"20 Percent"
The rest of the day passed by in a blur, most of the students were
beginning to get restless and excited knowing that only one more day
stood between them and two days of freedom. When the classrooms weren't
filled with excessive chatter, they were most definitely filled with
teachers giving long lists of homework, informing the more resentful
students that since they had two whole days, there would be plenty of
time to finish it all.
Giving the homework on Friday, instead of Saturday, occurred
because there were rumors going around about how the third year students
planned on skipping Saturday in favor of a longer weekend. In
anticipation, many of the faculty warned their students, third years or
not, that if they intended to not show up tomorrow, consequences would
be beyond hellish. While other instructors would either pile on the
homework, or, in extremely rare, but very happy cases, go about class as
usual and wish the students a healthy, long weekend.
Harry and Ron missed out on all of this due to the rogue's strict
orders not to enter any classroom with students and teachers. They were
allowed to roam the halls between classes and during lunch, which they
did so without abandon, often pulling pranks on poor various
upperclassmen and a few teachers. After school, they were to hang
around in the upper gymnasium or another equally fine hiding place,
until the last of the faculty left, at which they were free to roam the
halls.
Harry, himself, was looking forward to a nice long shower in the
boy's locker room.
For her part, Makoto avoided Ami and Rei for the better part of
the day, with the exceptions of course being when they had classes
together. The raven haired girl did not mind this, as she wasn't ready
to dish out her revenge just yet, and it also kept her from having to
stress over the blue haired girl being bothered by the brute. When
school ended, the priestess walked Ami to cram school, lingering around
for several moments just to make sure Kino didn't show up, and when she
was satisfied she saw no sign of the girl, went straight to the temple
to discuss preparations of the genius' party with the other girls.
Setsuna enjoyed a nice evening with Makoto; the two discussed at
length what the young girl should make for the dinner on Saturday. Both
seemed unusually tedious about the food to prepare, right down to the
specific spice and wine to accompany it, and along to which sets of
dishes to serve it on. They cleaned the apartment slow and languidly,
as though there were years ahead of them before the visit; each woman's
thoughts drifting elsewhere.
--------------------------------
After cram class, upon arriving home, Ami was surprised to see her
mother sitting in the living room sew up the arm of a silver colored,
silk blouse. So immersed she was in perfecting each loop and pull, the
doctor failed to notice her daughters entrance and subsequently was
unaware of the curious baby blue eyes watching the woman's every move.
The teen's focus on her mother's habits were exacting in such a way the
girl always knew what caused the doctor's every reaction. Only in such
a close mother and daughter relationship could this be possible; but
much to the young girl' great dismay, this supposed close relationship
was very one-sided.
It seemed this impending dinner weighted on Ami more than she'd
initially expected. For not only did she have her feelings for Makoto
to deal with but her mother instantly became focused on the one simple
thought, not surprising the genius at all, but instead, agitating her:
Meioh Setsuna. Never in a million years did the teen think she'd be so
jealous of the dark haired woman. Her mother, over the past several
months, seemed to unconsciously begin to fawn over the possibilities of
dating Meioh-san.
She relayed none of these thoughts to her daughter, but it wasn't
very necessary; it struck the small blue haired girl like anvils falling
from the sky. One needn't have a brain to figure everything out: every
free moment the older Mizuno had, was now shared between her daughter
and the scientist. To Ami, though she was not the center of her
mother's universe, she had felt that she at least played the role of a
faithful moon to the planet the woman lived on; she could at least
reflect sunlight to her mother during the dark moments.
Now it seemed the doctor had taken another moon and was admiring
it with greater fervor. Eventually the teen would probably be cast off
into space, becoming part of an asteroid belt, maybe getting too close
to the sun and burning up, or, maybe finding another planet to circle.
Ami clutched her chest and willed her tears back, fighting away any
notions of ever hating Meioh-san, because she really didn't hate the
woman. She knew it was just a mother-complex; she simply needed more
emotional maturing.
Maybe her father hadn't been the best of men; he wasn't right for
her mother and the teen understood that perfectly. Some people just
don't mesh. She hadn't visited or talked to her father in nearly three
years and the last correspondence she received from him was a post card
with a sentence worth of exchange: I'll think of you always.
Initially, Ami was bitter to the core, becoming, if possible, more
withdrawn, forcing every ounce of emotion into her schoolwork and
studies. It was at these times she only had one wish, which was to
cling to her mother's bosom and shed every last tear onto the woman's
chest in a desperate plea for sanctity and happiness. A mighty foolish
wish for a girl who since the age of six, only ever saw the doctor at
the hospital, surrounded by terrible amounts of work, or in passing,
before sleep or just as they were preparing for the day.
Eventually the teen came to accept what her mother could not give
and also came to forgive her father. He was only human, after all, like
herself. No one was perfect and she could even understand him,
beginning to despise the competition between his wife's work and his
wife herself! And since at one point, he had loved her mother, Ami must
love him too.
The doctor may not have been the best mother, but she was a mother
nonetheless to the young girl and even through the constant pressure of
doing well, the girl could see that her mother simply wanted the best
for her. She had steadied herself in that position, she would live up
to her mother's ideologies and make the woman so proud of her that she'd
have to take Ami in her arms, holding her tightly and tell the girl what
a wonderful daughter she is.
A sudden blue crept onto the genius' face causing the teen to back
out of the room promptly, in search of air. Such thoughts embarrassed
her; she knew the best she could expect from the older Mizuno was an
abrupt hug, maybe a kiss on the forehead, but more likely a handshake.
Such follies given by the older woman were probably to be saved for
Meioh-san and Meioh-san alone. Entering the bathroom, Ami pressed her
forehead against the mirror, savoring the coolness of the glass beneath
her skin. It was safe to say that the girl was not looking forward to
the dinner at all, with or without Makoto there.
Ami leaned back and stared into her own baby blue eyes. She
studied each eye down to the tiniest detail, noting the various diamonds
of light and dark blue and how the edges seemed to be frosted with a
tint of steel blue. The girl suddenly had the strongest desire to know
what the rogue thought of her eyes as she herself was captivated by the
other teen's emeralds.
Sighing, Ami made her way to her bedroom, sadly noting that her
mother still hadn't noticed her arrival home, and sat in front of her
computer. She was now determined to finish the assigned weekend
homework and then a journal entry. Perhaps the impression of her mother
and Meioh-san was being blown up larger in the girl's mind, allowing her
feelings control over her thoughts, in which case, the blue haired girl
could feel better about the following evening.
She truly liked Meioh Setsuna and did not want to harbor any ill
feelings towards the woman.
Why should she have any reason to dislike the one who brought Kino
Makoto into her world?
---------------------------------------
"You two! Get back here this instance! I mean it, if you do not
come back here, when I do find you, and I will, oh I will! You'll be
suspended!!"
"Bugger off ya old git!"
Harry rounded the corner, being tailed closely by Ron, ran in to a
couple of first years and was pushed forward by the former redhead's
running body. Both boys took off towards stairwell, Harry managing to
'bump' into a student teacher, who just happened to be carrying a stack
of tests, only to have them scattered across the floor everywhere.
Several students snickered, a few cheered for the two boys as they threw
open the door, bowing briefly, before sneaking away to the second floor.
"Right o' Harry, that was brilliant!"
"Yeah mate, I got one better though! Remember that ass that was
badmouthing Mako-chan in the loo this morning? Let's say we pay him a
visit, what have you?" Harry, after having slept from six the previous
evening till around eight that morning, when the sound of a thousand and
one basketballs bouncing from below woke him up, was feeling very alive,
and very free.
He and Ron talked about what they could do for Makoto while they
were in school the previous morning, as a way to pay her back for
helping them out; thus they decided her life here must be boring as Ron
was tall, so they would give her the gift of amusement.
The tomboy didn't say they couldn't, after all.
The boys entered the second floor at the same moment the bell for
next period rang; Ron gave Harry a disheartening look and the two sought
shelter in the nearest empty classroom. After turning on a couple of
lights, the lanky teen pulled a couple stacks of paper out of the
storage cabinet while his companion took some pens off the teacher's
desk. Both sat down at two desks and began to pretend to write, trying
not to look suspicious.
"Harry, Makoto isn't going to like this if we get caught..." Blue
eyes glanced towards the windows of the classroom nervously, and then
back down at the doodles on his paper.
The shorter teen could only shrug, responding half-heartedly,
"This was our back up plan, we didn't have a choice. Besides,
Mako-chan's classes are in the West wing and we're in the east wing
now... I think..."
At the sound of the door opening, both teen's flinched and looked
immediately back down to their papers, pens scratching hurriedly.
Chancing a glance upwards, Harry eyed a voluptuous and extremely sexy
blonde giving both he and Ron an extremely cute, but confused look. The
green eyed boy's face became a deep crimson and he looked back down at
his paper, shocked that he'd been writing in English. He quickly pulled
another piece of paper over the top and began to draw Japanese
characters.
"You two don't belong here... who are you?"
---------------------
Her sparkling blue eyes were captivated by the two undernourished
boys, pretending not to check out the curvy vivacious blonde in front of
them, the taller freckled one giving the short one several nervous
glances. Minako knew these two didn't attend Juuban because she knew
all the students, not necessarily the names, but she was good with faces
and these two didn't register a spark of memory.
"I repeat, who are you?" The volleyball player examined the teens
closely noting that they again shared a nervous look before the short,
scruffy boy spoke.
"We're doing an independent study." His green eyes didn't blink
as the scrutiny from the blonde continued.
Minako raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Takeuchi-sensei doesn't
have any students doing independent study," she continued to study the
young men, most especially the widening shocked blue eyes of the taller
one, and continued on, "I know this because I'm his assistant and I keep
track of all his classes."
The voluptuous teen watched as the two 'students' in front of her
shifted once again, more noticeably nervous and uncomfortable.
"So, I repeat, who are you?"
A sigh escaped the green eyed teen's lips, "Alright, you got us.
We were planning on skipping the rest of the day but got caught by the
bell, so we ducked into this classroom for the time being until we can
find an escape route." He grinned embarrassedly and patted his taller
companions head. "My name's Harry by the way."
The blonde teen continued to give the two boys a doubtful look.
She was considering the story; it sounded mostly truthful, due to the
fact she saw three upper classmen sneaking off the grounds after first
period, but she still didn't recognize the faces sitting in front of
her.
And as if reading her thoughts, the boy named Harry spoke up,
"We've just transferred here. Second day, lucky us eh? We get an
extended weekend upon entering the school, like a gift from the
education gods. Already made a friend too, do you know her? Kino
Makoto?"
Now Minako's interest was beyond peaked and she opened her eyes
all the way to reveal the dazzling curious blue, ready to befriend these
two objectionable boys. But, this was the 'The New Transfer' they were
talking about, what made them so special that a cool rogue like the
chestnut haired tomboy would want to make friends. Both teens were
obviously a bit bumbling and not too bright, so unlike Kino's taste.
"You are friends with Kino Makoto?" She laid the suspicion on
heavily.
"Yep. She's quite a handful, don't ya think?" Harry's voice
lacked the anxiety it held before and the volleyball player sensed he
was indeed telling the truth.
The blonde slipped up onto the teacher's desk in front of the two
boys, crossing her legs, smiling when she noticed the tall, lanky teen
watching her as she did so. Still got it. Juuban boys were too used to
Minako and her airhead outbursts, they rarely checked her out anymore;
but new meat could always be counted on.
"I wouldn't know, Harry, I'm not really close with her." She
paused a moment, tapping the tip of her forefinger on deep pink lips,
"You're both from England, I recognize that accent! I spent a few years
living in London with my parents when I was eleven!"
"Really!?" The short dark haired boy leaned back in his desk,
still grinning, "That's bloody brilliant!"
Minako smiled, showing a set of lovely white teeth. She decided
to impress the young men with their native language, "Are you brothers?"
Harry reached over and grabbed the freckled boys shoulder,
"Adopted brothers." He turned his green eyes to the right, "She speaks
English pretty well there, eh Ron?"
Ron could only nod and look back towards the top of his desk,
causing the volleyball player to giggle softly.
"What brings you two to Japan?" The blonde reverted back to
Japanese, deciding her native language was better suited than the choppy
English.
"Dad transferred here for the British Navy. We won't be here long
as it is, he's already got notice he'll be stationed in Okinawa in less
than a week."
Dazzling blue eyes became crestfallen as the teen realized she
only had a short time to work with. Haruka and Michiru, though valuable
sources of information, seemed to not have broken through the harsh
exterior of Kino Makoto. The volleyball player so desperately wanted to
get deeper information on the rogue and was hoping to now get through
with Harry and Ron. If they were to leave soon, she'd need to get her
groove on.
"You know, I've always wanted to talk to Kino-san, one on one.
I'm worried about my friend, because she likes Kino-san, but Kino-san
hasn't really taken much action towards her." Minako put on her best
pout face and batted her eyelashes, "She's so unapproachable, I'm
intimidated by her, but if you two know her, maybe you could introduce
me."
"Sort of like, 'My friend likes you and she wants to know if you
like her' thing?" The small teen seemed torn as he spoke, as though
debating something.
The blonde shook her head quickly, making sure to show off her
golden locks in the process, "Not exactly, I just wish to know her
intentions towards my Ami-chan." She crossed her arms over her chest
and stared back and forth between the teens.
"And who's this Ami-chan?" Harry now had a Cheshire smirk on his
face.
"You haven't heard of her? Surprising... Well, I'll tell you now:
she's a genius, most intelligent person in all of Japan. Though, you'll
rarely see her outside of the classroom. Because as Tom Ed once said,
'Genius is 10 percent inspiration and 70 percent perspiration.'"
"But... what about the other 20 percent?" The quiet voice of Ron
finally broke through the shy barriers around him, causing both Harry
and Minako to look his way. He quickly turned red and looked back down
at his paper.
"20 percent of what?" Sparkling blue eyes were wide and innocent
as deer eyes and Harry could only bring his palm up to his face,
covering the silent laughing grin that crossed his face.
-------------------------
On the other side of the school, the rogue sneezed suddenly,
disrupting the serene quiet of the advanced science classroom. A few
students turned to give an evil eye to the sneezing person, but quickly
turned back when they saw it was none other than 'The New Transfer'.
As predicted, the unforgiving Science teacher chose Saturday as
the day he would give every one of his classes a midterm exam that was
worth 20 percent of their final grade. One could easily spot the
students who had Severus Snape as a teacher, as they were the ones in
the hallway between classes biting their nails, looking sickly pale,
reading and re-reading through texts, and often mumbling incoherently to
themselves or others.
It seemed that the test bothered everyone to many extremes, with
the exception of three students: Kino Makoto, Mizuno Ami, and Hino Rei.
The rogue was never visibly bothered by the villain-like teacher, thus
it was no surprise when she walked in just as the bell rang with a look
of absolute ease on her face. As for the genius, well, she was the
genius and there was no doubt she was at all apprehensive. As for the
sexy teen, she was the genius' best friend, enough said.
Makoto looked back down at the exam on her desk, mustering up
energy to comprehend the questions on the page. She was very exhausted,
having woken up several times during her sleep the night before, and was
now feeling the effects in the stuffy, silent classroom. It was lucky
for her that most of these questions were cake and so she didn't have to
put much thought into answering them. As she finished yet another essay
question, the tomboy unwittingly recalled the nightmares that kept her
from a deep slumber.
The nightmare
"There are no definitive values as to concerning yourself for an
uncompromising situation. You must know that you always carry the upper
hand, believe it, let it overtake your personality and never let anyone
even so much as consider that what you're carrying is less. Most
personalities are followers, they will back down when sensing a stronger
personality, for why fight such fate like that. Humans want to survive,
it is their natural instinct."
A young Makoto stood, nodding patiently, taking in everything the
voice was saying. She already began to change her stance and posture as
per the words suggested and inside she felt that her pleasing the voice
would draw them closer. Makoto wanted to be respected and looked up to
as well.
"Weapons are inept when one has enough subterfuge to make the user
ineffective. But that does not mean you should not learn how to use
them. Never assume you have your opponent completely beaten; never
stand triumphantly and never gloat. Those whose ego outweighs their
mission will fall fast. Wars are 20 percent physical and 80 percent
psychological. Come here Makoto."
The chestnut haired girl was careful not stride too confidently,
but not too timidly either. She mentally measured her pace and was
careful to keep eye contact with the one in front of her. Somewhere,
the emerald eyed girl felt the one in front of her smile approvingly,
and she had to fight to keep the pride from overtaking.
"To better understand your opponent, you have to experience what
he or she has been through. A bird that has flown, but never fallen to
the ground will be quickly overtaken by one who has. Therefore, Makoto,
I shall have you fall now. This will be the beginning of repeated
falls, you must know exactly what each person on this planet is feeling
and feel it you shall."
Makoto's face became covered with confusion. She did not know
what the voice meant by having her fall; was she to go out and test her
wills against another? Perhaps the voice would take her through all the
pitfalls there was in dealing with certain types of personalities.
Before an answer could come to the young girl's head, she was
pushed violently against the wall. Frightened emerald eyes darted
everywhere, struggling against the hands that held her wrists above her
head, slipping a chain around them. The tomboy swallowed once before
the stinging pain encompassed her body causing her to shriek out in
pain. Another pair of hands pressed her head against the wall as
another strike from the burning weapon wailed across the girl's back.
"Spread your legs!"
The tomboy was always willing to please those who wanted the best
out of her, but a sudden stubbornness crept up in Makoto's heart and
much to her surprise, she would not follow the command. The hand on her
head took a clump of hair, pulling back and smashing the girl's face
into the wall two times. Blood rushed from the young girl's face; she
figured the two hits broke her nose.
There was a silence behind her and she figured the two men were
silently conversing. Suddenly the hand in her hair let go and the voice
from before knelt beside the emerald eyed girl. He grabbed her right
leg roughly, cutting into her thigh when Makoto tried to resist. The
tomboy gritted her teeth in obvious pain and reluctantly eased up,
allowing the man to chain her ankle. As punishment, he slashed open the
girl's calf in several quick hacks.
When he moved over to the other leg, the young chestnut haired
girl had, having learned her lesson, allowed him to take and chain her
ankle. She felt exposed and embarrassed, wanting nothing more than to
break the shackles to beat the two men senseless. Another strike upon
the girl's back and the pain increased ten fold as she realized they
used a hot poker to hit her this time. Blackness began to creep over
Makoto's eyes as she felt her consciousness slipping away. The last
thing she remembered was a pair of rough hands sliding up her bloodied
legs, pulling her skirt up.
This was the most vivid memory she had of childhood and it
disturbed her upon waking. She hadn't thought of that time since it
happened and for good reason. Though the effects lingered in her
everyday actions—because she did learn a lot from it—Makoto willed
herself not to recall the exact moments and had been doing well, until
last night. Several times after that dream, she woke up remembering
more and more of those training days. It was enough to drive any sane
person crazy. Fortunately for the tomboy, she was already pushed over
the edge and all it did for her was fuel the one fury she's had on her
mind since age 13: Revenge.
She would have her revenge.
But she could not allow herself to focus on that at the moment.
Time was always willing to wait for anyone patient enough and eventually
it would allow her to cross that road at the moment she was most
prepared. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to have a night with
Mizuno Ami. This was the farce of it; Makoto had no doubt she would
seek revenge upon those who wronged her, but when it came to the shy
genius, she doubted every thing about the girl and about herself.
No one has ever made the rogue doubt herself.
Since the emerald eyed girl has already been to hell and back, she
was entertained and intrigued by the idea of not knowing exactly what to
do or how to go about doing it. Letting her gaze drift over to the blue
haired girl sitting at the front of the class, Makoto decided she would
nap after school, hoping to regain some energy, because she wanted to
make this a night to remember.
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