The Unwitting Guardian Ch. 11

*Author's note- Hey guys, I apologize for the extreme infrequence of these chapters. I really do love the story and the characters, its just hard to get motivated to sit down and write sometimes. As weird as it may sound, I actually get more motivated to work if I think that you guys are really waiting for the next installment. So that leaves it up to you guys to let me know in the comments section! I don't mind if it's just a "Yo! Get your ass in gear!" type deal. Of course critiques and longer comments are still welcome. So far I haven't broken 10 comments on a chapter... (hint hint, lets break 10 comments on this chapter ;D ). Boy, that was a long Author's Note! Anyway, without further adieu, please enjoy the latest installment!*

The others looked from Iures to Ryna, then back again. Finally Ulgo mustered the confidence to speak. "H-headmaster Iures, why are you here?"

"I just told you son. I'm your new homeroom teacher," Iures replied. There was a another moment of shocked silence before Ryna spoke up.

"Why is it that the headmaster of the school is here teaching a First Year class?" He asked.

"Well, the advertising division hasn't got its shit together, and they couldn't get out a notice of our open position in time to make the Galactic News Bulletin. So I'm just here to fill in until that ad gets sent and we find someone suitable for the position." He said matter-of-factly

"The galaxy's finest military school advertises its open positions in a holo-newspaper...?" Someone else in the classroom asked, laughing a little.

"It's worked so far and there is no need to fix what isn't broke!" Iures said indignantly. With a snap, he opened the briefcase he had with him and pulled out various papers and folders. "Now then, if there are no more questions, I'll start the lesson,"

A few minutes into the lesson, a crumpled up piece of paper landed on Ryna's desk. He opened it up and read it to himself: " Did you know about this? -Ulgo." Ryna stared at it for a second, then remembered the odd way that Sensara had been acting the night before.

"That girl... she must have told the old man about us not having a teacher. So this was her little 'surprise' for us. Nothing I can do about it now," he thought. He wrote "no," on the paper and froze time to allow him leave it on Ulgo's desk. After that, no more notes were thrown at him. The lesson itself was mildly interesting, something about the different career options available to them after they graduated Van-cademy. Most were military in nature, obviously, though there were a surprising number of civilian options existed. He also explained the various branch courses that were available to the students.

"All of this was meant to be taught to you in the first few days, however, seeing as you have not had a teacher since the first day, I have had to condense this into one lesson. Boys, you have about three months worth of lessons to catch up in the next week or two-"

"Whaaaat?! No way thats impossible!" groaned most of the guys in the room.

"I don't know why in the world you're groaning about it, most of you took all of this last year as well. And it isn't as though there won't be a reward for completing all of this," Iures paused, watching everyone's heads perk up at the word reward, "Even I get tired of our campus sometimes boys, I know its hard to believe. If all of you manage to pass the test I give you on the material we speed through, the school will take a four day break to go to the Altacun beaches just to the south of here,"

There was a collective cheer until Ryna stood up. Suddenly they were all silent. "We are the only one's taking this test, right?"

"That's correct," Iures replied, nodding solemnly.

"So it is entirely up to us whether or not the entire school goes on this trip." Ryna stated. The gravity of the situation hit the room like a brick.

Amidst the nervous chatter, someone said "Well, as long as the rest of the school doesn't know about it, then they won't know that they lost anything if we fail, right?"

"The entire school will be told about the possibility of the trip in order to give them ample time to prepare, as well as to encourage you to study," Iures said, smiling an evil smile.

"Old man, that's evil," Ryna said, sighing. He looked around the room, surveying their chances to succeed. It was a grim outlook. Then, one final hope hit him. "Is it open book?"

There was dead silence as they waited for Iures to decide. After a minute the tension was unbearable, the entire class was on its toes. A cold sweat had tore through the room.

"No." With that word every single one of their head hit the desk at the exact same time. Tears flowed freely down the cheeks of one of them as he blubbered, "I was so excited to see the girls in bikinis, but now? Old man you are too cruel!" There was a moment of silence while the rest of them contemplated that thought. Needless to say, tears flowed even more freely after that.

"Wait a minute boys!" Ryna shouted, "Quickly, imagine the girls in bikinis again, playing on the beach, splashing each other with water. Big boobs, small boobs, whatever you are into, just imagine it!"

"Boss, that's not helping," one of them whined.

"Just do it," Ryna ordered. They complied, bittersweet smiles breaking out on almost all of their faces. Ryna began softly, "Boys, remember that image, that dream! WE WILL FIGHT THROUGH TEXTBOOK AND TEST TO MAKE THAT A REALITY! ARE YOU WITH ME?!"

There was a humongous cheer among the men as they all jumped out of their seats shouting. Hope was suddenly instilled in them by the thought of girls in bikinis. "YEAH BOSS!!"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU, I ASKED ARE YOU WITH ME?!" Ryna yelled again. This time the response was overwhelming, the noise seemed to shake the building itself. Satisfied, Ryna walked up to Iures. "Old man, I know that you want to make our dream come true as much as we do, so I'll be frank with you. As we are now, we will not pass that test. And there isn't enough time in the school day for you to teach us the material and make sure we understand it fully. Therefore, starting today, I humbly request that you stay with us after school as long as it takes for us to understand." Ryna bowed while asking, and his gesture was immediately copied by the rest of the class. "Please old man!" They said in unison.

"I understand what you are asking young ones, but I'll warn you, our afterschool sessions will be rough, and some of you may not make it through intact. Many a student has broken down under my tutelage, do you really think you will be up to the task?" Iures said, looking over the class, suppressing a smile.

"Old man, the flames of youth are burning bright in us, we will not falter!' Ryna replied.

"Geez, who does he think he is, Rock Lee?" Iures thought, laughing slightly. With a smile, he said, "Then class is now extended to 10 PM for the next week. Lunch is still at the normal time, and I will have the cafeteria staff bring dinner to the classroom," Iures barked. In a slightly softer tone, he said "Boys, its lunch time now, I suggest you tell whoever you need to tell that you will be back to your dorms much later than usual tonight. Class dismissed,"

They filed out of the room, all respectfully thanking Iures, then made their way to find whoever it was they needed to tell about the new arrangements. Ryna stayed until the rest had gone.

"Was this Sensara's idea?" Ryna asked without preamble.

"Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. The test thing was all me though," Iures said smiling.

"This is going to be the longest week of our lives old man," Ryna remarked, sighing.

"What's the matter? 'The flames of youth' no longer burning bright?" Iures chuckled.

"Are you kidding me? I would take twenty of your tests for the chance of seeing Sensara in a bikini. I'm just worried about the boys, some of them don't have partners and I think they might lose inspiration quickly," Ryna replied, frowning slightly.

"There are many girls who don't have partners yet this year as well. The beach trip will help them meet, I believe," Iures said.

"Hahaha I get it old man, this is a plot so that you don't have to fail my crew," Ryna said, laughing.

"Partially. I also want to see the girls in bikinis, like you said. You may have sparked the flames of youth even in an old man like me," Iures said, laughing and grinning pervertedly. "You, however, better not be thinking of shopping around on Sensara,"

"What about me?" came Sensara's voice from the doorway. She walked into the room, gave her grandfather a quick kiss on the cheek, then wrapped herself in Ryna's arms. "So, why were you two talking about me?"

"It wasn't anything important, Gramps was just asking a silly question," Ryna replied, resting his head on top of hers.

"You really are shameless aren't ya girl?" Iures said, shaking his head.

"You're one to talk Grandfather, what with your perverted antics all over the campus. Speaking of which, I think this beach trip is a ridiculous idea!" Sensara huffed.

"Oh, what about it is ridiculous?" Iures asked.

"The whole thing! You can't expect to take a whole school to take a vacation and have any sort of organization! Who know what will go on when the administrators and staff aren't looking?!" She exclaimed, scowling at him. She was still holding Ryna's arms around her, and her grip on his wrists was becoming painfully tight.

"Thats exactly what I expect. I don't like to see kids fail out simply because they can't bring themselves to find a partner that can truly bring out their potential. Besides, it isn't like you are completely innocent here either dear. I turned around for one second and you come waltzing in with a boyfriend," Iures said, nodding at Ryna. Sensara blushed, but kept going.

"Fine, even with all that, how in the world can you place the sole responsibility for even going on the trip on one class' test grades? That's ridiculous, right Ryna?" she asked, leaning her head back so she could look at him.

"I hate to be a traitor here, but I've already inspired the boys into taking afterschool lessons with Gramps until 10 every night for a week. We're as excited about this as the old man is, " Ryna said, smiling down at her scowling face.

"You're awful. How in the world did you inspire a class of delinquents to stay at school?" she asked.

"He used the promise of bikinis for all," Iures answered, laughing. Ryna gave him a look of betrayal before Sensara delivered a sharp jab in the ribs.

"You're both terrible! I can't take this anymore, I'm going to go eat somewhere else," she said indignantly as she strode out of the room. There was a brief moment of silence.

"Old man, you just cost me a nice lunch with my girlfriend," Ryna remarked, looking at the floor in a downcast manner.

"Look on the bright side kiddo, now you get to hang with the coolest headmaster ever," Iures said, making a "ta-da" gesture.

"I don't know if that is a good thing or not," Ryna moped.

"Relax, I'll even throw in a tour, show you all of the best sights on the campus," Iures said, putting an arm around Ryna's shoulder.

"Sensara already gave me a tour," Ryna remarked.

"She didn't give you this tour," Iures chuckled, flashing a mischievous grin.

"I don't think Sensara will appreciate me taking your special tour old man," Ryna remarked.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her!" Iures exclaimed, "Now, for the first part of the tour, we will need to be especially quiet...."

______________________________________________________________________

Over the next week, Ryna and the gang worked extremely hard to get through the missed material. They arrived early in the morning, and left even later than the appointed 10 PM with the goal of a bikini paradise floating just outside of their reach. It was grueling work, long lectures, and enough notes to fill up a good sized book, until at last the day of their test arrived.

Ryna opened the classroom door and was greeted by the unusual sight of the complete class already being present. Smiling, Ryna walked up behind the podium at the front of the class and cleared his throat. Instantly, all eyes were on him.

"Boys, today is the day, the day we have feared, and the day we have dreamed about," there was a general murmur of assent in the crowd, "today is the day of the exam that could change our destinies forever. You all know the stakes. On one hand, there is the blissful dream of a bikini paradise. On the other, there is bitter disappointment and social isolation. Which will we choose?" Ryna asked.

"Bikini Paradise for sure Boss!" They exclaimed.

"You know it boys! Today is the day that decides whether we graduate from boys to men, from children to adults, from a sausagefest to the greatest beach party crew this planet has ever seen! And graduate we will, in glorious style! At the end of the next however long the test takes, we will raise them high in victory!" Ryna exclaimed. There was a brief roar from the class, then it died down as Ryna waved for their attention again.

"Boys, there is only one more thing I can say to you. Good luck!" With that, Iures came through the doorway.

"You guys make such a racket all the time, the other teachers are complaining now," He said. He eyed the class, looking at their hope-filled faces, #2 pencils all sharpened and ready to go. When Ryna took his seat, he pulled out the test papers from his briefcase, and slowly began to hand them out. "You boys have as long as you need to finish, so take your time and answer every question. I'm proud of you guys, so don't let me down with this test. I want that Bikini Paradise as much as any of you!" Iures exclaimed after he had passed out the last test.

"You may begin."

Never before was there such a flurry of pencil strokes in that classroom. Mainly because this was their first actual test, but still, you get the point. They tore through that test, hell-bent on achieving their dreams. Pages flipped, erasers squealed, and pencils scratched furiously until just two hours later, slowly, they began raising their tests into the air.

"We are Class 1-X, don't ever underestimate us!" They shouted in unison. Ryna appeared in front of Iures with all the tests in hand. He gave them to Iures, then returned to his seat.

"Well guys, you are free for the rest of today while I grade these. I have a good feeling about these, so go out and have fun. I'll announce the results on the intercom tomorrow morning." Iures said, smiling.

"Or you could try and put more pressure on us old man," Ryna thought.

That old man is something special Ryna, you should appreciate him more. Carl boomed inside of Ryna's head.

"Yeah I know he's good," Ryna replied

It isn't easy to take a group of idiots like the bunch you have here and make them want to learn things as complicated as what you've spent the last week cramming into your heads, He said.

"Tell me about it, even I was having a little trouble understanding everything. Without the afterschool lessons, I might not have done as well as I would have liked," Ryna admitted.

Well, I certainly hope no one messes this up, I don't think they will survive the results. Carl said, amused.

"Relax, I believe in them, they'll pull through." Ryna replied simply.

I certainly hope that is the case, Carl said, laughing. With that, he disappeared somewhere deep in Ryna's mind again, and Ryna was brought back to reality by Ulgo tapping his shoulder.

"Boss, the rest of us aren't feeling too up to partying right now, so we're just gonna wander around for a while," Ulgo said.

"Yeah, I understand the feeling. We've been staying up late and waking up early for a week, why don't you guys go back to your dorms and get some rest. Maybe start packing a bag for the beach," Ryna said. There was a cheer at that, and the classroom was soon deserted except for Ryna. He sat there for a while, actually nervous. He decided that just sitting there wouldn't help anything, so he got up and wandered out of the classroom. He was halfway to the exit when the lunch bell rang, and students began to pour out of their classrooms. He was still in the male half of the school, and many of them recognized him. They joked with him as he passed "You better not have cost us that beach trip," or "I hope the test wasn't too hard for you guys,". He made it out to the main lobby and was mere meters from the door when something tackled him, making him hit two or three passing people as he fell.

"Sensara?" he asked, not having had a chance to look at what had attacked him yet.

"No silly, it's me! Laura!" said the small blonde figure that had just run into him.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to get in your way," Ryna said, picking himself up off of the ground, then giving her a hand up as well.

"You didn't I tackled you on purpose. I can't say I expected you to fall down though." She explained.

"Well, I'm a little tired after this week," he said, yawning.

"I bet, so how do you think your guys did on that test of yours?" she asked, hugging onto his side.

"I think we passed at least," Ryna said truthfully, "I doubt anyone did extremely well,"

"Thats no good! You have to be super confident! I want to show you my new bikini so we have to go on that trip!" she exclaimed. Ryna was about to respond when something else ran into him from behind.

"Ryna, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Sensara said, giving Laura a nasty look.

"Hey girls, this is a public space, lets take a chill pill before anything nasty happens," Ryna said, working his way out of their grip.

"Fine, but I don't want you to be around her, you're mine," Sensara hissed. Laura simply ignored her and looked at Ryna.

"Just when we were getting to the good part, oh well. Anyway, I'll have to show it to you when the witch isn't around," Laura said, turning and disappearing into the crowd. Sensara looked calm, but her grip on Ryna's arm told him otherwise. They walked a little ways until they found a quiet spot away from anyone else.

"What did she mean by 'I'll have to show it to you'?" she asked suddenly.

"She was just teasing about a new bikini or something she got. For the beach trip," Ryna explained.

"No, I am not going to let you go anywhere near her. Who knows what she'll do to you if I'm not around!" Sensara exclaimed, her already tight grip somehow becoming tighter.

"First off, can you let go of my arm, that kinda hurts," Ryna said. She reluctantly let go, as if she were somehow losing him if she let go. "Second, it isn't like I'm just going to let her do whatever she wants to me. I'm not a damsel in distress Sensara. Hell, I'm not even a damsel,"

"But what if something does happen, what then?" she asked, looking desperately into Ryna's eyes.

"Nothing will happen between me and her as long as I'm with you. And that's gonna be a long time, so there's no use even worrying about it," Ryna soothed. She seemed a little more at ease. She laid her head down into his lap so she could look at his face upside down. "Upside down faces are funny," she concluded.

"Is that why you are so opposed to the beach trip?" Ryna asked, stroking her hair.

"A little. That and the fact that you guys keep calling it Bikini Paradise. It doesn't leave the best impression on me, being your girlfriend and all," she remarked.

"I needed to inspire the boys, and what better way to do it than by objectifying women's bodies?" Ryna asked jokingly.

"I could care less about what they think, I'm worried that you'll spend all your time ogling some other girl," she said, frowning.

"And I'm worried you'll find some hunk to stare at all day," Ryna said, rolling his eyes.

"Its not the same though! Like, yeah I might look at other guys sometimes, but I don't really think about it that much. But if you look at a girl you might compare her to me, and I'm worried that you might find someone you think is better!" She exclaimed sounding a little angry.