A sharp breeze glided through the resurrected jade green spring grass and into the open windows of Mugen High School. A petite young girl with lavender hair lay on her desk with her head down, snoring softly as the other students struggled to stay awake as the teacher scribbled down notes on Algebra. Today was Hotaru's first day of school, she couldn't remember being in any school except when Setsuna taught her. High school; stress, growth, confusion and love, all of swirling in her daydream as the instructor drawled on.
The teacher was tall and built with slicked back golden blond hair and blue eyes; he wore a sharp suit and glasses. His name, Mr. Invido, was scribbled on the board very neatly. Hotaru thought he looked like a 'wall street broker'.
Invido scribbled more formulas on the board while narrating what they were used for. "Can anyone tell me," Invido began before noticing the sleeping girl. She sat in the middle row of the class, snoring softly while he was trying to teach algebra. He flipped to his attendance digging up her name. "Ms. Tomoe," He called.
The girl still slept as if she were deaf.
"Ms. Tomoe." He repeated a little louder, trying to prompt one of the students to wake her, but the other students were busy copying the notes. He narrowed his eyes into slits and glared at her, "Ms. Tomoe." He barked loudly.
The class whirled around and faced the snoozing girl.
Hotaru stirred awake and observed the scene, noticing she was the center of attention. She blushed a little from nervousness, "Sorry." She said weakly.
"Ms. Tomoe," He said; ready to add more embarrassment to her reputation as punishment, "Why don't you teach us?" He said maliciously.
Hotaru stared into his icy blue eyes and answered, "Why don't I?" She answered, showing a little spunk. She rose from her desk and nervously stepped to the Invido.
"Go ahead, instruct us." He sneered; dropping the chalk into Hotaru's outstretched hand.
Invido strutted across the classroom and slumped into Hotaru's vacant desk. All the students were gazing at Hotaru expectantly.
Hotaru's face went scarlet and her mind blank. {Why did I have to open my mouth?}She thought bitterly.
Invido crossed his arms pompously and asked, "What will be the basis of your lecture today Ms. Tomoe?"
"Huh," Hotaru gasped quickly.
"That's a great thing to teach us today Ms. Tomoe. I've always wanted to learn about 'huh'." Invido said scathingly, making some students snicker.
Hotaru took a deep breath, {I'll show him.} She thought. "Can um, anyone tell me, umm, what the Pythagorean Theorem is used for?"
"Geometry," Invido chuckled smugly, "and this is an Algebra class."
"Umm, correct, but since you're not teaching us anything I feel you should remain silent." Hotaru snapped.
Invido smiled at her smugly, while the students repressed their outbursts.
"Now," Hotaru sighed drawing a triangle on the board and labeling it, "Mr. Invido, what's the formula since you seem to know everything?" Hotaru asked, impressed with her own sass.
"Have you forgotten the formula Ms. Tomoe?" Invido asked.
"No." Hotaru lied. "I'm trying to teach."
The two stared each other down for a moment before Invido answered, "A squared, plus C squared equals Z squared."
"Correct, wait wrong," Hotaru said triumphantly. The students all gave Invido perplexed glances. Invido yawned; he'd made the mistake purposely to test the sassy student. He'd met so many in his career, always slacking off, gossiping in the rear of the class making it tougher for him to do his job and yet they expected a passing grade.
Hotaru suddenly remembered the formula, "It's A squared plus B squared equals C squared."
The class watched the lesson unfold with interest, pondering the careless mistake of a college educated instructor to a teenage girl that had just taught them a lesson from a subject they weren't scheduled to learn for months. As Hotaru continued her simple lecture on the equation the class got more vocal and Invido more silent.
"Any more questions," Hotaru asked, astounded by her teaching ability.
Everyone remained silent and continued to throw perplexed looks at the flushed face of Invido. Hotaru balled up a sheet of nearby paper. "Mr. Invido, you are the weakest link." Hotaru said, riding her power trip, she fired the paper-ball into a nearby garbage bin.
Invido's eyes instantly lit up, "Give me your I.D. Ms. Tomoe." He snapped taking advantage of the arrogance of the teaching prodigy.
"But why," Hotaru asked outraged.
"I'm writing you up." He barked unrolled a discipline sheet and scribbling down, Throwing. Refused to give I.D. "That's two days right there." He said impressed with himself.
Invido then hit the intercom, "I need a security escort."
Hotaru began to brood on how unfair it was, she crossed her arms and pouted her lips until she could no longer hold her opinion to herself. "This is wrong. How can you write me up for nothing?"
Invido did not answer, he just pointed to the beefy security guard who was waiting in the doorway.
Hotaru gave Invido one last glare before turning on heel and leaving the room. The security guard read the discipline file on the way, but otherwise did not say a word, he occasionally turned around to make sure Hotaru was still there, which made no sense to Hotaru she wasn't the best at running.
The discipline office was a small room, probably because it was barely visited by students. There were rough uncomfortable armchairs there and inside sat the disciplinarian behind her desk. She was dressed in navy blue and was a short plump woman with auburn red hair coiled into a tight bun. Her eyes were busy scanning the report Invido had filled out. "Throwing is an automatic day out," She narrated.
"I was throwing the paper away." Hotaru filled in.
The disciplinarian lowered the form and locked her eyes on Hotaru. "I didn't ask you that." She said in a tone so cold it sounded like a death-threat. She raised the paper again and continued to read. Hotaru sat in the chair with her arms crossed and her eyes filled with anger.
"You have two days out." The disciplinarian reported.
"But I didn't do anything," Hotaru said outraged.
"Getting loud with me," The disciplinarian scowled, she then took the form and scribbled something else down, "That's another day."
"What?"
"You heard me now I suggest you keep your mouth shut before I give you another day."
Hotaru sat silent as the disciplinarian finished the suspension sheet. She let the office just as the tardy bell for lunch rang. She entered the cafeteria her eyes downcast. She wondered and amazed by how much of a fool she was for playing into Invido's hands.
"Hotaru." A familiar voice called. The meatball headed girl known as Usagi dashed toward the melancholic Hotaru. Hotaru stopped and glanced at Usagi, who smiling broadly before she tripped and fell.
The kids in line laughed aloud as Usagi wailed from the sharp pain searing through her knees. A tall masculine girl with sandy brown hair emerged from the line and kneeled by Usagi's side. "Are you all right buns-head?"
Usagi's weeping instantly stopped, "Yeah, I'll survive." She said, as Haruka helped her onto her feet.
"Michiru's already sitting at the table." Haruka informed them as she skipped past the line and entered the cafeteria.
"I'll see you guys in a minute," Usagi called, her stomach growling.
Hotaru waited in line with Usagi. Usagi ignored the few kids who were still snickering about her fall. "So what's wrong Hotaru?"
"I, um, kind of got suspended today." Hotaru said nervously. It seemed Usagi's fall had drained away all the anger in Hotaru.
"That's nice." Usagi said absent-mindedly. "Hold on-what, how?"
"For throwing paper in the trash," Hotaru said.
"Let me see the slip."
Hotaru handed over the slip, Usagi scanned it, struggling over some of the big words, but getting the idea. "Mr. Invido?" Usagi said to herself. "He must be new, I've never heard of him." She said, piling whatever she could find on her tray.
"He's an," Hotaru began stumbling on a word Setsuna taught her to call rude people.
"A what," Usagi asked.
"Asshole," Hotaru said slow and awkwardly. "I know I shouldn't say it," Hotaru said quickly, "but when I think of him that's the only word that comes to mind.
"Well, Haruka's going to be really excited to know you're following in someone she likes footsteps."
Hotaru didn't respond. The rage was slowly returning. Why did she have to come to Mugen anyway? She wondered.
She crossed to the front of the cafeteria and spotted the table, it chock full of strange people, Haruka and Michiru were at the heart of the table each listening to their fan clubs suggestions and comments.
"I like your hair Michiru." One said.
"Thanks."
"Nice bike Haruka." One said
"Yeah, it is."
"So, um, where's Leo?" One guy asked.
At that question both stared at the guy maliciously as if the guy had just called them that word females don't like to hear.
"He's on vacation." Haruka snapped in a final tone.
"So, um, when's he coming back, he owed me some money you know?"
"Shigeru, he owed you five hundred yen." Michiru said scathingly.
An awkward silence hovered over the table until a loud voice called, "Excuse us." The odango-headed Usagi pushed through the crowd and to her seat which became empty for her. "Thanks."
Hotaru squeezed through the crowd with difficulty and looked to her agitated parents for help, but they didn't seem to notice her. "Um, pardon me."
A stocky guy spun around, "Oh sorry shorty." He smiled, "I'm Shigeru." He said offering his hand. Shigeru was tall with a slim build, his hair black hair falling just shy of his black eyes. He was wasn't necessarily attractive in the traditional sense but beneath the surface Hotaru could sense a kind of "edge" of coolness to him.
Hotaru looked at her parents, Haruka looked as if she had a foul smell under her nose, Michiru looked as if her lungs were cracking from holding in so much laughter, and Usagi on the other hand was busy stealing Haruka's chocolate milk. Shigeru was such a poser in the eyes of Leo, Haruka and Michiru, despite wearing flashy clothes that depicted he was from the ghetto he lived a quiet life in the boondocks while resorting to the unconventional means of crafting his bad boy image by attempting to surround himself with popular kids and gangsters.
Hotaru turned back to Shigeru, who was waiting to either be accepted or rejected. Hotaru sat her heavy tray in his larger hands, "Can you carry this-Thanks." She smiled before filling an empty seat.
"Hey Hotaru," Michiru smiled, "How's your first day so far?"
Hotaru took her tray from the infatuated Shigeru and replied, "Lousy."
"Why, someone bothering you?" Haruka asked quickly, her fraternal senses kicking in immediately.
Hotaru did not answer. The last thing she needed was for Haruka to try to fight with Invido, regardless of how comforting it was to think of that smug bastard getting what he had coming to him.
"Mr. Invido wrote her up." Usagi answered, chugging Haruka's chocolate milk.
"Invido," Michiru said turning the name over in her mind. "He must be new, I've ever heard of him."
"Me neither." Haruka grunted, cutting her eyes at the thought of. "We'll talk about this later." She said shooting Hotaru "that look". The look that depicted clearly that Invido wouldn't be the bad guy in the comversation.
"So what's your name?" Shigeru asked again.
"She's not interested." Haruka scoffed.
"Did she answer or did you answer for her?" Shigeru hissed, showing some balls and determined to not go down in flames in front of his new crush.
"I, um, already have a boyfriend." Hotaru said, trying to squash the problem ASAP, noticing how red Haruka's face was becoming.
Shigeru turned to Hotaru, "Who? What's his name?" He asked.
Hotaru hadn't worked that part out yet. She thought for a moment struggling to think of a guy's name. Then she remembered a name mentioned earlier, "His names Leo."
All eyes were now on Hotaru, especially Haruka's.
Shigeru's face looked as if someone had just force-fed him a glass of earwax, "Leo, as in Leo deCruz."
Hotaru looked around for help, but everyone was busy staring at her. "Yes," Hotaru nodded.
"Oh, umm, well tell him I said hi." Shigeru said. He quickly left from the table leaving an awkward silence in his trail, the group continued to surround the table making it more and more awkward, how Hotaru wished someone would say something anything.
Haruka stood from her seat and turned to Michiru, "I'm going to eat outside," and without waiting for a word of acknowledgement, Haruka marched through the doors.
"I'm going to check on 'Ruka," Michiru said, following behind Haruka. Instantly, the table was no longer crowded, the small group had scattered across the cafeteria and the only people left at the table were Hotaru and Usagi, who had finally stopped eating.
"Did I say something?" Hotaru asked in a low resentful voice.
Usagi didn't know what to say to Hotaru. Usagi herself was still feeling the impact of Hotaru's lie. It had been months since Leo's death but Usagi hadn't found closure and Haruka seemed to have been hit the hardest by it.
"I said something wrong didn't I?" Hotaru asked, her lips trembling. "I've gotten in trouble made my parents and friends lousy all in the same day." Hotaru said hysterically.
"It's not your fault Hotaru, its just, well-" Usagi began, before Hotaru cut her off.
"It is my fault. Setsuna told it was wrong, lying, but I just, I just, I didn't to hurt his feelings." Hotaru said, rising from her seat.
"You didn't do anything wrong Hotaru." Usagi said, but Hotaru was already locked and ensnared in her own forlorn, melancholic world.
"I'm a lousy student, daughter and friend," She said, tears forming in her eyes.
"Sit down Hotaru. People are starting to stare." Usagi whispered.
"Let them stare," Hotaru said in a low rougher voice, "Let those lowlifes gaze upon the face of their future empress."
Usagi winced and cautiously rose from her seat, her hand clutching her brooch.
"Those fools kan rest assured. Their time will come." Hotaru said bleakly. She raised her downcast eyes to Usagi, who gasped at the sight her eyes they were a full crimson red, and blood oozed from them down her cheeks. "This is only the beginning," She smiled wickedly to Usagi, who gasped as if she were choking. "This is reality," She said, crossing the table so her and Usagi were face-to-face.
Usagi was so terrified she wanted to scream, but the words were jammed in her throat. Usagi was so terrified she wanted to run, but her legs were as stiff as a board. Usagi was so terrified she wanted to transform, but how could she if couldn't talk or move.
"No one kan help you," Hotaru said her voice no longer wicked, but stern and serious. "I will let you live a fantasy beyond your imagination." Hotaru said and suddenly, she collapsed onto the cafeteria.
"Hotaru," Usagi screamed kneeling beside her.
Haruka and Michiru emerged from outside drawn by Usagi's screams. Fear and guilt filled both their hearts at the sight of Hotaru, her face was covered with blood and her body was motionless and her skin fading to a blue color.