Destined Couple, Act One, Scene 3
Title: Destined Couple (the Crisis of the Super Beauties, Uranus and Neptune)
Author: shoujo ai no shijin aka animimares
Beta-reader: rinhonjou, all remaining mistakes are my own.
Fandom: Sailor Moon (musical/anime)
Pairing: Haruka/Michiru
Rating: PG now and PG-13 later (tame)
Summary: Peace has settled among the Senshi after Sailor Moon defeated Chaos. However, when a new Sailor Senshi makes her entry into this era, a crisis seems to arise between Uranus and Neptune. Now Haruka and the others have to find out who exactly Sailor Nereid is and what connection she can possibly have to Michiru.
Disclaimer: Naoko Takeuchi owns all original Sailor Moon material. I don't pretend that I invented the idea of Sera Myu (Sailor Moon Musicals) either. I'm just dedicating myself to continuing the awesome concept.
Author's Notes: This is a fanmade musical script. However, it's described more as if it is live action (think PGSM added some UraNep flavour) with singing in it - all "lyrics" are written by me and should mostly appear to be an English translation of an originally Japanese song. Dedicated to my dream cast of Sera Myu: Asami Yuhka (Neptune), Takagi Nao (Uranus), Hosaka Yuhko (Pluto), Takeda Keiko (Saturn), Kanbe Miyuki (Sailor Moon), Shirota Yuu (Tuxedo Kamen), Murata Ayumi (Venus), Kanda Eri (Mars), Kawabe Chieko (Mercury), Kuriyama Eri (Jupiter) and last but not least: Ono Hikari who has been my primary inspiration to Sailor Nereid. This project is me giving my writer's block a kick-start.
_____
Act 1
_____
Scene 3
Your eyes show my reflection - an image of the ocean…
~*~
(An empty hall with a raised platform in the farthest end of the room, the wall to the right made of panorama windows showcasing the sports grounds, whereas the left wall is hidden behind a row of large cupboards. The light is bright, making the dark boards that are covering the podium glow like amber. In the middle of the room, facing the stage, tables and chairs are crowded together in a small square. The door in the opposite end of the room opens, revealing Michiru, closely followed by Maera who is still carrying her violin.)
Michiru: (closes the door after Maera before moving to the nearest table) “This is where the music club members gather during meetings…” (takes the violin case as Maera puts it down beside her, subtly gesturing for her to find a seat) “… or to practice.”
(Maera nods in understanding, but doesn’t even take a glance around the room, instead watching Michiru preparing her violin. Her eyes follow every movement closely, Michiru giving her an unreadable look when she notices.)
Michiru: (smiles vaguely) “So, Umiko-san, why…” (falls quiet as Maera holds up one hand)
Maera: “Michiru-san, you are welcome to address me by my given name.” (goes on good-humouredly, her eyes sparkling from enjoyment) “I don’t think I’m quite deserving of ‘Umiko-san’ from a prominent performer such as yourself.”
Michiru: (doesn’t rise to the bait) “Very well, then. Maera-san.” (hesitates, the name hanging between them) “If I may ask… Why were you looking for me?” (sits down, the violin and bow resting across her lap)
Maera: (catches Michiru’s gaze) “This is probably going to sound like a cliché, demo sa…” (continues in a stage whisper, her grin broadening) “I’m a great fan of yours.”
Michiru: (can’t hold back a slight laugh) “You’re right, I’ve heard that one before. However, unlike you…” (tempers down her amusement, a hint of reservation taking over her features) “… most of the girls around here are too scared of approaching me to ever tell me in person.”
(Pursing her lips, Maera remains silent for a couple of seconds, Michiru interpreting the stillness as a wordless acceptance of her polite distance. Standing up, she heads for the podium. Maera doesn’t follow, aiming her words at Michiru’s backside.)
Maera: “I can see why they would find you intimidating, Michiru-san.” (pauses for effect before adding in a mysterious voice) “That’s how people often react to someone with the ocean in their eyes.”
(Stopping dead for a couple of seconds, Michiru manages to keep her face impassive as she turns around slowly. Maera studies her closely for any kind of reaction. Instead of fear, Michiru’s eyes only show curiosity and a hint of suspicion.)
Michiru: (interrogates openly, her voice soft) “You know?”
Maera: (teasingly) “Know what? That you used to be a sea creature as well?” (becomes serious, nodding) “Yes, I know.”
Michiru: “I see.” (glances down at the violin in her hand, appearing relieved when she carries on) “Then you’re also of the sea, I take it?”
Maera: (wavers for a moment, not sure what to say) “Atashi wa…” (holds her tongue, smiling gently) “Haha used to tell me that I had been washed ashore, all the way up to her front door, by a gigantic wave.”
Michiru: “Nami, ka…” (leans back against the stage, watching Maera with a look of pleasure, seemingly fascinated) “I thought births like that were reserved for goddesses of love and not mere mortals?” (giggles)
Maera: “Michiru-san…” (cocks her head, eyes glinting) “Are you insinuating that I don’t have the air of a heavenly being?”
(Michiru raises one eyebrow, her lips quirking in a held back chuckle. Maera beams at the sight.)
Maera: (shrugs, her loop-sided grin swiftly turning into a laugh that she doesn’t even try to hide) “I didn’t say I believed her, did I?”
Michiru: (rolls her eyes and places the violin on the stage next to her) “I’ve never met anyone who knew about my element before.” (doesn’t raise her face to meet Maera’s gaze) “Normally it’s the other way around.”
Maera: (gets to her feet, walking up next to Michiru) “I think it takes one to know one.”
Michiru: “Possibly.” (straightens up, apparently realising the sudden closeness between them, her voice cooling a little) “Well, you were obviously familiar with my name, Maera-san…” (smirks dryly) “Maa… Don’t tell me you transferred here because of me?”
Maera: (matches Michiru’s smirk easily) “Hardly. Until this morning, I didn’t know Kaioh Michiru-san attended Juuban.” (turns her attention to her surroundings for the first time since she entered) “I have things here in Tokyo I need to do, and seeing that this school has a good reputation...” (doesn’t finish, the obvious conclusion remaining unspoken)
(After observing Maera’s interest move from the stage to the cupboards - one of the doors standing ajar and revealing a slice of saxophone - Michiru begins searching her school bag for her music notes, suppressing a sigh of uncertainty.)
Michiru: (casually) “Do you play an instrument, Maera-san?”
Maera: (blinks, her face betraying a glimpse of bitterness) “I do…” (falls silent, Michiru looking at her in anticipation of her answer) “I’ve played the flute since I was a little girl.”
Michiru: “What kind of…” (is interrupted as Maera turns her full attention towards her to quickly add)
Maera: “That was actually the reason I asked for you, Michiru-san.” (lifts herself up on the edge of the platform, her braid falling forward over her left shoulder) “I was told that you were in charge of the music club.” (folds her hands neatly in her lap) “I’d like to join.”
Michiru: (politely) “I’ll see to that.”
(Michiru grabs her violin and makes her way up the stairs leading to the stage. Stopping in front of the music stand placed in the centre, she gives Maera a curt nod before letting the instrument come to a final rest against her shoulder.)
Michiru: “If you’ll have me excused, Maera-san…” (closes her eyes in concentration, letting the bow run searchingly over the strings) “I have an upcoming concert I have to prepare for.”
Maera: (twists her head to watch Michiru as the notes begin merging together into a whole, saying quietly) “Ii tomo.”
(They lapse into a silence that is only disturbed by the soft tune that the violin produces; its accords changing every now and then as if Michiru can’t quite decide on what melody to play. Maera’s expression changes into one of warm fondness as, ever so slowly, the notes of Lullaby of a Mermaid tumble forth. It appears that Michiru doesn’t fully realise what exactly she is playing, her lips unconsciously forming a contented smile.)
Maera: (says tenderly when Michiru lets her violin sink) “That melody…”
Michiru: (stills, her eyes widening a little) “You know it?”
Maera: “Know it?” (inhales slowly, getting to her feet and turning around to face Michiru) “I grew up with it. Okaa-san used to sing it to me…” (looks down at her hands, blinking angrily) “But back then, I never really understood…”
Michiru: (recites the words of the song in a whisper, staring at Maera with a mix of captivation and unease) “I will take you beyond the deep dimensions…”
Maera: “And your love shall follow surely, secretly…”(smirks darkly with something akin to hunger, the emotion disappearing again in the blink of an eye) “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised… this is a song of the sea, after all.” (holds Michiru’s gaze)
(Not shying away from the intensity in Maera’s study of her, Michiru returns the interest, her violin bow swinging gently from between her fingers as the two of them contemplate each other soundlessly. Finally, Michiru looks away, the slightest hint of a blush colouring her cheeks. The loss of composure only shines through for a second, however, before she covers the distance between them, sitting down next to Maera.)
Michiru: (packs her violin away in the violin case again) “She sounds like a remarkable woman - your mother.” (glances at Maera out the corner of her eye as she returns to her seat)
Maera: (adopts a distant expression) “She was. I just never realised it while she was alive…”
Michiru: “Zannen.” (surveys the other girl, eyes softening)
Maera: (forces forth an unconvincing grin, pushing herself off the podium in one fluent motion) “Well…” (tentatively, lost in thought) “There were a lot of things I didn’t understand until I found myself alone.”
(Michiru doesn’t answer right away, instead following Maera’s example, getting off the podium gracefully and walking back towards the collection of tables.)
Michiru: (closes her school bag, clearly getting ready to leave) “When that in which we reflect ourselves shows us an unfamiliar situation, we are bound to change our view of who we are in order to adjust, ne?” (sends Maera a perceptive smile over her shoulder)
Maera: (crosses her arms over her chest, looking to the side) “Maybe it’s that in which I reflected myself that changed and not me…” (meets Michiru’s eyes) “I stayed the same and was left behind.”
Michiru: (spins around with a frown, trying to figure out where Maera is going with the conversation) “I think it’s more complex than that, Maera-san…Change always evolves around an unchangeable core.” (tightens her grip on the handle of her violin case)
Maera: “So, it doesn’t matter how high the tide rises or how much the waves rage?” (raises both eyebrows with something that resembles a leer)
Michiru: (narrows her eyes at Maera’s overconfident attitude, finding herself on home ground) “The tide may rise and the waves rage; they’re only another aspect of the sea.”
Maera: (pushes her braid provocatively back over her shoulder) “So the sea never changes?”
Michiru: “Ara, it does.” (snatches her bag from the chair, and heads for the door, not looking back when she adds) “Demo… beneath whatever change that takes place, it never stops being the sea.”
(Following Michiru with her gaze, Maera waits until her hand is on the handle - ready to push it down, the door creaking - before she speaks.)
Maera: (quietly) “That’s what I thought...” (forms the name with a hint of warm recognition) “Michiru-san.”
(Michiru reacts to the use of her name by stopping in the doorway, her skirt swirling around her thighs as she turns in Maera’s direction)
Michiru: (curiously) “You said before that you could understand why people would find me intimidating.” (stares Maera’s straight in the eyes) “Should I fear you, then…” (continues in a teasing tone after a short but pregnant break) “… since we share my element?”
Maera: (laughs) “You don’t seem like the type that holds many fears, Michiru-san.” (asks in a flirtatious purr) “Do you find me threatening?”
Michiru: (smirks, throwing the ball back in Maera’s court with in an equally coy voice) “And what if I did?”
Maera: (cocks her head a little) “Then I would assure you that you had nothing to fear from me.”
Michiru: (studies Maera for a moment, the look in her eyes not betraying what she’s thinking) “I’m glad.” (steps back, inclining her head towards the hallway, all traces of flirting gone) “Are you coming, Maera-san?”
Maera: “No, I…” (gestures to her dark uniform) “I was instructed to pick up my new uniform when classes ended.”
Michiru: (lets her eyes run up and down Maera) “You’re probably the same size as Haruka, ne…” (her voice softens into gentle amusement at the thought of her girlfriend) “They had to tailor her uniform as well.”
(Narrowing her eyes a fraction when Michiru mentions Haruka, quickly hiding it behind a look of confusion, Maera sits down on the chair that Michiru previously used for her school bag.)
Maera: “Haruka?” (bites her lip lightly, thinking) “The tall blonde?” (widens her eyes in a show of apparent alarm) “About her… did I do something to offend her? She left so abruptly.”
Michiru: (nods to confirm Haruka’s identity, laughing out loud at Maera’s last suggestion, though her eyes show a hint of doubt) “Don’t worry about her; Haruka is always suspicious of strangers.”
Maera: “I see…” (stands up as Michiru shifts on her feet and bows deeply) “For sharing your practicing time with me and showing me the music club, arigato gozaimasu, Michiru-san.”
(Letting the mask of civility once again slip onto her face, Michiru mirrors Maera’s bow, smiling graciously when their eyes find each other as she straightens up. Any indication of the friendly atmosphere between them seems to have vanished.)
Michiru: “Do itashimashite, Maera-san.” (motions around the room) “We’ll probably see a lot more of each other from now on.”
Maera: (genuinely) “Hopefully so.”
(Maera watches Michiru leave, her eyes hardening at the soft thud the door makes when Michiru closes it after herself. Not until the sound of the other girl’s heels has faded away, does Maera relax back into the chair, a bitter sneer finding its way onto her lips.)
Maera: (sniffs scornfully) “So she’s suspicious of strangers… Tenoh Haruka, ka…” (pushes a loose lock of hair behind her ear with a cold laugh) “Well, she probably has her reasons. If any, she would know how easy it can be to get a girl distracted.”
(Getting up, Maera walks over to the windows to look out over the sports grounds where a flock of students is training soccer. She presses her hands against the glass, examining her own reflection.)
Maera: “Ja ne, Princess…” (takes a deep breath, leaning against the windowpane with a satisfied smile) “We’ll see each other again much sooner than you expect.”
~ S.
Author: shoujo ai no shijin aka animimares
Beta-reader: rinhonjou, all remaining mistakes are my own.
Fandom: Sailor Moon (musical/anime)
Pairing: Haruka/Michiru
Rating: PG now and PG-13 later (tame)
Summary: Peace has settled among the Senshi after Sailor Moon defeated Chaos. However, when a new Sailor Senshi makes her entry into this era, a crisis seems to arise between Uranus and Neptune. Now Haruka and the others have to find out who exactly Sailor Nereid is and what connection she can possibly have to Michiru.
Disclaimer: Naoko Takeuchi owns all original Sailor Moon material. I don't pretend that I invented the idea of Sera Myu (Sailor Moon Musicals) either. I'm just dedicating myself to continuing the awesome concept.
Author's Notes: This is a fanmade musical script. However, it's described more as if it is live action (think PGSM added some UraNep flavour) with singing in it - all "lyrics" are written by me and should mostly appear to be an English translation of an originally Japanese song. Dedicated to my dream cast of Sera Myu: Asami Yuhka (Neptune), Takagi Nao (Uranus), Hosaka Yuhko (Pluto), Takeda Keiko (Saturn), Kanbe Miyuki (Sailor Moon), Shirota Yuu (Tuxedo Kamen), Murata Ayumi (Venus), Kanda Eri (Mars), Kawabe Chieko (Mercury), Kuriyama Eri (Jupiter) and last but not least: Ono Hikari who has been my primary inspiration to Sailor Nereid. This project is me giving my writer's block a kick-start.
_____
Act 1
_____
Scene 3
Your eyes show my reflection - an image of the ocean…
~*~
(An empty hall with a raised platform in the farthest end of the room, the wall to the right made of panorama windows showcasing the sports grounds, whereas the left wall is hidden behind a row of large cupboards. The light is bright, making the dark boards that are covering the podium glow like amber. In the middle of the room, facing the stage, tables and chairs are crowded together in a small square. The door in the opposite end of the room opens, revealing Michiru, closely followed by Maera who is still carrying her violin.)
Michiru: (closes the door after Maera before moving to the nearest table) “This is where the music club members gather during meetings…” (takes the violin case as Maera puts it down beside her, subtly gesturing for her to find a seat) “… or to practice.”
(Maera nods in understanding, but doesn’t even take a glance around the room, instead watching Michiru preparing her violin. Her eyes follow every movement closely, Michiru giving her an unreadable look when she notices.)
Michiru: (smiles vaguely) “So, Umiko-san, why…” (falls quiet as Maera holds up one hand)
Maera: “Michiru-san, you are welcome to address me by my given name.” (goes on good-humouredly, her eyes sparkling from enjoyment) “I don’t think I’m quite deserving of ‘Umiko-san’ from a prominent performer such as yourself.”
Michiru: (doesn’t rise to the bait) “Very well, then. Maera-san.” (hesitates, the name hanging between them) “If I may ask… Why were you looking for me?” (sits down, the violin and bow resting across her lap)
Maera: (catches Michiru’s gaze) “This is probably going to sound like a cliché, demo sa…” (continues in a stage whisper, her grin broadening) “I’m a great fan of yours.”
Michiru: (can’t hold back a slight laugh) “You’re right, I’ve heard that one before. However, unlike you…” (tempers down her amusement, a hint of reservation taking over her features) “… most of the girls around here are too scared of approaching me to ever tell me in person.”
(Pursing her lips, Maera remains silent for a couple of seconds, Michiru interpreting the stillness as a wordless acceptance of her polite distance. Standing up, she heads for the podium. Maera doesn’t follow, aiming her words at Michiru’s backside.)
Maera: “I can see why they would find you intimidating, Michiru-san.” (pauses for effect before adding in a mysterious voice) “That’s how people often react to someone with the ocean in their eyes.”
(Stopping dead for a couple of seconds, Michiru manages to keep her face impassive as she turns around slowly. Maera studies her closely for any kind of reaction. Instead of fear, Michiru’s eyes only show curiosity and a hint of suspicion.)
Michiru: (interrogates openly, her voice soft) “You know?”
Maera: (teasingly) “Know what? That you used to be a sea creature as well?” (becomes serious, nodding) “Yes, I know.”
Michiru: “I see.” (glances down at the violin in her hand, appearing relieved when she carries on) “Then you’re also of the sea, I take it?”
Maera: (wavers for a moment, not sure what to say) “Atashi wa…” (holds her tongue, smiling gently) “Haha used to tell me that I had been washed ashore, all the way up to her front door, by a gigantic wave.”
Michiru: “Nami, ka…” (leans back against the stage, watching Maera with a look of pleasure, seemingly fascinated) “I thought births like that were reserved for goddesses of love and not mere mortals?” (giggles)
Maera: “Michiru-san…” (cocks her head, eyes glinting) “Are you insinuating that I don’t have the air of a heavenly being?”
(Michiru raises one eyebrow, her lips quirking in a held back chuckle. Maera beams at the sight.)
Maera: (shrugs, her loop-sided grin swiftly turning into a laugh that she doesn’t even try to hide) “I didn’t say I believed her, did I?”
Michiru: (rolls her eyes and places the violin on the stage next to her) “I’ve never met anyone who knew about my element before.” (doesn’t raise her face to meet Maera’s gaze) “Normally it’s the other way around.”
Maera: (gets to her feet, walking up next to Michiru) “I think it takes one to know one.”
Michiru: “Possibly.” (straightens up, apparently realising the sudden closeness between them, her voice cooling a little) “Well, you were obviously familiar with my name, Maera-san…” (smirks dryly) “Maa… Don’t tell me you transferred here because of me?”
Maera: (matches Michiru’s smirk easily) “Hardly. Until this morning, I didn’t know Kaioh Michiru-san attended Juuban.” (turns her attention to her surroundings for the first time since she entered) “I have things here in Tokyo I need to do, and seeing that this school has a good reputation...” (doesn’t finish, the obvious conclusion remaining unspoken)
(After observing Maera’s interest move from the stage to the cupboards - one of the doors standing ajar and revealing a slice of saxophone - Michiru begins searching her school bag for her music notes, suppressing a sigh of uncertainty.)
Michiru: (casually) “Do you play an instrument, Maera-san?”
Maera: (blinks, her face betraying a glimpse of bitterness) “I do…” (falls silent, Michiru looking at her in anticipation of her answer) “I’ve played the flute since I was a little girl.”
Michiru: “What kind of…” (is interrupted as Maera turns her full attention towards her to quickly add)
Maera: “That was actually the reason I asked for you, Michiru-san.” (lifts herself up on the edge of the platform, her braid falling forward over her left shoulder) “I was told that you were in charge of the music club.” (folds her hands neatly in her lap) “I’d like to join.”
Michiru: (politely) “I’ll see to that.”
(Michiru grabs her violin and makes her way up the stairs leading to the stage. Stopping in front of the music stand placed in the centre, she gives Maera a curt nod before letting the instrument come to a final rest against her shoulder.)
Michiru: “If you’ll have me excused, Maera-san…” (closes her eyes in concentration, letting the bow run searchingly over the strings) “I have an upcoming concert I have to prepare for.”
Maera: (twists her head to watch Michiru as the notes begin merging together into a whole, saying quietly) “Ii tomo.”
(They lapse into a silence that is only disturbed by the soft tune that the violin produces; its accords changing every now and then as if Michiru can’t quite decide on what melody to play. Maera’s expression changes into one of warm fondness as, ever so slowly, the notes of Lullaby of a Mermaid tumble forth. It appears that Michiru doesn’t fully realise what exactly she is playing, her lips unconsciously forming a contented smile.)
Maera: (says tenderly when Michiru lets her violin sink) “That melody…”
Michiru: (stills, her eyes widening a little) “You know it?”
Maera: “Know it?” (inhales slowly, getting to her feet and turning around to face Michiru) “I grew up with it. Okaa-san used to sing it to me…” (looks down at her hands, blinking angrily) “But back then, I never really understood…”
Michiru: (recites the words of the song in a whisper, staring at Maera with a mix of captivation and unease) “I will take you beyond the deep dimensions…”
Maera: “And your love shall follow surely, secretly…”(smirks darkly with something akin to hunger, the emotion disappearing again in the blink of an eye) “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised… this is a song of the sea, after all.” (holds Michiru’s gaze)
(Not shying away from the intensity in Maera’s study of her, Michiru returns the interest, her violin bow swinging gently from between her fingers as the two of them contemplate each other soundlessly. Finally, Michiru looks away, the slightest hint of a blush colouring her cheeks. The loss of composure only shines through for a second, however, before she covers the distance between them, sitting down next to Maera.)
Michiru: (packs her violin away in the violin case again) “She sounds like a remarkable woman - your mother.” (glances at Maera out the corner of her eye as she returns to her seat)
Maera: (adopts a distant expression) “She was. I just never realised it while she was alive…”
Michiru: “Zannen.” (surveys the other girl, eyes softening)
Maera: (forces forth an unconvincing grin, pushing herself off the podium in one fluent motion) “Well…” (tentatively, lost in thought) “There were a lot of things I didn’t understand until I found myself alone.”
(Michiru doesn’t answer right away, instead following Maera’s example, getting off the podium gracefully and walking back towards the collection of tables.)
Michiru: (closes her school bag, clearly getting ready to leave) “When that in which we reflect ourselves shows us an unfamiliar situation, we are bound to change our view of who we are in order to adjust, ne?” (sends Maera a perceptive smile over her shoulder)
Maera: (crosses her arms over her chest, looking to the side) “Maybe it’s that in which I reflected myself that changed and not me…” (meets Michiru’s eyes) “I stayed the same and was left behind.”
Michiru: (spins around with a frown, trying to figure out where Maera is going with the conversation) “I think it’s more complex than that, Maera-san…Change always evolves around an unchangeable core.” (tightens her grip on the handle of her violin case)
Maera: “So, it doesn’t matter how high the tide rises or how much the waves rage?” (raises both eyebrows with something that resembles a leer)
Michiru: (narrows her eyes at Maera’s overconfident attitude, finding herself on home ground) “The tide may rise and the waves rage; they’re only another aspect of the sea.”
Maera: (pushes her braid provocatively back over her shoulder) “So the sea never changes?”
Michiru: “Ara, it does.” (snatches her bag from the chair, and heads for the door, not looking back when she adds) “Demo… beneath whatever change that takes place, it never stops being the sea.”
(Following Michiru with her gaze, Maera waits until her hand is on the handle - ready to push it down, the door creaking - before she speaks.)
Maera: (quietly) “That’s what I thought...” (forms the name with a hint of warm recognition) “Michiru-san.”
(Michiru reacts to the use of her name by stopping in the doorway, her skirt swirling around her thighs as she turns in Maera’s direction)
Michiru: (curiously) “You said before that you could understand why people would find me intimidating.” (stares Maera’s straight in the eyes) “Should I fear you, then…” (continues in a teasing tone after a short but pregnant break) “… since we share my element?”
Maera: (laughs) “You don’t seem like the type that holds many fears, Michiru-san.” (asks in a flirtatious purr) “Do you find me threatening?”
Michiru: (smirks, throwing the ball back in Maera’s court with in an equally coy voice) “And what if I did?”
Maera: (cocks her head a little) “Then I would assure you that you had nothing to fear from me.”
Michiru: (studies Maera for a moment, the look in her eyes not betraying what she’s thinking) “I’m glad.” (steps back, inclining her head towards the hallway, all traces of flirting gone) “Are you coming, Maera-san?”
Maera: “No, I…” (gestures to her dark uniform) “I was instructed to pick up my new uniform when classes ended.”
Michiru: (lets her eyes run up and down Maera) “You’re probably the same size as Haruka, ne…” (her voice softens into gentle amusement at the thought of her girlfriend) “They had to tailor her uniform as well.”
(Narrowing her eyes a fraction when Michiru mentions Haruka, quickly hiding it behind a look of confusion, Maera sits down on the chair that Michiru previously used for her school bag.)
Maera: “Haruka?” (bites her lip lightly, thinking) “The tall blonde?” (widens her eyes in a show of apparent alarm) “About her… did I do something to offend her? She left so abruptly.”
Michiru: (nods to confirm Haruka’s identity, laughing out loud at Maera’s last suggestion, though her eyes show a hint of doubt) “Don’t worry about her; Haruka is always suspicious of strangers.”
Maera: “I see…” (stands up as Michiru shifts on her feet and bows deeply) “For sharing your practicing time with me and showing me the music club, arigato gozaimasu, Michiru-san.”
(Letting the mask of civility once again slip onto her face, Michiru mirrors Maera’s bow, smiling graciously when their eyes find each other as she straightens up. Any indication of the friendly atmosphere between them seems to have vanished.)
Michiru: “Do itashimashite, Maera-san.” (motions around the room) “We’ll probably see a lot more of each other from now on.”
Maera: (genuinely) “Hopefully so.”
(Maera watches Michiru leave, her eyes hardening at the soft thud the door makes when Michiru closes it after herself. Not until the sound of the other girl’s heels has faded away, does Maera relax back into the chair, a bitter sneer finding its way onto her lips.)
Maera: (sniffs scornfully) “So she’s suspicious of strangers… Tenoh Haruka, ka…” (pushes a loose lock of hair behind her ear with a cold laugh) “Well, she probably has her reasons. If any, she would know how easy it can be to get a girl distracted.”
(Getting up, Maera walks over to the windows to look out over the sports grounds where a flock of students is training soccer. She presses her hands against the glass, examining her own reflection.)
Maera: “Ja ne, Princess…” (takes a deep breath, leaning against the windowpane with a satisfied smile) “We’ll see each other again much sooner than you expect.”
~ S.