Chapter Three: Sir, Yes Sir!
*"My father is sending me to military school. Says I need to grow up and become more mature. What a laugh." Her smile reappeared, but it was merely for show, it had no true feeling behind it. He frowned.
"I'm going to the academy as well." He offered.
"Really?" She asked.
"Yes."
"I thought you looked like you were my age, maybe a little older!" She half laughed, half accused. His bland facade was becoming a new game- if she could create an expression of feeling on it, she won.
"I'm nineteen."
"Wow, an old timer." She laughed when he glared menacingly at her. "Well, to me anyway. I'm only sixteen. Compared to me you're a dinosaur!" She dropped the ages after he glared again. So cold and eerie. Clearing her throat, she went on to a new topic. "So tell me then, how long have you been in Tokyo?" She asked.
"A week." Why was he getting himself into this? Why?
"Oh. So how come you were here? Visiting family?"
"I was researching a case."
"Really? What for?"
"That information is confidential."
"Confidential? You sound like an undercover cop!" She began to laugh and lightly smacked his shoulder. "You need to relax!"
"You need to do the opposite. If you're going to military school, I suggest not relaxing."
"What do you think the teachers are, drill sergeants? I'll bet not! Come on, they can't be that strict."
"They can."
"I'll make you a bet." She grinned. "If they're as heartless as you say, I'll buy you lunch for a week. If they're as laid back as I think, you're buying. Deal?" Hiiro had to smirk. She was so sure, so lively even this late at night. It was a switch from what he was used to.
"It's a deal." He nodded his head. "Try sleeping. You won't get any sleep when you get there."
"You don't think?"
"The instructors will tire you more than you think is possible."
"I'd like to see them try!" She paused. Maybe he was right. After all, she was getting a little sleepy. "But all the same, I think I will take a nap. You don't mind, do you?"
"I suggested it."
"Of course. Good night then Hiiro!" She winked at him, then yawned. Bringing her legs up onto the seat with her, she curled up and lay her head against his shoulder. For a slight moment he flinched, unused to the human contact, then he relaxed and settled in for an hour of sleep himself.
When the flight attendant woke him, he noted that Serena was still sleeping peacefully on his shoulder. He gentle reached over and shook her.
"What? What?" Her head poked up and she mumbled a few more incoherent words, then dropped her head and closed her eyes again.
"Wake up Serena. The plane's landing."
"That's nice." She murmured. This time he shook her more violently. After a few more tries, he finally got her up and away of her surroundings. She was never going to make it in the barracks… especially if she had Wufei as her bunk instructor.
"I'll see you at the base, won't I Hiiro?"
"Yes."
"Great! It'll be nice to know someone there. Did you want to ride over with me?"
"No. I have a friend coming to get me."
"Oh." They remained in silence until the plane landed and they were walking off the terminal. Finally they stood at the baggage claim, Hiiro with his bag in hand, Seren still waiting for hers.
"Hiiro!" Hiiro turned and saw Trowa over past the customs check station calling to him to get his attention.
"That you're friend?"
"Hnn."
"I guess I'll be seeing you the base then. 'Till tomorrow!" She smiled and waved brightly. He nodded.
"Take care." With that, he began to walk away.
"Don't forget our bet now!" She called after him. No answer. He didn't even turn around for a last glance. But she didn't really expect him to. That was just his personality, she knew. Ha! She knew indeed! She had only been with him for five hours on an airplane, and most of that time had been spent sleeping! What did she possibly know about his personality? No matter. She would get to know more at the base, she hoped. Now she had to find a taxi…
)(
Who had decided to make orientation begin at the ungodly hour of seven o'clock? That meant she had had to be up at five thirty to wash her hair and dress in the uniform they gave everyone. And it was such a drab uniform too- all green, no variation. Well, at least they had a choice between a skirt and pants. She had gone with the skirt, knowing full well that for the most part she would be wearing the pants. But the skirt had been too big. So she had just… pulled it up until it fit better and cinched her belt tighter. What else could she do? If they got mad at her for it, well, they would have to give her another skirt, wouldn't they? Preferably one that fit.
So now here she was, standing in line with the rest of the cadets, in a line, and completely and utterly lonely. She knew no one, and couldn't see Hiiro anywhere. This was not fair. She hated her father for putting her in this position! Sending her to military school…
"Attention!" She stood as straight and tall as she could. This was it.
"Good morning cadets! I am Lady Une, the Head of Preventers and the Principal in Command of this military academy. You have all been sent here to become the finest you can be, both in physical form and mental form.
"Today you will become acquainted with your surroundings and each other. Tomorrow the real work begins. For the next five months, depending on which bunk you are sorted into, you will have either morning classes and afternoon training, or morning training and after noon classes. After the winter break, this switches. We like all of our trainees to have equal opportunity." Lady Une smirked, and Serena thought she was going faint. This woman was going to be purely evil to them, she could just tell. Une continued.
"And now, I would like to introduce you to your instructors. There are only five of them, so I expect you to memorize their names quickly. Your battle tactics teacher will be Mr. Quatre Winner. Mr. Winner will also be teaching the regular courses in the morning. Your hand to hand combat instructor is not here at the moment but he is…."
"Asleep!" Serena looked up. One of her new 'instructors' was laughing his head off in front of them. She smiled. Who was he? He seemed like he would be a fun and easy guy to learn from. Where was Hiiro? She had won their bet hands down!
"Enough Maxwell!" Wufei cuffed him on the ear. Duo stood up and stopped laughing. But he couldn't stop grinning.
"Mr. Duo Maxwell right here will be your piloting instructor, and Wufei Chang, beside him, will be your weapons instructor. Your last instructor, Mr. Trowa Barton, will be your first aid instructor as well as the one who teaches all of the afternoon classes. Now that you've been introduced, you will be split up and divided into your barracks. One of these instructors will be in each of the barracks, to help you with anything there." She turned to the new instructors and had a few silent words with them. Then she turned back. "Alright. Stay where you are. The instructors are coming around to pick you for their groups. Those of you left over are in the last barrack. I will take you there myself, seeing as how your instructor is…sleeping."
"I don't understand it." Serena muttered to herself. "How come he gets to sleep in and we had to be here this early? Not fair!"
"Life isn't fair, and
the army is less so." She whipped around.
"Instructor
Barton!" She gasped at being heard. "Sorry sir." She flushed
and looked at the ground. Then she looked back up. "Sir, may I ask you a
question?"
"Yes."
"Why do you look so familiar?" She gushed. His response was a smirk. Trowa had seen the girl with Hiiro last night and been shocked. Hiiro with a girl was something new. But this girl looked rather lost and helpless all alone this morning, and Trowa knew that even if Hiiro were here to pick his barrack group, he wouldn't pick the girl because it would be too awkward. But now that he knew Hiiro knew this girl, he wasn't going to let Duo or Wufei get her. That would be cruel and unusual punishment for Hiiro. Instead he would watch out for her, for his friend.
"One of those faces. Come with me cadet, you're in my barracks."
"Really? You're picking me?" She narrowed her eyes. "Why?" He smirked again. Skeptical little thing, wasn't she?
"Because. Don't question your instructor cadet!"
"Sir, yes sir." She replied with a grin and a wayward salute. Trowa liked her style, but she was going to have to clean it up if she wanted to make it in Wufei's class.
As they made their way across the grass, Serena noticed the layout of her new school. The barracks were all in a row, the mess hall was to the left, the training facilities directly across from them, and the school administration building was to their right. In the center was a large circle of grass, and in the center of that was a white flag pole, which flew the colors of the new ESUN government.
"This is our barrack. Pick your bunk, and I don't want to hear any arguing over who goes where." Trowa instructed them. Serena looked around at the mess of people picking beds. When they were all done, she walked over to the last bunk open and plopped her things down. It was a bottom bunk close to Trowa's separate room and the exit of the building. She sighed. Well, she hadn't been willing to get in a fight over the whole situation. She saved her maliciousness for gang fights alone. And occasionally for vandalizing certain places- but only when the owners had really been rude to her or her friends. The memory brought a smile to her face. God she missed her friends.
She would give anything to be back home right now, cutting school and eating a burger with them. Maybe even catching a new movie, or shopping. But she was stuck in military school, of all places. Not to mention two oceans away. Even if she cut class here she wouldn't be able to see them.
"Thinking about home never helped anybody." A voice broke her reverie. She looked up and sighed mentally. What did this girl want?
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."
"'Cause you know, you're stuck here for five months, so you might as well try to forget about home. It'll help in the long run."
"Look, I'm grateful for the advice and all, but I don't need it right now." She snapped at the girl.
"Sorry. Just trying to be nice." Serena stopped. She felt guilty for being so cold to the girl. After all, she had only tried to help her.
"I'm sorry. I'm Serena. I guess we're bunk mates?"
"Yeah! Hi! I'm Molly."
"Nice to meet you Molly."*
