Thanks for the reviews and to skip83 for correcting me on the rating and to papermoon71 for her fervent review.

Edited on 31/01/2015

Chapter two: Whistles, Talk and Roommates.

"Oh yeah, and Natsuki..." The dark haired girl was at the door. She turned to see her aunt smirking mischievously at her. "Welcome to Garderobe Academy."

"Ya, thanks aunt, I'm leaving now"

"Try not to kill your cousin, Na-chan!" She heard before closing the door. Yeah, easy to say! She isn't pestering her!

On the way back she took her time to properly see the landscape. Garderobe was immense! Her previous school was at least ten times smaller than this. There were a lot of buildings; some of them for rooming arrangements and other for school purposes. Further east a forest could be seen, right behind the principal building. She looked behind to see more appropriately the building she had come out of. It was different from the others, looking more like a museum. The clear water from the fountain, slightly adjacent to the building, reflected the creamy white color of the walls.

The gardens were bigger and even more beautiful than the dull ones in her previous school. They had multi-colored flowers and big trees. She examined the trees closer; something seemed off. Then she caught a glimpse of a blue spot, moving frantically. Squinting her eyes she saw a small bird about to fall off a medium sized Sakura tree. Shit!

She literally threw Nao off her shoulders. However, she couldn't hear the redhead complain over her haste as she was running for the little bird's sake. The moment she reached the tree the branch the bird was holding onto for dear life broke, and Natsuki had to jump.

The red eyes of a girl followed the whole scene. She observed with keen attention, inwardly worried if the blue haired girl had caught or not the poor little bird. She saw the young beauty rise from the floor with a triumphant smile attached to her face. Looking down, she saw the blue and white bird in the hands of the smiling girl. Even though it was a little scared, it was safe. She saw as the girl stroked the little bird's head to calm it down. Assured of their safety, she kept walking; she was already late for a meeting. Nevertheless, striking green eyes were branded in her mind now. She vowed to herself she would later find who the kind girl was.

Meanwhile, Natsuki was getting friendly with the little bird. After stroking it for a little while to calm it down she checked for any injuries. Fortunately, it was healthy. However, it was still too young to fly. She observed the nearest trees, trying to find its nest. It was in vain as she found nothing, so she decided to keep it until it healed. She prepared herself to keep walking, holding the bird close to her chest. But...

"Mmmm, I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Wouldn't you know what that is?" The bird just whistled and shook its head. "Oi, you are very smart no?" She smiled warmly at her newest friend. Animals were easy to get along with. They were pure at heart and never hid anything. And if they did, it was something harmless, like a dog with a bone or a squirrel and its acorn.

"MUTT!" The little bird bristled before trying to hide in her friends hand, wanting to escape from the angry redhead. A really angry redhead.

"Oh…"

"You dropped me like a freaking potato sack! Look at my head!" The furious redhead pointed at said place, where a rather mean-looking bump was resting. Natsuki tried to contain her incoming laughs, but it was useless.

"Oh! Shut up, mutt! Why don't you just kiss the darkest part of my ass!"

"Because I could get pubic louse... and besides, my face would probably get stuck in there."

"FUCK YOU!" Nao's fists were clenched tightly at her sides, she had a deep red color in the face. She was about to tackle her cousin to the ground, but luck was not Nao Yuuki's cards that day. A cold hand stopped every move about to be done. Immediately, Nao noticed Natsuki's paling face. She slowly turned around to see the intruder, more than ready to give them a piece of her mind.

"Hey, don't you see I'm busy he-!" Nao suddenly had the feeling of ten ice cubes traveling all the way down her spine; a slow and painful route it was.

"I dare you to finish that sentence, Yuuki." A woman with grey hair, green eyes and a really deep frown was glaring down at her.

"M-M-M-M-M-M-Miss Maria!" Various thought went past their heads. Natsuki's brain went straight to the different tortures she'd probably have to endure.

Nao, however… OMG! What's this granny doing here? I thought we got rid of her! ... D-Don't tell me she knows? No shit! She can't possibly know! T-There is no way! Miss Maria was looking at Nao now, with a serious face. Oh My God! She does know! It's okay Nao, cool down, chill. Breathe. In. Out. In. Out... Okay, better. She looked at Miss Maria again, still with her scowl on the face. And then Nao panicked.

"Please Miss Maria. I swear it wasn't my fault. They were so tempting! With those miniskirts! They were calling me. Teasing me! And those feather dusters~~!"

"What in God's name are you talking about, Yuuki?"

"You weren't looking for me for the maid thing?"

"Wha-Oh! You have a lot to explain now!"

Miss Maria grabbed Nao by her left ear and dragged her away. The redhead whined behind, trying to escape from the iron grip. Natsuki and the bird just stood there, dumbfounded. Trying to find an explanation. A logical one. Feather dusters? What the hell? It was a good thing that nobody was there to see the whole scene unfold. "Hey buddy, why don't we just get out of here? I think it's about to rain." She got a happy whistle in return. She put the blue jay [1] in her bag pocket, letting it partially open so the bird wouldn't suffocate. The grey clouds were getting closer, and the little bird was getting uneasy, so she decided to have a 'talk' with it.

"So… how did you get stuck on that tree?" No response. Natsuki facepalmed. Of course, the bird was intelligent enough, but it didn't talk.

"Yeah, thought so. Well, let's try something different. I'll ask you some questions with a yes or no answer, 'kay? And you whistle once for yes and twice for no, got it?" Still no response. Natsuki shrugged. Maybe it wasn't as smart as she had pictured. "Oh, well, I tried."

"Whistle."

"Huh?"

"Whistle."

"Hahaha~~! I knew you could understand me!"

"Whistle."

"Haha, okay buddy. I was thinking on getting you a name. Can't go on calling you bird all the time."

"Whistle. Whistle."

"First thing first. Are you a female?"

"WHISTLE. WHISTLE."

"Whoa, don't get mad. How could I have known? Damn."

Half the way to the dorms they were occupied 'talking' about names for the little bird. The only problem was, he was picky. He rejected half a list of names. Itsuki, the first one, wasn't any funny for the bird. Katsuo got the bird a little too proud in Natsuki's taste, so she decided against it. Kenta, Kenshin, Daiki, Hachi, Hibiki, Isamu. None of them was enough. She even tried with foreign names. The bird was getting moody rather quickly. [2]

"Hey, no-name." The past five minutes Natsuki called the bird like that, just to ruffle his feather (figuratively speaking). She smirked at his annoyed whistle. "I think I found a good name for you." The bird didn't respond.

"How about the name Sascha?" The bird whistled hesitantly. At least he didn't reject it yet. "It's short of Alexander. The most famous bearer of this name was Alexander the Great, King of Macedon. In the 4th century BC he built a huge empire out of Greece, Egypt, Persia, and parts of India. Due to his fame, and later medieval tales involving him, the use of his name spread throughout Europe. The name has been used by kings, emperors and popes."

She couldn't see the bird's expression, but she could imagine. The majority of people looked at her and assumed she was an idiot or a rebel.

"Ya know, I didn't make up that story. My nanny told me this when I was young. It means 'The one who protects the others'"

"Whistle."

"Is that a yes?"

"Whistle."

"Then, it's a pleasure to meet you Sascha, my name is Natsuki Kruger. Let us be good friends." She received a happy whistle and, immediately after this, it started raining hard. Natsuki took the bag in her arms and started running. It was good luck that they were so close to the rooms already. They got past the tennis fields, ignoring the hungry looks given by some of the players. Fucking perverts. She thought. But, they were somewhat in their right to look at her like that. Who could resist a running, wet, Natsuki? Especially with her clothes hugging her firm and slim figure. Good thing that I always wear shorts, otherwise they would find a little surprise there. She snickered to herself.

Finally they reached the rooms. She remembered it was the second floor on the first building, but she didn't know if it was room seventeen or eighteen. Or was it nineteen? The place seemed normal, sort of like a three floor department. It was nice, comfortable.

"Let's go, Sascha."

"Whistle."

As they were about to cross the main door, a voice Natsuki knew all too well was heard. "Hey Kruger! Wait for me, damn you!"

"Nao? Weren't you with the old hag? How did you escape?" Sascha was trying to hide in the bag pocket. His first encounter with the redhead wasn't very good. Besides, he had to make sure that the old lady wasn't near. She was the devil in his eyes.

"I gave her some information in exchange of my liberty," She smirked devilishly at her blue haired cousin, who now was looking at her suspiciously.

"What did you tell her Nao?"

"Weeeeell…"

"NAO!"

"Hahaha, I told her about the day when you 'accidentally' kissed her niece, Erstin." Natsuki's jaw dropped.

"It was an accident you moron! I didn't see the broom on the floor and fell! Besides, I kissed her CHEEK! Oh God, Miss Maria is going to skin me alive and make herself a coat! Why, of all the things you could have told her say, it was that!"

"It's called revenge Kruger. Equivalence of exchange."

"You just fell on your head. I didn't throw you to the sharks or anything!"

"Well excuse me, but I collect my debts with interest"

"You know what? Fuck it. Let's just get inside and forget this at once. I'm freezing my ass out here," she was getting tired of their banter, and Nao had a point. She did hit her a lot of times. They shook hands, reaching a consensus, and entered the building. At the entrance they were received by a nun with a kind smile. She had brown hair, a few locks falling out of her Serre-teté. She also had ocean blue eyes and pale skin.

"Good day girls. My name is Yukariko Sanada and I'm in charge of this building. Mashiro-sama already told me about you. Over there you have some towels," She pointed at the corner at their right "And...Oh my! What a beautiful little bird! Is it yours?" She was immediately enchanted by Sascha, and Natsuki could have sworn that he blushed when she paid him the compliment.

"Yeah, mutt. Ya didn't explain to me either why you still are with that dirty feather ball," Sascha didn't take the comment too well. He started whistling, flapping and gave the redhead the bird equivalent of the sting eye. Natsuki too was slightly offended that her new friend was being called like that.

"Sascha is NOT a feather ball. He's a blue jay, you ignorant." Sascha puffed his white-colored chest out and whistled to confirm what she had said. For some reason, they had the same expression on their faces.

"Now that's creepy." She mumbled under her breath. Natsuki was quick to rise to the challenge. Yukariko's interference saved them an argument.

"My, my. Mashiro-sama warned me about your tempers. Although she forgot to mention it was this amusing." The nun was uselessly trying to hide her giggles behind her hand.

"And what exactly did she told you?" Nao had a defiant face and her arms crossed under her chest. Natsuki frowned.

"If I recall her specific words, she said 'They are always getting at each other's neck until one ends injured in any way. You'll recognize them immediately. Natsuki-kun is the tall blunette with a hot tempered personality. Nao-chan is the brainless redhead that gets on everyone's nerves without even trying'. She did say more things, though it's best I don't repeat them." The two cousins were left speechless. Their own aunt! They felt stabbed.

Sensing the awkward moment, Yukariko coughed in her hand and proceeded with her task, "Now, let's talk a little about the dorms. Excuse me, what time is it?"

"Half past five," Said Nao.

"Oh Lord, we're running late. Well, let's get started before the other students arrive. Usually, they come by six, so we have about thirty minutes to talk about the rules," The two cousins groaned at the same time. "Ahem, first of all, there's a curfew. You have to be inside the building at eight o'clock at night. Should you miss it... well, let's just say that Miss Maria is in charge of the punishments. Normally we do not let enter animals, but since Sascha-kun is such a smart bird, I'll let it pass. Just make sure that he is on his best behavior." The blue jay swelled with pride.

"The dining hall will be open from half past seven in the morning to one in the afternoon for breakfast and lunch, and from nine at night to half past ten for dinner. For teatime, you have a cafeteria inside the school. You'll find your dorm upstairs; you already know which one it is. Your keys are on top of that desk, over there."

"You shall not disturb your neighbors or roommates. If I get three complaints about one girl, I'll send her directly to the principal."

"Her? Are there no boys in this building?" Nao interrupted.

"No, this is an all-girls building. It's our strict policy to separate the girls and boys in different buildings. Why do you ask?"

"Oh! It's nothing. Nothing at all." She had a perverted smile on her face. Yessssssss.*inwardly dancing* A building full of women! The virgins, the kinky ones, the shy ones, so much to do in here and so little time! This is Paradise!

"Ahem! I'd really appreciate if Nao-chan stopped daydreaming while I talk."

"Oh! Don't mind me. The mutt will tell me later."

"Oi!"

"My, my. Oh, well. Natsuki-kun, there's only one rule left. And it's for you."

"Why only me?"

"It's about your... um, condition." The nun was a little pink, and her words made Natsuki blush as well. She was not accustomed to strangers addressing her 'problem' as often as it was happening.

"I often let the students have... intimate contact. I am not one of those nuns that follow the rules all the time. Do you follow?" Natsuki nodded, since she couldn't respond correctly without a squeak bubbling up in her throat.

"Well, you are not forbidden of... doing it. But you must use protection. It is Mashiro-sama's orders. She also left a note with the address to a nearby pharmacy. It's right there with the keys." By now, Nao was laughing on the floor, and Sascha, who obviously couldn't grasp what was transpiring, just tilted his head in confusion.

"Thanks. I guess. So… I… I'll be going now." After hastily grabbing the keys and piece of paper, she made it for the stairs with Sascha in her hands and a laughing Nao trailing behind. When she set foot on the first step, Yukariko called for her.

"Oh! Natsuki-kun." She smiled. "Your schedule is already in your room. You know yours Nao-chan, try not to skip too many classes this time. And the suitcases are also there. Welcome to the Fuuka building!"

They went upstairs, observing the place. It was immense. There were a few couches, some coffee tables, a big TV, the doors to the dorms. And everything seemed so damn clean! They kept going through a hallway and reached the stairs that lead to the second floor. The place also had a living room, exactly like the first floor. Like the nun had said, their room was easy to spot, just next to the stairs. They saw a door with the number eighteen written on it. Nao used her keys, since Natsuki was a little too occupied 'talking' to Sascha.

The room wasn't bad at all. Not too small, not too big. In front of them there was a table with six chairs. Further away there were five beds; three of them had their sheets on. There were also a few small couches and a medium-sized TV. On the left wing there was a bathroom, and opposite to the bathroom was the kitchen. It was nice. There were other things in the room but they didn't even mind to look at them. All they needed was a bath, a bed and food.

"Hey mutt, look!" Natsuki turned to see her cousin at the window. She put Sascha on her right shoulder and went with her.

"Wow!" Through the window they could see clearly the whole landscape. The most wonderful of all it was the sunset behind it. It was a calming thing. If the cousins had something in common, it was that they both loved the sunsets. Suddenly, they heard a weird sound. They turned to see Sascha, with his head down. They realized that the sound was some kind of lament. Nao couldn't deal with sad people, or in this case bird. So she gave Natsuki a silent look and went to the couches to see just how well that TV worked.

"Oi, buddy. Don't be so sad, you'll return one day. We could even go for a walk sometimes. I might not know where you lived, but we could find it together, what do you say buddy?" The little bird looked at her hopefully. "That's my Sascha!"

"Hey mutt, did you finish with the drama scene?"

"Nao! Respect him. He is just sad he can't go back to his home!"

"Owww! Come on! He's just a bird! A stupid chicken for crying out loud!"

To say that Sascha and Natsuki were furious was an understatement.

"If you are going to be all bitchy, at least don't be in front of Sascha!"

"WHAT! Okay, get this inside your hard head. HE. IS. JUST. A. BIRD!" The truth was, Nao was jealous. She would never admit it, of course. But she loved her cousin. And she felt like the little blue jay was taking the bluehaired girl from her. She couldn't bear to be apart from Natsuki because of another person. And much less a little feather ball! In Germany, they used to be always together, so why should that change now?

"Okay, ya know what? I'm going downstairs with Sascha, he must be starving. When we come back, I'm expecting you to change that attitude of yours, you insolent little brat!" Natsuki was red with anger. Good thing that Sascha was in her shoulder now. Otherwise, he would have died in her clenching hands.

While she was going to the door Nao said mumbled something that oddly sounded like 'stupid chicken' but Natsuki didn't want to hear anymore. I fact, she walked faster. And in her angry state she didn't notice that the door was being opened from the other side. Just when she put the hand on the doorknob, a blurry figure appeared from the other side. The problem was, she couldn't stop herself and coalitioned with the unknown person. They fell on the floor. Natsuki found herself on top of something soft yet firm. Well... more like her face on something soft and her hands on something firm. Then she heard some sounds...

"BUBUZUKE!"

"Ara"

"Haruka-chan! Wait!"

Natsuki Kruger didn't even see what hit her, but for her, everything blacked out.

"Mutt!"

[1] Google Blue Jay, it's the appearance of Sascha. He is NOT Duran.

[2] Itsuki: tree - Katsuo: victorious, or hero.

My eyes hurt from editing this so much... And I'm pretty sure it got a little half-assed at the end.