Highs and Lows
Chapter One: Guilty Consciences
- Criquett
WARNINGS: There will be slight Matt bashing in this fic, so Yama fans, watch out! Also, this is TAIORA! Slight OOC for a few, some of the ages are altered to fit the story better, but I have plans for every character from 01 and 02 to make an appearance. It starts out with slight Michi content, but not much.
Disclaimer: Alas, I don't own Digimon…
"Mr. Kamiya! Do you have any idea how late you are?" a raging Mrs. Mori fumed at the russet-haired teen, who strolled freely into her classroom. "Fifteen minutes! Fifteen blasted minutes of class time! I have been nothing more than patient with you for the past three days with your tardiness but this is really pushing it!"
"I'm sorry Mrs. Mori! I-"
"And what's more is you tried to sneak in while my back was turned! Didn't even care to knock! Afraid you'd get caught did you? Well look where you're standing now Mr. Kamiya! You haven't reached home plate yet, no sir!" Mrs. Mori said, a manic smile creeping across her shriveled lips.
"I play soccer, ma'am," Tai said quietly in reference to her comment.
"Whatever! I will use whatever metaphor I feel like, you know why Mr. Kamiya? Because this is my classroom, this is MY room and when you are in MY room you will obey MY rules! Got that?"
"Yes Mrs. Mori."
She walked over to her student and looked up at him, pointing a crooked finger and shaking it vigorously. Tai stared down at the squat old woman and gulped. "Now listen here, if I catch just a hair on that fat head of yours out of line one more time, I'll land you in detention! You hear me?"
"Yes Mrs. Mori."
"Good, now stop wasting my time and go to your seat!" She wrapped her shawl tightly around her shoulders and commenced back to jotting notes on the board.
Tai took a deep breath and quietly slid into his seat, quickly exchanging looks of surprise with the boy behind him. "The hell was that?"
The boy shrugged, adjusting the goggles on his head. "Where were you man?"
"At home, woke up late," Tai yawned casually.
Davis smirked, "As usual."
"Now," Mrs. Mori croaked as she turned around, peering at everyone, especially Tai, through her thick spectacles. "Turn in your books to page 459, there you will see a table of properties for sine, cosine, and tangent. Part of your assignment will be to memorize these properties for a quiz next class. Any questions?"
Tai felt a nerve tingling inside of him. He left his textbook at home. He looked uneasily around the room, hoping to find an extra one lying around. It was no use.
"Ah, the delicious look of the guilty…" Mrs. Mori said tauntingly, rising on her toes to get a better look. "What's the matter Taichi? Forgotten something have we?"
Tai glared back at her. His mouth twitching, eager to spit out a caustic remark.
The teacher laughed to herself. "Front and center Mr. Kamiya." She pulled out a bright slip of pink paper as she began to scribble upon it; the same manic smile reappearing on her squalid face. She was thoroughly enjoying this, savoring every bit. "A reward for you misdoings!"
Tai snatched the paper from her hands. He shot her a spiteful look before he glanced down at the slip. 'DETENTION NOTICE' it read in bold, threatening letters. He remained grouchy for the remainder of class, not caring about whatever was going on around him. He had already received a detention, so it wasn't like she could punish him further, or at least for the day.
The bell let out a shrill ring as the students mechanically packed up their bags and filed out of the classroom. "Tough break Tai," Davis consoled looking down at the pink paper. "But it could be worse, at least we don't have practice today after school, coach would explode, especially since you're the captain!"
"Yeah, but still! This sucks, I would've gotten in just fine if I just forged a note from my mom or something!" Tai pouted as he kicked an open locker. Just then he received a hard nudge from the side.
"Check it out," Davis grinned looking ahead. Tai followed his gaze an immediate smile spread across his face.
"Now Mr. Kido, we all hate monitoring after school detentions, but it's part of our responsibility. It's only fair that every teacher get assigned the duty at least once." A strong elder man said. It was the Headmaster.
"I understand sir, but I'm not very good with discipline. I am what the students call a joke!" The younger blue-haired teacher said hesitantly.
"Now, now Joe, there is no need to worry. Remember, you are the teacher! You are the one with the authority! Threaten them with another detention, suspension, expulsion even, whatever it takes! You are the boss, you are in charge!" Headmaster Oshima coached, patting the teacher on the back, as a father would.
"I'm the boss, I'm in charge!" Mr. Kido repeated, gaining confidence.
"That's the ticket!" The Headmaster let out an encouraging laugh.
"Thank you sir!" Mr. Kido saluted, slapping his legs together. "I'm the boss, I'm in charge…" He muttered to himself as he walked down the hall towards his room.
"Hey Mr. Kido!" Davis teased.
The teacher quickly spun around, almost losing his glasses in the process. The two boys sniggered. "Sh-shouldn't you b-boys be getting to class?"
"Oh we will, just wanted to say hi," Davis ragged. Mr. Kido let out a meek smile, clearly chanting the Headmaster's words in his head.
"Yeah, see you after school!" Tai said waving his pink detention slip in the air as he and Davis walked in the other direction, but not before catching the look of sheer horror on the teacher's face. "Man, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually looking forward to detention today!"
Davis laughed. "Yeah, man I'm hungry, when's lunch?" He looked down at his watch. "Oh shit, we're gonna be late, c'mon Tai!"
"Gross, tell me again why I signed up for this class?" a fair-skinned girl with long jet-black hair groaned as she stretched out a pair of latex rubber gloves.
The girl next to her laughed, rinsing out a dissection tray. "Oh Maya, admit it, this is a fun class!"
"When we're not doing dissections yeah! Oh ew ew ew! Sora how can you touch that? It looks like death itself!" The black-haired girl flinched at the preserved squid that lay in front of her.
Sora laughed, "Maybe that's because it's dead silly. Come on, it's not that bad."
Maya grimaced, then picked up a scalpel and proceeded helping her friend. "It stinks!"
"That's because of the phermaldahyde." A spiky dark-red headed boy said casually from the lab counter adjacent to the two girls. "You know, the preservative fluid?"
Maya silently gagged. "Ugh, thanks Izzy."
"Shoot! I forgot to bring the microscope!" Sora said, laying down the sharp probe in her hand. "Hang on, I'll be right back."
"Wait! I'm going with you!" Maya squealed as she hurried next to her friend.
Sora rolled her eyes and smiled. "Okay, then help me rinse off these slides and slip covers." She grabbed a box of small glass rectangular slides and headed over to the wash station. She and Maya occupied the only other available sink. They heard a heated conversation coming from two students working in the sink across from them.
"What's up Yolei?" Maya asked the tall, purple haired girl standing opposite her.
"Cody and I were just talking about what he over heard in the office this morning."
"Well, what did you hear Cody, if you don't mind me asking." Maya said, turning to a shorter boy with bright green eyes.
He shook his head. "I was in the office this morning, Mrs. Miyagi sent me to collect her mail, and I over heard the Headmaster talking to Mr. Fujiyama."
Sora and Maya exchanged worried glances. "What did he say?" Sora spoke.
"Well, apparently in one of Mr. Fujiyama's classes there was a debate among students about educational policies here in Odaiba, which in the Headmaster's words was, 'a severe offense'. So he is considering dismissing Mr. Fujiyama." Cody explained.
"What!" Sora flared.
"But it wasn't his fault. Sora and I were in that class, and we took part in that debate! If anything we should get punished, not Mr. Fujiyama!" Maya said.
"That's noble of you, but Mr. Fujiyama was the teacher. It's his responsibility to handle situations like this, and I'm guessing he didn't do anything to stop the debate?" Cody asked.
"But he didn't encourage it either! He let us handle the situation. I mean it's not like we were wringing each other's necks or anything!"
"Yeah!" Maya agreed, nodding her head.
"But that's not the point," Yolei said. "Teachers aren't allowed to bring up certain topics like religion, political standpoints, and in this case, educational policies set forth by the government in school."
Sora shook her head. "This is outrageous! Mr. Fujiyama is the best liberal arts teacher this school has ever had, Headmaster Oshima said so himself!"
Slowly, slowly more students turned their ears towards the four. Some eagerly joining in the conversation. "Yeah," one boy piped up. "Mr. Fujiyama's the best! No way would they kick him out! How could they? After everything he's done for the school!"
"He goes to all the soccer games and sponsors a lot of fund-raising events! No other teacher in this school is more active than Mr. Fujiyama!" A tall girl with braided plaits said. "Some one needs to put a stop to this!"
"Sora! She's class president!" The other boy declared.
"Yeah!" the students around them chorused.
"Come on Sora, everyone would listen to you! You'd be perfect! We just can't let them do Mr. Fujiyama in like this!" Yolei pleaded.
"Alright, I will do it! Today at lunch, all those who are for Mr. Fujiyama meet me outside in the courtyard!" Sora affirmed as the students all cheered.
"What's all this?" A burly Mr. Watanabe, the biology teacher, boomed when he re-entered his classroom. "I'm gone for ten minutes and you go off rallying away! Back to work, those squids aren't going remove their own organs!"
Sora spent the rest of class devising a way to keep her favorite teacher in school, that is when she wasn't calming Maya during the dissection. The bell finally rang for third period to start. Maya and Sora headed down the spiral staircase of the science department to the main floor, pushing past students to get to their next class
"I'm sorry I won't be there to help you at lunch today Sora. I have a history exam so my teacher assigned us all to last lunch today." Maya said.
"That's ok. I wish you could be there though, but I'll be fine."
"Yeah, but be careful. It's bad enough that Mr. Fujiyama is on the line, but you could be next!" Maya said with a worried look.
"Don't worry! I'll be fine! Good luck on your exam," Sora reassured, waving good-bye to her friend. She made her way through the crowded halls and went out the doors leading to the picnic area where a lot of students were already seated.
"Tai!" a high-pitched female's voce shrieked through the cafeteria.
"Huh?" Tai spun around at the sound of his name, immediately wiping off the deranged look he always wore with a broad, smug grin. A bouncy head of pink hair bobbed over and wrapped its arms around him. "Hey Mimi," he said, slightly muffled.
"I heard about your unfortunate detention from Davis. Does this mean you won't be able to hang out today after school?" Mimi asked, keeping an arm around his neck.
"No, sorry Meems. Why? What did you have in mind?"
"Oh, well you know, a little this, a little that?" She said giving him a very naughty wink.
"Oh man Mimi, don't make this worse than it already is!" Tai groaned.
The girl giggled as she unwound herself from his hold. "Come on, Jun is saving us a table."
The pair met up with Mimi's friends and sat down. "Where's Davis?" Tai asked looking at the table full of bubbly, pretty girls.
Jun made a face then replied, "He's in the lunch line. You know what would be perfect? If he wasn't in this lunch, but instead Matt was!"
There was a collective sigh from the table. "He is so hot!" A girl with bright blonde hair said dreamily.
"Yeah, but Davis isn't that bad," another girl said. "He's kinda cute."
Jun snorted into her water. "You say that now Rei, but you didn't see what transpired in the bathroom at our house last night. Plus, hate to break it to you, but he's still head over heels for Maya."
"Still?" the girl named Rei asked. Jun nodded.
"Keep it down you all, here he comes!" Mimi hissed.
"Oh man, it's taco day… I hate taco day!" Davis groaned as he sat down across from Tai and Mimi. "Aren't you hungry Tai? I mean, you are going to be in school a while."
"Shut up," Tai spat. "I'll go through the line in a minute. Speaking of Matt, I'm sure you all heard about the concert coming up."
"Oh my god yes! The girls and I have been practically stalking him!" Mimi squealed.
"Why?" Davis asked.
"To get backstage passes, duh!" Jun replied, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, he only gives out so many though," Mimi said looking down at her nails. "I don't care if I have to fight someone, I'm going to get my pass!"
Tai and Davis traded looks with each other, both thinking the same thing. Girls are vicious.
"Look, there she is!" the boy from Sora's biology class yelled. "Over here Sora, I was just telling them the news!"
"Oh Sora, say it isn't so! Is it true, the rumors about Mr. Fujiyama?" A concerned girl asked whom Sora recognized from her math class
Sora set her books down a faced her fellow students. "It's true," she began. "They're thinking about firing Mr. Fujiyama! It's up to us to show them how valuable he is to our school!" The students around her all cheered loudly. "Who's with me?" Another loud chorus of yells followed.
"Not so fast," A sly voice said from behind.
"Ken!" Sora exclaimed when she saw the tall boy. His cold blue eyes piercing her warm crimson ones.
"What's this? Looks like trouble's brewing, in the form of a protest to be exact." Ken smiled mischievously.
"It's not a protest Ken-" Sora started.
"Oh but I think it is. An organized public demonstration expressing strong objection to a course of action adopted by those in authority, a.k.a, a protest. And surely you of all people know the rules of this school inside and out Sora… as president of the Headmaster's Disciplinary Squad I think it's time to turn you in."
"You mean your Hall Monitor/creep club?" A voice rang out from the crowd, followed by an echo of boos.
Ken ignored the comment. "Tsk, tsk, never thought you'd step out of line Sora. Perfect little Sora, apple of the Headmaster's eye, too bad there's a worm in it!"
"Bite your tongue! You think you're so big with that sash of yours Ken!" Izzy mocked in reference to the 'MONITOR' sash displayed across Ken's chest. "You've always been jealous of Sora ever since freshman year!"
"Want to join her Izumi?" Ken dared.
Sora held out her hand. "It's ok Izzy. Ken's right, I did step out of line, and I deserve to be punished just like any other student." She said, maintaining her pride.
Ken was a little shocked but quickly recovered. He glared spitefully at Sora who was still receiving cheers as she walked up to him.
"Lead the way Ken," Sora said humbly. She followed him back into the school and then to the main office.
Ken knocked on a large set of double oak-doors. "Headmaster, I caught a student in the act of formulating a protest outside in the courtyards."
The door opened revealing a spacious office completely furnished and warmly decorated. "A protest?" The Headmaster asked looking quizzically at Ken. "Well, let's see the culprit." He laughed merrily.
Sora rose and approached the office. The headmaster stopped laughing at once. "Is this some kind of joke Ken?"
Ken frowned, thoroughly aggravated, "No," he said slowly. "She was caught trying to rally together supporters concerned about Mr. Fujiyama."
The Headmaster nodded in recognition. He cleared his throat, "Well, Miss Takenouchi, if you would please take a seat. Ken you may wait outside."
Ken looked a bit disheartened, he had been hoping to witness Sora's prosecution, but obediently waited outside the Headmaster's office.
Sora bowed her head and sat in a leather armchair across the Headmaster's desk. She looked at the wall opposite herself and saw a number of awards, and certificates framed on it. She also saw pictures of students and was a little surprised to see her own smiling face in a few of them.
"Now Miss Takenouchi, you are one of my personal prides of this school. You have received numerous awards and are recognized as one of Odaiba's top students. I cannot begin to express the pride we have in you for your continuous hard work not only academically but structurally as well. So, you can see why I am having trouble understanding the news Mr. Ichijouji has informed me with."
Sora blushed at the Headmaster's words. "Well sir, what he said was true, but I had no intention of 'rallying' against you. A lot of students including myself feel that Mr. Fujiyama's possible dismissal is an outrage and we were merely expressing our feelings toward the manner."
"I understand Miss Takenouchi, but your actions could have caused a serious imbalance among my students. An imbalance that I personally would have had to attend to. A matter that I simply do not have the time to handle right now. As for Mr. Fujiyama, he is being held on a two week suspension-"
"But Headmaster Oshima!" Sora objected.
"From which he will return and resume teaching as normal." The Headmaster finished, inclining his head toward Sora. "Now, back to you Miss Takenouchi, I think you will agree with me when I say that it is only fair that I assign an appropriate punishment as I would with any other student, wouldn't want to play favorites now would we?"
Sora sighed, "No sir."
"That's a good girl. I am only doing this because I have to Sora," he said sadly as he pulled out a pink form and proceeded to fill it out. He removed his thin gold-framed glasses and handed the slip to Sora.
She looked at it, questioning it in her mind.
"It's a detention notice," the Headmaster said, as if she didn't know what it was. "You will spend one hour after school with Mr. Kido in the Detention Ward. Room 2 on the third floor "
Sora looked back up at the Headmaster. She opened her mouth to speak, but didn't know what to say. She merely bowed her head and left quietly from his office, guilt running through her veins.
TaDa!
So my part is done. Now, see that lovely little button on the bottom-left that says 'Submit Review'? Well, all that's left is to click it, write a little comment and hit send! Simple huh! Please let me know what you think so far, and if I need to improve on something don't be afraid to tell me!
Hint- more reviews encouraged me faster typing quicker update!
Regards,
Criquett