So, I own nothing... Well I own some things, just noting pertaining to this story. Enjoy!

Hello there sensei

The room wasn't bad. At least it wasn't one of the central classrooms. Light sprayed in through the windows as the dark haired woman walked in, dumping her leather jacket in her chair. There was fresh chalk for her and the chalkboard almost looked new. The room was bright, the sunshine gleaming off of the clean desks. Natsuki knew they wouldn't stay clean for long though. And those windows were likely to distract someone in her class. They'd probably be daydreaming about their latest adolescent crush, wondering if they liked them back. Oh well, if that happens she'll just throw something at them. That should get their attention. She leaned down to pick up her jacket off of the seat but instantly regretted it, grabbing the armrest of the chair to lean on. Pain shot threw her sides as her grip on the armrest tightened. She knew it was stupid of her to come, but she didn't have a choice. She grabbed her jacket and threw it into the far corner out of frustration before sitting down, her ribs throbbing. If she was going to get through the day she'd have to get it together. Natsuki remembered yesterday she had already made up her mind to come in today.

--Yesterday, 2:30 pm--

Natsuki Kuga couldn't believe her luck. Within forty-eight hours she had traveled miles to get to Fuka, had crashed her bike outside the city limits and now she's stuck in the hospital. She had been there for hours, waiting for the stupid doctor to get back to her about her test results. The dark haired woman knew that moving around was probably a bad idea but she couldn't help but pace back and forth in the hospital room. Her sides hurt like hell, her back was killing her, and her patience was bouncing on her last nerve. How could she be so stupid? Speeding around those damn curves was the most idiotic thing she could have done, and in the rain no less, especially when she had her first day of work tomorrow. This was her first job since she got out of college and now she was afraid she'd wrecked it, much like her bike.

She almost jumped when the door opened to reveal the doctor, a clip board in his hand. "Kuga-san, it isn't wise to be moving around with your injuries. Please sit down." He said, gesturing to the hospital bed. "Not until you tell me what's broken!" She said impatiently. "Very well, but please sit!" He guided her to the table and she sat down, cringing as pain shot through her sides and up to her head. "You're going to need to rest for a few weeks. Nothing is broken, but that tree you hit after skidding off of the turn severely bruised your backside. Two of your ribs are sprained and recovery will take time." "I don't have time!" Natsuki yelled, but regretted it as her ribs began to pulse out pain. "You don't have a choice. If you want to get better, you'll have to relax and rest. Do you have anyone that can take care of you?" The doctor asked, taking a look at his charts. "Even if I did, I don't need help. I can take care of myself just fine." The doctor scuffed at this and put down his clip board on a near by table. "I don't know if you appreciate the seriousness of your situation. You could have died in that accident Kuga-san. In fact, I'm surprised you survived! I don't think it's much to ask you to just take a few days off." Natsuki knew he was right, but she couldn't afford losing the first few weeks of her new job.

"It's up to you how you handle this, but please, if you're going to ignore my advice at least be sure to take care of yourself as much as you can. And if you can get someone to help you around, all the better." The doctor said as he stood, walking towards the door. "Make sure you change your bandages every few hours and if you need anything else come in and I'll see you." Natsuki stood and walked towards the door, her sides protesting with a light throb. "Thanks doc. But I can't afford to sit around. I'm just starting a new job and I can't be absent the first day." "Where are you working?" He asked as Natsuki walked through the door. She turned back to face him and responded. "Fuka Academy."

--

Natsuki opened her eyes as she snapped out of her thoughts. The warning bell had just rung, telling students to get to their homeroom classes. She had been assigned a third year class, class 3-F. She couldn't let her students in on her little secret. She had to just grin and bare it for the next few hours, and then she'd go and change her bandages. The doctor had also been nice enough to file out a prescription for pain pills. Natsuki quickly pulled them out of her pocket and opened the bottle, choking down two pills. It would at least get her through the first couple of classes.

Students began to file in, grabbing a seat close to friends and such. Natsuki stood up and began to write on the board. The pain pills took effect by the time class had started and Natsuki finished writing just as the bell rang. Despite this the class seemed too absorbed in their own conversation to pay attention. Luckily Natsuki knew just the remedy to fix that. Sticking her thumb and forefinger in her mouth Natsuki let out a sharp, high pitched whistle that got their attention, many with their hands over their ears. Everyone's attention centered on Natsuki as she smirked at them. "Glad you could spare some of your precious gossiping time." She said with her hands on her hips. She watched as the students looked her up and down, not sure what to thing. She didn't blame them; she probably wasn't what they were expecting. She was currently wearing a black tank top with hip hugger jeans tucked into her riding boots. She thought of dressing up for the first day, but decided to show the class what they'd be dealing with for the rest of the year.

"My name is Kuga Natsuki, though you'll address me as Kuga-sensei or ma'am." She said pointing to her written name up on the board. "I'll be your Japanese history teacher and your homeroom teacher. I understand all of you are third year students, so you all should know the routine by now. But, from your display this morning, I guess a little refresher is required." She said before turning to face the board. She felt a twinge in her side, but ignored it as she picked up her chalk again and drew a square box. "This is the classroom; you'll all file in when the bell rings and," She drew a circle at the bottom of the box "take a seat in your assigned desks. I'll let you chose your own desks for now, but I have the liberty to change your seat at any time." She then drew a little stick person at the top of the box. "I'll then start the class off with announcements and then you'll have some free time before your first class." She turned back to the class and saw some of them chatting quietly, but most were paying attention. That was fine. "So, that's all I have to say. I'll see you all for your last class today. First off you will have calculus. If you have any questions just come up and see me." She said before sitting down in her chair.

Before she knew it the class had started talking again, though now a group of students had congregated around her desk. They were all asking annoying questions that students usually ask new teachers, like: "Are you a new teacher here, Kuga-sensei?" and, "How old are you, Kuga-sensei?" and, her personal favorite, "Do you have a boyfriend." She answered all of them with quick and to-the-point answers, "Yes, twenty-two, and not even if you paid me." Eventually the interest died down and they all returned to their seats, though some of them took to staring at her. Natsuki took out her motorcycle magazine and started reading. She knew she should have been preparing for her next class, but it would all be introductions anyway. The whole, 'turn to the person next to you and describe your complex character with a few words' bit. She'd then talk about what they'd be studying for the rest of the term and, if she felt like it, she'd give out homework.

She was half way through and article about Ducati's new Vyrus model when she heard one of the students approach her desk. "Pardon me, Kuga-sensei." Natsuki looked up to see a young girl standing near her desk, her chestnut brown hair falling over her shoulders as she stared at Natsuki with deep red eyes. "What's up?" Natsuki asked, putting down her magazine. "I merely wanted to introduce myself. My name is Fujino Shizuru." The girl said before giving Natsuki a polite bow. "I hope we'll get to know each other this year." Shizuru added, smiling down at the young teacher. "Yeah, sure." Natsuki said just as the bell rang cueing Natsuki to go to her next class.

The next few hours of Natsuki's life revolved around introductions, memorizing names and popping in pain pills whenever she felt the need to. Her sides hadn't been killing her like before, though she could still feel a dull aching. Besides that the only thing that had gone wrong was at lunch when she had encountered the P.E. teacher. After staring at her the entire lunch period he asked her out. His pleas were met with her chopsticks jabbing themselves into his stomach. She normally wouldn't have done it, but the pain was coming back and he just happened to cross her path at the wrong time.

She was now in the class she had begun her day with. Needless to say they were still chatting away, not heeding the bell. She let out a sigh as she reached into one of the drawers in her desk, pulling out a blow horn. She couldn't help but grin at their faces as she pressed the button down, the sound echoing in the room for a few seconds before dieing down. "What are you trying to do!? You could have beckoned us with that!" Natsuki paused and looked over at a blonde haired girl in the back, her eyebrows furrowed at the girl's sentence. "What?" Was all she could say as a few students started chuckling under their breaths. "Are, Suzushiro-san. I believe you mean, 'deafen' us with that." Shizuru, who was sitting next to the girl, corrected her. "Isn't that what I said?" The girl said impatiently, causing some of the students to laugh out loud. Natsuki merely blew her blow horn in their direction to shut them up. "Anyway, I'm so glad you all remembered my little speech about being silent when the bell rang." Natsuki said before going over to the board.

"Would anyone kindly tell me the last thing your grade studied before summer break?" Natsuki looked back to see a few hands raised. Among them, as Natsuki figured, was the girl that had introduced herself this morning. "Yes, Fujino-san." "Most of the grade left off around the Meiji era, around the time when -- -- lead the last samurais against the government." Shizuru replied leaning on her desk, resting her chin on her interlocked hands. "Thank you Fujino-san." Natsuki said as she looked back at the board and began writing dates down. "We'll start with a little review since most of you probably don't even remember when the Meiji era was. Then tomorrow we'll pick up where you left off last year." As Natsuki talked on she notice one of three reactions in her students. They were either, A) writing down notes frantically like the Suzushiro girl, B) staring out the window with a glazed expression or, her personal favorite, C) sleeping at their desks, drooling on their text books. If this would happen she'd merely keep talking while she made her way over to the person. She'd then shake their desk until they either woke up or fell out of their chairs. Afterward she'd make sure they were fully awake before the young teacher would make her way back to the front of the class, still keeping up her lecture while the class laughed at the whole exchange.

The only student that didn't seem follow any of these examples was Fujino Shizuru. Unlike her friend, the blonde with the loud mouth, she had no paper out on her desk. She did not stare out the window or try to hide behind her text book and sleep. She had kept her attention on Natsuki since she had walked into the classroom, watching intently as the young teacher continued her little lecture. Natsuki honestly didn't know how to deal with this. At first she didn't think much of it, but as class drug on her gaze would drift over in the girl's direction. The girl would then meet the teacher's gaze and give her a, almost suggestive, smile. Natsuki would then turn to face the chock board and write something up there, even if she didn't have anything to write. She was just trying to hide that confounded blush that would appear each time. If Natsuki didn't know any better she'd swear on her lingerie collection that the girl was doing it on purpose!

Finally, eleven blushes and five shaken desks later, the bell rang and Natsuki dismissed the class without homework. The young teacher went behind her desk and began packing her bag, putting in her class schedules and binders in. Before she could reach for her coat however Natsuki felt a familiar presence at the front of her desk. "Pardon me, sensei." Came a voice dripping in a Kyoto-ben. Natsuki stood up to see Fujino Shizuru standing before her. It was the first time all day Natsuki was able to get a clear view of the third year student. Her uniform was different than that of the other students. Instead of an off orange she was wearing a cream colored uniform with gray trimming and a black skirt. "How was your first day?" Shizuru asked, clasping both of her hands over her school bag handle. "Oh, fine, just the usual introductions and start of term madness." "I'm glad to hear it. If you need anything just ask. You can usually find me in the student council room during lunch and after school." Natsuki nodded as she put on her riding jacket. "That's nice of you Fujino-san, but I think I'll be--" Natsuki gave off a light gasp as she reached down to grab her bag. The young teacher gave off a grunt of pain as she grabbed onto the desk, her other hand clutching her side. She cursed under her breath as her grip tightened on the desk. The pain pills were wearing off. "Kuga-sensei?" She heard Shizuru say in a worried voice. Natsuki's mind began to buzz slightly due to the pain as she felt her knees hit the ground. "Sensei!" The next thing Natsuki knew Shizuru was beside her, holding the young teacher from falling face first onto the ground. "Kuga-sensei, what's wrong?" Shizuru asked. "Nothing, I'm fine." Natsuki said as she attempted to stand despite the pain shooting up to her brain. "Kuga-sensei does not seem fine." Shizuru said as she, much to Natsuki's disapproval, kept her hold on the teacher in case she fell again. "Come, we're going to the nurse's office." Shizuru said as she began to lead Natsuki towards the door. "I told you Fujino, I'm fine." Natsuki said a bit harsher then she had meant to. "And, despite what you may believe, not every person my age is blind. I've notice how Kuga-sensei would occasionally wince during class or how her fists would tighten suddenly." Natsuki gulped at this, knowing that she had been caught. "I don't know what's wrong, but it's best that we get you to see the nurse."

Natsuki didn't respond. Instead she moved a little away from Shizuru and sat down on the ground, leaning against her desk. "Open that drawer and get those pain pills." She said, pointing to the draw on the other side of the desk. "They're in a prescription bottle." Shizuru walked over and pulled out the bottle, handing it to Natsuki. The young teacher then opened it and chucked two or three into her mouth, swallowing them dry. "Does Kuga-sensei need any water?" "Naw, I'm fine." Natsuki responded, leaning her head back on the desk. "Fujino-san, you probably have better things to do than stay here. Just go on, I'll be fine." Despite Natsuki's words Shizuru merely sat down next to the young teacher. "Ara, and what better things does Kuga-sensei believe I have to do?" She asked, also leaning her back against the desk. "Well, uh…" Natsuki paused and thought for a second. "I don't know! Extra curricular activities, friends, tagging weird phrases around the building, whatever you do after school." "Does Kuga-sensei think of me as the type of girl to go around vandalizing school property?" Shizuru asked in a distressed voice, turning away from Natsuki and covering her mouth with her hand. "Kuga-sensei is so cruel." "What!" The young teacher exclaimed. "Come on! I wasn't being serious! I don't think you're the type of girl to write on your desk let alone tag the school!" Regardless of Natsuki's words, Shizuru still did not face her. "Aw, damn it. I'm sorry, okay? I'll do anything you want, just stop crying." "Anything?" Shizuru asked in a faltering voice. "Anything." Natsuki confirmed before Shizuru turned to face her teacher with a smile. "Good, then I shall escort Kuga-sensei to the Nurse's office." She said before standing. Natsuki paused as she looked up at the third year student with a bewildered expression. What had just happened?

--

First chapter done! So, what do you think? "It's good, keep writing" or "delete it before it burns my eyes out!" Would appreciate reviews.

Thanks for reading,
-Kruger