*plays the ending to the 1812 Overturne*
I'M BACK! That's right folks, the time has come for the fun to continue. I hope you didn't miss me that much.
Now, for my attentive readers out there, you might notice that THIS update co-responds quite nicely to the update to ANOTHER TMM story. DO we know what that story is? DO we know WHY? Why am I still bothering with this omake.
LETS ROCK THIS JOINT!
Daniel was back amongst his friends by Saturday, finally released from Medical with much prompting from Kisshu. Apparently Daniel's presence in the recovery ward was throwing off Mika's 'performance'. Thankfully, no-one hung around long enough for Kisshu to expand on the topic.
September passed quickly for the six of them. Despite the fact that they had minimal classes, they always seemed to have homework to do. However, that wasn't all they did. The boys were quick to introduce the girls to some 'street games' they'd played back on the deserted avenues of their home city. Bridgette seemed to get the hang of stickball fairly quickly, much to their surprise.
They didn't talk about what happened that Saturday night. From that moment on, Daniel became extremely uncomfortable being outside alone at night. Though, he never went out by himself. Matt and Vash always seemed to accompany him after the sun went down, and Jessica always wanted to know where he was if he wasn't in his room.
Soon, the brisk touch of October met the grounds. The forest around the campus began changing; the ocean of green succumbing to the march of time, changing into a gorgeous rainbow of autumn colors. The days seemed to get shorter, as the orb of the sun fled much faster beneath the horizon with each day.
Somehow – by hook or by crook – the six teenagers bonded into the fiercest of friends. Rarely were any of them found alone; even then, it wasn't for long. Within a matter of weeks they had memorized each other's life stories, siblings, hometown friends, and favorite foods. However, none of them noticed the pleasant, almost approving looks the teachers gave them whenever they entered or exited a room as a group. There was however, one problem with their perfect group dynamics. Or should it be said: one problem with two causes.
Matt and Sean were possibly the most argumentative of the six friends. Be it eating habits, homework, politics or religion, they never seemed to run out of topics to 'debate' about. And their 'debates' often included yelling loudly at each other, frequently followed by one insulting the other's mother, which was then followed by the other chasing the first around campus for a few hours until they both collapsed in a sweaty heap. This however, came to a head a few days into the second week of October.
Matt, Sean, and – surprisingly – Bridgette, stood ram-rod straight, looks of guilt, innocence, and confusion respectively etched onto their features. On the other side of the massive desk sat Yubari-sensei, with The Captain standing beside her.
"So, let me get this straight," Yubari-sensei began, trying to put the sequence of events into logical order. "You–" She pointed to Matt "–snuck into the computer mainframe in an attempt to delete the records of all the tests for this month."
He didn't reply; his smug look broadcasted everything.
"You–" She pointed to Sean "–find him there, and proceed to fight him in an attempt to stop him." Sean tried to open his mouth to protest, but her icy glare stopped any words cold.
"And you–" She finished, pointing to Bridgette "–wandered inside, tried to break them up, and, in the process, cracked one of the servers."
The three of them nodded, miserable. Yubari-sensei clapped her hands together and sighed.
"Two of them are your minions, Jason," she said, spinning in her chair to face the male teacher. "What'chya wanna do with them?"
The grin Jason gave the three of them would have cracked a block of ice.
"I've got a little team building exercise, and I think it'll suit these three just fine."
Yubari-sensei nodded in agreement.
"Dismissed," she barked, sending the three of them scuttling.
"You just had to not study," Sean snapped, as soon as they left Yubari-sensei's office.
"Me!" Matt shouted, shoving Sean's shoulder. "I had everything under control until you shoved your damn face into my business!"
"Please!" Bridgette cried, trying to get in between the two combatants. A wayward arm pushed her away, and she fell on the floor. This snapped the two of them out of it, as they realized what had happened.
"The two of you are a couple of dumbasses, ya know that!" Jessica came storming down the hall, grabbed their heads, and crashed them both together.
"Couldn't have put it any better myself." Vash was helping Bridgette to her feet, while Daniel stood in front of the pair, Hawkeye in his arms.
"You were both in the wrong, and now you've dragged Bridgette into your little shenanigans."
"Eet eez my fault," Bridgette announced, after thanking Vash for his help. "Per'aps I should not `ave investigated zee open door..."
"That's not the point here, Bridg," Jessica sighed. "The point is that you three are in some major trouble, and there's no telling what Mr. Washington's gonna do to you."
"He said something about a 'team building exercise,'" Matt announced.
"Well that's something you three need desperately," Vash replied, leading the six of them out of the Humanities Building.
"Daniel, you know the most about The Captain," Jessica said presently, as they left the building. They all buttoned up their jackets and sweaters against the brisk October wind on their way up the sloping drive to the Student Center. "What do you think he has in mind?"
Daniel was silent as they focused on making their way into the shelter of the building.
"Well," he began, once they were safely out of the chill. He removed his Flat Cap. "Jason's always been a 'hands on' kind of person. He never likes dilly-dallying with theories and stuff like that. His business is getting down and dirty."
"I can see why he's a gym teacher," Sean remarked.
"'ow do you know so much about Zee Captain?" Bridgette asked him, as she unwound a cashmere scarf from her neck. Daniel's frame went rigid for a split second reflexively..
"And why's he called 'The Captain,' anyway?" Jessica asked, equally confused.
"That was his rank in the Marines."
The five of them froze.
"Jason Washington was in the Marines?" Vash exclaimed, causing several passing seniors to look at him in alarm.
"Not officially," Daniel admitted, as they made their way into the Cafeteria. "He and the other Mews were granted 'Rank equal to a Captain in the United States Marine Corps.' during the Mew wars."
"Why'd they do that?" Matt asked, fascinated at the story.
"I don't know the exact story," Daniel confessed, as they made their way down the food line. "But after the Battle of Shanghai, the President acknowledged the need for the Mews to work with the Armed Forces. I guess it was to simplify everything."
"So when we become real Mews," Jessica said slowly, connecting the dots. "We become members of the Marine Corps? I'm not even a American citizen!" A stunned silence fell on the six friends.
"I'm not entirely sure Jess," Daniel told her, as they sat down in their usual booth. "I don't think so, but I'm not a hundred percent sure."
The six friends looked at each other nervously. They began eating as a way to keep the awkward topic from being brought up again Slowly, the atmosphere changed, as they began talking about 'The Captain's' most recent gym class.
"I'm never playing flag football again," Jessica declared in a moan, rubbing her head.
"Ya know, girls," Daniel began, twirling his spaghetti around on his fork. "We really need to get down to the gym sometime soon. We haven't started your rock climbing sessions."
"Those'll have to wait." Looking up, they saw Washington standing over them, a relatively calm look on his face. Sean, Matt and Bridgette tried not to make eye contact with him. They assumed what he was here for.
They weren't wrong.
"You three have been excused from classes for the rest of the week," he told them, much to their surprise.
"The hell?" Matt asked, vocalizing everyone's confusion.
"Instead, I'd advise you spend tomorrow sleeping. All day," he stressed, locking eyes with the three troublemakers. He continued before anyone could question him further.
"Tomorrow afternoon, you three are to meet me in my office in the Hums building, with enough clothes packed to last you 'til Friday night." Their confusion only increased. Even Hawkeye looked up at the brown haired teacher, confusion etched onto his cute face.
"I'm giving a lecture in Tokyo, Thursday morning," he announced. "And you three are accompanying me."
"Excuse me, sir," Sean began, shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "But you said we were doing a 'team building exercise'."
"That's what it is," Jason replied cheerfully. "Just trust me when I say you three are gonna need all the help you can get." With that, he stole a handful of fries from Vash's plate and strode off.
"We're going to Tokyo!" Matt exclaimed, looking both excited and nervous.
"I can see why eet would be a 'team building exercize'," Bridgette announced, looking down right morbid. "We will need each ozzer to survive."
"You're really nervous," Jessica realized, slipping an arm around Bridgette's shoulders.
"Eet took me zhree months to learn Eengleesh. I cannot speak a single word of Japaneez." Jessica glanced at her best friend, then leaned over and grabbed Matt and Sean by their shirt collars, dragging them down onto the table, right up close to her threatening face.
"You two listen good!" she hissed between clenched teeth. "If you let anything happen to her, you'd better dig your own graves!"
()()()
Wednesday afternoon found the four boys in their room, watching Matt and Sean packed their necessities into their knapsacks.
"I guess as long as you two stick close to The Captain, you shouldn't have a problem," Daniel told them, as Sean swung his bag onto his shoulders.
"I've got a really bad feeling about this," he sighed, as Vash handed him a small, wrapped package.
"In case you two get hungry," he explained with a smile. Before either of them could say anything in response, three loud knocks drew their attention to the door. It was Washington, leaning against the frame.
"Time's a-wastin', boys. Our ride should already be here."
"Ganbatte! Jaa, mata ashita!" Daniel shouted out after his two roommates. Sean blinked and spun back around.
"You can speak Japanese!" he shouted, half in fury, half in astonishment.
()()()
After collecting Bridgette, the four of them – one teacher, and three students – made their way across the campus. Dark was already drawing in to claim the grounds; the last tendrils of light peaked across the sky.
"Hurry up you two, we don't wanna keep them waiting!" Washington shouted, spurring the three of them along. They didn't say anything until they entered Washington's office. There were three people inside. Two of them had sharp, pointed ears.
"Hey Chrissie!" Washington greeted the woman. She wore a dark blue business skirt, adorned with a simple, gold butterfly pendant. "Everyone, this is Ms. Chrissie, the Deputy Dean of the Mew Institute."
"Where's the Head Dean?" Matt asked. Ms. Chrissie smiled at him.
"He prefers to keep a low profile."
"Kisshu! Pai! Glad you could be here."
Bridgette jumped in surprise when she noticed the two men – or Cyniclons – standing next to her.
"Pai will be covering for me tomorrow. We like to rotate teachers around every now and then," Washington announced.
"You had best get going," Pai announced, looking at his watch. "First Period begins shortly."
"Alright," Kisshu announced, holding out his hands. "Everyone grab on."
With nervous looks the three students joined hands with the Cyniclon. Washington joined them, too, linking himself with Matt and Kisshu.
"Let's light this candle!" he shouted.
Kisshu grinned, and promptly teleported.
It was as if the floor had dropped out from underneath them. Their vision swirled and mixed together; their insides feeling like they'd taken a massive plunge on a roller coaster. Finally, after some momentary discomfort, they landed again. Bridgette and Washington remained on their feet, while Matt staggered a little. Sean seemed the hardest hit, falling to one knee, his hand clutching his brow. A few moments later, he was back on his feet, none too worse for the wear.
It was then that they realized what had happened. Washington's office was gone, replaced now by a long, blue tiled hallway with doors on both sides of the cream-colored walls.
"Where are we?" Sean asked, astonished.
"The Tokyo Mew Academy," Washington announced, as he made his way down the hall.
"Kinda small if you ask me," Matt remarked.
"This is only the faculty's quarters," their teacher replied, coming to a stop at the door at the end of the hall. "Things operate on a different kilter here."
With no warning, Washington began kicking the door with his massive boots. "Oi, blondie, get your ass outta bed!"
The commotion seemed to have a different response. The other doors on the hall opened up, and out came several teachers. One of them was a small, blonde woman, dressed in what looked like a bright blue Chinese-style dress. She caught sight of Washington and leapt over the three fascinated students to latch herself onto his shoulders. She started babbling in enthusiastic, rapid Japanese, which Washington seemed to be able to follow quite well.
More people appeared; they all seemed to know him. He was promptly swamped by at least half a dozen teachers, all speaking in rapid Japanese.
"This is making my head hurt," Matt sighed, clutching his head in mock pain. Suddenly, the blonde woman unattached herself from Washington's shoulders, and stared face-to-face at Matt. He recoiled in surprise as the woman smiled, and started bouncing around the three startled students. Finally, Washington switched language gears.
"These three are my students, who are in trouble!" he emphasized.
"Well I can't abide troublemakers," one of the women sighed. "However, one must be a gracious hostess." She bowed formally at the waist.
"Welcome to Mew Academy. I am Aizawa-sensei. I believe you have already met Fong-sensei." The blonde-haired woman cheered at the mention of her name.
"You sure took your time getting here, Jason."
"You sure took your time waking up, baka," Washington replied. Standing at the door he had so very recently kicked was a tall, blonde man, wearing a white business suit, his hands in his pockets. The three students instantly recognized him.
"You're Dr. Shirogane!" Bridgette gasped. He smiled, obviously approving her deduction.
"Then that means…" Sean began, his brain forming the answer in his mind. His eyes widened in shock. "You guys are the original Tokyo Mew Mew!"
"What the hell!" Matt shouted in surprise, eyes darting from teacher to teacher in disbelief.
"Well, I guess the game's up," Washington sighed. "Momomiya-sensei, Aizawa-sensei, Fong-sensei, Midorikawa-sensei, and–" Washington stopped abruptly, turning accusingly to Dr. Shirogane.
"She's getting her class started," Ryou explained. "She prefers to go early."
"Well what the hell are we waiting for?" Washington shouted, taking off down the hall towards the elevator.
"Wait for us!" Matt shouted, as he, Sean and Bridgette ran after him, nipping into the elevator at the last second.
"So what kind of lecture are you giving today?" Sean asked. He didn't reply, or make any motion that he'd even heard him.
They arrived at their floor, the elevator opening up into a long hallway. Washington took off, hell-bent on arriving at his destination, whatever that was. His three students struggled to keep up.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a series of bell chimes rang out, obviously signaling the beginning of the period. The three of them were instantly swamped by at least a hundred Japanese students who appeared from all directions, all wearing the same jet-black vest and pink button-down Oxford shirt. The girls had on pink-plaid skirts, while the boys wore black dress pants.
"Jesus Christ!" Matt shouted, grabbing onto Sean and Bridgette's shoulders, so as not to lose them in the crowd. The hallway was suddenly roaring with chattering voices.
As quickly as the students appeared, they vanished, scurrying off towards their morning classes. The three friends stood in the deserted hallway, confused as to what had happened.
"The hell was that?" Matt asked, overwhelmed, as he patted down his pockets, making sure everything was still there.
"Students?" Bridgette replied, the statement being half a question, half an answer.
"Guys…" Sean began, fear and panic creeping into his voice. "Where'd Professor Washington go?"
The trio looked around in a blind panic. To their utter horror, there was no sign of their teacher anywhere.
They were alone.
Bridgette began trembling, nervously looking around the now deserted corridor.
"What will we do now?" She asked, fear entrenched in her voice.
"I don't know, I don't know." Sean replied. He was not used to being flung into situations like this. It was well beyond his sense of security.
"Take it easy man," Matt told them, coolly. "We'll be just fine."
"What makes you say that?" Sean asked, turning back to his friend.
"Because we're in a school. Not just any school, but a school, devoted to Mews, which we are. And from those teacher's reactions to The Captain, I think he's well known here."
"So, what does zat mean?" Bridgette asked.
"Means we're still in friendly turf. There's gotta be a reception desk or something around here."
"You're forgetting one thing Matt," Sean replied. "None of us speak Japanese."
"So, we just need to find a teacher or something. Don't they teach English at Japanese schools?"
"I suppose." Sean replied.
"So we just need to find the English teacher or something." Sean blinked, astounded at how simple the solution was.
"But, are we sure?" Matt shrugged.
"The hell should I know," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. "Either of you two have an idea on which way to go?" He asked.
Both Sean and Bridgette shook their heads. Matt shrugged.
"Alright, heads we go left, tails we go right." He shouted, before tossing the coin in the air. It landed with a small tinkle, before rolling off down the corridor. Bridgette ran off after it, turning a corner to follow the twenty-five cent piece. A loud exclamation drew the boys' attention to her.
"What's wrong?" Sean asked, rounding the corner. To their surprise, Bridgette was lying on the ground next to a young Japanese girl. It was obvious that the two girls had collided with each other.
"I thought class just started?" Matt inquired, as the new girl began to stand back up.
"You are asking why someone is late to class?" Sean asked, sighing dramatically.
"Now don't start that again!" Matt replied, turning to his friends.
"Matt, Sean." Bridgette called out, now on her feet.
To their surprise, three other girls joined, bringing the total up to four Japanese girls standing in the hallway, ogling the three of them like a floor show. They began to whisper among themselves, the hushed voices not necessary.
"Hello?" One of them greeted, her English slow and painfully accented.
"Do you speak English?" Sean tried. "Do you know Mr. Jason Washington? We are his students, we are looking for him."
To their disappointment, the girl blanched, throwing her arms up in defense of their questions.
"No…spea-ku" She confessed.
"Aw shit." Matt swore, palming his forehead. "Well that was useless." He sighed, before turning around.
"Yeah, I think we're wasting our time." Sean agreed, turning to join Matt.
As the three students turned back down the hall, they heard the four Japanese school girls talk in rapid Japanese. They mostly ignored them, until one of them called out in comprehensible English,
"Ex-cuse me!" The first girl shouted, grabbing their attention.
"We will… help you… find English speaker. Come now."
"Praise God!" Matt shouted, punching the air. Sean released a breath he did not realize he was holding. He turned, and saw Bridgette walk up to the girl and took her hands.
"A-ri-ga-toe." She replied, a horrendous blend of her thick French accent and her English dialect. To their surprise, the other girls descended into fits of giggles.
"What was that?" Sean asked. Bridgette blushed.
"Jessica 'ad a Japanese phrasebook. That was "Thank you." I zink."
"My name Sazuki." The girl told them. Bridgette nodded, continuing the introductions.
"I am Bridgette." The boys saw the girls attempt to pronounce her thickly accented name, much to Matt's amusement. One of the girls behind Sazuki caught their attention.
"Sachi," she told them, pointing to herself.
"Kiseki." She added, pointing to the girl next to her.
Sazuki muttered something to her friends in Japanese, before placing her hand on the fourth girl. "This is Akane."
Matt chuckled to himself a bit. "Matt," he told them, pointing his thumb at himself. "Sean." There was a slight pause, while one of the girls, Sachi, rolled Matt, Sean and Bridgette's names around her tongue. With an exasperated sigh, the first girl, Sazuki, turned to back to them.
"Come now." She told them, her voice sounding much more urgent this time. "We are, we are…late!"
"Now that I can understand." Matt replied, as the school girls motioned for them to follow.
"Well, that certainly solved our problems." Sean added, chuckling to himself. Bridgette paused for a moment, picking up the quarter that had led her to meeting these four girls. She handed it back to Matt.
"I zink it ezz lucky." She told him.
"We'll just see about that." Sean replied, as they followed their new guides into the belly of Mew Academy.
Did ya see it? Did you notice?
If you didn't I'll spell it out for you.
THIS STORY IS NOW OFFICIALLY CROSSED OVER WITH CHERRIE-SAKURA'S MEW ACADEMY!
YESH everyone, this one was MONTHS in the making. And those were the 'extenuating circumstances'. Since Cherrie didn't update, I couldn't. But now that that's all settled, we can get back to the fun.
And just remember, if we can pull THIS off, just imagine the chaos we can come up with.
