23. Her hand came up from the box to reveal a golf ball with the number twenty-three written on it.

"What did you get?"

"Here." Haruka tossed the ball at Makoto.

"Pfft," the brunette snorted. "Looks like we're not going to be on the same team."

"Too bad. But at least you'll have that Mizuno genius with you. You could use the inspiration. Just don't drool too much, okay?" Tenoh laughed aloud from the smack that she received from her friend.

"Nah, I don't think I'll be the one drooling at the end of this exercise," Makoto pinched the other's cheek to turn the blonde head towards the direction of flag #23.

"Oh."

There, at the end of the line, stood a certain green-haired girl that Haruka would rather not see again, after what happened outside the cafeteria. She still felt a little gloomy about the incident.

"Will all the students go now to their respective places? The event is about to start," Ms. Reiha announced over the speakers.

----

Haruka jogged up to meet her team. A petite red-haired was standing beside Michiru. She coughed a little to gain their attention. "I assume you're my group mates?"

"Hi," the little girl blushed deeply when her hands connected with Haruka's. "I'm Miyamoto Yuki."

"Tenoh Haruka. Nice to meet you."

"And this would be-"

"Kaioh Michiru. I've already met her," Tenoh huffed a bit when she addressed the other girl.

"You again," Michiru stated coldly.

"You know, for someone who you keep bumping to, you could at least show less hostility. Destiny seems to cross our paths repeatedly."

"It's called fate, not destiny. Destiny is like catching a ball thrown by a person in front of you. You can choose to catch it, or dodge it. But fate is like being hit by that ball at the back of your head. You won't know when it's coming, nor can you choose to accept it. It just comes for you."

"An elaborate explanation for an anti-social like you," Haruka tried to hide a smile when she saw Michiru's expression turn from friendly to antagonistic.

"Yeah, whatever. People don't care about it anyway." Kaioh took the lead, closing her jacket to protect her from the freezing air. "And if it was Destiny, I'd rather not meet you again."

"What's the matter with her?" Yuki wondered out loud.

The blonde just shook her head. "Don't mind her. She's just having a menstrual period. I think."

The pair laughed aloud at the joke, not noticing a pair of steely blue eyes glaring at them.

----

"Will you two quit it?" She was tired of seeing the incessant flirting between her companions. Maybe I'm just jealous…no, don't think that way, Michiru…

Haruka let go of Yuki's hand and marched up to the other girl. "Why do you care?"

"Maybe she's just jealous…" Miyamoto supplied, but then decided to back down when she saw the daggers flying from Michiru's eyes. "Uhm, I'll just take a look at the trees. I'll leave you guys, alone," she scampered away like a chicken.

"Baka! Go after her, she'll just get lost in the forest," Kaioh threw her hands up in the air out of frustration.

"Why are you being such an insensitive bitch?"

"Excuse me?" A green eyebrow rose.

"Why are being so hard on everyone? Can't you at least be more open and friendly?"

"Well, pardon me…but I'm not Miss Congeniality. If you want to jump at each other's bones, it's fine by me. Just do it when you're alone," she snorted.

A hand reached up to mess with blonde bangs out, and its owner sighed in defeat. "Look, I'm sorry-"

"And please…don't act all lovey-dovey like you two are the only ones here, and I'm nothing but one of those trees."

"Don't tell me you're jealous?" Haruka held a mischievous grin and shortened the distance between them.

"I-…Just who do you think you are? Me, feeling something for someone like you? Hah! I'd rather chase after a cat…"

"Well, I'm just Tenoh Haruka, charmer extraordinaire. Why? Can't a high and mighty being named Kaioh Michiru be attracted to my peculiar looks?" Tenoh closed the gap between them and leaned over. "And by the way, I love cats too…"

Michiru felt blood rush towards her face from the almost purr from the blonde. Her cheeks burned from the warm breath in her ear. Oh. My. God…Vanish evil thoughts! Her mind screamed at her…

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Haruka pulled away, laughing, holding her aching stomach with tears in her eyes.

"Iie…" Must wear irritated mask…must wear irritated mask. "No…I couldn't speak because you have such an awful breath!" And with that, the green-haired girl stomped after Yuki's trail. "Where the hell did Miyamoto go?" She grunted when she saw what time it was already.

Haruka followed closely. "Now, you're concerned with Yuki-san. I'm baffled…"

"Zip it, Tenoh-san. I'm in no mood to argue." Baka! You're starting to annoy me…

"One minute, you're this super apathetic girl, then the next, you show a sign of concern about someone…"

"Whatever! I don't care! You're getting on my nerves!" She gritted her teeth in emphasis.

"Really, you're a complete mystery to me, Kaioh-san…I bet behind that angst-ridden facade lays a sweet and caring girl, ne?"

"Shut up!"

"You say you don't care, but here you still listen to me."

"I don't want your damn opinions! Leave me alone!" Michiru pressed her hands against her ears.

"Why can't you open up just a little?"

"Shut up!"

"Well, it's my own mouth. I can choose when or when not to speak. I'm just voicing out my thoughts…"

"Let's make a deal. What can I do to make you shut up? You want dinner? Fine! I'll treat you tomorrow." Kaioh looked back to the other girl who seems to be deep in thought. "Tell me anything you want and I'll do it. So you could shut the hell up and leave me alone!"

The blonde once again that roguish smile on her face. "Anything?"

Argh…that smile…that she found infuriating yet alluring at the same time. "Anything!" Uh-oh…that sparkle in her eyes doesn't feel right…

­----

"Hmmm…let's see…" What do I want? What do I ask? What do I tell her? Haruka could hear the loud tapping from her partner's foot. The girl had a bored smirk on her face, awaiting for her answer.

Aha! Let's see how she'd react to this… "You said anything, right? Well, I want you to kiss me," she stated simply. She closed her eyes and crossed her arms, hiding a triumphant grin.

"Is that it? Consider it done."

The blonde failed to realize that Michiru was dead serious about the pact. It was also too late for her to react to the approaching footsteps. And her mind stopped working when she felt the soft, sweet, and electrifying lips connect with hers.

"Hey, you two ready to go-…Oh! Sorry!" Her blissful state soon ended when the loud, annoying voice of Yuki came from behind them. So now, you found her annoying, eh?

Michiru tried to step backwards, but the blonde's hands were still at her waist. "You can let go now, Tenoh-san…"

Tenoh quickly dropped her hands at her side. She managed to stutter a weak,"Uh, gomen…", but deep inside, her mind and her heart were lurching uncontrollably. Shimatta! Shimatta! SHIMATTA!

"Come on, guys. It's starting to get dark. We need to get going," the red-haired was the lead this time.

"I guess that would leave you speechless for a while, ne?" Kaioh snickered.

"…"

"Probably." She heard the mocking, yet melodious, laugh of the other girl. "Hey, don't just stand there! The deal was for you to shut up, and not turn into a stone. Baka…"

Baka…I really am an idiot…

The trio trudged with sacred silence to their destination, but Haruka's mind kept playing back at the small incident…

Kaioh Michiru, you mystify me. Someday, I hope, that I could find a way to break down those walls that you keep around your heart…

----

Author's Notes:

OMG. I have a writer's block! Nooooo…-.-'

I'm having a hard time closing up the next chapters for my other fics. Seems like Green Rose is the only fic I could write about right now.

Hmmm…once again, thanks for the reviews.

And train, have you been peeking at my notes? Lol. But Mamoru will appear after a few more chapters. This fic is just getting started, and I'm in the mood to write a lot of H&M fluff! Yay…:)

Disclaimer:

Haruka, Michiru, and the rest of the BSSM gang belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.
And SBS owns the Korean TV series Green Rose.