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Disclaimer: Sakurako Kimino, the creator of Strawberry Panic and Media Factory, the company that sponsors its anime, own all copyrighted material this fanfiction may include such as characters, events, et cetera.
The rest of it is mine... ALL MINE! BWAHAHAHHA! *thunder crackles in the background* ... So no stealing! =p Well, unless you ask me nicely. ^.^;;;
Author's Note: I don't suppose anyone reading this fanfiction missed that insert at the end of the chapter. =p In keeping with the anime, I decided to have those little bits of dialogue Nagisa and Tamao have at the end when they show previews for the next episode. Just for fun! ^.^;;;
Thanks go out to my dozens of viewers and the one of those viewers that became a reviewer. =p For those that know me, I'm a writer that appreciates feedback from my readers. What am I doing right? What am I doing wrong? What are your guesses as to where the story is going? I look forward to seeing your responses.
Last chapter introduced a few characters such as the manga-only character of Kusanagi Makoto. In this chapter, I will be developing the original character I introduced towards the end of it, Mori Shizuka. Who better to help me develop a character than Nagisa? In the anime, it seemed everybody knew her before she ever met them. Of course, this was explained as her having transferred as a fourth year, something nearly unheard of in Astraea Hill. This time, Shizuka is the returning student and so, their introduction should be more on a level ground.
Let's see how it unfolds! ^_^
~Strawberry Panic: The Second Year~
"The winds are shifting. They are uneasy. Like a forgotten memory. The huntress is on the prowl. But will her prey be willing to submit?" Shizuka considers this as she walks the halls of the Strawberry Dorms.
A Challenger Approaches
"Tamao-chan has been busy lately." Nagisa comments as the two roommates sit at their usual booth in the cafeteria.
True enough, the Miator Student Council President had been burdened with paperwork since the end of last year. There have been papers to induct alumni, papers to vacate rooms, to fill them, and now, there are files to start for each of the new Miator first years. Tamao sighs as she finishes reading yet another notice of updated protocols. She would normally ask her assistants to help her manage these duties. However, as a result of her youngest assistant, Takemura Chihaya and Mizushima Noriko are currently occupied with the task of refiling and sifting through all the records of Miator. Unfortunately, little Tsukidate Chiyo, in a panic over the sheer number of files that needed to be sorted and frenzying her work as a result, ended up mispronouncing several names and filing them in the wrong places. Having gone through so many, she forgot exactly which ones she'd done and so, it falls on Chihaya and Noriko to sift through the lot of them before they can even start on the rest.
"She means well." Is Tamao's only response.
Of course, as Nagisa hasn't taken part in her roommate's Presidential activities, she's not quite sure of her meaning, "Eh? Who means well?"
"Oh, I was talking about Chiyo-chan. She's been helping us with all of the work, but I think it overwhelmed her. I really shouldn't have given her so much, but I really needed the help." Tamao explains, signing a confirmation on the documents she just read.
"Where is Chiyo-chan now?" Nagisa asks, searching the cafeteria from left to right.
Tamao sighs again, "She spilled water on one of my reports that I have to hand in tomorrow and she's currently trying to dry them out without ruining them."
"Maybe I could help her. It sounds like she might need it." Nagisa muses, giggling.
"Chiyo-chan is still young, but she's steadfast. If Nagisa-chan helps her now, it might break her confidence. As President of our illustrious school, it is my responsibility to see to it that all the girls are performing at their best." Tamao replies in a demonstration of the changes she's undergone.
Nagisa only giggles again, noting that her dear friend's become a strong character and reminds her of Rokujou-sama a bit more every day. Tamao sighs in exasperation; she hadn't meant for her words to come off in such an official tone. In all honesty, she had never thought of coming into any position of power let alone succeeding Rokujou Miyuki when she graduated. The landscape was completely new territory for the girl and, though she can admit she was honoured by the appointment, she is still adjusting.
"I wonder, 'can I do this?' Am I really fit to fulfill this role?" Tamao admits aloud, putting down the papers she'd been reading.
Nagisa takes her roommate's hands in her own and with a reassuring look from her bright rubies, says, "Rokujou-san chose Tamao-chan personally. I agree with her choice."
"Nagisa-chan…" The President gasps.
"Besides, if you make a mistake, you can always blame it on Chiyo-chan!" The girl suddenly blurts, casually glancing away.
"Nagisa!" Tamao whines, "You had a very bad influence on you last year."
It was true; when she caught the eye of Hanazono Shizuma, Nagisa traveled a labyrinth of self-discovery. The Nagisa of today is not the Nagisa from then, awkward and unsure of her place. She is no longer the transfer student whose parents left to work overseas. She is no longer the girl that didn't know any of the workings of Astraea Hill. Following the events culminating in last year's Etoile-sen, Aoi Nagisa built up her poise and grace and even picked up on some of Shizuma's less than productive characteristics.
"I'm kidding. I thought Tamao-chan could use a laugh. You shouldn't overburden yourself." She tells her roommate.
"I know. Nagisa-chan is my dearest friend, but you don't have to worry about me. I'm just fine knowing that my friends are here with me." Tamao says, fixing the papers she's finished, "Nagisa-chan, I think I'm actually going to be here awhile if you'd rather go back to our room. I don't want to keep you."
"Oh, Tamao-chan, I don't have anything to do anyway. I-" Nagisa tells her, stopping herself as someone walks past.
With flowing ebony trailing her, accented by streaks of brunette, the girl glides past the two friends, her pink attire a sure sign that she's of St. Lulim Girl's School. She is unlike any of the Lulim girls Nagisa has seen, emanating grace and prominence with each step. If Nagisa had to compare, the girl's smooth strides could easily be a rival to Shizuma's.
"Is that?" She asks.
"That was Mori-sama." Tamao confirms.
"She's amazing!" Nagisa exclaims, continuing to watch the fading steps as Shizuka exits the cafeteria.
"Yes, Mori-sama has had that effect on all the girls that have seen her." Tamao explains, her violet eyes aglow as she lets her mind wander.
"Tamao-chan never did make her acquaintance, right? Why don't we go introduce ourselves!" Nagisa chirps in excitement, leaping from her seat to Tamao's side of the booth.
"I'm… not so sure that's a good idea." She replies, putting a hand to her cheek.
"Eh? Why not? Do you think she won't like us?" Her roommate asks, the zeal she had just developed slowly deflating.
Tamao shakes her head and corrects herself, "No, Mori-sama is a kind person. I just don't think it's a good idea. Besides, I still have a lot of work ahead of me."
"Oh alright, then Tamao-chan should concentrate on her work. I'm not going to keep pestering you. I'm going to see if I can catch up to Mori-sama instead! Maybe I can introduce her to Tamao-chan later!" Nagisa happily suggests, taking off in the direction they'd seen Shizuka leave and adding, "I'll see you back in our room! Good luck with your work, Tamao-chan!"
"Nagisa!" Tamao shouts, extending her hand to stop the over-enthused girl, "Nagisa…"
Shizuka is absent-minded. Though the year in France had come and gone without much deviation from her usual routines back in Japan, she was at a loss of her place in Astraea. She senses that the Astraea she knew is changed and things are in motion now that will no doubt affect her, but what should she make of it? If she goes along, she might deviate from herself and be lost among the waves perpetrated by others. If she fights it, it might be cumbersome and she dislikes conflict.
In her trance, she eventually finds herself nearing the lake at the heart of the hill, an ovular oasis that has often been used by some of the girls to hide away from school life. Shizuka, herself, has found herself wandering here, usually when stuck on some project she was working on. However, even this place gives off the unique fragrances of change. That, Shizuka recalls, is due to the fact that a common fixture of this area has already graduated. How strange it is to hear nothing, no rustling in the bushes, no innocent gasps coming from behind a tree. It had been a staple to Shizuka's various visits that, during such time, she'd spy the silver-maned beauty with yet another conquest. She smiles to herself at the memory and continues on her way.
Nagisa walks cautiously, taking note of the wanderer in the distance. Though she had been excited to meet her, now that she finds herself alone, Nagisa is apprehensive of revealing herself, taking instead to stalking her from behind the foliage. She is curious; Shizuka doesn't seem to have a purpose for coming to this place. Her steps are erratic and she appears to be staring off into space. It is quite a different perception of the girl than Nagisa had originally held. Still, despite how erratic they were, Shizuka's form glides as she walks, only aided by the long ebony stream flowing from her. Her wardrobe fits her perfectly and is unique amongst the other Lulim uniforms Nagisa had seen. Though she does keep the pink skirt to preserve her school's colour on the outfit, she doesn't wear the marigold sweater that Chikaru and Kagome wear and neither does she wear the rose sweatshirt with cream sleeves of the other girls. In place of that, Shizuka wears a sleeveless crimson qipao adorned in gold embroidery. Frilled wheat sleeves are attached to the qipao's shoulders by crisscrossing brown leather straps. If Nagisa didn't know better, she could have sworn to have seen a sketch of the outfit last year among Chikaru's many doodles of clothing for her Henshin Club.
"What is she doing, I wonder." She whispers to herself, carefully moving from one tree to the next.
A light breeze starts to blow across the trees, the last chilly wind before spring. As it passes, the leaves rustle and chime. Nagisa sees Shizuka stop and listen to them, letting the air flow through her hair, brushing strands against her cheek. She is curious and so chooses to listen to the leaves, as well. However, whatever it is that the older girl is experiencing eludes Nagisa and she can only frown in disappointment. Suddenly, above her, the wind has caused a few leaves to detach from their branches and fall. It dies then and the leaves float down gently. Then, moments later, Nagisa loses them. They seem to have disappeared right before her eyes. She shakes her head of the distraction. She didn't come out to watch falling leaves. However, when she looks back to where Shizuka had been, she finds that the girl is gone also.
"Huh? Where did she go?" She gasps, leaving the tree from where she hid to search for her.
Further along, she discovers the girl, her distant form standing idly before the lake. In her hands are several leaves. Nagisa's eyes widen in surprise. Had she caught the leaves? Shizuka lifts the leaves and takes one into her other hand. She twirls it for a bit, saying something that Nagisa can't quite make out. Letting the breeze wash over her once more, she gently places it onto the water. The wind pushes the surface of the water and the leaf begins moving deeper into the lake as both Shizuka and Nagisa watch. Nagisa can't understand Shizuka's purpose, but continues to watch intently. The older girl lifts the hand holding the other leaves straight forward and lets them catch the wind. After a while, she releases them, too, watching as the winds carry them over the leaf in the water.
For a moment, they stay like that, Shizuka staring out into the lake and Nagisa hiding behind her tree. It is a calm that Nagisa isn't quite familiar with and makes her impatient. As she bites her lip, frustrated over watching such a boring scene, she begins taking the first steps forward when a rock finds it way into the lake, sinking the leaf.
Nagisa turns in time with Shizuka and spots the culprit, an arriving Kenjou Kaname. She takes back to her hiding place, knowing too well what sorts of trouble the new Spica President could cause. Last year, she and her girlfriend nearly ruined the upperclassmen play purely for malicious ends. What could she possibly want with Shizuka?
"Ahoy!" She purrs, waving casually even as she discards a second rock from her hand.
"Kaname…" Shizuka growls, "Looks like you regressed back to your old look. Did Amane not take to your cloned appearance?"
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, isn't it? I thought she would have been impressed, but now that she has her princess, I dare not entice her." Came the sly response as Kaname pats the braid draped over her left shoulder.
"Unrequited love? Never knew you to give up." Shizuka sneers, "Mellowing in your old age perhaps?"
"Maturing, I'd say. More than I can say for you. You still seem to have your head in the clouds." The President retorts, kicking another rock into the lake.
Shizuka growls at the act, saying, "It's called meditation. Try it. It suits you, given Spica's high stress environment."
"I always thought meditation was sitting over hot coals or something or was that a bit too much for your tender flesh?" Kaname bites back.
"Did you want a taste? I suppose you were never that successful a flirt around here." Shizuka fires, "Of course, you tried."
"Unlike you. You could have had anyone, but that's just it, isn't it? You never try." Kaname returns.
Shizuka closes her eyes, smiling to herself, "I didn't have to."
"Oh, that's right. They just fell in line… and you ran." Kaname corrects herself, moving closer.
"Walked." Shizuka corrects, "Shall I demonstrate?"
With that said, she begins moving past the Spica Student Council President, the graceful poise returning as Nagisa looks on. However, Kaname would not leave it at that. She grabs Shizuka's wrist, stopping her and turning her about, pressing her lips to it. Shizuka grunts in discomfort, pulling away, but gives the President her attention.
"I want a duel." Kaname exclaims.
"A duel?" Shizuka asks, giving the girl an odd look.
"Yes, a duel in tennis. No stakes, just a test of skill." She clarifies.
Shizuka shows disinterest and turns away from her again, but Kaname is persistent. She rushes around to stop her again and makes the same request, moving in even closer. Shizuka can feel the hot breath escaping her lips as she says these words and Kaname's scarlet eyes are stern like a viper watching prey.
"What's gotten you so intense with me all of a sudden? I thought you gave up on me in our third year." Shizuka's silky voice cooes, causing Kaname to back away.
Straightening herself out, she answers, "Destiny."
"I'm sorry. Wasn't that the same line you used on Amane? Hitting on me now that your prince is off limits?" Shizuka muses, "Poor Momomi. Then again, I guess she is into that sort of thing."
"Each person has her own destiny, Shizuka. Amane has fulfilled hers. Now, you must fulfill yours. Destiny must not be denied." Kaname states.
"Well, I have my free will." Shizuka casually offers in retort.
"Then, I should ask, if it is only free will in question, why will you not accept my challenge? Might it be fear?" The President says, giving her prey a sly look.
"Indifference." She lets the word drift and takes her leave.
Once again, Kaname bars her path, forming a conclusion of the encounter aloud, "You say you're not interested, that you're indifferent, yet you are still here."
"I believe you're the reason for that." Shizuka responds.
"Really? The Shizuka I knew wouldn't have let something like that stand in the way of her 'free will'." Kaname blasts, again immersed in the ebony strands.
"Maybe I find you amusing." Shizuka says, pushing the girl away.
"Amusing, then be amused. I only ask that you be amused by me in a tennis match. Or does that go against your free will?" Kaname sneers, emphasising the last two words as to imply they and the destiny she spoke of are one in the same.
Not one to fall into such traps, Shizuka brushes away some loose strands and tell her, "No, it doesn't go against my free will. I'm only curious as to why you want one so much."
"As I said, there are no stakes. I simply want to have a match." Is the response.
Shizuka sighs, "Then, you'll have it."
"Splendid. Day after next at ten. I'm looking forward to it."
With that said, Kaname takes her leave. Shizuka watches her fading form then takes her eyes back to the lake. Once Kaname is no longer seen, she takes a few steps back to the trees and stops. Nagisa wonders what must be going on inside the older girl's mind when…
"You can come out now. She's gone." Shizuka abruptly speaks.
At first, Nagisa doesn't make a move, chancing a guess that she had meant someone else. However, as she goes to peek out at her, Shizuka's hazels peer back at her. Slowly and as if expecting a scolding, Nagisa leaves her spot behind the tree and approaches the older girl.
"I'm sorry for spying. I didn't mean…" Nagisa begins to say.
"That girl. I wonder what she's up to." Shizuka interrupts.
"Eh? Girl? Do you mean Kenjou-san?" Nagisa asks, confused.
"Yes, I thought I had escaped Kaname's weird plans." Shizuka adds with a frustrated sigh.
"What are you going to do?" The redhead asks.
"Tennis match, I suppose." Shizuka answers, frowning.
"She was like this last year, too." Nagisa tells her, "She challenged Amane to a tennis match."
Shizuka brushes away some more strands of hair, muttering, "Spica girls, they love their competitions."
"Not all girls from Spica are that bad. Yaya-chan and Hikari-chan are good. They wouldn't force you to play if you didn't want to." Nagisa argues, defending the honours of her friends from Spica, "And Tsubomi-chan once baked cookies with our other friends just to cheer me up!"
Shizuka smiles at the girl and pats her on the head, saying, "Alright, I'm sorry. Just Kaname is the weird one then. Anyway, I don't think we've been properly introduced. I am a sixth year Class A student, Mori Shizuka."
"Oh, right! Fifth year Class Moon, Aoi Nagisa." Nagisa greets.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Nagisa-chan." She replies warmly.
Nagisa nods and smiles back, "It was an honour to meet you, too, Mori-sama!"
"Hm, Shizuka. I never understood why people give me such a lofty title." Shizuka replies.
"Okay, Shizuka-sam-" Nagisa corrects, but is interrupted again.
Shizuka had placed her finger over the girl's mouth to say, "Not -sama. I'll see you later."
Kedakaki yuri no shiro no gotoku
Fushigi bara no rei ni gotoku
Aoba no nobe midori no gotoku
Ten no kisaki wa uruwashiku emu
Yaya and Tsubomi sing with the rest of the Saintly Choir, their voices in perfect harmony. One of the Etoiles, Konohana Hikari had been a member of the choir, but in becoming Etoile, she had to leave it to tend to those duties. However, that never stopped and still hasn't stopped her from visiting and singing along. In addition to being something she enjoys, Hikari adores her roommate's singing. In fact, Yaya's voice has gained her much recognition in Spica and, like Amane had with Hikari, many have compared it to the voice of an angel. Yaya even enjoys fans within the choir itself, though she seems to be oblivious to any of this, having been pining for Hikari until the end of last year. About an hour later, the Saintly Choir ends their practice for the day. Hikari says her goodbyes as she is going to meet with Amane in the garden, assuring her two close friends that she'll see them later at their usual spot with a wink.
As she departs, Yaya moves over to the window and stares out as she has been doing recently. The other girls want to approach her, but rumours have spread that Yaya already has a significant other. Some believe it to be Hikari, having remembered how forward she had been in her pursuits. There are other suggestions, though they are all pure speculation. Yaya hasn't even made the attempt since the Etoile-sen. Of course, unlike the previous year, Yaya has remained active in the Saintly Choir and interacts with her friends regularly. She even teases them like before.
As the other girls gossip, Tsubomi simply gazes at her Yaya-senpai. Outside, a devilish grin presents itself on Makoto's features as she watches the scene playing before her. She'd known all about Yaya's infatuation with Hikari and how it all fell apart last year with Hikari's flowering relationship with Ootori Amane. She also knows that, like Amane, Yaya has a growing fanbase due to her outgoing nature and brilliant voice, which received widespread attention when she sang before a large gathering of girls who had been watching the Amane/Kaname tennis match last year. Seeing little Tsubomi's eyes intently watching her, Makoto begins pondering as she goes back to the Student Council Office.
That night, the friends gather together in Tamao and Nagisa's room for their first Midnight Tea Party of the semester. Tamao prepares the tea that Nagisa has chosen and Chiyo unwraps a bundle of cookies she'd made in Cooking Club. Yaya's solemn attitude from earlier in the day disappears completely and she makes her usual jokes, happily discussing the coming days.
"Shizuka-senpai is so cool! Today, she had an encounter with Kenjou-san from Spica." Nagisa chirps.
"Kenjou Kaname?" Hikari asks, naming the nemesis she was forced to endure.
"You're in luck, Hikari. Looks like Kaname's 'fallen in love' with someone else." Yaya teases, taking a cookie.
"Kenjou-san? What did she want with Mori-sama?" Tamao asks her roommate.
"I didn't hear it very clearly, but they got really close." Nagisa answers, recalling the events.
"Why didn't Nagisa-oneesama hear them clearly?" Chiyo asks, pouring her another cup of tea.
"Oh, I was still hiding behind the tree at the time." Nagisa explains.
"Hiding behind a tree?" Yaya and Hikari question her in unison.
"Nagisa-sama probably saw them by accident and decided to eavesdrop." Tsubomi suggests, about to lecture the older girl.
"No, that's not it. I wanted to introduce myself to Shizuka-senpai, but she looked so calm and I didn't want to disturb her. She was doing something with falling leaves and it looked weird, but nice, too. I wonder what she was doing." Nagisa elabourates, going off on a tangent by the end.
"Uh, Nagisa…" Tamao says, trying to get her back on subject.
"Oh, I remember Kenjou-san said she wanted to duel!" Nagisa blurts out.
"A duel?" Yaya wonders.
"Do either of them know how to fence?" Chiyo asks, imagining what it would look like and where they might even have a duel like that.
"I'm sure they do, Chiyo-chan." Tamao says, having knowledge of both their histories, "In Astraea, there are only three that are prodigies in athletics. Two of them are obvious; they are Kenjou Kaname-san and Ootori Amane-sama. However, before she went to France, Mori Shizuka-sama was also a well-known athlete."
"What happened?" Tsubomi wonders, having never heard about this third contender.
After pouring another round for her friends, Tamao continues to explain, "It isn't so much that anything happened, Tsubomi-chan. Amane-sama and Kenjou-san love to compete. Amane-sama believes that every time she wins, she is bringing honour to Spica. Kenjou-san believes that people can only improve themselves when they compete, but Mori-sama is different. That's why she enrolled in Lulim. She is incredible, but for whatever reason, she doesn't want to show it."
"It must be because she's afraid she'll get outshined by Amane-sama. Isn't that right, Hikari-senpai?" Tsubomi confidently says.
"Speaking of Amane-senpai, our Etoile duties have kept her from competing with Starbride. I hope they'll both be alright." Hikari recounts, "Also, she told me someone came back this year from Russia. She sounded upset by it."
"Do you mean Kusanagi Makoto-san?" Tamao asks, getting a nod from the blonde.
"Kusanagi? Oh, that's just great." Yaya grunts.
"Does Yaya-chan know Kusanagi-san?" Nagisa enquires, covering for the fact that she'd just consumed two cookies at once.
"Oh yea… Kusanagi's like Kaname's understudy. I was so glad to be rid of her last year, but then Kaname started up trouble with Hikari. Now, they're both here… I guess I'll just have to sick her on Tsubomi." Yaya teases, ruffling the younger girl's pink hair and messing up her taupe headband.
"Pushing your problems on another student is improper behaviour for a student of Spica!" Tsubomi scolds, only earning more of Yaya's wrath.
Wrapping her arm tightly around her, Yaya muses, "Oh, Kusanagi's going to love you. Maybe she'll even break you enough for me to make a real room temp out of you."
"Yaya-senpai!" Tsubomi complains as the girls laugh together.
Author's Note: Ah the return of the tea party. Such a staple of the anime cannot be left out and I hope I started it off well with this one.
This chapter establishes the rivalry that, in the anime was between Amane and Kaname. Some other incidents were less pronounced and even less elabourated, but it got me to think of this story with a third rival in Shizuka. Also, I always felt that Miator and Spica kept taking center stage and getting all the attention, but that seemed to only be because of how dramatic the students of both schools can be. Even the relationships like Nagisa and Shizuma or Amane and Hikari or even Tamao and Nagisa or Yaya and Hikari were completely mad and filled with unnecessary angst. Well, perhaps from a male perspective, at least. x) However, Lulim's Chikaru and Kagome were always watching from the opposite side of the drama spectrum, being of help to the others and not actively engaging. Apart from the manga's portrayal of a conniving Chikaru mastermind, I felt that Lulim was the buffer between the two schools. And yet, Chikaru never stepped in during all of Kaname's schemes even though she helped Hikari later on with an amnesiac Amane *try saying that thrice fast ^_^;;;*. I had wondered why that was and then it occurred to me… in astounding pornographic fashion *I really must stop trusting google to find me proper sources* what might befall sweet benign Chikaru should she engage actively between the likes of Amane and Kaname. I thought, perhaps there was someone else at Lulim to handle those situations, only she had been absent during the year the anime took place, leaving Kaname to run wild with her mad schemes.
I also felt Yaya, in the anime, had far too much time on her hands, spending near every waking moment trying to seduce innocent oblivious Hikari. She seemed much too outgoing to be occupying all her time chasing after a one-sided love and so, I altered Makoto's role from the manga *who needs another rival to Amane, right? xD* and set the stage for her to be Yaya's antagonist. Of course, Makoto is a fifth year to Yaya's fourth, but Yaya seems very capable and a single grade higher shouldn't make much of a difference to her.
In the coming chapters, there will be more interactions and more original characters. Here's to each of them turning out well! Until next time! *poof gone*
次回予告
Nagisa: Shizuka-senpai was so cool!
Tamao: Uh oh…
Nagisa: Tamao-chan?
Tamao: Is Nagisa going to fall for another star?
Nagisa: Tamao-chan…
Next time on Strawberry Panic, Ebb and Flow!
Tamao: Maybe we should look at what's happening in Spica next.
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