Chapter Five

	The next morning, Usagi knocked on the door to Hime, Miaka, Sakura and 
Ritsuko’s apartment.
	“Just a minute!” Ritsuko shouted as she hopped around, trying to zip the skirt to 
her school uniform.  She walked over and opened the door where Ami, Usagi and 
Makoto stood.  “Usagi-san!  You’re up early!” Ritsuko exclaimed, astonished.
	“Isn’t it amazing?!” Ami asked.
	“Come on you guys, this isn’t the first time that I’ve been on time!”
	“Yes it is...” Makoto whispered, amused.
	Sakura walked out of her bedroom and grabbed her school bag, “Come on, you 
guys, we’re going to be late.”
	Hime emerged from her bedroom, still applying make-up, “Well, unlike certain 
people who will remain nameless, Sakura-chan, we were not up at the crack of dawn.  
We’re all human!”
	Miaka came out from the living room, “I’m ready.  Come on, Hime-chan, nobody 
gives a damn about what you look like.  It’s school.”
	“I really hope for your life that you didn’t mean that,” Hime said viciously.
	“Oh, cool your heels!  I didn’t.  Come on!”
	The seven girls left the apartment and walked to Jyuban High School.
	“Sakura-san, what on earth are you doing coming to school?” Makoto asked.
	“I don’t want to fall behind, and get in trouble like Usagi-san.”
	“Hey!  I heard that!” Usagi fumed.
	The warning bell rang and all of the girls went to the auditorium to be 
administered their tests for various classes.  “Results will be posted tomorrow,” The 
principal of the school announced.
	Miaka turned around when someone flicked her pony-tail with a pencil.  A silver-
haired boy was the owner of the pencil.  “Yaten-kun, stop that.  We’re going to get in 
trouble,” Miaka whispered.
	“I’m going to fail this exam.  What about you?” Yaten asked.
	“I’m going to fail this too if you don’t leave me alone for now!”
	“I need a kiss first,” Yaten replied.
	“Later!” Miaka scolded.  A shadow fell over the two, and they looked up to see 
the school principal standing over them.  He mumbled one word, “Detention,” then 
walked away.
	Miaka blushed and resumed her test, finishing fifteen minutes after Ami, Sakura, 
Taiki and Hime.

	After the exam, the students were allowed a free period.  Hime, Sakura, Ritsuko, 
Usagi, Makoto, and Ami all walked out onto the courtyard.
	“It’s too bad Miaka-san had detention.  It’s such a pretty day out,” Usagi said.
	“Yeah,” Makoto said, “Usagi-chan, I’m surprised that you didn’t have detention 
today.”
	“I’m all grown up now!  I’m in high school!”
	“That never stopped you before!”
	Taiki and Seiya came out of the school and walked over to the group of girls.  
“Taiki, where’s Minako-san?” Seiya asked.
	“Detention with Yaten.  Could you believe that ditz was late for school on the day 
of an exam?  She’s almost as bad as Tsukino-san.”
	“Stop picking on me!  I was on time today!” Usagi cried.  Everyone laughed.
	Sakura’s knees gave way and Seiya caught her before she hit the ground, 
“Sakura!” everyone shouted.
	Sakura regained her balance, “I’m fine, just a little tired.”
	Seiya kept his hold on her, “What were you thinking?  You shouldn’t have come 
today!”
	“Seiya-kun!  It’s school!  Get off my back!” Sakura said loudly.  She turned 
around to everyone, “Stop treating me like an invalid!  I’m not going to break!” Sakura 
started crying, and Seiya tried to hug her.  She broke away, and walked out of the school 
yard.  Seiya jogged after her.
	“Well, that was interesting,” Taiki said, amused.  “Does your friend always put on 
such good displays?”
	Hime walked over to Taiki and slapped him hard across the face, “Comrades or 
not, nobody talks about my best friend like that.”
	Taiki touched the reddening welt on his face, “Sorry,” he mumbled.  He walked 
over to Ami.  “Ami-chan!  She slapped me!”
	“Taiki-kun, you’re heartless sometimes,” Ami replied.

	The only people assigned to detention that day were Yaten, Miaka and Minako.  
Minako stood outside the room with a sign hung around her neck saying “tardy”, while 
she held a bucked full of water in each hand.
	“You Baka, Minako-san, being late on an exam day!” Yaten said as he was about 
to walk into the classroom.
	“What about you?  Why are you here?  You did something wrong too, you 
know.”
	“So I talked a little.  I wasn’t late,” Yaten said mockingly.
	“Well, you got detention too, so ha!” Minako retorted.
	“Well, I guess I should make the best of it then,” Yaten leaned over and kissed 
Minako on the nose.
	“Yaten-kun, you have a girlfriend.”
	“We’re not officially together.  She won’t mind.”
	“You’re so full of yourself,” Minako said drowsily as Yaten leaned over to kiss 
her.

	Miaka was walking down the hall towards her detention when she saw Yaten and 
Minako kissing.  Her eyes opened wide in disbelief.  “I hate you!” she yelled at Yaten.
	Yaten straightened in shock, “Miaka-san, what are you doing here?”
	“What the hell do you think?!  You got me detention today!” Miaka started to 
walk away.
	Yaten walked behind her, and touched her shoulder, “Miaka-san, don’t be mad.”
	Miaka wrenched away from his hand, “I never want to talk to you again!” She ran 
out of the building.

	In the street, Seiya kept walking behind Sakura.  “Sakura-chan, please slow 
down,” he called.  Sakura kept walking.  Over the wind, he could hear a faint sound of 
crying.  “Sakura-chan please stop.  Talk to me!”
	Sakura stopped walking, and gave a small shudder.  “So what do you want to talk 
about?” She said in a small, shaky voice.
	Seiya walked in front of her, and brushed her raven hair off of her tear stained 
face, “how about whether you’re alright or not.”
	Sakura looked at him with red eyes, “I’m fine,” She said quietly.
	“You’re not, Sakura-chan,” Seiya said seriously, “Look at yourself.  You look like 
you’re scared to death.  Please, tell me what’s wrong.”
	Sakura started crying a new round of tears, “I am scared.”
	“Of what?”
	“Every corner I go around, it’s like I see another enemy intent on killing me, or 
harming my friends.  Trust me, it’s not a comforting feeling.”  Sakura looked down, 
“You must think that I’m crazy,” she muttered.
	Seiya hugged Sakura tightly, “I could never think that about you.  You mean too 
much to me.  do you want me to take you home?”
	Sakura nodded, for once not arguing back.
	Seiya put his arm around her and walked her down the street, holding her as if she 
was a frail baby bird.

	Sakura opened the door to her apartment.  She was surprised to see that the door 
was unlocked.  “That’s strange,” she said to herself.  She walked down the hallway and 
into the bathroom where she splashed water onto her flushed face.  She heard sniffling 
coming from Miaka’s room.  “Stupid ditz, she left the television on.” Sakura walked into 
her room where she saw Miaka sprawled out on her bed, crying as if her heart was 
breaking in two.  “Miaka-chan!  What’s wrong?”
	Miaka looked up from her soaked pillow, “Can you just leave, please?”
	Sakura went and sat down on the edge of her bed, “No.  You’re my friend and I’m 
going to find out what’s wrong.”
	Miaka sniffled, and took a deep breath.  “I was going to detention and I saw Yaten 
and Minako kissing in the hall.”
	“What?” Sakura covered her mouth in shock.
	“Yeah, that was basically my reaction too.”
	“I can’t believe them.  Yaten-san I could imagine doing that, but Minako-chan?”
	“I no longer want to talk to either of them,” Miaka sat up, got off of the bed, and 
walked to the window.  She stood there for a few minutes, staring blankly out of it.
	“Miaka-chan?” Sakura asked softly.
	Miaka’s body started shaking when she began to cry again.  She turned around, 
“Sakura-chan, why doesn’t he want to be with me?  Am I not good enough to be see with 
or something?” She cried.
	Sakura got up and hugged Miaka, “Don’t let them get to you.  Don’t show that 
they affected you on any level at all,” she advised.
	Miaka laughed through her tears, “It’s a bit late for that.”
	“How about we go to the game center and visit Motoki-san?”
	“Sure,” Miaka said, putting on her shoes, “Sakura-chan?”
	“Yeah?”
	“You never told me why you were home.  School is still in session.”
	Sakura tugged on Miaka’s hair, “None of your business!” she said.
	“Alright, if you don’t want to tell me.”
	“I don’t,” Sakura said, with a hint of warning in her voice.
	“Alright , alright.  School should be out soon, do you want to go wait for them?”
	“Sure, but what about Minako-san and Yaten-san?”
	Miaka’s face fell, “What about them?”
	“There ya go,” Sakura said proudly.

	Usagi, Ami, Makoto, and Seiya all sat in their English class, learning new 
vocabulary.
	Seiya poked Usagi in the back, “Hanging in there, Odango?” he asked.
	Usagi turned around in her seat, “I don’t understand any of this!  My English is so 
bad,” Usagi replied in frustration.
	The teacher walked by Seiya’s desk and smacked his hand with a meter stick, “No 
talking during my class.”
	“Sorry, sir.”  The teacher resumed his lecture.  A half hour later, the dismissal bell 
rang, and Usagi jumped out of her seat.
	“You guys, hurry up!  I want to get something to eat!”
	Ami grabbed her forehead, “Usagi-chan, you just ate an hour and fifteen minutes 
ago.  Aren’t you ever going to get your act together?!”
	Usagi looked down, “Sorry, Ami-chan.”
	Makoto kept Ami from scolding Usagi further, “Ami-chan, lighten up.  Don’t 
worry about Usagi-chan.  Let Usagi-chan worry about Usagi-chan.”
	“That’s what I’m worried about,” Ami muttered.
	The four students walked out to the courtyard where they met up with Taiki, and a 
guilty looking Yaten and Minako.  Hime also joined them.  She walked up to Yaten and 
smacked him in the back of the head. 
	“You baka!  What the hell was that for?” Yaten yelled.
	“You know damn well what that was for!  Does the name Miaka ring a bell?”
	Minako blushed furiously.  Ritsuko walked up to the group, “What’s up with you, 
Minako-san?”
	“Yaten-san and Minako-san thought it would be funny to kiss each other in front 
of Miaka-chan.”
	“What?!” Everyone shouted.
	“I didn’t know she was there!” Yaten shouted.
	“And that’ supposed to make it better?!” Hime shouted back.
	“It’s not like we were actually involved.” Yaten said moodily.
	“It’s cruel to lead someone on like that, Yaten-kun!” Makoto exclaimed.  
“Minako-chan, how could you do something like that?”
	Minako looked down at the ground.
	“I can’t believe you, Yaten,” Seiya said.
	“Don’t you turn against me now.”
	“Look, you guys, I’m hungry.  I’m going over to the cafe.  Anyone want to join 
me?” Usagi said impatiently.
	“Sure,” everyone else said.  They all walked out of the schoolyard, and saw 
Sakura and Miaka sitting on a bench.
	“Hi, Miaka-san,” Minako said softly.  Miaka ignored her.
	Seiya walked over and draped his arm lightly around Miaka’s shoulder, “So how 
are things going, Miaka-san?”
	Miaka ducked from under Seiya’s arm, and draped it around Sakura, “You don’t 
have to be nice to me.  I don’t care.  I just wanna play some games, so can we go?”
	“The game center?” Hime and Makoto said with a look of love in their eyes.  
They both turned around to look at each other.
	The group walked over to the game center where Motoki was sweeping the 
doorstep.  “Hey everyone, decide to come and play some games before studying?” he 
asked.
	“Playing games always gets me in the mood for studying!” Usagi declared.
	“Whatever, Usagi-san,” Ritsuko said.  She walked into the game center and 
busied herself in trying to catch a plush frog in the UFO catcher game.  Minako also 
walked in, and sat down glumly on a bench.
	“What’s wrong with you, Minako-san?  You’re not playing any racing games!”
	“I’m not in the mood right now,” Minako said.
	“Alright then,” Motoki said, furrowing his eyebrows.
	Hime wrapped her arms around Motoki and looked into his eyes, “Don’t worry 
about her, she’s just thinking about something that she did.  That’s all.”
	“What’s been going on with you guys?” Motoki asked in return.
	“Don’t worry about it!” Hime said, trying to come off as joking.
	Ami spoke up, “You guys, I’m going home to study.  our next exam is in two 
weeks, and I’m only four chapters ahead.”
	“Only?!” Usagi shouted, “I still have chapters that I haven’t done from junior 
high!”
	“Usagi..” Everyone said in disappointment.
	“I’ll go with you, Ami-chan.  I can’t have you getting better grades than me,” 
Taiki said.  Both then walked out of the game center.
	Sakura grabbed a textbook out of her school satchel that she had grabbed on her 
way out.  “I’m only five chapters ahead.  I’d better study too, or else I’m not going to do 
very well.”
	“Sakura-san!  You’re just as bad as Ami-chan!” Usagi yelled.
	“No, I don’t pester you like she does.”
	“Oh, sorry.”
	“Sakura-chan, why did you come down here if you’re just going to study?”  Hime 
asked.
	“I have my reasons,” Sakura looked at Seiya and blushed slightly.  Seiya, 
however, wasn’t paying attention.  In a stern tone of voice, he had pulled Yaten aside and 
was scolding him harshly.
	“What’s your problem?  You’re really not as great as you think you are.”
	“What the hell are you talking about?  AT least I go after girls that are worth my 
time.  You liked Odango Atama, remember?!”
	“You leave Odango alone.  She has nothing to do with this.”
	Yaten ignored him,” Now you’re going out with this ugly girl who can’t even 
defend herself in a battle!  What’s your problem, Seiya?  We’re idols, you can do fifteen 
times better than an ugly baka like her!”
	Seiya grabbed Yaten’s collar, “You take that back.”
	“No!”
	“You take that back, or so help me God, I will make you wish that you were never 
born!”
	“Ooooh, I’m trembling, shaking in my boots, scared out of my wits,” Yaten 
retorted sarcastically.
	Seiya punched him hard in the eye, then shoved him up against the wall, hard, in 
disgust.  “You make me so sick.  How would you like for our princess to see you act the 
way that you do, Yaten?”
	The statement hit a soft spot in Yaten, and he vowed to himself that he would win 
Miaka back.
	Seiya walked over to the bench Sakura was sitting on, and sat down heavily.  
“What’s wrong, Seiya-kun?” she asked, looking up from her book.
	“Yaten makes me so angry sometimes!  I don’t know what comes over me, I just 
turn violent.”
	“Seiya-kun, that’s not a good thing,” Sakura said sternly.
	“You think I don’t know that?  He just eggs it on so much sometimes, and makes 
me mad on purpose!”
	“So ignore him,”
	“Dammit, you don’t understand,” Seiya said violently.
	Sakura looked shocked.  She slid further down the bench, away from Seiya, and 
resumed reading her book.
	“Sakura-chan, I’m sorry.  I’m just angry.”
	Sakura ignored him, and kept reading.
	“Sakura-chan, please.”
	“You act exactly like Yaten-san sometimes!  You don’t realize it, but you do!  
Everyone you get close to, you find some subtle way to hurt them!”
	“Where did you get that from?”
	“I sense things, alright?”
	“Sakura-chan, I’m sorry.  I never meant to speak harshly towards you.”
	“Alright,” Sakura said, showing no feeling at all.
	Seiya moved over to Sakura’s end of the bench and enveloped her in his arms.  
Sakura finally gave in, settled into his chest, and began reading again.

	Ritsuko and Miaka put their heads together.  “Aww, look at the two lovebirds,” 
They said, pointing at Seiya and Sakura.
	Yaten walked over to the two and cleared his throat, “Uh, Miaka-san?” he asked.
	Miaka gave him an angry look, but remained calm.  “What do you want?” she 
asked in an even tone.
	“I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.  I’ve never cared for anyone like I care 
for you.”
	“So you showed me by kissing one of my friends.  no offense, Yaten-san, but 
spare me.  I really don’t need to hear lies right now.  Come on, Ritsuko-chan, I feel like 
getting my homework done.  let’s go home.” Miaka brushed past Yaten without saying 
anything else.
	“Sorry, Yaten-san, you’ll have to try harder than that if you want to get her back.  
You hurt her really bad.”  Ritsuko walked out of the game center, trying to catch up with 
Miaka.
	Usagi suddenly jumped up, “Mina-chan, I’m going to find Mamo-chan!  I haven’t 
talked to him for a while!  I wonder why he hasn’t called or anything...” Usagi’s voice 
trailed off as she walked away.
	Motoki chuckled, “She sure is gone over Mamoru-kun.  He’s the only thing she’s 
been one hundred percent dedicated to.”  Everyone laughed at Motoki’s statement.
	Minako stood and started walking out of the door.  “I’ll see you guys later,” She 
said quietly, then left.
	“Good riddance,” Hime said snottily.
	“Hime-chan, that’s not a very nice thing to say,” Motoki scolded lightly.
	“Believe me, if you knew what she did, you wouldn’t be too happy around her 
either.”
	Makoto spoke up, “We’re all dropping like flies.  We came here to have fun, and 
now almost everyone is in a foul mood.”
	“Mako-chan, I’m happy!” Sakura said.
	Makoto smiled, “Of course you are.”