Chapter Five: Let’s Get to Work

 

*Serena was practically dead. She was ready to drop after all her routines. Four routines in all, she had had to practice each of them and still manage to watch and help her friends with their own. That and the fact that her ribs hurt so much she could barely breathe. Her father had really done a number on her last night.  Picking up the water bottle she had left near her floor mats, she took a long swig of water and then looked to see where her friends had gone. She could hear them laughing up a storm. Seeing them huddled in a group near the door, she picked up her sweater and walked to join them.

As she neared, she saw why they were standing and laughing. The new boys were all leaning against the wall, except for Duo, who was now sprawled out on the floor, face first. She too, began to laugh. What in the stars had he been doing?

Hiiro heard alien laughter and sought the source with his eyes. They finally landed on a girl. Not just any girl. This one was beyond normal. Golden hair stuffed into a messy bun was beginning to slip out and wisps were framing her pale face. Full, rose-tinted lips parted to let the fairy laughter spill from her mouth. Ocean blue eyes sparkled with mirth and warmth. Her eyes… Serena. He was staring at Serena! Sure, he knew what she had looked like, but this was the first time he was seeing her face.

All day she had hidden herself beneath the blue hood of her sweater, so he had never seen her full face. Only her eyes, which had radiated warmth even then, were all that he had seen of her. Now that she had taken the hooded sweater off and he was seeing her whole face, he could skip pretty and go straight to beautiful. And maybe past that. Even as the Perfect Soldier he could recognize a beautiful girl when he saw one, and if Serena wasn’t one, he didn’t know what was.

“Well, let us go change and then we can all head over to the library.” Mina said to the rest of the guys.

“Of course, go right ahead. We’ll wait for you in the hall.”

“Sounds good.” Agreed Lita as the five girls headed toward the locker rooms to shower and change.

>>>)(<<<

It had only taken her fifteen minutes to shower, change, and redo her make-up so that her bruises weren’t obvious. The other girls were just finishing up as well. She wondered how this library study session was going to work tonight. Usually they sat in companionable silence, except when one of them needed help, or when they all finished early. Then they either talked out the problem together or went out to grab a bite to eat. The difference in tonight was, with all the guys coming, she doubted she would get any work done. Letting her hair down, she shook it out and tried to forget the question she had been pondering the last few minutes.

“Serena, you ready?” She looked up to see Ami next to her, and the other three girls standing at the door.

“Yup, let’s book it!” She gave them a thousand watt smile and raised her arm. “Onward ho!” The other girls giggled and began marching like she was out the door to the group of guys, who were, by this time, simply staring and trying not to laugh.

“Don’t laugh!” Serena purposely said to them, making them shake even more with silent laughter. Finally Duo let out his laugh, followed by Quatre, then Trowa.  Wufei simply smirked, and, as usual, Hiiro kept a straight face.

“We’re sorry for laughing, but what were you doing?” Quatre managed to squeeze out as soon as he’d caught his breath.

“Serena had said ‘onward ho’ in the locker rooms. We were just following her example.” Mina winked at him and then watched as he blushed to his roots red. He sure was cute.

“So then that baka onna Serena began this insanity?” Wufei shut them down.

“Baka onna? Watch your tone of voice! That’s my meatball head your talking about here!” Rei quipped.

“Meatball head?” Duo broke out laughing again.

“Gee, thanks Rei. I feel so loved. You know I hate that name! Don’t call me that… Pyro!”

“Pyro! You listen here meatball head! Don’t you even start with me! I was defending you here!”

“With that name? You did more harm than good!” Both girls were having a hard time not laughing.

“Do they fight like this often?” Trowa whisper-asked Ami in her ear. She blushed and pulled his tall head down closer so she could whisper in his ear.

“What do you think?” Trowa shivered at the fell of her warm breath on his cool ear, and the brush of her soft lips against his cheek as she took her head away from his. He had thought she was the shy one of the group!

Suddenly, Hiiro found himself walking down the hallway of the school and out the entrance doors while Serena and Rei were arm in arm laughing. Stop. Rewind. What had just happened? They had been fighting like Duo and Wufei, but that didn’t seem to matter to them anymore.

 On they walked in the cold wind. It was still pouring rain, it just never seemed to let up. At least it wasn’t hailing. That would have been much worse. What he did not understand was how they had managed to make it nearly a full block without getting one raindrop on him. Even with the overhangs they were dashing underneath, the wind should have blown the icy droplets in to them, but it didn’t. Hiiro found himself watching Serena again. What was it about her that drew him to her?

Now she was in-between Lita and Rei, as if they were protecting her from the elements. And she looked content with the arrangement too. She skipped along merrily, as if the sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and talked up quite a storm while doing it too. She was so happy and warm. Something just didn’t feel right about it.

Finally, they reached their destination. As they hurried from the last overhang to the giant concrete steps of the old library, the girls screamed. Laughing and playing in the rain had always been one of Serena’s favorite things. She adored the wet weather. As  her  friends all entered, she stopped for  moment. On the middle step, she just stood. She spread her arms wide and looked up into the blackened heavens. Closing her eyes, she let the rain drip and run down her face, arms, and legs, soaking her clothes thoroughly.

Hiiro entered the library first and waited for Serena to as well. When her friends all tumbled in, one right after another, Serena did not. Opening the door to the cold outdoors, Hiiro spotted her. With her arms open wide, as if to embrace the entire heavens, she was just standing in the rain. She looked so peaceful and content. Her cheeks were flushed with just hints of red, and her lips were slightly parted. He could see her breath come out in a puffy fog as she breathed in deeply, then exhaled, again and again. Finally, he decided if she didn’t come in, she would probably catch a cold. He walked back down the steps to her and gently took her cold hand in his own. Tugging on it slightly, he was able to awaken her from her trance and pull her inside the library.

When Serena stepped into the library, she felt almost too hot. As she adjusted to the warmer temperature, she turned to Hiiro, who had pulled her in. The difference was slight, but she was still able to faintly detect  it. He still wore the same impassive mask upon his lonely visage, yet there was something hidden in his  once empty eyes. Though she could not decipher what, she knew that he was, at least, beginning to warm up, even just slightly.

“Thank you.” They were such simple words. Even still, he felt a small shiver speed up his spine.

“Where do we work?” He asked her, trying to keep things simple.

“Well, we can either just pick a table and work there, or we can find an individual room and work on it in there.” She told him as she rung her hair out. Hiiro thought about the possibilities. On one hand, they would probably be interrupted by Duo or one of her friends if they were in the open. On the other hand, he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to be all alone with her. She did things to him… strange things.

“A table anywhere will be fine.” He finally decided.

“Alright. Let’s get on of the ones in the back so the others won’t bother us.” She said as she picked up her bag and began walking back towards the end of the library.

Serena had been sitting across from Hiiro in silence for the last three minutes. He had neglected to utter so much as a word so far. How were they going to get this project done?

            “So…” she tried to begin. “What should our topic be?”

“Hn.” He said. He was being difficult for her.

“OK. Let’s start with the basics. From class  today, I think you saw that I am not exactly a chemistry protégée. In fact, to be quite blunt about the whole matter, chem. is my worst class. I’m sorry you got stuck with someone as bad at this as me, but I’m your  lot, so face up to the facts. Now, if you want to do well on this, I will need your help.” She finished. All be darn it if she let him intimidate her.

“Fine.” He said, actually surprised that she had spoken out like she had. “Our topic is…” he blanked. He had no idea what they were learning in class. Today he had tuned Mr. Hughes out to focus on more pressing issues, like what his new email address should be. He had to change it again, of course, because Relena had figured it out one way or another… forty messages from her was forty too many in his opinion.

“Um…” Serena added. “I know! How about interactions between different chemicals with one specific chemical?”

“Which chemicals?” Hiiro asked her.

“ I don’t know what will explode with each other. Why don’t you pick the chemicals?”

“Fine. I’ll have them in two days.” He said.

“Two days? You can get chemicals that fast? Don’t you need a license of some sort?” She asked confused. How could he get them in only two days?

“I’ll take care of it. When do we meet to do the experiments?” He asked her.

“Any day after school is fine with me, as long as it’s after practice.” She said.

“I’ll be at your house in two days then. We’ll…”

“Huh? My… my house?” She asked nervously. No one had ever been to her house, not even the girls.

“Why not?” He asked.

“Uh… no reason. My mother just won’t like the mess. How about if we do it at your place?” She managed a grin.

“My place is with the rest of the guys in an apartment. Sure you want to risk chemicals and Duo together in one place?” He asked her, very seriously. She smiled, the laughed.

“Yeah. I know it’s a  dangerous combination, but hey, now days, what isn’t? I’m going to start my other homework now that we’ve established the basics. You’re welcome  to stay - not that you’d be able to leave anyway.” She snickered.

“Why wouldn’t I be able to leave?” He asked her. She looked hard at him. His voice had held some small inflection of wonder, and dare she think, amusement.

“Because. Look at Ami and Trowa. Then at poor Quatre and Mina, and at Lita and Duo. Then look at Wufei and Rei. Maybe by then you’ll know why.” She smirked.

Hiiro turned his head to find Trowa, his best bet for safe emotional advice, lip-locked with the shorter blue haired girl. He blanched, but held it. Then he saw Quatre with Mina in his lap reading a book. Though Quatre was blushing beat red, Mina was still flirting strongly with him, leaning in towards him, pecking his cheek, and occasionally whispering things in his ear that made him even redder.  Hiiro shuddered. Duo and Lita were next. What he saw wasn’t just kissing. Hell, it wasn’t even lip-locking. It was full blown face sucking. He briefly wondered how long those two could keep it up before they needed to breath. Apparently, it was longer than he could stand to watch them. Even Wufei and Rei were caught up in a  heated ‘interaction’.  Ok, so the two were still arguing with each other. It was still just as good as them kissing each other.

Serena watched as her best friends all kept kissing their guys. She didn’t care. She really didn’t. Really. What she had come to do was homework, so she was going to do it. She left Hiiro at the end of the bookshelf, still watching the others, and went back to their table. Opening her book bag, she took out her history book and began on the chapter eleven notes that were due the next day.

She was cold. Only half way through her notes, Serena began to shiver. She should have known standing in the rain and then sitting in wet clothes was not smart, but she hadn’t figured the consequences of her actions into her thoughts earlier. Suddenly she felt a large, warm, soft jacket being draped around her shoulders. Looking behind he, she saw Hiiro.

“Thank… thank you. How did you know I was cold?” She asked him.

“I saw you shiver. Next time you shouldn’t stand in the rain like that. You could get sick.” He frowned. He was being so nice. After seeing his friends all draped in the arms of a woman, he had felt strange. Almost jealous. Why couldn’t he find someone – just once, why couldn’t it be him?

 Sitting down, he noticed something he had neglected to spot earlier. The left  side of Serena’s pretty face was slightly darker than the right, and almost seemed swollen. Upon closer inspection, he could see bruises along her cheek bone all the way to her eye. Where had she gotten those? They seemed recent, but she hadn’t mentioned any fall… had someone done it to her? She hadn’t said she had a boyfriend, so who else could do it? Rei? No, she would never. Then where had the bruises come from?*