College Life
Part 23: A Final Gesture


by Greenbeans <gbeans@tyrlen.org>


Disclaimers:

If you have made it this far into my series without reading
"Obligations," you're good.  Now go do it because I'm not
going to explain in a lot of detail how Haruka manages what
she does in this one.  If you've read "Obligations" than
the ideas presented in this will be familiar.

BTW: I *DO* (!) have Tim's permission to do this.  Don't
just go off copying his ideas or others 'cause that's rude.

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 :)


*****

Michiru moved about the house she shared with Haruka
getting things ready to be shipped to Japan.  Most of the
furniture and appliances would be left for the next residents
of the house.

It saddened her that they would be leaving in two weeks, but
they had indulged their own wants for long enough.  It was
time to go back.

She had learned much here.  Not really from her course work,
but from her interactions with other people.  She knew that
Haruka felt the same way.

A hand was placed on her shoulder with another along her
waist.  She smiled slightly at that.  It had taken Haruka
a while to get used to the touch of another person.  Now
she would initiate contact.  She turned into Haruka's
embrace so that she was facing the tall woman.

"You seem so sad," Haruka said gently.

"It's a sadness we share," Michiru leaned her head onto her
shoulder.

"That it is, but you know that we can't afford to become
too attached to anything.  The 30th century is a long time
from now.  Many things will come and go between now and
then," she reasoned while holding her closer.

"I know," she whispered.  "The future is a long time from
now.  Why not live for today and let tomorrow come when it
gets here?"

Haruka laughed softly.  Michiru lifted her head up, startled,
to look her.  Haruka smiled down at her and gently pressed
her head back down.

"In a hundred years from now we will probably laugh at
ourselves for even having this conversation.  But for
today, I'm sad to see the dream fading away."

*****

I was having lunch with Haruka and Michiru today.  That
wasn't as an unusual occurrence as it used to be.  Soon, it
will be a memory.  While I do look forward to the summer,
I know that I am going to miss them once they're gone.

"What are your plans for the summer, Beans?"  Michiru
asked while eating daintily.

"Well, I tried to get an internship with one of the major
software companies, but didn't.  So I'll probably go home
to work in the electronics department at a store in the
mall or something.  With Andy going to Florida for the
summer, I'll have a lot of time to kill."

"Aren't there any more internship opportunities available?
I'm sure there is a company out there that would like to
have you," she encouraged.

"Some companies are still doing interviews, but I don't
qualify for any of them," I answered.  Most everyone left
wanted someone that had completed at least up to the junior
level courses.  I would be starting them next fall.

"That's a shame," Haruka sympathized between bites of her
salad.

"It doesn't matter," I lied.  It had crushed me when I'd
been flat out refused by every company I'd applied to.  I
would just have to wait until next summer before I'd get
an internship.

*****

On their way home from the college Michiru spoke to Haruka.

"I know what you are thinking, Haruka.  Just because you
were able to fix it so that no one noticed Minako-chan was
missing while we raised her again is no reason to think you
can arrange an internship for Beans."

"I want to do it, Michiru.  I know we can't allow ourselves
to become attached, but we *do* have to make friends, don't
we?"  She smiled at Michiru.  "We should repay her somehow
and this would be a good way."

"Are you sure that you don't want to do it just to bring
her to Japan?"

She started.  "How did you know that?"

Michiru smiled.  "Silly, I know *you*.  You would get her
an internship in Japan so that everyone could meet her and
we'd get to see her once in a while."

"It's a lot cheaper to bring her to Japan than to bring
everyone here.  They all want to meet her, after all," she
tried to defend her logic.

Michiru smiled to herself.  This was one of the reasons why
she loved Haruka so much.  Under her protective layer that
she showed to the world at large, she was really a thoughtful
person.  Haruka was letting her feelings show by trying to
bring their friend with them.  Even though she was hiding it.

"Let's see what we can do," Michiru said.

***** (a few days later) *****

"You'll never believe it Haruka, another company has come to
the school looking for interns.  Except, get this, they only
want one that can speak Japanese.  Do you realize how far that
narrows the field?"

Haruka kept a straight face.  She knew exactly how far that
narrowed the field, down to four people, and two already had
internships.

"I'm happy for you, Beans.  Are you going to apply?"

"With odds like that?  Of course!  The only thing is that the
internship is in Japan.  I'm not so sure about that," she
said thoughtfully.

"What?  We spend a school year in *your* country, but you
won't spend a summer in ours?  I'm hurt!"  She tried to look
injured.

"Haruka, you don't do 'innocent' very well," Beans said
dryly.  "Leave it to Michiru.  But if I did go, I might get
to see you guys.  That'd be cool.  I'm not sure where the
company is exactly, but it's a small island."

"Several islands, thank you," she growled to cover up her
surprise at Beans' jump in logic.  If she wasn't careful,
she'd blow everything.

The company they had selected was located not far from the
Juban district.  The idea of getting to see each other often
was quite realistic.

"Er, sorry.  Well, I've got to go to Writing.  See you
tomorrow!"  She waved at her then jogged off to class.

*****

"So, scuttlebutt has it you and Michiru are going to be
returning to Japan once this semester is over," Nicholas
casually remarked during his latest basketball session with
Haruka.  Currently he had the ball and was just dribbling
it around as he tried to fake his way past Haruka, who was
guarding the net.

"Scuttle-what?"

Nicholas shrugged and slowed his dribbling.  "Are the rumors
true?  Are you and Michiru leaving us?"

For the sake of the conversation, Haruka decided to toy with
him a little longer than usual.  She made a feeble attempt to
steal the ball from Nicholas, and he sidestepped it easily.

"We'll be going home, yes," she said.  "Michiru and I belong
in Tokyo.  We've had fun here and learned a lot, but we're
both also ready to return home."

Nicholas groaned and bounced the ball between his legs,
catching it from behind with his other hand.  "That's just
unfair, Haruka!  I was going to practice all summer long and
beat you in the first one-on-one game of the Fall Semester!
What do you say to that?"

Haruka stole the ball from him, dribbled it to the three-
point line and then made her shot.  The ball went in without
so much as touching the rim or the backboard.  "I'm just
saving you from another year of embarrassing losses," she
said, grinning at him.  "Or would you like to wear another
dress?"

Nicholas rolled his eyes as he jogged over to retrieve the
ball.  On days such as this, it was just as well that they
were just shooting and not keeping track of the score.  If
that had been the case, it would have been Haruka winning
by about 40 points.

"Hey, just don't be surprised if one of these days I come back
to haunt you in Tokyo," he said, passing the ball to Haruka.
She allowed him the chance to jog up to a guarding position
between her and the basket.

"What are you going to do? Sweat all over my clothes?"

"Ouch, that's harsh, Haruka!"  Nicholas tried, and failed,
to swat the ball from out of her hand.  "That's so harsh!"

Haruka pivoted and then sank another basket.  "Not as harsh
as that."

***** (two days later) *****

Michiru was preparing dinner for Haruka and herself in the
kitchen when the phone rang.  She stopped slicing some
carrots to pick it up.

"Really?  I'm glad that it worked out so well.  Please keep
us informed," she hung up.

Haruka came into the kitchen then from the garage.  "Who was
that?"  She asked after stealing a carrot slice.

"The company's representative," she answered, going back to
her cooking.  "He interviewed Beans today."

"And?"  Haruka prompted, leaning up against the counter,
blocking her way.

Michiru stopped to smiled at her.  "And he called to thank
us for recommending such a shining prospect.  Usually they
don't interview at this school, but he was very impressed.
He's certain that if she continued to do well in school, she
could have a job with them when she graduated and would
probably be heading a development team in a few years."

Haruka shared in her joy.  They already knew that Beans was
talented, they just need to help some people realize it.

"Don't go throwing her on a plane yet, Haruka," she warned.
"He just offered her an internship, she still hasn't accepted
it yet.  It's a big step to go to live in another country.
Beans doesn't have the advantage of having someone to share
the experience with like we do."

"But," her protest died on her lips, "you're right.  There's
nothing more we can do.  I hate not having control of a
situation!"

She kissed Haruka lightly on the cheek.  She always saw the
logic in things if you could get her to downshift for a
minute.  "Since you're in the way, I place you in charge of
finishing the vegetables."

"Hey, I have to finish--"

Michiru placed a finger on Haruka's lips to silence her
protest.  "See what interfering gets you?"

Haruka grinned wickedly.  "Vegetable stir fry?"

"Baka," Michiru hit her lightly with a disk towel.  Haruka
continued to grin as she turned to the sink to wash her
hands before starting.

*****

I sat at one of the tables in the cafeteria eating.  Okay,
so none of the food was making it to my mouth.  I wasn't
really hungry.  I was thinking.

I had been scared out of my wits at the interview.  I almost
had a heart attack when the representative from the NPC 
Corporation only spoke in Japanese.  I had always been
confident in my lingual skills, but this was probably the
toughest test I'd ever faced.

I'd worried about my performance all day after that.  Later
that night, the representative called.  I expected the
"Thanks for applying, try again next year" message that I'd
become so familiar with.  Instead, he offered me the
internship.  I just about passed out right there.

The terms of the internship were just as unbelievable.  They'd
pay for my flight to and from Japan.  They would provide room
near where I'd be working and a stipend for board.  On top of
that, they would pay me a modest regular salary.  While most 
companies were kind to their interns, this was outright 
generosity, plus.

"Hi Beans," Haruka sat down at the table.  She looked at my
plate and then her own.  We'd gotten the same thing for lunch.

"The casserole didn't look that bad," she commented, seeing
that I hadn't eaten mine even though it was one of my favorite
dishes.

"It's fine.  I'm just not hungry," I assured.

"Oh," she began to eat.  "How did the interview go?"

"Great.  I was offered the internship," I said simply.

"You don't sound enthused.  I thought this was what you wanted."

"It is what I wanted.  But some things concern me," I told her
about the terms they offered and how the excessive generosity
made me uneasy.  I also told her about having to leave my
family.

"As for their generosity.  I'll have you know that most people
in Japan are that way, but NPC Corporation is more so.  They
are known throughout the country for being very loyal to their
employees."

"Do you know where they are located?"  I asked.

"Yes, they are close to the Juban district.  We live in the
area,"  She grinned.  "We can come by and pester you often."

"Which I'm sure you would do no matter where in the country
I ended up," I sniped back easily.  "But what about my
family?"

"How long have you been at college?  Two years?  I'm sure
they are used to not having you around.  You can't live under
your parents forever, Beans."

"Do you ever miss your family?"

She leaned back and sighed.  "I have often wanted a hug from
my daughter," she said softly.

"Daughter?"  I was shocked.  I wouldn't think Haruka would
ever allow herself to be touched by anyone but Michiru.

"Michiru, Setsuna, and I have an adopted daughter, Hotaru.
She's not Michiru's cousin as we told you," she smiled
sheepishly at that, but I'd gotten used to their 'evasions'
long before now.  "She's probably grown a lot since we left."

We sat thinking for several minutes.  Neither of us eating our
food.  Just thinking.

"You're not going to tell me to go, Haruka?"

Her face softened from its usual gruff appearance.  "No, Beans,
I'm not.  This is a decision that you have to make on your own."

***** (a couple of days later) *****

I though about it for a couple of more days.  Everyone else I
asked about it--Alex, Dan, Andy, Nicholas--told me that while
it was my decision, they figured I'd be an idiot to turn it
down.  But I still wasn't sure myself.  Finally, I decided that
I was over analyzing the issue.  I was going to do it.
Opportunities like this didn't come along all that often and I
needed to seize this one.

I called the representative and told him of my decision.  I would
be leaving as soon as school got out.

I then called Haruka to let her know.

*****

"Just be sure to apply for an international drivers license."

Haruka hung up the phone and laid back into Michiru's lap.  They
were spending the evening outside on the grass.  The sky was
clear tonight and the moon full.  It bathed the entire yard in
a soft white glow.

"That was Beans.  She's going," she said once she was comfortable
again.

"Really?  I'm glad to hear that," Michiru stroked her fingers
through Haruka's soft hair.

"We're so self-indulgent," Haruka closed her eyes at her statement.
It wasn't right for her to manipulate things just so she got
what she wanted, but she had.

"We are," Michiru agreed.  "But I think that in this case it is
a good thing because we want to share what we have with others."

Haruka caught her hand and kissed it.  "Perhaps, but I have
missed Hime-chan, Setsuna, and everyone.  I want to go back."

"Soon, love, soon," Michiru looked up to the stars.  In a few
days she would be viewing the stars from their home in Tokyo.
No matter where they were, they would always have the stars and
each other.  The thought comforted her.

***** (three days before leaving) *****

Andy was helping me with some of my packing in my dorm room, or
at least he kept asking me if I really did in fact need to take
so much with me.  I argued that three months was a long time, so
I had to be ready.

Andy was going to be leaving a day before me, so while I could
see him off, the next he could offer was an e-mail and a hand-
written letter he'd try to sneak somewhere into my luggage before
he had to go.

"And here I thought I was the envy of everyone for getting that
internship in Miami," he sighed.

He set about taping up one of the boxes that was going to come to
Tokyo with me, and then carefully wrote the return address on the
top left corner.  Since I could write the kanji and hiragana
characters needed for the 'send to' address, I'd be tackling that
later.

"You really are lucky, Beans," he told me.  "Most people would
kill for the chance to have a virtually all-expenses-paid trip
to a foreign country for a few months."

"Yeah," I agreed, "But I'm still going to miss everyone here: Alex,
and my family, and you."

I looked right at Andy when I mentioned him.  At least we had known
for a month or so beforehand that we'd be doing the long-distance
relationship over the summer.  I wasn't about to spend three months 
in Miami without knowing where I'd stay, or if I'd be able to get a
job.  Though now that we were going to have an ocean standing
between us, the fact that we were going to be separated for a bit
was all the harder to avoid.

Andy grinned and tousled my hair a bit.  "Hey, that's what webcams
are for.  I'll be sure to send you two or three pictures of me a
day."

"Sort of like Child's Toy, with the 'Today's Sana-chan' photo
session," I said, my expression brightening.

Andy of course, not being an otaku, had no idea what I was talking 
about.  "Um... yeah. I think."

It was sort of sudden; we were just standing there laughing, and
then we were hugging each other.  I was sniffling and he was just
holding me tightly.  "You just don't forget to write to me and let
me know how you're holding up," he said quietly.

I nodded, feeling secure in his embrace.  "I will."

*****

Nicholas was waiting for Haruka in the gymnasium, idly bouncing
his basketball on the free-throw line.  He had yet to make any
sort of shot.  In fact he looked really distracted, as if he
couldn't quite line up his aim.

"Are you just going to stand there looking pretty, or are you
going to make a shot?" Haruka poked at him.

Nicholas grinned and shot.  The ball bounced off the backboard
then fell through the hoop.  With great panache, Nicholas spun
around and gave Haruka an elaborate bow.  "Thank you, ladies
and gentlemen, I'll be here all night."

They both grinned.

"So this is it, I guess," Nicholas said as he retrieved the ball.

"I guess."

"Last one-on-one battle between you and me."

One of Haruka's eyebrows went up.  "I'd hardly call what you've
given me a battle."

"Work with me here, Haruka!" Nicholas groaned, passing her the
ball, "Work with me!"

Haruka caught the ball and began bouncing it from one hand to
the other.  Nicholas, however, headed to the front row of the
bleachers and was rummaging around for something next to his
duffle bag.  "I wanted to give you this," he said, "as a
parting token."

It was a basketball, not surprisingly.  However, what caught
Haruka off-guard were all the signatures scrawled on the basket-
ball in black permanent marker.  Near the manufacturer's label
was written 'Intramural 5-on-5 B-Ball Tournament' and the year.

The five players from both the Decompilers and the Paper Airplane
Commandoes had signed the ball, many adding their own kudos and
well-wishes to Haruka.  Even Beans had signed it with 'At least
someone can play this game'.

"Something to remember your friends on this side of the
world by," Nicholas said, the smile on his face as sincere as
it could get.  "A little sappy if not clich, I know, but it's
the thought that counts.  I guess.  At least, that's what they
keep telling me."

Haruka was torn between hugging him or elbowing him in the
ribs.  Although she'd never openly admit it, she was truly
touched.  Something like this would always remind them of
the good times here with Beans and her strange array of
friends.  Of course, now they'd have to find space on one of
their packing boxes for it.  Haruka wondered if she should
get Michiru to sign it.

Then she saw that Michiru had in fact signed the basketball on
the underside: 'To my love, from your biggest fan.'

"That last one was hard to get without you noticing," Nicholas
said.  "I had to drive out to her college and snag her between
classes just to get that.  You and Michiru are glued at the hip
sometimes, I swear."

"Thank you," Haruka said to Nicholas.  "Thank you very much."

Nicholas warily stepped back, throwing cautious glanced around
the gym.  "You're not going to hug me right when Michiru
happens to stroll in, are you?  I don't think she'd let me live
long enough to explain."

"Don't worry," Haruka replied, setting her gift down on the
bleachers, "I'd just tell her that you were trying to distract
me, so you could actually win a game and restore some of your
battered pride."

"Oh, that makes me feel all better now," he said dryly.
They faced off at the three-point line, with Nicholas in
command of the basketball.  "So where's Beans?" he asked.

"I think she's packing."

"Ah. Going to let me win since this is the last time I'll
ever get to play against you?"

A wolfish grin appeared on Haruka's face.  "Not a chance.
If anything, I'm going to make your crushing defeat all
the more memorable."

Nicholas groaned as Haruka not only stole the ball (yet
again), but delivered an impressive slam dunk too.  "Glad to
be of service," he sighed, shaking his head.

In the end, Haruka won, but not by much.  She let Nicholas
get close to her score; that was his memento.  If anything,
it would drive him nuts over the summer thinking he came
that close to beating her, and just might have won a game
next year if she hadn't left for Japan.

***** (the day before leaving) *****

"Thanks for helping me pack," I said to my roommates.  They
both were going to stay in the dorms during the summer term.
It would be hot, quiet, and miserable, but they both wanted
to get ahead in their majors.  Summer was the only real way
to do that.

"Not a problem, Beans.  I can't believe that you are actually
going to Japan!  You're coming back next fall, right?"  Alex
put some of my clothes into a bag.  Most of my stuff would be
staying here with them, rather than sending it home to my
parents.

"Of course!  Someone has to keep you two out of trouble," I
grinned at them.  The RA in charge had agreed to let us
keep the same room, and didn't mind that Jeff would be openly
staying with Alex.  I was going to give my room key to him
tomorrow when I left.

"Heh, you're the one that we're turning loose on Japan.
They'll probably send you back after a week because of the
trouble you cause," Jeff teased.

"Possibly," I admitted.  With Andy having flown to Miami
earlier today, there was little else that could distract me
from the fluttering in my stomach.  I was now excited about
the prospect of getting to live overseas for three months.
It was going to be an adventure to finally get to submerge
myself in the culture I had studied for years.

"Thanks for keeping my fish for me while I'm gone.  Remember,
you don't need to clean out the tank."  I'm lucky that they
were going to stay to upkeep the lake god.  I'd worried about
that until they told me their plans for the summer.

Jeff shook his head.  "I still don't see how you kept the
tank as well as you have without cleaning it."

I shrugged, "It works."

There was a knocking at the door.  Alex stopped to let Haruka
in.  With the additional body and the mess of my packing, our
room was suddenly quite cramped.

"Hey Beans, I was wondering if I could talk with you for a
moment?"

Jeff stretched out.  "Yep, I need a burger, how about you?"
He looked to Alex.

"Sounds good to me.  Bye," they left the room to us.  They
were good, understanding roommates.  I'd miss them.  We'd
already agreed to e-mail each other, and, if it was possible
meet on IRC.

Haruka grinned.  "Actually, I needed to talk to the lake
god, if you don't mind," she came up to the tank.

It burbled a little at being so close to her.

"Oh, I see how it works.  I've been tossed aside for the
lake god.  Just wait 'til I tell Michiru that you're
moonlighting," I teased.

"Very funny."  She called as I closed the door behind me.

***** (At the airport) *****

"Oh, God, this is it.  I can't believe you're really
leaving," Alex hugged me.  She had been crying some.

"I always leave during the summer," I pointed out.  "I'm
just going somewhere different, that's all."

"I know," she wiped away her tears.  "You behave yourself.
We won't be able to post bond if you find yourself in
jail."

I smiled at that.  "I don't expect that I'll find myself
in the pokey.  Besides, Haruka and Michiru will be there.
They tell me that they live pretty close to where I'll be,
so they can keep and eye on me."

"They already promised me that they would," Alex said.
For some reason, it didn't surprise me that she talked
them into babysitting me.  I don't think she needed to go
to the effort; they would have anyways.

I handed my key ring over to Jeff.  "Here's the room key
and the keys to my car."

"Any gas?"  He asked slyly.

"Yes," I hit him lightly on the shoulder.  "Cross town is
fine, but not across the country.  Got that?"

"Maybe I'll get that pile of bolts actually running well
while you're gone," he scratched the back of his head
innocently.  My car wasn't the best in the world, but it
ran.  Plus this was all coming from a man who doesn't
even own a car, so I never take his jibes too seriously.

Nicholas was standing offside, grinning like an idiot at
me.  "Look at you, all grown up and leaving us," he said
with a mock sniffle.  "I'm so proud of my little girl!"

"You are so not getting a postcard from me," I said, right
before Nicholas gave me a quick hug and said, "Take care of
yourself, Beans.  You keep Haruka in line for me while
you're there, okay?"

Over the PA the flight I was leaving on was announced
for boarding.

"That's my flight," I said while trying to hold back my
excitement.  Alex might take it wrong if I ran to the
plane and hopped aboard.

Haruka and Michiru had left early this morning.  They had
promised to track me down once they got back.  They said
that they had several friends who were anxious to meet
me.  Having someone waiting for me when I arrived made
me feel better about going.

My roommates walked me to the gate.  Both hugged me and
promised to write. Nicholas assured me he would stay out
of trouble, and keep a cold Pepsi waiting for my return.  I
waved to them as I left.  This was the beginning of my next
adventure.

***** (Back at the dorms) *****

"What are you all doing?"  Alex asked the maintenance
personnel who were taking measurements in the lobby of the
dorms.

"You know how we've been trying to raise money to network
the dorms, right?  Well, a company gave us a grant that
would more than cover the expense," he said.  While it
gave him a lot of work to do over the summer, it was also
long overdue.  The students wanted and needed to be able
to network.

"But what does networking the dorms have to do with this?"
Jeff asked, pointing out all the equipment in the lobby.

"Ya know, that's the funny part of it.  The grant came with
a condition.  For us to get the money, we had to remodel
the lobby with twin fish tanks that will be inset in the
walls.  They're going to be a meter wide and tall and run
the entire length of the lobby.

"What's really strange is that we have to fill them with
that cruddy muck from Moore's Lake.  We've also been told
what fish to put in them and how many.  Plus, get this,
we're NOT supposed to clean them!  Some how these huge tanks
are going to clean themselves.  Isn't that a riot!" he
laughed at the very idea.

"But hey, if that's what it takes, I'll do it," he
rejoined the group he had been working with.

"Isn't that odd?"  Alex asked Jeff on the way up to their
room.

"Must be something special about fish tanks here in the
dorms that actually hold fish," he commented.

The lake god was thrilled with its future accommodations.

*****

It was evening when I arrived in Tokyo.  The city lights
were an amazing sight to a girl that was born and raised in
the country.  Life in a big city should be interesting.

At the airport, a man that I didn't recognize held up a sign
with 'Beans' written on it.

"Good evening!" I greeted in Japanese.

"Hello," he replied in shaky English.  He continued in
Japanese.  "I am to take you to your apartment."

"Sounds good to me," I said.

And soon I was on a ride through the streets of Tokyo.  He
didn't talk much, except to say that the company was excited
to have me joining them.  He hoped that we would mutually learn
from our experiences.

We drove into a huge parking garage.  It was the base of an
even larger building that had to be at least 20 stories
tall.  I'd never seen a building this huge in my life.  What
shocked me was that it was dwarfed by most of the buildings
surrounding it.

Between us, we carried all of my things to the elevator.
Some of my stuff was going to be shipped over here during the
next week or so.

"Your apartment is on the 24th floor," he told me.  I had
guessed wrong.  This building had 35 floors.  Aye!

The elevator opened up to a short hallway that only had five
doors leading off of it.  Two in each direction on either
side of the elevator.  The one next to the elevator I'd assume
was the stairs.  He led me to the nor'east door.

Setting my bags on the floor, he handed me a key.  "This is
as far as I go." he turned around and went into the still open 
elevator.

I puzzled briefly over his leaving, shrugged, and unlocked the
door.  Bright lights stunned me along with several shouts.

"What the--" I gasped.  The room was filled with people I
didn't know.

"Everyone be quiet!"  A familiar voice rang above the crowd.
I got a chance to look around.  I spotted Haruka behind the
kitchen counter and Michiru sitting on a couch next to
Setsuna.  And there was Makoto.  The rest of these must be
their friends.

I threw my bags inside the door and slipped my shoes off
quickly before entering into the thick of things.

"Good evening!"  I greeted in general.  "I'm Beans, you
all must be Haruka and Michiru's friends."

"You guessed it," Haruka said from the kitchen nook.  She
had two bottles of something on the counter and several
glasses.

"Let me introduce everyone," Michiru said while Haruka
continued to pour.

"The gentleman over there is Mamoru-san."  He appeared to be
older than everyone else present.  Maybe not Setsuna.  But
boy was he handsome!  The girl next to him had a possessive
look about her.  Too bad....

"Next to him is Usagi-chan."  The girl--yes, a girl--had these 
odd ball things made with her hair on her head.  I didn't know 
that you could defy physics that way.

"Odango atama," Haruka called from the kitchen.

"Dumpling head?"  I asked in English.  She grinned wickedly.
At least I wasn't the only one she teased.

"The three on the couch over there are Ami-chan, Minako-chan,
and Rei-chan," she continued.  I looked at Ami a little funny.
I didn't know that odd hair colors were the norm over here.
At least they didn't tell us that in class.  In her lap was a 
blonde-hair child with a million dollar smile.  Rei sat next to
them.  She had startling raven black hair.  She seemed to have
a total attitude of calm around her.

"And you know Mako-chan against the wall over there."

Makoto gave me a small wave in greeting.

"Setsuna-san," she gestured to the dark green haired woman
sitting next to her.   She smiled kindly and nodded.

"And this," Michiru hugged the girl on her lap, "is
Hotaru-chan."

She was too cute.  I mean, there was no other way to describe
her.  She had shoulder length dark purple hair and wide eyes
that thirst to know about everything around her.

She crawled out of Michiru's lap and came running up to me.
"Nice to meet you," she said slowly in English, then stuck
her hand out to shake.

I took hold and shook. "It is a pleasure to meet you," I
looked up to everyone.  "All of you.  I would have never
expected such a warm greeting."

Hotaru ran over to Haruka and hugged her waist.  "Well done,
Hime-chan," Haruka said while patting the girl on the head.

"Shall we have a toast to our new friend?"  Haruka asked.

Everyone came over to the counter and took a glass except
for the Usagi girl, who spilled hers.  Michiru cleaned it up
quickly while Haruka poured her another glass.  Rei made
some quip about how she would never grow out of her
clumsiness.

Usagi was about to protest, but Mamoru put his hand on her
shoulder.

"Welcome to Japan!"  Everyone toasted and drank.  I think
the two bottles were one of cider and one of white wine.
To me, the two looked the same, but whatever Haruka had
handed me definitely wasn't cider.  I don't think she
would give Hotaru wine.

I pulled Haruka aside for a moment once the festivities
were underway.  "Tomorrow, tell me how you got in here,"
I said.

She looked innocent, then smiled impudently.  "Tomorrow,
I'll tell you how you got here."

***** (End part 24: The end) *****

   [Rolling credits: BGM "Talent for Love" (Chisa, Chisa!)
   SD Beans, Haruka, and Michiru walk onto screen]

Well that's it!

   [Haruka nudges Beans when she gets too close to Michiru]

I'd like to do a big thank you to those that have written
me.  Your support has made this project all worth it!  I'd
also like to thank Tim Nolan for his support, encouragement,
ideas, and allowing me to bounce off his series.  Thanks a
lot Sempai!

   [Beans takes offense and yells at Haruka.  Lots of misc
   hiragana on screen]

Special thanks to Naoko Takeuchi for creating a series that
leaves a lot of room for exploration.

   [Michiru tries, and fails, to pull them apart.  They
   separate and are in opposite corners of the screen with
   Michiru in the center]

Also:

* My roommates for enduring my late night typing sessions.

   [SD pics of Alex and Jeff flash on screen]

* Aimee-chan for believing that I really *can* write.

   [SD Andy flashes next]

* Blitz Kreig for giving me your support, not matter what the
project was.

   [SD of Beans' family, with tractor in the background]

* His lordship Chaos for being an all-too-willing victim.

   [Fish tank with happy murky water]

* NefCanuck for your support and kind words.

   [Beans sticks her tongue out at Haruka]

* Darkwind for your non-support and unkind words.  No, I have
not banged my head up against a wall yet.... *BIG GRIN*

   [Haruka stands off with pissed look on her face]

* Jackie Chiang for being my fearless proofreader, corrector
of my many errors, partner in crime, imouto, and instigator of
countless hours of nipping at each other.  It's been fun!

   [Michiru sighs and boxes both their ears]

* Lord Charon for pushing me when I didn't want to move.  I
can be as stubborn as a mule when I want to be, but that never
discouraged you.

   [Beans and Haruka give water works worthy of Usagi]

* A Sailor Moon Romance for posting this drawn out series.
It makes me feel good to share my stories with others.
Thanks!

   [Michiru puts her arms around both of them and they stop
   crying]

Arigato minna!

   [They all do GQ poses with Beans holding up a sign that
   says:  "Bye bye!"]

Programs used in producing "College Life":

Windows 95/98/XP (Gack!)      maplay 1.2+
Notepad                       WinPlay 3
Programmer's File Editor      CD Player
Texto'LE                      Desktop Toys (Yea!)
Netscape Navigator            Eudora
Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP     WinAmp
Internet Explorer	            Editsu

   [(For you AMG fans :)  Haruka chasing Beans around the
   college campus with disk gun drawn.  Michiru sighing
   at their immaturity]

"Sponsors":

Circle K (for *way* too much Pepsi)
David Sunflower Seeds (I have a 3 gallon bucket of them ;)
Burger King
Random House American Dictionary
Random House Japanese Dictionary
Random House Bad Spellers Dictionary (Didn't help, did it
Jackie? ;)
Random House Thesaurus (Where do you think I got the big
words from?)


   [His lordship Chaos suddenly appears, the lake god's
    fishtank hoisted over his head. Beans & Haruka give
    chase as he tries to steal the lake god. Fade out
    with Chaos receiving a disk to the head.]
