Valentine's Day Dance Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I own Emilio (he's a real person), Juniper, Merlin, and Hart. I don't think there are others that I own. But if you see somebody you don't recognize, then they're probably mine. But I don't own any of the Gundam Pilots or Relena. Or the name of the high school. Or the song that Juniper is singing, called The Storm is Passing Over (I'm singing it in Festival Chorus). Oh Happy Day isn't mine, either.
"Do parry six, not parry four on that one, Juniper! Try it again!" Emilio, Juniper's fencing coach, called from the side of the fencing lines.
Juniper retreated back to her En Guard line and got into her en guard position. The man opposing her retreated as well.
"Fencers ready?" Emilio waited for them both to say ready. "Fence!"
Juniper advanced rapidly, driving her opponent back with a series of arm extensions and lunges. She finally caught him on the chest.
"Halt! Zero to one, Juniper. Back to your lines." Emilio pointed.
***
Duo watched the fencers from a distance, admiring Juniper's quick footwork and fast hands.
"You certainly seem interested in fencing, Duo," Quatre commented, coming up behind him.
Duo didn't take his eyes away from Juniper. "Mmhmm."
***
"Have courage my soul.And let us journey on. Though the night is dark, and I am far from home. The storm is passing over." Juniper sang out loud as she walked home from fencing, her bag over her shoulder.
Duo swallowed. ~Now or never.~ He stepped from the shadows. "Isn't the girls' chorus singing that?"
Juniper jumped and yelped. "Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there!" Her heart sped up, and not from the surprise. She blushed.
"Gomen nasai." Duo lowered his head to hide his blush. "I-I'm Duo Maxwell."
"Sh-Shinigami?" Juniper gasped quietly, a blank look crossing her eyes.
"Nani?!" Duo asked, startled.
Juniper shook her head to clear her senses and forgot what she had just said. "Sorry, nice to meet you!"
Duo nodded. "S-same."
They walked along in silence, the white power snow crunching under their feet.
"Oh!" Juniper suddenly exclaimed. "Oh, how rude of me! I'm Juniper-"
"I know," Duo told her quietly. He cleared his throat. "You were the guest of honor at the banquet."
Juniper blushed. "Oh y-yeah." She felt rather awkward. "And you were the one who came in with Heero and Trowa."
Duo flushed and looked at his feet again. "And I'm not very proud of it, either."
Juniper laughed, her voice echoing around the empty streets. "Come now, they're your friends, right?"
Duo grinned widely. "Once again, I'm not very proud of it."
Juniper suddenly stopped. "I have to go this way. Um." She reached into her bag for a piece of paper and a pencil. She scribbled something down. "Here, it's my room number. It's in the guy's dorms. See you later!"
"I'm looking forward to then!" Duo called after her. She turned and winked.
***
"Hanyann (AN: That's another thing that's not mine. It's what Sakura from CCS says when she's happy)!" Juniper skipped happily down the hall to her dorm room. "Oh happy day. Oh happy DAY!" She danced around the room and flopped onto her bed. She sighed. "He's looking forward to seeing me again!"
"Oh, and who is this?" Relena peered down at Juniper.
Juniper yelped and jumped off the bed. "Re-Relena-sama!" What are you doing here? In my room?"
Relena laughed. "Oh, I was just talking to Merlin about something. I'll see you later." She walked to the door. "Oh, and if you need boy help, you know I'm always around."
"Hai!" Juniper waved goodbye and turned around. "Oto-san, where are you?"
Merlin popped in through the door that led to his bedroom. "I'm right here like I always am. Why?"
"What was Relena-sama talking to you about? Am I in trouble? Is something wrong? Is there another war or something?"
"Whoah, calm down little lady!" Merlin put a hand on Juniper's head. "I'll tell you tomorrow after school, okay? So do your homework and go to bed."
Juniper sighed and sat down at her desk. "Tomorrow is going to be a very long day."
***
It was a cold, nippy day. The students in Sank K High School worked huddled up against the practically nonexistent heaters. The halls were quiet, for all classes were in session.
Juniper set her pencil down after finishing her last math problem in study. She rested her chin on her hand and stared out the cloudy window. She could see snow just beginning to dance down from the clouds, twirling and swirling like petite ballerinas.
The classroom door opened with a swish and Heero walked in. He spoke to the teacher for a moment and then walked over to Juniper.
"Relena-chan wants to see you." Heero placed the pass on Juniper's desk and left.
Juniper blinked and the corners of her mouth twitched into a smile. ~He called her chan.~ She stood up and grabbed her books. "C-sensei, may I go to see Relena-sama? I have a pass."
"Yes, you may." He signed the pass.
Juniper sighed happily at the silence that seemed to echo in her ears as she made her away down the hall to the stairs. As she turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs she encountered a group of student working on a project out in the hall. She spotted Quatre standing by the door. ~That's Duo's friend, isn't it?~ She chided herself for letting her mind stray from the task in front of her. She turned down another hall and found herself face to face with Wufei.
"Holy-!" He jumped back. "Watch where you're going, lady!" He snorted and brushed past her.
Juniper stuck out her tongue at him and continued down the hall towards the Sigma science room. She quietly opened the door and beckoned to Relena.
Relena excused herself from the class quickly and shut the door behind herself. "Good, you came. I'm sorry, did I take you out of anything important?"
"Oh, no, I was only in study. Why, what's wrong?" Juniper leaned against the wall.
"Nothing much, I just have to leave school early to go somewhere, and I need you to give this box to Merlin for me. Is that too troublesome?"
"It's fine," Juniper replied quickly. "No problem at all."
Relena sighed and turned back to the room. "Thank you so much! You don't know how much you're helping. Merlin will tell you what this is all about later. For now, go back to study and do your homework. I'll talk to you later, too." She disappeared into the room.
"Ack, I'm gonna murder Merlin if he doesn't tell me what's going on!" Juniper turned around and walked to her room in a huff.
"Yo, Juniper!" somebody called to her just when she was about to go back into study.
Juniper glanced down the hall and took her hand off the door. "Duo!"
Duo and Juniper walked towards each other quickly. "What are you doing out of class?" They chorused.
Juniper smiled. "Jinx! But anyway, I was just going to see Relena for something."
"Ah, I see. I, um.I was. g-getting a drink." Duo gulped and looked down at his feet.
"It's okay, you don't need to tell me exactly what you were doing." Juniper gripped her pass tightly and took a deep breath. "Um, Duo, I-I um. I know we don't know each other very well yet, but."
Duo reached down and gripped her hand. "Will you go to the dance with me?" His eyes quivered and searched hers.
Juniper let out a squeak of surprise. "I was just about to ask you that myself! Yes, yes I will!" She grinned at Duo.
"Perfect! Um, can I call you to figure out plans?" Duo asked nervously.
"Of course! You know how to look up my number, right? My room number is 33, but you know that already, don't you? Sorry, I have to get back to class, ok?" Juniper gently took her hand away.
"Ok," Duo said rather breathlessly. "I'll see you later." He smiled beamingly and waved goodbye.
Juniper smiled at him one last time and walked into her study.
Disclaimer: I own Emilio (he's a real person), Juniper, Merlin, and Hart. I don't think there are others that I own. But if you see somebody you don't recognize, then they're probably mine. But I don't own any of the Gundam Pilots or Relena. Or the name of the high school. Or the song that Juniper is singing, called The Storm is Passing Over (I'm singing it in Festival Chorus). Oh Happy Day isn't mine, either.
"Do parry six, not parry four on that one, Juniper! Try it again!" Emilio, Juniper's fencing coach, called from the side of the fencing lines.
Juniper retreated back to her En Guard line and got into her en guard position. The man opposing her retreated as well.
"Fencers ready?" Emilio waited for them both to say ready. "Fence!"
Juniper advanced rapidly, driving her opponent back with a series of arm extensions and lunges. She finally caught him on the chest.
"Halt! Zero to one, Juniper. Back to your lines." Emilio pointed.
***
Duo watched the fencers from a distance, admiring Juniper's quick footwork and fast hands.
"You certainly seem interested in fencing, Duo," Quatre commented, coming up behind him.
Duo didn't take his eyes away from Juniper. "Mmhmm."
***
"Have courage my soul.And let us journey on. Though the night is dark, and I am far from home. The storm is passing over." Juniper sang out loud as she walked home from fencing, her bag over her shoulder.
Duo swallowed. ~Now or never.~ He stepped from the shadows. "Isn't the girls' chorus singing that?"
Juniper jumped and yelped. "Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there!" Her heart sped up, and not from the surprise. She blushed.
"Gomen nasai." Duo lowered his head to hide his blush. "I-I'm Duo Maxwell."
"Sh-Shinigami?" Juniper gasped quietly, a blank look crossing her eyes.
"Nani?!" Duo asked, startled.
Juniper shook her head to clear her senses and forgot what she had just said. "Sorry, nice to meet you!"
Duo nodded. "S-same."
They walked along in silence, the white power snow crunching under their feet.
"Oh!" Juniper suddenly exclaimed. "Oh, how rude of me! I'm Juniper-"
"I know," Duo told her quietly. He cleared his throat. "You were the guest of honor at the banquet."
Juniper blushed. "Oh y-yeah." She felt rather awkward. "And you were the one who came in with Heero and Trowa."
Duo flushed and looked at his feet again. "And I'm not very proud of it, either."
Juniper laughed, her voice echoing around the empty streets. "Come now, they're your friends, right?"
Duo grinned widely. "Once again, I'm not very proud of it."
Juniper suddenly stopped. "I have to go this way. Um." She reached into her bag for a piece of paper and a pencil. She scribbled something down. "Here, it's my room number. It's in the guy's dorms. See you later!"
"I'm looking forward to then!" Duo called after her. She turned and winked.
***
"Hanyann (AN: That's another thing that's not mine. It's what Sakura from CCS says when she's happy)!" Juniper skipped happily down the hall to her dorm room. "Oh happy day. Oh happy DAY!" She danced around the room and flopped onto her bed. She sighed. "He's looking forward to seeing me again!"
"Oh, and who is this?" Relena peered down at Juniper.
Juniper yelped and jumped off the bed. "Re-Relena-sama!" What are you doing here? In my room?"
Relena laughed. "Oh, I was just talking to Merlin about something. I'll see you later." She walked to the door. "Oh, and if you need boy help, you know I'm always around."
"Hai!" Juniper waved goodbye and turned around. "Oto-san, where are you?"
Merlin popped in through the door that led to his bedroom. "I'm right here like I always am. Why?"
"What was Relena-sama talking to you about? Am I in trouble? Is something wrong? Is there another war or something?"
"Whoah, calm down little lady!" Merlin put a hand on Juniper's head. "I'll tell you tomorrow after school, okay? So do your homework and go to bed."
Juniper sighed and sat down at her desk. "Tomorrow is going to be a very long day."
***
It was a cold, nippy day. The students in Sank K High School worked huddled up against the practically nonexistent heaters. The halls were quiet, for all classes were in session.
Juniper set her pencil down after finishing her last math problem in study. She rested her chin on her hand and stared out the cloudy window. She could see snow just beginning to dance down from the clouds, twirling and swirling like petite ballerinas.
The classroom door opened with a swish and Heero walked in. He spoke to the teacher for a moment and then walked over to Juniper.
"Relena-chan wants to see you." Heero placed the pass on Juniper's desk and left.
Juniper blinked and the corners of her mouth twitched into a smile. ~He called her chan.~ She stood up and grabbed her books. "C-sensei, may I go to see Relena-sama? I have a pass."
"Yes, you may." He signed the pass.
Juniper sighed happily at the silence that seemed to echo in her ears as she made her away down the hall to the stairs. As she turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs she encountered a group of student working on a project out in the hall. She spotted Quatre standing by the door. ~That's Duo's friend, isn't it?~ She chided herself for letting her mind stray from the task in front of her. She turned down another hall and found herself face to face with Wufei.
"Holy-!" He jumped back. "Watch where you're going, lady!" He snorted and brushed past her.
Juniper stuck out her tongue at him and continued down the hall towards the Sigma science room. She quietly opened the door and beckoned to Relena.
Relena excused herself from the class quickly and shut the door behind herself. "Good, you came. I'm sorry, did I take you out of anything important?"
"Oh, no, I was only in study. Why, what's wrong?" Juniper leaned against the wall.
"Nothing much, I just have to leave school early to go somewhere, and I need you to give this box to Merlin for me. Is that too troublesome?"
"It's fine," Juniper replied quickly. "No problem at all."
Relena sighed and turned back to the room. "Thank you so much! You don't know how much you're helping. Merlin will tell you what this is all about later. For now, go back to study and do your homework. I'll talk to you later, too." She disappeared into the room.
"Ack, I'm gonna murder Merlin if he doesn't tell me what's going on!" Juniper turned around and walked to her room in a huff.
"Yo, Juniper!" somebody called to her just when she was about to go back into study.
Juniper glanced down the hall and took her hand off the door. "Duo!"
Duo and Juniper walked towards each other quickly. "What are you doing out of class?" They chorused.
Juniper smiled. "Jinx! But anyway, I was just going to see Relena for something."
"Ah, I see. I, um.I was. g-getting a drink." Duo gulped and looked down at his feet.
"It's okay, you don't need to tell me exactly what you were doing." Juniper gripped her pass tightly and took a deep breath. "Um, Duo, I-I um. I know we don't know each other very well yet, but."
Duo reached down and gripped her hand. "Will you go to the dance with me?" His eyes quivered and searched hers.
Juniper let out a squeak of surprise. "I was just about to ask you that myself! Yes, yes I will!" She grinned at Duo.
"Perfect! Um, can I call you to figure out plans?" Duo asked nervously.
"Of course! You know how to look up my number, right? My room number is 33, but you know that already, don't you? Sorry, I have to get back to class, ok?" Juniper gently took her hand away.
"Ok," Duo said rather breathlessly. "I'll see you later." He smiled beamingly and waved goodbye.
Juniper smiled at him one last time and walked into her study.