Disclaimer: I don't own Mai Hime.
This chapter is a bit slow, but it's needed in order to set up the ground-works for the story. In fact, a lot of these next few chapters are introductory chapters; please forgive me ahead of time as I really can't skip over them.
The bell for lunch rang and everyone started to get up, ready to have their first meal in a new school. Youko got up, taking out her money while trying to remember where she was told the lunchroom was.
"Sagisawa-han?"
Youko looked up from her desk, brought out of her thoughts, "Yes, Fujino-san?" she replied after seeing who called her.
"I remember you wanting to learn about Sugiura, correct?"
Youko turned around to see if the person in question was still there and was surprised to find her missing. She blinked at the empty space, That was fast… She turned back to the Kyoto-born, "Yes, I did."
"Then now is a good a time as any," Fujino smiled pleasantly. "Please follow me to the cafeteria."
"What is it you would like to know?" Shizuru and Youko walked down the halls of their new school toward the lunchroom. Both boys and girls alike watched them go by and whispered; some stared in awe, others in jealousy. Youko had a distinct feeling they were all gazing at Shizuru.
"Well, first of all, I'm curious about how you know her," Youko spoke what was on her mind, which was how she usually dealt with everything. She didn't think Fujino's clique and Sugiura's clique would mesh very well. (She wouldn't show it on the outside, but she was starting to get antsy with all the stares.)
"She was in my class at my last school, although we didn't talk much." Of course, Fujino being the critical analyzer she was, started to pick up on the signals her acquaintance was giving off. She cocked an eyebrow when Youko subtly narrowed her eye at the crowd of students watching them. "Is something wrong, Sagisawa-han?" she asked, inwardly amused.
Caught. Youko turned back and looked up into red. "I know they're all staring at you, but still. I'm not use to traveling with people gawking in my general direction. Honestly, it's unnerving."
Shizuru's smile grew a tiny bit, "You get use to it after a while," she replied in a jovial, knowing manner, turning her head back to the hall ahead.
Youko raised a brow, 'Get use to it'? "Then I suppose this happens often?"
"Quite."
"Joy…" the future doctor put her hands in her pockets and gained a thoughtful expression, "Albinism might be a rare sight, but it's nothing to gawk over this much…" she contemplated out loud.
Fujino turned back to her shorter partner and raised both eyebrows, openly showing her amusement, "Ara!"
"Hm?"
Shizuru smiled, "I think you're the first person to guess correctly about the origins of my eye color."
Youko frowned, "Seriously?"
The Kyoto-born nodded before bringing her right hand to her mouth, giggling softly, "You wouldn't believe some of the stories people have come up with."
"Like?" Youko asked curiously.
"Once I was asked if I was an alien from outer space sent here to procreate and intermingle with the human race so that my race could live on," Shizuru giggled harder.
Youko chuckled at the absurdity of the suggestion, "Who asked that?"
"Sugiura Midori," Shizuru smiled, red eyes glinting. "Imagine her disappointment when I told her I was one-hundred percent human."
Youko could only give Shizuru a stunned expression. All I've learned about Sugiura-san is that she's really REALLY eccentric. She shook her head softly, "But I thought albinos had more of a pinkish color?"
Shizuru simply shrugged as they neared the cafeteria doors, staying silent. In truth, Youko thought Shizuru looked a little uncomfortable about the subject, but it was gone so fast that she might have been imagining it.
They both entered the lunchroom and Youko gaped at the scene before her, "This is… larger than I expected." She finished lamely.
"Didn't you see this during the orientation?"
The shorter brunette shook her head, "I didn't get to go to the orientation; I was still moving in. I got here a bit later than every else."
"I see." They walked over toward the food lines while taking out money.
"E-eh…" Youko inwardly gulped at the prices. What is this, a five-star restaurant?
"Ara," Shizuru had to fight off the smirk as she looked at her classmate's expression. "What seems to be the matter, Sagisawa-han?" She drawled, knowing perfectly well what was wrong.
"The prices are…" Youko's voice trailed off.
"'A bit expensive'?" Shizuru finished helpfully.
"Yeah."
"Well, this is a prestigious private school," she replied. Fujino then frowned faintly when she didn't receive any recognition from the person who sat behind her in class, "Did you not know this?"
"No," Sagisawa answered truthfully, "I just applied for and got into the school that was closest to home for convenience's sake."
"My, that is something," Shizuru said, sounding both amazed and intrigued. Stories like that were unheard of in Fuuka Academy. "Usually people have to either be elite or be wealthy enough to pay for the tuition."
"Which are you?"
"Wealthy," Fujino answered with a wink, making the international hand signal for money.
Somehow, I get the impression that she's both. Youko kept her thoughts to herself.
"The name Fujino is placed in high regards in some areas of business," Fujino further explained, sounding casual and modest, but not obnoxiously so. "There are many people that come to this school who are talented in one particular field of study." she added.
"Hm?"
"For example…" the taller brunette trailed off for a moment, trying to think of a couple examples. "Minagi Mikoto in a neighboring class: it's rumored that her skills with a sword rival those of fifth-dans."
Youko's eyes widened at this. A first year against fifth-dans?
"Another example would be Sugiura Midori. She could easily become the captain of any sport club she chose. Unfortunately, she doesn't stay interested for very long so she quits, causing the teams to grovel on hand-and-foot for her to come back," the taller brunette chuckled a little at the mental image.
"Most people with an expertise in a certain field come here on scholarships that are active throughout their high school lives so long as they participate in school activities, such as clubs," Fujino finished her explanation.
Youko frowned at the information she gathered. I didn't know anything about any scholarships. "I suppose with these prices, I'll have to look for a part-time job," she said, making it known that she didn't receive any scholarship applications.
"Then I suppose all I can say to that is, 'good luck and try not to get caught'."
"Gee, thanks…" Youko rolled her eyes before stepping into line.
They both sat down across from each other at a table that was surprisingly empty in the noisy, packed room. (Sagisawa guessed that the previous group had just left.) Youko watched curiously as Shizuru took out a notebook and started to write between bites of her meal.
"This?" Shizuru asked when she caught the stare of inquisitive blue eyes. "I figured I'd start to jot things down that could be handled in class, such as who can be assigned to what job. I know a lot of people in our class and have a pretty good idea what their strengths are."
Youko furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "Isn't that the class representative's job?"
Shizuru smiled as she looked at the shorter brunette, "Ara, and just who do you think will be voted as class representative, I wonder?" She stayed silent and watched as Sagisawa mulled it over.
"Point taken," Youko mumbled when she finally came up with an answer.
"Thank you." Fujino went back to work.
"You like taking on work?" Youko eyed the thick backpack Shizuru lugged around.
"It's not that I like it (quite the opposite), it's just that it's good to be well-rounded and have many skills under my belt for when I'm older. In fact, if it was up to me, I'd much rather throw it all aside and start looking for my long-time friend." Shizuru's eyes gleamed pleasantly as she said this, as if bringing up fond memories.
Youko smiled, amused at the unexpected reply, "How lazy of you!"
Shizuru smiled knowingly and wagged her finger, "One shouldn't judge by appearances, Sagisawa-han."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Youko ended with a smaller smile, feeling much more at ease around Fujino than when they first met. "Oh yeah, your friend, who is the person, if you don't mind me asking?" Youko asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
"Kuga Natsuki, a second year," Shizuru smiled brightly, showing more emotion now that she was on a topic she enjoyed. "Perhaps you'll hear of her, being labeled as the 'Lone Wolf' or 'Ice Princess'." Shizuru giggled softly, finding these titles silly. "If only they knew the real Natsuki."
Youko smiled at Shizuru's expression. This Kuga-san must be really important to her. She then turned her eyes downcast to the ground, biting her lip. I wonder if it's okay to ask about the promise. It might be personal. "… And about the promise you mentioned in class?" She asked tentatively, wondering if she was pushing her limits.
"The promise?" Youko let out a silent sigh of relief when she saw the tall brunette practically beam at the mention of it. "Why, to marry her and always be by her side!" Shizuru responded, her cheeks slightly flushed, though showing no signs of being abashed.
Youko's eyes widened for a good few seconds before gaving Fujino a helpless smile, "You really are something, Fujino-san."
"You don't know the half of it," Shizuru smiled back after calming down considerably.
"U-um."
They both turned when the voice of a stuttering girl caught their attention. "Yes?" Shizuru smiled encouragingly when she looked at the shaking, flushed girl standing right next to her seat.
"P-please accept this letter, Fujino-sama! I worked really hard on it!" the girl held out a pink letter to Fujino, her cheeks gaining more color (if that was at all possible).
Shizuru blinked before smiling placidly, kindly taking the letter, "Thank you for the letter, but I'm sorry. I can't return your feelings. The best I can do is wish you the best of luck in your future relationships," Shizuru spoke, rejecting the girl softly.
"Ah-um. Th-thank you for taking the letter anyway!" the girl bowed low, still beat-red, quickly shuffling away afterward.
Shizuru took out another piece of paper, after setting the letter down on the table, and started to write a rejection letter.
"Why write a rejection letter when you just put her down?" Youko asked.
"Well, she made her own stationary and envelope just for one love letter. I think I should at least explain myself as a thank you for going through all that hard work, no?" the red-eyed beauty explained, not even looking up from her writing.
Youko thought it over. I suppose if someone went through all that work for me, I'd feel a little guilty if I simply rejected the person. She watched as a boy a year older than themselves walked up with a cocky smile on his face. Another one? And only on the first day of school too…
"Hey, Fujino-san," he smiled, "how about you and me go on a date tomorrow night at the movie theater?"
Fujino turned her head to the side to see her sempai, "I'm not interested; forgive me." Blunt. Her voice wasn't any different than when she dealt with other things, but something hidden in the tone told Youko that Fujino didn't want to deal with the boy. She turned back to her work, giving the boy a cue to not try again through her body language.
Youko almost flinched at how unreadable Shizuru's tone of voice was. Ouch. That must be a blow of his ego. "Must be fun, being popular," Youko lightly teased, watching the dejected boy walk away while glaring over at his friends who were laughing at his complete and total failure.
Shizuru smiled, looking up from her work from the top of her eyes, her head still bent downward. "Jealous?"
"Not really."
"Darn, and here I was hoping we could switch for a day or two," the other jested.
"Well, if you told me what kind of make-up you use…" Youko responded hopefully, although her tone didn't give her away.
Shizuru smiled wickedly, "I don't use make-up."
There was a brief silence. "… Okay, that just ticks me off," Youko frowned in mock anger.
They both chuckled at their little playful banter and went back to eating. The doctor-in-the-making smiled; all her uneasiness from earlier was all but gone. But as the conversation paused for a moment, her mind started to wander. After a bit, she voiced her thoughts, putting two and two together: "You're a lesbian." It was more of a statement than a question.
"I am." Shizuru looked up from her work and food, lifting her head, "Is that a problem?" she almost looked at if she anticipated something, like someone waiting for a prey to take the bait of the trap they set out.
Sagisawa paused for a moment before closing her eyes, shrugging, "It doesn't affect me, so why should it matter?"
Shizuru started at her for a moment, "… You're a very open-minded, down-to-Earth person, aren't you?"
"So I get told."
"I can imagine why," Shizuru smiled.
Youko blinked as she looked at Shizuru's smile; for some reason, it seemed a bit more sincere than the others before it. She seemed a bit more relaxed and happy.
"Oh yes, Sagisawa-han—"
Youko cut Shizuru off, "Call me Youko." she said, after a brief contemplation of considering Fujino her first friend in high school.
Shizuru's eyes widened for a passing moment before she went back to her normal placid expression, "Then please call me Shizuru, Youko-han." she continued after a nod from the person across from her, "I believe you wanted to discuss about Sugiura?"
Oh, right. We still haven't gotten around to talking about that yet. Youko nodded once more.
"Ara, then why don't you ask her personally?" Shizuru drawled, a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she pointed over Youko's shoulder with her chopsticks.
"Huh?"
"Hiya, Shi-chan!" a cheery voice came bounding over. The owner of the voice reached her hand over toward Shizuru's dish and picked up a piece of gyoza with her fingers and quickly brought it to her mouth. She chewed with gusto and swallowed before continuing, "How've you been?"
"Hello, Sugiura. I see you haven't lost your habit at taking things at random," Shizuru replied light-heartedly to the redhead standing at their table. "I'm doing well; yourself?"
Midori frowned at the tall brunette, "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Midori?"
"Forgive me, Midori-han. Old habits die hard, I'm afraid," Shizuru said with an apologetic smile.
"Don't worry 'bout it!" Midori's large grin was back on her face in no time as she waved her hand over her shoulder. "Oh! And how's… Veranda?... Violin?... Violet?..."
"Viola," Shizuru patiently corrected their classmate.
"Yeah! Viola! How is she?"
"She's doing very well. She's adapting to her new home nicely. Thank you for asking," Fujino bowed her head a bit in thanks.
"'Viola'?" Youko asked Shizuru, not able to keep her curiosity at bay.
"My pet snake," Fujino clarified.
Youko's curious frown furrowed deeper into a skeptic stare, "You own a pet snake?"
"Yes. Right here on campus."
I read that pets aren't allowed to be kept on campus. "How?"
Shizuru smiled knowingly, "Almost anything can be bought with money, Youko-han. And with about two-hundred thousand more yen added to my boarding bills, I'm mysteriously allowed my own room and my pet snake can live with me on campus."
Sagisawa stared blankly at the albino. I believe that's called 'abusing power', Shizuru-san…
"Viola is my pet snake that my father purchased from a 'rare pet' store for my birthday a while back, and has always been close to me ever since. She's about a meter long with deep purple scales and red eyes," Fujino seemed proud to talk about her snake.
The future doctor blinked, "Purple?" … Their eye colors match. Like owner, like pet?
"I suppose she's from an exotic area of the world. The first name that came to me was 'Viola' because her scale color is violet. The flower is known mostly for its purple color, and the name Viola is very pretty."
"Is she poisonous?" Youko asked, thinking the snake might be if it's from an 'exotic' part of the world.
"She is," she didn't even hesitate in her answer.
Before Youko could respond, the redhead but into the conversation again. "Hey," she started.
Youko turned her head in the direction of the interjection, looking at the athletic first-year that sat behind her in class, "Yes?"
"Whoa!" Midori exclaimed, her cheeks flushing slightly as she looked at Youko. She calmed down after a bit and smiled, "You're that person that sits in front of me, right? Yeah, I recognized the back of your head!"
Youko blinked, … Okay?
"But…" Midori looked the smaller brunette up and down, making Sagisawa uneasy. "Now that I look at you, you look really pretty!" she smiled brightly.
Youko's unease was quickly replaced with confusion and embarrassment. She stared incredulously at Sugiura, her cheeks flaring a light pink in the sudden declaration, "T-Thank you?" That was from nowhere.
Shizuru silently stared back and forth between Midori's sincere grin and Youko's awkward stare, noticing they both had blush-tinted cheeks. Her smile grew ever so slightly. Time to play cupid!
"No problem, Youko-chan!"
Hm? Youko blinked before she realized how familiar Midori called her name. She frowned, "I didn't give you permission to call me that," she stated bluntly, the blush completely gone and replaced with a hardened gaze.
Midori frowned back, showing her confusion, "Then just Youko?"
Sagisawa's blue eyes widened before furrowing farther than before, "I didn't give permission to call me that either!" That's even more familiar!
"So you do want Youko-chan?"
"No, I don't want you to call me 'Youko-chan'!"
Midori's confused gaze turned into a scowl, showing that she herself was starting to grow frustrated, "Geez, you should really learn to make decisions, Youko."
"Argh!" Youko face-palmed, "I give up!" she glanced up to find Shizuru giving her a sympathetic small and gave a dull glare back. Fortunately, the well-off brunette didn't take the glare to heart.
Feeling sorry for her new friend, Shizuru stepped in and moved the conversation along, "What brings you here, Midori-han? I don't normally see you in a cafeteria."
Midori's mood suddenly dropped and she sighed, dejected, "Well, I was looking out for any clubs to join so I could get my scholarship started, but none of them interested me." she pointed over her shoulder to a huge crowd of people that just barged in. Youko stared wide-eyed at the large mob. Now I know what Shizuru-san meant before…
"There she is!" one of the pointed and they all ran toward the table of three. Youko and Shizuru watched as they all started to gather around Midori:
"Please join our club!" "Join the archery club!" "The tennis club could really use your help!" "You'd make captain of the volleyball team in no time!" "You're the fastest swimmer we've ever seen! Please join our club!"
"Oh my, even the boy's teams are asking for her help," Shizuru stated calmly as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.
Youko turned to Shizuru, her mouth gaping at her words, You call this 'asking'? I'm just waiting for them to trample her over!
"Please join the boy's soccer team!" one of the boy's soccer players asked. "No! Join the boy's baseball team! With your pitching, we'd be unstoppable!" another boy chimed in afterward.
This has gone on long enough. Youko frowned, her normally long fuse running short, she abruptly stood up, "Quiet!" she yelled just loud enough to calm everyone else down and turn toward her, wide-eyed. Even Shizuru was surprised from the uncharacteristic holler.
The blue-eyed, first year took in a deep breath to calm herself down before slowly letting it out. She leveled her voice back to room volume before continuing, "I understand your enthusiasm to recruit Sugiura-san to your team—"
"Call me Midori!" she heard a random, familiar yell from the crowd and rolled her eyes.
"However," she continued to address the crowd, ignoring the shout. "I don't think you remember where you are. This is a school cafeteria where people gather to socialize and have a good time with friends- not get mobbed by club recruiters. Now, I don't hate the fact that you're doing this, because I know this is your job, but please continue somewhere else where students aren't trying to relax in peace." She sat down.
The club members suddenly looked very guilty as they looked about the room at all the stares they were getting. Some of them simply walked out afterward while others bowed, asking for forgiveness to Youko before walking out.
"You handled that rather well. I'm impressed," Shizuru commented.
"Yeah, you're a life-saver!" Midori grinned broadly as she sat down next to Youko at the table. "I thought they'd never leave me alone!"
"Even with all those options, none of them interest you, Midori-han?" Shizuru asked.
Green eyes lost a little of their spark, "Nope. I tried them, but none of the sports really got me wishing I could do this for the rest of the school year. I tried a hand at other kinds of clubs, but… those didn't exactly work out." A nervous grin crossed her features as she scratched the back of her head.
I don't think I want to know what happened in those clubs. "Then why not make your own club?"
"Huh?" Midori blinked and looked down to Youko.
"I said, 'why not make your own club'? It could contain the kind of activities you want to do; if you're the president, you could set dates and times to your whim and you wouldn't have to worry about if you're interested or not, because you're the one who made the club based on what you want," Youko explained, unaware of the Pandora's Box she had just opened.
Midori gasped excitedly as she imagined it, pulling Youko into a bear hug, "That's an awesome idea, Youko!"
Crushing back… can't breath… Youko didn't have much on her mind at that moment.
As Midori let go of the shorter brunette, Sagisawa inhaled sharply, regaining color in her face. "Let's go create our club right now!" Midori exclaimed cheerfully, standing up.
Youko frowned, Wait, did she just say 'our'?
"Upsa-daisy!" the redhead grin broadly as she picked Youko up and started to carry her bridal-style.
"H-huh? !" Youko froze in shock, her cheeks flushed deeply as she was carried away from her table. As soon as she came back to her senses, she started to wriggle, trying to get free, "P-put me down! Let me go!" she demanded.
Of course, Sugiura wasn't paying attention. She was excitedly explaining to Youko about what the club would be like and what would go on in it. She was talking so fast that poor Youko couldn't keep up! The wanna-be doctor turned back to look at her table, looking for some help from a certain girl, only to find the said girl waving good-bye to the unfortunate soon-to-be club member. Youko glared, only causing the humored smile on Shizuru's face to grow a little more. And here I was actually considering you my friend! Youko growled in her thoughts before she went back to protesting Midori's hold.
We meet Haruka and Yukino in the next chapter. Any guesses on what they are?