Seiran Academy

Sorry it took so long!! School, work, and life has been hectic. I will get School Girls\' Next Generation up soon, I promise! I\'ve already got the first 2 chapters done, but I\'m waiting to torture you all just a bit more!

Chapter 5

Minako sullenly walked up to the music room and felt even worse when she saw the crowd encircling the music room, a crowd of equal men and women, listening to the beautiful music that danced through the hallways. Sadly even Minako had to admit that the sound coming from that room was even more beautiful than Bartholomew Rose ever could have played. The sound was magic dancing through the wind of breath and hopes.

She moved closer, hanging out in the back of the crowd and just listening. She closed her eyes, imagining where that music would take her and what it would do to her soul. It was soft and happy, unlike the sullen sadness that was a regular fixture in the music of a solemn violin.

“That is a beautiful sound, is it not?” a whisper hissed in her ears. Minako jerked out of her reveries and looked over at Belle, who was smiling despite the small twist in her swollen lip.

“He is amazing,” Minako admitted, but she was still slowly backing up, away from Belle.

“I’m not going to jump you,” Belle nearly laughed. “You win, you’re tougher than me.”

“I doubt that,” Minako sighed. “I know how tough I am, and I also know when someone doesn’t fight back.”

Belle smiled mischievously and nodded slightly. “See, we knew you were a smart girl.”

“We, we, we,” Minako snapped. “You really make it seem like you three had a huge joint conversation about this before deciding to initiate me into your little group.”

“Of course we did,” Belle laughed. “Did you think we would just let anyone into our circle of friends?”

The music halted so suddenly Minako wondered for a moment if Nemesis had forgotten the rest of the chords, but then slowly, sensually, the music came trickling back out into the halls, building up a sweet and hard crescendo before moving on to the destroying finale that was beautiful and mad all in the same sound and ended again, just as suddenly, but this time with a bit of the finality it needed.

“It is amazing, isn’t it, what Nemesis can do with a violin,” Belle spoke lecherously. “Imagine his hands doing the same type of sensuality.”

Minako huffed, disgusted with herself for falling into the trap of the violins perfect tempo, and for having a conversation with the girl who had driven her to become violent not a full twenty-four hours before. She stepped away from Belle and began pushing through the girls to move into the music room. After all, she had been invited to be there, even if Mr. Evans was angry with her now. When she pushed through the doors she found Nemesis smirking and Mr. Evans staring sort of vacantly. He seemed to be warring with himself and afraid to show his reaction to the teenager who had forced it out of him.

“What did you think, Mina-chan?” Nemesis asked her cutely. This brought Mr. Evans from his reverie and he looked towards Minako as she settled in the room. Her pride was quickly diminishing and now she wished she had remained in the hall with the other girls, waiting her turn to come into the room. Many of the girls glared at her from the halls, despising her for her closeness to their favorite school idols, both Mr. Evans and Nemesis.

“Yes, what did you think Miss Aino?” Mr. Evans asked, cocking his head to the side.

This was a terrible trap. If she spoke honestly she would be giving Nemesis the praise he deserved, but it would mean that Mr. Evans would have no other choice but to put him on the orchestra, perhaps knocking her out of first chair. If she lied she would be doing a disservice to herself and the orchestra, for his skill was that of a trained professional; Bartholomew Rose had taught his son well.

Minako looked Nemesis hard in the eye and said, “He was wonderful,” without an ounce of the conviction she felt and all of the anger she could muster. She hoped Mr. Evans would read in her voice the helplessness she felt and at the same time realize she was not trying to side with the man who had humiliated her earlier this morning.

“Well, Mr. Rose,” Mr. Evans said, leaning against his desk and crossing his arms against his chest, “I guess that means you will be admitted into our little orchestra. I hope we do not bring you down.”

“If you do not mind,” Nemesis said, without ever thanking his teacher for the chance, “I would like to remain and hear Minako as she practices. I want to see what her deft little fingers can do.”

Mr. Evans looked to Minako, who was mildly shaking her head. If Nemesis stayed so would the audience of girls who had wished for him to touch them with his fingers the way he did with his music. They were celebrating his acceptance onto the orchestra without him, and were not leaving until they could all congratulate him.

“I see no problem with that,” Mr. Evans said, ignoring Minako’s silent plea.

“Let me just set up,” Minako said flippantly and went in search of her violin. While grabbing the delicate instrument, rougher than usual, she tried to stall in hopes that the girls would grow bored and leave. Instead their attention grew more rapt and intent on Minako knowing that their High School Idol was waiting for her to play.

Minako took her seat, readied herself, and played a song that was quite the opposite of what Nemesis had just played. Where his music was sensual and happy hers was dark and threatening, and she played as fast as she could, letting the demands of the song take her into a world where she seldom went. When playing the violin, once her song was memorized, she preferred to close her eyes and go to that place, that imaginary spot in the darkness of it all. She slipped into a world now of Nemesis, lying across the stone, his innards pecked at by the giant eagle much like a god long ago. She was so intent on her imagery she forgot that the ending was complicated and often her fingers did not move in the casual flow that they usually would. Her concentration broken by her sudden worry about performing the last part she stumbled, faltered, and failed in front of nearly one hundred girls, Belle, Nemesis, and worst of all, Mr. Evans.

“You are better at that song every time,” Mr. Evans told Minako.

“Don’t patronize her with compliments,” Nemesis smirked. “She went into it too fast, then knowing she can not do that ending she tensed up, forcing herself into a worse state. I’m disappointed.”

Minako’s face heated and she heard the snickers from the girls in the crowd. One voice was loud enough and poignant enough to say, “That will knock her off her high horse,” and Minako’s eyes brimmed with tears she would never let shed. She stood up and snapped to Mr. Evans and Nemesis, “Enough of this circus,” and placed down her violin. “When this is a real class I will return, until then I have homework that needs to be done. Nemesis, your clowns await you, and you know that the ringmaster is always the most important part of any circus.”

The girls parted like an ocean as Minako stepped out of the music room and into the halls. They were shocked to hear the words spill from Minako’s mouth. She was tired of acting like a good girl when all she wanted to do was ring their little necks. Minako wished for Mariko but instead found Belle at the bottom of the stairs with Sage. She stepped out and began walking past the two of them as swiftly as possible.

“Hey, wait up!” Belle called after her, rushing to catch up. Belle slid her arm through Minako’s and clung like only a best friend would do. “Are you off to the library? I need to pick up a book.”

“You know, considering I hit you last night, you seem awful happy to see me,” Minako snapped. “I’m not dumb enough to not realize you must have some awful trap waiting for me.”

“Of course I do,” Belle laughed, “but I assure you it is not at the library. My trap will come when you least expect it, and right now you expect it too much.”

“I’m sorry,” Minako snapped with a lack of sincerity. “I am going to go find Mariko. See you later.” She yanked her arm violently away from Belle and stalked off, her anger only growing with every step.