A.N: okay. I have waited long enough to update so, here I am. And I have some splendid news. My report card came in the mail yesterday and I am officially GOING TO NINTH GRADE! WOO! I just had to get that out.

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The Missing Sailor

Chapter 38.

" Miss Hanzo. I am very pleased with your essay. 'Living the life of an American Teenager' it was very good." Ms. Reynolds praised Emma as she handed back her. Emma smiled and looked at her 93 percent paper.

Being a teenager is hard enough. Between school, chores and the little crushes that come into every person's life at some point can nearly send one into insanity. But imagine if you were a teenager who had been shipped off to another country, leaving behind your friends and family...

Emma smirked at her work. At least she was good in one of her classes. " Thank you Reynolds-sensei" Ms. Reynolds nodded and smiled.

" Okay class. Your next assignment will be your view on American culture. You have learned a great deal about the way people live there, I have taught you many things along the lines of religion, food, holidays and such. Now it is your opportunity to prove that you actually paid attention this year." Ms. Reynolds noticed some students with wandering eyes. Not paying attention at all. " Excuse me!" that got their attention. " Thank you. And to make sure you all actually research, this will be 20 percent of your final exam grade." Groans were heard throughout the whole class room. " Bet you wish you paid attention now. The assignment will contain, a four page essay and something creative in your part describing the culture of America." Ms. Reynolds didn't have the chance to finish, because the bell rang. " It will be due in two weeks after tomorrow." Ms. Reynolds managed to get out before everyone left. Before Emma could leave the teacher caught her. " Emma, since you have an inside view of the American culture, you will have a presentation on Japanese culture. But you also being Japanese I expect no lower than a B from you. Got it?"

" Hai. Arigatou Reynolds-sensei." Emma agreed and walked out the door. She had found Sam waiting for her at her locker.

" Hey." Sam said.

" Hi." Emma went to kiss him but instead she kissed a binder. " Uh..."

" No open expressions of affection in the hallways Emma." Josh said. " It says in the hand book."

" And when had you ever paid attention to that rule?" Emma said. " Oh by the way, you got a little somethin right here." Emma pointed to her lips. Josh wiped his hand across his mouth to find lip gloss. The orange lipgloss Mina used all the time. Josh turned to a bright crimson color. " No open expressions of affection in the hallways Josh." Emma said. Josh turned redder and decided to just walk away.

" That was brilliant." Sam said. Emma took a bow. " Ready for lunch?"

" Yeah." Emma took his hand and they walked to the cafeteria. " Oh wait!" Emma let go of his hand and ran back to her locker. She pulled out a guitar case and a mini amp. Sam rose an eyebrow. " Hey, I have to have something to do when we aren't eating." Sam just shrugged and kept walking.

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Emma was sitting on a table outside playing her guitar. She wasn't exactly playing a song. She was more like experimenting with the chords. Sam was beside her laying on the table top. Everyone was just minding their own business.

Emma had looked up for a second and saw Sakura coming up to her. " Ah hell no." Emma groaned. Sam sat up for a second and plopped back down cursing.

" Hello Hanzo." Sakura greeted. " Hey Sam."

" Sakura-baba" Emma and Sam said at the same time. Sakura frowned.

" That's not very nice." Sakura said.

" Since when have we ever been nice?" Emma asked.

" Listen Sam, I have this party on Saturday and-," she was immediately cut off.

" No."

" But Sam"

" Not a chance"

" Sammy!"

" Do you understand plain Japanese?"

" Of course I do." Then Emma started speaking in English. Sakura had no idea what she was saying, but Sam did. And he had to hold back from laughing with every word she said. Sakura looked over to Josh who was laughing his ass off listening to his sister. Ami was laughing too since she takes honors English as a language and not a writing course like all the eighth graders took. It was funny.

" Sam what is she saying?" Sakura demanded.

" Okay, she said, -ahem- You are a self absorbed, egotistical, air headed...uh...I can't say that...or that...definitely not that...I'd get shot if I said that one..." Sam kept going on. " Emma, I think she gets it." Emma stopped talking.

" I told you learning English would be worth your while." Emma smirked at Sam. Sam just shrugged.

" Well Emma, you are...uh...you're a half blood freak." Sakura said. Emma smiled and picked up her guitar. She started playing a song.

" Well, I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free." Emma started singing. She got to the next verse before Sakura screamed that preppy little ' oh my god' scream, and ran off to her cronies.

" Well played." Sam said. " The guitar and the Sakura busting."

" Thank you." Emma smiled. Then the intercom turned on with that mind numbing screech.

" Would Hanzo Emma please report to the health office, to the health office please." Emma groaned.

" Here, could you put these back in my locker after lunch?" Emma asked Sam putting her guitar and amp in his arms.

" Yeah. Where do you go after lunch?" Sam asked.

" I have P.E then History. Then I go home as do the rest of you." Emma said.

" Kay. See you then." Sam said pecking her on the cheek. Emma smiled and then ran off to the school building. When she reached the nurse's office the nurse was buzzing back and forth like normal. And during the how many months she's been there, she still had yet to learn the nurse's name.

" Ah. Ms. Hanzo. Somehow you skipped out on the hearing and sight testing." the nurse said. Emma rolled her eyes. That must have been the time where she had to sneak out of class to deal with her good ol buddies the little green men back in January. " Come with me Ms. Hanzo." Emma followed into the small back room. There was a little machine with head phones attached. "Sit down Ms. Hanzo, and all you have to do is raise your hand to which ear you hear the beep in."

" okay." The test started. That lasted about ten minutes and then the eyesight test was about five. By the time they finished Emma was dizzy watching the nurse walk around so fast.

" Well, I must say. According to the records of the test you took in your old school compared to today's records, your scores on both the hearing and sight tests have raised twenty points." The nurse said. " you have a perfect score in both now."

" Beautiful." Emma said, not so enthusiastic about it. " Can I go, I have a track record to improve also."

" Oh yes. Go right ahead. Go go go." Emma swore that woman was to energetic.

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" Okay, Hanzo, Takahashi. Your up." Coach Takanara yelled. The woman was tall. Long black hair and freckles. She looked a lot like Lucy Lui. The event for that day's class was high jump. It was like a tornament. Two high jumping stations, two girls went against each other. Who ever made the highest moved on. Emma had the pure joy to be against Sakura. This was going to be really fun.

Emma got ready. She didn't particularly like the uniforms for P.E. ridiculously short blue shorts and a form fitting tank top. If she didn't know any better, she'd say Katsuro picked out the girls outfits. There were the eighth grade guys who were just standing there, watching she and Sakura stretch. She had to admit. The past few months had made her extremely fit. Long slender legs, strong muscular arms, smooth and flat stomach.

" Hanzo what are you waiting for? Get your rump up to the line." Coach Takanara yelled. Emma rolled her eyes and walked up beside Sakura.

" What? Can't understand plain Japanese?" Sakura asked.

" Aw. That's so cute. You've actually came up with a comeback that doesn't involve my hair or origin. Very mature." Emma said. Sakura growled. " how about you go first," Emma said.

" I'm gonna blow you right out of the water." Sakura said.

" Be my guest." Sakura took off running. She jumped up, higher, higher, higher and ooooo. She hit the bar. She went crashing onto the mat.

" Penalty, you hit the bar and you jumped too late. But it seems you made five feet and three inches." Coach Takanara. " Hanzo. You're up." Emma got ready. She didn't want to end up like Sakura. She had to think about what lita had taught her when she learned karate.

'Just focus all of your energy to your legs. They'll carry you where you need to go. You need to be balanced and have faith. Then you'll go far'

Emma smirked. She started running she jumped exactly on the line, she felt all her energy on her legs. She closed her eyes and twisted her body. She landed on the cushy mat. She opened her eyes and looked around. everyone had their jaws dropped. All the guys stopped running the track and looked at her in awe. " What?"

" You made ten feet and 11 inches." Coach Takanara said. " That's a school record." Emma's eyes widened. What was going on with her. She seemed to be getting better at everything. Her eyesight, hearing, track record. " Emma I want to see what else you can do." All the kids nodded.

" Takanara!" the guy's coach came over. " Who is that?"

" Emma Hanzo. Transfer student from the states." Coach Takanara said. The man looked in disbelief. Then he turned to his class.

" You see that! THAT'S what I want to see from you guys." he yelled. all the guys nodded. Still in shock over the whole ordeal.

" Who ever wants to see what else this girl can do sit on the bleachers." Takanara yelled. Everyone in the girls class took a seat.

" What are you guys gaping at!" the other coach yelled. " get your sorry asses up there. Learn something." all the guys went to the bleachers as well.

" Naitomi, this girl has never done something like this before. She's a severe asthmatic. She can barely run the track without pulling out her inhaler. What happened?"

" I don't know, but I think she won't need the puffer nearly as much." Coach Naitomi said. " Emma, I want you to run a lap on the track and jump the hurtles while your at it."

"Hai, Naitomi-sensei." Emma said. She looked into the stands. Sakura was glaring daggers at her. Emma smiled that cheeky little smile of hers. Emma got ready to run, waiting for the whistle. She could feel her ears listening intently, tuning out all of the chatter of the crowd watching her. There it was. The high pitched shrill. She took off. Running as fast as her legs could take her. every hurtle she jumped with ease. She made it all around the black top, she made it over every single hurtle of every height. When she finally made it, the two coaches looked at eachother.

" fifty-nine seconds." Coach Naitomi said. " Girl, you are a brilliant athlete. I don't know how you did it, but according to Takanara, you improved faster than anyone we've ever seen. What ever training or medicine they're putting you on to control your asthma. It's working." Emma couldn't believe it. All her life she had been cut off from any physical sport. Now, she was being told she was the best in the class.

" I hope to see you in track next year Hanzo. We could use you." Coach Takanara said. " Go get changed." she said to Emma. Then the two coaches turned to their class.

" What are you all sitting around for?" Coach Naitomi yelled, " Get your off your butts and start running, this isn't girls scouts!"

" Girls, move. Two by two. High jumps okay. Now!" Takanara yelled. All the students groaned and did as they were told. All talking about the new school athlete.

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A.N: okay. I'm not a big sports person. But if I were to play one it would most likely be track. There is so much variety on track and field that you can do what you want. It's awesome. But, because of my asthma, I have to dream about it and not make it a reality. At least until I get a better handle on my disease.