Fourteen Days with my Family by Hotaru Tomoe.
Chapter Twelve: Wednesday II.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Sailor Moon characters.
Ah yes, the first full day at school without Keiko and Megumi here to make it miserable. I'm really going to miss them. Not.
Word had spread quickly throughout the school about what happened and several people had come up to express their support and gratitude in a few cases to me and Kimyo. It seems we weren't their only targets.
There were also a few of Megumi and Keiko's circle of friends who came up to us promising dire retribution if we spoke against their leaders. Most of them were harmless, all full of 'sound and fury' as Shakespeare would put it.
But there were two girls that I rather worried about running into were named Aya and Rumi. They were big, muscular girls like Makoto, only not as nice or smart. They routinely beat up several smaller students, and could take on larger boys as well. They were the brawn in Keiko and Megumi's little gang, three guesses who the brains were. Neither was as skilled as a fighter as Haruka-papa, Makoto, or Rei, but with their size (Aya: 5'7", 165. Rumi: 5'10", 180) and strength they didn't need to be. Suffice it to say, if Kimyo and I ran into them, we'd be in trouble. Our only advantages were that we were smaller, more agile, and faster, not to mention way smarter. There were my powers as well, but that was an absolute last resort.
Unfortunately for Kimyo and me, we ran into them while on our way to our Science class. We were halfway there when Aya's loud foghorn voice blasted down the halls.
"Tomoe! Hoshi! We wanna talk to you!" Aw crap, here it comes. We turned to see them lumbering towards us while several students scrambled out of their path. They stormed up and blocked our way to the nearest exit.
"You two got our buddies kicked out of school." Rumi growled cracking her knuckles.
"And now you're gonna pay for it after school." Aya added as she glared at us. I could see the veins throbbing in their heads as they glared at us. This wasn't going to be one of life's great pleasures. Kimyo and I looked at each other, maybe we could bluff our way out, or buy time until help arrives.
"Well I'm impressed." Kimyo declared with a small smile. "Both of you managed to string a sentence together, congratulations." Kimyo sounded confident but she was as scared to death as I was. I pulled out my transformation pen and hid it up my sleeve just in case. I hoped things wouldn't get out of hand as I played along.
"Have the two of you been taking elocution lessons from Keiko and Megumi? They seem to be working wonders." Both of them looked confused. I imagine they were used to seeing their victims cowering in fear by now. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Risa and a few of our other classmates coming around the corner. They saw the situation at once and one of them ran to get help. I hoped it would get here soon.
"You're not gonna sound so smart with your teeth broken!" Aya warned.
"Not to mention having your faces smashed in!" Rumi put in. Both of them were flexing their arms like it was a bodybuilding competition.
"Have the two of you thought about trying out for the WWE?" I asked sweetly. They both blinked in confusion.
"Although in your cases you may want to wear masks." Kimyo added. Oh no, not a good thing to say. Both of them stopped looking confused and started looking really angry now.
Rumi growled like a dog and reached for Kimyo while Aya reached for me. We backpedaled into a wall to try to avoid them. "That's it! You and your smart mouths are gonna get what's coming to you right now!" Rumi bellowed. Just then a shadow fell over us and a huge hand grabbed Rumi's arm and turned her around.
"I think not." A deep voice said calmly. The voice belonged to Mr. Sato, my Social Studies teacher and a retired Sumo wrestler. He's a really nice man whom no one can actually recall ever seeing get mad at anything. Seeing as he's 6'3" and 395 lbs, that's a good thing.
"I believe that it is time that the three of us went to speak to the Principal." He said calmly to Rumi and Aya as he took each of them by the scruff of the neck and lifted them off the floor with no effort. The looks of shock and fear on their faces were indescribable. He turned to us and bowed slightly.
"Miss Tomoe, Miss Hoshi, you are unharmed I hope?" He asked.
"Yes Sensei. Thank you." We replied in unison as we bowed. Mr. Sato nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good. I will see you in class later then Miss Tomoe. Miss Hoshi." He smiled towards us then he turned and lumbered off towards the Principal's office carrying a very frightened pair of bullies down the hall in full view of everyone.
Let this be a lesson to any aspiring bullies out there; as big as you are, there is always someone bigger.
"Oh wow, Hotaru, Kimyo! Are you okay?" Risa asked in concern as she and the others ran up to us.
"We're fine, really. Thank you." Kimyo replied with a nervous giggle. I smiled and put an arm around her shoulder.
"We're both okay. Thank you Risa, all of you." I added. Everyone looked relieved.
"You're welcome, but you at least owe me an introduction to Haruka Tenoh for this!" Risa declared. Kimyo and I laughed and everyone joined in as we headed for our Science class. We apologized to Sensei for being a little late that day. He assured us that it was fine, he'd just heard from the Vice-Principal about the incident and he asked if we were okay. We told him that we were and that we were ready for that day's lab assignment.
Kimyo and I made a presentation in front of the class today. We were showing what would happen when certain compounds were placed in the flame of a Bunsen burner.
While I got the burner hooked up with Sensei looking on, Kimyo went to the store room and got out a few of the sample materials that Sensei had prepared for us. She was still feeling a bid giddy from the incident I think because she was lurching like Igor from one of the Frankenstein movies as she came back to the table complete with exaggerated limp, squinty eyes, and imaginary hunchback. Even Sensei was laughing a bit while she did this. I just looked up at the ceiling and muttered 'Why me God?'
Igor put the materials down and peered up at me, anxiously awaiting my approval. "What are we going to do now Master?" She was fawning now. The drool was a bit of overkill though.
Undaunted I placed a hand on her shoulder. "We're going to take over the world now." I declared.
"Oh boy! I can't wait!" She cackled and rubbed her hands in anticipation. The entire class was rolling in the aisles now and Sensei was having troubles keeping his composure.
Notice: aspiring mad scientist needs new assistant. Must be able to take directions well, hunchback and excessive fawning not required. Salary to be negotiated. Send enquiries to email address at bottom of page.
Anyway, we managed to calm down and perform the demonstration without wrecking the lab. Sensei was pleased with our demonstration, but advised us to save the acting for drama class. I can't blame Kimyo for wanting to let off some steam by acting goofy, considering what could have happened.
The rest of the day was pretty much uneventful, and Kimyo and I were leaving our last class, gym, when our teacher asked us to head down to the Principal's office where our respective parents were waiting. We thanked her, steadied ourselves for what promised to be an unpleasant meeting, and made our way down to the office.
When we got there we spotted Hoshiko sitting outside the office. She was still reading Sherlock Holmes and would occasionally look up and smile at any passing boy who was gawking at her causing them to scurry away. We smiled a bit as we approached her. She smiled warmly and stood up at our approach. Mr. Sato was nearby and we waved to him.
"Hello Hotaru. And it is nice to see you again as well Kimyo. I trust you are well?" She asked.
"I'm fine, thanks Hoshiko." Kimyo replied. "How are things going in there?" She asked as she looked towards the Principal's office where we could hear voices rising in anger.
"It is not going well I'm afraid. We arrived along with Mrs. Hoshi and found that the two girls I gathered to be Keiko and Megumi had arrived at the same time with their parents. Some words were exchanged, mostly between Haruka and the girl's fathers, and your Principal came out and ushered them into her office. She also asked me to remain out here and wait for your arrival." Hoshiko replied.
Just then we heard a man shout something, followed by Haruka-papa's angry reply. I'm not going to repeat exactly what they said here. I believe that I've already exceeded my quota for bad language in this report so far.
A woman's voice started shouting and this time it was Michiru-mama who yelled back. I felt a very tiny twinge of sympathy towards Megumi and Keiko's parents at that moment. I've stated before how scary Michiru-mama gets when she really gets mad. Haruka-papa has often stated that she would rather face an army of yoma alone, armed with a dull putty knife, than an enraged Michiru-mama.
Oh boy, now someone managed to get Setsuna-mama angry as well. Really bad idea. Let me put it to you this way; would you want to anger a woman who could, and would, send you back in time to, say, the Battle of Agincourt on the French side?* I don't think so.
Kimyo's Mom was getting her two cents in as well. Kimyo told me later that she'd never heard of her Mom getting that mad before.
Finally the office door flew open, and I could hear the Principal tell Keiko and Megumi that they were both suspended from school for a month. Both of them walked out of the office, followed by their parents, with their heads hung low. Keiko looked up and saw me standing there and she suddenly ran up, grabbed me, and spat in my face.
"You dyke! I'll make you pay for this!" She yelled as she raised her hand to slap me but her wrist was caught by an angry Hoshiko.
The Principal came storming out of her office and glared at Keiko. She nodded and Hoshiko let go of Keiko's wrist. Behind them I could see Michiru-mama and Setsuna-mama were having trouble restraining Haruka-papa. Kimyo's Mom ran over and hugged her daughter protectively.
"You may now consider yourself expelled from this school young lady." The Principal stated in a hard, flat voice.
"You can't do this to us!" Megumi shouted. "Not over these two worthless sluts!" The Principal whirled around so quickly that Megumi and her parents took a step back in fear. She was absolutely livid as she spoke. Activity inside and outside of the room had come to a dead stop.
"I can and I will young lady. In fact you are also expelled as well! Now get out of this school that your actions have dishonored and don't come back!" The Principal shouted.
"But you can't…" Megumi's Mom began but the Principal got into her face.
"Take your daughters and leave this school at once!" She screamed. They finally got the hint it seemed as the 6 of them ran out of the office for all they were worth, which quite frankly wasn't much by my estimation. Everyone within earshot stood there in shock and awe at what had just taken place. Even Haruka-papa was stunned. The Principal stood there trying to get her breathing under control. The silence was broken by Michiru-mama.
"Oh Hotaru, are you okay?" She exclaimed as she ran up to me and enveloped me in a tight hug followed by Haruka-papa and Setsuna-mama. Even Hoshiko joined in. Haruka-papa handed me her handkerchief.
"I'm okay Mama, everyone. I'm just glad that's over with." I replied after wiping my face. Kimyo and her Mom came over and joined our little circle. I could hear things getting back to normal around us as well.
"Are you going to be all right?" Hoshiko asked the Principal in concern. We turned to see her standing there shaking a bit but otherwise she was a lot calmer.
"I'll be fine now, thank you for your concern." She replied with a reassuring smile. Then she bowed to all of us. "I'm sorry that all of you had to witness such an outburst like that. Please forgive me."
"It's all right. Those people seem to have a talent for bringing out the worst in everyone." Setsuna-mama commented.
"I'll say I've never seen such hateful, bigoted, and self-centered people in my life! I'm ashamed to admit that they were once friends." Mrs. Hoshi stated. "I hope that I never have to see them again."
"It shames me to say this, but I hope your wish is granted." The Principal commented sadly.
"You mean that they had better pray that they never see us again." Haruka-papa growled.
"Miss Tenoh, anger only begets anger, which only leads to sorrow. Would you stoop to their level? Is this the example you would set for your daughter? I think not." Mr. Sato, who had been outside the office and had heard most of the argument, came in at this point.
Michiru-mama smiled at him and placed a hand on Haruka-papa's shoulder. "He's right my love. Do you want our Hime-chan to end up like them?"
Haruka-papa looked down at the floor. "No I don't. You're both right, I'm sorry."
Mr. Sato smiled. "Very good then." He looked at my parents and shook their hands. "The three of you are doing an exemplary job of raising young Miss Tomoe here. Do not let this incident ruin that. As a Father of two daughters myself, I realize it is hard to shield them from the evils of this world. But by setting a good example for them hopefully our children will walk the right path. That is all any parent can hope for." With that he smiled and left the office.
"Wow." Haruka-papa breathed in awe after he left. Not often that something like that happens.
"What an extraordinary man!" Setsuna-mama exclaimed. Hoshiko nodded in agreement.
"That he is." The Principal agreed. "A Sumo wrestler and a gifted teacher with degrees in philosophy and theology, not to mention a loving father and husband. He's also a great cook and golfer."
"Is there anything he cannot do?" Hoshiko wondered.
"Well he admits that he can't sing very well, or play a musical instrument, but he's working on it." The Principal replied with a smile. We all laughed a bit as we said our farewells.
"Oh yes, Hotaru and Kimyo, you'll be happy to know that those other two young hooligans who threatened you earlier have been expelled as well. It may seem harsh, but I've wanted those two out of here for quite some time." The Principal stated.
"That's nice to hear. Thank you. We'll see you tomorrow then." I said. Kimyo went up and hugged the Principal as did I and we all left the building.
"What other girls? What happened?" Michiru-mama asked. Kimyo and I told them about Rumi and Aya, not to mention being rescued by Mr. Sato. Everyone was shocked at first, but it seemed that Mr. Sato's words had sunk in because Haruka-papa didn't go off on a tangent like I thought she would. But she was pretty angry though, as was everyone else.
"It seems that we owe Mr. Sato an even bigger debt than we knew." Setsuna-mama stated as we headed for the van.
"Yes we do. Does he enjoy music Hime-chan?" Michiru-mama asked.
"Yeah he enjoys classical music." I replied.
"I think he'd enjoy a few personally autographed CD's then. Wouldn't you agree?" Michiru-mama said.
"Yes I think he'd enjoy them very much." I replied.
"Now that everything's settled, let's go meet Koneko and the others at the Crown shall we?" Haruka-papa asked. We all agreed enthusiastically and were about to pile into the van when Risa came up on her bike.
"Hey! I thought you said that you'd introduce me to Haruka Tenoh? Last time I save your life." She sounded angry but she was smiling. We laughed again and Haruka-papa introduced herself in her usual flamboyant manner by bowing deeply and kissing the back of her hand. Risa blushed like a spotlight and nearly fell off her bike. Haruka-papa signed one of her publicity photos that she kept handy just in case and handed it to Risa who was extremely happy I can tell you. I introduced Michiru-mama, Setsuna-mama, and Hoshiko as well, and they each thanked her for her help. Soon we headed our separate ways.
We arrived at the Crown to find the others there and we filled them in on what happened. They were all shocked, then angry, and finally relieved.
"Mr. Sato and your Principal both sound like really decent and good people." Usagi commented. "I hope that there are a lot more people like them around to keep people like Megumi and Keiko in check."
"I hope so too Usagi." I replied. I hope that she's right for all our sakes.
*Historical note: The Battle of Agincourt was fought on October 25, 1415 in Northern France between the forces of King Henry V of England, and Charles VI of France. Imagine being part of the French Army, wearing full armor, riding a horse, in a narrow muddy valley, in the rain, when 800-1000 Welsh Archers decide to suddenly rain arrows on top of your head. Not fun.
See for more details. Or read (or see) William Shakespeare's Henry V.