Notes at bottom. Enjoy!
-Lianne (liannesentar@hotmail.com)
http://Lianne_Sentar.tripod.com

*Fraternity Days*
Part 3

Rated PG-13 for some adult content

**Again, PLEASE do not do the things in this story. Bad. Very bad.

	Mamoru couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten more than
a few consecutive hours of sleep. In true Japanese student style, he
had gotten used to grabbing fifteen minute naps wherever he was able:
in a chair in the library, curled up at the foot of a tree, in the back
of the lecture hall, or just about anywhere where he was certain there
were no members of the ominous fraternity. If one good thing had come out
of his being chased by the upperclassmen, it was Mamoru's new-found 
resourcefulness when it came to sleep deprivation. Had the fraternity
problem never existed, Mamoru doubted he would have ever discovered it.
	Unfortunately, Motoki wasn't quite as resourceful. As the days 
passed, Mamoru grew more and more worried.
	"I'm serious." Mamoru handed Motoki a blanket. "Go."
	Motoki shook his head weakly. There were dark circles under
his eyes, he was pale, and he had begun the habit of trembling when 
he was the least bit unnerved. "I'm not going," he answered, handing
the blanket back. "It's not fair to you."
	"I could care less about me." Mamoru angrily shoved the
blanket back. "Your body's not taking the lack of sleep well, and your
immune system's defenses're weakening. Keep up with four hours of 
sleep a night and you're *asking* to get sick."
	Motoki pushed the blanket back. "I'm taking Vitamin C!"
	Pushed the blanket back. "Just go."
	Pushed the blanket back. "If the frat's giving us a hard time, we'll face
it together!"
	Pushed. "No."
	Pushed. "Yes!"
	Pushed. "Forget it, Motoki."
	Pushed. "Mamoru, why do you always have to-"
	A knock on the door made them both freeze. The two teens
stared at each other a moment, then their eyes simultaneously flew
to the nearest bedside clock. The red numbers shone 11 PM. When tired
students started preparing for bed.
	Without so much as a word between them, Mamoru and Motoki
bolted the door shut and threw themselves against the thick wood for
good measure. They squeezed shut their eyes and shouted in unison:
	"GO AWAY!"
	Silence. There was a gentle murmur of surprise from the other
side of the door, and then a quiet, "Did I come at a bad time?" 
	Mamoru and Motoki blinked. "Reika?" Motoki asked. Mamoru quickly
undid the lock and swung open the door. A surprised Reika stood in the
hall.
	Motoki sighed. He fell, exhausted, against the doorframe. "Sorry," 
he murmured. "We thought you were ... y'know."
	"'Y'know?'" Reika frowned. She took Motoki's chin in her fingers 
and tilted his face in the light. "You look awful," she said, her voice
tight with worry. "Much worse than yesterday."
	Motoki tried to turn his pale face away. "I'm ok."
	"No he's *not*." Mamoru handed the blanket in his arms to Reika.
"Did everything work out? He's hesitating, so I may have to drug him."
	Motoki shot Mamoru a look. "Just my luck I get stuck living 
with someone in premed."
	Reika nodded and hugged the blanket to her chest. "My hallmate
said I can bed on her floor tonight, so Motoki can have my single. Since
guys need to be invited to go on the all-girls floor, the fraternity
won't be able to get him there."
	"I'm NOT going!" Motoki set his jaw and gripped the edge of
the doorframe with white-knuckled hands. "I'm not about to leave my
best friend to deal with Yagami and the fraternity by himself. 
Especially," he glared to cut off Mamoru's retort, "since they'll only
give you a harder time when they find out they can't get to me. Stop
arguing, because I'm staying here."
	For a long moment, Mamoru said nothing. His eyes stayed level
with Motoki's glare, solid, unreadable ... and then he spun on his heel,
walked to Motoki's bed, pulled the framed family photograph from hanging
above Motoki's headrest, and walked over to the window. He pushed open the
glass and held the picture precariously over the four-story drop.
	Motoki's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"
	"Take a wild guess." Mamoru turned to Motoki, all the while
keeping one hand out the window to dangle the photo in the cold night 
air. He narrowed his eyes. "Go or the pic gets it."
	"You're KIDDING me!" Motoki, panicked, ran for Mamoru. Mamoru
hissed and removed all but two fingers from gripping the frame. Motoki
stopped dead. He started trembling madly, his voice's pitch rising in
fear. "Mamoru," he squeaked. "You know what that picture means to me!"
	"Defeats the homesickness, reminds you that you're loved, gets
you through the dark times, yadda yadda yadda. I know." Mamoru swung the
frame back and forth, his stare hard and unfeeling. "Go sleep in Reika's
room or you'll have to retrieve this smashed and mangled thing from the
front steps of the building."
	Motoki was about to call Mamoru's bluff, then noticed the cold
glint in Mamoru's eyes. The words died in Motoki's throat. He hiccuped.
	Mamoru glanced at the happy photograph of Motoki's parents and 
younger sister. "I'd hate to destroy this," he murmured, "but I will. 
It's only a picture, Motoki. I'd rather see it broken than see your health
suffer anymore."
	Motoki swallowed hard. He had begun trembling again, and his eyes
were glassy. "Fine," he spat weakly, spinning around. He stomped out the
door and threw a final look at his best friend. "Good n-night, Mamoru,"
he said shakily. "And good luck."
	Mamoru watched as Reika led Motoki away. He didn't bring the
picture back inside until he heard the stairwell door shut.
	The fact that Motoki had almost cried, was *that* emotionally
unstable, was proof enough. Motoki had been more sleep-depraved than
Mamoru had thought. Staring at the picture, Mamoru sighed. He rested it
on a nearby desk and ran a hand through his hair. 
	"Here goes nothing," he mumbled, sitting down on his bed.
	It was less than half an hour before Mamoru heard the familiar
pounding and calling at his door. As always, he ignored it for a moment 
or two, then, recognizing the fact that noise at that hour wasn't
fair to the other residents of the dorm, gritted his teeth, pushed
himself to his feet, and prepared himself for pain.

***************************

	"Give me back my clothes."
	Yagami, in the front seat, clicked his tongue. "Come on, Chiba.
Just relax."
	"I will NOT relax!" Mamoru made a lunge for the upperclassman,
but the two seniors sitting on either side of him grabbed his bare
shoulders and shoved him back in his seat. Motoki had been right about
the fraternity not being happy about his escape; it had cost Mamoru
everything but his boxers, and now he was being driven somewhere very,
very far away without a word of explanation save the wicked grin that
curved Yagami's lips. Mamoru was *not* looking forward to their 
destination.
	"So," Yagami began. "Where'd you stash your buddy?"
	Mamoru snorted. "Like I'd tell you," he snapped. "You were 
hurting him. He can't function on so little sleep."
	"We were trying to toughen him up."
	"You were HURTING him!"
	Yagami frowned. "Geez, Chiba," he murmured. "Lighten up. 
We wouldn't do anything to *really* hurt the two of you."
	"Like bring us to a bar that required we get *blood* *tests* 
when we got back?"
	"Hey." Yagami shot Mamoru a warning look. "I apologized
for that, all right? The fight was an accident."
	Mamoru snarled in response.
	The surroundings outside of the car had changed 
dramatically. What had once been Kyoto buildings and apartments
had turned into rocky, barren crags. Mamoru could feel the car
going uphill. Although the moon wasn't terribly bright, Mamoru
could still tell from looking out the window that they were driving
into the mountains.
	"What's going on?" Mamoru asked, suddenly alarmed. Looking
at the radio clock, he saw they'd been driving almost an hour. 
	Yagami didn't reply. Another moment, and then Mamoru shot
forward and grabbed Yagami's shoulders with iron fingers. "What's 
going ON?" he shouted.
	The seniors pried Mamoru's fingers free and once again
pushed him against the seat. Yagami, rubbing his shoulders ruefully,
frowned.
	"Relax, Chiba-kun," he said. "We're almost there."
	"Almost where? Where are you TAKING me, Yagami?"
	One of the seniors put his arm around Mamoru. "We're just 
gonna play a little game," he cooed. Mamoru shoved his arm off.
	"Truthfully," Yagami said, "we wanted you and Motoki to 
do this together. But since he's hiding out somewhere,
well ..." He shrugged and smiled. "You're going solo tonight, 
Chiba. And as such, we're not going easy on you."
	Mamoru was about to let loose with a steady stream of
scathing insults, but was cut off as the car hit a ragged crag
that rocked the entire vehicle violently. The car stopped.
	"Ouch." The senior driving rolled down his window and
stuck his head out to look at the wheels. Freezing air swirled 
in the car. "Man," he murmured. "I didn't see that."
	Yagami leaned over the senior to look out the window as
well. "What?" he asked. "We hit something?"
	"No. Just a nasty dip." The senior turned his key and
turned off the engine. "But this is where we need to stop,
anyway."
	"Good." Yagami opened his door and got out of the car,
Mamoru's clothes in his arms. "Hold on to him," he told the 
seniors, gesturing to Mamoru, before he walked into the night. 
He returned a few minutes later with only Mamoru's sneakers in
his hands.
	Mamoru felt his stomach drop.
	Yagami opened the rear car door. Mamoru shivered violently 
as the cold night air pulled goose bumps from his bare skin. 
Yagami smiled.
	"Ok, kiddo. I'll go over this once so you don't catch 
pneumonia." He tossed the sneakers into Mamoru's lap. "We're
doing a little procedure we save only for the toughest potential
members. Without help, you have to come out here in what you're
wearing and find your clothes. We'll drive you home when you get
them."
	Mamoru's eyes widened. "WHAT?"
	Before Mamoru knew it the two seniors had thrown him
onto the rocky ground and slammed the car door shut. Mamoru,
his body shaking violently in the unusually cold night air,
pushed himself to his feet. He didn't even bother trying the
car door; he knew it was locked.
	Mamoru turned to Yagami. The junior was wearing a sweatshirt 
and a winter jacket, and the mountain winds batted his silken hair 
around his face. He smiled. "I'll keep you company," he said. "Better 
start before you freeze, Chiba-kun."
	Mamoru didn't waste his breathe on the curses and damnations
that burned in his brain. He used his fuming anger to fuel his 
shivering body as he jammed his feet in his sneakers and let his 
eyes adjust to the darkness.
	Finding his shirt was surprisingly easy; hardly a moment
had he run in the direction Yagami had formerly disappeared in before
he noticed the red of his hoody. Unfortunately, it wasn't the
*finding* that was the hard part.
	The hoody was 10 meters up on a high rock ledge. 
	Mamoru, his body shivering uncontrollably now, scowled at 
Yagami. "How in G-God's name did you get that up th-there?"
	Yagami, walking up from behind, shrugged and smiled. 
"You're not the first kid we've done this to," he answered simply.
"I've perfected the art of getting it up by now."
	Mamoru gritted his chattering teeth and threw himself at the 
rock wall beneath the ledge. His body was shaking so hard he could 
hardly keep a handhold, but he fought to calm his hands as they closed 
around jagged edges that protruded from the wall.
	"You'll get up there in no time," he heard Yagami call. 
Mamoru gritted his teeth harder and struggled to pull himself up.
	He could barely feel his arms and legs scraping against
the ragged wall, but he knew he was going to be covered in
nasty scratches and bruises when his body finally thawed. As it
was, he was numbing to the point that he feared his weak grips 
would loosen. He heard Yagami shout that he would catch him if he 
fell, but that didn't make Mamoru feel much better.
	"Please, God," he whispered as he came within reach of the 
hoody. Straining his shaking arm upward, he closed his eyes and prayed.
	His numb hand barely registered the feeling of fabric in
his fingers.
	Whispering thanks, Mamoru pulled the hoody from the crag
it hung on and slung it over his shoulder. After some fearful
scrambling downwards where his shaking, stiffening limbs 
threatened to give way, he finally managed to jump to the ground.
He frantically pulled the cold hoody over his head, though it 
didn't do much to warm him.
	A hand rested on his shoulder. "Nice job," Yagami said.
	Mamoru awkwardly knocked off Yagami's hand. "Don't t-touch
me," he hissed through chattering teeth. He stumbled around, 
swinging his eyes back and forth in hopes of catching a glance of his
blue jeans. He soon found himself at the edge of a huge, gaping
dip that was more than 20 meters deep. Sure enough, blue caught 
his eye from the deep, dark bottom.
	Mamoru whispered a very interesting plea to God.
	"I dropped it down there, but I know it's climbable."
Yagami appeared behind him. "Go on. Show me what you're made
of."
	"Shut up," Mamoru spat as he lowered his numb legs down.
Like the wall he had needed to climb, the descent to the bottom
of the rocky pit had plenty of ragged handholds and footholds, but
Mamoru's body was getting more difficult to manage by the minute.
He was so stiff he could hardly move.
	Yagami suddenly followed suit beside him. Mamoru,
surprised, watched as Yagami quickly clambered down the side
of the pit, dropping the last bit, and positioned himself
directly below Mamoru. He smiled and held out his arms.
	More than ever Mamoru prayed he wouldn't fall. The
concept of falling into Yagami's arms was even more disturbing
than that of falling onto the sharp rocks that littered the ground
far below.
	"C'mon, Chiba-kuuuuun," Yagami cooed. "Not much more
to go!"
	Mamoru's shaking made his situation precarious. Hugging
the pit side he was pressed against, he called, "Quit trying me!"
	Yagami made a sad whine. "But I only want to encourage
you."
	"Well, you're doing a crappy job of it!" Mamoru's anger 
flooded juices through him, which helped loosen his limbs. He 
managed to climb down the pit while a mental image of Yagami's 
smiling face helped keep his movements from growing too stiff.
	Unfortunately, the jeans were almost as stiff as he was. 
Yagami laughed as Mamoru fought to pull his pants on.
	"Great job!" he exclaimed, rubbing Mamoru's wind-tossed
hair affectionately. "And you didn't fall once! I don't think
any kid's ever managed that."
	Mamoru growled and fixed his belt.
	Undaunted, Yagami pointed to a rock ledge overhead. "If
I'm not mistaken, this's the only way to get up. It's an easy 
climb once you get on that ledge, though. Lots of handholds."
	"Whatever," Mamoru snapped, rubbing his now-clothed arms.
His body heat had begun to warm him under the hoody. "Take me
home."
	Yagami waved his arm out formally. "You first," he drawled.
"I'll stay under you in case you fall."
	Mamoru growled. "I'd rather hit the rocks."
	"Careful what you wish for." Yagami got on one knee and 
held out his arms, laying one hand over the other. "You'll need a
boost. C'mon."
	Mamoru let out a breath and rested one foot on Yagami's
hands. Bracing his hands against the rock wall, he gave Yagami
the ok. The junior hefted him up, and Mamoru grabbed the edge of
the small ledge.
	It broke off in his hand.
	The sudden loss of a handhold threw Mamoru's balance 
off, and he fell with the broken ledge. Desperately throwing his
arms over his head, he managed to knock aside the large piece
of rock so it wouldn't smash into him at the bottom of the fall.
Mamoru felt himself land in Yagami's arms as small pieces of broken
rock showered over them.
	"Oh man." Yagami immediately set Mamoru on his feet and
ran to where the broken ledge had landed. He stared at it, then stared
up at the now-flat part of the rock wall where the ledge had been. His
lips tightened into a thin line. 
	"Mamoru," he murmured, "we can't get out."
	Mamoru didn't register it at first; he was too busy brushing
rock shards from him and shuddering at the fact that he had actually
needed Yagami to catch him. When the words finally seemed to catch 
between his ears, though, he froze. His head shot up. "Wh-what?" he 
breathed.
	Yagami shrugged nervously and pointed upwards. "We needed that
ledge to get up," he said. "It must've weakened since the last time
I've been here. Without it, we're screwed."
	For a moment, Mamoru only stared. When Yagami said nothing
more, the freshman grabbed him by the collar and shook him violently.
"Stop messing with me!" he shouted. "I'm sick of your games! Show me
the way to get up or I'm gonna freeze to death!"
	Yagami pulled from Mamoru's grip. "I'm NOT messing with you,"
he said flatly. His face was deadly serious. "We're stuck down here."
	Mamoru's mind spun. Stuck? In that ditch, with the freezing 
night air and nothing but a hoody and a pair of jeans? He stumbled
backwards. He hadn't said the words lightly - he *was* in danger of
freezing to death. He had his clothes back, but they weren't nearly
enough to shelter him from the deep night cold for long. He turned
his head up and saw the huge, now-unclimbable side of the ragged pit
looming over him.
	"HELP!" Mamoru screamed.

To be concluded ...

-The final part of this story will be up on my webpage for June 28th.
Based on the slim number of feedback e-mails I've been receiving,
not many people are really enjoying this fic as much as my other fics
(of course, don't hesitate to e-mail me if you feel otherwise ^_^), so 
I think it needs an ending sooner rather than later. The fic I do after 
this one will be more of a love story; I'll talk about it on June 28th. 
	Take care!
-Lianne (liannesentar@hotmail.com)
http://Lianne_Sentar.tripod.com
*Sailor Moon and all its characters copyright © Naoko 
Takeuchi/Kodansha Ltd./Toei Animation, Co., Ltd. This story 
part copyright © Lianne Sentar, May 2001.