Mai-HiME Fan Fiction ❯ Tea Leaves, Coffee Beans, and a Touch of Mint. ❯ Chapter 3. ( Chapter 3 )

Haruka awoke to almost total darkness. Looking about with the fog of sleep still clouding her mind, she wondered vaguely why everything was so dark. She sleepily remembered sitting down for just a moment, letting Yukino rest, before… Haruka came fully awake in an instant, knocking herself on the head for doing such a foolish thing. How could she have been so careless as to fall asleep? And for so long too! It was dark because they never used lights during the day, the sunlight streaming through the windows was normally effective enough for giving them light... when the sun was out.

Haruka made her way carefully through the darkness towards the bedside table and switched on the small lamp that resided there. Squinting at the sudden brightness, she was slowly able to make out the display of the clock: seven forty-six. About seven or eight hours then- hours that she had spent doing absolutely nothing worthwhile. Haruka sat on the edge of the bed, resting her head on her hands.

“How could I have been so stupid?” she mumbled, “To waste an entire day’s worth of work?” She had wanted just a little break for Yukino, have some lunch, not waste the entire day… hearing a rustle behind her, Haruka turned to see her closest friend turning over, murmuring inaudibly. Haruka couldn’t help but crack a wry smile.

“At least one good thing came out of this gross lapse of duty. Yukino was certainly able to get all the rest she needed today.” Looking more closely, Haruka noticed something off about the picture and, sighing with exaggerated annoyance, reached over and gently removed Yukino’s glasses, holding them up to the light. Just as she suspected, Yukino had managed to bend the frames while moving about in her sleep. Haruka was a little surprised she had moved at all, with how peaceful she had been sleeping… Haruka did a double take, looking at Yukino’s face again.

That serene image she remembered from earlier had been replaced by one she had seen all too much of late. Once again, Yukino had that distressed countenance in her sleep, possibly worse tonight than ever before. Haruka thought she could make out faint traces of tears on the girls face, and for some reason she was clutching one hand tightly within the other, hard enough to make her knuckles turn white. Haruka couldn’t stand the sight of her friend in such distress, but didn’t want to wake her either, so she compromised, gently prying apart Yukino’s hands and holding them for a few seconds.

She couldn’t imagine what had caused such a drastic departure from her assistant's earlier tranquility. Haruka wanted to wake her comrade, to shake her by the shoulders and demand that she tell her what was wrong. Haruka felt helpless in the face of this new problem, and helplessness was not something that she was used to dealing with. Yukino can be just so stubborn sometimes. Regardless, she determined to get to the bottom of this as soon as she was able to; as soon as Yukino awoke. Haruka still wasn’t able to find the heart to wake her, after all. As she firmly put that course of action into her mind, her stomach let out an embarrassing grumble. That was something she could help right now, and she knew just how to go about it: there was still a box of sushi in the kitchen that needed eating.

Haruka tucked Yukino’s glasses carefully into her pocket, to remind her to get them fixed later, as she rose and walked towards the kitchen. The scene that greeted her was enough to make her groan aloud. She had forgotten to close the refrigerator door, and had also left several perishable items out on the counter, including the sushi.

“There goes about half our food…” Haruka sighed. The fact that they didn’t access it often failed to make her feel better, as Haruka disliked making any kind of mistake at all. She reluctantly set about throwing away most of the contents of the fridge, along with what she had left out, before turning to the other problem: What were they going to eat now?

“I hope she won't mind fast food then…” She really hoped that Yukino’s stomach could handle it, because it was the best option Haruka could think of. She continued the train of thought while preparing to go out.

“Maybe a couple of those salads that the fast-food establishments are using to try and look healthier? Those might not be too bad,” she mused, “Certainly better than anything else that I could get quickly at this time in the evening… Now what kind of dressing does Yukino like?”

Trying to remember anything else she might have forgotten about Yukino’s dining preferences, Haruka quietly made her way towards the door, grabbing a light overcoat off a jacket-hook to ward off the chill that was beginning to creep into the air around this time of year. Haruka quietly closed the door after her exit, and began her usual resolute march down the hall. Most anyone in the school who saw her coming in such a fashion generally gave her a generous leeway, which was how she preferred it: there was no sense in her taking the time to dodge the other denizens of the hallways when she had somewhere to be. This time those encounters were few, as the halls, and later the streets, were fairly empty at this time of evening. Those who enjoyed activity in the daytime hours had all gone inside to prepare for the morrow, and the creatures of the night had yet to venture out for their nocturnal prowling. The night air was crisp and refreshing, and Haruka felt energized by it. She wouldn’t have admitted it to anybody, but that extra sleep had made her feel great, maybe she should start getting a bit more of the stuff. Haruka was instilled with a strange positive feeling, and soon found herself humming a tune that she couldn’t identify, and generally enjoying being out in the town for nothing at all, something she didn’t do… well, ever. Even when she and Yukino were out like this, she was always focused on some problem or policy or some such school matter, and Haruka had to admit guiltily to herself that this was a nice change. She knew she should feel bad about neglecting her duty as executive director, but, under the circumstances, just couldn’t manage it. Furthermore, she knew deep down that she hadn’t missed much, if anything. She suddenly found her thoughts drifting to Yukino, I wish she were feeling better, so she could have come. It didn't seem right that this one time in so long Haruka was managing some free time, Yukino was home ill.

Haruka walked along in the rapidly fading twilight, noticing as a few stragglers amongst the businesses turned on their brilliantly lighted signage. As she walked down the street, bathed in the multicolored glow of dozens of lights, a thought poked through her slightly euphoric haze: she had no idea where she was going. She tapped herself on the forehead, annoyed at her own lack of forethought.

“Come all the way out here and then figure out where I’m going. Perfect.” She stopped, looking around at all the choices available. Nothing looked at all eye-catching, until she spied a certain long white building with a dark brown roof off down the street to her left. Squinting, she could just make out the writing on a large dimly-lit sign through the encroaching darkness: Linden Baum. Haruka frowned, the name ringing a bell in her mind, she knew she had heard it somewhere before, but where? Oh, yes, this is another place where Tokiha-san works part-time; Yukino told me that once. Haruka shrugged, as long as she didn’t have any inkling of where to go anyway, it seemed like a reasonable choice, so she started making her way over. Everybody knew about Mai’s fantastic cooking; she probably wouldn’t be working here if the food was at all objectionable. With that thought in mind, Haruka was confident that she would be able to find something nice to eat here. Opening the door, she walked in and looked around. It looked like a nice place, though she noted apprehensively it also looked more like a sit-in diner than a place she would be able to get take-out from.

“Only one way to find out.” She muttered under her breath, moving towards the counter. She had only managed a few steps in that direction, however, before she heard a vaguely familiar voice call out to her.

“Haruka, hi! What are you doing here?” She looked around for the source of that question, and saw a junior high student with short, black hair waving energetically towards her. It was Minagi Mikoto, Tokiha Mai's roommate. What was she doing out alone at this hour? She walked over to Mikoto and was surprised to see a great deal of food on the table in front the girl. She must be here with a group of friends. I wonder where they've gone off to?

“Er, hello Minagi-san, I’m here to get some food. How are you doing today?” Haruka asked politely, unsure of what to say; she didn’t really know the girl that well, though she believed Yukino was on friendly terms with her.

“Doing good, thanks. How is Haruka doing today?” Mikoto looked around questioningly, giving Haruka pause. What is wrong with this girl?

“Um, where is Yukino? When Haruka is around, Yukino is too. Strange.”

Haruka frowned uncomfortably at the other girls youthful directness. It was true, she and Yukino were almost always together, but it felt odd to have someone point it out in such a manner. It also felt right in a strange way, she had to admit it.. Suzushiro Haruka and Kikukawa Yukino, good partners and fast friends. Haruka found herself absent-mindedly feeling Yukino’s glasses beneath the layers of clothing, wishing again that Yukino could be here now, she would probably have been amused by Minagi's statement.

“Yukino is back at the school, Minagi-san. She’s still resting up from that illness she had when she stopped by and visited you and Tokiha-san, but I think she’s just about all better now. Thank you for looking after her.”

Mikoto stared perplexedly at her, a bit of noodle hanging from the corner of her mouth. Haruka stared back with a raised eyebrow. Did I say something wrong? Luckily for both Yukino and Mai, the latter had been walking over to check on her little roommate and had heard the exchange. Mai popped up, preventing Mikoto from talking by quite thoroughly cleaning her mouth with the corner of a towel she was carrying, and averted the approaching disaster.

“Oh, Director, please don’t mind Mikoto here. When she’s hungry, she manages to forget all her manners, not to mention anything else that happened during the day.” Haruka’s unexpected visit to her workplace reminded Mai that she really needed to find out what was going on with Yukino, the incident from earlier had completely slipped her mind up till now. With Haruka in front of her now, she couldn’t resist trying to glean some information.

“So, Suzushiro-san, did you manage to find Yukino back at the dorm? Was she still okay?” Mai was pressing her fingers down on Mikoto’s lips behind her back as she asked this, trying to impress upon her charge the need to be quiet for a moment. So, Minagi-san is here with Tokiha-san, Haruka thought. It makes sense. The two are about as inseparable as Yukino and I. Haruka decided to give Mai the abridged version, not really wanting to go through the whole story.

“Yes, Tokiha-san. I found her there as you said I would. She seems better now; she’s been getting her rest all day.” Haruka didn’t feel there was any reason to tell Mai that they had both been asleep for the past seven hours, it wasn’t anything anybody needed to know.

“I’m glad to hear it. Oh,” Mai straitened up and gave a slight bow, gossip angling couldn‘t come before her job, unfortunately, “Welcome to Linden Baum, what can I do to help you?” Haruka quickly remembered what she had gone there for, before Minagi had distracted her.

“Ah, yes, Tokiha-san. I was wondering, do you have any kinds of salads that I could get as take-out? I don’t know if you do that kind of thing here, bu-”

“No problem, Suzushiro-san. We keep fresh salads on hand in back at all times, it’s no trouble at all to get a couple to go. Could you follow me please?” She turned to Mikoto, “I’ll be back in just a minute, Mikoto. Why don’t you finish up and I’ll get you a sundae for dessert?” Any problems Mikoto was having with this situation evaporated immediately at the thought of dessert, and she turned back towards her meal, throwing a quick “Goodbye” at Haruka over her shoulder. Haruka stood staring open-mouthed at the small girls ability to put away such large quantities of food in a remarkably short period of time.

“Where is it all going?” she gaped. Mai noticed Haruka wasn’t following and went back, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her away.

“Mikoto comes by a lot when I work late. She really likes to watch out for me, and doesn’t think I can take care of myself. As if it’s not really the other way around... I think the food might have something to do with it as well.” Mai smiled affectionately at the girl over her shoulder. Haruka felt a sudden envy, watching these two friends enjoying time together when she was away from her own, but quickly pushed down that feeling. She would be back to her own friend soon; nothing was going to happen because she had stepped out for a little bit. Mai guided Haruka over to the check-out counter, and told her what the salads cost. Haruka added a few more containers of different dressing to the order, still unsure what Yukino liked, and paid Mai the total. Mai went into the back and got the ready-made salads and dressing cups out of the little cooler, bringing them back up front in a small paper sack.

“Please, tell Yukino I said 'hello', Suzushiro-san. Have a good night.” Mai waved her out with a cheerful smile. After Haruka had gone, Mai reluctantly went over to Mikoto’s table to begin the troublesome task of explaining the situation to her. A task made all the more difficult because Mikoto had already forgotten Haruka’s visit in the face of a tasty ice-cream treat.

Haruka, meanwhile, started back towards the school, her meal tucked securely under one arm. She was glad she had gone to that restaurant: it was nice seeing some of Yukino’s friends, and the salads looked much better than she had expected to get from some greasy fast-food joint. Haruka wasn’t much of a salad kind of person, but even she was looking forward to the fresh and tasty looking greenery that she had just bought. The farther she walked, the better she felt, a strange anticipation welling inside her. The only thing missing from her good mood so far had been sharing it with her closest companion, and now she was going to fix that. As she walked, alone with her thoughts, she started thinking that perhaps Yukino hadn’t been quite as far away as she thought. She fingered Yukino’s glasses through the fabric again. At least some part of Yukino came along. Haruka allowed a slight smile to play over her face. Like always... Haruka’s thoughts had been on little but Yukino tonight. It was even Yukino’s voice that, after a fashion, had made her decide to go to the Linden Baum. After so many years together, it looked like it was impossible to leave her friend entirely behind, and Haruka was comforted by the thought. It would still be good getting back though.

“After all, the real Yukino is best.” she explained to the night air, before swiftly looking about for anybody that might have overheard. What's wrong with wanting to be with my friend? Haruka couldn't answer her own question, and wondered why it had even come up. She was rather used to Yukino being around, she supposed, and it was only natural to miss somebody who had been a constant in her life for so long, right?

When she arrived back at the dorm she entered much more quietly than usual, checking and noticing that Yukino was still fast asleep. She crept into the room, setting the bag down and hanging her overcoat back up on the wall. She looked at Yukino, who still seemed unable to find the restful sleep Haruka would wanted her to have. A devious little thought struck her, and she reached into one of the salads and picked out a ripe little cherry tomato. They both hadn’t eaten since breakfast and, if Yukino was as hungry as Haruka felt, this was sure to get her up. She walked carefully over to Yukino’s bedside and waved the morsel under her nose.

“Yuuukinooo, are you getting hungry?” Yukino didn’t wake up at her intonation, but Haruka did notice her face become much less troubled at the sound of her voice, lightening closer to the same happy, serene visage she remembered from earlier. Then Yukino opened her mouth and reached up, taking a bite out of the offered fruit. Haruka stifled a laugh- Yukino was actually eating in her sleep? Haruka kept the other half of the juicy morsel close, trying to see if Yukino would finish it before waking up. Yukino smiled, letting out a pleasant murmur of “Haruka” , before taking the last of the bite. Haruka looked down at Yukino and her extended hand, amused at her friends unconscious behavior. Then Yukino woke up.

After a few moments while she still hovered between the realms of sleep and the waking world, she saw that she had her lips just wrapped around the tip of Haruka’s extended finger. She blushed to her hairline, opening her mouth speechlessly, wondering what she had done. Haruka quickly withdrew her hand, she hadn’t wanted to disturb Yukino, but it looked like that had backfired. Haruka quickly tried to think of how to explain to Yukino that she had only meant to wake her up, not anything else... Yukino’s mind was another place entirely, the little thoughts that she had been thinking before first dropping off coming vividly to the forefront of her mind. That was very much like what I was thinking earlier, only it had been a bit of grapefruit, and we were in a garden, and…Yukino banished the thought, this was certainly not the time to be thinking on that. It shouldn’t ever be the time, considering what she had almost done earlier when she had woken up to found Haruka asleep. She clenched her hand involuntarily, as that memory played just as vividly in her mind as her fantasies. No, I need to keep my thoughts away from there... Haruka was the first to break the silence.

“Sorry, Yukino. I was just trying to get you up, seeing if the smell of fresh food would entice you towards wakefulness. I didn’t mean to do anything untoward.” She finished stiffly, looking apologetic. Yukino almost burst out laughing. With all the thoughts that had been running through her mind, Yukino couldn’t believe that Haruka thought that little incident was her fault, although… Yukino had only been concerned of her actions and their consequences, but now she had to wonder what had made Haruka do such a thing in the first place. Haruka was usually terse and short with everybody, and wasn't very demonstrative, not since they were children. Yukino actually found herself worried about her partners behavior.

“Ah, no problem Haruka-chan, but are you feeling alright?” Yukino was acutely cognizant of the irony in this role-reversal, as she had long been on the receiving end of questions like that, for thoughts and events that mirrored their current situation. Haruka just let out a little embarrassed laugh, glad that it appeared Yukino had gotten over what had just happened.

“I’m fine, Yukino, don’t worry about me.” Haruka quickly changed the subject, “I went out and got us some dinner. I didn’t want to wake you, so I just stepped out while you were still sleeping. I figured you still needed your rest. You’re looking much better now, by the way. Oh, yes, I forgot something,” Haruka reached into her pocket and retrieved Yukino’s glasses, “I meant to get them straightened out- You were sleeping in them, you know?- but I got distracted.” Haruka held them out to her partner, who received them willingly. Yukino hadn’t even realized she was missing them. She was pretty near-sighted, but Haruka had been close enough that Yukino hadn’t required any aids when she woke up to that splendid little scene a moment ago.

“It’s okay, Haruka-chan, when you wear them for so long, you learn to do some little repairs. This isn’t that bad.” Yukino deftly twisted the frames back into shape, and by the time she was done Haruka could barely even recognize that they had been bent in the first place.

“When you’re partners with the Executive Director at this school, you definitely get used to your glasses getting bent and scuffed.” Yukino smiled, and they both thought of the messes they had managed to get into during their stakeouts and missions over past years… Yukino interrupted their mutual reverie, she was hungry after all.

“What did you get for us Haruka-chan?” Right after she asked, she bit her tongue at having asked such an obvious question. What else would come with chilled cherry tomatoes? Haruka didn't answer, instead revealing them from the confines of the paper bag.

“I got them from the restaurant that Tokiha-san works at. They look pretty good, don’t they?” Haruka placed a salad in front of Yukino, and began unpacking the various dressings. Yukino looked at the food that had been set before her, then up at Haruka who was easing herself into a sitting position at the low table.

“Oh yes, they are good Haruka-chan. Here, you try some.” And she leaned over and popped one of her own cherry tomatoes into the mouth of her very surprised friend, letting her finger graze Haruka’s lower lip on its way back. Yukino was surprised at her own daring. Where did that come from? Haruka managed to get over the surprise shortly, and started to chew, the mellow flavor infusing her mouth and increasing her already considerable appetite. She licked her lips in a very satisfied manner.

“Mmmm, that is good, Yukino. We’ll have to remember these when we’re looking for somewhere to eat next time, eh?” Yukino nodded dreamily, still feeling giddy over her action, and at having gotten away with it. She opened her salad in its plastic container all the way, and selected a cup of her favorite Italian dressing to go with it. Haruka started to do the same, before she realized that she hadn’t gotten her own favorite, having been too focused on getting Yukino one she would like. She managed to laugh inwardly at her own forgetfulness; she couldn’t get mad over something like that right now. She just picked one at random, deciding that it wouldn’t really matter anyway. They ate in contented silence for a while, neither of them wanting to break the tranquility. Haruka looked around, enjoying the familiarity of their room, and happened to notice Yukino’s laptop sitting on the desk. She shook her head slightly, exasperated. Honestly, even if we haven't had that much to do lately, something could still come up that requires the attention of the executive team, this isn't like Yukino...

“What was that, Haruka-chan?”

“Huh? I didn't say anything.” Drat, I need to watch myself. Next thing, she'll find out I snore too. She opted to quickly change the subject, “Yukino, looks like you forgot to plug in your laptop.” She gestured towards said computer, which had obviously gone dead. Yukino jumped up, abashed at her carelessness, and went over to hook it up to the AC adapter. While she was there, she noticed her phone was off too. That's right...I turned it off so as to not disturb the meeting earlier. She turned it on, and checked for any missed calls or messages. She frowned, there were three missed calls, from Shizuru. Was that really only today? There was a text message too, that said simply “Please give me a call when you are able- Shizuru” What could she want now? Yukino knew that the woman wouldn’t have tried to call if it weren’t important. She also knew she was going to have to deceive Haruka again, and did some quick thinking while going back to the table where Haruka sat.

“Haruka-chan, are you thirsty? I think I’m going to go get a drink from the machine down the hall. Would you like me to get you something?” Yukino fervently hoped that her apparent recovery from her “illness” would keep Haruka from wanting to keep an eye on her this time.

“Yes, Yukino, that sounds good. Could you get me a hot coffee?” Haruka had already decided that Yukino looked better now, and she didn’t want to make her friend feel like she was being watched, even if she really would have liked to keep an eye on her. She turned back to her meal and continued eating, a small sign of trust. Yukino nodded, relieved, and took her exit from the room, managing to secrete her phone into her pocket on the way. She walked down the hall, turning the corner before she took it back out and dialed Shizuru’s number.

Back in her own room, Shizuru looked up from her computer as the phone rang. She looked to see who it was from. Finally, Kikukawa-san. She brought up the necessary information on her computer, and summoned the proper attitude, before answering.

“Hello, Kikukawa-san, I’ve been expecting this call for a while. What have you been doing with your phone off, alone with Suzushiro-san for hours and hours? Do you still need my help with anything?” Shizuru laughed softly; the low, suggestive tone clearly evident even through the earpiece. Yukino was blushing, each of Shizuru’s shrewd questions darkening her complexion a shade.

“Shizuru-san, you shouldn’t say things like that! We both fell asleep. Haruka-chan woke up first and got us some dinner, that’s all.” Yukino felt no need to give out any more information than that: Shizuru would have been like a small child in a sweet shop if she knew any more of what had happened during this time. Wait, there's something off here... “Shizuru-san, how did you know any of that, anyway? Are you spying on us?”

“No, Kikukawa-san, I’m not spying. I just happen to have some very reliable connections.” Harada Chie was a most useful person to know, really. Shizuru was a little amused at Yukino’s reaction, and suspected that something of interest had to have happened, else Yukino wouldn’t sound so perturbed. Ah, but even her connections could not see behind closed doors. She let Yukino have her little secrets for the time being, and focused on what she had wanted the call for.

“I wanted to talk to you about my little plan. I have just one question: Aside from any higher aspirations you might have for Haruka’s affections, how much do you think she likes you to be with her now?”

Yukino was quite taken aback by this line of questioning. How much does Haruka like me being around? Yukino was about to answer the usual “I’m the one tagging along, she doesn’t needs me around” line, but she stopped, thinking about it a little longer this time. Haruka could have stalked about campus keeping order with her forceful presence quite well by herself today; that was no complicated task that would require Yukino’s help. But she didn’t, she spent her time looking for me, and then taking care of me. Haruka had even went out and got them dinner when she could have been catching up on work, and Haruka was no stranger to missed meals. Neither am I, for that matter, she thought ruefully. Sure, it could have been concern over her “condition“, but she had given Haruka no reason to suspect a relapse of any kind would occur. To anybody else, Yukino might still have given that same modest line, but felt she could be honest with the woman on the end of the line.

“Shizuru-san, I think that Haruka-chan does… prefer it when I’m around. We've been close friends for so long, and we are partners. But what does this have to do with anything we talked about earlier? You’re were trying to convince me that Haruka-chan thought I was important, before. What’s with this all of a sudden?” Yukino would never know, but would later suspect that Shizuru was playing this with a scheming smirk and as much trickery as one could manage.

“Oh nothing to concern yourself with, Kikukawa-san, just make sure your computer is turned on in a half-hour's time, you’ll learn then. Goodbye.” She hung up before the other girl could respond. One little adjustment to make… and there, perfect. Shizuru had thought of this little change to her plan earlier when she first heard tell of a certain incident involving Yuuki Nao, but Yukino's words served to confirm her course of action. This was either going to help Yukino with her self-esteem issues, or completely crush her spirit forever. Shizuru felt a little guilty about gambling with Yukino’s emotional and mental state like this, but she felt lucky tonight. Suzushiro-san will make the right decision, I know she will. And speaking of lucky… Shizuru set the timer for her e-mail. She needed to get ready for her evening with a certain gruff, raven-haired picture of loveliness that would be expecting her arrival soon.

Yukino heard the connection cut off, but wasn’t about to accept that kind of answer, not when it might have something to do with her and Haruka. She dialed again, only to learn that Shizuru had anticipated her and turned off the phone. Yukino muttered something under her breath, then blushed, shocked at her own language. But could that woman ever be frustrating. Yukino had always disliked it when Shizuru had managed to manipulate Haruka, and was starting to become even more averse to it as she was now on the receiving end. Perhaps she was expecting too much change to come out of their heart-to-heart, but Shizuru… Yukino almost dropped what she was doing to go ask her more questions in person, but remembered past her irritation that there was somebody much more important waiting for her. She sighed, conceding this one to Shizuru, and hurried over to vending machine, getting Haruka her coffee and herself a mixed juice. She hurriedly returned to the room, hoping Haruka hadn’t noticed the delay.

“Here, Haruka-chan, your coffee.” Yukino extended her arm, giving the drink to her friend before settling back down in her own spot. Yukino noticed that Haruka had already finished her own salad, and was now sitting there, looking at her while she sipped her hot drink. Yukino felt a bit of heat rise to her face, and hoped Haruka would attribute it to her recent activity. She started again on her own meal, a little more self-conscious than she had been before, with Haruka’s gaze still fixed on her and Shizuru’s call still fresh in her mind.

“Say, Yukino,” Haruka started suddenly, “Did you want to go anywhere tonight? I think we both had a lot of sleep earlier, and tomorrow is Sunday anyway; we can get regulated then. How about we enjoy a bit of the night life that everybody talks about. To give us a keener insight into the minds of some of the students, of course.” Haruka smiled as she finished saying this, catching Yukino by surprise. She must be feeling good, Yukino thought. Not only is she talking about not working, something that Haruka can't manage even on Sunday, our “day off”, she's joking about it.

“Eh, I cant think of anywhere in particular, Haruka-chan. Why don’t we just have fun wandering around, trying out different places and things to do? If you want to get a better perspective on the students, I mean.” Yukino could imagine it so clearly- she and Haruka painting the town red, flitting from place to place with nowhere to go but where their hearts took them… Or, we could just go to a karaoke bar; no need to wax poetic, she chastised herself.

“Right then, Yukino. You finish eating while I go wash up. You can have the washroom in a minute or two.” With a definite course of action now in mind, Haruka was up and off again. Yukino had to smile at Haruka’s zealous expression as she laid clothes and other such things out. They were going out to have fun, but anybody else looking in would have thought Haruka was preparing for a covert mission, with how seriously she took everything. She laid out her blouse, pants (it was cool out), shoes, stockings, and light jacket in a neat and orderly line, before turning and walking into the bathroom.

Outside the bathroom, Yukino finished her salad quickly with no one to talk too, she was quite hungry after going almost all day without anything to eat. She started wondering what she was going to wear for their trip out. She looked over Haruka’s planned attire: A simple light blue blouse, with a white jacket to go over it. A pair of worn, but comfortable looking tan pants, and a pair of equally worn and comfortable looking white sneakers. Yukino hadn’t seen Haruka such a get-up since they were in Junior High.. She still had some similar clothes left in her wardrobe however, and chose something close. She picked out a plain white tee-shirt to go under a light scarlet jacket that her mother had sent her last winter. Next to come out were a pair of loose blue jeans that she had spontaneously tried on and bought once, thinking that they looked so daring, but hadn’t worn since. A pair of her own worn sneakers completed the ensemble, and Yukino smiled lightly at the result. We're going to look a right pair of uncivilized, immoral young ladies tonight, aren’t we?

Yukino waited for Haruka to finish up in the bathroom, having not realized that the other woman would take so long. Probably has something to do with her hair. Yukino never really bothered too much with her own hair, just washing it, drying it, and running a brush through it a couple of times. The brush only served to untangle it, as nothing would tame her unruly mop. She had tried some different styling products before, but they had left her hair feeling unpleasant, and she didn’t really like the look she came out with either. Regardless, she was content with just letting it be; that was much easier and more comfortable, after all. Considering her hair… she took a bit of it and pulled it strait, judging the length. I really need to get it cut soon. It becomes even more difficult to manage when it's a bit long, not to mention taking forever to wash. Hair-washing was what she suspected was taking Haruka so long now, with her waves of golden tresses.

Yukino looked up as her computer made a noise indicating that she'd received mail, and groaned. The thought of her and Haruka’s night out had driven Shizuru’s call right out of her mind. She walked over to the offending device, and saw that it was indeed the message Shizuru had promised would come. When she tried to open it, however, it called for a password, saying that it was meant for Suzushiro Haruka, the Executive Director, only. What on Earth could that woman be up to? I’ve been asleep most of the day, but she’s been up scheming the whole time, what could she have come up with in those seven or eight hours? She shrugged. No use worrying about it until Haruka gets out of the shower anyways. Fortunately, that wasn’t too much longer, as Haruka soon came bursting out of the bathroom, clad in a white robe. Scrubbing her hair with a towel, she noticed Yukino by the computer.

“What’s this?” She inquired, walking over and reading the dialogue box on the screen, “A password? I thought that was just a formality... I’ve never heard of anyone ever having to use the council password before.” She quickly typed it in, Yukino’s experienced eye making out the words “Princess Carnival” . That's quite a formality, Yukino mused, for it to have a tie to the now broken sequence of HiME Festivals. Yukino focused on the message that came up for now, making a mental note to tell Midori about such a thing later, she would probably find it interesting.

The message read:

Suzushiro Haruka, you have been selected by the Student Council for a special assignment. You will be expected to report to the student council room promptly at 0700 tomorrow with necessities enough for three days away from the academy. Further instruction will be given at this time. Please be sure to come well rested as stamina will be important.

-Fujino Shizuru, Student Council President

Haruka looked apologetically at Yukino.

“Sorry, I guess there go our plans for tonight. We have our responsibilities.” Yukino nodded slowly.

“I understand, Haruka-chan. You have to be one hundred percent for this tomorrow, and going out on the town would be rather counter-productive to that, wouldn’t it?”

Yukino gave her best little understanding and forgiving little smile, and was rewarded when she noticed the other woman’s relieved expression. Haruka hated breaking any kind of a promise, and she always strove to make her word as good as any promise. Haruka was glad Yukino didn’t hold it against her and was determined to make up for it somehow, someday. For now, though, I need to focus on the work at hand.

Yukino, for her part, truly didn’t hold anything against her compatriot. She didn’t want Haruka to feel that she had to drop her commitment to duty and responsibility just for her. She loved that integrity and commitment just as much as she loved everything else about Haruka. Shizuru, however, was another matter entirely. Just what crazy idea does she have cooking now? The president had said that Haruka would be getting some time off, time off that Yukino had assumed that they would be able to spend together. Now it seemed that Haruka was being given extra work, and that it was going to be alone. Far away from the school. To top this little farce all off, Shizuru’s little scheme had just spoiled a night that she and Haruka could actually have spent together having fun, for the first time in a long time. She and Shizuru really needed to have a talk, but Yukino couldn’t think of when or where, not with Haruka leaving so early the following morning. Yukino was also willing to bet anything that she would have a very difficult time finding Shizuru tonight, for an entirely innocent reason of some kind. Well, what's set is set, but rest assured, Shizuru-san... you and I will exchange words on this matter later.

Haruka turned back for a moment and caught sight of her roommate's face again. Though Yukino said she was okay with everything, Haruka knew her better than that. Yukino really had been looking forward to their time together, away from work. So was I, for that matter. What does the bubuzuke-onna want with me, and alone at that? What was with this sudden, unexplained mystery assignment for tomorrow? Haruka strengthened her resolve, determined that she would have a few choice words for the council president later; a few specially picked-out, limited-edition words… Her suspicion that Yukino’s response hadn’t been quite honest was confirmed as she continued to observe her partner. Yukino was keeping herself busy, putting both of their clothes up and cleaning the remnants of the meal. Haruka sighed, feeling guilty again. As long back as Haruka could remember, Yukino always tried to mask any misgivings or hurt she felt by throwing herself at any task available, preferring to work things out for herself than ask for help. This time, however, Haruka wasn’t about to make Yukino deal with anything on her own, I’ll be up at the council room a little early tomorrow, President, and we are going to… discuss things. Another decision reached at satisfactorily, Haruka changed into her traditional but comfortable pajamas, and laid down in her bed, watching Yukino continue to work. Haruka wanted to help, but knew that trying would only make the girl feel uncomfortable.

Yukino finished cleaning up, and finally had nothing left to do but put on her own pajamas, lay down on her own bed, and try to get some sleep. As she lay down, she noticed Haruka was getting up to get her snore-preventing nasal strip. She didn’t know what it was that made her get up and say anything, but it felt like the right thing to do.

“Haruka-chan,” Yukino started, Haruka turning to face her friend questioningly, “I know about your ah, snoring.” Yukino felt there just had to be a more delicate term, but moved on, “Don’t feel bad about it; I’m an easy sleeper anyway. It won’t bother me. Why don’t you try going without and see if you manage to sleep any better? I bet those things aren't too comfortable.” Yukino hoped she hadn’t offended her friend, but she didn’t want Haruka to think that she had to keep anything from her, even something like this. Haruka flushed from embarrassment, but Yukino was right, they weren’t all that comfortable, and she was probably going to have enough trouble sleeping tonight as it was. Heck, troubled sleep was what caused her little problem anyway... Who's that doctor to say I'm stressed, I'm not stressed, that can't be the reason. Haruka felt grateful for this little admission: her own pride would never have let her discuss such a thing, and smiled.

“Well.. Yukino, if you’re sure it won’t bother you, I think I will go without tonight. Thanks for your consideration.” Haruka turned back and laid down, before turning to face her friend in the other bed.

“Good-night, Yukino.”

“Good-night, Haruka-chan.”

Yukino heard the guilt still present in Haruka’s voice, and Haruka heard the repressed hurt in Yukino’s, but neither of them said anything. They both lay still for a long while in silence, each struggling with their own thoughts deep into the night. Yukino noticed that she couldn’t hear the tell-tale snores of her companion, so she knew that Haruka was still awake. She couldn’t think of anything she could do or say that would make Haruka feel better, so just lay awake, her mind a maelstrom of thoughts and emotions that she couldn’t calm. Haruka was struggling with her own thoughts as well, but she had no way of telling whether Yukino was awake or asleep, and maintained the silence so as not to disturb her friend. She had earlier decided on a course of action, but now doubts were creeping in. When had something besides her efforts to prove herself to Shizuru and the student council proved at all important to her lately?

She was Suzushiro Haruka! She would never back down, never flinch in the face of any challenge that was thrown her way! And yet… she was about to do just that. She was about to admit to her greatest rival that she was incapable of doing something that was asked of her, and what’s more, she felt good for it. She rolled over, just able to make out the mark of her office laying on the table. She reached out and grabbed the armband, running the material through her fingers, feeling the almost invisible seam where the two ends attached. She didn’t like to dwell overmuch on the events of that time, but this item served to remind her of things that shouldn't be forgotten. Conflicting thoughts and emotions ran through her mind the rest of the night, and afforded her no sleep at all.