, swiveling on her stool. "What?"

The woman blows a pink bubble and pops it, and Mari resists the urge to tell her that gum in the labs is forbidden. "You look a little young to be here."

"So?" Mari counters.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Ahh. You must be one of those child prodigies. Top of your class, graduated with full honors- how many years did you skip?" Mari holds up two fingers. "Huh. Well, my name's Kyoko. The professor's probably going to pair us up once he starts class, so I thought I'd say hello. Your name is...?"

"Mari." Her tone swings from bored to clipped in the span of one word, and Kyoko takes the hint. Out of the corner of her eye, Mari watches Kyoko dig into her bag and pull out a small handheld mirror. Stifling a sigh, she turns toward the window. Stuck in the same lab group as a third or fourth year who acts just like the girls in high school. That's exactly what Mari doesn't need.

Her gaze wanders down the window, tracing the paths of students below. Mari wonders if anyone out there- or anyone else at Kyoto University- is younger than she is. Probably not. Resting her head on one hand, her fingers drum along to a tune in her head, this season's hot new song. It'll probably stay with her for a few days, and on the charts for a month, before a new craze sweeps in with the coming of summer. That's how it's always worked. Though Mari would never say it aloud, the familiarity is comforting, just a seamless transition from one segment of her life to the next. The annoying boys who always tried to flirt with her will be replaced by cold professionals and their detached interactions, and Mari is fine with that.

There's a part of her, pushed down time and time again, that wonders what it would be like to get into a serious relationship. Month-long flings had been common among her peers, another thing that had put her off seeking a boyfriend. Her logical side tells her, as it always has, that any relationship is a waste when she should be focusing on her studies. Still, she's young, and she has time. Mari sighs and lays her head against the table, staring at a pale stain on the otherwise clean surface. She brushes the tips of her fingers together, pretending the touch isn't coming from herself, but from another: a boy perhaps, barely older than her and just as intelligent. Yes, that could be worth pursuing.

The chattering in the lab drops away as the door opens and closes, and Mari sits upright, looking to the front of the class. Written in chalk on the blackboard is the professor's name: Kozo Fuyutsuki. Mari feels his eyes upon her as he surveys the class before speaking. "I see many familiar faces here, and some new ones," he notes, slowly walking down the center aisle. "If you do not know what I expect from you, I suggest you learn quickly. Here we have no syllabus, only the rules as outlined in your laboratory manuals, which you should have read prior to coming here. Today, we will be performing basic experiments to get everyone acquainted with the equipment."

Fuyutsuki comes to a pause in front of Kyoko, staring at the empty seat beside her. "Miss Ikari?" he asks.

"Probably running late, as usual." Kyoko pops her gum again and shrugs. "She'll be here."

"I trust that she will. Moving on, then- you should all be sitting in groups of three. If you are not-" The rest of Fuyutsuki's explanation is lost in Mari's angry grumbling. No mention of Kyoko's breach of laboratory conduct, and a simple dismissal of a student's tardiness? Four years of rigid discipline matter nothing here. Only the promise of lab work keeps Mari from leaving. She pulls her book from her bag, flipping to the first chapter as per Fuyutsuki's instructions. Diagrams swim in her vision, accompanied by page after page of familiar drivel, and just as Mari is about to flip to the back of the book, the door opens again.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Professor Fuyutsuki!" shouts the late arrival as she sprints at the seat next to Kyoko's. Mari registers light brown hair and red glasses, and a sweater that looks as disheveled as its owner.

"Ah, Yui. Good of you to join us. We were reviewing basic experiment protocol, on page 24 of our books."

"Book?" Yui glances around frantically, while Kyoko rolls her eyes.

"You forgot your bag, Yui," the blonde deadpans. "Off to a great start, don't you think?"

"Just share with the person next to you," says Fuyutsuki. "Continuing on. After you have set the hot plate to its third setting-"

"Kyoko, let me see," Mari hears Yui whisper. Kyoko shakes her head, pulling her book away and pointing in Mari's direction. "Kyoko- oh, fine." Metal legs scrape against the tiles as Yui moves closer to Mari, extending a hand. "My name's Yui Ikari. Mind if I share your book?"

"Mari Makinami," Mari volunteers. "And..." her voice catches as she looks at Yui's smiling face; even though there's only a slight upturning of her lips, Yui looks like she's beaming. "Yeah. Sure. Why not." The words spill out in an uncoordinated rush as Mari moves automatically to shake Yui's hand. Warm fingers press into her palm, and her stomach drops, a sensation she's never felt before. As Yui releases her, Mari shoves her book over into their shared space, hunching over it. Yui joins her in browsing the text, oblivious to the glances Mari throws her every few seconds. To Mari, everything about Yui screams 'rival', and the idea of someone being able to keep pace with her excites her, makes her heart race and her fingers tingle.

If she can find a rival in this Yui Ikari- and Mari is sure she will- then she will outdo Yui in every single quiz and test. That too seems certain: there's no way she'd let herself be outdone by someone so disorganized and forgetful. Someone so optimistic. As the groups start to break off to gather their lab equipment, Mari makes herself a promise: to outdo Yui Ikari in everything, and prove that even among her seniors, she can still be the best.

Mari isn't the best, not even by a close margin. When the results of their first test are passed back four weeks after classes start, it's Yui with the perfect marks, followed by Kyoko with a 95%. Mari glares at the traitorous 92 underlined on her paper in red and shoves it into her bag.

For the rest of the day she works in silence, smoldering on the inside as she observes a row of test tubes and washes out used beakers. Yui and Kyoko are more than happy to do the actual experiment in her stead, recording data that Mari copies down when she isn't cleaning out flasks. She moves about her partners like a ghost, simmering with jealousy and self-loathing, up until the point she squeezes a little too hard on a test tube.

The pained gasp Mari lets out is nothing compared to shards of glass hitting the floor. Every head in the lab turns toward her. Mari looks away, down at her hand, where a small sliver of glass shines up at her amidst a gathering pool of blood. This lasts for but a moment: Yui rushes forward, avoiding the glass underfoot, and grabs Mari by the shoulder. "Kyoko, you take care of the rest," she says, and Kyoko nods. "Mari, come with me."

"I'm fine," Mari protests, but Yui's hold on her is too strong to pull away from. Yui pulls her to the back of the room, where the sink and the first-aid kit are. "Yui, I can do this by myself."

"Let me see your hand."

Shaking her head, Mari extends her injured hand, watching as Yui cups it with both of hers and inspects the cuts. "Not too deep. There's still something in there. Stay right there," Yui orders, opening the first-aid kit. She comes away with a roll of gauze tucked under one arm and a pair of tweezers in hand. "This might hurt."

"I said I'll be fine," Mari murmurs, wincing only slightly as Yui plucks the glass from her palm with uncanny precision. The pain radiating up her arm is nothing compared to the embarrassment burning red on her cheeks. She looks away as Yui begins wrapping up her hand, instead watching Kyoko crouching down to sweep up the glass fragments and dump them into a bin. Her shame increases twofold, and she turns back to Yui just as the older woman calls her name.

"Mari? We'll finish cleaning up for you, alright? Just write down what we've got and take a seat. Or- was that your writing hand?" The concern on her face breaks into a grin when Mari shakes her head. "That's good to hear. You should take this, in case you need to change the wrap. If it gets infected, have the campus doctor take a look at it. Okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Yui darts away, energetic as always. Mari slumps against the sink, leaning against her elbow and staring at her bandaged hand. No red peeks through the layers of white, only a small consolation. Her classmates line up to hand in their papers, and Mari shuffles around them back to her desk, where her pencil lies atop her half-completed paper. Yui's work rests next to them, Yui herself busy talking to Kyoko. Mari thinks she hears her name as she walks by- no doubt saying some piteous thing about her. The thought ignites the fire in her chest again, and she scribbles down answer after answer in a furious haze.

When she's done, Mari takes both papers up to the front and leaves them on the pile, not even bothering to voice a goodbye to Fuyutsuki. As she grabs for her bag, she almost drops it, having reached for it with her injured hand. Suppressing a snarl, she swings it onto her shoulder, and she's halfway to the door when Yui's voice stops her.

"Hey, Mari! Kyoko and I were headed to the library to study for our other classes. Do you want to join us?"

The 'no' is on the tip of Mari's tongue, her lips poised to deliver it, and yet she hesitates. Yui's kindness knows no bounds, it seems. To refuse her offer based on nothing but pride would be a waste, and though she hates to admit it, there could be something to be learned from both Yui and Kyoko. Turning back to them, Mari shrugs. Outright acceptance isn't in her nature. "I guess."

Yui smiles, her head framed by the setting afternoon sun, and it's then Mari knows she made the right decision. Returning Yui's smile with one of her own, she waves a hand toward the door. "Let's go."


Author's Notes: So I finally got around to cross-posting this one. posting system, why are you so... unwieldy? Anyways, here we go.