Chapter two

Another week had passed and the rumours still hadn't stopped. In fact they had only gotten worse and for Minako it truly was becoming too much for her to stand: she couldn't go anywhere without poisonous stares being shot at her or venomous words being said behind her back: and the worst part of it all was that Ten'oh Haruka, just like everyone else in the school, knew about it: he would never like her now, even if she did pluck up the courage to tell him…

That very thought was passing through Minako's mind again when someone prodded her in the side and she sat up, surprised. She looked over and saw Michiru sitting next to her on the bench, an expression of confusion on her face.

"Is everything okay, Minako?" Michiru asked: she had a look of concern on her face. She had taken Minako to the park with her in hopes that it would cheer the blonde girl up, but sadly it hadn't worked so far.

"No, Michiru: everything is not okay," Minako sighed feeling tears come into her eyes. "I'm sick of this…"

"Sick of what?"

"These fucking rumours, what else?" Minako felt tears falling down her cheeks.

"There's nothing wrong with homosexuality, Mnako…"

"But I'm not a lesbian! I can't be: I mean only the art freaks like Hino and that lot…"

Michiru shook her head, "That's a stereotype, Minako." Minako frowned, wondering why Michiru sounded somewhat… offended? Why would Michiru
be offended by what she had just said anyway?

"Minako…"

"Yeah?"

"Well I don't know what you'll make of this but I…"

"See, Rei, there she is!" a familiar voice called. "Go and talk to her."

Minako looked up and saw Hino Rei of all people coming towards them: couldn't she just leave her alone?

"This is a nightmare, it really is a nightmare…" Rei groaned as she and Haruka wandered through the park. Haruka, who was with her, had taken her there in hopes that she might cheer up and stop panicing: sadly it hadn't worked thus far and Haruka had had to put up with Rei's worrying.

"Rei, stop it," Haruka groaned at last, tired of her friend's needless panic. Of course Rei didn't know why it was so needless but oh well…

"Why? Michiru will never like me now she thinks I'm crushi…"

"She knows you're not crushing on Minako, I guarentee it," Haruka replied. "She only ever fell for that sort of thing once, and that was because it was tr… Never mind."

Rei shot her a suspicious look, "What were you saying?"

"Never mind," Haruka snapped, the tone of her voice clearly stating that she's not going to shed any further light on the subject even if Rei continues to nag her to the ends of the earth.

"Alright," Rei shrugs, knowing it's best not to press the subject – or Haruka's foul temper. "But how can I tell Minako I really don't have any type of crush on her and have never wanted to date her, end of story?"

"Well you can always just tell her," Haruka shrugged.

"If only it was that simple," Rei sighed. "How can I get to her though? She'd just tell me to get lost and she completely blanks people like me in school so…"

"Well you can always go over there and tell her," Haruka pointed over to a nearby bench where Minako was sitting next to none other than Michiru. Haruka shoved Rei ahead to where Minako and Michiru could see her, hiding herself from view in the process. "See, Rei, there she is! Now go and talk to her."

'Oh shit,' Rei mentally sighed. "Well I'd better get this over and done with," she muttered under her breath and began to walk towards them.

"What are you doing here, Hino?" Minako sneered as soon as Rei got near them, just as Rei had feared she would.

"I… well I… erm…" she swallowed and began again. "I'm here because I was trying to clear my head. I guess I should be trying to clear things up with you know though, Minako."

"Clear what up?" Minako hissed. "We are not dating Hino, I don't even like you."

"I know that, and I never said that we…"

"I don't want to listen to this," Minako stood up; she wasn't about to listen to whatever bullshit she thought Rei was about to pull.

"Minako, wait…" Michiru called but Minako ignored her; she didn't want to listen to anything then, nothing at all. This was just… ergh. It really couldn't get any worse, could it?

Minako broke into a run; she had to get away from Rei and her rumours. She turned a corner and bumped straight into someone: that someone turned out to be none other than Ten'oh Haruka. Minako felt her face go bright red; she couldn't believe this, of all the times why did she have to bump into Ten'oh Haruka then?

"I'm so sorry," Haruka smiled slightly at Minako, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. Minako felt as though her face was on fire: she was blushing like a lobster, but then again it was Ten'oh Haruka she was with, so why shouldn't she be?

"Are you alright?" the tall blonde asked. "Have you been crying, Minako?"

"I… it's fine," Minako sighed. "It's just, you know the rumours going round school?"

Haruka nodded.

"Well they're just getting on top of me… how can people be so mean?"

"People in general are just think, koi," Haruka said, then groaned mentally as she realised what she had just said.

Minako blushed, "Did you…"

"I did," Haruka nodded. 'Well it's now or never…'

"Wh… why?"

"Because, well, I… lemme just…" Haruka shook her head. "I love you, Aino Minako. I love you." She leant down and kissed the smaller girl lightly on the lips. Minako gasped and went an even deeper shade of red. Her eyes widened and filled with tears.

"Don't touch me."

"What?" Haruka was stung, stunned.

"Just don't," Minako hissed, tears falling from her cerulean eyes. "You're toying with me, aren't you? They all hate me, and now as soon as you know they hate me, you hate me too but tell me you love me because you just want to use me like the rest of them. Well I'm not going to stand for it!"

"You're such a drama queen, Aino," Haruka rolled her eyes.

"Drama Queen? Drama Queen? Well if I'm a drama queen then you're a Drama King, Ten'oh!"

"Queen, Aino," Haruka abandoned all sense then; she didn't care if Minako knew she wasn't a guy.

"Right, Queen... what? Look, Ten'oh, I know Hino and the others have been saying that about me but that's just going too far!"

"No; I really am female, Minako," Haruka sighed, shaking her head.

"How can you be female, the whole school knows you li…" Minako's eyes widened: "Fuck. Well I've got news for you, Ten'oh: I'm not a fucking lesbian, okay?"

"No, you're bi; you're probably just the only one in the entire school that hasn't realised it," Haruka shot Minako a bitter look, then she walked away leaving the blonde with tears falling down her face, and for once the tears weren't part of an act…