One Chance Encounter
by Naia Zifu
I first became aware of our new student while standing
in the schoolyard talking to friends. I noticed a crowd growing nearby,
and my natural first assumption was that a fight must've broken out. However,
this crowd seemed to be entirely made up of girls. Perhaps some celebrity
was visiting campus today? My curiosity piqued, I made my way over to
investigate
"What's all this about?" I asked a tall girl with
a brown ponytail and glasses.
"A handsome new transfer student," she replied, "from
Redwind Academy."
"Where's that?"
"I don't know," she admitted, "but it sounds impressive.
Anyway, who cares-- he's kakkoii! Have a look for yourself."
I went on tiptoe to try to see over the crowd, but
was having no luck. I tapped the shoulder of an upperclassman in front
of me and asked to be let by, but she rudely refused.
"Michi-chan, what's up?" my friend Konomi asked from
behind me.
I shrugged. "A new transfer student, allegedly
handsome, but I can't get a look at him to judge."
"You're interested in boys now, Michi-chan?" Konomi
asked, raising an eyebrow.
I felt my face redden. "Don't say it like that,
Konomi-chan! You'll make people think I like girls or something."
"Do you?"
"Of course not! It's just, as busy as I am with
my violin lessons, painting class, and the swim team, I haven't got time
to think about boys. I'll find the right one someday, in my own time."
"If I ever got too busy for boys, I would kill myself!"
Konomi went on tiptoe and angled back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse
of the new student through the crowd. She squealed in delight. "I
think I'm in love!"
"Konomi-chan, you say that about every guy."
"Well, this time I mean it," she insisted. "Standing
right over there is the finest-looking specimen of manhood I've seen in
all my thirteen years on this planet. You have got to see him!"
I went on tiptoe again, then finally jumped up and
down to catch a glimpse. The only guy I saw was tall and thin, with
tidy black hair, brown eyes that looked huge behind his thick round glasses,
and freckles. Though he did have a certain little-boyish charm, he couldn't
have been the one all those girls were so enamoured with, could he?
"The one with the dark hair and glasses?" I asked
Konomi. "He's not that good-looking."
She giggled. "No, silly, not him, the other
one. The blond."
I looked again, and saw to whom she was referring,
but, "Konomi-chan, that's a girl."
"Nani? You must be looking in the wrong place
again." She pointed. "There he is, see? The tall, athletic
one with the blond hair and earring."
I sighed with frustration and looked again in the
direction she was pointing. The person in question had short hair,
a boys' uniform, and a single gold hoop earring in one ear, but was definitely
female. Was I the only one who could see that? Yet, there was
something about that girl that made me want to get to know her. She
was so beautiful, even dressed as a boy, and I suddenly felt jealous of
all those other girls for monopolising her attention. I longed to talk to
that girl alone, to find out more about her, to--
The bell rang to go to homeroom, and I silently cursed
her crowd of clueless admirers. How would I ever get to meet her
if I couldn't even get her alone? I took my place at my usual desk
near the door and stared out its small window at the last few students hurrying
to beat the tardy bell.
For some reason I couldn't get the new girl's face
out of my mind. Why was I becoming so obsessed? I'd never met
her, didn't even know her name, yet just seeing her brought about feelings
in me I'd never had about anyone before. I couldn't possibly be attracted
to her, could I? No, of course not. I was a perfectly normal
thirteen-year-old girl-- I couldn't possibly be interested in another girl,
not even one who looked and dressed so similar to a boy.
I jumped as my chair was suddenly kicked from behind.
"Pay attention, Michi-chan," my friend Taru hissed.
"The teacher just called your name."
"Present," I replied. To Taru, I whispered,
"Arigato," and returned to staring out the window.
I involuntarily gasped as I saw _her_ walking down
the hallway. A washroom trip, presumably, since class had already begun
and the girls' room was only a few doors down.
"Michiru-chan, is something wrong?" Mrs. Inoue, the
homeroom teacher, asked.
I felt my face flush and sank into my chair.
"N-nothing, Inoue-sensei, I just. . . May I have a hall pass?
I have to go to the washroom."
The teacher gave me a peculiar look, but took out
the hall pass anyway. I thanked her and hurried out the door, headed
directly for the girls' washroom. I went in and knocked on all the
stall doors, but got no response. If she hadn't gone to the washroom,
then where? Was she the type to skip classes on her first day of
school? I felt like such an idiot, lying to get out of class in hopes
of running into that girl, and missing her entirely. I washed my hands
unnecessarily, and stopped by the mirror to check my make-up and fluff my
long aqua hair. When I thought I'd been there long enough to justify
the trip I started back to class.
My heart leapt when I stepped out of the washroom
and saw the new girl walking up the hall just ahead of me. I hurried
to catch up, determined not to miss this chance to speak to her. But
wait-- she seemed troubled; walking with such a slow, shuffling gait, head
down, muttering to herself. Maybe this was a bad time to approach her.
Maybe I should wait until. . . Until what? This could be my only
chance to talk to her! I took a deep breath and gathered my courage.
"Sumimasen," I called.
She turned, the motion causing a lock of sandy hair to
settle across her right eye. Those eyes were the same deep greenish
blue as the sea just before a storm, set like gems into her strong, androgynous,
yet perfectly lovely face. Hints of an already curvaceous figure teased
from beneath the boys' uniform she wore. Without a doubt, she was the
most beautiful girl I'd ever seen.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and continued, "I've
been wanting to meet you since I first saw you this morning."
I smiled and offered my hand, but rather than simply
shaking it, she raised it to her mouth and kissed it. My face flushed
and my knees became weak at the gesture-- no-one had ever done anything so
romantic for me in my life!
"I'm Ten-- uh, Takano Hikaru," she said with a charming
smile.
I was surprised her voice would be so deep-- she sounded
almost like a real boy. And Hikaru, wasn't that sometimes a boys'
name? Looking and sounding the way she did, wearing that uniform, and
having a name like Hikaru, it was no wonder so many people mistook her gender.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Kai--"
"Takano Hikaru, get back to your class," Mrs. Nakayama
interrupted. She snatched the hall pass from Hikaru's hand and said
with a disgusted look, "You were supposed to go to the washroom and come straight
back, not stop to flirt in the hallway."
"Yes, ma'am," Hikaru said, looking at the floor.
I watched her start back to her class, but she stopped part-way to look
back at me and give a little wave. I smiled and returned the gesture.
"And haven't you got a class to be in now, too?" Mrs.
Nakayama yelled at me as Hikaru entered the classroom.
"Well, yes," I admitted sheepishly. "It's just,
I was on my way back from the washroom when I saw Hikaru and--"
The teacher frowned. "It's better if you don't
talk to that person," she warned. "Takano Hikaru is usotsuki and only
wants to make a
fool of you."
"Well, if you mean the fact that Hikaru's a girl,
I knew that already."
Her eyes grew large with shock. "You did?
And you still wanted to flirt with her? I wouldn't have figured you
for that kind of girl. . ."
_That kind of girl?_
"I'm not," I protested. "I was just being polite
to the new student. I thought she might want someone to show her
around."
Mrs. Nakayama laughed. "I assure you that girl
doesn't need to be shown around. Her real name is Ten'ou Haruka, and
she's been at this school the entire time."
"Haruka," I repeated, smiling. "Such a lovely
name. Why would she ever want to change it?"
I hadn't even realised I'd said that aloud until she
replied, "Shirimasen. For some reason she showed up to school today
with her hair cut short and wearing a boys' uniform, and invented some
story about being a male transfer student named Takano Hikaru. Osaka-kouchou
told me to play along for now, but I thought I should warn you before you
got too close."
Before I get too close? What did she think I
would do? Fall in love with Haruka? Start to date her?
As long as I knew she was a girl
there was nothing to worry about, right? Although knowing Haruka
was a girl hadn't stopped me from desperately wanting to meet her; I'd
surely never go to such trouble to meet someone just out of politeness.
And the way I felt when she kissed my hand. . . Was I really interested
in her that way? Was that why I'd never been serious about boys?
Maybe I really _was_ that kind of girl. . .
"Arigato gozaimasu," I said. "May I return to
class now?"
Mrs. Nakayama scribbled a note explaining I was late
because she'd kept me talking in the hall, and sent me on my way. I
hurried back to homeroom, handed over my hall pass, and without waiting for
excuse approval, returned to my seat.
I couldn't concentrate on anything but her beautiful
face and sexy voice. I wanted to remember every detail of our encounter
in the hallway. I sketched Haruka in my notebook from memory, though
of course no quick sketch could ever do her justice. I'd have to ask
her to pose for a proper portrait someday, I decided, if I could ever catch
her without her horde of groupies again.
Ten'ou Haruka had been at my school the entire time,
yet I couldn't recall ever having seen her before. I was sure I would
have noticed someone with her looks. Of course, she hadn't been dressed
up as a boy then. I wished I could have known her before; she must
have been lovely as a girl.
The bell rang, startling me, and I began to quickly
gather my books for first period. I was again startled by a hand
on my shoulder, but
relaxed when I turned to see Taru's golden eyes and bright smile.
"Michi-chan, are you okay?" she asked. "You
seem a bit preoccupied."
"Ara, I'm fine," I replied with a shy smile.
Then, remembering her status as school gossip, I asked, "Taru-chan, what
do you know about a girl named Ten'ou Haruka?"
©1998/2007 (revised HTML version) Naia Zifu ([email protected]),
all rights reserved
Haruka and Michiru are SM characters that I don't own rights to, but
basically everyone else in the story was created by me. As always,
I'm not trying to make money off anyone else's ideas.
This is a very short story written to expand on Michiru's role in "Misunderstood,"
as well as on an important scene that didn't get enough
attention in the other story. If you haven't read misu yet, go
read it now, and this story will make much more sense. And don't
forget to watch for more Haruka and Michiru fanfics written by me as my
obsession continues to grow!