Chapter IV: Insho Dai-chi no First Impression
Haruka groaned in disgust when she felt her body being lightly shaken. 'What time is it?' she thought with impatience and annoyance.
As if hearing her question out loud, Michiru spoke with haste. "Hurry Haruka. It's already seven, breakfast is here."
Haruka groaned once again and finally opened her eyes only to shut them with a sudden pain from her well lit room. "Why are you waking me up?"
Michiru smiled slightly and answered. "Well, the servant tried to and failed. I felt bad for him and said I would do it; he look so helpless." She wasn't about to tell her that in reality, she wanted to see what Haruka's room looked like. It was just as girly looking as her own.
Haruka said nothing more, threw back her covers, and headed to the closet that was located on the right side of her room. She was too tired to deal with all this. She yelped in surprise when she opened the door. "This entire thing is filled with DRESSES!"
Michiru walked over and peaked inside over her shoulder. It was indeed filled entirely with dresses. "What's wrong? They're so much nicer than mine." She didn't quite understand Haruka's sudden outburst.
Haruka gave an (almost) evil glare towards Michiru. "I hate dresses," she stated. "I refuse to wear these THINGS any longer!" She threw her hands up in disgust after slamming the door shut and walked back towards her bed and started rummaging underneath it. She came up with her suitcase a few minutes later.
Michiru understood now what was wrong and became a trifle bit confused. "But you're a girl. . ." she trailed off.
"So? That doesn't mean I WANT to wear dresses!" Haruka was becoming a little heated. Why didn't anyone ever understand that she absolutely hated dresses and didn't want to wear them?
She flinched at the retort. "I suppose so. . ." was Michiru's answer. She didn't really understand Haruka's desire to dress like a guy but accepted it none the less. "If that's what you really want." She honestly didn't want to anger her any further by questions about the subject.
"No use getting angry. I brought clothes anyway." Haruka struck down her emotion of anger, feeling slightly ashamed of her outburst. In place of her anger was a great respect to Michiru for understanding. She spoke nothing more as she opened her suitcase and began to rummage around. She found what she was looking for and then just kind of stared at Michiru wondering what she was waiting for.
Michiru blushed, taking the hint, turned and began to exit towards the common room, deciding to forget the incident that just took place. There was no reason for her to be in the room while she dressed.
Breakfast had lasted half an hour in almost complete silence, neither knowing what to say, before someone had come to escort them. By that point, Haruka had already sent someone to deliver a message to who ever was in charge and requested that her closet be filled with the 'proper' clothing that she needed and also that they changed the decor of her room. She was feeling quite smug with herself, until the lesson started.
"Alright now, lets start with the basics today," the training master spoke as soon as they arrived marking something on a clipboard as he spoke without even bothering to look at them first.
They had made it there in no time to the training hall, once again taking so many twists and turns that they were sure to never find their way back.
"As you should well know by now, I will be your new trainer. I expect nothing but the best from you two and I hope you live up to my expectations." He looked over them carefully now not bothering trying to be discreet. To him, Haruka looked quite fit. He saw that her muscles were well toned and she looked as if she new combat already. Glancing at Michiru, he knew exactly her type: small, frail looking...the typical princess; in a skirt no less. He smiled at Michiru thinking of her.
Haruka could already tell that she wasn't going to like their trainer. He was strict, and Haruka got the impression that he was a sexist as well; not liking the expression on his face as he stared at Michiru smiling. He fit the profile perfectly; buff, broad shoulders, and a need to pick on her. Not to mention his whole opening speech was over rated in her opinion. Haruka knew she'd have problems with him later.
"There's no need for you to know my name, just call me Sensei. We'll begin first by warming up and then I'll assign you different tasks to see what shape you all are in. All right then, let's begin! Run two laps around the room's track for a warm up!" He had a smug smile on his face when he watched them head over to the starting line.
Haruka and Michiru wasted no time to start and began to do as he said. Michiru knew shortly after that she had dressed wrong for the occasion. She was having a hard time keeping up with Haruka and her skirt only made things worse. It wasn't long before she began to fall behind.
"Hurry it up, Haruka!" Sensei yelled.
Haruka scowled when she heard Sensei's command across the room. He obviously wasn't going to pick on Michiru. Not only was their new teacher a sexist, she discovered, but he was also a pervert.
By the time Michiru was half way through her second lap, Haruka had already finished her three and was cooling down. She felt horribly embarrassed of herself. She had wanted to impress her new partner but was in truth, doing the exact opposite. When she made it to the end, she was panting hard and her chest hurt with the effort to breath. She needed water but was too worn out to get it.
"Here," Haruka said as she handed Michiru an extra water bottle.
"Thanks," Michiru managed to say between her wheezing.
Sensei looked approvingly at Michiru as she sat down clutching her aching rib cage drinking water, but shot Haruka a seemingly disgusted snarl. "All right then ladies! Hurry up and catch you're breath, we're only getting started." He turned his back to them as he started marking on papers attached to his clipboard.
Michiru spoke, startling him. "According to the legend, aren't we supposed to be able to transform into alter personas which give us a more powerful physical strength?" She needed all the help she could get at this point and wanted to know.
Haruka looked at Michiru with interest as she spoke. Since she had never heard of this legend until just a few days ago, she was beginning to become interested in it. Of course, even if she wasn't interested, she might as well know all she can about it since she was caught up in the middle of it.
Sensei smiled. "Yes, but if you remember correctly, the legend also states that you'll need a henshin pen in order to do so, and unfortunately, we don't have them." He smiled almost mockingly at her weakness. "Serenity-sama said that they would appear to you on their own in two possible situations: 1) that you'll need them and that they would have no choice but to appear, or 2) that they'll appear to you when they think you're ready for them." He smiled once again and seemed to almost laugh. "But until then, you'll be training your own physical body under my watch. I expect you to be serious about this as well and I don't think you'll be learning anything until I think your pretty little body is ready for it." He smiled curtly; something he seemed to do a lot. "Now, to continue, I want you to do twenty pull-ups over there on that bar attached to the wall." He pointed towards it.
Training continued like this for the rest of the day until noon, when they were given an hour and a half break for lunch and things of the sort. Back at the room, Michiru had stayed silent during the entire hour in which they ate. She had made a complete fool of herself in front of Haruka during the rest of their first day of training. She was barely able to do the exercises Sensei had assigned and she was completely worn out just after the first few; her body almost sore with numbness. Haruka, on the other hand, had completed the tasks with ease and never complained; Sensei had picked on her the entire time. She was feeling so depressed that she hadn't noticed that Haruka was speaking to her.
"Man, I'm bushed. I never thought that this training would be hard."
Michiru felt a little better that Haruka was actually tired too. She continued to stay silent while Haruka spoke on.
"At least the second half will be actual lessons. No more physical stuff till tomorrow, it's just going to be books." She was trying to cheer her partner up, for all it was worth. She wouldn't call her friend just yet, but she inevitably felt a closeness with her she never felt before. Haruka felt quite the fool with her attempt.
Michiru was quite relieved with this revelation. Apparently she didn't hear Sensei say that. Now she'll have a chance to rest her sore body up.
The second half of the training was much easier, not to mention it was also held in the privacy of their own common room. Michiru already knew most of what their new teacher was going over. Luckily, the academic classes were taught by someone other then Sensei. His name was Fwafwa, he had a nicer, friendly personality and wasn't as intimidating. Although he appeared to much older, he was only a few years their senior. His sharp jaw line, chiseled features, and golden brown hair made him very becoming and handsome. It wasn't long before Michiru found herself staring at him; and not to mention wishing she had cleaned herself up during their break. If he noticed her stare, he made no direct note of it.
"Lets turn to page 100 please." He continued on with the lesson, honestly not noticing Michiru's stare.
Haruka became quite bored with Fwafwa's droning voice. She, too, already knew what they were going over. Haruka was already annoyed with him even if she had just met him five minutes ago. There was just something about him that she didn't like. Maybe it was the fact that Michiru was swooning over him, but of course that thought never crossed her mind.
"And that's how the Moon came under Serenity-sama's control." He had finally finished up the lesson much to Haruka's pleasure; not to Michiru's. It was already ten past six, five minutes passed the scheduled time. He said his goodbyes, not once giving Michiru a second glance, and left them to themselves.
"Thank the Goddess he's gone!" Haruka breathed out. The longer he spent there, the more she hated him. "I was getting incredibly bored with his teachings..."
A frown tugged at the corners of Michiru's mouth. "I take it you didn't like him very much. I thought his lessons were quite informative."
Haruka opened one eye from her relaxed position on the floral sofa and snorted. "What ever gave you that idea? And you can't tell me you didn't already know what he was trying to teach us."
Michiru's frown deepened as she stood up from the chair across from Haruka. She said nothing and headed for the bathroom on her side, obviously upset.
'Great,' Haruka thought. 'I pissed her off...'
After Haruka had taken her shower later that night, she went up to the loft area between the bathroom doors and sat down. She loved to star gaze and this sight was no exception. She was joined shortly after with Michiru's presence.
"Ara? Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you were up here." She turned to leave, but she didn't get too far before Haruka's voice stopped her.
"It's fine. You can sit here too if you want." Her gaze never left the stars as she spoke.
Michiru, though a little uncomfortable, lied down at Haruka's right and began to star gaze with her. The silence that developed between them shortly after was beginning to drive Michiru nuts.
Much to Michiru's relief, Haruka broke the silence first. "Did– did your parents tell you about all this? The legend and all I mean." She kept her eyes on the stars as she spoke.
Michiru picked up on Haruka's discomfort of the question and answered as best she could. "Yes, they did. Only once though; when I was seven." She turned her head to look at Haruka's while she spoke. She had never noticed before then how handsome Haruka's face was, especially in the light from the stars.
Haruka stayed silent. Michiru was worrying if she had said something wrong. She didn't want to upset her partner after their first real day together. She turned her point of view back towards the stars after realizing she had been staring at her. "That was also the time they had told me I was betrothed to my bodyguard, Damasu." Michiru was trying to make amends for something wasn't sure she had done. "I didn't know what that meant then. I do now, of course."
Haruka turned her head towards Michiru finally, allowing Michiru to let out the breath she had been keeping in. "Do you want to be betrothed to him?" she asked rather urgently. She wasn't sure why she wanted to know the answer to this question so badly.
Michiru, relieved that Haruka had spoken and missing the urgency in her voice, answered truthfully. "Of course not. I want to marry someone of my own choice."
"You should tell them that then," she suggested, trying to cover up her true intentions, all the while entranced by Michiru's beauty. She was so relieved to know Michiru didn't want that marriage to happen.
Michiru turned her head towards Haruka so she could look her in the face, not noticing how close it was between them since she had done that. "I don't want to do that. I'll deal with it when the time comes. I've always been 'perfect' to them."
Haruka sat up, blushing that Michiru had been so close. Michiru's intense gaze was making her stomach roll with an invisible flutter, mistaken for sickness. "No one is perfect. Do you think my parents were happy when they saw what I did to my long hair and the sudden change of clothes?" She sighed in remembrance.
Michiru suddenly felt very ashamed of herself, blushed, and cursed her very existence for making her seem like a fool again in front of Haruka. She felt helpless with the third degree Haruka was giving her. And worse of all, she couldn't come up with a good enough reason for a come back to Haruka's challenge. She had messed up again. Why couldn't she just , for once, make Haruka look at her as not a fool?
Her shame tripled when Haruka got up and began to descend the stairs. "Goodnight," was Haruka's last word before she closed the bedroom door behind her.
Michiru felt like she was going to break. Without even trying, she managed to ruin things between her and Haruka. She got up and went to her own room as well. She tucked herself into bed and tried to fall asleep to no avail. This destiny she wanted so much was turning out to be a nightmare.