AN: Some people who will be introduced later: Seiya, Taiki, Yaten, Naru, and the human form of Diana. I REALLY ran out of people when I decided Carolyn was Diana's teenage human form. That is so nuts.
Vitamins and Cabbits
Chapter Two: Astral Melodics
Wednesday, November 6, 2002
I walked over to the small group of friends waiting in the foyer for me. I knew I didn't want to... none of them ever appreciated me or even paid all that much attention... but I had to. At least it was Haruka talking.
"... and then that was it. Goodnight." She let her head drop and pretended to go to sleep.
"Hiyeee!" Chibi-usa called over to me.
"Hey there." I replied in a low tone, my eyes not turning from their original place with Haruka. She looked up at me.
"Hey." My cheeks reddened, or at least gave me the impression they did. However, I sat down on the bench directly to her left, the way I always do.
"By the way, Hotaru, you're Sakura again." She looked up at me from her vantage point on the floor.
"Ok, cool. Why?"
"I'm writing another fanfic and decided not to argue with you because I'd never win." 'Not like I EVER win against any of you guys.'
"That's because you just go 'bite, claws!' and don't use your head (or what little is there)." She replied quickly.
"Hey..." I muttered. Haruka leaned forward, so to be closer to the people on the floor.
"It's not that you don't have anything; it's that you use it like lightning--brilliant flashes and then it's gone."
"Or not-so-brilliant flashes." Hotaru countered with a smirk. I stuck my tongue out to mask the slight hurt.
"Hotaru!" Chibi scolded.
"Or maybe just flashes." Haruka continued to lighten the mood.
"Flashes?" I suddenly said and pretended to flip up my skirt.
"You know..." She was realizing something with a slightly frightened look and laugh. "That could sound 'wrong'."
"Flashes!" Squealed Hotaru.
"But I just-" I began when Ami walked up and interrupted me.
"What did I just miss?" I glared at her.
"Wait... you know that cartoon person 'The Flash'?" Hotaru began on one of her humorous thoughts. "If he's 'The Flash', does that mean when he runs, he's streaking?" There was a moment's pause, and everybody burst into hysterical laughter. The bell signaling homeroom rang before we managed to start another conversation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"*That's all our morning announcements. Let's make it a great day.*" The intercom buzzed with the vice-principal's voice. As soon as it was done, Chibi-usa came over to my desk and sat on the floor just diagonal of it.
"What'cha got there?" She asked, referring to the book and papers I had spread out in front of me.
"Math." She peered at the book.
"Red... white... blue... aaa! Patriotic!" I laughed curtly and continued punching numbers into my scientific calculator. "I had to sing yesterday." That interested me.
"Did you?"
"Yea. The Star-Spangled Banner. My history teacher wanted us to write the lyrics. Some people only knew..." I tuned her out.
'Chibi's a nice person, but doesn't know when to shut up sometimes.' I thought. 'This is a perfect example: I'm trying to do homework and she just doesn't even seem to notice.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How did we even get on this topic?" Miss Kiroi asked. We had just been talking about gators, snakes, and armadillo in florida. She mentally traced back the discussion. "Oh yea, war hawks. You know, hawks, those birds that circle around their prey..." It being first block and my class very much comatose, she received very little to no reply. "... Okay, then. Since you all don't seem to want to talk, all you are going to write the lyrics to the national anthem." (AN: study american history if you don't get the connection) I myself knew all the words, and started writing as fast as my hand would let me.
'I know what's going to happen.' I thought. 'Somebody is going to remember that I sing. Pleeease, don't let them remember...'
"Now I've heard... that Deerfield over there can sing." I looked up at the virtually petrified girl across the room from me. "Want to sing this for us?"
"No, no that's alright." She replied nervously.
"Are you sure?"
"Usagi can sing. In Japanese!" I blushed a deep crimson as all eyes were turned towards me.
"Well... yea."
"Can you sing it?" somebody asked.
"Well..."
"Come on! Please?"
"...I guess I can."
"Do you really want to?" Miss Kiroi asked, as if she couldn't believe it was ME getting up to sing.
"Sure, why not?" I replied nonchalantly and stood up next to my desk, facing the class. So I took a breath and my voice poured forth in waves and torrents, sweeping away any observers in its path. When I finished, they all sat silently for a long moment, and then broke into applause and cheers. 'Not like I had expected any less.' I thought, smiling broadly, as I sat. 'Nobody seems to escape whatever spell I cast on people when I sing.'
"Well thank you, Usagi. That was very good. Anybody else want to sing?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Religion passed uneventful, though not much was done on-topic. The same with math. Then lunch came and I found myself sitting at a table with Naru and being badgered from behind to sing in Japanese.
"It's not a very good place." I argued, hoping to all things holy that it would convince them to go away.
"Come on, I've never heard you sing!"
"Are you in any of my classes?"
"No."
'Shit. I can't make her ask me to sing anywhere but here.' "Well..." I began with a deep sigh.
"Oh, pleeeeaaaase?"
"... I guess I can if you REALLY want me to."
"Yay! Everybody quiet!" She hissed to the people at the table. And so, again, i used my voice to wrap around the hearts of whoever was there.
'Twice in one day. That's a record.' Naru could only laugh at my predicament.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I walked heavily, thought heavily, felt heavy. My entire life had just come crashing down around my ears. No, Haruka had not done something to upset me. My english teacher, Mr. Obsidian, had decided to ask me all about the nice little assignment I hadn't managed to force myself to do. If he called a conference, I'd never be allowed to do anything ever again for the rest of my life. Consequently, when I threw my backback on a table in the foyer and sank into a chair, I wasn't so happy to hear Chibi-usa innocently ask,
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, she's just angry there's rehersal today." Hotaru replied in a mocking way that implied she knew every little thing about me. I nearly cried right then and there, but controlled myself to the point that I just stood up very quickly.
"While I'm not happy about that, Hotaru, I'm not this upset over that. In fact, I'd much rather go to rehersal right now!" I kicked the chair back to the table and half-ran to the bathroom, where inside a stall I absolutely sobbed my heart out.
And suddenly, leaning against the fake metal wall of the bathroom stall, I got the most terrible feeling that for an infinitely-numbered year, I was watching my life from outside my mind and body... being driven only as if by some higher mechanical force.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Stupid -gah- Hotaru!" I muttered, drubbing a tree with a dowel rod. "She thinks the knows *wham* everything, because she can tell *crack* what people are thinking sometimes!" I struck the tree again and again, until I was crying and couldn't lift the stick anymore. I beat the tree with my fists, scratching them, until I fell to the dew-covered ground.
Vitamins and Cabbits
Chapter Two: Astral Melodics
Wednesday, November 6, 2002
I walked over to the small group of friends waiting in the foyer for me. I knew I didn't want to... none of them ever appreciated me or even paid all that much attention... but I had to. At least it was Haruka talking.
"... and then that was it. Goodnight." She let her head drop and pretended to go to sleep.
"Hiyeee!" Chibi-usa called over to me.
"Hey there." I replied in a low tone, my eyes not turning from their original place with Haruka. She looked up at me.
"Hey." My cheeks reddened, or at least gave me the impression they did. However, I sat down on the bench directly to her left, the way I always do.
"By the way, Hotaru, you're Sakura again." She looked up at me from her vantage point on the floor.
"Ok, cool. Why?"
"I'm writing another fanfic and decided not to argue with you because I'd never win." 'Not like I EVER win against any of you guys.'
"That's because you just go 'bite, claws!' and don't use your head (or what little is there)." She replied quickly.
"Hey..." I muttered. Haruka leaned forward, so to be closer to the people on the floor.
"It's not that you don't have anything; it's that you use it like lightning--brilliant flashes and then it's gone."
"Or not-so-brilliant flashes." Hotaru countered with a smirk. I stuck my tongue out to mask the slight hurt.
"Hotaru!" Chibi scolded.
"Or maybe just flashes." Haruka continued to lighten the mood.
"Flashes?" I suddenly said and pretended to flip up my skirt.
"You know..." She was realizing something with a slightly frightened look and laugh. "That could sound 'wrong'."
"Flashes!" Squealed Hotaru.
"But I just-" I began when Ami walked up and interrupted me.
"What did I just miss?" I glared at her.
"Wait... you know that cartoon person 'The Flash'?" Hotaru began on one of her humorous thoughts. "If he's 'The Flash', does that mean when he runs, he's streaking?" There was a moment's pause, and everybody burst into hysterical laughter. The bell signaling homeroom rang before we managed to start another conversation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"*That's all our morning announcements. Let's make it a great day.*" The intercom buzzed with the vice-principal's voice. As soon as it was done, Chibi-usa came over to my desk and sat on the floor just diagonal of it.
"What'cha got there?" She asked, referring to the book and papers I had spread out in front of me.
"Math." She peered at the book.
"Red... white... blue... aaa! Patriotic!" I laughed curtly and continued punching numbers into my scientific calculator. "I had to sing yesterday." That interested me.
"Did you?"
"Yea. The Star-Spangled Banner. My history teacher wanted us to write the lyrics. Some people only knew..." I tuned her out.
'Chibi's a nice person, but doesn't know when to shut up sometimes.' I thought. 'This is a perfect example: I'm trying to do homework and she just doesn't even seem to notice.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How did we even get on this topic?" Miss Kiroi asked. We had just been talking about gators, snakes, and armadillo in florida. She mentally traced back the discussion. "Oh yea, war hawks. You know, hawks, those birds that circle around their prey..." It being first block and my class very much comatose, she received very little to no reply. "... Okay, then. Since you all don't seem to want to talk, all you are going to write the lyrics to the national anthem." (AN: study american history if you don't get the connection) I myself knew all the words, and started writing as fast as my hand would let me.
'I know what's going to happen.' I thought. 'Somebody is going to remember that I sing. Pleeease, don't let them remember...'
"Now I've heard... that Deerfield over there can sing." I looked up at the virtually petrified girl across the room from me. "Want to sing this for us?"
"No, no that's alright." She replied nervously.
"Are you sure?"
"Usagi can sing. In Japanese!" I blushed a deep crimson as all eyes were turned towards me.
"Well... yea."
"Can you sing it?" somebody asked.
"Well..."
"Come on! Please?"
"...I guess I can."
"Do you really want to?" Miss Kiroi asked, as if she couldn't believe it was ME getting up to sing.
"Sure, why not?" I replied nonchalantly and stood up next to my desk, facing the class. So I took a breath and my voice poured forth in waves and torrents, sweeping away any observers in its path. When I finished, they all sat silently for a long moment, and then broke into applause and cheers. 'Not like I had expected any less.' I thought, smiling broadly, as I sat. 'Nobody seems to escape whatever spell I cast on people when I sing.'
"Well thank you, Usagi. That was very good. Anybody else want to sing?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Religion passed uneventful, though not much was done on-topic. The same with math. Then lunch came and I found myself sitting at a table with Naru and being badgered from behind to sing in Japanese.
"It's not a very good place." I argued, hoping to all things holy that it would convince them to go away.
"Come on, I've never heard you sing!"
"Are you in any of my classes?"
"No."
'Shit. I can't make her ask me to sing anywhere but here.' "Well..." I began with a deep sigh.
"Oh, pleeeeaaaase?"
"... I guess I can if you REALLY want me to."
"Yay! Everybody quiet!" She hissed to the people at the table. And so, again, i used my voice to wrap around the hearts of whoever was there.
'Twice in one day. That's a record.' Naru could only laugh at my predicament.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I walked heavily, thought heavily, felt heavy. My entire life had just come crashing down around my ears. No, Haruka had not done something to upset me. My english teacher, Mr. Obsidian, had decided to ask me all about the nice little assignment I hadn't managed to force myself to do. If he called a conference, I'd never be allowed to do anything ever again for the rest of my life. Consequently, when I threw my backback on a table in the foyer and sank into a chair, I wasn't so happy to hear Chibi-usa innocently ask,
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, she's just angry there's rehersal today." Hotaru replied in a mocking way that implied she knew every little thing about me. I nearly cried right then and there, but controlled myself to the point that I just stood up very quickly.
"While I'm not happy about that, Hotaru, I'm not this upset over that. In fact, I'd much rather go to rehersal right now!" I kicked the chair back to the table and half-ran to the bathroom, where inside a stall I absolutely sobbed my heart out.
And suddenly, leaning against the fake metal wall of the bathroom stall, I got the most terrible feeling that for an infinitely-numbered year, I was watching my life from outside my mind and body... being driven only as if by some higher mechanical force.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Stupid -gah- Hotaru!" I muttered, drubbing a tree with a dowel rod. "She thinks the knows *wham* everything, because she can tell *crack* what people are thinking sometimes!" I struck the tree again and again, until I was crying and couldn't lift the stick anymore. I beat the tree with my fists, scratching them, until I fell to the dew-covered ground.