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 :)

