Guardian of Dimensions - Chapter 4: Just another school day
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Haruka yawned, for the sixth time in five minutes. She was 
having an especially hard time in following the lesson that morning. 
She yawned again. Modern Japanese was so _boring_! If only it wasn't 
the first class she had that morning....She yawned yet another time. 
Damn dreams, she thought. If only she could remember them...but the 
more she tried to remember, the less she did...
"Tenoh-san?" The teacher's voice made her snap out of her 
thoughts.
"Yes, sen--*yawn*--sei?"
"*eyebrow twitch* Go yawn outside the classroom, will you?"
                              * * *
Himeko yawned. 'How I hate History', she thought. 'It's so 
_boring_.' She yawned again. 'Jeez, this must've been the hundreth 
time or so I've yawned. I must do something quickly, before I die 
of boredom...' She took out a pencil and a piece of paper, and 
started sketching something. She smiled slightly as Uranus' figure 
started to appear as the drawing got more and more detailed. After 
the figure was completed, she started drawing the background.
"Sorano-san?"
'Uh oh', Himeko thought. 'I'm in trouble.' "Yes, sensei?" she 
answered, putting on the most innocent expression she could muster.
"Would you be so kind as to show us the drawing you were so 
absorbed in sketching instead of following the lesson?"
Himeko turned red. "What drawing?"
"The one you have on your desk."
Himeko, sighing, handed the drawing to the teacher.
"Oooh, a Sailor senshi", the teacher teased. "Would you kindly 
explain what Sailor senshi have to do with History?"
"N-nothing", Himeko stammered.
"Exactly." The teacher tore up the drawing and threw the pieces 
in the wastebasket. "Now, out in the corridor!"
                             * * *
Haruka was standing outside the classroom door, yawning like 
mad. "Oh well *yawn* at least *yawn* I escaped from *yawn* a boring 
class..." she mused aloud.
"If you don't stop yawning, you'll sprain your jaw", a voice 
chided. Haruka looked in surprise to her right, where the voice had 
come from. And there was Himeko, smiling, leaning on the wall next to 
her classroom door. "I bet it was your yawning that got the teacher 
mad", she continued, chuckling.
Haruka laughed. "You won the bet. And you? What got you in 
trouble?"
"Drawing in class..."
"Really?"
"...yes, to prevent me from yawning and/or dying of boredom", 
she laughed too.
Haruka blinked in surprise. "You think school is boring? Then 
I must've underestimated you. I thought you were one of those all 
study-no fun types."
"Who? Me?" Himeko laughed airily. "I'm not Ami-chan. What I really 
think is: school is a terrible BORE."
"Then why do you continue studying?"
"Why do _you_ do that? For what I know, you find the school 
boring just like I do. So?"
"You caught me on that", Haruka admitted. "I don't know why I 
keep going to school. I mean, I don't even like the uniform! It makes 
me look like a girl, dammit!"
"But you _are_ a girl, after all", Himeko chided. "What's wrong 
in looking like what you are?" Then, she noticed Haruka was staring 
at her. "What is it? Did I say something wrong? Tenoh-san?"
Haruka shook her head. "No, nothing, sorry. I guess I'm just 
tired." She smiled. "Oh, and you can call me Haruka, if you want. We're 
friends afterall, ne?"
Himeko smiled in return. "All right, Haruka-chan. You can call 
me by my name too, then. It would be weird if I went around calling 
you 'Haruka-chan' and you were still stuck to 'Sorano-san', ne?"
Haruka laughed. "It surely would!" She paused. "So, Hime-chan, 
which was the subject of your drawing?"
"A Sailor senshi", Himeko replied.
"A Sailor senshi? You believe in them?" Haruka asked curiously.
Himeko looked at her strangely. "Why? Don't you?"
Haruka turned red. "Eh...well...." she stammered.
"Yes or no?"
"Well....they _do_ exist, so...."
"How can you be so sure?"
Haruka turned redder. "I-I met them", she admitted.
Himeko arched an eyebrow. "And you didn't ask them an autograph?"
Haruka swallowed hard. "Eh well, I'm not interested in 
autographs...*nervous laugh* What about you? Why do you believe they 
exist?"
Himeko had a faraway look on her face. "When I was a child, I 
was... good friends... with one of them. But then I... I had to... 
to move, and I lost contact with her....I don't even know if she 
remembers me......" A tear trickled down her cheek, unnoticed.
Noticing Himeko's unease, Haruka steered towards another subject. 
"So, Hime-chan" she asked "which senshi were you drawing?"
"My favourite one, Sailor Uranus", Hime answered distractedly. 
"Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, I was just curious....waitaminute, did you say Uranus?" 
Haruka turned bright red.
Himeko watched her in amusement. She had clearly caught Haruka's 
thought. 'ME???' "Why are you so surprised?" she asked. "Is she your fave 
too?"
"N-no, well, sort of, actually my fave is Neptune [author's 
note: and we all know why ^_^], but Uranus is my second fave...."
Himeko laughed, and steered away from the subject. Their conversation 
lasted until their teachers called them back in, never touching again 
the senshi subject.
                               * * *
It was lunchtime, and both groups of girls (Usagi's friends and 
Himeko's ones) were having lunch together. During their conversation 
earlier that morning, Haruka and Himeko had discovered they had a lot of 
things in common, and they were now chatting like they'd always been 
friends. Michiru was watching them silently, getting more and more 
jealous as time passed. Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore. "Haruka" 
she snapped, her voice slightly higher than her usual tone "will you talk 
to me too, and not only to that girl? You barely know her, and you chat 
with here like she was your damn best friend or something like that!"
Haruka sweatdropped. "Eh, sure Michi-chan, what d'you wanna 
talk about?"
"YOU ASK ME WHAT DO I WANT TO TALK ABOUT?!?!" Michiru growled. 
"DON'T YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY TO YOUR LO--"
"Kaioh-san, I've heard you're the best violinist in the world", 
Himeko quickly interrupted her. "When is your next concert? I really 
would like to hear you playing."
Michiru blushed, remarkably calming down. "Well, I'm not _that_ 
good....I think you're overestimating me....anyways, I'm not going to 
perform in public for a while, but if you really want to hear me playing, 
I could bring my violin tho school tomorrow, and play something during 
lunchbreak...."
Himeko smiled. "That would be wonderful! Arigato, Kaioh-san."
Michiru smiled in return. "You're welcome."
Haruka looked relieved. "Thanks, Hime-chan", she mouthed silently. 
Himeko just smiled wider.