Love and Friendship
Chapter 1
Avoiding reality
Michiru Kaioh was a 17 year old girl. She was a bright student and a gifted artist; and probably one of the most beautiful young girls of her school. She was thin and gracious, her hair was blue as the turquoise and curled in a sea wave-shape. But weirdly, her talents and her beauty never made her popular. She was very alone… probably because she lived in her own world, as if she was living in a deep ocean, a place where you can't hear anything from the upper world. Indeed Michiru didn't live in the reality. She had passed the ten past years in Italy, in a private school especially for girls. But her parents, from a wealthy Japanese family had recently decided to make her come back, and she was about to enter a private high school in Tokyo.
Haruka Tenoh was 17 year old. She was tall and blonde but not really the feminine kind. She dressed as a man as often as she could and enjoyed men hobbies… especially girls. She didn't like school but was a bright student. What she liked was sport. She was very athletic and her preferred activity was racing, and she was unbeatable. But one day she came back home with a girl and announced her parents that she was homosexual. Her parents decided it was too much, so they sent her in a strict private school where she would have to wear a feminine uniform and do girl's activities. Haruka was not happy with it, but she also thought her parents were stupid… knowing their daughter was a lesbian, they had chose a exclusively girl school… that was not intelligent.
Michiru was nervous, she hated changing school. She had passed the ten last years in the same place, she had been surrounded ten years by the same people in Italy. She had no real friend, but she had acquaintances, here she was new, she knew no one. But she hoped she would meet someone, that she would have friends here. She didn't really know why her parents had made her come back, it was stupid. First she had thought it was because they were missing her, and she had been touched, but they had sent her in this school where she was to stay the whole year except holidays. It made no sense.
When she arrived at the school on the first Monday of September, she could feel the glares on her, but not as much as she had expected, because on this school's first day she was not the only new student. But when she arrived in class it was obvious. The others already knew each other. A girl joined her in the class, she had noticed she was alone. The teacher hadn't arrived yet.
"Hi! I guess you are a new student. I'm Lily, nice to meet you."
"I… I'm Michiru."
"So how did you end here?"
"I… I studied in Italy… but my parents made be come back home and they put me here."
"Italy… the country of Art… I always dreamt to go."
"That's why they sent me there in the first place… I mean Art. I love Arts, so I studied in an Italian art school."
"Wow… You paint? You draw? Maybe you play music…"
"I love drawing and painting, and I play violin… and you? What… what do you like to do?
"Me? I'm a swimmer. I'm in the school's team."
"So you like sport. I love to swim too. I was thinking of subscribe in a club or something."
"Come with me after the class this afternoon, I'll introduce you to the coach."
"Well… I guess I won't have time… I must practice violin tonight."
"As you wish. We'll see that later."
The teacher finally entered the room. Everyone went to its place and fell silent.
"So a new year begins, I'm glad to have you all in my class. So let's introduce our new students, Michiru Kaioh and Haruka Tenoh. Please get up and come to present yourself to your new classmates."
Haruka was not at ease. She was forced to wear an awful skirt. She was feeling girlish and she hated it. It was like being defenceless for her. She talked to no one yet. They were persons she knew in the class, but she didn't mind, and her angry face did not attract anyone. She had the impression that everyone was looking at her. But when she saw this girl… with her turquoise hair and such a gracious look, she felt better. The sight of this girl seemed to have a calming effect on her. She seemed a little lost and so different from her… and at the same time so alike. "Don't think about it! She didn't even look at you… and you have to behave yourself… But she's gorgeous… Stop it now, Ruka… a minute… she looks at you…"
Michiru had caught sight of Haruka who had stood up at the same time as her. This girl was amazing. She was tall, blonde and handsome. She could have been a model. She didn't seem really at ease but her sight pleased Michiru. She found that girl was incredibly beautiful. Not very feminine but she had something the others hadn't… what was it? She couldn't tell. They placed themselves near the blackboard.
"So… tell us something about yourselves… Miss Tenoh, would you begin?"
"Well… I'm Haruka Tenoh and I'm found of sports and especially racing. That's it."
"OK… Michiru?"
"I… I'm Michiru Kaioh… and… and I love… I love Arts and… swimming."
She was hesitant. The vision of this class full of girls impressed her. The other girls laughed discreetly. Michiru's hand were trembling and she was about to cry. She had always been shy. It was her main problem in life. She was a very brilliant violinist but she had never made a concert, though she was asked to. She was too afraid. Haruka was a bit disappointed, she had expected more strength, more presence from this girl… what a pity… she seemed to have personality, but Haruka didn't like self-effacing people… she wouldn't talk to her, more, she would ignore her. But she knew the girl's shyness wasn't the real reason… she just wanted to avoid her in order to not falling in love.
Michiru kept quiet the rest of the day but Haruka easily integrated to the class. She passed the whole day trying to pull her eyes apart from Michiru, telling herself she wasn't worth her attention, she was too weak and discreet for her. She liked awake, living people like herself. But she couldn't help but keep an eye on her. In fact, she had passed most of the day watching her. She hadn't remarked that Michiru had kept watching her too. Not in the same way. Michiru was attracted by the blonde's aura in a way. She wanted to know more about her. She hoped she could find a way approach her.
And the occasion was given to her not long after… well she thought it was. After the class, she went to see a board to find out where was her room. Her luggage had been brought there, but she hadn't find the time to visit the room yet. She found easily the room's number… and was surprised to discover that Haruka had been put with her. There were two girls by room, and they shared one. She couldn't have imagined a better situation.
This detail hadn't escaped Haruka. She had found out at midday and was depressed. What would she do… she mustn't talk to Michiru at any cost. If she did, she knew she would lose control… and being in the same room was the worst thing that could happen… she would see her scantily dressed… and she would have to resist the desire to slip in her bed at night… her parents had really put her in a hard situation… and thinking that they hoped to "heal" their daughter's homosexuality this way was definitely ridiculous. So that evening, Haruka arranged herself to be out when Michiru went to the room. The girl felt surprised to see no one but didn't mind. She had to go to practice violin anyway. She would see the blonde later. So Michiru went to the room reserved to musical practice of the school and practiced till 9 p.m. She needed it, music healed her from this awful day she had passed, bearing the other girl's giggles when she passed by all day long.
When she came back to the room, Haruka was asleep… strange… such a dynamic girl… asleep so early… maybe she had had a bad day too. They would talk on morning.
But Haruka was not really asleep, and the following morning, she took care to get up early enough to avoid Michiru. So when Michiru got up, there were no one in the room. It sounded that they weren't to see each other very much… Indeed, it remained like this for weeks. Michiru understood quickly that Haruka avoided her. But she was too shy to ask her why. She always arranged not to be in the same places, in class she placed herself as far from her as she could, and when Michiru glanced at her, and she did it often, she seemed embarrassed and blushing. She had talked about it with Lily, who had become her greatest friend. She had given her information about Haruka.
"I know her. We used to be friends. Maybe she don't really avoids you… you know her timetable is pretty full… she trains all the time, she loves sport, like me. But she also plays piano when she have time. Maybe it's a topic you talk her about, I know you play music too…"
"No, she really avoids me, that's clear. Thanks for trying to cheer me up but it doesn't work."
"Why do you give her so much importance if she never even talked to you?"
"I don't know… it's strange… You know, there is something I expect from girls that I never found… we are really good friends for sure but… there is always something missing with my friendships with girls, I don't know what… but I feel it when I see Haruka. I'd like to talk to her because I know we could be great friends."
"Maybe you should talk to her about it… I think it would interest her."
But the weeks passed and Michiru didn't dare to talk to the blonde. And Haruka was having a hard time trying to convince herself that Michiru was only a shy and uninteresting girl. But at the same time… she passed hours following her discreetly wherever she went. She knew her timetable perfectly. She had assisted many of her violin practices, she was never very far when she went outside to draw… and she couldn't help but stay awake a great part of the night to watch her sleeping. She didn't admit it, but she was charmed, she was bewitched by Michiru.
