College Life Part 1: Welcome back by Greenbeans Disclaimers: Yes, this is my first fanfic, but it is not my first time at writing a story of any length. Mostly, I wanted to try writing a story in which the characters were already established instead of my having to create them from scratch. Yes, I did put myself in this because, hey, I'm the author and I wanted a role, 'kay? Plus it's a first person story, so it goes better that way. FYI, this isn't so much a Senshi story as it's one about Haruka and Michiru. If you're looking for the inner Senshi or monster bashing, look elsewhere. Oh, yeah, it begins kinda slow because I have to introduce myself. But it does pick up, honest! Comments, thoughts, complaints, compliments, ramblings, and flames are all accepted. But the latter two stand a serious chance of being printed out and turned into rat cage lining. All characters are property of their respective holders. I belong to myself, thank you, and have a nice day :) ********** Friday ********** It was too nice a day for being the beginning of the fall term. I had protested silently against having to go to school instead of staying up late, sleeping in late, and generally being lazy. But the new term was set to start Monday and I had yet to unpack after moving into the dorms again. What a lousy way to spend a Friday night! I would have the same roommate that I had last year, Alex. (No, NOT Haruka, my roommate). She was nice enough, but also odd enough to have earned herself quite a few enemies. When I moved in with her in the middle winter term last year, I was declared insane. Most wagered that I wouldn't last a term with her considering that I was the third roommate she'd had since fall term. To everyone's surprise we get along wonderfully. In fact, she was the best roommate that I'd ever had. We're both off kilter enough to balance each other out, and I like it that way. I looked around our room and sighed. She hadn't arrived yet, but I had enough stuff for the both of us. Oh well, it wasn't as bad as when I first moved in with her and was given only an hour to move out of my old room. That was a nightmare.... At least I had gotten all the classes that I wanted. Being a computers major was fun but it had entirely too many math classes and labs tied to it. This term I was going to have a C++ lab and an Electronics lab plus the labs I attended because of my job. I wouldn't change it though. I need the two labs for my major and being a computers department lab assistant was a lot of fun. I got to meet a good portion of the student body since everyone, except those in the computers major, was required to take Computers 101. There were 5 labs open and I was in charge of two of them, and sometimes I would cover open labs also. I grinned as I finished hooking up my computer, Yggdrasil. My most prized toy and leach of a large amount of my monthly income. "Of course you hook your computer up before you unpack anything else," a male voice chided from the door. I turned around to see my roommate's boyfriend, Jeff, weighed down with bags of clothing. "They let you back on campus? I thought this school had raised it's admissions standards," I greeted while unloading him of his burden. "Very funny," he said dryly. "How was the summer?" "Same old," I answered. "You going to be living with us again this year?" He grinned. "Who's clothes do you think those are?" I shook my head. It was a running joke of how the RAs often 'overlooked' things as long as they didn't cause problems. Such as a guy living in the girl's wing in a room that was only supposed to have two occupants. But that wasn't nearly as bad as some of the other things I'd seen or heard about. Such as the wet bar that was ran out of a closet for two terms or the 'undernet' where 3 wings had managed to network their computers together by running cable through the heating vents. Or the fact the last year everyone in this wing except me owned some aquarium based pet that wasn't a fish when fish were the only allowable pet. It's almost as bad as "Here is Greenwood" around here sometimes. ("Greenwood" is one of my favorites anime and it's the type of setting I'm going for, so being familiar with it might help....) Unpacking, even with three of us helping, did take us until into the night. Only a few of our friends stopped by with the proper exchanging of room and phone numbers. It seems that everyone had decided to come back on Saturday or Sunday. Probably waiting for the last minute so that they could rope someone else into helping them unpack, if I had my guess in regards to some of my less motivated friends. At any rate, Saturday should be more interesting. ********** Saturday ********* I woke up at 6am with the bright morning sun in my eyes. I groaned at forgetting that this room would get the morning sun right where my head was at an obscenely early hour. Unable to resist the sun's promptings, I crawled out of bed and performed my morning activities. I then sat down to watch cartoons. I do realize that this activity may startle some into wondering the maturity of this college sophomore. But I can assure the reader that I am quite sane and that this morning ritual is followed by a fair number of the dorm residents. Besides, I had nothing better to do since the cafeteria doesn't open until 10am. My return to the school cafeteria was much like that of a refugee returning to a ravished homeland. I had nowhere else to go, but here wasn't all that great a place. Taking up a tray, I opted for the old tried and true breakfast choice: Lucky Charms. Beginning the school year with food poisoning was not a good idea. The room had an amazing amount of people in it. Mostly freshmen, I figured, or else they wouldn't have gone through all the bother. In fact, every table was filled except a booth in the corner. I snagged my eating grounds and began to chew away at the bowl of sugar and God-knows-what that was in front of me. Several people were circling around the room like vultures, ready to dive on any open seat. I noticed a fine looking couple that had just entered the check out line. A lady -- yes, I'd definitely call her that -- with wavy blue/green hair. That's what had drawn my eye, it was an odd color, but it looked so natural. Behind her was a man with short sand colored hair that was paying for both their meals. I don't know what possessed me, but I waved them over to where I was sitting. The man looked at me somewhat suspiciously, but the lady smiled and lead them over. "I'm done here," I said. "Have a seat before the freshmen get any ideas." The man caught on to what I was suggesting, sat his tray down, and scooted into the booth. "Thank you," the lady called after me while I continued to put my tray away. I waved while staring down several freshmen who were glaring at me for what I'd just done. I notice that the man was doing the same thing. Of course, with a fine looking lady like her as a girlfriend, I'm sure he must be used to being on the defensive. ***** I finally had the chance to stretch out onto my bed. I had helped 5 people carry stuff up to their rooms and 3 of them unpack. I didn't begrudge the work. It gave me something to do and I got to hear about how people's summer went. Most were along the same lines as mine. Eat, sleep, work -- give money to the college. It was a student's life. I closed my eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep. ********** Sunday ********** I was driven from my bed once again by the evil sun. One of these days I was going to have to get some heavier curtains, I decided grumpily. It would have been the perfect hour for getting up if I was a church go-er, but I wasn't, and I was up any ways. Maybe it was a sign, I yawned hugely. "Just put a pillow over your head and go back to sleep," Jeff said sleepily from the bed he and Alex shared. "Easy for you to say. The sun isn't in *your* face," I griped and pulled my pillow over my face. It didn't help much, but I did eventually fall asleep again. ***** I was awakened by the feeling of being extremely hot. The sun had baked my bed to an uncomfortable warmth that was causing me to sweat under my bed covers. It was time to give up on the sleep idea. After cleaning up I went over to the student union. The cafeteria wouldn't be open for another half-hour, but they may have turned the arcade machines on and I could kill some time that way. The custodians had only turned on half the lights. I left the arcade machines in disappointment when I discovered that the overhead lights weren't the only thing that had been neglected power. I was about to leave when I heard music coming from one of the lounges. Quietly, I located the source of the sound. I peered into the lounge from the cover of a support column to see that man I had given the table to yesterday sitting at a piano. That was one thing the student union didn't lack: pianos. What the school lacked was people who could play a keyboard that wasn't attached to a computer. I doubt if they could even find enough people with skill to assign a piano each. Thus I waited to see if he had any skill or if he was just another geek away from his computer. Softly, ever so softly, the notes trickled into the hall where I leaned against the column listening. No, I decided, he was not an orphaned geek. The music he played tugged at my soul. The school rarely brought in people to perform concerts on campus because student turnout was usually low. Most would rather go listen to some computer genius speak. So I savored the sweet melody knowing that it would be a while before I got to hear anything like it again. I closed my eyes in appreciation. "Why don't you come in and listen?" My eyes flew open as I pushed away from the column. The lady with the blue/green hair stood in front of me. In her hand was a violin case. The man stopped playing suddenly and called out. "Michiru, what is it?" "A mouse," she called back. "Won't you come out of your hole and join us?" She asked me. The man came up to me from the other side of the column, effectively blocking me in. "Who are you, spying on our practice?" He seemed quite steamed. I shook my head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that -- no one here plays like that and I --" his glare made me feel a lot hotter than the sun had this morning. "Stop that Haruka, she was just appreciating your music," Michiru -- I guess that's what her name is -- placed a pacifying hand on Haruka's shoulder. "You're the only one I play for," he growled slightly. I shuttered on the inside. Only now did I appreciate the fact that this Haruka was at least a half head taller than me and probably a lot stronger. "What's your name?" Michiru asked me. "Beans, everyone calls me Beans. I'm a sophomore in the computers program," I answered getting the three most often asked questions of college students amongst each other out of the way: name, year, and major. "What kind of name is that?" Haruka asked while leaning against the column himself. Michiru gave him a *look* that quickly stopped his smirking. "Gomen," he said and I looked at him odd for that. They didn't look like exchange students. "Let me introduce us. I am Michiru Kaioh and this is Haruka Ten'ou. We are exchange students from Japan and will be spending a year here. I am going to the College of Fine Arts that is nearby while Haruka is studying mechanical engineering here. We both are sophomores." As she spoke I could tell that they were definitely not from around here, but she spoke fluently enough that I wouldn't have guessed Japan if Haruka hadn't say 'Gomen.' "It's a pleasure to meet you both," I said politely and held out my hand to shake with Michiru. Her hand was warm and soft. I turned to shake Haruka's hand and was met with a grip of steel that was just on the verge of overpowering mine. I had played this game too many times with my brother to not be able to meet his grip just as firmly. His eyebrows went up slightly at the challenge he met. "A pleasure to meet you," he said with little of Michiru's warmth. "So would you like to listen in on our practice?" Michiru offered again once the pleasantries were out of the way. I could tell that this would be a bad idea as far as Haruka was concerned. "Kind of you to offer, but I promised to help some of my friends move into the dorms today. Thanks any ways!" I left around the corner, but I didn't proceed down the hall. "Michiru, she was spying on us. You shouldn't be so trusting of complete strangers. I've been to America often enough to know that Americans aren't all that they seem on the surface," Haruka scolded in Japanese. I smiled. He didn't realize that I was an oddball in the same way he was odd for being able to play the piano. I spoke fluent Japanese. "Haruka, you forget that I can see the truth. She's nothing more than a starving music lover. We have to begin by trusting someone or this next year is going to be very lonely," she answered softly. "I don't need these Americans," Haruka said haughtily. "Perhaps you don't, love, but I do. Please, don't disagree with me on this," she pled. It was silent for several moments. "You know that I'd do anything for you Michiru. If you want to be friends with this American, then I'll be friends with her too." I decided that then was a good time to leave before I was caught for spying in earnest. ********** Monday ********** The first day of the term was always boring. In every class the instructors went through the motions of explaining grading policies and expectations. Fortunately, no labs met in the first week -- since the student may not have had the class yet -- so I didn't have to go to work for a week. I discovered that I had 10:30 Calculus with Haruka. I can't say that I was thrilled with the prospect, or the fact that he chose to sit next to me in class. But he seemed to have changed his approach from 'offensive' to 'civil'. At least towards me. Our instructor explained that this course was taught with partners and that we'd have to buddy up with someone. Several of my friends were in this class so I just needed to hook up with one of them and I'd be set. "Beans," Haruka looked over at me, "be my partner." I'm not sure if it was a question or a statement, but the very idea sent my mind reeling. I had enough problems in math without having to fight my partner. I didn't have a chance to say 'no' before he had gone up to the instructor and signed us up. Now we were responsible for each other for the rest of the term. I sighed on the inside. 'Oh great, now I have a partner that isn't too thrilled with me in the first place and could pound me into the cement anytime he felt the urge,' I said to myself. There were reasons why Mondays generally stunk and this definitely qualified as a reason. "Do you have a class after this one?" He asked when he returned to his seat. "Uh, no, I have lunch after this," I answered. "Great, we can do the assignment during lunch and I'll still have time to pick Michiru up after her classes," he sat back in his seat rather pleased with his solution. I decided to hold my protest about missing lunch. I could always eat while we worked. And instead, went with the opening Haruka had left. "Is Michiru your girlfriend?" I asked. His cheeks turned slightly blush. "You could call her that." "Do you love her?" Oh, God, I just stuck my foot in it. Asking such a personal question of someone I barely knew. I waited for the hammer to fall. He was silent for several moments. "I do," he answered simply. "Ah well, let's get something from the cafeteria before we get to work, okay?" I switched to a neutral subject. He nodded his assent and we headed off to find some lunch. ********** A week later ********** Things were going well all around. All of the instructors that I had signed up for this term were good ones. Classes should go well for me. It turns out that Haruka is pretty good at that math thing, to my extreme relief. Math was never one of my strong suits and having someone there to explain it to me helped. Yes, sometimes he was impatient with my obtuseness, but then I would point out who picked me and he would settle down again. I've almost come to think of him as a friend. I've gotten to meet Michiru again on a few occasions when our homework would take longer than Haruka anticipated and he would pick her up and bring her back to the student union. She was on top of math too. In fact, I think she'd probably be on top of just about any subject you'd throw at her. If Haruka couldn't get the idea through my head, Michiru would patiently explain it in another way. Often Haruka would speak to Michiru in Japanese when he didn't want me to understand what he was saying. I would sit there 'ignorant' to what was being said, but would laugh to myself. Mostly he just complained about how dense I was. Then Michiru would tell him not to be so rude and to be more patient. ***** It was just before the first computer lab I taught today and everyone was filing into the room. It would be mostly freshmen just from high school. Then a familiar face came into the room: Haruka. I shook my head mentally. I guess being an exchange student would mean he'd have to take this class, but there were 5 lab sessions. Why did he have to end up in one of mine! Apparently he was thinking the same thing as he sat himself at a computer near the back of the room. No matter who was in the lab, I still was responsible for this class. Thus I began, "Welcome to Computers 101, section 3. You can call me Beans. Your instructors should have given you the packets that you'll be needing for this weeks lab and any instructions. So let me take a quick head count while you all get started on your labs." I began to call names off of the roll sheets so that I could give them to the registrar and see if the people who were supposed to be in here were. Beside the persons name was their social security number, class, and sex. I checked 'Ten'ou Haruka' off my list. Then I did a double take. Female?! "You're a female?!" I blurted out loud with total disregard for tact. Then my cheeks were on fire as I blushed and Haruka gave me an evil grin. "I never said I was a male," SHE continued to snicker at me. ********** End part 1 ********** So that's the first part. I'm not sure how long this will run, but it should be a fun ride. For the record, I used my handle for my character, but the characteristics I made up. (As in, I don't speak fluent Japanese, so don't ask :) Next episode: Beans has certainly gotten herself in deep with Haruka. Learn how she extracts herself in "Coming to an understanding." I'd like to acknowledge some of my favorite fanfic authors whom I drew inspiration from: * Tim Nolan: "Awakening", "Obligations" Thank you for answering all of my outer Senshi questions =) * Jackie Chiang: "Senshi Kurai" I really liked this fic for being serious and still having fun! * Brett Handy: "Oh my God!!" Series Thanks for all the advice and encouragement you've given, mate! Check out his Oh My Goddess and Ranma fics at his website at: http://www.ozanime.com/darkwind/ * A Sailor Moon Romance: For posting this and providing me with plenty of fics to read ;) http://solo.abac.com/moonromance/