by Haruka

Michiru was waiting outside her classroom when Haruka emerged from the auto shop. One look and Haruka knew something was wrong.
"What is it?" she asked seriously, slipping an arm around her.
"I'm worried about Zoisite," Michiru admitted. "She argued with the teacher and was sent to the office. She never came back."
"We heard her departure over in our class," Haruka said wryly. "I wouldn't waste time worrying about her. The guys in shop say she's guaranteed immunity against serious punishment."
"Then why was our teacher looking so confident?" Michiru speculated out loud. "And that whole scene had a strange feel to it. I'd almost think she was setting Zoisite up."
"From what I've heard, Zoisite doesn't need setting up to prompt her into making a scene."
"Well, she's supposed to be in our next class." Michiru sighed. "I guess we'll see her there."
"And she'll rant and rave about the unfairness of your art teacher, no doubt." Haruka smiled reassuringly at her.
Michiru was relieved to see that Zoisite was already seated when they arrived in Modern Japanese. The older girl sat very straight and tall, eyes forward. Before she and Haruka could sit down, however, Michi could tell something was very wrong. Zoisite's eyes were a little too bright, and she was so pale her lips were grey.
"Zoisite?" she questioned softly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she replied. Like her features, her voice was carefully controlled. She was not the vibrant, full-of-life track star that everyone knew. Michi glanced at Haruka, and was gratified to see that she was frowning. So she too, had noticed the change in Zoisite.
The bell rang and their teacher began the lesson. She didn't seem to hold any grudge against Haruka for the hard time she gave her the previous day, and Haruka herself showed no inclination to repeat her performance. She was too busy wondering why Miss High and Mighty looked like one of the living dead. Michiru noticed Zoisite looked at the blackboard and her books, but not once at another person. Even when Michi spoke to her, the other girl avoided her eyes.
As soon as the bell rang signaling the end of class, Zoisite was up and out the door. Michiru stared after her. "What could have happened?" she whispered.
"Whatever it was, it wasn't good," Haruka said grimly.

Good girl, just hang in there and no one will know a thing. Zoisite couldn't count how many times she'd recited those words in her mind since leaving the Principal's office. That thought may have been the only thing keeping her sane. It was certainly the only thing keeping her from screaming.
Of course she had protested when the Principal made his intentions clear--not that it helped at all. She threatened to just walk out f the office, whereupon he'd promised her suspension. That would put her off the track team and mess up her average; two things she couldn't allow to happen. She appealed to his sense of fair play, swearing Malachite cut off the funds _hoping_ this would happen. The Principal then dropped the last bombshell. Malachite had specifically asked that she now be eligible for corporal punishment, despite their parents' original request.
A fact that her bitch of an art teacher obviously had in mind when she sent her there.
Both the teacher and Malachite had gotten their way in the end. Unable to leave and too proud to beg, Zoisite had submitted to ten cracks of the wooden paddle. Tears of pain, anger, and humiliation stung her eyes, but she hadn't let them fall, nor had she cried out. They would not have _that_ satisfaction. However, those suppressed emotions still demanded a release, and Zoisite knew she could lose control at any moment if she wasn't careful. Right now, it was all she could do to sit down without wincing. If she had to look straight at anyone and see the questions in their eyes, she'd never make it. And God help her if anybody ever learned the truth.
All she hoped was that by the end of the school day, she'd have gained back some of her confidence. Because that was when she had to present Malachite with a note to be signed--the Principal's notification of her punishment. She'd rather do anything than let the bastard know he'd succeeded in spanking her after all, albeit by proxy. The sight of his gloating expression would be worse than being paddled all over again.

"Lunch at last!" Serena declared as she dropped down at their table with a loaded tray. Raye eyed it dubiously.
"Did you leave any food for the rest of the school?"
"Oh, leave her alone, Raye," Mina said. "Lunch is her favorite subject. Let her enjoy it."
"Thank you, Mina," Serena said, then paused. "I think," she added.
"Lita, what are you doing?" Amy asked the tall girl, who was twisting around in her seat, surveying the crowd.
"Huh? Oh, nothing." Lita turned back to her lunch, feigning nonchalance.
"I'll bet she's looking for Zoisite." Mina said knowingly.
"Come to think of it, I didn't see her go by with her admirers," Raye commented. "I guess she's not here yet."
"Here come Michi and Haruka," Amy said.
Their two friends joined them a moment later. "Hi guys," Haruka said as they took their seats.
"How was Japanese class, Haruka?" Serena asked. "Any more trouble with your teacher?"
"No, all the trouble this morning was in Michi's art class."
The girls were instantly curious, especially since Michi was giving Haruka a reproving look. "What happened?" Raye asked.
Reluctantly, Michiru recounted what occurred between Zoisite and the art teacher. "I just had the awful feeling that something was going on behind the scenes," she concluded. "The teacher seemed too sure of herself."
"Then the next time anyone saw Zoisite was in Japanese," Haruka picked up the story. "She wasn't herself at all. She wouldn't talk to Michi or look at anybody, it was weird."
Lita looked fearful. "What could have happened at the office?"
"I can tell you!"
Everyone looked up at a short, brown-haired boy with glasses who held an open notebook. Serena groaned.
"Just ignore him, guys. It's just Melvin, a pain in my homeroom math class."
"But I wasn't there this morning," Melvin emphasized his statement by stabbing a finger in the air. "I was working in the office and I know what happened to Zoisite."
"How could you know?" Mina asked. "The Principal wouldn't take you into his confidence."
"No, but his office isn't soundproofed and I heard everything." Melvin consulted his notebook, adjusting his glasses. "Zoisite arrived at nine-fifteen. The Principal had her close the office door behind her. Zoisite yelled for approximately five minutes about the idiocy of her art teacher. She was then informed that her stepbrother had stopped financial support to the school, and their parents' previous requests were withdrawn." Melvin closed his notebook. "To conclude, Zoisite received ten swats of the paddle. I know it was ten, I counted."
Every last face at the table looked shocked. "So that's what Malachite was doing here earlier," Raye said, dumfounded.
"Poor Zoisite," Michiru said softly. "No wonder she was so spaced out."
"It's my estimation that she was extremely brave," Melvin said. "She didn't make a sound during the paddling and wasn't crying when she left."
"Ten swats, though," Mina said quietly. "That must have hurt a lot."
"Especially if she's never been spanked before, which was probably the case," Haruka remarked, her expression dark.
"The Principal didn't pull any punches, either," Melvin added. "It sounded like he was using all his strength--"
"I think we've heard enough," Amy cut him off.
"Yeah," Lita agreed, and gave Melvin a warning look, "and I think you'd better not tell anyone else about this. Not if you know what's good for you."
Melvin gulped as the full meaning of her words sank in. "Oh, ah, I wouldn't dream of it," he stammered. "I just thought you guys should know, since you seemed concerned. I'm, uh, gonna go eat now." He scurried away.
"I think now you were right, Michi. Your teacher set Zoisite up," Haruka said in disgust.
"The Principal was probably dying to paddle her for past offenses." Serena sighed. "He must have loved having her sent to him right away."
"She may not be one of my favorite people, but it stinks that her stepbrother, that teacher, and the Principal all ganged up on her like that," Haruka declared angrily.
"They didn't even give her a chance to avoid it by warning her that she was no longer protected." Michiru sighed.
"What do we do now?" Mina asked uncomfortably. "I don't know about you guys, but I'd feel kind of funny asking her if she's okay. She must be so embarrassed as it is."
"She's obviously trying to keep anyone from guessing what happened," Amy said. "Otherwise she would have talked to Michi in Japanese when she had the chance."
"Or else she's scared to open her mouth in class in case she walks into another trap," Haruka said dryly. "That art teacher probably isn't the only one with a grudge against her."
"I don't think the Principal would dare paddle her twice in one day," Michi remarked.
"But if you were Zoisite, would you trust him?" Raye asked. "I wouldn't."
"We've got track practice after school," Haruka said thoughtfully. "I'll take her aside and talk to her there. Let her know that some of us do know what happened, but we're sworn to secrecy."
"You're not exactly her favorite person, either, Haruka," Lita reminded her. "She may think you're just making fun of her. I'll talk to her."
"Tell her we're on her side," Mina said. "None of us thinks she was treated fairly, and she has nothing to be ashamed of."
"She may resent any interference right now," Amy pointed out. "But it's worth a try if only to let her know she has friends."
"But does she?" Michiru looked pointedly at Haruka. "You two disliked one another on sight. Has your opinion really changed?"
"I don't know that we'll ever be buddies, but I hate the injustice she's been subjected to," Haruka stated. "It would be one thing if she smartmouthed the teacher knowing what could happen, but to be goaded into it and then paddled with no second chance was totally unfair. If that doesn't make us friends, it at least makes us allies."
"I haven't been very fair to her, either," Raye admitted. "Of course, she's been less than nice to me, too. But someone's got to make the first move. After all, sailor scouts are supposed to be big-hearted, right?"
"I wish I could have hit our teacher with some Deep Submerge," Michiru remarked with uncharacteristic bitterness. "But even that wouldn't help Zoisite now."
"You know what I wish?" Lita pounded her fist on the table. "I wish Setsuna would stop defending that creep Malachite! He's really the one responsible for this, and it's not the first time he's tried to hurt Zoisite!"
"You don't mean he abuses her, do you?" Amy asked fearfully.
"She said no, but that was before this," Lita said. "Making her life miserable is like a game to him."
"He tried to spank her himself yesterday," Michi said softly. "I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, but after what happened this morning, you should know the whole story."
"What do you mean he tried to spank her?" Haruka asked. "What stopped him?"
"A pair of tree sprites, believe it or not," Michi said. "Their enormous tree brought them to Zoisite's orchard, and the two of them have been watching she and Malachite for a couple of days. They intervened just in time to save her from the spanking, and have since moved into the house to protect her. Malachite can't get rid of either they or the tree."
"Which explains why he chose this as his next move," Raye said grimly. "The sprites couldn't do anything to help Zoisite at school."
"At least here she won't get caught off-guard a second time," Haruka said. "But if I was her, I wouldn't drop my guard at home, either. An underhanded operator like Malachite could still have some tricks up his sleeve."
"I think the sprites are the ones that should be careful," Amy stated. "If they're between he and Zoisite, Malachite would focus on them next."
"Do you guys really think he's that sinister?" Serena asked. "He's been sneaky and mean where Zoisite's concerned, but even she said he wasn't abusing her. Just because he was going to spank her doesn't mean he'd really hurt her."
"He hurts her everyday by treating her like a burden that was dumped on him," Lita snapped. "She never has any fun because he punishes her for any little thing he can think of. Okay, sometimes she deserves it, but most of the time she doesn't."
"And no one deserves to live without love," Michiru added. "If the sprites are willing to show her concern and affection he should just leave them alone, because he certainly isn't giving her those things!"

Setsuna shielded her magenta eyes from the sun as she surveyed the campus grounds, looking for a place to sit. A shady spot under a tree caught her eye and she headed for it. A couple holding hands darted around her and settled themselves at the tree's base. Setsuna shook her head and changed direction, wondering if she should give up the idea of eating outside and go to the cafeteria.
Her mind was almost made up to do just that when she spotted a familiar figure laying on the grass in the farthest corner of the campus where no one ever lingered. The ponytail was unmistakable; it was Zoisite. What she was doing at the college and why she was stretched out prone on her stomach were questions Setsuna couldn't leave unanswered. There was something pitiable about Zoisite's isolation, as if she were hiding away from the entire world. Setsuna headed over to her, deciding that if the younger girl wanted her privacy, she could just tell her so and she'd leave.
Zoisite raised her head from her folded arms at the sound of footsteps approaching. She was both surprised and suspicious to recognize Setsuna. Why would the green-haired beauty want to talk to her? Maybe she was going to ask if she'd seen Malachite, which she hadn't. Zoisite sighed internally. She really didn't want to talk to her stepbrother's new girlfriend, or anyone else for that matter.
Setsuna arrived and knelt gracefully down beside her. "Hello, Zoisite. I'm Setsuna Meiou. Do you remember me?"
"Yes, you're Malachite's girlfriend and Lita's guardian." Zoisite looked up at her. "I don't know where he is, if that's what you're wondering."
"Actually, I was concerned about you," Setsuna said, and meant it even more now that she could see the girl up close. Zoisite was pale and there were visible signs of strain on her pretty face. Something was very wrong here.
And to her surprise, Zoisite wasn't comforted by her concern--she was suspicious.
"Did Malachite send you over here?" she asked tightly.
"No, I just saw you and wondered if anything was wrong." Setsuna felt uncomfortable with Zoisite's attitude. She knew the stepsiblings weren't close, but it sounded like Zoisite expected Malachite to spy on her and use his friends to do it. What could have inspired such paranoia?
Zoisite sighed. "I'm all right. I just came here because privacy is harder to find at my school."
Setsuna smiled ruefully. "And I guess I just intruded on the privacy you had here."
Zoisite studied Setsuna's expression for a few moments, then gave her a small smile in return. "That's okay, you didn't know."
Setsuna was struck by how Zoisite's lovely visage shone even more with just that hint of a smile. She could easily see why half the sailor scouts had crushes on this girl. There was her beauty, but there was something more in those expressive green eyes. Strength, mischief, fire, and even vulnerability and sadness that Setsuna suspected she kept well-hidden.
Grudgingly, Zoisite figured she should have known this young woman was trustworthy. Lita and her friends seemed to think the world of her. She could be forgiven for being taken in by Malachite--most people were. Too bad, Zoisite mused as she eyed Setsuna appreciatively. Not only was she unspeakably gorgeous, but she was obviously a sensitive, caring person. Zoisite didn't feel threatened or resentful of Setsuna's beauty as she sometimes did with other girls. Rather, she felt an almost overwhelming compulsion to touch the shining river of dark green hair. Realizing suddenly that her flat-on-her-face position was less than ladylike, Zoisite struggled to sit up, wincing involuntarily.
Setsuna quickly steadied her with both hands on her shoulders. "You're in pain," she said with a worried frown.
"Pulled muscle," Zoisite lied. No way would she tell her what really hurt. As much as she wanted to expose Malachite's true nature and what happened as a result, there was a girl's pride, after all. Setsuna might be sympathetic, but she might also think Zoisite deserved it. She might even laugh.
No, she amended as she gazed into the concerned magenta eyes. She wouldn't laugh. But Zoisite still couldn't speak of her humiliation, not to Setsuna or anyone else. Something Malachite was probably counting on.
You win again, you bastard, she thought.
Setsuna's expression of concern intensified and Zoisite knew she wasn't buying the pulled muscle story. It was time to go before she was convinced to reveal the truth. She accepted Setsuna's help in getting to her feet.
"I've got to get back," she said, trying not to let pain be known in her voice. "Lunch will be over soon."
"There's another half-hour left," Setsuna said gently.
Zoisite avoided her eyes. "I have things to do before class."
"I hope one of them is eating," Setsuna remarked. "I wouldn't mind sharing my lunch with you."
"Oh, no thanks. I, uh, ate before I left school." Zoisite picked up her books and gave Setsuna a wan smile. "Thanks for your concern."
"Are you sure I can't take you to the nurse?" Setsuna asked. "You don't look too well."
"I'll be okay." Zoisite began walking across the grass, then paused and looked back. "You're way too good for Malachite."
Setsuna blinked as she watched Zoisite stride away toward her school. Her determined gait was thrown off by a slight limp, but the thick ponytail still bounced proudly against her straight back.

Michiru hugged her sketchbook to her chest as she watched Haruka do her warm-up stretches prior to track practice. In a couple of minutes, she'd have to go up into the stands, but for now, they needed to talk.
"She wasn't in the locker room?"
Haruka shook her head. "No one saw her before I got there, either." She glanced over at Michi. "You had math and English with her. Was she any better than this morning?"
"Worse, actually," Michi said with regret. "She didn't hear any questions the teachers asked, and I saw her doodling in her binder instead of doing the assignments."
"And she wouldn't talk to you?"
Michi sighed. "No."
The coach's whistle pierced the air. "All spectators off the field!"
Haruka looked at Michiru, who gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Have a good practice, love."
"Somehow I don't think it'll be one of my better ones," Haruka said grimly. "My mind's not on my stride and timing."
Michi gave her a sympathetic smile and headed up into the stands. Haruka turned back to the field and spotted Zoisite.
She was approaching the coach, still dressed in her school uniform. They spoke briefly, then she began walking away.
Haruka knew that Lita wanted to be the one to talk to Zoisite, but she'd gone home to get ready for something or other going on that evening. Besides, Haruka knew that no one was better at making people listen than she was.
"Be right back, Coach!" she called, then used her considerable skill at sprinting to catch up to Zoisite.
The older girl looked startled when Haruka cut in front of her path, forcing her to stop. "What ... What do you want?" she asked uncertainly.
Haruka frowned at her reaction. Annoyance, indignation, outright fury--those would be typical Zoisite responses to her interference. Not this. "I want to talk to you."
"I'm not staying for practice," Zoisite said flatly, "so you'd better get back there."
"First we're going to talk," Haruka said firmly, then both her voice and expression took on a softer edge. "I know what happened this morning."
The twin flashes of green fire that were Zoisite's eyes burned into Haruka's. "I don't know what you're talking about, and since when is my life any of your business, anyway?"
Now that was more like it, Haruka thought with smug satisfaction. Zoisite's spirit wasn't destroyed--just temporarily misplaced. Now if she could only convince her that she was on her side.
"Zoisite, listen," she said, keeping her voice as neutral as possible, "don't try and deny it and waste both our time. I'm not about to make fun of you or belittle what you went through. I think the whole thing stinks."
"You do?" Zoisite said warily.
"Would I be talking to you now if I didn't?" Haruka asked. "You've gotten a raw deal on all sides, with everyone ganging up on you. Maybe you deserved punishment for a dozen previous offenses, but they had it in for you today. If you hadn't walked into their trap, they'd have found another way."
The suspicion and distrust drained out of Zoisite's features. Her shoulders slumped and she stared down at the grass. "Who else knows?"
"Everyone who was sitting at our lunch table when Melvin blabbed it to us," Haruka answered. "The girls who live with Michi and me. Except Setsuna, she's at the college."
Zoisite met her eyes with dismay. "All those people know?"
"Yeah, but it won't leave our house," Haruka promised. "Lita threatened Melvin into silence, too." She took a step toward her and put a hand on her shoulder. "All of us agree that you're the victim here. And we all know it's your stepbrother's fault."
Zoisite didn't pull away from Haruka's support. Alan and Ann had shown her that much-needed help could come from the most unexpected sources. The only problem was, support was the only help Haruka and her friends could offer.
"I know there's nothing much we can do about Malachite," Haruka echoed Zoisite's thoughts, "but we just wanted you to know that you have friends."
The older girl blinked. Had there ever been anyone before that she could truly call her friend? Only the tree sprites, and she was well aware that she could lose them any moment should the tree decide to change location. Michiru had come close, but her connection with Haruka had kept that relationship from extending outside school. Now here was Haruka offering friendship herself. As embarrassed as she was that so many knew about the paddling, Zoisite knew better than to let pride turn her back on Haruka now. She smiled gratefully at the tomboy.
"Thanks," she said. "I never knew how much I really needed friends until today."
Haruka grinned in relief. "I didn't know how you'd take this, but I'm glad it was the right way."
"I guess this is my day for new experiences." Zoisite winced. "But oh man, how I wish this would stop hurting."
"Go home and let your tree sprites take care of you," Haruka advised. "And avoid Malachite, if you can."
"Normally I would do that as a matter of course," Zoisite remarked, then sighed. "But tonight I can't." She pulled a sealed envelope out of her book bag. "This is the notification of my punishment. I'm supposed to have him sign it, which means he'll be gloating over this for the rest of my life."
"Not necessarily," Haruka said thoughtfully. "Could you bring me a sample of Malachite's signature tomorrow morning?"
"Sure, but why?" Zoisite asked, then gasped. "You think you can forge his signature?"
"Easily," Haruka said. "I may stink at Modern Japanese, but forgery is a different story. I promise the principal won't question the results."
Zoisite met her eyes seriously. "If you do this for me, Haruka Ten'ou, I'll be forever indebted to you."
"Hey, friends don't owe friends." Haruka smiled. The coach blew his whistle and she saw him waving her over. "I'd better go."
"Before you do, could I impose one more favour on you and the other girls?" Zoisite asked, the uneasiness back in her voice.
"Sure," Haruka said gently.
Zoisite averted her gaze. "When you say none of you will tell anyone, I'd like for that to include Setsuna."
Haruka frowned. "I said it wouldn't leave the house, Zoisite. It won't be easy keeping it from Setsuna when all the rest of us know." She ran a hand through her gold hair, looking confused. "I kind of thought you'd want her to know. Not only would it get back at Malachite by ruining their friendship, but she could blow the whistle on him."
"I don't care," Zoisite insisted. "Please don't tell her."
Haruka shrugged, displaying an indifference she didn't really feel. "It's up to you."
"Thanks." Zoisite smiled. "I'll bring you that signature tomorrow."
Haruka watched her run off, then headed back to the track. Maybe Michi could make sense out of Zoisite's request later, because she certainly couldn't.

Zoisite closed the front door, having noted with relief that Malachite's car was nowhere to be seen in the driveway or any of the garages. That was fine with her--the sooner she could get to her room, the less chance of his seeing her physical distress.
"Is the Master with you, Miss?"
She jumped at the sound of Graham's voice and whirled on him angrily. "Why would he be with me?!" she snapped. "We hate each other, or have you forgotten?!"
"Hi, Zoisite!"
Now that was a voice she'd looked forward to hearing. Ann flew into her arms, followed instantly by Alan. Zoisite giggled at their enthusiastic welcome, ignoring the constant ache in her nether region. Graham eyed the sprites distastefully before walking away.
"How was your day?" Alan asked Zoisite.
"Could have been better," she understated. "What did you two do?"
"We explored all the rooms and pestered the servants," Ann replied cheerfully. "They're all so stodgy and serious!"
"But you should see the cook go ballistic when his muffins turned up missing two seconds after putting them down." Alan grinned.
"Not to mention the maid when her vacuum kept going on and off by itself!" Ann laughed.
Zoisite wished she _had_ been there to witness those incidents. Especially since it meant she wouldn't have been at school.
"Sounds like you had fun." Zoisite turned to go to her room, gasping out loud as her rear end brushed Alan's leg.
Both sprites were immediately concerned. "Zoisite, what is it?" Alan asked. "Why are you in pain?!"
"Why else?" she murmured, waiting for the burning to ease off. "Malachite's twisted scheme of the day."
Without another word, Alan swept her up into his arms. As carefully as if she were made of fine crystal, he carried her to her room with Ann following anxiously.
"Wait, wait!" Zoisite cried before Alan could lay her on the bed. "Let me stand up!"
The pretty male sprite looked confused, but gently set her on her feet. Zoisite slid herself onto the bed on her stomach and released a heavy sigh.
"How am I ever going to entertain Lita?" she wondered out loud. "I can barely move, let alone play tennis or ride horses."
"Won't you tell us what Malachite did to you?" Ann asked worriedly. "Maybe we can help."
This time Zoisite's sigh was internal. Haruka had said she should let the sprites take care of her. She supposed they couldn't do anything if they didn't know the problem.
"Malachite finished what he started yesterday. I was paddled in school today." Zoisite was mildly surprised that the confession hurt less than she'd expected.
The sprites were horrified. "Someone struck you?" Alan asked in a whisper.
Zoisite started at the beginning and explained everything that happened up to and including her conversation with Haruka. The only part she left out was her strange feelings for Setsuna. She couldn't explain something she didn't understand herself.
It startled her when she finally looked up and saw tears in the pink and blue eyes.
"How cruel can humans be?" Ann said in a tremulous voice. "Loving discipline is one thing, but all those people wanted was to humiliate and control you."
"You aren't kidding," Zoisite said wryly. "Nothing initiated by Malachite would come anywhere near resembling love."
"Well, thanks to that girl Haruka, he'll at least get no satisfaction from his nasty plot," Alan said firmly. "But our concern right now is for your recovery." He looked at Ann. "Could you get a basin of cool water and a cloth? We'll take the heat out of her sore skin and then soothe the welts with cream."
"Sure thing." Ann vanished. Alan stroked Zoisite's hair and bent down to look into her eyes.
"I'll have to prepare you for Ann's return. Is that all right?"
Zoisite thought about protesting--she'd never been naked in front of a boy before. But this was Alan, who was in love with Ann, and whose earnest expression showed nothing but concern for her welfare.
"Go ahead," she told him.

End of Chapter 7

Story contents (C) 1997 Tenou Haruka

Sailor Moon characters (C) Naoko Takeuchi