The final bell signaled the end of Usagi's first day of classes

The final bell signaled the end of Usagi's first day of classes. Detention was in the opposite wing of the school from her final class of the day, and she walked slowly through the halls, in no hurry to get there.

After the incident that morning with the red head and the handsome blonde, Usagi had not bumped into either in the halls or in any of her classes. She'd been relieved to know she wouldn't have to be subjected to the red head on a daily basis but there had been a whisper of disappointment each time she realized the blonde, Haruka, wasn't walking through the classroom door. As for becoming attached to anyone…well, it didn't look like she would have to worry about thwarting any budding friendships. For the most part, none of her fellow classmates had tried to talk to her, and except for the occasional once-over from the male students, no one even looked her way. Usagi had felt them looking during classes or during the lunch hour, but they were careful to only glance her way when she wasn't looking. It seemed that her reputation, or rather her father's, had preceded her.

The room that was supposed to hold detention was small with empty chairs set up in a circle, and brightly colored posters and paintings everywhere. The teacher's desk at the front of the room was empty as well. Written across a white board was "Please sit down and wait", which Usagi did, choosing a chair in the front of the circle near the door. Moments passed before Usagi realized that Haruka had been given detention too and could be arriving any second. Her heart took off on a wild race of its own accord and Usagi tried to appear calm and cool. She folded her hands in her lap and crossed her legs at the ankles as she'd been taught in an all-girls school in England. The door to the hall was open and as she waited, groups of students passed by and glanced in at her in amazement, many of them doing a double take before giggling and moving on, whispering. Usagi inhaled deeply, trying to contain the blush that wanted to creep up her cheeks; apparently detention was more unusual here than at previous schools she'd attended.

The first hour passed rather quickly as Usagi stared out the window and daydreamed. She didn't even realize when the second hour had passed because she was engrossed in discreetly counting the ceiling tiles and window panes and floor tiles. The third hour rolled around and her stomach growled angrily and her bladder felt as if it were about to burst. Maybe she had gone to the wrong room…? As much as Usagi loved to annoy her father by telling him she was going to fail in school, the red head insinuating that Usagi wasn't good enough to attend Infinity Academy had infuriated her and she'd decided that she would actually try instead of intentionally failing. The thought of being marked down for missing a detention left her in a tangle of indecision: should she stay and wait, or should she just go home?

This is how Haruka found Usagi ten minutes later when she stuck a tousled blonde head in the opened door.

"Usagi?"

Usagi started and looked up. Haruka was now leaning on the open door, wearing a black button down shirt tucked in to dark-wash denim jeans that were fitted but not too tight and a pair of black heavy boots. He took her breath away and Usagi couldn't think of anything to say, completely forgetting that she'd been sitting there for three hours, and that he'd flitted through her brain the entire time.

"Why are you sitting in here?"

Usagi's mouth finally caught up with her brain and she shrugged. "You were supposed to be in here with me."

Haruka lifted an eye brow in question, and Usagi wondered if his face was always so expressive or if he just found her especially stupid. Her face began to heat with embarrassment.

"I was supposed to…What are you talking about?" Haruka asked, moving lithely between across the room and sitting in a chair directly in front of Usagi.

Usagi frowned up at him. Obviously following the rules was not on the top of his things to do list. "Detention? Remember? We both got it this morning from that red head?"

Understanding dawned on Haruka and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Detention? Odango, are you serious?"

He sounded like he was trying not to laugh and where did he get off calling her that? "That is not my name! And yes, I happen to care about correcting my mistakes and showing that I care about my attendance!" She stood up indignantly and grabbed her book bag. Haruka stood up as well and followed her to the door.

"Odango."

Usagi whirled around, her long pig tails spinning and glared at him. It didn't matter how handsome he was, he was not going to keep calling her such a stupid nick name. "What?" She snapped, her blue eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Haruka gently closed the door to the room she'd been sitting in and pointed to the sign. Usagi's face went red and then drained of color and she swallowed thickly, understanding sinking in like a dead weight.

The sign read "GALA: Gay and Lesbian Alliance, Infinity Academy. Welcome gays and lesbians…and straights." The sign was printed in black ink on rainbow colored paper and Usagi glanced back in the room, the brightly colored signs now making more sense. "I…I asked someone and they said that detention was in…this room…" Usagi trailed off, realizing that the girl she'd asked had purposefully sent her to the gay room, and that all of the students who had walked past had known, or at least thought they knew, why she was sitting in there. "Excuse me." She choked the words out around the tears that were clogging the back of her throat and dashed to the nearest ladies room, collapsing in one of the spacious stalls. The tears that she had swallowed and fought since her father announced the move burned her eyes and when she thought about her first day of school and the sick humiliation that was churning her stomach…the tears spilled from her eyes and she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

She didn't hear the bathroom door open or hear how softly it was shut but she did her the soft approach and saw the black boots stop in front of the stall door. She bit back a sob and wanted to scream in embarrassment. It wasn't bad enough that the most attractive guy she'd ever seen had seen her a bloody mess this morning, and had found her sitting in a gay club room, now he was in the ladies room and would get to see her with her mascara running down her cheeks and her nose full of snot. Great, fine, whatever! She thought sarcastically and wiped her tears away roughly.

"Usagi?" Haruka's voice was soft and careful, and it didn't seem to matter what state of mind she was in, the way her name slid off of his tongue raised the hair on her arms. "Usagi, it isn't anything to be upset about. I mean, don't cry about it or anything." He sounded uncomfortable and suddenly she was angry that he was in here, violating her privacy with his presence. She stood up and opened the door, her blue eyes cold and shoved past him to the sink. She splashed cold water on her face and ignored his silent approach.

"Get out of here. This is the girls' bathroom and you are not allowed to be in here. I don't want to talk to you so leave." She spat out and yanked a paper towel from the holder. He didn't move and she resisted looking at him and dried off her face. "I said leave!"

"I don't have to." Haruka said and continued to stand there, his hands deep in the pockets of his jeans, his expression strangely blank and guarded. Usagi's anger boiled and she whirled on him.

"Get out of here! You are not even supposed to be in here!" She was practically yelling and on the verge of tears again and knew that she was revealing too much but she was so embarrassed and felt so alone and misunderstood and there he was, standing witness to it all.

"I don't have to." He repeated and then he hesitated. It was that hesitation that caught Usagi's attention. Even in the short moments that she had known him, he didn't seem like the type who ever hesitated about anything. Suddenly things began to fall into place. His feminine bone structure, the soft cadence of his voice…Haruka had as much of a right as she to be in the girl's bathroom because Haruka was a girl. Usagi stared at Haruka in astonishment and Haruka scowled back and then looked at the wall above Usagi's head.

"I'm not a circus freak, Odango. I thought you already knew." Her voice was heavy with sarcasm and defensiveness.

Immediately Usagi felt bad. "I didn't…I mean, I saw you and thought you were the most handsome guy I'd ever seen and then…I just didn't—" Usagi broke off her stumbling explanation when she noticed the cocky smile that had broken open across the taller blonde's face. It completely changed her entire demeanor and even though she knew Haruka was a girl, her heart still thudded almost painfully in her chest.

"You thought I was the most handsome guy you'd ever seen, huh?" Haruka's grin widened when pink stained the petite blonde's cheeks. "So you think I'm attractive? That's sweet, Odango." Haruka sauntered out of the bathroom, confident that the other girl with the unusual hair style would follow her.

"No!" Usagi protested and grabbed her bag. Haruka was already on the steps leading to the entrance hall. "That's not what I meant!" Haruka paused by the front doors and let her catch up, the amused smile on her lips. "I'm not a lesbian!"

Haruka smirked and leaned down, her lips brushing against Usagi's ear, inhaling the sweet scent of cherry blossoms. She felt the girl stiffen and heard her breath catch in her throat. "You don't have to be a lesbian to find me attractive, koneko." She felt the tremor that passed through the smaller girl and smiled in satisfaction. Oh, Usagi was attracted to her, alright and Haruka was willing to bet anything that she could get the little blonde to want her in her bed before the week was over. She straightened, the challenge of wooing the "straight" girl into her arms setting a competitive fire in her loins. All straight girls said the same thing, but in the end, none of them were as straight as they claimed.

She pushed open the front doors and walked into the cool evening air, leaving the new girl frozen behind her. "You don't have to be a lesbian to want me either, Odango. You'll want me just the same." She called over her shoulder, causing the few remaining students in the courtyard to turn and stare at the immobile blonde, who was turning an ungodly shade of red.

AN: Sorry this took so long to get written and posted. I lost my motivation and if it wasn't for the review from Princess Cherryblossom, I probably would have let this fanfic die. Thank you so much for your review(s), especially Princess Cherryblossom. I hope this chapter was to everyone's liking, let me know what you think!