Chapter 221
It was a bright warm sunny day. Not that that was the least bit unusual. The city of Tokyo was arrayed with it's usual beauty. Serena Tsukino was still trying to get a few more minutes of sleep.
"Serena it's six forty five, get up," Luna said.
"Absolutely not," Serena said. "I can still make it if I get up at seven thirty."
"You never have," Luna said.
"Luna, don't bother me," Serena said. Luna reared up and tried to jump on her. Serena's arm flew up and knocked her away.
"So much for that," Serena moaned and went back to sleep.
Luna grimaced.
"This isn't over!" she said and leapt up onto the bed. Serena woke up again and grabbed her.
"Luna...stop it..." Serena said holding her out in front of her. "It's not good for a cat to be so undisciplined towards her master. Got it?"
Luna realized that Serena might get desperate, so she reluctantly nodded.
"Good," Serena said and tossed Luna off the bed.
And on the way to Juuban High School.
"You think Serena's gotten up?" Lita asked.
"No, she'll be late," Raye said. "She just doesn't show much common sense when school's involved."
"The question I have to ask is will this year any more enlightening then the past years of our public education," Mina said.
"There's always opportunities to be enlightened," Amy said.
"Just don't let Urawa distract you to much," The other girls said.
"If anything Urawa..and I will benefit each other,"Amy said. "Due to our collective knowledge."
"And will you be sharing the knowledge with each other?" Mina asked slyly.
"I'm not sure how to interpret that," Amy said.
"Look out!" came a familiar shout. The girls all whirled and ducked out of the way as Mike went speeding by dodging other students as he did so. Rick and Steve raced after him.
"What's that all about I wonder?" Raye asked.
"It's probably nothing important," Mina said.
"Yeah, those three just chase each other for sport," Lita said.
Greg wandered up.
"Say..Greg..any idea what that chase was about?" Lita asked
"Chase? No..it's not a chase. Mike's just pretending to be Serena, and seeing how far he can get running full out without crashing into something. Steve and Rick just want to see what happens," Greg said.
"Oh..." the four girls replied.
"It is an interesting experiment," Amy said a bit hesitantly. "Even if the outcome does not really answer any critical questions."
"Same old Mike, just looking for an excuse to run into something or someone," Mina said.
"Same old Rick and Steve, just looking for an excuse to follow Mike while he's doing just that," Lita said.
"Girls, do you realize just how stupider we've become even for being associated with them," Raye said.
"I wouldn't call it stupider," Amy said.
"I don't know what to call it honestly," Raye said. " It's not good whatever it is."
"But you're the only one still dating one of them," Mina said.
"Yeah," Lita added.
"So?" Raye asked.
The others looked at her.
"And besides I meant Mike and Steve," Raye added.
"Oh..you did?" Mina and Lita asked somewhat angrily.
"What do you two care? You're not dating them."
"Steve's a good friend," Lita said.
"And Mike is still a good kisser," Mina said.
Everyone stopped, including seventy other members of the student population and stared at her.
"It's not what you think," Mina said. "There was money involved."
Everyone continued to stare at her.
Mina glanced at them.
"If that's how it's going to be!" she said. A smoke bomb dropped out of her hand. When it cleared she was gone, but they could hear her laugh heading off in the direction of school.
"She really needs some help," Lita said.
"I think she needs some incarceration," Raye said.
"Raye...that's a relatively regressive idea for the treatment of the mentally unstable," Amy said.
"The American's have recently improved techniques used at correctional facilities," Greg said.
"You read about that too," Amy said.
And the two got into a discussion of the merits of new theories of treatment for mental patients.
"Why does it always end up like this?" Raye wondered.
"I..don't know.." Lita said.
And heading down another sidewalk.
"What are you all upset about?" Michiru asked.
"My cut hasn't healed yet," Haruka muttered.
"So I thought you liked looking tough," Michiru said.
"I don't like looking like a thug," Haruka said.
"You don't," Michiru said. "You just look like a girl with a cut on her cheek."
"Well that much is obvious, it's what people infer from that that's the problem."
"And why do you care?"
"I..uh..just..do.."
"Oh..my, my little Haruka is growing up," Michiru said with a grin.
"Don't mock me Michiru," Haruka muttered.
A few blocks away in a car.
"Well this is a big day isn't it?" Doctor Tomoe said at the wheel. "You're finally going back to school."
"Yes," Hotaru answered.
"That's all you can say?"
"Yes," Hotaru said.
Her father glanced at her.
"All you want to say is yes? Nothing else," Doctor Tomoe said.
"I don't know. I guess," Hotaru said. "This is merely the means to an end. My reintroduction to society."
"That's what I'd expect you to say. That's what I was looking to hear."
"Oh. I thought you were looking for some sort of emotional response."
"Emotional response is always good," Doctor Tomoe said.
In Principal Oksua's office.
Principal Oksua looked at Setsuna Meio as she sat there in front of him.
"Hmm..Miss Meio, I have to warn you about your class," he said.
"What about it sir?"
"Well..it's just," Oksua said. "The people in that class are a bit...strange.."
"Strange sir?"
"Yes,"Oksua said. "I suggest you be wary of them."
"Who?"
"All of them," Oksua said. "Individually, they're bad enough, but as a mass, a group..the entire class..is...not good."
"I see..." Setsuna said. "All of them?"
"Yes...even the ones you would least suspect."
"Okay..if you say so," Setsuna said.
"Good luck," Oksua said.
As Setsuna headed out of the office she found Patricia Haruna sliding in beside her, she quickly introduced herself.
"So you've got my old class do ya?" Haruna asked.
"Yes..I guess," Setsuna said.
"I suggest you be carefully. They can be trouble."
"So I've heard.." Setsuna said.
"I trust you, whatever you've heard is no exaggeration."
"I see," Setsuna said.
"Just wanted to warn you."
"Uh..thanks," Setsuna said and headed up to the next floor.
I knew the scouts could be a problem. But..well maybe it's not just them.
There are others in the class who could be bad. But why do I get the idea that I
know who's she talking about. Besides I'd expect the scouts to act better in
public. Then again, maybe I'll find out that I'm wrong to think that.
The students were soon arriving for class. The Tomoe car pulled up and Hotaru got out.
"Well..enjoy yourself," her father said.
"I believe that work and enjoyment represent differences that are very hard to reconcile," Hotaru said.
"Not in my case, I get to work on missiles," Doctor Tomoe said with a grin and drove off.
Mike meanwhile was wiping watermelon off of his face as he wandered up to the front door. Rick and Steve were smiling stupidly.
"I swear, that was Gallagher and he was trying to set me up," Mike said.
"What would Gallagher be doing here?" Steve asked.
"Putting a watermelon cart in the way of running students," Mike replied.
"I find that hard to believe," Rick said.
"Yeah..well..you don't read the stuff I do, if you did you'd understand," Mike said.
"I also don't smoke the stuff that you do, maybe that would help more," Rick said.
"I'm completely sober," Mike said.
"Maybe technically," Steve said.
Setsuna had arrived at the front of class and was watching as the students filled in. Haruka and Michiru were some of the first to arrive. They sat in the front row as usual.
Setsuna leaned over the desk.
"Is this class really that bad?" She asked.
Haruka and Michiru glanced at each other, grinned,and then nodded.
"You could have warned me," Setsuna said.
"This is the least of your problems,"Haruka said.
"That's true," Setsuna said.
Hotaru came in and sat down.
"Hello Hotaru," Setsuna said.
"Miss Meio," she said.
"Are you ready?"
"Of course," Hotaru said. "Or else my presence here would be a waste of time."
"I guess that's true," Setsuna said.
"I don't want to talk about it!" Mike snapped as he walked in followed by Rick and Steve.
"It was your stupid experiment," Steve said.
"Yeah, that allows us a carte blanch to ridicule," Rick said.
"You always speak french when you've got no point," Mike said.
"The storm is coming.." Haruka said with a grin.
"Can you feel the wind picking up?" Michiru asked.
Setsuna sighed.
Soon the entire class had assembled, except for one person.
"Where's Serena?" Setsuna asked.
The class burst out laughing.
"Perhaps you haven't met Serena," Mike said with a grin.
"I don't need commentary from the peanut gallery," Setsuna muttered.
Mike just grinned.
The door swung open and Serena ran in covered with watermelon's herself.
"That stupid watermelon guy!" she said. "He intentionally does this!"
"See I'm not alone," Mike said.
"So the asylum can have two inmates instead of one, big deal," Rick said.
"Three if his sister's still there," Steve said.
"Miss Tsukino, you're late," Setsuna said.
"So what else is new?" Serena asked and sat down.
"I have to give you a detention."
"Can't blame you for doing that," Serena said.
"Uh..right..well now that we're all here. Let's get started," Setsuna said
and started the new school year.
Fifteen minutes later.
"Miss Meio, just why do poet's even exist?" Mike asked.
"Mike..you're not asking that question because you actually care what the answer is,"Setsuna muttered.
"Not true," Mike said. "I'm curious. I mean these poets are just losers who can write song lyrics, but have no band."
"I never saw it that way before," Mina said.
"Mina don't encourage him," Setsuna said. "Mike. Quit being so disruptive or you'll stand in the hall."
"So you're not going to answer the question then?"
"No I'm not," Setsuna said. "Teacher's prerogative."
"I'll remember that," Mike said and wrote something down in his notebook.
Setsuna sighed.
Ten minutes later.
"Now what do you get from the poem we just read?" Setsuna asked. "Amy?"
"Well..there are several underlying meanings to the stanzas, perhaps evoking themes of love, emotion, and possibly abandonment," Amy said.
"Good..how about you Melvin?"
"This is highly reflective of his works of this time periods conveying the belief that one is better for what they have seen and then lost, then necessarily what they still have," Melvin said.
"One could see it that way," Mike said.
"You have a different interpretation?" Setsuna muttered.
"Yeah. Instead of that view Melvin expressed, I see him favoring what you have over what you've lost, because while you can learn from what you have, what you've lost is gone."
"Uh..I guess there's something to that," Setsuna said.
"Surprise," Mike said.
"There are other interpretations, I want to see what other people think. Serena?"
"What?" Serena moaned.
"Never mind.."
"Oh the poem..right? You know I don't go for this kind of stuff. If you mean something, just come out and say it, that's what I say."
"But is that art necessarily Serena?"
"We're not painting Miss Meio, this is poetry."
"Yes, but they're all part of the arts."
"Really? Why?" Serena asked.
"Serena, that's a very simple minded answer."
"They are the relatively easiest ones to come up with," Serena replied.
"Yes, but.." Setsuna said. "Never mind. How about you Molly?"
"Uh..well..to be honest, I think the poet was being a little to covert myself."
"You what?"
"Yes..the poem almost shows a reluctance to admit the truth," Molly said. "This unsureness doesn't instill much confidence in his belief's."
"Hah!" Serena said. "In your face!"
"Serena.. Go stand in the hall," Setsuna said.
"That didn't take long," the entire class said.
Setsuna sighed.
At lunchtime, the group was all sitting around a large table. Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru wisely occupied their own table.
"Why do I get the sense Setsuna is going to have a few choice word's for us later," Serena said.
"She's certainly going to have a few choice words for you," Raye said with a grin.
"That's true," Serena said. "It's not my fault. What'd she expect?"
"She did ask for it," Lita said.
"Still..you'd think in the second year of high school we would be a little more...mature," Amy said.
"I was fine," Mina said.
"With the exception of Mike and Serena, we were all good students," Rick said.
"Ah...you'll all be turned to the dark side before I'm done," Mike said.
"Don't bring us down with you or they'll be consequences," Mina said.
"You stand warned," Raye said.
"Do they just go on like this all the time?" Urawa asked Amy.
"It takes some getting used to," Amy said.
"Well enough about that, how's everyone's classes look?" Serena asked.
"Our science teacher's dreamy," Lita and Mina said.
" Wasn't that true last year too?" Raye muttered.
"Different teacher, same dreaminess," Lita and Mina replied.
"They're right," Serena said. "Not that that means anything to me of course."
"We've got that nutty astronomer," Urawa said to Amy. "I doubt they'd enjoy looking at him for very long."
"He has other endearing qualities," Amy said.
"Should I be jealous?" Urawa asked with a grin.
"Jealous of who?" the other girls asked.
"Eh...what?" Urawa asked.
"It's nothing," Amy said blushing.
"Amy..is your science teacher cute as well?" Mina and Lita asked.
"No..no..you two wouldn't be interested," Amy said.
"Want to keep him to yourself ey?" the two asked.
"It's not that," Amy said. "Really..it's.."
"We understand," the two said.
"Girls..trust me...I'm not am expert..but he's not grade A material..is that even the right adjective?" Greg asked.
"Depends on what you're talking about," Mike said. "What do you mean exactly."
"I don't think I'm in any position to say anything else," Greg said.
"I think Greg's judgement is enough for us," Lita said.
"Yeah," Mina said. "Besides, it wouldn't do for us to have anyone to distract us from Tony."
"Right,"Lita said.
The two swooned again.
"Tony?" The rest of the table muttered.
"So what do you think Hotaru?" Michiru asked.
"About what?" Hotaru asked.
"School Hotaru," Michiru said.
"Hmm...interesting situation," Hotaru said. "Though I've been through all this before, I find myself wondering why exactly I felt I was missing anything."
"That's not unexpected," Haruka said. "I'm all for learning, but most of these teachers waste so much time, and that nut case science professor losing track of his thoughts every five seconds."
"It shows he's a dreamer Haruka," Michiru said. "Worldy matters, aren't as important to him."
"Then why is he a teacher?" Haruka muttered.
"Even dreamer's have to pay the bills."
"I did not have the chance to meet this man, my teacher is somewhat attractive," Hotaru said. "Not that I am interested. However, it seems that the majority of my classmates, girls that is, are heavily distracted," Hotaru said. "I fail to understand why they harbor delusions of possibly have something to do with him."
"Well..just because you can't date a rose doesn't mean you don't stare at it's beauty," Michiru said.
"Agreed. Still..Hotaru, most of the girls in this school are a bit love crazy," Haruka said. "It's really a wonder how any of them is going to amount to much when they spend so much time gawking."
"Until evolution solves this problem, we're stuck with it," Michiru said.
"True," Haruka said.
Hotaru just glanced at him.
"Mike! Take that back!" Mina and Lita shouted from the nearby table and went racing after him as he dashed away from him.
"And the world is in their hands," Haruka said.
Michiru grinned.
"How have we survived so long?" Hotaru asked.
"We can't tell you," Haruka and Michiru replied in unison.
Mike jumped onto their table and then onto the floor again.
"Sorry..." he said. Mina and Lita followed.
"Just passing through," They said.
The three girls sighed.
Later that day.
"Setsuna, what brings you by?" Darrien asked.
"Why are high school students so messed up?" She muttered.
"What?" Darrien said.
"Darrien, I didn't want to lose my usual composure in front of them, even Haruka or Michiru, but classes today. Just what is happening to society?"
"Jeez..that bad huh?" Darrien asked. "You want some tea?"
"Please," Setsuna said.
Darrien started making it.
"I mean I know they're still young, but I didn't know just how bad it had gotten. I thought by becoming their teacher I could keep a closer eye on the scouts, in case trouble broke out again. Also I felt I could get a better idea of what they were up to outside of the scout setting, but..."
"Aren't any of the normal students trouble?"
"Yes, but I'm disappointed with the scouts. I thought they were maturer. While it was true that Mike and Serena were the only ones flagrantly immature, I could see the others, how much they wanted to join in. It worries me."
"They have been under a lot of stress."
"That's the only thing keeping me from coming down hard. But..still."
"Yeah..I know. You'll get used to it."
"I'd prefer to fix it."
"Can't be done," Darrien said.
Queen Nehelenia starred at the goddess in front of her.
"You goddesses just are incapable of damaging the Sailor Scouts," she growled. "What a pathetic operation this is. I can't believe that you even bother."
"Maybe so.." the goddess said. "However, we have come close several times. We are about to enter the final phase of our operation."
"Final phase? You haven't made any progress!"
"That's not true. We have accomplished several things. We have felt out the scouts, we know many of their strengths and weaknesses. We also know not to underestimate the Guardian Scouts anymore. Furthermore, the scouts strongly believe that we are incapable of sending more then one goddess out at once."
"Aren't you?" Nehelenia asked.
The goddess grinned.
"No..and that's why we've been able to drain energy from the population of outlying areas without the scouts even noticing, or the earth authorities."
"You've been acquiring energy?"
"Yes. Enough to launch a new offensive, that will surprise the scouts."
"You've planned this all along."
"We had some shortcoming's to overcome, but we managed. Your information has
been valuable. Even if it has not been given in a relatively hostile tone. So we
had planned to give you some energy. With which you might take on and destroy
the scouts. But that will come later. Now we'll begin our operation, and it will
succeed for sure."
CHAPTER 201 CHAPTER 202 CHAPTER 203 CHAPTER 204 CHAPTER 205
CHAPTER 206 CHAPTER 207 CHAPTER 208 CHAPTER 209 CHAPTER 210
CHAPTER 211 CHAPTER 212 CHAPTER 213 CHAPTER 214 CHAPTER 215
CHAPTER 216 CHAPTER 217 CHAPTER 218 CHAPTER 219 CHAPTER 220
CHAPTER 221 CHAPTER 222 CHAPTER 223 CHAPTER 224 CHAPTER 225