Everything But Education
by Cooking Spray
Disclaimer: As I've mentioned, I own nothing. Please don't sue me.
Japanese Word Glossary
Hinoday- Sunrise Takai- High Gauken-School Ara- Kind of like 'Oh' -chan- A cute way to address someone you are close to -san- Loosely translates as any courtesy title, i.e. Miss, Mrs. -sensei- Used when addressing an instructor, like your teacher -sempai- An upperclassman, shows respect. ne- Kind of like 'eh' or 'huh'. minna- 'Everyone', or 'everybody' Yatta- 'Yay' or 'Alright', a postive exclamation Namagomi- Raw garbage, Filia's pet name for Xelloss :P Okaa-san- Mother
~*~*~*~
Chapter Two: Ordinary Day
Letting the music pour from her soul, Filia struck a high note, her sweet, angelic voice clearly the most recognizable out of the black-and- white attired members of the Hinoday Takai Gauken Choir. Choir was one of the things she was truly passionate about, and it could not be denied that she had vocal talent. She could make 'Happy Birthday' sound like a beautiful ballad. The girl was that gifted.
Finishing the song gracefully, Filia flushed as her classmates applauded, forming a circle around her. She found herself bathing in admiration.
"Filia-chan, you sound so beauuuuuuuuuuuuutiful! I wish I had a voice like yours!" a skinny girl gushed, her fists clutched cutely beneath her chin.
"Another great performance! How do you hit those high notes with such grace?" another mused admiringly.
"We're surely going to finals!" was yet another exclamation.
Her skin still slightly pink and practically radiating from within from praise, the shrine maiden's happiness was all but overflowing. The sensible, modern instructor also gave her a genuine, modest round of applause, nodding and pushing her glasses up on her head as she marked Filia's eighteenth consecutive perfect ten on the scoresheet. Once again, she had achieved absolute perfection. With some satisfaction, she sang requests from her classmates, swelling with inner pride.
~*~*~*~
Some considered it horribly kitschy to prance around in a uniform of any sort (a la' Naga), even the conservative attire of the Choir, a simple white Oxford and a pleated black skirt of formidible length. But Filia had became distinguished in it, and, not unlike the cheerleaders (though without the flirty flaunting), wore it with pride. But hers was a reserved pride. So, taking elegant strides, her books cradled girlishly beneath her arm, she traveled down the hall, still tingling from her performance. She had been wonderful, hadn't she?
Snapping any thoughts that were formerly taking place, Lina saddled up to Filia, greeting her with the usual vivacity.
"Hey, Fi-chan!" the shorter girl instilled, firey hair bouncing. She grinned.
"Ara, hello, Lina-chan," Filia replied, open to conversation.
Lina and Filia were a contrasting duo. While Lina was certainly fire, straight to the roots of her hair, Filia was remarkably water, with her cool-headed attitude. However, despite obvious surface differences, the girls both shared one thing: explosive, unpredictable tempers. This was the glue of their friendship boat. Filia even prefered her lesser half's electric personality, it guaranteed adventure, and even if it was sometimes met with apprehension at first, she usually ended up enjoying herself. Lina in turn counted on Filia's reasoning to get her out of dangerous scrapes. And if something was up, she could bet Filia noticed it.
"Was it another vocal triumph?" her lesser inquired, noting the telltale flush of Filia's cheeks.
This evoked a real smile. "Yes." She suddenly clasped her books to her chest, her large aquamarine eyes glistening with tears of happiness. "We are finally going to make it to finals! My heart is sure of it!" she exclaimed passionately. Filia spoke with passion on two subjects; Choir and Xelloss. The latter was more of passionate anger.
"Congrats!" Lina crossed her arms behind her head, carelessly exposing her navel. She then rolled her eyes. "Here comes the the whole clique," she announced. Filia blinked and watched Naga's intimidating presence saunter down the hallway, exuding airs a mile thick. She tossed her melons seductively, seemingly headed straight for Lina.
"Well, if it isn't Naga the cheerleader and her posse of cheerleading friends," Lina greeted as the foreboding group stopped before her, tossing hair, snapping gum, sharing giggles. Her voice was laced with sarcasm.
The sarcasm whizzed over Naga's head like a ten-pound bowling ball. "Oh, naive Lina, you are just jealous of me and my beautiful friends," she said self-importantly, as if she were Aphrodite herself, descended from the heavens to provide other-wordly wisdom. "Tell me, have you grown at all since your tenth birthday?"
"Eheeheehee!" chorused all of the cheer buddies.
Lina was adamant. "How about this. Tell me, Naga, don't you have some other poor, unsuspecting creature to torture? Because, if you don't mind, I have a life to get on with, and it doesn't include you."
Naga sighed huffily, arching her nose into the air. This... this.... unsignifigant girl was standing against her authority! She really hated that Lina Inverse, immune to her taunts and stealing her Gourry. "Hmph! Well, at least I have some respect for my schoolmates!" she announced dramatically, stomping off, followed by her five shadows.
Lina sighed hugely. "She doesn't give up, does she? Well, at least it's clear she's not the brightest lightbulb in the bunch." Filia, always an observer from the sidelines, began walking quickly to class, Lina in stride.
"She's so..... intimidating, or at least thinks she is," Filia assessed. "She has no enemies. Those who aren't her friends are the subjects of her ridicule, people like the Computer Club. That's why she hates you. You are her equal, and you refuse to let her steamroll you like she's used to."
"Yeah, well, I'd be happy if she just grew some brain cells and left me alone. It's getting aggravating, you know." The object of the previous torment shrugged indifferently as they walked through the classroom door, bell chiming just as they entered the room. "But I guess that's life for you."
~*~*~*~
"Konnichiwa, sempai!" Amelia greeted the figure exuberantly. Her hello was aimed at a particularly solitary-looking boy hunched over his notebook, scrawling problems onto the paper. When he didn't respond, she studied him closely. He stood out from the rest. His scars interested her.
Amelia had been transferred from her normal Mathematics class to Pre- Calculus. The reason she hadn't seen this boy before was because their classes were on opposite hallways. Now she could spend time getting to know him. A brief look around the classroom revealed that most everyone was copying the boy's position, jotting down something in their notebook. Wow, must be a bunch of really dedicated workers, she observed.
Her attention snapped back to the boy sitting beside her. She leaned over, looking directly at him, so that he couldn't mistake her subject.
"Hi," she said again, smiling. "Need help?"
His head jerked from the paper, staring in shock at the owner of the voice. "Ne? Who are you......"
Those scars were very intriguing. She definitely wanted to get to know him now. "Amelia Sailoon. I transferred to this class to take advanced math. And you are......?"
"Zelgadis......... Greyweirs," he replied uncertainly. He wasn't used to talking to anyone but Lina and Co., but now he found himself thrust into a conversation with this transfer student. And the strange thing was, it was an actual conversation, not just another name-calling. He was still proccessing it.
"Cool name," she chirped, unaware that she was really throwing Zel for a loop. She leaned over to examine the problems. "Wow, difficult."
Zelgadis felt dazed, like he'd been out in the sun for too long. "Yeah," he replied, in a voice that belonged to a man from a dream world. Why was this girl......... this Amelia........ giving him so much kindness? Didn't she notice he was a freak and should be treated accordingly? Still confused about this random act, he plodded on, feeling it couldn't hurt. "The sensei is strict, so you'll have to pull your weight."
"Oh, that's easy. I live to surpass myself," she said positively, her face still smiling brightly. Then her eyes flounced open. "Ara! I know!" She began to fish a sheet of paper from her binder. "Do you have instant messaging?" she asked questioningly.
Zel nodded.
"Yatta!" She scribbled something down on the piece of loose leaf, and handed it to him. "Here, there's my screen name. Give me yours and we can talk!"
Her cheerfulness towards him seemed to evaporate any doubt or otherwise hesitation. In his own cramped handwriting, he copied down her request, next to the reflective, rounded letters of her own. Tearing Amelia's from the paper and handing his back to her, he watched for a reaction in the same dazed manner.
"Good!" Her smile had the voltage of an 120-watt bulb. "Making friends is so nice, ne?"
Normally, Zel couldn't have related to the comment, but today he thought he understood what she meant, for the very first time.
~*~*~*~
True to the namesake of the school, the sun shone obediently, illuminating the unearthly green-ness of the field, dew reflected like crystal sculptures. And Gourry, golden in another way, was stretched out beneath it all, easy-going grin adhered to to his strong face. He was warming up with the sun, preparing for a long run. Oblivious to salivitating onlookers, he rose, bulging tendons flexing in his taut skin. The female population feasted their eyes hungrily.
Physical education was an important part of Hinoday Takai Gauken, despite its boasts of acedemic inclinement. Basically, if you were the short, scrawny boy with an asthma problem, somehow your grades took a nosedive. It was biased, yes, but that's how people like Gourry managed not fail. What he lacked in intelligence, he made up for in brute strength. And, naturally being the star of the entire athletic program (he made the team no matter what he tried out for), this helped immensely.
Another factor to consider was the gender separation of gym classes. Although the actual changing, for reasons quite obvious, was done seperately, the instructors seemed to take a convenient vacation once everyone was out on the field together, thus allowing both parties to intermingle if they pleased. And, if you were an attractive young lady, and you were lucky enough to have third period P.E. with Gourry Gabriev, you immediately abandoned your excercises and watched Gourry do his.
Unless, of course, your name was Lina Inverse.
Who marched straight on up to him, having completed her own warm-ups, and launched into conversation. Gourry's fan club grew fangs and glared with dangerous vemenence.
"Heya, Gourry!" she greeted casually.
"Ara, hi, Lina," the stud muffin responded with ease.
"I see you have quite a crowd of admirers. I'm surprised they haven't brought popcorn," the shorter girl said slyly. Gourry, of course, had no clue what she was talking about.
Gourry blinked. "A-ano........"
She smiled again, aborting Gourry's mental struggle. "Fresh air feels great, ne?" When in doubt, talk about the weather.
"Huh?" The blonde's mental banks processed this information, still in confusion about the last comment. A light bulb flicked on. "Oh, yeah! Helps me with my excercises. Say, Lina, do you have any of those really cool video games? Because I'd really like to borrow one. You see, my cousin Piper is coming over, and-"
"That's nice, Gourry," Lina interjected, rapidly changing the subject. She wasn't in the mood to hear another one of his family legends. "Come over anytime!"
"Oh, wow! Could you show me how to get to this one level? I was having trouble with it, and you're really good so I was wondering...." Trouble was not an uncommon phenomenon in Gourry's life, considering his low amount of brain cells.
"Sure, sure," Lina obliged, not wanting the extra flattery. Gourry was rambling again. Sighing, Lina plastered a grin on her face and pretended to listen avidly. Much as she favored the doornail's company, she really hoped class ended soon.
~*~*~*~
Something ricocheted off of the back of Filia's definitive golden head, disrupting the calamity of her note-taking. A small ball of paper fell to the floor, bouncing once and halting as it hit the leg of her chair. Agitated, she snatched it from its resting place and un-wadded the paper. After carefully reading the message on its interior, the universal symbol of anime anger popped onto her forehead. The message had read:
Hello, Filia-chan!
It even came complete with a replica of the sender, smiling most patronizingly.
Eyes already blazing, she jerked her head back to divert her anger to the mentioned causer of destruction. Xelloss smiled innocently at her. Her eyes glinted, and she turned around in a huff, silently fuming.
"So you see, minna, the cytoplasm is located directly inside the membrane of the cell, while the chromatin is the hereditary material inside the nuclear membrane. Next, I will describe the process of mitosis. Be sure you are taking good notes, a pop quiz could happen anytime."
The predictable, achingly nasal voice of the sensei calmed Filia's nerves a bit, and she slowly forgot her rage as she gleefully copied down the phases of cell reproduction. Order and safety had been installed once more. And then-
Another paperball collided with her skull, thus shattering the scientific reverie. She glared a handful of sharp, polished daggers at the guilty party, who smirked and revealed an armada of paper weapons. One sat right in his open palm, taunting her. Hot anger surged through her veins. Once class was over, she would give him the brutality he deserved-
No, you must remain calm. You are above his childish antics. Show that you are a mature person and ignore him!
Filia spun around daintily, nose upheld. She copied her notes like a dignified young lady, even sucking up to the sensei by beaming and nodding with enthusiasm.
"....the cell spends the duration of its life in Interphase then, after the membrane disappears........"
Wham. A larger wad of paper smacked her upside the head. She twitched, shoulders beginning to tremble in warning. The violet-haired trickster pushed on. Another struck her. Then another. And another. Her fists protruded, whole body shaking in an effort to restrain the anger. You must remain calm. He is provoking you. Getting mad would only be the reaction he wants. You must remain calm. You must remain-
Filia snatched the flying projectile out of the air and shot up on her feet, glaring dangerously at an intensity Xelloss was sure candle wax would melt under. Her fangs were bared and arms extended stubbornly at her sides, hands crushed into fists. Students squirmed at the transformation of angel into demoness, knowing well the potential of her temper. They were not all athletes, after all.
"Filia-san, can you explain to me why you interrupt my class by abruptly standing up in the middle of a lecture?"
Xelloss smiled amusedly, obviously having recieved the desired results. Filia gave him a last withering look before turning to the sensei, who was impatiently stomping his foot. Color crept easily into her cheeks, and she bowed, deeply ashamed. Xelloss yawned, bored after having accomplished his task, and began copying someone else's notes.
"Please forgive me, sensei-sama, it will not happen again," she apologized, gravely mortified with her un-ladylike behavior.
"It had better not. Sit, and we will resume." No one dared to chuckle.
Filia slumped miserably over her notebook, exposed and embarrassed. And all because of that darn namagomi Xelloss. Why must he make her temper flare so?
Her anger dissolved by her disgrace, she dismally resumed writing, sulking slightly as she caught sight of a still-grinning Xelloss.
Well, that was certainly entertaining. I'll have to formulate another tactic for History. The prodigous practical joker grinned more broadly at this stream of thought and continued editing the list of assignments he'd found from the principal on the algebra sensei's desk.
~*~*~*~
By all rights, Lina Inverse loved food. Not in the same way gastronomical human blimps adored Twinkies (they're the kind of people you're almost afraid to light a match around), but still, she valued it. And her body was most adept to these eating habits, as her metabolism effieciently burned off any poundage. So, the first thing she did when she stepped inside her house after school was dispose of her homework, gather a hefty variety of snack foods, and chow down while playing her favorite RPG.
Which, of course, it being a weekday, was exactly what she was doing now. She was so absorbed in the rythmic chomping of her jaws and the heroic roars of her video game that she almost didn't hear the phone ring.
Right at the crucial moment of gameplay, just as she was about to conquer the mighty Red Inferno Dragon, the telephone interrupted. Her hero was smoldered by dragon-fire in a fraction of a second and a 'Game Over' screen had cheerfully applied itself to the television set. Lina grumbled and made a mad dash for the phone, pressing the 'Talk' button and answering with a very impatient "Hello?"
"Lina-chan, honey, it's me. I was just calling to see if we needed any toilet paper. Can you check and see if we have some?"
She grumbled once more and muttered a surly 'Sure' before trudging off to check the storage closet. There, as usual, were plenty of economy- sized packages of Charmin, so many that you could have mistook it for a display in the supermarket.
"Yes, Okaa-san, we have toilet paper. Lots of toilet paper. You don't need to buy any."
"Are you sure? Because you can never be too certain of things, you know-"
"Okaa-san, we're fine."
"Well, alright, if you say so. Take care, dear, I'll be home by six."
"Bye." She placed the phone back in the cradle and sighed heavily, slumping against the wall. She had been about to conquer the extremely difficult Red Inferno Dragon, and her mother spoils her chance to call about, of all things, toilet paper. Disappointed and slightly agitated, she returned to her food. Many things in life could make Lina lose her temper, but few could make her lose her appetite.
"Well, then," she conceded, taking a bite out of a Swiss Roll, "I guess it's just an ordinary day."
~*~*~*~
Okay, up to this point, the story has been little more than clever introductory, and warming up for the swing of things, so to speak. So, next chapter will begin the story, and it won't all be disoriented well-written vingettes, really. The prologue ceases here.
Please, if you're reading, feel free to drop me any criticisms, comments, the like. I, like most ff.net users, love my reviews and my reviewers. They give me such motivation! Even critique is helpful, if done nicely. Remember, if you seek me out, I'll seek you out.
Tis' all, for now. Ja ne!
Chapter Preview: Amelia is introduced to Lina and Co. by Zel. Gourry accepts her immediately, but Filia and Lina aren't so sure........ hilarity and good ol' Sailoon values ensue. And is ice cream really the secret to happiness?
by Cooking Spray
Disclaimer: As I've mentioned, I own nothing. Please don't sue me.
Japanese Word Glossary
Hinoday- Sunrise Takai- High Gauken-School Ara- Kind of like 'Oh' -chan- A cute way to address someone you are close to -san- Loosely translates as any courtesy title, i.e. Miss, Mrs. -sensei- Used when addressing an instructor, like your teacher -sempai- An upperclassman, shows respect. ne- Kind of like 'eh' or 'huh'. minna- 'Everyone', or 'everybody' Yatta- 'Yay' or 'Alright', a postive exclamation Namagomi- Raw garbage, Filia's pet name for Xelloss :P Okaa-san- Mother
~*~*~*~
Chapter Two: Ordinary Day
Letting the music pour from her soul, Filia struck a high note, her sweet, angelic voice clearly the most recognizable out of the black-and- white attired members of the Hinoday Takai Gauken Choir. Choir was one of the things she was truly passionate about, and it could not be denied that she had vocal talent. She could make 'Happy Birthday' sound like a beautiful ballad. The girl was that gifted.
Finishing the song gracefully, Filia flushed as her classmates applauded, forming a circle around her. She found herself bathing in admiration.
"Filia-chan, you sound so beauuuuuuuuuuuuutiful! I wish I had a voice like yours!" a skinny girl gushed, her fists clutched cutely beneath her chin.
"Another great performance! How do you hit those high notes with such grace?" another mused admiringly.
"We're surely going to finals!" was yet another exclamation.
Her skin still slightly pink and practically radiating from within from praise, the shrine maiden's happiness was all but overflowing. The sensible, modern instructor also gave her a genuine, modest round of applause, nodding and pushing her glasses up on her head as she marked Filia's eighteenth consecutive perfect ten on the scoresheet. Once again, she had achieved absolute perfection. With some satisfaction, she sang requests from her classmates, swelling with inner pride.
~*~*~*~
Some considered it horribly kitschy to prance around in a uniform of any sort (a la' Naga), even the conservative attire of the Choir, a simple white Oxford and a pleated black skirt of formidible length. But Filia had became distinguished in it, and, not unlike the cheerleaders (though without the flirty flaunting), wore it with pride. But hers was a reserved pride. So, taking elegant strides, her books cradled girlishly beneath her arm, she traveled down the hall, still tingling from her performance. She had been wonderful, hadn't she?
Snapping any thoughts that were formerly taking place, Lina saddled up to Filia, greeting her with the usual vivacity.
"Hey, Fi-chan!" the shorter girl instilled, firey hair bouncing. She grinned.
"Ara, hello, Lina-chan," Filia replied, open to conversation.
Lina and Filia were a contrasting duo. While Lina was certainly fire, straight to the roots of her hair, Filia was remarkably water, with her cool-headed attitude. However, despite obvious surface differences, the girls both shared one thing: explosive, unpredictable tempers. This was the glue of their friendship boat. Filia even prefered her lesser half's electric personality, it guaranteed adventure, and even if it was sometimes met with apprehension at first, she usually ended up enjoying herself. Lina in turn counted on Filia's reasoning to get her out of dangerous scrapes. And if something was up, she could bet Filia noticed it.
"Was it another vocal triumph?" her lesser inquired, noting the telltale flush of Filia's cheeks.
This evoked a real smile. "Yes." She suddenly clasped her books to her chest, her large aquamarine eyes glistening with tears of happiness. "We are finally going to make it to finals! My heart is sure of it!" she exclaimed passionately. Filia spoke with passion on two subjects; Choir and Xelloss. The latter was more of passionate anger.
"Congrats!" Lina crossed her arms behind her head, carelessly exposing her navel. She then rolled her eyes. "Here comes the the whole clique," she announced. Filia blinked and watched Naga's intimidating presence saunter down the hallway, exuding airs a mile thick. She tossed her melons seductively, seemingly headed straight for Lina.
"Well, if it isn't Naga the cheerleader and her posse of cheerleading friends," Lina greeted as the foreboding group stopped before her, tossing hair, snapping gum, sharing giggles. Her voice was laced with sarcasm.
The sarcasm whizzed over Naga's head like a ten-pound bowling ball. "Oh, naive Lina, you are just jealous of me and my beautiful friends," she said self-importantly, as if she were Aphrodite herself, descended from the heavens to provide other-wordly wisdom. "Tell me, have you grown at all since your tenth birthday?"
"Eheeheehee!" chorused all of the cheer buddies.
Lina was adamant. "How about this. Tell me, Naga, don't you have some other poor, unsuspecting creature to torture? Because, if you don't mind, I have a life to get on with, and it doesn't include you."
Naga sighed huffily, arching her nose into the air. This... this.... unsignifigant girl was standing against her authority! She really hated that Lina Inverse, immune to her taunts and stealing her Gourry. "Hmph! Well, at least I have some respect for my schoolmates!" she announced dramatically, stomping off, followed by her five shadows.
Lina sighed hugely. "She doesn't give up, does she? Well, at least it's clear she's not the brightest lightbulb in the bunch." Filia, always an observer from the sidelines, began walking quickly to class, Lina in stride.
"She's so..... intimidating, or at least thinks she is," Filia assessed. "She has no enemies. Those who aren't her friends are the subjects of her ridicule, people like the Computer Club. That's why she hates you. You are her equal, and you refuse to let her steamroll you like she's used to."
"Yeah, well, I'd be happy if she just grew some brain cells and left me alone. It's getting aggravating, you know." The object of the previous torment shrugged indifferently as they walked through the classroom door, bell chiming just as they entered the room. "But I guess that's life for you."
~*~*~*~
"Konnichiwa, sempai!" Amelia greeted the figure exuberantly. Her hello was aimed at a particularly solitary-looking boy hunched over his notebook, scrawling problems onto the paper. When he didn't respond, she studied him closely. He stood out from the rest. His scars interested her.
Amelia had been transferred from her normal Mathematics class to Pre- Calculus. The reason she hadn't seen this boy before was because their classes were on opposite hallways. Now she could spend time getting to know him. A brief look around the classroom revealed that most everyone was copying the boy's position, jotting down something in their notebook. Wow, must be a bunch of really dedicated workers, she observed.
Her attention snapped back to the boy sitting beside her. She leaned over, looking directly at him, so that he couldn't mistake her subject.
"Hi," she said again, smiling. "Need help?"
His head jerked from the paper, staring in shock at the owner of the voice. "Ne? Who are you......"
Those scars were very intriguing. She definitely wanted to get to know him now. "Amelia Sailoon. I transferred to this class to take advanced math. And you are......?"
"Zelgadis......... Greyweirs," he replied uncertainly. He wasn't used to talking to anyone but Lina and Co., but now he found himself thrust into a conversation with this transfer student. And the strange thing was, it was an actual conversation, not just another name-calling. He was still proccessing it.
"Cool name," she chirped, unaware that she was really throwing Zel for a loop. She leaned over to examine the problems. "Wow, difficult."
Zelgadis felt dazed, like he'd been out in the sun for too long. "Yeah," he replied, in a voice that belonged to a man from a dream world. Why was this girl......... this Amelia........ giving him so much kindness? Didn't she notice he was a freak and should be treated accordingly? Still confused about this random act, he plodded on, feeling it couldn't hurt. "The sensei is strict, so you'll have to pull your weight."
"Oh, that's easy. I live to surpass myself," she said positively, her face still smiling brightly. Then her eyes flounced open. "Ara! I know!" She began to fish a sheet of paper from her binder. "Do you have instant messaging?" she asked questioningly.
Zel nodded.
"Yatta!" She scribbled something down on the piece of loose leaf, and handed it to him. "Here, there's my screen name. Give me yours and we can talk!"
Her cheerfulness towards him seemed to evaporate any doubt or otherwise hesitation. In his own cramped handwriting, he copied down her request, next to the reflective, rounded letters of her own. Tearing Amelia's from the paper and handing his back to her, he watched for a reaction in the same dazed manner.
"Good!" Her smile had the voltage of an 120-watt bulb. "Making friends is so nice, ne?"
Normally, Zel couldn't have related to the comment, but today he thought he understood what she meant, for the very first time.
~*~*~*~
True to the namesake of the school, the sun shone obediently, illuminating the unearthly green-ness of the field, dew reflected like crystal sculptures. And Gourry, golden in another way, was stretched out beneath it all, easy-going grin adhered to to his strong face. He was warming up with the sun, preparing for a long run. Oblivious to salivitating onlookers, he rose, bulging tendons flexing in his taut skin. The female population feasted their eyes hungrily.
Physical education was an important part of Hinoday Takai Gauken, despite its boasts of acedemic inclinement. Basically, if you were the short, scrawny boy with an asthma problem, somehow your grades took a nosedive. It was biased, yes, but that's how people like Gourry managed not fail. What he lacked in intelligence, he made up for in brute strength. And, naturally being the star of the entire athletic program (he made the team no matter what he tried out for), this helped immensely.
Another factor to consider was the gender separation of gym classes. Although the actual changing, for reasons quite obvious, was done seperately, the instructors seemed to take a convenient vacation once everyone was out on the field together, thus allowing both parties to intermingle if they pleased. And, if you were an attractive young lady, and you were lucky enough to have third period P.E. with Gourry Gabriev, you immediately abandoned your excercises and watched Gourry do his.
Unless, of course, your name was Lina Inverse.
Who marched straight on up to him, having completed her own warm-ups, and launched into conversation. Gourry's fan club grew fangs and glared with dangerous vemenence.
"Heya, Gourry!" she greeted casually.
"Ara, hi, Lina," the stud muffin responded with ease.
"I see you have quite a crowd of admirers. I'm surprised they haven't brought popcorn," the shorter girl said slyly. Gourry, of course, had no clue what she was talking about.
Gourry blinked. "A-ano........"
She smiled again, aborting Gourry's mental struggle. "Fresh air feels great, ne?" When in doubt, talk about the weather.
"Huh?" The blonde's mental banks processed this information, still in confusion about the last comment. A light bulb flicked on. "Oh, yeah! Helps me with my excercises. Say, Lina, do you have any of those really cool video games? Because I'd really like to borrow one. You see, my cousin Piper is coming over, and-"
"That's nice, Gourry," Lina interjected, rapidly changing the subject. She wasn't in the mood to hear another one of his family legends. "Come over anytime!"
"Oh, wow! Could you show me how to get to this one level? I was having trouble with it, and you're really good so I was wondering...." Trouble was not an uncommon phenomenon in Gourry's life, considering his low amount of brain cells.
"Sure, sure," Lina obliged, not wanting the extra flattery. Gourry was rambling again. Sighing, Lina plastered a grin on her face and pretended to listen avidly. Much as she favored the doornail's company, she really hoped class ended soon.
~*~*~*~
Something ricocheted off of the back of Filia's definitive golden head, disrupting the calamity of her note-taking. A small ball of paper fell to the floor, bouncing once and halting as it hit the leg of her chair. Agitated, she snatched it from its resting place and un-wadded the paper. After carefully reading the message on its interior, the universal symbol of anime anger popped onto her forehead. The message had read:
Hello, Filia-chan!
It even came complete with a replica of the sender, smiling most patronizingly.
Eyes already blazing, she jerked her head back to divert her anger to the mentioned causer of destruction. Xelloss smiled innocently at her. Her eyes glinted, and she turned around in a huff, silently fuming.
"So you see, minna, the cytoplasm is located directly inside the membrane of the cell, while the chromatin is the hereditary material inside the nuclear membrane. Next, I will describe the process of mitosis. Be sure you are taking good notes, a pop quiz could happen anytime."
The predictable, achingly nasal voice of the sensei calmed Filia's nerves a bit, and she slowly forgot her rage as she gleefully copied down the phases of cell reproduction. Order and safety had been installed once more. And then-
Another paperball collided with her skull, thus shattering the scientific reverie. She glared a handful of sharp, polished daggers at the guilty party, who smirked and revealed an armada of paper weapons. One sat right in his open palm, taunting her. Hot anger surged through her veins. Once class was over, she would give him the brutality he deserved-
No, you must remain calm. You are above his childish antics. Show that you are a mature person and ignore him!
Filia spun around daintily, nose upheld. She copied her notes like a dignified young lady, even sucking up to the sensei by beaming and nodding with enthusiasm.
"....the cell spends the duration of its life in Interphase then, after the membrane disappears........"
Wham. A larger wad of paper smacked her upside the head. She twitched, shoulders beginning to tremble in warning. The violet-haired trickster pushed on. Another struck her. Then another. And another. Her fists protruded, whole body shaking in an effort to restrain the anger. You must remain calm. He is provoking you. Getting mad would only be the reaction he wants. You must remain calm. You must remain-
Filia snatched the flying projectile out of the air and shot up on her feet, glaring dangerously at an intensity Xelloss was sure candle wax would melt under. Her fangs were bared and arms extended stubbornly at her sides, hands crushed into fists. Students squirmed at the transformation of angel into demoness, knowing well the potential of her temper. They were not all athletes, after all.
"Filia-san, can you explain to me why you interrupt my class by abruptly standing up in the middle of a lecture?"
Xelloss smiled amusedly, obviously having recieved the desired results. Filia gave him a last withering look before turning to the sensei, who was impatiently stomping his foot. Color crept easily into her cheeks, and she bowed, deeply ashamed. Xelloss yawned, bored after having accomplished his task, and began copying someone else's notes.
"Please forgive me, sensei-sama, it will not happen again," she apologized, gravely mortified with her un-ladylike behavior.
"It had better not. Sit, and we will resume." No one dared to chuckle.
Filia slumped miserably over her notebook, exposed and embarrassed. And all because of that darn namagomi Xelloss. Why must he make her temper flare so?
Her anger dissolved by her disgrace, she dismally resumed writing, sulking slightly as she caught sight of a still-grinning Xelloss.
Well, that was certainly entertaining. I'll have to formulate another tactic for History. The prodigous practical joker grinned more broadly at this stream of thought and continued editing the list of assignments he'd found from the principal on the algebra sensei's desk.
~*~*~*~
By all rights, Lina Inverse loved food. Not in the same way gastronomical human blimps adored Twinkies (they're the kind of people you're almost afraid to light a match around), but still, she valued it. And her body was most adept to these eating habits, as her metabolism effieciently burned off any poundage. So, the first thing she did when she stepped inside her house after school was dispose of her homework, gather a hefty variety of snack foods, and chow down while playing her favorite RPG.
Which, of course, it being a weekday, was exactly what she was doing now. She was so absorbed in the rythmic chomping of her jaws and the heroic roars of her video game that she almost didn't hear the phone ring.
Right at the crucial moment of gameplay, just as she was about to conquer the mighty Red Inferno Dragon, the telephone interrupted. Her hero was smoldered by dragon-fire in a fraction of a second and a 'Game Over' screen had cheerfully applied itself to the television set. Lina grumbled and made a mad dash for the phone, pressing the 'Talk' button and answering with a very impatient "Hello?"
"Lina-chan, honey, it's me. I was just calling to see if we needed any toilet paper. Can you check and see if we have some?"
She grumbled once more and muttered a surly 'Sure' before trudging off to check the storage closet. There, as usual, were plenty of economy- sized packages of Charmin, so many that you could have mistook it for a display in the supermarket.
"Yes, Okaa-san, we have toilet paper. Lots of toilet paper. You don't need to buy any."
"Are you sure? Because you can never be too certain of things, you know-"
"Okaa-san, we're fine."
"Well, alright, if you say so. Take care, dear, I'll be home by six."
"Bye." She placed the phone back in the cradle and sighed heavily, slumping against the wall. She had been about to conquer the extremely difficult Red Inferno Dragon, and her mother spoils her chance to call about, of all things, toilet paper. Disappointed and slightly agitated, she returned to her food. Many things in life could make Lina lose her temper, but few could make her lose her appetite.
"Well, then," she conceded, taking a bite out of a Swiss Roll, "I guess it's just an ordinary day."
~*~*~*~
Okay, up to this point, the story has been little more than clever introductory, and warming up for the swing of things, so to speak. So, next chapter will begin the story, and it won't all be disoriented well-written vingettes, really. The prologue ceases here.
Please, if you're reading, feel free to drop me any criticisms, comments, the like. I, like most ff.net users, love my reviews and my reviewers. They give me such motivation! Even critique is helpful, if done nicely. Remember, if you seek me out, I'll seek you out.
Tis' all, for now. Ja ne!
Chapter Preview: Amelia is introduced to Lina and Co. by Zel. Gourry accepts her immediately, but Filia and Lina aren't so sure........ hilarity and good ol' Sailoon values ensue. And is ice cream really the secret to happiness?