Author Notes:

I AM REALLY, REALLY SORRY!

Yeah, and that's practically it.

Still no Beta, even I hadn't re-read it, sorry.

Thank you all for reviewing, and so on. Well, I thanked "a little" off-handedly, but I have no time. It's funny how I have no time when I have holidays and no time when I have school. I promise I will try harder...

Being Feminine

Chapter 3

'This is ridiculous!' thought Kanon.

She was standing in front of her new classroom. It was rather noisy inside, which usually meant naughty and loud classmates. And the teacher didn't seem like a one with lots of self-confidence, since she couldn't calm the class down.

Right now Kanon waited to be called. Thankfully, she didn't feel nervous. Not at all. Her hands weren't shaking. Her heart wasn't beating so fast it could come out at any moment. After all, it was just her first meeting with new faces. So what if she had to spend at least one year with them? So what if first appearances actually did matter?

She wasn't scared at all.

"Come in!"

Suppressing the squeak that wanted to escape, Kanon almost turned around and ran away...

Almost.

"Hora, what are you doing? Come on in!" the teacher appeared before her, preventing from escaping.

'Running away, Kanon. Running away. At least have the courage to name it properly.'

She followed after her new homeroom sensei. She was an old damn hag who doesn't give a shit about her students well-being... wait, that's just your imagination, you vengeful girl. The teacher was old, sure, but surely she cared about her pupils, seeing as the two of them was beating the crap out of each other... wait again, that doesn't testifies in her favor...

Let's just go to the description of the old ha-tfu!- teacher or else we won't be done by the end of this chapter. Pull yourself together, girl!

So –don't ever start sentences with 'so's!- the teacher, with unknown name (for the moment), was a middle-aged... no, that would be rude to all middle-aged women. The teacher was a not-middle-aged-but-also-not-that-old-to-be-called-old woman wearing pink jersey... 'This is ridiculous! What teacher wears jersey during their work-time?! And pink! Why is it pink?!' Let's say purple jersey, for the greater good. Her long hair was kept in high ponytail. And she surely didn't look like someone who would let others get on her head, so why was it so loud?

Simple. She didn't care... Probably. Let's not jump to conclusions!

"Everyone! Come on, cut it out! We have a transfer student, didn't I tell you about that already? Don't scare her off on just first day!"

Right. She didn't care...

Everyone was staring at Kanon, or so she thought. Counting the number of girls, and the number of boys... 'Shit! Why the hell three fourth of the class are boys?! They want me dead from fright or what?! This is ridiculous!' Feeling the need to run away Kanon turned around...

"Well, why don't you introduce yourself?"

Ah, it makes you feel so good when your perfect plan is ruined...

NOT.

"I'm Takahashi Kanon, sixteen years old. I've arrived in Tokyo just yesterday from Nagoya. My most hated subject is Math. There's no favourite one. I like cats and paining, though I'm not good at it. Nice to meet you!" Kanon ended her short speech with a sneeze. Laughter and occasional "Bless you!"s could be heard in the class.

"There is a free seat by the window, unfortunately it's in the first row. You can seat here" said the-teacher-with-yet-unknown-name, earning another three minutes of laugh from students. "I'm Ryuuzaki Sumire, your class master, Math teacher – nice to know you like it – and also tennis club's coach. Let me know if you have problems or need something.

Kanon followed teachers request wondering who was stupid enough to abandon such a great seat. Sure, it was in the front row, but to hell with it! The view from the window was just great... Well, if you forget about the sweaty, disgusting creatures named boys having PE period. Just her luck. Couldn't it be girls? Still, it was spring, and the school grounds had a great number of sakura trees. Let's just forget about boys.

"What did you say, Viper?!"

But how to do it if one of them shouts his lungs off in the same room?

'Wait, could he be the source of the noise before?'

"Just what you heard, Peach-head!" Make it two. The two boys stood up and grabbed their shirts by the collar. Just what the shirts did wrong, I wonder...?

The teacher, no wait, we already know the name, Ryuuzaki-sensei, just sighted loudly before telling them to shut up and letting her do her job. There was also something about 'unimaginable amount of laps', mixed with 'Tezuka' and 'Inui with his juices', but Kanon didn't understand it too much. What was wrong with juices to make the boys shudder and calm down, she didn't know. Yet. Nobody was impressed so the girl assumed correctly that this was routine.

"It's more than routine," the girl sitting behind Kanon answered her thoughts. But how could she do that? She's not a mind-reader, is she? But Kanon was sure she didn't say it out loud...

"This is like breathing for them. But we will talk later, Ryuuzaki-chan is harmless only when she's not angered." Kanon felt relieved. All her worries faded away, there's nothing scaryanymore, she made friend, although she is weird, but she can't read minds, of course, that was just a coincidence...

"Oh, and I'm not a mind reader."

Damn it. Let's just all bang our head on the desk, 'kay?

Now, to explore the school while the corridors are empty...

"Sensei, I need to go to the nurse. I'm feeling unwell."

"Already? Well, nothing to do about it. Go, just don;t wander around too much, or you might get caught" Ryuuzaki-sensei winked at shocked Kanon. 'Wow, this woman knows her job!'

Being Feminine Being Feminine Being Feminine Being Feminine Being Feminine Being Feminine Being Feminine

It was boring. Boring the hell out of Syuusuke, but he promised Oishi he will not skip classes...

'I really liked Eiji as a classmate, his reactions were priceless. And he covered for me. And he encouraged me with my tortu- plays with teachers. So why did you place me with Oishi this year, you traitor?' called the genius to Kami-sama. Well, apparently he's not in his favour anymore, especially seeing as he transferred certain girl to this scho- wait, let's not spoil the fun. But really, what is the purpose in going to school unprepared?

"Fuji-kun, where are your books? And notebook, at least?" asked teacher with a frown.

"Well, obviously they are not here..." looking up at the more frowning face, he added "but I guess that's not what you want to hear...?"

"Obviously not. Fuji-kun, I know you are, to say the least, unbelievably smart, but the school rules apply to you in the same way they do to any other student. Where are your books?"

"I think it's not smart to ask stupid questions, or you will get equally stupid answer, sensei. Or none at all." That's right. Why did he have to bring books, if he already knew the material? There's just no point. By the way, the teachers should be grateful to his friends and tennis, after all they are the only reason he comes to school...

The frown at the teacher's face deepened. Something was getting wrong with Fuji lately, and nobody could do a thing about it. Well, save the regulars, but with them around, he acted normally.

'Do you think I should place him next to Oishi, Miki-chin?'

He observed as Fuji calmed Oishi (who was sitting in completely other end of the classroom). The chicken-haired boy was such a good friend, he even wanted to give Fuji his books and get the scolding himself...

"Fuji, go to your class master. Now."

Syuusuke got up, took his bag and headed to the door.

"And where are you taking your bag? You're going to class master, not home!"

The boy didn't look back even once. 'Too bad for you, sensei... school rules don't apply to me anymore. And I'm not smart, don't insult me. I'm a genius. Don't forget that...'

Walking through the empty corridor, he felt as if he was home. Knowing they are there, his friend, family, somewhere close, but he was still alone and couldn't get to them. Not a feeling of loneliness, not quite... He is not lonely, he is... What? Lonely-at-the-moment? Syuusuke snorted at his own stupidity. ' I guess even genii has their idiotic moments.'

"Hello, Ishijima-sensei."

Besides, his loneliness ended when he opened the door.

"Fuji, what are you doing here?" then the teacher noticed the note in Fuji's hand. "Again? My fellow teachers have been sending you to me a lot lately, haven't they? What is it this time? Oh, you offended Kurosaki. Good job, I don't like him. Still, you have to stay. I'm going to talk to you after the lesson." Ishijima-sensei showed him a free seat at the end of the classroom. He was spending a lot of time here lately...

When he found his seat, he looked around the class for some familiars. Some redheads here and then, tall and small... Wait, small?

"Echizen!" Fuji flashed a smile to his friend. "How could I not notice you before?"

"I don't know that too, since I'm sitting right in front of you, senpai. Can you please stop with height jokes? They are not funny," said the once-again-freshman, rolling his eyes.

True. Especially that the tennis prodigy wasn't small at all. Not anymore ("I'm going to cry! What with the teasing jokes I had prepared for you for the next three years?" - Fuji at the opening ceremony). Inui's milk paid off. Wonder what he put there, beside the normal milk? Echizen was so tall now that he was seated at the back of the class because of it. The boy wonder watched his senpai for a while, then with a smile (not smirk) of his own turned to face Fuji. Strange that after to years of separation the regulars grew even more fond of him.

"What about the lesson?" asked Syuusuke, already knowing the answer. It was English, after all.

"Screw the lesson. It's English, after all. By the way, aren't I just taking example of you?"

"Well..."

"Fuji! No, Echizen! No, both! I can;t believe you two, how can you sit with your back to me?"

"But I'm sitting with my front..."

"Don't say it like that, it sounds just wrong, Fuji-senpai..."

"I meant Echizen! And you, Fuji! Go stand outside!"

"Haai" came the bored reply from the boys. Syuusuke left the classroom, cursing this damn Math teacher...

No, wait. There is someone better to curse... Even though he is a treasured friend.

'Damn that Oishi. If I have only skipped classes...

Omake

Kurosaki-sensei sat down after the unfortunate lesson with the tensai Fuji Syuusuke. He looked at his desk, wondering... and wondering... and wondering...

...

...

and wondering...

"Ne, Miki-chin... what should I do about this rebellious teen?"

...

...

But the fluffy, yellow plush-deer had no reply.