Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Nine.

A/N: I shouldn't be writing this. I should be doing school work or whatever. But Lauren is sick! So I wanted to do something that will at least cheer her up.

Yeah, no excuses. I'm bad at keeping a schedule. Winter break is upon us though, so hopefully, this can be finished and Just Pretend can be worked on.

So, HaruKaru. I kinda prefer them as best friends but I can dig them hooking up every so often. Sorry they're not as demanding as Lauren and I are, Mark, but I added some of that in. ;) Either way, this chapter is more playful, less serious than the last. I don't see HaruKaru being that serious of a couple ngl.

One more chapter to go! Enjoy!

I know I'm not the smartest fish in this sea of prestigious know-it-alls that make up Kisaragi Girls' high, but there are a few things I know for sure. Tides are all aligned with the moon, it's five o'clock somewhere, and my room is the best room in the entire dorm hall.

I mean, I guess it's not too much different. I don't have a roommate, for one, so the space is a little tighter than, say, Yoko or Mao's rooms. Sure, I've rearranged everything so my room looks as big as an ocean, but it's still small. Other than that, I just have a nice little view of the Tokyo skyline, a couple of bean bag chairs, a TV, a Nintendo, my own fridge and freezer unit, and a big-ass poster of Koshien on my wall. No big deal, right? Why have any of my frivolous items when you can have none of the luxuries, a boring view of the trees in the way of the school's campus, and an overly bitchy roommate that rearranges the room all the time?

Introducing the team to my room was arguably irritating. In one section of my mind, I wanted Yoko, Mao, and Hikaru to know they have somewhere to go to escape the clutches of their evil rooms. In all actuality, however, I wasn't really feeling the idea of sharing the luxury of my room with others, especially once the gasps and squeals of the others hit my ears. Their jealousy overcame the room, almost influencing me to not care as much about my room as I should. Oh, the things I do for my friends.

"Just a heads up, fish girl," Hikaru started, draping her arm around my shoulders, "I'm coming over more often. Your room is a godsend compared to my hellhole."

At that point, it was time to get used to sharing.

A knock at my door took my attention away from rolling sushi. It was dinner time. I had been slavin' away at homework all day due to a rain check on practice. All I wanted was a bowl of miso soup and some sushi. What I didn't want was someone knockin' at my door when I was tryin' to enjoy dinner. Nevertheless, I walked over to answer it.

Hikaru stood in front of my door with a few take home boxes of god knows what. "Sup, guplet? Mind if I come in?" I didn't respond. Whenever Hikaru asks if she can come in, she means "I'm coming in no matter what." Naturally, she walked in, setting the boxes of okonomiyaki on the ground.

"Hope you don't mind that I hang here for a bit, Ko. I'm starving, sexiled, and lonely, so I figured we could have a HaruKaru party tonight and just share dinner!" she exclaimed with a smile.

A HaruKaru party is an exclusive hang out period between Hikaru and me. Basically, a private moment between the two of us where we just sit around and bullshit. Although it meant my room was gonna smell like pancake for god knows how long, I accepted her offer. I never had much of a choice in these matters, and I guess it's always good to hang out with my best friend. We sat on the ground, enjoying dinner together, talking about boys and stuff. She asked for some soup, I asked for some okonomiyaki.

"I also got the seafood one just for you, fish girl," Hikaru told me. "I figured you'd appreciate it better since you're a pescatarian or whatever it's called."

I cocked an eyebrow at her. "Who in the hell told you that?" I asked in slight disbelief. A few seconds later, it all hit me. Damn, Hikaru and her sexual innuendos. I stifled a laugh. "Come on, Hikaru. Leave the lesbian jokes for Seira. Anyone who knows me knows I love my meat."

Hikaru reached for the box and pulled it away. "Damn, I really shouldn't get my hopes up like that."

I looked back up at her with more confusion. "Huh?"

"What?"

We stayed silent for a bit before Hikaru's left eye closed into a wink. The room erupted in giggles as I grabbed a slice of the seafood okonomiyaki. HaruKaru parties are fun.

Another HaruKaru party was held two days later. Hikaru had broken up with Seishiro and needed someone to talk to. It was a mutual decision, but somehow, Hikaru felt a lot of bitterness and irrationality toward the boy. Every girl who's scathed through a relationship knows that break ups are a bitch, so I was first to comfort her.

"Is it wrong to call Ryo a traitor because she's probably helping him through this?" Hikaru asked, bitterly, scarfing down ice cream by the tub.

"You're not really gonna hate him forever, are you?" I asked.

Hikaru shook her head. "Probably not, but I should. He's not a relationship guy at all. He's way too scared of the world and dating. He's also too smart for his own good. It's not my fault religion isn't my strong point! You don't have to tell me I'm gonna fail it next semester!"

I watched her tackle the entire tub of ice cream, then slowly move onto the box of strawberry mochi that was next to me. Seishiro was a great guy and all, and Hikaru won't hold this against him for the rest of his life. But at the same time, everything Hikaru said made sense, and I wasn't afraid to be the one at her side, agreeing with everything she said, comforting her because she needed it. On top of that, telling your girlfriend you're gonna fail a class the following semester's kind of a dick move.

"Whatever," she started again, popping a mochi in her mouth. "I've seen those videos of you on Tosa High's team. You make a hotter boy than he does."

A blush crept across my face faster than Seira can run around the bases. Nevertheless, I giggled, causing her to smile a bit. It was good to see Hikaru smile. HaruKaru parties help that.

A knock at my door had me setting my book down. Hikaru was there again, sexiled from her room. I shook my head as I let her in.

"Seriously, what do guys see in Kyoka? I just don't get it." I stated, closing the door behind me.

Hikaru laughed. "They don't see anything in her. It's Tomoko that's over all the time."

I grimaced. "So what does Tomoko see in her? She's such a cute girl, I just don't get it."

"Don't ask me. Is Yoko still coming over tonight?"

"Shit, I hope not. I'm scared to tell her straight out but I don't care about how she looks in a bikini. Or whatever else she wants to put in that portfolio."

Hikaru hopped on the bed. "Let's pull a Kyoka and sexile Yoko from bothering you."

I gave Hikaru a strange look. "Are you implying you wanna pick up guys and do that? 'Cause that's gonna take a while."

"Who needs guys?" She asked, her eyes hooded for some odd reason. "There are two of us here, it'll scare her off no matter what."

"Do we really need all those rumors spread around-"

"Oh, for crying out loud, Koharu!" She pulled me onto the bed. "Just get over here and let's do it!"

"Well, don't leave the doorknob bare then!" I yelled back. "You know the rules about couples in dorms!"

"So demanding, geez!" She jumped off the bed, removed her necktie, and tied it around the doorknob before locking the door behind her. By the time she got back to the bed, I was on my back.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to-" I was cut off again by Hikaru's mouth on mine as she pounced back onto my bed.

The kiss was rough and wet, kinda what I expected from Hikaru. Of course, knowing us, I wasn't planning on backing down, whether I thought it was a good idea or not. With all the strength in my little arms, I pushed myself up, flipping the two of us over so I was on top. I wrapped my arms around her neck, crashing my mouth down, battling her tongue with my own. Her arms were around my waist, pulling me down onto her, as her knee made it's way between my legs. Nothing was quiet about our encounter, our motions, our "party." It was kinda shocking that we didn't get a noise complaint or anything.

Muffled against the sounds of Hikaru's moaning, I could hear Yoko complaining about the situation from outside my door. Instead of pushing Hikaru away and tending to the friend in need, I simply kissed back, tending to a different friend in need. Yoko eventually left, causing Hikaru to smile.

We broke the kiss as she commented, "Game well played. Now you don't have to deal with anyone else but me."

I smiled back. "I can dig that." With that, we went back to kissing. We figured this could be a typical HaruKaru party game from now on.

I know I'm not the smartest fish in this sea of prestigious know-it-alls that make up Kisaragi Girls' high, but there are a few things I know for sure. Tides are all aligned with the moon, it's five o'clock somewhere, and my room is the best room in the entire dorm hall.

To many, it seems like a treasure. Everything I could've asked for in a dorm room. In a way, it's kinda more of a curse. I can't get a night alone. Every baseball girl wants to live in my room. As nice as I am about it, it gets annoying, having to share the luxury of my room.

I'm sitting in the dark, playing Pokemon Puzzle from my bed. Hikaru's sleeping next to me, her head in my lap. In a way, I'm happy I got used to sharing. My dorm room isn't that great without HaruKaru parties happening.