Ah, the beginning of yet another journey together into the life and times of one Usagi Tuskanio brought to you, by me!

It is Alternate Universe, so no Scout Business.  Re-named from "I can't help feeling this way about you" I got a flash of inspiration in the shower, n decided I liked this title much better!

Boy Trouble

Chapter one

The slender girl steeled her nerves as she stared into the vast mirror, watching the hair-dresser, who also happened to be her best friend Minako's mom, cut off her long blonde locks, allowing them to fall to the floor creating a golden pool about the base of the salon chair.

Silent tears streamed down her face as she looked at her boyish hair-style, for her hair had been the one constant in her life. The shimmering waves of silk had contained many a memory for the poor orphan of happier times when both her parents had been alive.

"Oh Usagi, you look… so, so different" Minako commented from the salon chair on her left, comfortingly holding her best friends hand.

"It feels different" Usagi commented running her hand through her hair as it fell haphazardly into her eyes, its chunky layers flying in all directions.

 "Well, I think it looks rather nice dear. Just the other day Quatre Winner came in and had his hair cut just like this."

Minako and Usagi laughed lightly "well, Mina-chan can I pass for a boy?" Usagi questioned raising an eye-brow at her boy-crazy girl-friend.

"Well, aside from your outfit, I'd say hell yea you pass as I slightly femmy boy"

Usagi smiled, "well, femmy or not, as long as I don't look too girly I should be all right, and besides, it's only for a year"

"That's right Usagi, only a year and then you can re-join the world of women!" her mother commented, moving to get the broom in order to sweep up. The trio laughed, and secretly Usagi wasn't that disappointed to be leaving the world of hair spray, nail-polish, and leg shaving behind.

"Well, Thanks so much Ms. Aino I'll be sure to come by when I need a re-cut!"

"Oh its no problem dear, after all you and Mina here have been friends forever, I'd even raise you myself if I had enough money" the woman commented embracing the girl whom had been like a second daughter to her.

"Now Usagi, remember to invite me in whenever you can. I want to visit and see all the gorgeous guys!"

Everyone laughed,

"I will Mina-chan, I will"

"Good, now you better go, you still have packing to finish and you said that your mentor was picking you up early tomorrow to take you down"

"Yea, they are" Usagi agreed, giving her friend one last hug before leaving the salon, to walk down the nearly abandoned street. As she strolled, she looked into the various closed stores, thinking of all the good things she would miss about being a girl. Such as the attention from boys, the way she was able to smile sweetly at the baker and receive free pastries in the mornings, the endless hours of clothes shopping, chatting about boys, everything. She would miss it all so much when she arrived in her new school, St. Joseph's Academy for gifted young men.

With a sigh, she walked up the steps which led to the door of the small apartment, where she had grown up, opening the door to inhale its familiar scent of vanilla. She quickly slipped off her shoes before walking into the living room, where she sat down upon the sofa, her gaze falling upon the smiling face of her mother as she looked back at her daughter from within the picture's shining silver frame.

"Mom, I'm going to St. Joseph's tomorrow" she told the picture, "It's going to be so hard to be a boy, to listen to them talking about boy-stuff, and girls, and trying to think of something to say. I, I don't know how I'm going to manage it." Usagi admitted pulling a knitted quilt over her slender frame. "But I'm going to do my best while I'm there; it's the only way I'll ever be able to get the education I need in order to obtain a scholarship for a top-notch university."

The girl heaved a sigh, as she sat staring into space. The dreams she held for her future filling her inner eye, until she finally dozed off to sleep, her head resting comfortably upon the sofa's cushioned arm-rest.

~*~

 The next morning Usagi woke up to the sound of her alarm clock beeping loudly from her bedroom. Opening her eyes, she blinked to adjust them to the light which shone into the room through the window situated directly across from the large plush sofa, before stretching much like a cat awakening from a leisurely nap.

As the alarm continued its insistent beeping she swung her feet over the sofa's edge, and stood, stretching her neck in order to relieve some of the tension in her muscles as she made her way into her bedroom. Upon entering the pale blue room she walked towards the large bed with its sprawling red duvet cover, and over to the black cast-iron night stand to shut off the clock.

First shower, then breakfast she thought in the silence that followed as she walked into the bathroom, with the St Joseph school uniform in her arms where she placed  it upon the closed toilet seat before running the water for her shower, and stepping in.

The blonde took her time in the shower, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of the warm spray as it pounded against her, relishing the moment as she knew this would be the last time she would not have to worry about a pesky room-mate, free to truly take her time.  With a sigh Usagi stepped out of the showers warm spray approximately twenty minutes later, as her mentor was scheduled to arrive at 8:30am in order to help her move her things to her new school.

Fully dressed, in the schools black dress pants, and white button down, she made her way out of the bathroom by 8am and went to the kitchen where she slipped two pieces of bread into the toaster before pouring herself the last of the orange juice.

While waiting for the toast to 'pop' she wandered about the house, gathering up the last of her personal affects to be slipped inside the final card-board box.

Finished her packing she returned to the kitchen where she promptly applied butter, and jam to her breakfast before sitting down to eat. As the clocked ticked off the minutes to her mentor's arrival Usagi spent the time washing up her breakfast dishes and packing her few remaining toiletries before settling down upon her couch with her new book, Kestrels Chosen(1), to wait the last ten-minutes or so until her mentor arrived.

Ding Dong went her door bell startling her out of her journey with Phedre as she wandered the barbarian wastelands with her protector Jocelin.

"Coming!" she called, slipping her book mark into place before going to open the door to reveal her mentor.

"Usagi! What did you do to your hair?" was her first question as she looked at the blonde's boyish hair cut.

"Well, Setsuna, you have to promise not to tell anyone, but I'm going to St. Joseph's and well, I'm discussing myself as a boy so that they won't kick me out."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" the tall raven haired woman requested as she stepped inside Usagi's apartment.

"It's the only way I'll be able to get a good education"

The woman shrugged nonchalantly before picking up one of the taped-shut card board boxes which were stacked neatly against one cream coloured wall.

"well I guess we should start packing the car, after all we haven't got all day" she commented, having decided that she could get Usagi to address her concerns later, seeing as she knew that there was no way that the blonde would change her mind.

Setsuna carried the box out the still open door and down the front walk to her car, Usagi with yet another box in hand following after a slightly surprised expression on her face as she studied her mentor.

Approximately ten minutes and a total of five trips later the two women piled into Setsuna's silver van and after a brief stop at the local Starbucks set out on the hour long drive to the famous school's extensive campus.

"So tell me again why you are doing this" Setsuna questioned turning down the radio as the station shifted to commercials, "I mean if St. Joseph's accepted you, you must have gotten into at least one other top-notch school"

Usagi flushed red in embarrassment; it was true she had actually been accepted into two other schools, all co-ed so it would have been easy for her to go to them.

"all right, you caught me" she admitted, eyes dancing with mischief "and I'll try to explain. I chose St. Joseph's not only because it's an excellent school, but as soon as I realised I'd been accepted I just knew I had to go there, even though my head was telling me I was being insensible, I just had a gut feeling that I was making the right decision."

Setsuna raised an eye-brow in disbelief, and then with a shrug she turned the radio back up and turned her full attention back to the road ahead.

~*~

Forty-five minutes later the silver van exited the free-way onto a two-lane country paved road,

"Keep your eyes open Usa, the school shouldn't be too far." Setsuna ordered as the pair looked out the windows at the vast country side with its boarder of towering mountains. The sprawling fields were dotted with cows, horses and other livestock, and the unpleasant scent of manure filled the air, causing both women to roll up their windows in a vain attempt to keep it outside the vehicle.

As they passed the farm-houses and red barns, Usagi began to wonder if they were even in the right area, as the school was supposedly built near a lake, with a forest.

"Look! A sign!" the blonde exclaimed in relief, as she read off, "St. Joseph's Academy, Take the next right"

Good naturedly Setsuna complied, turning the van onto a road which passed under an iron arch. This road appeared to be no different from the other, as Usagi looked out her window to watch the grass billow in the breeze, praising the gods above that the manure smell had died down.

The two-lane road stretched on towards the mountains, no signs of human inhabitation evident aside from the barbed wire fence running along the road on either side, and the familiar wooden poles to keep the electrical wires a safe distance from the ground.

"This place sure is secluded" Setsuna commented, as they passed a sign informing drivers to turn right in order to reach the school, or go straight to who knows where.

"Yea, talk about it" Usagi muttered, eyes still focused on the road ahead, as it slowly began to climb higher.

For the next twenty minutes the road continued its winding assent into the mountains, scattered trees, turning into a full fledged forest, complete with occasional run-off streams, and waterfalls that rushed down the mountain side amidst the rocks.

As the van exited a tunnel, it was bathed in light, as the girls found themselves staring in awe up at the towering mountain peaks

"Wow" the pair breathed, pulling into the view spot. "This is amazing" and it truly was. 

The pair looked down the from their vantage point to where they could see the copper roof of the school as it shimmered proudly near the bright blue glacier-fed lake, as it sat surrounded by the tall trees of the ever-green forest.

"Oh my god Usagi, I can't believe you're actually going to school here. It looks like a hotel!"

Usagi laughed, "Well, it used to be this Sir. Adam Goldwhen's private estate but when he died childless he wrote in his will that he wanted it to become a school so that "generations of youth would have the opportunity to learn in this pristine mountain environment"

"Oh… well I suppose that was nice of him" Setsuna commented, then as she walked back to the van continued, "Let's get going or you're going to be late checking in"

~*~*~*~ *~

laa di daa, a little boring I'm sorry, but please do review to tell me what you think so far.

~ Galene