“Mommy, lookie! Look!” The little child enthusiastically points at the small television screen. She was excited to show the older woman how her favorite pink power ranger kicks the giant noodle monster’s . “Pinkie-pink! Hayah!” She squeals and clumsily imitates the ranger’s movements.
 A weak punch!

A flimsy kick!

A little twirl—

—and then she falls on the floor when she could not keep herself balanced anymore. A little sniffle escapes from the child’s lips. It hurts. The short fall has hurt her leg. “M-mommy!” she whines, to the approaching woman, the way she always does when she needs comfort or a big bear hug, “My little crybaby, come here.” The child’s mother calls out with her soothing voice.

The little girl snuggles her mother at once when she was finally close enough. Her real heroine has come to save her and pink power ranger was left forgotten for a day.

A fleeting memory
 

.___.
 

Nana Komatsu has always been a fanatic of stories wherein the protagonist belongs to a particular brigade or any kind of group. Most of her childhood days only revolved around watching power rangers fight against evil villains. When she was 10 years old, Harry Potter books and movies were her obsession as she enjoys the competitive division between the four houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. When she reached high school, Nana would pull an all-nighter just to follow Percy Jackson’s adventures and training lessons along with his fellow Greek half-bloods. And now that she is finally standing in front of a tall enormous black gate of her new University, she was set to convince herself that this time, she is the main lead and this will be her new found territory. Soon enough, she’ll be one with her new found comrades.

At least that’s what she tells herself just so she can gather her wits together. This isn’t even the first time that she has transferred and yet her heart tightens both painfully and deliciously.

Oh for heaven’s sake, calm down, Nana scolds herself silently before adding a bit of sarcasm just to make her more nervous. Her ever-so pessimistic self has always been good in doing that. You just happened to fly from Japan to South Korea by yourself and enrolled in the most exclusive school here without anyone else knowing. See? There’s nothing to worry about. Now focus.

With a deep breath, her almond-shaped eyes stare at the golden-colored letters carved on the topmost part of the gate. FEMELLA – the Latin word for female. There was a happy tug inside her when everything felt realer then it could have ever been.

Caltridge University is one of the very few colleges where female and male students are strictly educated separately. Same courses and equal treatments but the two units are separated and as for Caltridge’s case, Masculum is around 20 to 30 meters away from Femella. In fact, the other unit’s high infrastructures can be seen from afar but her ebony orbs won’t even bother to at least check it out.

In her own perspective, Femella is home— a sanctuary; while Masculum is the dangerous zone that she knows she’ll never even dare enter.

Clutching the leather straps of her bags, Nana slowly enters the all-female unit of her University when the gates were finally opened after the security guard finished checking her papers and other necessary information. “Welcome to Femella!” The old man spoke brightly and respectfully but in return, she only dips her head with a passive expression.

If she is only to be with around women from now on then might as well just go all the way.
 

.___.

A new place always has so much to take in but the first thing Nana noticed were the healthy bushes of red roses that lined beside almost every path walk. Roses are not new back in Osaka, Japan but for a person who have always preferred to hide inside her own bedroom, she ends up ambling without a definite direction as she was far too busy appreciating the lovely sight.

Nana was in the same state until she stops her tracks when she noticed the smallest odd detail under one of the bushes.

"Ah, isn't this first meeting just quite too cliché for both of our taste?" Nana jumps in her place upon suddenly hearing a voice just a few meters away.

She is so beautiful. It almost feels unfair. Nana’s immediate reaction nudges the corners of her mind as she stares at the stranger. The tall woman with auburn wavy hair that falls to her waist, small calculating eyes with dark brown irises and thin pursed lips, slowly moves forward; poised and calm as ever. She circles around Nana, studying her from head to toe before finally settling in front of the other at arm’s length.

“The newbie, happily smelling the sweet scent of roses in a delightful afternoon while the head of student council arrives and sizes her up. Fairly typical, don’t you think?” The stranger adds with her breathy high-pitched voice.

The mentioned newbie stayed frozen probably for five good seconds before she tore herself away from her reverie. Nana shuffles her feet in discomfort as the presence of the other was already making her feel quite inferior.

If pink power ranger has red power ranger to command what to do, Gryffindor members have Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley as prefects, Percy Jackson has—well, himself to lead the fulfillment of those prophecies, clearly this person is Femella’s very own general.

At least that’s how she sees it. Nana’s brigade fantasies are not yet over.

“I agree but I really wasn’t sniffing flowers,” Nana’s awkward Korean accent came out rather straightforward when in fact her heart was hammering wildly against her ribcage. “I can always re-enter the gates and do something more interesting, if you like.”

This made the stranger her head to the side, an interested glint already found in her brown eyes. If there is one thing she is not used to have inside the premises of Femella, it would be a snarky comment coming from a newbie. “There is no need. This is already entertaining enough.” She replies with much nonchalance in her stance. “So tell me, what caught your interest aside from the red roses?”

“The blue petals”

“Excuse me?”

Nana slowly points the ground with her finger where three tiny blue petals are visible. “If I am not mistaken, blue roses can only be found in Masculum, right? I mean I saw pictures of the entirety of Caltridge on the internet before I even arrived here. So why… ”

For a second, the stranger’s face tensed but she hides it all at once into her usual passive demeanor before the newbie can even see. The only reason petals of a blue rose would be here is because someone might have sneaked inside Femella. Someone from Masculum.

Before Nana can even deduce the same thought, the other lady, clears to steal her attention away. “I’m Arisa Kwon, by the way. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Arisa Kwon,” Completely forgetting about the blue petals, Nana lets the name roll against her tongue delicately, making sure she remembers it for future purposes. Then she dips her head respectfully to introduce herself using her mother language, “Hajamimashete, Nana Komatsu desu.”

 In all honesty, the newbie’s name really did not matter that much to Arisa. She only needs to check on something and fortunately Nana surpasses her expectations already. “We’ll be sharing the same room by the way—in the dormitory, I mean. We’re roommates.” She hastily added the last bits when the first phrase sounded rather weird for her.

 “Oh really?” Nana’s eyes widen a fraction. She has never read a book or watched a movie wherein the newbie shares the same spot with the general. Well this is new and she doesn’t know what to feel about it.

  “Yep, whether you like it or not. Come along now, I’ll lead you to the dormitory,” Without further notice, Arisa takes Nana’s heavier bag and carried it herself. “This is really nothing. No thank yous and definitely no buts, just follow me,” she adds dismissively before the other can even protest.

 And so Nana did. She tries to ignore the demanding voice of her future roommate, convincing herself that to be an effective head student council, one need to have the exact qualities that she is witnessing right now. Her eyes once more focuses around the lovely landscape of the university before she proceeded to look at the breathtaking sky now turning to a mixture of different colors as the sun slowly sets to its own quarters.

"Any questions, Komatsu?" Arisa asks as she furtively glances at the slightly shorter female. Nana who registered exactly nothing of the other female's words as she was too confined with her own thoughts, locks her gaze with the other and asks, "In the room we'll soon share, are the stars visible if we look out the window?"

Newbie’s question left Arisa dumbfounded for one brief moment. She told Nana which building is which and the general rules for her sake only to find out that every word merely slipped from one ear to another. Arisa tore her gaze away so as to hide the annoyance that she felt. "I didn’t know stars can be more interesting than the things I just told you. Usually newbies would pay attention just in case they'd get lost."

"Oh," Nana expressed as she now understands the look of the other's face. She bites her lower lip when her mind turned topsy-turvy. "I-I do worry about getting lost...I just have screwed priorities, I guess."

Most of the time, a person would brag oneself around a presence of a Kwon, but this newbie right here has been so straightforward, even exposing her flaws since the very beginning that Arisa couldn't help but curl her lips to a slight smirk despite the annoyance she just felt. ”I don't look out of the window a lot. It's really not a priority for a busy person as I am. Also, I stay more often at home than in the dormitory so I can't answer your question. I guess you'll just have to check it for yourself, later."

"Why, of course. My apologies for that question." Aside from the fact that her future roommate just actually pointed out how Nana probably have too much free time, she couldn't quite put her finger to it, but there was definitely something about the presence of Arisa that makes her nervous and apprehensive. But then again isn’t it normal to feel like this around new people?

Of course

Actually, not really

People are all scary at first

That’s a fairly dumb deduction

The two sides of her thoughts battled against each other. She didn’t notice that Arisa has already halted in front of her and so she ends up bumping herself to her back. The taller female was quick to catch her, looping a sturdy arm around her waist before she can even hit the ground.

“Seriously,” Arisa was trying her best not to look amused but Nana can see right through those deadpan eyes. “How do you even survive daily when your mind is always in Cloud 9, Komatsu?”

There it is again, that wary twist in her very gut appearing the moment Arisa held her close. She would have called it fear but then there really wasn’t a particular reason to be afraid in the first place.

Right?

She quickly pulls away and bowed her head more than enough while she apologizes. “It won’t happen again.”

“Oh I highly doubt that, but if you say so,” Arisa heaves her bag once more before opening the door of the dormitory. “Come in. Some of our new dorm mates are actually thrilled to meet you. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a foreigner in the place.”

Throwing her worries away and with a deep breath, Nana follows the other inside. Not really sure what to expect.
 

.___.
 

It’s not as bad as she thought it would be.

Most of them were enthusiastic and curious because Nana is part Japanese and part Korean. As expected, there were loads of questions about anime, K-pop, Cherry blossoms, vocaloids and just basically anything that can cross borders from the two distinct countries. Nana is used to this type of conversation as she has long been transferring from one school to another.

However, she’s an innate introvert at the same time and minutes later she’s becoming more restless. The need to just roll around quietly on a soft mattress was growing stronger. She couldn’t help guessing that it’s exactly what Arisa is currently doing upstairs. Nana scowled upon remembering how her roommate took all of her bags and told her to mingle around other people first. Arisa promised to be back. An hour has passed already and she’s still nowhere to be found.

“Uhm, do you happen to know what Arisa’s room number is?” She sheepishly asks, cutting her conversation with one of the girls huddled close to her.

“Oh dear, did my Pokemon story bore you already?” The girl asks with a childish pout, making Nana shake her head vigorously.

“Hell no! I-I do love Squirtle too. It’s just that… it has been a long day and I just-”

“Oh yes, of course! You are tired. Forgive me, Nana. Room 43 is at the third floor, just turn right. The farthest one is what you are looking for. Would you like me to accompany you?”

Nana briefly smiles at the kind offer. “I’d like to explore the dormitory to myself for now. But thank you! I’ll see you around.”

With a little wave, Nana quickly frees herself from the crowd and proceeded upstairs. She wasn’t sure whether to make another attempt in talking with Arisa just so she can make a friendlier atmosphere between them or just simply ignore everything and just sleep. Accusing her for not coming back downstairs was another option too, to be honest.

When she reached the door of the last room, Nana was ready to accuse Arisa in a playful manner but before she can even turn the doorknob, sudden dread fills her body when she heard that muffled voice from inside.

"I told you to cut it out, Arisa or I swear I'll- listen to me!" Her palms begin to sweat and her heart was a loud beating drum when she heard a low threatening voice.

There was no doubt to it, a man is inside the room and judging from what she just heard, Arisa is in trouble.

She needed to take action at once but what to do? She can't possibly take this man down alone. She needs to call for help, fast!

"Come here at once, or I'll drag you out of there."

Nana covers her own mouth with her hand to muffle the sound of horror escaping her lips. A horrible picture of Arisa Kwon hiding under the bed as the man threatens him was running in circles inside her mind.

She was running out of time. It'd probably too late if she calls out for help. With Adrenaline rushing through her veins, her hands coil around the fire extinguisher settled just beside the room. "Arisa!" she screams and opens the door with the key that was given to her earlier, ready to throw the extinguisher straight at the unknown man's face.

"Holy shi-Komatsu, you bloody stop right there!"

Nana didn't hear the familiar demanding tone of the male.

She did not notice that he was talking to someone over the phone and that the Arisa she was trying to save is nowhere to be found.

She didn't even question how he knows her last name.

Instead, she swings the heavy metal piece to his direction. The man dodged it so easily and kicks it away from her hand. Nana felt a strong hand tugging her wrist.

She gasps and finally her eyes focuses on him that now holds her captive. Infinite possibilities crossed her mind all at once as to what she'd find but none—absolutely none of them included a man wearing a dress whose facial features are exactly like Arisa Kwon’s.

Nana Komatsu was confused and terrified at what she is seeing. She wanted to scream but the aching lump on prohibited her from doing so.

Just then she saw something in her peripheral view, that one thing that completes this fully messed up puzzle.

A long auburn wavy hair was dangling on the coat hanger.

“A-arisa?”

“That’s Jiyong Kwon for you, Komatsu.”