Chapter 55 New Students

"Just keep away from Basco," I told Grace. "Stay around the others, but make sure that you keep away from him."

"I know," Grace said. "That's a reason why I want to be with you guys. I don't feel so safe without Marvelous. Even on the Red pirate Gang, he shooed Basco away whenever Father was out."

"You know what, come with us anyways," I said. "Sensei Dave likes to meet his new students before they join his class. If they say anything, I can get a note from him."

Grace surprised me with an uncharacteristic hug. "Thanks," she said.

With that, we went to karate, meeting Joe and AkaRed, and surprised to see Marvelous, Luka, and Don, as well.

"We had to see you," Luka said before I could ask.

"Ok," I said. "Come on, Grace, even though it's the middle of the semester, I'm sure if we explain the situation, he'll let you join."

Grace and I went to Dave, who was setting up some mats.

"Sensei Dave," I said, bowing, motioning for Grace to do the same.

Dave turned to us and bowed back. "Sempai, who is this?" he said.

"Sir, this is Grace," I said. "She's with me, Ahim, and Gai at the school and she wishes to join this class. She doesn't want to be left alone, and this will be her only chance to be with us. I know it's halfway through, but we have agreed to teach her the stuff she doesn't know. She is, in fact, a Gokaiger."

"Normally, I would refuse to allow a student's admittance so late into the semester, but I know you, you keep your promises, and with the school thing, I wouldn't want t be alone while my only friends went," Dave said. "Welcome to the class, Grace. Well, what are you still doing here? Suit up! Both of you!"

With that, I got Grace her uniform and we changed and joined the others.

Grace did her class while we sat back with the others.

Then, as the first class was let out, I got to my feet and called out, "Next class, line up!"

Everyone else in the class jumped to their feet and raced to the floor, quickly getting into place while I led stretching while Dave talked to some parents on the side.

When he finished talking, he came to his spot as I took my seat.

"As a request from a student's family, we will be doing more wrestling," Dave said. "I've already set out the mats and you're already stretched. Find a partner and get a space."

As it turned out, we had an uneven number of students, and I was left alone.

Dave caught Joe's eye and nodded to him to join me.

Joe got to his feet, took off his jacket, and came to me.

"First, I want to see what you guys can do," Dave said. "Freestyle for a minute, but don't hurt yourself or each other, or I will sit you out for when we do this."

With that, we began our matches.

Joe was careful, knowing that me having a flashback during karate wouldn't be good.

After the minute, we watched some demonstrations, and I guess that Joe had told Dave about my problem, instead of using me to demonstrate something like he use to do, he called up Joe, even though he wasn't part of the class.

If I wasn't quite sure about how to do something, Joe guided me through the steps, Dave backing off, knowing that it would be better for me to get the knowledge from Joe about this.

It made me wonder about what Joe did tell him.

After class, we were reluctant to go.

Dave, seeing that, wrote a new note and gave it to me, winking at me as I gave him a confused look, having already got the note with Grace coming to class.

The others came to me as Dave walked away and I read out loud, "I have decided to have a second karate class with these four to attend. It will be Monday and Wednesday, with Saturday practices every other Saturday. I ask that Amanda Stag, Ahim de Famille, Ikari Gai, and Grace AkaRed attend these classes. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call. Sensei Dave Tonishu."

We looked up at Dave, seeing his smile while leaning against the wall.

"You're welcome," Dave said. "I can tell if my students are upset, and this has greatly upset you."

"Thank you, sir!" I said, bowing, Ahim, Gai, and Grace doing the same.

"If they want to join you, tell them Wednesday and then tell me Monday," Dave said. "I'll set up a fake class. Just tell them that I want some notice before they come."

"Sir, you do not know just how much you have raised our hopes!" Ahim exclaimed.

"This'll allow us time on the Galleon!" Grace said.

"And time to explore!" Gai added.

"Now, go head off," Dave said. "I'm sure you don't want to be late to dinner."

"They eat while we're here," I said. "But I don't think it's a bad idea to get something to eat before heading back."

With that, we wished Dave goodbye and thanks again for what he did and went on the path to school.

As a team, we had takeout dinner.

Then, we unwillingly left to go to school.

I gave the note to Ragnoff, and while I could tell he did have some questions, he didn't ask them. Instead, he said, "What are you planning?"

"Nothing, sir," I said. "I just got this from my sensei to give to you."

Ragnoff had a small smirk. "You can thank him," he said. "I know he doesn't mean to hold these classes. Am I right?"

I hesitated to respond.

"This won't be going to anyone else," Ragnoff said. "This conversation is behind closed doors, and it will stay behind closed doors. You know that I keep my word."

"He can tell that we don't like this," I said at a length. "He wants to allow us to have some free time. This is how he's doing it."

"Clever man," Ragnoff said. "Now, lights out is in ten minutes."

I got the cue and left the office, a slight skip in my step and smile on my face.

But, a figure blocked my way down the hallway to my room with the other Gokaigers.

I stopped, already knowing the figure. "Basco," I said, taking a step back as the privateer stepped forward.

"How'd you guess?" Basco said. "I wasn't finished last time."

I opened my mobirates behind my back and dialed Ahim's number. Hearing her answer it, I said, "And you're never going to finish it. I know how to get out of whatever you put me into."

Right away, I heard Ahim close the mobirates as Grace said in the background, "Move out!"

On cue, I morphed, getting into a fighting stance. "I won't allow you to do what you want with me. I am married to Joe. That love cannot be broken. You might as well give up."

"Like I care who you're married to," Basco said, suddenly launching himself at me.

I fell onto my back and placed my foot on his stomach as he came to me, using the momentum to throw him back against a wall, getting to a knee and turning to him.

"Amanda!" the others said as they came to me, morphed.

"Has he hurt you?" Gai said as I got to my feet.

"Nope," I said. "Haven't let him."

Basco got to his feet.

"Maybe you haven't noticed something about me, Basco," I said, taking a step forward from the others. "But I'm not going to let you do what you want to me, no matter what. Haven't you noticed that every single time you've tried this, I've fought back?"

"Not every time," Basco said.

"Because you shot me with basically a poisoned bullet!" I snapped. "You planned the whole thing!"

"And it took you how long to figure that out?" Basco asked.

"A few seconds," I replied. "As soon as Don said it, I knew that you had planned it."

"Clever girl," Basco said.

"Only makes me wonder who else who've tricked this way," I said.

"You've certainly done that to me while part of the Red Pirate Gang," Grace growled.

"Now Gracie-chan, do you really still hold that against me, after all those years?" Basco said.

"Yes," Grace said, stepping up next to me. "I am married to Marvelous, and he understands me a thousand times better than you. The reason he loves is because we're a good match."

"Amanda-sama, Grace-sama," Ahim said. "We must be in our room in five minutes or else we will be in trouble."

I threw a Gokai Scrambler at the ground in front of Basco, creating dust and giving us the perfect opportunity to run to our room without him following.

"What happened?" Gai asked as we rested on our beds.

"I gave the note to the principle and was walking here when he came in front of me," I said. "I knew what he wanted. Quite easy to figure out, considering our last couple of meetings."

"Let's just rest so that we aren't tired for classes tomorrow," Grace said, climbing the bunk bed that she and Gai share.

"I believe that is a good idea," Ahim agreed, laying on her bed as I climbed the ladder to get to the one above her.

"I just want to sleep," I put in, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"That's four," Gai said, falling back onto his bed.

"It's been agreed on, then," Grace said.

With that, we got ready for bed and fell asleep.

The next morning started off with the usual breakfast and classes.

I was even more careful about what was going on and who was around.

Everyone seemed to notice me keep twisting my wedding ring around my finger.

"Amanda-sama," Ahim whispered to me as we went to class. "What is wrong?"

"Haven't you noticed that a certain privateer keeps following me in the hall?" I replied.

Ahim glanced behind us as if to look at someone calling him name and spotted Basco, keeping a comfortable distance from us, but still keeping us in sight. "He does not give up, does he?" she said, turning to look at me, but finding me several steps ahead of her. "Amanda-sama!" She had to run to catch up.

"I'm sorry I'm going faster than normal," I said. "I just don't want something to happen with all the other students watching to tarnish my image here. Everyone already believes that the reason we are having to stay here is because of the Gokaigers not being able to defeat Zangyack or get captured."

"But that has nothing against you," Ahim said. "You do not even have a bounty!"

It was windy outside as we walked out, a newspaper hitting my leg.

I stopped and grabbed it, looking at me. "Think again," I said, showing it to Ahim.

I did, indeed, have a bounty, and it was even more than Marvelous, who was "Unlimited Award".

"Unlimited Award and your own army and planet?" Ahim whispered. "And it says that you must be alive or else no deal. Oh dear."

"Now I know why Luka has been keeping the paper from me," I mumbled. "Just how long before you think that I'll have bounty hunters after me? With this price tag on my head, I'm basically walking around with a huge sign hanging over me that says, 'Hey! I'm Amanda Stag! Come get me!'"

"Amanda-sama, so not say that," Ahim said sternly. "Do not talk so carelessly of yourself."

"Sorry," I mumbled as we continued our walk, since out stop had allowed Basco a closer distance.

Ahim took the paper and folded it up, storing it in a pocket on the side of her bag. "We shall show the other two and see what they say later today."

I nodded.

At lunch, Ahim looked at me, the unvoiced question in her eyes.

"Do it," I mouthed, nodding my head.

Ahim took the page out of her bag and had it open to our bounties, pushing it to the middle of our table.

Grace and Gai paused in their eating to look at it.

"Bounties," Gai whispered.

"Our bounties," Grace corrected.

"You can tell who Ackdos cares about getting," I said, leaning back against my chair and crossing my arms.

"We all know what this means," Ahim said. "Tomorrow, we must talk to the others about this. Surely they will know about this, since Luka-sama reads the newspaper on a daily basis in the morning. She is bound to tell them, especially Joe-san and Marvelous-san."

"That's all we can do," Grace said.

"I can talk to Joe about it tonight," I said. "I see him every night."

Gai carefully tore the bounties out of the paper and handed me mine. "That way you can show it to Joe," he said.

I nodded and put it into my pocket.

"How long have you been seeing him?" Grace said.

"First day we were here," I said. "We both seemed to have the same idea."

"But does security not do sweeps around the school?" Ahim asked.

"After dinner," I said. "We've seen each other before."

"That is clever," Gai said.

"Maybe I should get Marvelous to do that," Grace said.

"Or have them come," Gai said.

"That certainly would do better," Ahim said.

"I agree," I said.

"Maybe we can get them to come," Grace said. "Even though Marvelous doesn't like it, I know that I can get him to join along. Amanda can do the same with Joe. Don would follow Gai here. And Luka would listen to Ahim. Father could be Mr. Date's assistant again."

"We just have to see what they say," I said.

We quickly stuffed the excess paper away as the teacher who confiscates items that don't have to do with school passed by.

"How come he has to have lunch duty for the seniors?" Gai mumbled.

"I know," Grace said.

"We almost lost our mobirates and ranger keys because of him," Ahim said.

"I remember that," I said, fingering my ranger key in my pocket.

"What do you have in your pocket?" the teacher asked, seeing what I was doing.

"Pen," I said, taking out my pen, which was also in the same pocket.

The teacher walked away.

"It was my ranger key," I told the others.

They rolled their eyes with a chuckle.

That night, I met with Joe again, like usual.

"I still wish I could be in your arms," I said with a sigh as we sat back-to-back against the fence, as usual.

"I know," Joe said. "A husband and his wife shouldn't be going through this, especially so soon after their wedding."

"Joe, when was the last time Luka read the paper?" I asked.

"This morning," Joe said. "Why?"

"Did she show you anything?" I said.

"No," Joe said. "Nor Marvelous, Don, and AkaRed."

"Well, here's something Ahim and I found in the paper today," I said, taking my bounty out of my pocket and slipping the folded paper through the fence. "Open it."

Joe unfolded the paper and gasped. "Amanda, this is your bounty?" he asked, turning to look at me.

I turned to him, nodding. "I don't like it as much as you do," I said. "I'm surprised there hasn't been bounty hunters yet."

"Please, please don't jinx it," Joe said, obviously disturbed. "We may not reach you in time."

"I'm not trying to," I said.

"Now I know why Luka kept me from glancing at the paper while doing my exercises," Joe said. "I usually see the pictures of our bounties while doing sit-ups, but today as soon as she saw what I guess to be that, she moved to the other side of the couch, so that I could only see the front page. It confused and kinda annoyed me, but I already planned on getting the paper when she was going to go to the crow's nest for her stargazing."

Some silence passed between us before I sighed.

"What?" Joe said.

"I miss you," I said. "And I mean being able to actually touch you, being held in your arms, getting your comfort. At nights, I'm having a hard time sleeping, and not because of a bad dream or my arm: it's because I'm not with you. I can't fall asleep in your arms. I want to actually be with you, not this way. Can't you talk to Marvelous about trying enroll into the school again? I know he misses Grace. She certainly does miss him."

"Call him," Joe said. "Tell him. It'll do more coming from his sister than from his first mate and step-brother."

I took out my mobirates and called Marvelous' number, and by his annoyed tone to start off, I guessed that I had woke him up.

"What?" Marvelous said.

"Marvelous," I said.

"Amanda," Marvelous said, suddenly calm and peaceful. "What's wrong? Is everything ok?"

"I know you don't like the idea, but would you consider enrolling you and the others back into the school?" I asked. "We really miss you guys, and we know that the time Sensei Dave gave us won't be enough. Please, will you consider it?"

"No treasure hunts," Marvelous muttered.

"Grace misses you," I said. "I miss you. Gai misses you. Ahim misses you. And it goes the same for Joe, Luka, Don, and AkaRed."

"And I can't really say that we like how quiet it is now," Marvelous said. "We've started to fight again."

I glanced at Joe, wondering if that was the truth.

"Then will you?" I said.

"Will you help us in classes?" Marvelous said.

"What kind of question is that?" I demanded. "Jeez Brother, asking if we'll help you in class is like me asking you to help with treasure!"

Joe smiled.

"I realized that sounded stupid as soon as I said it," Marvelous said. "But I'm still not entirely sure."

"Marvelous!" Luka said in the background. "What do you mean you're not sure about having us join the rest of the crew!?"

"I want to see the others!" came Don's uncharacteristically annoyed voice.

"We do deserve to see them," AkaRed said. "I miss not having my daughter around. It feels like she's the one that Basco took away, not me."

I realized something that could help me as soon as AkaRed spoke Basco's name. "You'll be able to keep a closer watch on Basco," I said. "After all, he's crawling around these halls, following me around in the hopes to get me alone."

"I'm going to murder him," was Marvelous' reply.

I had let Joe hear that one, as well, and he said, "You'll have to beat me to that one."

"Joe put you up to this?" Marvelous said.

"No, we talked about it during lunch," I said. "Please, will you come?"

"Expect us tomorrow," Marvelous said.

"Yes!" was the reply behind Marvelous.

Joe breathed a grateful sigh.

"Thank you," I said. "You don't know how much my heart has just lightened with that."

"We will see you tomorrow," Marvelous said. "Oh, and don't be surprised if you have new sleeping quarters."

Leaving my wondering, he hung up.

"New sleeping quarters?" I said.

Joe laughed, and by how crackly it was, I guessed it was a long time he had laughed last. "You'll find out," he said.

"You guys have been fighting more?" I said.

"Ahim was the peacekeeper between everyone," Joe said. "Once she came, the fights between me, Marvelous, and Luka disappeared."

"Just how much has our departure changed the others?" I said.

"Don's became more irritated and will actually snap back at Marvelous, AkaRed, or I if we tell him to do something, Luka's gotten more likely to really fight back when pushed, Marvelous has become more annoyed and will easily do something to make you do what he wants, and AkaRed's become more disagreeable," Joe said.

"What about you?" I asked.

"I've just gotten more quiet," Joe said. "I stay out of the way of the others. I'm mostly off of the ship training now. I even do my exercises in my room, where the others know more than enough to stay out, even if they are pretty annoyed about something and not thinking straight. Now, I'm either found out training or in my room. I'd be stupid to stay out where fighting can happen, and I heard the others arguing sometimes."

"How does it stop?" I said.

"I try to act like Ahim," Joe said. "While I do fail at acting completely like her, when I was in your body after that monster switched us helped me a bit, since you're kinda like her. While I did fail at that, I did well enough to bring peace to the Galleon."

"Good," I said.

The bell rang.

"Ugh, why?" I asked as I got to my feet.

"Why can't this go on forever?" Joe muttered, getting up, as well.

We said our goodbye, and I was practically running to tell the others what had happened.

After school the next day, Ragnoff came to me, Ahim, Grace, and Gai, telling us to get our stuff and to follow him.

We quickly did that and followed him to a part of the school none of us recognized and showed us our new room, which was huge and had ten beds, complete with a dining table to work at, a wide space to train, and a way to exit the school without detection.

And the best thing was that the Gokaigers were there.

"Now, this is completely between us," Ragnoff said after a cheerful greeting. "That door over there," he pointed to the door on the other side of the room, "leads out of the school, where you will be able to fight Zangyack. They say you can't leave, but I'm making an exception, even though I could lose my job in the process. But, you know what, I'd rather the world is safe than have this job."

"Thank you, sir," I said. "It really means a lot for you to be doing this."

"Every day you are allowed off campus with your 'classes', go ahead and leave like normal, but if you leave and it's not your days, I've programmed clones to take your spot," Ragnoff continued. "They act like you and talk like you. As soon as you come back, they will come here and disappear until you leave again. And if you leave during the school day, they will get the knowledge and as soon as you come, you'll automatically get that knowledge."

We nodded.

"Now, don't you have a 'class' to go to?" Ragnoff said. "After all, it's Wednesday. Oh, and I added all your names to the note from Dave." Then he was gone.

"Yes, we are reunited!" Gai said. "This is like the time in-!"

"No!" Luka said, quickly covering his mouth with her hand. "No references."

"Shouldn't we just be glad that we are finally united again?" I pointed out as Joe put an arm around me and took my hand in his free one.

"Amanda-sama is right," Ahim said. "We are back together, and we are able to leave the school for treasure hunting and to fight Zangyack."

"Ahim's right," Don said. "We're united again."

"Let's go to our 'class'," Grace said. "After all, we don't want to be late."

"Right," Marvelous said.

"Because being late would be wrong," AkaRed said, a smile in his voice.

That night, even though I was fine, I just wanted to spend the night in Joe's arms, and he knew that, letting me crawl next to him.

A few beds down, I saw the Grace was up and looking at Marvelous, who was next to her. She got to her feet, and as soon as she did, Marvelous was sitting up, looking at her. He smiled as she sat next to him, pulling her into his arms and laying back down to fall asleep.

Ahim and Gai had beds next to each other, and while they were asleep, they both had an arm hanging off and just barely brushing the other's hand.

Don had let Luka lay in his bed with him, draping an arm over her shoulder, both of them resting comfortably.

"Young love," I heard AkaRed whisper.

I looked back at Joe, seeing him smiling. He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "This is more like it," he said. "To be with you."

I nodded, snuggling closer to him. "I know," I said. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Joe replied. "Get some sleep. You need it."

"Ok," I said, closing my eyes and falling into the world of dreams, in the arms of my protector, my guardian.

My love.