Taz: I am not a morning person!
Jo: You are now!
The next morning Jo was woken by a loud crash.
She rubbed her eyes and yawned loudly before peering through the gap between the wall and the door, squinting at the bright sunshine.
Suddenly, a flash of blue, red and yellow sped past her, screeching round the corner.
"What's goin' on?" A sleepy sounding Taz appeared next to her.
"I think Tyson's late for school." Jo mused, smirking evilly.
"Again?" Taz's eyes almost doubled in size from disbelief. (A.N: And I'm surprised?! o.O)
She wandered out into the garden stretching her back like a cat.
Jo turned quickly her ears picking up a noise not too far away.
"I think you might wanna come back in here." She mumbled.
Taz - not hearing because she was halfway through a yawn - was more than surprised when a blur of primary colours collided with her, knocking her off her feet.
Jo shook her head, suppressing a fit off giggles as Taz lay – arms at odd angles – twitching on the grass.
Tyson got up, dusted himself down, then began looking frantically in random directions.
"What's up?" Jo was still struggling to stop herself from laughing.
"Oh man, I'm so late!" Tyson gasped, running full tilt towards the gate.
"Of all the self centred, egotistical, single minded, thick headed, pea brained, idiotic, retarded, dim witted..." (A.N: Aint I got a way with words!)
"I think we get the point." Jo looked down disdainfully at Taz who had just managed to sit up – though somewhat shakily - and was apparently aiming her onslaught in the vague direction of a tree.
"So what are you going to do?" Rei's amused voice broke through Jo's internal laughter.
"Huh?" Jo looked at him uncertainly.
"You guys can't stay here; we'll all be out." Rei explained. "Tyson and Max are at school, Kai will be at his Grandfather's old mansion, and I have to go to my job."
"In that case we'll go pay Tyson a visit." Jo smirked. "Besides, Taz is just dying to meet Hillary!" She winked at the dizzy redhead, who grinned evilly.
"Well you'd best get there soon or you'll be late." Rei turned to leave.
"Does that mean I have to get dressed?" Taz whined.
"And I got just the thing!" Max exclaimed, earning a panicked look from Taz. "Trust me honey; I'm a fashion genius." He grinned dragging Taz back into the dojo and shutting the door behind them. (A.N: This can NOT be good!)
Ten minutes later Jo looked up as the door creaked open, with Max's blonde fluffy head poking through the gap.
"Ahem!" He huffed, getting Rei's instant attention. "May I present, the new and improved Taz."
Jo raised an eyebrow expectantly... Nothing.
Max peered back through the gap, "Taz? Get your cute butt out here!" He wheedled, become nervous under Jo's disapproving stare.
"I'm gonna kill you for this Max Tate!" An annoyed voice squeaked in the darkness.
"Hurry up god damn it!" Jo yelled.
"Fine! But you'd better not laugh!" Taz growled.
Jo groaned despairingly. "I haven't got time to laugh we're already late!"
Max grinned sheepishly as Taz shuffled through the doorway, pinching and poking distastefully at her outfit.
"Purple is so not my colour!" She moaned, shooting a death at Jo, who was once again on the verge of giggles.
"You look great, doesn't she Rei?" Max glanced towards the neko-jin for support.
Rei could only stare in shock.
Taz finally broke the stunned silence. "I look like Kai!" She yelled in outrage, "How the hell is that good?!"
Rei walked away stiffly, one eye twitching dangerously.
Tyson sat at the back of the class as usual, with his loyal computer wiz Kenny at his side.
"I'm tellin' you Chief, that redhead is crazy!" He gestured wildly with his arms.
Kenny sighed, shaking his head. "Well what exactly did you expect when you groped the poor thing?!"
"Hey I didn't do that on purpose, her tits just got in the way!" Tyson pouted stubbornly. (A.N: Never the man's fault is it ladies!)
"Attention class!" Miss Kinkeid began timidly, cringing as Hillary promptly yelled at everyone to shut up.
She noted with some surprise that Tyson was the first to calm down, staring wide-eyed at the front of the class, his mouth hanging open.
"Now that I have your undivided attention," She paused and glared meaningfully at Kenny, who blushed and shut the lid on his laptop. "I have a new student to introduce to you all."
She patted the redhead on the back, who had to struggle with her mind telling her fist not to swing.
Reluctantly she stood forward and cleared her throat, then she caught sight of Hillary... (A.N: Round One! DING! DING!)
Jo stood slouched against the wall, playing disinterestedly with her perfectly manicured nails.
She snorted disdainfully as the teacher – a greying old man, and in her opinion probably a pervert – struggled unsuccessfully to get the class to settle.
Only Max sat patiently at the back, his fearful blue eyes, alert, waiting for a paper missile to fling itself his way.
Finally, Jo lost her patience and her sorely tried temper. "ALL OF YOU, SHUT THE HELL UP!"
As she ran her gaze across the room, she smirked as the tiniest of death glares sent each wannabe rebel running to their desk.
"Now what do I have to do to get a seat in this place?" She looked around expectantly, pleased that she hadn't lost her touch as no less than five boys jumped up to offer their own seats.
"YOU STUCK UP, SELF CENTRED, GOODY-TWO-SHOES, ASS KISSING BITCH!"
Hillary blinked as Taz threw herself across the room, and had less than a second to catch her breath before she felt her hair almost yanked out of her head, and a fist connect with her stomach.
Miss Kinkeid sighed dismally as a cloud of dust erupted around the two girls, wincing each time she heard a slap connect, and crossing herself each time she heard Taz yelling obscenities as loud as her lungs would allow.
(A.N: GO TAZ GO!)
Max ran ahead from Tyson and Kenny, unable to understand Tyson's thousand- miles-an-hour babbling about the "amazing catfight" in his class.
Taz looked around and made a poor attempt at a glare as she heard him calling for her and Jo to wait.
She couldn't be angry now; she was too proud of her bruised knuckles!
"So Taz, how was your day?" Max asked, grinning conspiratorially at Jo.
"Kick ass!" Taz replied with a grin that would put a Cheshire cat to shame.
Back at the dojo, Taz reluctantly allowed Kai to bath her hands in lukewarm water.
She glared at him suspiciously, and winced occasionally when he rewarded her with a particularly careless nudge.
Finally after a mad struggle caused by her refusing to let him crack the knuckles back into place, Kai had to hold her down while Rei did the honours, giving the rest of the team – and probably the whole neighbourhood - the pleasure of hearing her yelling more obscenities.
(A.N: cries They all ganged up on me!)
Taz spent the rest of the evening torn between shooting death glares at Rei, and shaking her head in disgust as Jo blatantly fawned over Kai like he was some kind of God.
Yeah right, he wishes!
When she looked around, both Kai and Jo were gone.
She yelped in surprise and started smacking her head as a scary – and unwanted image – tried to force its way into her mind.
(A.N: Bad thoughts! BAAAAAD!!!!)
Tyson looked at her, a half puzzled half-amused look plastered on his tanned face.
"What're you doing?" Rei asked the question for him.
"That's just wrong!" Taz muttered, hugging herself and rocking back and forth.
Tyson glanced at Rei questioningly.
"Where'd Jo and Kai go?" She finally asked, bracing herself for an answer she didn't want to hear.
"Kai decided he wanted a shave and a shower, then Jo decided she wanted bath, so I think the "who goes first" discussion turned into a race."
Just as Taz was about to reply, a pissed off looking Kai stomped down the stairs.
"Guess there's no need to ask who won." Rei grinned, earning a matching one from Taz.
Kai interrupted them by stomping back through the living room, a cup of hot chocolate jiggling dangerously in his hand, and flopping onto the sofa.
Taz immediately scooted to the other end of the sofa, resting her chin on her knees, while staring at him thoughtfully.
"Aw does poor ickle Kai need a hug?" She held out both her hands and pulled her best puppy eyed look.
(A.N: Aww how cute...Yeuck!!)
Kai visibly shrank back, shaking his head frantically. "No way! I don't do hugs!"
Taz immediately made her eyes water, and quivered her lip.
"Come on don't be such a spoilsport Kai!" Rei chimed in.
"Humph!" Kai stuck his nose in the air and folded his arms, his eyes occasionally flickered over to Taz, whose eyes were starting to sting, so even though she wasn't, she actually looked more upset than she meant to.
(A.N: It's all in the Shakespeare darling!)
In the end, he gave in.
"Fine, you win!" He cringed as he hesitantly held out his arms.
Taz squealed gleefully and leapt across the sofa, catching Kai off guard as she collided with his chest and knocked them both to the floor.
"Thanks for breaking my fall Kai-kun!" She grinned and then bounded over to Max.
She was stopped in her tracks by Jo stomping down the stairs, and flinging a towel over her head.
(A.N: If you know the pain of being hit with a soggy flannel...look away now!)
Ignoring Taz's frantic struggles and flailing arms, Jo turned to Kai.
"I think it's time I put the kid to bed."
Kai, more interested in plotting revenge against Taz, simply looked up at Jo blankly and shrugged.
Jo took that as a "whatever" and promptly frogmarched Taz to their room, with Taz still struggling under the towel.
Jo: Oh well it saved you washing your hair!
Taz: Pfft!
Jo: How 'bout I shave it all off?!
Taz: Err...long hair's fashionable this season! runs