A/N: I give you... Chapter 10! :D I hope everyone likes it! Lol, there's a lot less angst in this chapter. Which is good cause I got some serious residual angst from writing the last one lol.

Oh, and thanks again for all the amazing reviews I've gotten, they really mean a lot to me!!! :D

Thanks for reading!!! Reviews greatly appreciated! :D

Chapter # 10: Personal Advice

"Natsuki get up!"Mai yelled furiously from across the room. "Do you know have any idea how late you are!?"

Natsuki got up suddenly, seeing Mai and Chie already dressed in their uniforms.

"What!?" Natsuki asked, panicking.

"We've already eaten. You said you'd get up and meet us, but I guess you fell back asleep." Chie told her, a worried expression on her face. "Class starts in six minutes Natsuki. We can't wait for you any longer."

"What!!?" Natsuki yelled glancing over at the clock. Her eyes widened in shock. There was no way she'd make it in time. "Why didn't you wake me up!?"

Chie and Mai paused, looking at each other. Chie cracked first, breaking down into hysterics. Mai collapsed after her.

Natsuki blinked. Why the hell are they laughing!? Then it occurred to her. It was Saturday.

"Baka!!!" Natsuki yelled, throwing her pillow with as much force as she could muster.

"Told you it'd be worth it!" Chie grinned ducking quickly as the pillow soared over her head. Natsuki's eyes narrowed as she heard all too familiar snickering come from the bed across the room.

Nao had collapsed on the bed, rolling over in laughter. Natsuki's eyes narrowed. Someone was going to pay for this.

"Did you get it?" Chie asked, popping her cell phone out of Nao's hand and into her own.

"I got it!" Nao laughed in between gasps for air. She unlike her friends, was wearing regular clothes. "You were so right Chie... that was so worth it."

"Hey, you're not the one who had to get dressed up." Mai laughed, taking off her Fuuka Academy jacket. "Come on, let me see." She leaned over to watch the video.

Natsuki stared mouth open in a mixture of shock and complete and utter fury. She slowly closed her mouth, breathing deeply. "I swear to you Chie..." She said dangerously slowly. "...If you keep that video...I will smash that and every cellphone you buy after that."

Her voice left no room for maneuvering. Chie and Mai paled. Nao was quite pleased the show hadn't died down after all.

"Do you understand?" Natsuki asked, raising her eyebrows. She didn't have to use her power to freeze everyone in the room. Mai shuddered. Chie cradled her cellphone protectively in her hands.

"B..but..." Chie started, stopping when she saw the look on Natsuki's face. She sighed, crest fallen. "At least let me watch it once!" She pleaded.

Natsuki shook her head, her eyes never leaving Chie's. Chie suddenly found it extremely hard to swallow. Glancing down at the screen, a look of complete loss and regret on her face, she pressed the delete button. Natsuki slowly breathed out, not wanting to show how relieved she was.

"Now..." Natsuki started. "What's for breakfast?"

"I'm on it." Mai sighed, walking over to the kitchen. She honestly might have paid to see that video.

Natsuki groaned and flopped back onto her pillow. It wasn't exactly the ideal way to start a weekend.

"Nao, you're on dishes duty." Mai grinned, waiting eagerly for her friend's reaction. They had just finished breakfast, and were working on cleaning up.

"I hate you." Nao replied, walking over to the sink.

"Oh, and Nao?" Mai called after her. Nao turned around, raising her eyebrows.

"Don't use your claws again. That's so not the way to scrape off food, okay?" Mai said. The few plates they had didn't need any more scratches.

Nao glared and turned back to the overflowing sink.

Natsuki smirked. The day was certainly looking a bit better.

"So..." Mai started, glancing over to Natsuki and Chie. "...who wants to go clothes shopping?"

Natsuki raised her eyebrows, clearly this girl didn't know her at all.

Chie grinned at the look on Natsuki's face. "Sorry Mai. I have to get on my homework. I still have that bomb essay to write, remember?"

Mai sighed, nodding. "Natsuki?"

"No thanks." Natsuki smirked. "Shoppings not..."

"...not your thing?" Mai finished for her. "Yeah, I know. Well then Nao. Looks like it's just you and me."

"Excuse me?" Nao asked, putting down the plate she'd been scrubbing. "I don't think so Mai."

"Why not?"Mai asked, offended.

"I have things to do." Nao replied, not really having a good answer. "Although I did finish my essay." She smirked at Chie.

"Please?" Mai asked. "I'll do the dishes when we get back." She offered. Nao hesitated, dishes weren't that bad. She glanced down at the mayo stuck to Natsuki's plate, gulping. On second thought...

"Okay then." Nao replied, backing away from the mess. Sure shopping was bad, but compared to that mess it looked a hell of a lot better.

"Great." Mai grinned excitedly. "We'll be back in a couple hours."

"Okay." Chie smiled, waiting patiently for them to leave. In her opinion this was a golden opportunity.

Natsuki gulped. That would mean she'd be alone with Chie. Sure, she had decided she wanted to talk to her. But so soon? It's not exactly something you run to tell your friends. Oh, by the way guys... how do I know if I have a crush on my partner...who happens to be not only a girl, but the most popular girl in school? Any ideas?

Natsuki blushed. A crush? Since when did she have a crush on anybody? Mai grabbed her purse quickly and the two girls left.

Natsuki and Chie were now officially alone.

Natsuki cleared her throat nervously, glancing over at Chie from the other side of the room. Both girls were sprawled out on their bed with their homework. Not that Natsuki understood what to do... even if she could concentrate.

She took a deep breath. That was it... on the count of three she would talk to Chie. She silently counted to three in her head, opening her mouth. Nothing came out. She blushed, looking back down at her math text book.

God, just ask her! Natsuki silently yelled to herself. Since when were you scared of anything?! Natsuki spoke up quickly, before she could decide against it.

"C...chie?" Natsuki asked, rolling over.

"Yep?" Chie asked, trying not to show her relief. Thank God!

"H..how...." Natsuki started, then hesitated a blush forming quickly on her face. Am I really just going to throw it out there like that? Isn't that rushing it a bit?!

"Yes?" Chie pushed, silently praying. Come on Natsuki, you can do it.

"What did you get for number seven?" Natsuki asked quickly, sighing. This would be a lot harder then she'd anticipated.

"X plus six, X minus six." Chie replied quietly. Clearly that wasn't what the blue haired girl wanted to ask her. "It's a perfect square, right?" Chie said, glancing over at Natsuki.

"O..oh." Natsuki replied, turning back to her book. "Yeah." Damn it, Natsuki. What's wrong with you?

Chie turned back to her book, thinking. She couldn't blame Natsuki. It definitely wasn't an easy topic to talk about. Especially not in high school. Maybe she should try a different approach.

Chie sighed dramatically, closing her book loudly. Natsuki turned to look at her, eyebrows raised.

"I can't concentrate." Chie sighed again, putting her book down.

"Why?" Natsuki asked, looking at her like she'd lost her mind.

"I think... I think I have a crush on someone." Chie said trying to sell it. It was true of course, but the angst between her and Aoi had disappeared the first time they kissed. Chie smiled softly, remembering.

Natsuki gulped. Maybe if she could just work her questions into the conversation...

"H..how do you know?" She asked nervously, closing her book. Chie grinned. Stage two complete. Finally the girl was willing to talk to her. Commence stage three. Chie thought to herself as she walked over to Natsuki's bed and sat down beside her.

"Well..." Chie started, thinking as she went. Of all questions to start with that wasn't exactly the easiest. "... you just know." She said finally, thinking about Aoi. "It's...it's everything. The way you can't stop looking at them, the way you feel when they get too close. That sort of thing." She said laughing a little.

"Why? Do you think you like... someone?" Chie asked, careful not to sound like she was teasing.

"What!?" Natsuki blushed. "N..no. Of course not." She said quickly, looking down at her textbook.

"Natsuki." Chie said softly. "You can tell me who it is. I'm not going to tell anyone." Well, except maybe Aoi, but she won't tell anyone either.

"I...I can't." Natsuki said after a moment, blushing. There was no way she could tell Chie. It would be like admitting everything she was afraid of was true

"Not telling me doesn't make it any less true." Chie said, almost as if she'd read her mind. Natsuki blushed even more. How the hell does Chie know these things?

"Well..." Natsuki swallowed hard. "What would you do if you thought you liked someone?"

"Well, this is me Natsuki." Chie grinned. "I hit on them and then go from there."

I am definitely not flirting with Shizuru! Natsuki told herself firmly. She didn't even know how to flirt, and Shizuru would no doubt pick up on it. Natsuki didn't know what she'd do if Shizuru ever found out about this.

"You on the other hand..." Chie continued. "...I can tell you don't have crushes very often."

"More like never." Natsuki snorted. "I don't like people in generral."

Chie nodded grinning. "Yeah but... with one exception, right?" She asked, watching Natsuki's reaction.

"I...I don't know." Natsuki said finally, completely embarrassed that she was having this conversation. The only person she could really imagine having a conversation like this with was Shizuru. Shizuru was so easy to talk to. Natsuki paused, thinking. She hadn't even known her for very long. Why did she feel like she knew her for years? Her smile faded quickly. She could never tell Shizuru about this conversation.

"You know... what does it even matter?" Natsuki said quickly, crossing her arms. "Even if I did like someone... which I don't... it can't happen...ever."

"Why not?" Chie asked, smiling softly. "Because she's a girl?"

"What!?" Natsuki yelled, glancing around quickly. She realized no one else was in the room, but that didn't stop her from blushing furiously. "What are you talking about!?" She exclaimed quickly. "I don't like anyone... especially not a girl."

Chie couldn't help it. She groaned. "Okay... I'm just going to spit this out here Natsuki." She said quickly. "Even if you do like another girl... that doesn't mean she won't like you back in the same way. It is possible you know."

"No." Natsuki said firmly. "It's really not." Shizuru... not only was she a girl... she had so many admirers it was insane. And why... Natsuki bit her lip. Why out of everyone would she choose you?

"She looks at you the same way, you know." Chie said, looking Natsuki in the eyes. "I would never lie about something like this."

"Who are you talking about?!" Natsuki asked, blushing. She already knew. Was she really so obvious that even Chie could see how she felt?

"Who else have I been talking about for days?" Chie laughed.

"What... S..Shizuru?" Natsuki laughed like Chie was insane. "A...are you kidding me?"

Chie grinned. "Yeah, I know. Crazy right?" She laughed. Natsuki was just about to fake a laugh when Chie abruptly stopped. "You only ravish her with your eyes from across the locker room!" Chie exclaimed, suddenly not smiling anymore. "Natsuki, please. You're offending what little intelligence I have."

"I...what!?" Natsuki asked, not sure what she just heard.

"Ravish." Chie nodded solemnly. Natsuki blushed. Hard. "Now onto the more important subject... why don't you think you have a chance with her?" Chie asked.

"What!? No one has a chance with her!" Natsuki yelled. "Have you seen her?!"

Chie laughed. Oh God, Natsuki was so cute. "Have you seen yourself?" She asked, grinning. "Totally not an issue."

"Look!" Natsuki yelled, having enough. There was no way. "Just tell me, how do you stop yourself from liking someone? And I'm not talking about Shizuru."

"Stop it?" Chie asked, surprised. "Why would you want to?"

"Please." Natsuki said, her voice softening. "Just tell me so I can get all this out of the way."

"If you like someone that's one thing." Chie said quietly. "If you love someone it's a whole other story. Then again, it's probably a little soon for love." Chie admitted. "But I do personally believe in love at first sight."

Natsuki gulped. Love? It was way too soon for that. She wasn't even sure if she liked Shizuru, let alone... No. She told herself. There was no way she'd fall for someone that easily.

"Do you want my advice?" Chie asked Natsuki. Natsuki sighed.

"What would you know about it Chie?" She asked, burying her head down in her pillow. "I hate this."

Chie laughed. "Just act normally around her. But, if she starts acting like you guys are more then friends... try not to call her a baka, okay?" She asked.

Natsuki couldn't help but laugh. "Shut up Chie." She grinned.

"Now." Chie said, walking over to her bed. "I'm teaching you how to factor, cause you clearly need some help."

Natsuki blushed angrily though she was really grateful for the help. "...Thanks Chie." She sighed, opening her textbook.

"No problem." Chie grinned. "But seriously... if anything happens between you two... I want to know about it."

Natsuki scowled.

Chie grinned. She had a feeling if Shizuru was as flirtatious as she was with everyone else, things would progress quickly and easily. God I'm such a good friend. She praised herself, grinning.

By the time Monday came around, Natsuki got increasingly nervous. Mai didn't have any problems waking her up. As soon as Natsuki realized it was Monday she couldn't get back to sleep if she tried.

"Just act normal." Chie told her quietly as they walked out the door. Natsuki nodded, not really sure what normal was for her.

When they got to the cafeteria Natsuki immediately glanced over at Shizuru's new table; right beside theirs. She wasn't there yet. Breathing a small sigh of relief Natsuki walked over, grabbed a plate and started shoveling on food.

"You're up early." Shizuru turned to face her from the next table, holding her plate. She couldn't help but feel nervous after the way things had ended last time. "I never see you until at least 7:50." She smiled.

Natsuki froze. She definitely wasn't expecting that.

"Y..yeah. I couldn't really sleep." She said sheepishly. Just act normal, remember?

Chie glanced over. She was already at their table. She blinked a few times, then silently prayed Natsuki wouldn't drop her plate.

"Is something the matter?" Shizuru asked, walking over. She must not have gotten much sleep, she looks pretty tired.

"Huh? No." Natsuki quickly replied, blushing slightly. "Everything is...normal." Normal? Where did that come from?

"I'm glad to hear it." Shizuru replied. From the looks of things, Natsuki had gotten about as much sleep as she had last night. I wonder what she was worried about?

Natsuki smiled, studying the older girl's face. Shizuru looked tired too.

"Good morning Shizuru-sama." A grade nine girl walked past, blushing.

"Ara, same to you." Shizuru turned beaming at the younger girl before she left.

Natsuki's stomach knotted. Does Shizuru know her? "Do you know her?" She asked raising her eyebrows. Why was she getting so worked up about it? Shizuru was allowed to have friends.

Shizuru smiled. "Not by name, though she's very friendly."

"I'll bet." Natsuki replied, turning and grabbing a hash brown from the table. "D..do you want one?" Natsuki asked, blushing as she remembered the last time they were here.

Shizuru's eyes followed the younger girl's gaze to the hash brown. Her stomach clenched. "No thank you Natsuki." She replied quickly, trying not to wince as she remembered the first time she was forced to eat one.

"I thought you liked them." Natsuki replied, confused.

Shizuru opened her mouth to come up with an excuse. The look on Natsuki's face was too adorable. "...Yes...well..."

"Here." Natsuki smiled, picking one up and putting it onto her plate. "That way you won't have to go back up."

Shizuru watched helplessly as Natsuki placed it carefully beside her salad. "A..ara, thank you." Shizuru tried to smile. Never again.

Natsuki smiled back, a little bewildered by the look on Shizuru's face. "Are you getting anything else?" Natsuki asked.

Shizuru glanced down at the hash brown and shook her head. She'd have enough trouble stomaching what she had. Maybe she could discretely throw it out. Shizuru glanced around for the nearest garbage.

"Me neither." Natsuki replied, glancing over at their tables. No one was at Shizuru's table yet. Chie, Mai and Nao were the only ones at hers.

Shizuru followed her gaze. "Ara, it seems I'll be dining alone." She laughed. "My roommates aren't as enthusiastic as I am about getting out of bed on time."

"You should see me in bed." Natsuki smirked, nodding.

Both girls took in what she'd just said. Both girls blushed furiously.

"O..oh, God..." Natsuki stuttered. "That's not ..."

"I understand." Shizuru laughed, trying not to spill her tea. She'd be thinking about that one for the rest of the week. She felt her nervousness quickly disappear. She could never stay nervous around the younger girl for long.

Natsuki nodded, blushing even harder. She quickly glanced over at her table then hesitated.

"Well, you could eat with me, I guess... u..until your friends get here?" She offered quietly.

Shizuru blushed softly. Did Natsuki know how sweet she could be? "I would like that." She smiled, their eyes meeting briefly.

Natsuki quickly looked away, walking over to their table. Shizuru followed behind her.

"Shizuru's going to eat with us until her friends get here." Natsuki told her friends as she sat down. Chie grinned, giving Natsuki a thumbs up signal. Natsuki glared at her from across the table.

"I hope you won't feel I'm intruding." Shizuru smiled politely sitting down beside Natsuki.

"Of course not Fujino-san." Mai smiled, exchanging a look with Nao.

"Arigato." Shizuru replied, picking up her fork.

"So, tell us Fujino-san..." Mai started, trying to make conversation. Shizuru looked up. "...how did you guys do on the Power ops. Natsuki wouldn't really tell us anything."

"Yes I did!" Natsuki replied defensively. She'd of course left out the part where she was on the ground leaning over her partner.

Shizuru laughed. "Ara, it went quite well considering. Natsuki is a very good partner."

Chie grinned. Uh huh.

"Kuga?" Nao asked, looking confused.

"Surprising isn't it?" Shizuru grinned.

"Hey!?" Natsuki replied, feeling a little teamed up on. Shizuru laughed.

Natsuki glared at Nao, rubbing her leg. Why was it suddenly so sore?

The dull ache gradually grew into a piercing pain. Natsuki refrained from crying out, glancing around quickly. Tomoe gave her a little wave as she walked past to her table.

Shizuru noticed a sudden change in Natsuki's posture. Suddenly the blue haired girl looked up, her eyes filled with rage. Shizuru inhaled sharply, following the girl's gaze to Tomoe, her own eyes narrowing in a similar matter. Is she hurting her!?

The pain subsided fairly quickly. Natsuki's anger, however, was another story. She quickly tried to get up, stopping when she felt Shizuru's hand on her own.

Natsuki paused, looking down at their hands clenched tightly under the table. Shizuru turned to look at Natsuki, her eyes relaying her panic.

Natsuki's glare softened, and she looked back down at their joined hands. She looked back over in Tomoe's direction, glaring at her from across the room. She was too far away for Natsuki to use her power.

Natsuki glanced back up at Shizuru, dying to get up and finish what Tomoe had started. Shizuru looked her in the eyes again, trailing her thumb along the back of Natsuki's hand soothingly. Natsuki's hand tingled with the motion.

"Please." Shizuru said quietly. No one else at the table heard. They hadn't seen what happened. "Stay with me."

Natsuki blushed faintly, hesitating. She nodded slowly after a moment, unable to say no. She blushed and looked down at her plate. Shizuru forced herself to let go of Natsuki's hand, and they quietly continued eating their breakfast.

"What are you doing over here?" Haruka asked, startling the whole table. She raised her eyebrows at Shizuru.

"I'm glad you finally made it Haruka-san." Shizuru smiled, implying the blond's lateness. Haruka glared, eye's narrowing.

"If you'll excuse me." Shizuru laughed, nodding to the table. She glanced back at Natsuki giving her one last smile before walking over to the next table.

Natsuki watched her sit down with her friends, her stomach clenching. She felt almost like Shizuru had chosen them over her. She quickly turned back to her plate, eating what was left.

After a very thorough discussion on who was going to karaoke next Saturday the warning bell finally rang. Natsuki sighed in relief, grabbing her bag. Her friends got up, doing the same.

"Natsuki?" Shizuru called out from the next table. Natsuki turned. "I'll see you in powers class." She smiled.

Natsuki blushed, nodding back. Chie casually coughed, nudging Natsuki as she walked past. Natsuki glared at her, following her friends out the door.

"So, I hope you all enjoyed the power ops last Friday." Yohko smiled at her class. "Today we'll be switching things up a little. We're now officially onto lock-picking. We'll be spending two days on it, so you'll have to learn quickly."

Natsuki grinned, remembering Shizuru picking the door lock last Friday. She couldn't help but blush when she remembered the show she had to put on.

"You'll each be receiving a pair of lock picks." Yohko continued. "They will of course, be handed in after every class."

There was a series of groans. Wait. Natsuki thought to herself. How did Shizuru get hers?

Twenty minutes later, everyone was set up at a desk with a different type of lock. There were eight in total. Once you picked one you moved onto the next. Natsuki fumbled with the lock picks, trying to hear a click. How did Shizuru manage to make this look so easy?

She sighed, yanking the picks out.

"What's wrong?" Mai asked from the next table over. There was a small click as her lock opened. She smiled in satisfaction.

"I can't pick locks." Natsuki sighed.

"Haven't you seen TV?" Mai asked, a little surprised Natsuki was using lock picks.

"Um... yes?" Natsuki replied, no clue what the redhead was trying to say.

"You just have to freeze the inside, right?" Mai pushed. "The water expands and shoves the pins out of the way."

"But I can't make water." Natsuki frowned. "I can only do ice. Or water from ice."

"Then make some ice, melt it and pour it into the lock." Mai laughed. "Come on, get creative Natsuki."

Natsuki sighed, grabbing a page protector and making a cone shape out of it. She held the narrow end up to the lock opening and formed a large piece of ice inside. Concentrating, she melted the ice just enough to turn into water. She watched, head bent in concentration as most of the water flowed down into the lock. When the lock was full she froze the ice, listening carefully.

Mai watched as the blue haired girl's face lit up. The lock swung open and Natsuki grinned. "Thanks." She smiled, walking over to the next station. She was beginning to like lock picking.

"I'm done." Nao announced to their teacher, dangling the last lock from an extended claw.

"A..already?" Yohko asked, looking at the row of opened locks in front of her. "What have you been up to?" She asked suspiciously. Only someone with major experience could have managed that.

Nao smirked, turning over to Natsuki and looking down at her one opened lock. Natsuki glared, upset that Nao had finally beaten her in Operations.

"At least I can disable a bomb." She mouthed, watching Nao glare back. With a small grin Natsuki turned to her next lock, repeating the process.

At lunch Natsuki didn't hear anything else from Tomoe. The insane teenager sat at her usual spot, but didn't look her way once. Natsuki smirked, telling herself it was because the teal haired girl didn't want to push her too far. Shizuru's close proximity kept Natsuki from going up and attacking her anyway, but just barely.

Science was just as uneventful, the highlight off the class being, of course, the end. Natsuki was extremely relieved when the bell finally rang. At least powers would keep her conscious until the end of the day.

"If that had been any longer..." Nao started as they walked into the change room. "...I think I may have clawed my eyes out."

"Don't say that." Mai scolded.

Natsuki grinned, taking off her bag and jacket. One quick glance confirmed that Shizuru was already there. Natsuki swallowed quickly, feeling an all to familiar rush of emotions as Shizuru pulled up her shorts slowly.

She quickly looked away, blushing. Chie caught her eye, smirking. Ravish. Chie mouthed, making Natsuki blush even harder.

"Alright." Midori instructed when they had finished. "Today, since it is the start of a wonderful new school week..."

Everyone blinked. Natsuki was ready to walk out right there.

"... I want the groups who feel they're ready to try some power sparring. It's good practice for both in the field and the end of the year competitions if you want to enter. However, just because I've said you can use powers doesn't mean I want anyone slashed open with claws..." Midori shot a knowing look in Nao's direction, making her smirk. "...or beat into a bloody pulp." She turned to the other end to look at Reito. He smiled, nodding. "Now, that being said... off you go." She grinned, clapping her hands once.

Natsuki walked over to Shizuru feeling a little nervous. Power sparring? How was she supposed to stand a chance against Shizuru? She didn't even stand a chance in normal sparring.

"So, are we going to do it?" Natsuki asked.

"Ara, I don't think so Natsuki." Shizuru smiled. Using her power on Natsuki was the last thing she wanted.

"Why not?" Natsuki asked, suddenly a little offended. Shizuru didn't think she was good enough?

"I think we should continue where we left off." Shizuru replied, not really giving her an answer.

"But... Shizuru, seriously... why not?" Natsuki repeated, wanting a reason. She wouldn't be that bad.

Shizuru started walking over to their area. Natsuki followed behind her.

"Shizuru?" She asked.

"I don't like to use my power." Shizuru reminded her quietly. Natsuki stopped when they reached their spot.

"Yeah, but it's allowed." Natsuki argued. Permission to use it should change things for her.

"It shouldn't be." Shizuru replied, quickly looking away. "Now, let's begin, shall we?" She quickly said, smiling for Natsuki's benefit.

Natsuki opened her mouth to protest, but decided against it. Why does she hate using her power so much?

"Yeah." Natsuki nodded, smiling back. She could tell Shizuru didn't want to talk about it.

"We can, however, do something close to normal sparring if you wish." Shizuru added, hoping at least this way it wouldn't seem like a let down.

"Sure." Natsuki nodded. "I don't really know what you mean though." She added, a little confused.

Shizuru smiled. "Attack me." She said simply.

"W..what?" Natsuki asked. She didn't want to hurt Shizuru.

"Arigato for your concern." Shizuru laughed. "I assure you it's unwarranted. This is just a test to see how well you can use what you've learned in the field."

"B..but... what if I hurt you?" Natsuki asked. Shizuru blushed faintly at the look of concern on her face.

She smiled, and shook her head. "You won't."

"I'm not that bad." Natsuki replied defensively.

Shizuru laughed. "I want you to use a combination of both kicks and punches. I will only be on the defensive, so you won't have to worry about defending yourself in the process. Now, let's begin." She quickly got into a defensive stance, watching Natsuki carefully for signs of movement.

Natsuki hesitated, getting into the stance Shizuru had shown her. "A..are you sure about this?" She asked, blushing. "I don't want to hurt you." She said quietly, locking eyes with Shizuru.

Shizuru smiled softly, the words touching her a lot more then Natsuki knew. "Please Natsuki." She replied, unwilling to lift her eyes off of the younger girl's. Natsuki sighed, sinking a little lower into her stance.

Wincing slightly she punched slowly towards Shizuru's left shoulder.

Shizuru batted her arm out of the way, raising her eyebrows at the half-hearted attempt. "I really hope you can do better then that." She grinned.

"Fine." Natsuki laughed, trying to glare. Quickly she kicked towards Shizuru's stomach. Shizuru jumped back, watching Natsuki's body carefully.

Natsuki being still very inexperienced, Shizuru had no trouble blocking her next four punches. Natsuki swept her leg out, trying to trip her. Shizuru stepped back, blocking her elbow at the same time.

Natsuki paused, slightly out of breath. Was she really that bad? She bit her lip in concentration, a movement that wasn't missed by her partner. Shizuru smiled, trying not to stare at the younger girl's mouth.

Natsuki spun quickly, throwing her left leg toward Shizuru with as much speed as she could manage. Shizuru was a caught a little off guard by the speed, but she grabbed her leg in time, shoving it away.

"Impressive." Shizuru said, surprised. Natsuki looked up, wondering if Shizuru was joking. She decided Shizuru wasn't and blushed slightly before pivoting and aiming her left leg towards her side. Shizuru kicked her leg out of the way, maintain perfect balance.

Natsuki steadied herself quickly, throwing a punch with her left hand towards Shizuru's stomach and kicking quickly after with her right.

Shizuru slammed her arm down in Natsuki's, using the same arm to block her leg. She used her left to block Natsuki's next two punches and jumped back to avoid a third kick.

Natsuki paused, panting. This was definitely harder then she'd thought.

"If I could have everyone's attention." Midori cleared her throat and looked up at the clock. There was five minutes left in the period, but her class had made quite a mess.

"Everyone." Midori repeated, glancing over at the one group who hadn't stopped. Natsuki watched, slightly horrified as Nao used her claws to slice off Shiho's hair as it grew quickly towards her neck. Nao noticed before her partner, retracting her claws quickly. Shiho's hair quickly returned back to it's normal length. Natsuki winced. That was so creepy.

"Thank you." Midori replied, turning back to the rest of the class. "Now, we have five minutes left. As you can probably all see you've got some cleaning to do." She turned to one group in particular.

Natsuki and Shizuru followed their teacher's gaze to a large pile of slime stuck to the ground. Natsuki turned slowly to Shizuru.

"Kaito?" She asked grinning. Shizuru laughed, nodding.

"Each set of partners are responsible for their own square. If you've finished early you can go get changed." Midori finished, watching as her students hurried to get cleaned up.

"You know I'll get through tommorow." Natsuki grinned, referring to the fact that she hadn't managed to hit Shizuru once. She was still a little out of breath from the exertion.

Shizuru glanced down at the younger girl, trying not to inhaled sharply. Natsuki was covered in a thin layer of perspiration from their lesson. Shizuru's mind screamed self control, but her body wasn't exactly listening.

"I'm sure you will Natsuki." Shizuru grinned, trying not to stare as the blue haired girl walked past.

Thanks for reading!!! Please review! :D