kera69love: that's what she's there for. To annoy the living hell out of you. She's doing her job. Lol but seriously the evil princess has an agenda and yeah to a degree Beryl did get you in some versions to feel bad for her but this woman is going to make you want to strangle her worse than…any previous enemy.
LoveInTheBattleField: thanks. 😊
2 reviews nice, let me know what you think about this one coming up in the comments section!
The end in the beginning ch.20
Usagi POV
When we arrive at the central control's we de-transform and wait as Mamoru shows up. He doesn't immediately de-transform but eventually does when he sees that everything is secured and on alert. I know he's tense. I can feel it through our bond and just naturally sense it as someone who loves him deeply. His encounter with her disturbed him. I'm just curious on what levels though.
He doesn't look disturbed on a 'you violated me' as I had felt at one point with Diamond, no he looked differently about it. Which to me was a good sign. I'd hate for her to have brought him down like that. Feeling violated like that changes you. "So, what happened?" Rei asks as he goes into vivid detail about his encounter with her. How she made him see memories that he didn't know were there.
How she basically hated my guts and technically we already knew that but now he remembered her and their previous encounters. I still had barely anything to go on. Only what I've been told so far about her. When he tells us about her hold over his inside's he clenches in reflexive memory of it. That must have been what got to him. The control she was exerting over him without even touching him.
We've had enemies attack us with similar behavior before. That wasn't new, what was new was an enemy singling one of us out to toy with us like a cat with its last meal would. That in and of itself was rare since the high up ranking enemies didn't show their faces as often as she did to us which also goes to show that she doesn't have a whole lot of monsters working for her. This woman played with him like a toy while she acted as though they were just conversing. Plus, it sounds like she did it cause she saw us having sex.
Disturbing by the way that she saw that which also told me she knew where my family lived to know where to spot the few time's we've had sex recently. I don't know whether to call her a 'pervert', a 'voyeur', or 'crazy compulsive'. I thought on it for a moment and decided pervert wasn't it. She didn't enjoy it at all, no she let it fuel her hatred towards me further which also made me debate on calling her a 'voyeur' to.
I mean who watches a man they never even shared a kiss with having sex with his love? And were not talking in the movies or a t.v. show where your waiting for the two leads to get together for that kiss and love scene to happen cause you know there's true love there. This was actually disturbing in its own right. Once Mamoru got done telling us how everything went down, making even Luna and Artemis cringe at certain intervals we were all a little stunned and thrown off by what happened.
"Great." Rei's the first to break the silence that's encapsulated us all for a moment. "The new enemy is even worse than Beryl and possibly Ann combined. Something I didn't know was possible." Rei mutters. "She's a textbook delusional psychopath who doesn't care what damages she causes, she just wants to get her way." Ami chimes in processing it herself as Makoto agrees as she states, "Never thought I'd miss the days of Beryl." making Rei sigh as Ami asks, "What do we do?" I can feel the tension mounting.
"She doesn't plan to harm Mamoru, maybe we could use that to our advantage." I suggest recalling how despite her harm done to him it was clearly stated by her to him that she's targeting us...well me mostly, them by association and through helping me and hasn't yet once made a move to 'out him'...so to speak. The girls look to me as if trying to figure out the angle I'm working on.
"Think about it, with her not going after to expose him, if Mamoru works on creating a stronger hold and connection to the golden crystal then he can be stronger for it to without risk of being caught." I begin. "Okay but how does that help us?" Minako asks, "Cause the more we work on our individual powers the more powerful we get as a collective." I explain as Minako nods seeing where I'm headed with this.
"This is true." she says only to have Ami step in and add, "I do happen to have an idea, but it relies pretty heavily on Mamoru." Mamoru stands up ready to do whatever it takes, "Whatever you need." throwing himself wherever he's needed. One of the things I love so much about him, his willingness to help and be there regardless of what harm he's already been through. Even if sometimes he does need to take a break.
Ami is definitely determined in this though and seeing her facial expression tells me this is a good idea even if it also might be something we might not all agree with, "This woman is more powerful than any enemy we've faced before." very true and the girls all agree with this. "She's not attacking us with drones, daimon or youma like our old enemies did." she begins as Rei adds on, "No just powerful ass monsters that she's using to expose us."
Ami nods, "Exactly cause what she's after isn't energy, or a crystal or a dream mirror. It's not power in the forms that our enemies have tried before and got to a degree enough to unleash other powerful beings that we've destroyed." She faces all of us as we know how on point she is considering the many enemies we've faced over the years. Especially the ones where we almost died a few times or did die and were brought back to life.
"She's going for the heart of it. Using her resources to come at us from an angle that's more clinical, and sorry to say more effective than any previous enemy before her." We can't refute her words either. "She's using her powers to get the world to hate us and make our jobs more difficult." I breath in knowing how difficult it is getting even as we continue to fight against her and her plan.
"Preventing us from doing them in time to stop her from getting away. We've only ever been able to kill her monsters and Usagi herself with the outers had to work together as a collective to get her off balance and to hurt her, but it worked." We all know how accurate what she's saying is yet I can tell Rei along with the others are curious as to where she's going with this. "This new enemy has become our most formidable foe yet."
Ami is right though. She's using the media to her advantage and making life worse for us knowing how it will affect our ability to fight. What she's not understanding, or wanting to or caring to accept is that we fight on the side of good. Her plan to get rid of us is going to allow outside or domestic intruders access to wanting to consume earth and its inhabitants. Yet as long as she's ruling with Mamoru not remembering me by her side she doesn't seem to care about the damage that she's doing.
I asked Ami, "What does Mamoru need to do?" she looks to him without a doubt in her eyes, "Mamoru we need the four guardians of earth." it clicks to Mamoru on who she's referring to as I see the spark of recognition flash across the faces of the rest of the girls. I've personally battled with all four men on different occasion before Beryl ended them for remembering that they were truly on our sides.
She wanted to prevent them from changing sides once they learned the truth and so she killed them once more right in front of us. I looked over them all carefully as most of them only had memories of them while the four generals were evil and under mind control. I have very few memories of them as Endymion's friends. His brothers in arms. I don't personally hold them responsible for what happened knowing they were brainwashed the entire time, but it doesn't mean that I don't understand the trepidation I see on some of their faces.
Minako look stunned and confused, "I thought they were dead? Beryl killed them when they remembered us in this time." she voiced as Ami turned to her, "True but that was just their physical bodies, their souls, spirits lie within the stones that Mamoru has." as Mamoru recalls their manifested spirits and where they currently are. He looks up to Ami, "I don't have the power to bring them back."
Even I knew that it was a difficult task to be able to resurrect souls like that from stones and give them physical form WITH their memories intact. It takes a lot of energy to perform such an act and would surely wipe Mamoru out for a while afterwards. "Not yet but with you training your powers you can. Then Usagi can give them their physical bodies and they can help us." I knew this idea held a lot of potential and merit. Especially since their last act on earth was to come back to all of us.
Its why Beryl killed them. "The generals themselves were good and weaving their way into anything they put their minds to. Having control over the elements as they did will definitely help us counter anything that this princess sends our way. Then as a team we can stop her." I was on board with Ami's plan, but I could also see the concern on some of the girls to. Rei looks the most concerned having dealt first hand against Jadeite.
Her most vivid memories of him are of him trying to kill us all...several times. It's hard to forget that and while I still remember it clear as day when she found out that he was her former lover in the past it was a hard pill for her to swallow. "I don't know…" Rei voices, "When they were here on earth with us, they didn't remember anything till the end. Plus, we've had to fight them." her fighting with Jadeite is clearly still at the forefront with her.
"There's a lot of negative energy that came with that." she explains while trying to remain logical in this and not straight out declining it. Though anyone can see she's itching to say 'no' to the idea. I think the only reason why she hasn't, is due to how powerful our new enemy is against us. With all of this princesses power that's been building for so long and how powerful she is even Rei knows that we might have to take a chance.
Makoto throws Rei a look though, "Speak for yourself. I never got to see Nephrite. Only heard about him. And my previous past life memories don't do him justice." Rei is still concerned but I think it's so wrapped up in her experience with him as being an evil conduit it's clouding her judgement on how well this could work out. I know I have to bring this home now, "I think it's a good idea." I stand up, Mamoru still close by as I vouch for him to help bring the generals back to life not just to help but to give them a chance to.
"This woman has already in the span of a few weeks, going on into a couple of months now warp the media to turn against us. She's already gotten us to expose ourselves. What enemy has managed to do that? They've come close don't get me wrong, but they didn't manage it or anything this close before. She's a strong contender and we need to be humble enough to accept that and not let previous negative feelings cloud our judgement." I look towards Rei a bit as she turns her head.
"I get what you're saying but it's hard." she looks back to me, her feelings on it clear as day, "I was attack by Jadeite, several times. Those feelings just don't go away." she says in mild protest, "I don't expect them to, but I do expect you understand the situation were in and that having them back here on our side could do a whole lot of good for us. Maybe it's time to accept what happened and move on from it. Self-healing." I suggest.
"If we can do it for the sisters when they turned good and became friends to us, why not for the generals to? The sisters attacked us even worse than they did and we forgave them for it before I healed them." She turns her head away briefly, "I'm aware of that but this is different. They are different." She protests. "I'll be forgiving them to." I gently tell her as she narrows her eyes at me and nearly spits towards me, "You weren't attacked by your lover."
I have to hold back a tear knowing how wrong she was on that as I recall how Metallia's last attempt to control Mamoru left him a puppet for her conduit till that last part of him broke free and touched my locket, freeing him from the mental control once and for all. Though it only lasted long enough till he took a massive hit from Beryl to save me, killing him. He died in my arms…again.
"Yeah, I was." making Rei widened her eyes at me in shock and surprised as did the rest of the girls in the room. "When I was in Beryl's throne room." I could sense Mamoru's guilt over that still. "I was tortured by him while he was under Metallia's magnified brainwashing spell. There was no trace of recognition in there. Not even for who I was as a person." I was hoping to avoid ever telling the girls how bad it really got in there, as I didn't want them to look at Mamoru as if he would turn on any of us again.
I knew he wouldn't. "It was worse than all of our previous encounters with him. Worse than when Makoto fought him one on one. Worse than ever before cause it felt more like I was fighting Metallia in human form than himself. His eyes were blank. No recognition. The healing from the moon rod didn't do a thing to help him." I explained as even Luna and Artemis were shocked by this admittance.
"I was electrified by his viny roses. Hit repeatedly. Stabbed with thorns. Choked out. Tossed around like a rag doll. Almost cut in half by his sword. Hit with power blasts. Kicked when I was already down, and I STILL forgave him cause I knew he was being controlled by that bitch and would NEVER do any of that to me willingly." I can feel the stunned silence all around the room as Rei has no words.
I reach back and feel Mamoru hanging his head low at the recollection of everything that we both went through that day. Beryl watching with glee with all that was going on, that much I didn't even need to see to know. "Which is why I've already been practicing on fine tuning my skills with the golden crystal, but I need more." Mamoru voices as the girls look to him and I turn back towards him.
He looks outward towards me as his resolve is firm in his determination, "I never want to be put into a position again where I could hurt you like that. To this day knowing I did that, even if I was being mind controlled tortures me." I could see the pain in his eyes from it still. It hadn't mattered to him that I forgave him, cause he never forgave himself and to be honest I don't think he ever would.
"I'd give anything to take it back, to change how things went down. To be stronger for you. To be strong enough to stop her from taking over my head when she did." he was petrified in a sense of having that happen to him again. It was a fear of his, or at least it became one when Beryl brain washed him. I turn fully around and bend towards him so I can be at level with him and put my hands on his face.
"You are stronger than before. Who knows what else this new threat would have done to you. Especially un-transformed." I assure him as he nods, thankfulness in his eyes at my words before he looks to Ami, "I'll work harder on it to bring them back. We could use the help. She's not just strong but powerful. She had me doubling over in pain with just a flick of her wrist." I feel for him I do, but I also know he's resolved to make things happen for all of us just as I am, "I'll work on my crystal to."
I assure him, "We can train together to become stronger than what we are now. We will make sure that she doesn't stand a chance. Between us, the girls and the generals when we bring them back nothing will be able to stop us from protecting this world and its inhabitants." He stands up, "You always did have a way with words." he smiles, "I try." I giggle a bit as he suggests since the mood is getting tense, "Want to stay over tonight?"
I smile, "I could use a little break from home. I'll message my mother to let her know." the girls get up to get dispersed. Each one of them needing a break from everything lately even if it is just in the form of sleep even though now with the new knowledge, I knew sleep wouldn't come easy to a few of them. Both for trepidation and exciting purposes that would lay ahead. I didn't know how resurrecting was going to go, but I did know one thing, something told me that this was what was needed but not just for us in this war but for the girls to.
Ami POV
I had been working at trying to undo the media damaged caused by this mystery princess who still unfortunately remained nameless and only had the curt nicknames that the girls and Mamoru have come up with to call her. It's not exactly as if she left a diary behind giving away her identity and the things that the outers found out didn't really narrow that down to much either. I knew someone went to great lengths to bury her existence.
I'm just not sure if it was to protect her or to protect the world from her. However as of right now I made a promise to Usagi to fix this exposure issue were having, hers was the hardest being that she's had the most exposure, but it seemed that even though I've still been working at it though achieving no results which was definitely stressful, she had let me go wordlessly out of that promise and hadn't brought it up again.
I had initially thought that it was due to these last couple of months of nothing changing and things going in favor of our enemy especially since things have gone tense and silent. Yet I've come to realize it wasn't out of giving up hope on what we were capable of or losing faith in my abilities as I had first thought, but out of accepting that there were some things that even we were unable to avoid dealing with.
I had a small feeling that perhaps this was supposed to happen though. Recalling the way the future was that we visited back when Chibi Usa had first come to us, when we went to visit hers it was obvious that people had to have some clue as to who we were in order for Usagi and Mamoru to take power, build the gargantuan crystal palace that was in the middle of everything and for us to be put in place as their senshi...guardians in the permanent position of power to aid the people of earth.
Mamoru and Usagi's birthright and destiny. Our destiny to while we would eventually take on our birthrights as the Queen's of our own planets. However, that was a long way's away from now. I just knew that somehow this was the beginning of things to come. That us as their permanent guardians or, as earth would put it, the secret service to the royals would become known figures in the world.
Only we were a bit more advanced than them. In different regards. Either way we had to have had our identities compromised somewhere down the line, or at least accepted in order for us to accept the position in power. Unless…and this was the troublesome part of my theory, the evil princess was doing this to turn the world against us to prevent the future we saw from taking place. After all how would she take over if the world saw her as evil and Usagi as a savior unless they she turned them against us to see Usagi as a failure.
Which only added to my growing need that I was right to involve the shitennou in defeating our new enemy. When our own identities were discovered, I knew it was only a matter of time before we'd need reinforcements. Yes, we had the help of the outer senshi and that was definitely necessary, but even against Galaxia it took all of us going up against her after we had dispatched her brainwashed senshi, I still felt sorry for them since we couldn't save any of them, and even then, all of us but Usagi and the Starlight's had been killed.
We had been so close to, but she took us all out in single handed hits. Galaxia just knew we weren't going to bow down and go into servitude like the other senshi had. They may have been forced but she knew that we weren't going to bow out. It just sucked that once we got past them that she took us out so quickly. Galaxia made it known how powerful she had made herself from the crystal's she had taken in.
This new threat was more powerful than dare I say it even her and was more cunning than previous enemies to. They cared about exposure to themselves, she doesn't seem to. It made her more formidable and more dangerous to boot. Yes, I knew things would be different once the shitennou were back, I specifically recall how Rei was less than pleased by my plan to do so but even Minako knew I had a point in it despite her own feelings.
She along with Usagi knew how detrimental they could be in our fight against the new threat. I it's also why Usagi told of her time spent with prince Endymion when he was evil. Not that any of us knew how bad it had gotten. We were all technically dead when she faced off against him in Beryl's throne room. It had clear to Usagi that Metallia had been controlling him and yet Usagi had reached through and saved him. The difference was they had built up a connection before Mamoru was turned.
Rei had not been able to do so and it prevented Jadeite from being saved. Not to say that Rei was at fault, hardly. She just never got the chance to know Jadeite without him being evil. She did however know something was off about him from the moment he was on sacred grounds. The problem was he was already a general in Beryl's army against us so in reality Rei, unfortunately, never stood a chance.
There was just no connection there. Just as Minako didn't stand one either since Malachite was also already a general at that point and Makoto didn't as she hadn't been discovered yet as a senshi when Nephrite died. Yet even as generals they seemed to fail often enough and part of me despite knowing we were good at our jobs as senshi, part of me always wondered if it was really all us or if on some level they wanted to lose.
After all we had JUST become senshi. We only had basic powers and instinct to go on. We had NO formal training beforehand and only started to train during the fighting. I had no conclusive proof, but I'd like to believe that a small part of our winning was due to the generals not truly wanting to kill us and holding back how deadly they could have been towards us. After all we started this all out between the ages of 14-16 against fully grown men and youma. There's only so far instinct will get you.
They were necessary in this fight and Rei was going to have to her own words 'suck it up' if she wanted to truly succeed and I knew in my heart that this was a right call. I could even see the understanding agreement in Usagi as she even decided to work more on her own crystal for strength so she could help. I truly believe that with them here we can come to that last and final part of our power ascension to.
We are strong women, strong soldiers. No doubt about it. Yet we have always had some way, some means to ascend to the next level of power. Something always had to happen. A catalyst to the event at hand. I had some data to support it but not enough to go to Luna yet and tell her that with the generals back their powers alone while good and were helpful wouldn't do the trick, but...with reconnecting them with their soulmates I believe the girls, all of us could reach the next level of power.
By accepting that half of ourselves and letting go of the past. Letting go of the pain of what we've endured and lost. Not forgetting, no never forget but to forgive and move on so that the past doesn't chain us to preventing us from becoming stronger in the fight. Rei will have one of the hardest times with this. Her inherent distrust of men is still strong and with how her encounters with Jadeite were, it won't be an easy road for them, yet I have faith that he's the only one that can truly get through to her.
They're both equally stubborn enough to handle it. I can't help but chuckle to myself. I'm starting to sound like Usagi now. I get up from my work-station at home, not able to have gotten too much steep, too much on my mind, get ready and head off to school with my briefcase full of homework. When I go in, I notice some students looking at me strangely and realize some must recognize me. I knew this was bound to happen. I only know that my mother doesn't know due to her long hours.
She's been so busy pulls doubles and triple shifts at the hospital she's been practically living there and while I do miss her, I know how important her work is and how needed she is there. I just fear for her burn out and how it could lead to a mistake if she's not careful. Tonight, is her first night truly off in weeks. Her days that she did have off were spent between shoveling food in, showering and sleeping, or just sleeping.
I had a feeling the hospital was extra busy due to the monsters that our new enemy was pushing out. They may have targeted us, but their bait were civilians. So, as I passed through the hallways and saw students looking over at me, I finally found Makoto who looked more ostracized than usual as she sees me coming up to her. "Good you're here. Looks like words gotten out about our identities around here." she mutters.
I glance around to and see the stunned silent looks were getting, "I'm guessing this is a taste of what Usagi had gotten before..." that's when we both look to each other before we hear Makoto's name through the announcement system. "I haven't even been to my first class yet how do they even know I'm here?" she nearly growls before my name is then announced over the speaker system.
"Well, I think I know what it's about. Care to walk to the gallows together?" I asked as she shrugged her shoulders, "Might as well." she replied as we both headed to the principal's office, neither of us at this point thinking that this was good. It was never good to get called into the office. At least not for most students. I felt a heavy weight fall upon me and just knew that they were going to do to us what they did to Usagi.
When we arrived inside, we were seen separately. Makoto went first as they went alphabetically which made sense. As I waited around outside with the office administrator who kept periodically poking her head up to look at me out of the corner of her eyes, though out of disbelief or simply because I was within her peripheral vision, I wasn't sure. Whatever the case maybe I was stuck waiting and sometimes that was the worst part.
The waiting. So, I began to wonder what the best and worst case scenario's were for both Makoto and myself. Granted a small part of me feared that they found out we had broken into the principal's office to look at records regarding the cheerleader that was giving us problems to, namely the one that called us out by name...but I retraced every part of that little side mission Makoto and I had.
I went over every little detail and there wasn't one part of that that could have been exposed for us. Plus, even IF that were the case, we would have been talked to way earlier for breaking in and getting access to confidential information. Plus, to add further reason as to why it couldn't be that, there were no camera's in here and my Mercury computer picks up any computer or camera detection. I would have spotted it. My computer would have known so I knew that couldn't be the case, no this was about the news footage.
After about fifteen minutes, a few times where the lights flickered making me wonder how Makoto was handling things in there as her power was tied to electricity, and a silent conversation that I couldn't hear anything from the outside on she came back out looking beyond dejected. There was a pained expression on her face that looked like it was already painfully familiar with what she was going through on another level that is.
"I'm kicked out..." she spoke. There was anger and defeat all at once written on her face. She was all too familiar with how it felt to be kicked out of a place, so I felt for her on that one. It wasn't fair to any of us but Makoto least of all since the previous time she got kicked out it wasn't truly her fault. I remember what she said and how the other students and even teachers made it look.
It was just easy for the students, and the staff to blame the fight on her due to her tall stature, and how she was actually able to defend herself. It didn't help that she does have an intimidating presence and to add insult to injury she didn't have parents or relatives to back her up. She was an only child to only child parents. Still though she was the one being picked on, yet she was the one kicked out especially when the faculty took the supposed victim's side of the story and barely heard her side on how it went down.
So now she was once again being kicked out and to have that happen on two occasions where it wasn't her fault had to be heartbreaking. Even stressful. I already knew we were going to have to talk to the girls afterwards and tonight I HAD to talk to my mother. There was no way out of it now. I sighed at this turn of events. We both knew what was going to happen yet for it to have actually happened was still hurtful.
I knew there would be words and a conversation to be had. Plus, when I had briefly seen the lights flicker a bit, I wondered for but a moment if Makoto was getting so upset that her powers were beginning to manifest without needing to be transformed. If so, then it meant we were already all on our way to leveling up again and it was major events that were once again making it possible. It was further proof of what or rather whom needed to come back into the fold to make it happen.
So, when I got called in, I gave her my seat outside to let it sink in and so she could take a breath as I walked in next. "We'll talk when I get out." I assure her as she nods as I pat her on the shoulder before walking in. The principal gave me a tight smile as I sat down on the seat opposite him. He was trying to seem neutral in this, but I wasn't buying it. Not especially after he kicked out two of my best friends.
How long time Minako was kicked out? Or Rei? "Miss. Mizuno, sorry to call you in like this but I'm assuming your aware of why." I kept on the stoic yet civil appearance that I learned from both Makoto and Rei over the years. "Let's assume I don't as I was on my way to class." I stated calmly not wanting to admit to anything till he stated it himself. There was a small fraction of a chance that I was wrong.
Hopeful...but doubtful. He regarded me pensively as I saw not only Miss. Haruna but two other teachers as well. They looked pensive yet also wistful. Like they understood why they were there but perhaps weren't fully onboard with the decision. "Let's not beat around the bush...your one of the senshi." I arched a brow but didn't deny it as there didn't seem to be any sense in it. At this rate I would be kicked out in merely a few minutes, "This is a hard decision to make especially since your GPA alone helps this school a great deal."
I can only assume Makoto took a moment as the principal himself may have been afraid of her or possibly….and this is another possible option, she was trying to beg him to let her stay since having a GED doesn't look as promising in college compared to a diploma. It's essentially the same thing, but GED has the words 'dropped out or kick out' written on it. Diploma's however say 'I didn't do anything wrong to get kicked out or to drop out' written on it. It was a sad truth but still a truth.
His voice broke that he was academically regretful of making this decision. I wondered briefly if this is how Usagi felt when she was kicked out, or if he just kicked her out like Makoto. "I'm not entirely sure you grasp the meaning of hard decisions considering but go on." he looked at me for a moment realizing what I meant and tried to give a smile that fell flat. He had no idea of the hard decisions that we made in daily life.
Normally I wasn't so vocal about things, but he just kicked out two of my best friends who fought hard in every fight to protect this world. He wasn't going to get sweet and nice today, he was going to her civil and that was about it. "Well regarding that, this decision is hard as we don't want to have to do this, especially since your one of our best and brightest here…" how anyone manages praise someone when their delivering a critical blow…is beyond me, especially regarding that person's academic future.
"But the school board feels that to enable you to still get your needed education you will be homeschooled going forward." I grip my hands together and keep my cool despite the anger of being kicked out does to me. I could feel my own powers begin to come forth as the room temperature seemed to drop a few degrees. I almost saw frost build up on the window nearest to him and began to see the breath of those that were breathing. Once I realized it, I forced my anger back down to continue this conversation.
The problem is Usagi told us what the principal told her, and he sounds much more sympathetic towards myself, and like he truly wishes he didn't have to do this compared to how he handled things with Usagi. I can only imagine how bad it was for Makoto in here. That was also fueling my anger as I was being treated differently. I told myself growing up that students were taught the same, were treated the same, yet I know that to be a wistful fantasy.
Both of my friends were treated lesser than me. I knew that much. "Is that so?" I looked to him, "Is this the same offer that was given to Tuskino, Usagi and Kino, Makoto when they were kicked out?" my tone was icy yes but not loud or disrespectful. The principal gave a gentle smile as if he were about to talk to a child, "Miss. Mizuno, while I understand that they are your friends you must know that they were given the options that could be afforded to them." I grit my teeth together.
"You mean online courses for Usagi as you felt that having her here would redirect focus other students from their work to her?" now he seems to be loosing his cool a tad, "She's still being afford her own education to the best that we can give her." that's when Miss. Haruna chimed in, "Because we insisted upon it." He shot her a small glare, "This school and its students are important to me…" he began and looked back to me.
"And that is as far as we will discuss other students and their academic future here." He says trying to shut it down, "I have taken part in her academic future as well as a college student. I do believe as her tutors we or at least I am entitled to know about it as well as Kino, Makoto's." on one technical ground this is true but on the rest…not so much. "Well since your such good friends I'm sure they'll tell you the details." I couldn't help the slight narrowing of my eyes at him as the temperature dropped slightly…again.
"Back on topic here, you will be receiving home schooling and taking online courses and since you've had such a successful academic career here so far this will still be considered a diploma for you." He adds on as if that was enough to make up for everything. So I ask, "Is that the same for Tuskino, Usagi and Kino, Makoto?" he deflates a small bit that doesn't go unnoticed by the other teachers in the room.
"If they complete the courses online with an average of a B or higher than yes it will be, otherwise we will have to consider them GED's." I saw the expression in his eyes though. I hated that he saw them as failures without even consideration. "Then I can personally guarantee you three successful diplomas." He purses his lips as I get up to leave, "One last thing Miss. Mizuno…" I turn around.
He hands me paperwork, "Have your parent sign this as acceptance of your homeschooling going forward. You can scan a copy of it to send back to us." I nod and leave out feeling more frustrated than before. As I walked out, I saw the papers that Makoto had to, "Online courses now?" I asked as we walk out of the office and back to our lockers, "Yup." She gets to her locker first to pull out her briefcase.
She sees some of my paperwork, "Bonus is I don't need a homeschooling signature…" I smile till hers falters, "Bad news is if I don't show proof of continued schooling, I lose my place and support of it to." She tells me as I assure her, "We'll get through it." As we walk towards my locker. I grab my own briefcase as we start to head out only to get blocked by the security guard who's been asked by the principal to escort us out for the class exchange that was coming up, "We have to." I add on.
As the students start to change out for the next period I feel how final this all is. "I'll figure out a way to fix this." I tell her when were near the exit. I see the cheerleader who verbally attacked Usagi as she smirks in response. "There's something going on with her." Makoto sees it to, "We'll figure it out. We always do." She agrees as we leave out, "First things first though. I need to talk to my mother." I mutter.
"Want me there?" Makoto asks, "Thanks but no, I think I need to do this part alone." That's when an idea strikes me that makes me smile for the first time all morning long. "Besides I have a plane on how to get us all back in school. If it works even Usagi will be back in. I just need to get the best doctor this side of Japan on our side." I tell her as Makoto smiles, "Well we're all here for you." I smile as we walk out of the school.