College Life

Part 15: Winter Fest!

by Greenbeans <gbeans@tyrlen.org>

Disclaimers:

Comments, thoughts, complaints, compliments, ramblings,

and flames are all accepted. But the latter two stand
a serious chance of being printed out and turned into
rat cage lining.

All characters are property of their respective holders.

I belong to myself, thank you, and have a nice day :)

"Drop the disclaimers and shoot 'em again." --Blueseed

********** Monday **********

Michiru hung up the receiver to the phone before turning

to the other occupant of the dining area.

"Is everything set?" Haruka inquired, setting aside the

sports section of the newspaper.

"Yes. You will be picking Mako-chan up from the airport

Friday evening." Michiru got up from the table to refill
her teacup from the kettle on the stove. She offered to
refill Haruka's. The blonde refused with a shake of her
head.

"So she's decided to take us up on our offer, ne?"

Michiru reseated herself at the table before answering.

"All she said is that she 'needed a vacation'." She
shrugged slightly.

"Hum..." Haruka pondered, "has her English improved? I

know that she had gotten better, but will she be alright
without us around?" Her brows knitted together slightly
in the center of her forehead with concern.

Michiru chuckled. "I wouldn't worry about it, love. If

Mako-chan wants to visit the US for a bit, the least we
can do is play host."

********** Wednesday **********

It was a cold February morning. The broad corridors of

the engineering building were surprisingly empty except
for one person. She walked towards the end of the hall
to the door that separated the warm building from the
unfavorable weather.

Haruka glanced outside the door's windowpane. She

shivered slightly at the white field of snow that
covered the area. She wrapped her scarf around her neck
before pushing the door open. A cold gust of wind
greeted her. She paused by the door to read the campus
announcements from the bulletin board.

"Winter Fest?" She read aloud. "Contest, prizes, and

much more..."

A 'thwack' sounded besides her as a snowball shattered

against the building. She looked around for the source
of the projectile. Her adrenaline pumping from the
possibility of a threat.

"Sorry, Haruka!" John ran up to her. "I was certain

Beans would be with you and threw before I looked," he
explained with a sheepish expression on his face.

"Why are you trying to get Beans?" she asked before

motioning for him to join her inside the building, away
from the harsh cold.

"The little sneak got me in the back with a snowball

yesterday. She used to be a pitcher and still has quite
an arm on her," he leaned against the wall.

"I didn't know she played baseball," Haruka commented

thoughtfully.

He grinned broadly. "Spring term intramural mixed team

baseball. It's a blast!

"Beans was our pitcher last year for 3 games before she
was moved to the outfield. She has a strong arm, but
not that great of control. After brushing several
people back from the plate by accident she got the name
'Beans'," he winked.

Haruka crossed her arms and looked at John. "You're

telling me she got her name because she was a wild
pitcher that beaned people?"

"Yep!" He nodded. "Well, I've got to head off. Have a

great day!" He headed back outside.

Haruka shook her head before heading back out herself.

***** (That afternoon)

Haruka found Beans curled up in the study lounge they

frequented reading one of her texts. It was a quiet
afternoon for them as they studied. No nipping, no
arguing on how to do a problem, it was as though they
were both in a semi-lethargic state.

"What you two need," Andy said as he stood over them,

"is a change of pace."

"When did you get here?" Beans looked up at him. She

hadn't even noticed the door to the lounge opening.
He picked up a stack of books that was set on the couch
between them. Without shuffling the loose papers around
he set it on the floor then sat down between the two
women.

"You see," he explained as a set of glossed over eyes

watched him from either side, "you two are a classic
case of the mid-term melancholy that strikes so many
bright young college students. They get caught in a
seemingly endless rut of homework, classes, and study.
It's just not healthy, ladies."

"Your point?" Haruka asked, slightly annoyed at the

interruption.

"My point is that we are going to do something fun this

weekend. We're going to participate in Winter Fest!"

His declaration was met with less enthusiasm then he had

hoped. He poked Beans in the side. "Come on, it'll be
fun," he encouraged.

Beans livened up enough to poke him back in the belly.

"You call spending a Saturday night playing Twister with
a bunch of freshman fun?"

"Twister with Michiru might be fun..." Haruka reflected

from her end of the couch. Andy and Beans *looked* at
her.

"There are other things to do besides play Twister," he

added quickly. "They are holding a karaoke night,"
Haruka sighed, "also a dance," it was Beans' turn to
sigh.

He stopped. "Come on, you two! Trust me, you *need*

this. Do you really want to become a statistic? You
will if you keep on acting like one!" He shook Beans.

"Okay, we'll go, anything, just stop shaking me," she

chuckled a little. Haruka groaned, but was silenced
when Beans tossed a text into her lap.

"You're bringing Michiru, right?"

"Who says we're going? It's a dorm event," she tossed

the book back at her.

"If I'm going, so are you."

"Great!" Andy got up and headed for the door. "We're

gonna have fun, I *know* it!" He called over his
shoulder before exiting.

Haruka glanced over at Beans. "What did you just set us

up for?"

********** Thursday **********

Enthusiasm on the campus was mixed at best. Certain
groups were overjoyed at the break of the usual while
others saw the upcoming festival as another distraction
from their studies. Even the techies were split.

Andy continued to rally the others until he got most

everyone agreed to participate in at least one of the
scheduled events. He had slipped his name, along with
Haruka's and Beans', onto the list of most every event
being held.

"I'm so excited," Dan, a freshman this term and new face

to the group, said at dinner. "I love snow, this is
going to be great!"

"You're from southern California, aren't you?" John

asked from his end of the table.

"Well, yeah, but it's great! It never snowed back home

and this is a new experience for me, you know?" He had
a broad grin on his face. His eyes danced with an
almost childlike enthusiasm.

"Take it home with you," Beans invited dryly. There

were chuckles around the table. Most were well versed
in her dislike of the white substance.

"Gladly!"

There was more laughter. It was another good night at

the geek's table.

********** Friday **********

Michiru embraced the tall brunette before stepping back.

"It's so good to see you, Mako-chan."

Makoto bushed her bangs back, smiling. Haruka followed

her into the house with a suitcase in one hand and
travel bag over her shoulder. She moved forward to
relieve Haruka of her load, but the woman continued down
the hallway to the guestroom.

"Would you like some tea?" Michiru offered once Makoto

was persuaded to let Haruka handle things.

Makoto nodded. "Yes, that would be nice. Thank you."

She followed Michiru into the kitchen to help her
prepare a service to take out to the living room.

"Mako-chan, you're here on vacation. Relax! We can

handle things," Haruka teased from the entranceway.

"I suppose so," she said softly. With one more long
glance and a shooing motion of Michiru, she joined
Haruka in the living room. She sat down on a plush
chair at one end of the room. Her eyes scanned her
surroundings. It was much like the other homes this
couple had occupied in Japan, simple elegance.

Makoto started when there was suddenly a teacup in front

of her. Michiru smiled encouragingly at her while
Michiru's partner frowned slightly. Makoto sighed
softly before accepting the offered cup. "I'm sorry,
I've been rather stressed lately. I needed to get away
from the pressures of life back home for a while."

"Is there anything we can help you with?" Haruka asked.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

The younger woman shook her head. "There is nothing I

need except some quiet time to unwind," she smiled
sheepishly at them.

Haruka nodded. "Michiru and I will be at the winter

festival being held at the college I attend tomorrow."

"We won't wake you in the morning if you would prefer,"

Michiru offered, picking up where Haruka left off.

"A winter festival? That sounds like fun, if you

wouldn't mind my tagging along?" She colored slightly.
"I didn't come here to do nothing, just to unwind and
have fun."

********** Saturday **********

Haruka hurried into Student Union building. It was

early Saturday morning While activities for Winter Fest
had officially began last night, she wasn't registered
for any of them until today. Well, she had been
registered for the karaoke, but had squirmed her way out
of it saying that she had business to attend to.

She hadn't told anyone at school about Mako-chan's

arrival. She wondered if Mako-chan wanted to
participate in the events, or if it would be even
possible to sign her up if she wanted to.

With her usual skill, she dodged a group of people that

had stopped moving in the walkway. People were
gathering in the Student Union. This was where all the
events were being organized. It was rare to see this
many people milling about the building at this early
hour.

Most were dressed in outdoor clothing because a good

number of the activities were being held out in the
snow. Haruka wasn't certain if she was fond of that
idea or not. But she did know that she was going to
keep a close eye on Beans for any stray snowballs that
might come her way.

Haruka spotted Andy in the growing crowd. She walked

over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder when she
drew near.
"G'mornin', where's Michiru?" he asked, noting her
partner's absence.

"She'll be joining us later on. She had some other

things to attend to," she glanced the crowd.

"Where's Beans?"

He shrugged. "Probably still in bed. She hates water

in any form with a passion. And there is no love lost
when it comes to snow."

Haruka back-tracked a statement, "Why does she hate

water?" If it were true, she should warn Michiru in
case it ever came up.

"I'm not sure. I never asked her. She has refused

every time I've tried to talk her into going swimming at
the athletic center. Personally, I think she doesn't
know how," he frowned slightly.

"I don't know how to do what?" Beans trotted up to

them.

"Be on time," Haruka answered gruffly, tweaking her

braid.

"Hey!" She protested good-naturedly. "Just because you

don't have one," she let her voice trail off; a grin on
her face.

Haruka brushed her hair back. "To each her own," she
smiled sweetly.

The event organizers called everyone to order then.

People were instructed to divide into teams of four.
Haruka, Andy, Beans, and the overly enthusiastic
Dan teamed up.

"The first game today will be to find 5 of these," the

speaker held up an orange flag. "They are all outside
hidden somewhere on campus grounds."

"They could be hidden anywhere," another picked up the

explanation, "trees, buried in snow, bushes, etc. There
are 40 flags total. Once your team has found 5 flags
come back to the Student Union to be recorded."

With that, the teams were sent off.

"Let's split into pairs and search," Andy suggested.

Many of the other teams had already decided on that
strategy and were heading off in various directions.

Haruka nodded agreement.

"Dan and I will head north and search around the

athletics building," Beans said after surveying the
direction the other groups were going.
"We'll head north east towards the engineering
building," Haruka followed Beans thinking. "Stay
within in shouting distance. Whistle if you find a
flag so that we can keep count."

Agreed on their plan, they headed off.

"They are bright orange flags, how hard could they be to

find?" Dan mused as they began searching around the
building itself. Beans shrugged. Orange on white
shouldn't be hard. But then again, the organizers
probably had some tricks up their sleeves.

*****

Andy searched in the bushes that was the landscaping for

the engineering building as Haruka glanced up in the
trees.

"You think they would climb the trees and put one up
there?" Andy called over when he saw what she was doing.

Haruka pulled up her scarf around her face before

saying, "It's what I would do." She then did a twisting
kick into the trunk of the tree. Snow showered down on
her with an orange flag floating down to land on the
soft snow. She brushed out of her hair before picking
the flag up.

"One down, four to go."

*****

The other teams were having varying amounts of luck when

it came to finding the elusive flags. Some had seen
what Haruka was doing and tried to replicate it. None
of them had her touch with impacting the tree hard
enough and in the right spot to get everything down.

By the time Haruka had found a second flag using this

method Beans and Dan had found a flag each.

Finding the last flag had turned out to be the hardest.

Andy had recovered it from a low hanging eave. They
rushed back to the Student Union to find out they were
the third team in.

"There are still more events to gain points in today,"

Andy encouraged.

"What?" Haruka asked, puzzled by the statement.

The group was lounging around the fire that had been
built in the large fireplace that was a centerpiece to
the Union. Those adventurers who had chilled during
their scavenging earlier readily absorbed its warmth.

"The events held today earn points towards being the

Grand Champions of Winter Fest. They will announce at
the dance tonight which team has earned the most points
and are the winners," Andy explained.

"I didn't realize this was part of a larger

competition," Haruka commented.

"Yeah! Plus Andy picked the coolest name for our team,"
Dan chimed in. "We are the 'Beanie Babies'!" He
grinned.

Beans turned a bright red while Haruka coughed into her

fist. Obviously this was the first Beans had heard
about team names as well.

"You named us the 'Beanie Babies'?" she glared at Andy.

He blushed slightly. "It was all I could think of," he

said sheepishly.

"I think it's a cute name," a voice commented from

behind them. All turned around to see Michiru chuckling
softly. Standing besides her was a tall woman with her
hair bound up in a ponytail.

"Who's your friend, Michiru?" Beans pushed herself up

off the floor to greet the woman.

"My name is Kino Makoto... I mean Makoto Kino," she

blushed slightly. Her English was accented and a bit
slow in coming. "Call me 'Mako-chan'." She held out
her hand to shake.

Beans took the offered hand and tried to reassure her

with her smile. She then introduced the group to the
newcomer.

"Mako-chan is a friend of ours from Japan," Michiru came

the rest of the way into the alcove to seat herself down
onto the floor next to Haruka. Makoto also sat on the
floor near her countrymen. Beans returned to her
original position.

"I'm glad you made it Michiru. You're signed up for our

team as well," Andy said.

"Oh?" She brushed her hair back over she shoulder before
pulling out a ribbon from her purse and tying it back.

"Yeah, the organizers realized that not everyone may be

available for all events, so you can have up to 6 people
on your roster, even though the number in the events may
vary.

"You may sign up with us because Winter Fest is

traditionally a joint event between the schools. It
hasn't been for the last couple of years because of a
scheduling shift at the arts school that made it a bad
week for them. There are two teams here that are made
up completely of students from your school."

"That should make things interesting," Haruka said

dryly.

While most of the dust had settled, there was still

come underlying resentment from earlier this year.
Michiru was having a hard time making friends at her
own school, thus spending more time over here where
she was already accepted.

Over the Student Union's PA, people were called to

gather for the next event. Everyone looked to Andy for
who was signed up for this event.

"Haruka, Michiru, Beans, and myself are signed up.

Sorry Dan, you're going to be sitting this one out."

Dan nodded his agreement before settling into a more

comfortable position.

"I think I'd like to stay here and talk with Dan,"
Makoto answered the unspoken question of what to do
with her. He shifted his sitting position to be more
comfortable for talking with her.

"We'll be fine. You all go off and win this event for
the pride of the 'Beanie Babies'!" He encouraged.

"What is this event?" Michiru asked, turning to Andy.

"Partners frisbee golf," he grinned wickedly.

*****

Dan and Makoto weren't alone for long before John

chanced upon them. Introductions were made and he
decided to sit and talk for a bit.

"So, what do you like to do for fun?" John asked

politely, looking for something to start a conversation
with.

"Cooking is my hobby," she answered.

"Cooking? Really? I haven't had a home-cooked meal

since I came to college," John commented wistfully.

"The dorms has a kitchen in it," Dan pointed out. "Why

don't you go make yourself something?"

"All I can manage without ruining it is macaroni and

cheese, and ramen," he sighed. "It's not like I haven't
tried. You can ask April about some of my past
attempts."

"I could make you something," Makoto offered.

"No, that wouldn't be right. You're a guest here, you

shouldn't have to cook," John quickly put down her
offer.

"It's alright! Like I said, cooking is my hobby. It

would be fun to make something for you."

John nodded slowly. "Alright, let's go to the dorms and

see what you would need. Want to join us, Dan?"

"I can't. Have to participate in Winter Fest, but save

some for me, 'kay?"

"You've got it," Makoto grinned. "Let's see this

kitchen of yours."

*****

This event, if any, was his event. Andy twirled his

frisbee on his fingertip idly as he waited for the rules
and course to be laid out.

The school didn't have a frisbee golf course per say.

So targets were being designated and hazards set out.
People would work in teams. Each person would keep
their own score and when they were finished, the average
would be taken for the pair. Whichever pair from the
team that had the lower number of throws would be
submitted for scoring.

They had decided that Beans and Haruka would make up one
pair while he and Michiru would be another.

"Hum, I haven't tossed a frisbee in years," Beans

commented as she looked at the plastic disk in her hand.

"It's not that hard. If odango atama can do it, so can

you," Haruka lead the group to the first 'hole'.

"'Dumpling head?'" Beans asked. "What is it with you

and food?"

"That is a nickname for one of our friends back home,"

Michiru explained. "She wasn't known for her
coordination."

"In other words, she was a klutz," he supplied.

Haruka nodded. Then the expression on her face changed.

"Isn't that Mako-chan and John heading into the dorm
building?" She strained her eyes to see that far.

"It looks like it," Beans confirmed. "Want to go get

her?"

Michiru shook her head. "She can take care of herself,

and John is a nice enough man."

Andy nodded his agreement before turning back to the

task at hand. "Well then, here goes nothing," with that
he cast the disk away from him towards its intended
target. His throw had been strong and true. The
frisbee floated to the ground not more than 10 yards
away from the target.

"This is going to be fun," he bowed slightly to Michiru

for her to throw.

*****

April poked her head into the dorms' kitchen to see what
all the ruckus was. It usually wasn't in use during
day, mostly at night when a brave student decided to
cook his own meal. Her room wasn't but a few doors down
it, so the noise caught her attention.

"Mako-chan is seeing what she needs to cook up

something," John explained when April gave him a puzzled
look.

"If I chip in for groceries, would you make enough for

me as well?" April asked while Makoto made a mental
tally of what she would need.

"Plenty for everyone," she invited.

"Great!" April went back to her room to get a notepad to

take down a list of things to get at the market.

*****

The four competitors returned to the Student Union once

the game was finished.

By the conclusion of the course it was apparent that it

would be Andy and Michiru's score submitted for the
points. Unfortunately, Beans hadn't exaggerated when
she stated that it had been years since she had thrown a
frisbee.

"She couldn't hit the broad side of a barn," Haruka

said, shaking her head.

"Just because my disk went a *little* off course," Beans

defended.

"A little? It ended up *behind* us!"

Beans colored, but quickly recovered. "Read the shirt:

'Byte me,'" she pointed at her shirt.

"Where?" Haruka snapped back.

"You know where I like it," Beans said in a silky voice.

She managed to do it without becoming red, unlike her
three companions.

Haruka's face became redder when she couldn't think of

anything to say in response. Michiru laced her arm
around Haruka's waist, mumbling to just let it go.
Andy continued to stare at Beans slack jawed.

"We shouldn't have let her keep that shirt, Michiru,"

Haruka muttered.

"You were the soft heart," Michiru reminded gently,

leading her to the cafeteria for lunch.

Andy blinked, finally pulling it together. He tapped

Haruka on the shoulder to get her attention. "I want to
know where to bite Beans."

Michiru chuckled at the expression on Haruka's face.

Much like a deer caught in a car's headlights, she was
dumbfounded. Anger quickly flushed her cheeks. Again
she was left without a suitable retort.

The group entered the cafeteria. "Fine," she threw up

her arm exasperated, "this is 'let's pick on Haruka'
day."

"Oh, goodie, open season on Haruka," Beans rubbed

her hands together before picking up a tray from the
stack. Dan trotted up to them. He'd been waiting
at a nearby table.

"Hush now, you've had your fun. Leave Haruka alone,"

Michiru scolded lightly before picking up her own tray.

"What's next on the agenda?" She turned to Andy, who

had scooted behind her in line.

"Not much anytime soon. There is a snowman building

competition, but it doesn't offer much by way of
points," he got his food. In the checkout line he paid
for both his and Beans' lunches.

Everyone sat at one of the larger tables. Members from

other teams joined them for the meal. There was a light
mood to the meal with quite a bit of joking going on in
regards to people's performance in the events thus far.

"There is a difference between throwing a frisbee and

throwing a baseball," Beans pointed out when she was
teased, again, about her lack of skill in the area.
"Don't worry about this years intramural team; I'm
always ready to pitch."

"You're less dangerous with a frisbee," a geek commented

dryly from his end of the table, the obvious voice of
experience.

"Haruka used to pitch on a baseball team when she was

younger," Michiru offered.

"Did you now?" John turned his attention to the tall

woman. "We're always looking for pitchers."
"Perhaps," Haruka allowed, not wanting to commit herself
to anything.

"Well, I don't know about you," Andy addressed Beans,

who was seated besides him, loud enough so that the
entire table could hear him, "but I want to go build a
snowman."

"Have fun," she waved at him, but didn't join him in

getting up.

"You won't help me build a snowman?" He pouted. Several

of the other people had already put their trays onto the
racks and were headed outside.

She sighed before pushing herself out of her seat. "I

hate snow."

*****

Haruka kept a close eye on Beans as the five of them

worked to build a solid base for the snowman.
Participants were to line up the snowmen in a row in
front of the Student Union building to be judged this
evening.

Being in the snow like this reminded Haruka of the time

she and Michiru had spent with their family during the
Winter Break. She smiled fondly at the memories of
helping Hotaru build her own snowman. It was something
she enjoyed immensely and missed terribly.

"Hum..." Beans said more to herself than Haruka, who was

working besides her.

"What?" The blonde asked.

Beans nodded off towards the dorm building. April was

walking up the steps carrying two grocery bags.
"Reminds me that I need to go pick up some soap before
I can do my laundry."

A thwack accompanied by the feeling of being hit by a

snowball on the back interrupted whatever Haruka was
about to say. Her eyes immediately sought out the
source.

"Beans?!" She growled.

"Wha-?" Her question was cut off when she too was hit
with a snowball.

Haruka glanced about again, trying to track down the

source. Michiru caught her attention and nodded over in
the direction of a pair of geeks a few snowmen over.
Haruka noted that one of them was the one that had been
giving Beans a hard time during lunch.

Haruka and Michiru knelt down, packing small balls of

snow together. As one they stood up, took aim, and
lobbed their projectiles at the two protagonists. Both
of them hit their mark.

"Is that so?" The geek called out to them. A grin

crossed his features at he ducked behind the large ball
of snow that was to be their snowman's base. He began
lobbing snowballs at them with a rate that suggested a
good size stockpile hidden nearby. His partner remained
standing as he threw at them.

"What's their names?" Haruka asked. She didn't recall

hearing it at lunch.

"The one hiding behind the snow ball is Jack. The one
throwing at us is Chris."

Beans dove behind the snowman base to get out of the

line of fire. Andy was beside her making snowballs as
quickly as possible.

"You have a good arm, use it," he encouraged her,

passing over a few of the freshly made balls.

Beans stood up and began to fire off the balls with an

aim that was true while Andy fed her more ammo. Haruka
and Michiru angled away from them, trying to get the
other group caught in a cross-fire. Dan saw what they
were planning and ran opposite them to catch Jack and
Chris in a three-way battle.

Any groups not involved in the immediate battle quickly

cleared the way as snowballs flew fast and furiously.
Some decided that the odds against the two whom started
it weren't fair and positioned themselves accordingly.

"We're running out of snow," Andy pointed out. Their

snowman base had already been sacrificed in the name of
the snowball, along with all the snow within a several
yards radius of them.

"We need to draw them into an area with more snow,"

Beans thought about it briefly. "The baseball field?"

He nodded. "Plenty of snow there, but how?"

"Like this," she took up a handful of snow before

rushing right at Jack and Chris. Despite the heavy
barrage of balls hitting her she made it to them. In a
deft move she pulled out Jack's jacket enough to stuff
her handful of snow down it and get away.

"Come and get me!" She taunted, waving at them.

"Beans!" Jack called out as he chased her across campus

to the baseball field. Chris followed him, with most
everyone else close behind.

"That worked," Andy said dryly before jogging to the

new location.

"So much for the snowman building contest," one of the

organizers commented to the other in the mushy aftermath
of their battle. Presently there were no completed
snowmen sitting in front of the Student Union.

"That was more fun," the other shrugged it off before

heading inside where it was warm. "Have you noticed how
many people seem to be going into the dorms with grocery
bags? The local market must have some good specials
going on today."

*****

"Augh," Beans flopped down into the snow on her back.

"I'm a tired bean." After a few moments of rest she
began to wave her arms and legs about to make a snow
angel.

The snowball fight had broken up not long ago. She had
a lot of fun getting to act like a kid again, but she
hadn't realized how tiring being a kid was. "Children
must be pure energy on the inside," she decided.
"Forget nuclear power, we'll harness the playing power
of small children."

Andy sat down besides her outside of her snow angel

range. "You can't be tired yet, there is more to do."

"I agree with Beans," Haruka said from behind Andy.

"Where are you getting all this energy from?"

He shrugged. "I'm a child at heart," he winked at

Beans.

He stood up. Offering a hand to Beans, he levered her

up as well. "Come on oldie, we can rest in the dorms if
you're tired."

"A catnap wouldn't hurt," she stretched out before

heading back.

Michiru noted with a slight smile how Andy caught Beans'

hand in his own as they walked back together. They were
a cute couple in her opinion. Glancing over to her
partner, she saw the gentle smile that indicated that
Haruka had noticed them holding hands as well.

"I wonder where John took Mako-chan?" Dan followed them

up the stairs.

"We can swing by his room," Beans lead them up a flight

of stairs before leading them to the correct wing. A
hastily written note was taped to his door saying that
he was at April's. Following that lead, they proceeded
to April's room.

Dan sniffed the air. "I smell something good!" He

hurried past the group to trace the source of the smell.

"Stomach first," Andy shook his head.

The group turned the corner that lead into a commons

area to find it packed full of people.

"What the..?" Beans looked about. Everyone had a plate

on their lap. Bowls half filled and empty of food were
scattered around the room. No two bowls were the same,
indicating the wide variety of sources of plate ware.

"There is a full stomach for every full chair," Michiru

observed.

Makoto entered the room with a bowl. John was on her

heels with another bowl. He set his down where she
indicated.

"Michiru-san, Haruka-san, would you like some?" She

brushed her hands off on the apron she was wearing.
"I'm sure we could find you a plate somewhere."

"I've got some. Be right back!" Dan darted out of the

commons to get some plates and utensils.

"Mako-chan, you were supposed to be resting," Haruka

scolded gently. People moved out of her path as she
made her way to the younger woman.

"And have fun," Makoto amended. "I haven't cooked this

much, or had it as well received in quite a while."

"Thank you very much, Mako-chan," John nodded his thanks

to her. His sentiment was echoed throughout the room.

A thumping was heard down the hall as Dan pounded his

way back to the commons. He carried a stack of plastic
plates and forks. He set them out on a table. Taking
up a plate he pulled some spaghetti out of its bowl and
skillfully got it onto his plate.

"What are you waiting for?" He asked those watching him.

"This looks and smells great!"

*****

Haruka and Michiru had left before the dance. They had
other plans for this evening. Makoto had been concerned
about leaving a mess behind her, but with all the people
who had eaten her cooking there were enough to do the
dishes and cleanup.

Dan had joined John and April in a Quake match. Of the

three of them it was April whom Beans would have laid
money on as winning. She was a quiet person on the
outside, but very aggressive if you found yourself
competing against her.
Beans was leaned up against Andy on her bed in her room.
The couple had the room to themselves. Only the hum of
the fish tank marred the silence of the room. It had
been a full day for them.

Beans took note of the time from her alarm clock.

Turning her head to look over at Andy she asked, "Don't
you want to go to the dance and see if the 'Beanie
Babies' won?"

He hugged her briefly. "Not really. I know you don't

like dances, and it's not that important. Having fun
was what's important. I don't know about you, but I
definitely needed to unwind some. Too much stress at
mid-term time."

"I did too," she grinned. "Thank you for dragging me

into it."

"Anytime," he bent his head down to hers. The evening

would be as enjoyable as the day had been.

********** End part 15 **********

Wow, this one was long in coming. Sorry about that.

Those who have monitored my struggling with this part
know that this final draft is actually version 4 of part
15 o_O

The person that finally gave me the break for this part
is Nightbreak. He's writing a story that explains why
Mako-chan would be visiting the US. (It's not finished
yet, but I'll post it on my page once it is :)