Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

A/N: First, my titles always suck. Don't make fun of me! I might change it later as I get more into the story. I've got a couple chapters typed up but I'm holding off. Still not sure if this should stay a one-shot or not. Let me know if you'd like to see the rest :P


A gentle breeze licked through the garden, animating the flora and flitting through Shizuru's golden brown locks. The freshman's placid gaze surveyed the serenity before her. Such a beautiful garden – so many shades of pink – and yet so few of Fuuka Academy's students seemed to enjoy its existence. It was obvious how their minds were preoccupied during this hormonal stage of adolescence. It was such a shame; the director poured so much money into planting and maintaining the precious space, only for it to be ignored, passed by, and occasionally vandalized by the academy's less academically inspired students. The garden deserved more respect – or at least attention.

Shizuru didn't completely mind the lack of interest, however. Moments like this meant she could escape and be alone during what little free time she had. Being top of her class had its perks – her fellow students adored and respected her. Many sought her out not for her friendship but merely because of her status as a high achiever – as well as daughter of a wealthy lineage. Having the family name Fujino was another perk that only served to elevate her high social status. She often found herself drowning in attention and affection from people she hardly knew and while she was not entirely ungrateful for the position her birth awarded her, being born into wealth certainly had its drawbacks.

Silence. At last, she could sit alone and breathe. She could dream. Dream of the things wealth and social status could never buy. Dream of excitement, of taking risks, of rebelling and disobeying and breaking away from expectation. She could dream – on those rare occasions she allowed herself – of love. Thoughts of love were what scared her the most. The people she imagined loving – people she would never be allowed to love – made her feel sick to her stomach. These thoughts would never linger long enough for her to come to any concrete understanding of her stance on that topic. No, love was a kind of risk, a kind of rebellion not even she could allow herself to take.

As Shizuru rounded the garden and came to its entrance, she stopped. She was not the only one who wanted to be alone today. Before her, crouched by the ground, out of sight from behind the wall of roses, was a young girl no older than fourteen. Normally the sight of another person during her alone time would send Shizuru walking briskly in the opposite direction, but something inside her made her decide to stay.

Curiously, she cocked her head to one side. She furrowed her brow. What was this girl doing, just sitting with her back turned to the world? Just then the girl's hand stretched out, her fingers reaching around a rose blossom. She hesitated, then her fingers curled violently around the flower.

"Flowers are meant to be loved."

Shizuru had padded softly to the centre of the rose garden, careful not to alarm the girl. She didn't know quite why she spoke, but the unexpected sight of watching this person want to crush a small, innocent flower made her want to speak up. Made her want to reach out.

The girl shuddered, spun on her heel, and stood. Her eyes were wide with fear – fear of what? Being caught in such an emotionally vulnerable act? For that first split second the girl looked almost guilty.

"After all, they spend so much of their short lives just trying to bloom."

Shizuru recognized the girl. She'd seen her skulking through the halls, the hood of the sweatshirt under her school vest pulled over her head. Shizuru had watched as a teacher scolded the girl for wearing her hood in the halls. She watched as the girl scowled darkly as the teacher walked away. The girl was always alone, always angry. And just now Shizuru had caught her in a moment of weakness.

The girl's brief, fearful expression morphed into one devoid of emotion. "Who – who are you?" she stammered.

"Fujino Shizuru, first year in high school." She gave a gentle smile. "And you?"

The girl's eyes darkened. "Fujino? Like the famous Fujino family?"

"You know of us?"

"Everyone does around here. You're from Kyoto. And you probably bleed money," the girl spat.

Shizuru gave a quick laugh. "It's true, I come from a wealthy family. But I don't know about bleeding money."

"What do you want? Shouldn't you be in class or something?"

"Shouldn't you?"

The girl grimaced. "So what if I should. It's none of your business, is it?"

"Well, if you're lost, I can help you find your class."

"And what makes you think I'm lost?" The girl's voice was becoming defensive.

Shizuru hummed and turned her shoulder, clasping her hands around her back. "Oh, just the simple fact that you're new, you don't know anyone, and you're alone, hiding here in a garden of pink roses."

"How the hell do you know anything about me?" the girl hissed.

"Please, I'm not trying to offend you. I'm merely stating what I see."

"Whatever. I'm not lost, and it's still none of your business."

"On the contrary, I happen to be a member of the Student Council Executive Board, and it is my responsibility to dole out punishment to our school's delinquents. So if you'd like to avoid getting yourself into any serious trouble, why don't you let me help you?"

The girl shifted uncomfortably, seemingly weighing her options. At last she turned her shoulder and started to walk away.

"Very well then, Miss. I'll be seeing you soon."

She watched as the girl's figure disappeared in the distance. Her shoulders sank as her mind filtered through the conversation. Naturally the girl would avoid any kind of social interaction. She was clearly troubled. Whatever had happened before her arrival to this academy had seriously damaged the girl, and no small conversation in a rose garden was going to change her.

So I'll have to try harder, Shizuru decided. She herself turned and sat on a bench to study until the end of first period.

Her head was bowed in deep contemplation the whole walk to her second class. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the interaction with the strange new girl had brought a kind of feeling over Shizuru that she wasn't used to. There was something familiar about the girl. It made her stomach churn and feel nauseous the closer she got to realizing what it was.

A familiar, loud voice yanked her from her thoughts – to her relief. When she realized who it was who'd been summoning her, however, she regretted the distraction. Suzushiro Haruka, head of the Student Council Executive Team, was flailing her arms in a victorious, gleeful manner, barely missing her best friend Yukino's head as she did so. Trailing behind the two with slouched shoulders and a white hood pulled over her head was their victim, none other than the young girl Shizuru had spoken with only ten minutes before.

"Fujino-san! Got my first victim of the day! That's three delinquents I've had to lecture this week! When are you going to catch up, slacker? You'll never be voted in again if you keep up your plaque attitude!"

"Er, Haruka, you mean 'slack'," whispered Yukino, just audible enough to reach Shizuru's ears. She gave an inward chuckle while maintaining her classic composed poker face.

Haruka, however, waved Yukino aside and continued raving about her catch – finding the young girl wandering about the woods of the campus, clearly up to no good and probably looking for a spot to do drugs.

"Seriously, Fujino-san, you really need to catch up. You're such a slacker. I almost feel sorry for you, really. But then again, it will be me who gets Student Council President next year, after all!"

"I'll take her from here, Suzushiro-san. Thank you," Shizuru interjected, taking hold of the delinquent's elbow.

"What? Hey! Fu-ji-no-SAN!"

Shizuru had her captive half way down the hall before Haruka gave up her loss. Shizuru led the girl to the detention room and stopped before sliding the door open.

"I'm sorry I have to do this. To be honest, I don't think you deserve it." She paused. The girl wasn't even looking at her. She was gazing at her feet, her eyes narrowed bitterly. "I also don't think you care, either. So maybe this is for the best."

She slid the door open with a – WHACK – and turned her attention to the dark-haired man inside.

"Kaichou-sama." She gave a deep bow.

"Ah, Fujino-san!" came a deep-voiced reply. "Come to have some tea with me?"

"Thank you for the kind offer, Kaichou-sama, but I have a class I need to attend. I've brought a student in for detention." She stepped aside to let the girl in.

Right away the Student Council President gave a familiar sigh. "Kuga-san. Welcome back. Please, have a seat. Have you brought your books from your morning classes?"

Without responding, the girl sauntered inside and set up her books. Shizuru watched, heart sinking, as the girl rested her cheek on her hand and flipped to a page in her text. She was clearly used to this routine.

Shizuru slid open the door of her second-period English class and bowed, apologizing for the interruption. The teacher excused her as she took her seat and called upon her to read from the class text.

"Fujino-san, now that you'd graced us with your appearance, may you please read from page 365 to 367?"

"Certainly, Ito-sama." She flipped to her designated page and began to read the foreign text with a natural proficiency. Her mouth glided over the words while her mind fought a sea of stormy thoughts.

Why was she so concerned about the well-being of this delinquent student? She'd run for her role on the Student Council to please her father – she'd won by three votes over a student she personally thought deserved her role more than she did. She often wondered if her family name had any sway over her results. Nonetheless, neither maintaining a strong, stable student body nor doling out punishments to students who chose to disobey the rules were among her personal interests. Being born into wealth and status required one to be involved in mundane activities one cares nothing about.

"Thank you for reading, Fujino-san, exceptional comprehension and pronunciation, as always," said the teacher. "Kanzaki-san, please continue where Fujino-san left off."

Fujino Shizuru was not concerned about her role in controlling the delinquent students – but for some reason, she was concerned about this new student. The sick feeling she'd experienced when she first met the girl returned. The familiarity she'd felt towards the girl – was it the same sense of familiarity she felt when she spoke with the Headmistress, Director Kazahana Mashiro, and her maid Fumi-sama? How could that possibly be? Why would there be others like herself in the world, let alone at this school? The second she let the thought cross her mind, she knew. Whatever Shizuru was, Kuga-san was the same. Subconsciously, her hand moved to the top of her ribcage – over the strange birthmark she shared with Fumi-sama. What if Kuga-san had one too?

The bell signalled the end of class and commencement of lunch break. Binders zipped, chairs screeched, and chatter filled the room as the students filed out of the class. Shizuru had only a few seconds to escape before the crowd of admirers followed at her heels. Like a whisper on the wind she was at the door gently pardoning herself through. She made it.

"Fujino-san!"

Or not.

She pretended not to hear the walking amplifier, but it was too late. The hound dog found its prey and was on her heels. She stopped and turned, her eye roll morphing magically into a charming Fujino-worthy smile.

"Yes Suzushiro-san?"

"Any word on that delinquent? I'm sure the Kaichou was more than happy to otter you a cup of tea for your wonderful services," the young blond huffed.

"Offer," squeaked Yukino.

Haruka turned to the small brunette. "What?"

"You said 'otter', I think you meant 'offer'."

"EUGH! Whatever! The point is – " she pointed a deliberate finger at Shizuru's nose. "You – once again – have taken MY hard work and used it to YOUR advantage! You better go tell the Kaichou that girl was MY prisoner."

"Suzushiro-san, I do hope you know there is no competition in regards to how many 'prisoners' you take in," Shizuru said with a sigh.

"Are you kidding? Of course there is! Every day SOMEONE is misbehaving and it's our job to teach them a lesson! If I'm doing all the work catching them in the act and you're taking the glory, how am I ever supposed to be promoted?"

"Um, the students vote for your role, Haruka."

"I know that Yukino!"

Shizuru turned and started walking away. Not only was the argument at hand growing dull, but she could see the familiar heads of her so-called friends bobbing down through the crowded hallway in search of their favourite class representative. As she manoeuvred around the students she could hear her rival calling angrily after her. Down a flight of stairs and around a corner and she was safe from that particular group of nuisances. At the end of the hall was the detention room where she'd be able to relieve the Kaichou and, provided the room had collected no more 'prisoners', she could speak to the young Kuga-san privately.

She slid the door open and gave a quick bow.

"Kaichou-sama, you may leave for your lunch break. I will take over from here."

"Fujino-san! You're not on lunch duty today," the president replied, relief obvious in his tone. He stood and as he passed Shizuru, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you. You will make an excellent Kaichou next year." With a wink he left, sliding the door closed behind him.

Shizuru turned and scanned the room before her. Just as she'd hoped, only one brooding pair of eyes returned her gaze. She smiled – even she couldn't tell if it was one of her fake smiles she threw on to please the masses, or if she was genuinely relieved.

"Lucky you," she said.

"Lucky about what?" came the dry reply.

"Lucky you get to spend an hour with me instead of the Kaichou – or worse, Suzushiro-san."

"And why are you any better than them?"

Shizuru smiled, walking up to the girl's desk and sliding one leg onto it and setting her hand dangerously close to the girl's elbow.

"Because, my little flower-admirer, I just happen to not care whether you get any work done or not." She smiled when the girl's eyed narrowed, a streak of red flushing her cheeks. "You see, I'd much rather talk – and get to know you, then watch idly as you scribble away."

"Sorry, but I'm not really up for chatting." The girl took up her pencil and turned back to the sheet of trigonometry equations in front of her.

Shizuru walked her fingers flirtatiously onto the sheet and slid it out from under the girl's hand. In response her eyes slowly rose in a dangerous glare – only to meet a full shot of Shizuru's large breasts. Delighted by an even deeper shade of red darting across the girl's face, Shizuru let out a light laugh.

"Enjoying the view? To be honest, I'm not surprised. You do seem a little on the boyish side." Her eyes shone with mischief as she covered her laugh with her hand.

"Are you done?" Kuga snapped, snatching her sheet from her peer. "What are you, a – a – a dyke?"

Shizuru doubled back. Somehow the raw insult caught her off-guard – she'd only been teasing. But she'd be damned if she let the young brat catch her weakness. Without any conscious will on her part, a small pout formed itself on her lips.

"Kuga-san, how – how could you say such a thing?" Her voice rung with melodramatic anguish. "All I want is to help you."

Score. The younger girl groaned. She didn't apologize – no, this girl was far too cold for apologies. But somewhere inside she'd felt a twinge of regret. Shizuru had seen it flash through the girl's eyes for only a split second, but it was just enough. This girl did have a weak spot, and with some careful planning and teasing, she could make it bigger.

"If you're so bent on helping, why don't you give me the answer to this equation?" The girl slid the sheet back over to Shizuru and struck a finger down on a question about half way down the page.

After a moment of contemplation, Shizuru responded. "That's easy. You know the formula, don't you?"

"A + B = C?"

Shizuru's eyes blanked. "No. Here." Taking the sheet and pencil she started writing out formulas and replacing letters in with numbers, slowly bringing out a solution to the problem. Half an hour passed and the bell tolled, signalling the end of lunch.

"Well, looks like you're all caught up. Think you can find your way to your next class?"

Kuga stood, packing her bag, and stared at her feet.

Shizuru gave a quick smile. "Come on. I'll take you. Let me see your schedule."

Just as Shizuru's hand reached for the door, it slid open with immense, violent force, revealing a raging Haruka on the other side.

"In! Get in! I'm not telling you again, Takeda!"

"I'm innocent! I swear!"

"IN! Or next time it's the CHURCH!"

A young man, a first-year high school student from Shizuru's class, burst through the door past the two girls as though his back-end were on fire. After a glance at the fire in Haruka's eyes, however, Shizuru figured anyone would probably prefer a real blaze chasing him. The militant officer slammed the door behind the young man, causing him to jump. Then he noticed his audience.

"Ah, hello Fujino-san." He bowed deeply. "Funny thing, you see. Tate-kun decked me in the chest, and I fell into the girl's washroom just s Suzushiro-san was exiting. Ha-ha-ha! And here I am!"

"I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding. I will speak with Suzushiro-san today. In the mean-time, I need to get our new student back to her next class."

She held an open hand behind Kuga to guide her out.

"New student?" Takeda muttered, gazing dumbly at the new girl. "Charmed."

With that the door slid shut a final time.

"Don't worry about him," Shizuru smiled as the two walked through the halls. "He has a terrible reputation, but he's just very unfortunate. He seems to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's all."

"I see."

Shizuru smirked and glanced sideways at the girl. "He seemed to take a keen interest in you when we left."

The girl scowled at Shizuru. "Good for him."

The two girls manoeuvred through crowded hallways until they came at last to the new girl's next class. "This is it," Shizuru stated. "I hope you will remember how to find it."

Kuga nodded, placed a hand on the door, and looked over her shoulder at Shizuru.

"Thanks."

Something happened in Shizuru's chest. Her heart fluttered. Did the cold girl just thank her? Shizuru smiled.

"Any time you need help, come find me. I'll do whatever is in my power."

The girl nodded.

"Goodbye, Kuga-san." Shizuru turned to leave.

"Natsuki."

She paused, slowly turning her head back around.

"Call me Natsuki."

Shizuru smiled, a true smile from her heart. "Na-tsu-ki." And the two parted ways.


R&R! Honesty is much appreciated, even bitter honesty. You can improve only if you know what you're doing wrong :P