Chapter 3

I slept a whole day. My jaw was luckily only cracked, but I was told to only eat liquids for three weeks to allow it time to heal. Sora managed to somehow keep my identity hidden since I would have been kicked out of school if they knew I was a girl... I took some more painkillers and then set to studying. I could at least try not to fall behind...

"Hey!"

I woke up from someone shaking me by the shoulder. I was lying with my face stuck to the book at my desk...I must have fallen asleep.

"Don't push yourself too much. I brought you soup for dinner," Saizo said with a frown.

"Oh..." I said as I gently pulled the page away from my still tender jaw, "thanks."

I accepted the soup and sat on my bed. It even had a straw. I quietly drank the soup and realised that I was actually quite hungry. Saizo didn't say anything, which after a while made me look up at him.

"Aren't you going to ask?" I asked.

"If you want me to know, I figured you'd tell me."

He seemed like he wanted to know, but didn't want to push me...perhaps I should confide in him? But to what extent? Sora did say I must not let anyone at this school know I'm a girl...

"My brother Ren got into trouble with a bunch of losers at Dales and somehow managed to 'sell' me to them as compensation."

"So you're coming to Kingstons is to hide from them?"

I nodded.

"I don't think you realise what you got involved with...the bunch of losers you are referring to is one of the two large gangs in this district. They will keep looking for you until they find you, no matter how long it takes."

"Seriously?! Aw...man..."

I was feeling very down and freaked out.

"Don't take it so hard," Saizo said in a kinder voice and I felt his hand on my shoulder. Was he trying to encourage me? I looked up at him and realised that he was very close to me know, sitting opposite me on his bed. He was well built and certainly knew how to fight...

"Then...will you teach me how to fight?"

Saizo's eyes widened in surprise.

"If I can't run from them...I'll have to fight back..."

"You are currently in no state to do much of anything. Don't worry, as long as you are here you are safe."

I realised that he was actually saying he'd protect me. This made me feel a bit flustered.

"I...I don't want to be a burden..."

"Then make yourself useful and keep our room clean or something while you're here."

"Okay...if you don't mind..."

It felt strange to think that I could touch his things.

"It's fine..."

He had gotten up. Wait...did his face look a bit red?

"I'm going out for a bit. Are you done with that?" he asked, pointing to the cup I had which previously contained soup.

"Yes, thank you."

He took it from me and left.

I wasn't sure what to make of things... it didn't seem like Saizo knew I was a girl yet...and he was offering to protect me from a gang... he said it was one of two...wait...does that mean he is part of the other gang perhaps? It that's the case...then Leopoldt, Erick and Francois... My head felt like it was starting to spin again. Perhaps I shouldn't be overthinking things... I got back into bed and fell asleep.

The nurse came to see me again the next morning and said that I was okay to attend classes in the afternoon. Since I had some time to kill in the morning, I set to cleaning up our room, which mostly consisted of making the beds and folding up our sleeping clothes. It felt odd folding up Saizo's pants and shirt. I could faintly smell his scent... Wait, what was I thinking?! I put his clothes neatly on the corner of his bed and backed away. I recalled that I still had my stuff from going on my 'girl-date' with Jessica stuffed in my backpack and proceeded to pull it out. Just then the door opened and Saizo came in.

"Oh, hi," I said and then realised that Saizo was staring at my hand. I looked to see what he was looking at, and a bra was hanging from it. I instantly turned scarlet.

"That...that isn't mine!" I said quickly and bundled it along with the rest of the girl clothes into a plastic packet. Neither of us said anything, but the atmosphere somehow was awkward between us. The next couple of days continued similarly. We barely spoke at all, but I kept doing the chores and classes recommenced and eventually my jaw was almost healed.

"Saizo..." I eventually said one evening.

"What?"

"About the other day..."

"You don't have to explain. You're allowed to have a girlfriend, yes?"

It took a few seconds to sink in.

"What?! Oh...I guess it would seem...never mind then..."

Saizo suddenly seemed more interested.

"What were you going to say then?"

"Um...don't worry, it doesn't matter," I said busying myself with getting books out of my bag.

The next moment Saizo had come over onto my bed and pushed me against the wall.

"What were you going to say?" he asked again in a quiet voice.

I stared at him with wide eyes. What's gotten into him?

"Saizo?"

His eyes said he wouldn't accept anything but the truth.

"I don't have a girlfriend...it's a misunderstanding," I eventually said, looking into his eyes. Why was he wanting to know and why was he acting this way? My heart was beating fast.

"Is that so," he said and let go and went back to his bed as if nothing happened. I really couldn't understand this guy...

I kept in touch with Sora and even he hadn't heard anything from Ren for a while now. As much as I hated Ren I didn't wish him dead. I hope he was okay... It was only about another week or so before Yue came back. He should be able to do something...he had a lot of influence in many circles...

I was improving at Kingstons and not getting shouted at so much anymore. Saizo eventually agreed to teach me some self-defence techniques. We used one of the club rooms three times a week. I found that I really enjoyed being tutored by Saizo, he had a very no-nonsense direct way of speaking and showing. One of these sessions we practised a move which ended up with me being on top of Saizo, our faces very nearly touching. For a few moments we just looked at each other.

"Sorry," I apologised and got up off him quickly. Why didn't he protest and push me away? Then some things suddenly fell into place. I remembered Sora saying Saizo prefer guys...and Leopoltd had said that the 'wolf' preferred younger men... oh my word... does Saizo...like me? My face was hot and when I glimpsed at Saizo I noticed that he seemed a bit flushed as well. Oh boy...

I spoke to Sora about it and he agreed that Saizo might have fallen for the 'guy' me.

"This is bad...what do I do Sora? I didn't intend for this to happen?"

"Well...this is complicated...I guess for a start you should stop taking private lessons from him. Besides, Yue is coming back this weekend. Then things should be able to go back the way they were before."

"Yeah..."

Somehow, I didn't feel relieved about it. I felt sad...why did Saizo have to go and fall in love with 'guy' me? This made me suddenly realise something...I was in love with him...

When Friday came around, I couldn't face Saizo. I would have to tell him the truth... I decided to leave him a letter but couldn't get myself to tell him I was a girl. It would just be so cruel...so instead I thanked him for everything he had done and that I would return to my old life. I quickly packed my stuff and left, knowing that he would be waiting for me at the club room. Some of the words got a bit smudged because I started crying. I knew I'd just have to put it all behind me and get on with life somehow.

Sora went home with me for the weekend. Yue was furious when he found out about the whole thing with Marius. Ren had in fact been kidnapped and was forced to do all sorts of menial labour for Marius. It didn't take long for Yue to settle things, but it did cost the Livingston family a considerable amount, which Yue wasn't happy about. He had Ren called in to the study and had a long talk with him. Later I heard that Ren was expected to work off his debt and he was taken out of school and sent on a business training course.

The next week I returned to Dales, feeling like I had a stone in my stomach. I missed Saizo like crazy. I even missed the horrible male teachers that yelled at me. At Dales I was just back to being a number. No one cared accept Jessica. I was relieved when I eventually passed Marius in the hallway and he simply walked on like I wasn't there. This indicated that the matter was settled. It was about a month later that Sora came home again.

"Hey sis, you look like crap."

"Thanks."

"Seriously...did the cat die or something?"

"Leave me alone!"

"Hey, hey! Don't run off, I still have something to talk to you about."

"What?" I asked, not particularly feeling like talking. I found that I had become very depressed lately.

"We are having a dance gathering at Kingstons next weekend and we can take a girl from any school. Do you want to come?"

My heart was shouting: "Yes! Yes!" but my head told me it was not a good idea.

"You just want someone to be your partner, right?"

"Well, it kind-off sucks if you show up alone. The boys tease you about it for a good month after. Calling you ugly and such."

"My friend Jessica had pleaded with me to take her while I was still 'guy' me and I sort-off promised I would...please can you take her?"

"Fine...if that's what you want."

The night of the dance I was particularly grumpy. Even the household staff kept well away from my room where I was sulking. I was surprised when eventually I heard a knock.

"Miss Livingston...pardon the intrusion, but there is a guest here to see you."

"I'm not seeing anyone tonight, please tell whoever it is to leave," I said and was surprised when the door opened.

"That's no way to greet someone who has come all the way here to pick you up, you know."

I was astonished to see who it was.

"Leopoldt?!"

"Yes...or were you hoping it would be someone else?"

I looked away since he was right on the mark.

"No matter...I need you to be my escort tonight at the dance. I have taken the liberty to arrange for your clothes, make-up and such. Please let these ladies help you."

He signalled and a bunch of women came in.

"What?! Wait! Who said I was going?!" I protested, but Leopoldt had already left and the ladies didn't let me escape. I eventually resigned myself to their care. When they were finally done I stared at myself in the mirror in disbelief. Was it really me? They even put extensions in my hair. I now had curly long hair loosely taken up with little glittering diamonds in it. The dress was shoulder less and fit my body perfectly and ran down in a mermaid style, but with slits which showed off my legs as I walked and allowed easier movement. It was a turquoise blue shimmering colour which worked very well with my dark hair and green eyes. I looked like a princess from some foreign country or something... The dainty shoes also added to my height and made my legs look even longer than they were.

"Not bad," Leopoldt suddenly said from the doorway as if he'd always been there.

I was flustered seeing his eyes appraising me.

"I...I don't understand...why would you want me to go with you?"

"Well, due to a certain someone running away without saying goodbye my wolf has become very difficult to deal with lately..."

"But...how do you know it was my fault?"

"In my position I have to know things, you know..., although I thought it was quite obvious that you are a girl. Seems like love perhaps does make you blind? It's quite ironic really, considering the rumours."

"Rumours?"

"Now that is something you should find out yourself. Well now, we need to be on our way. Come."

I was surprised when Yue spoke to Leopoldt on the way out and they seemed to know each other very well. And it turned out that Leopoldt had something to do with clearing up the mess with Marius... so my going with him tonight was sort-off a way to say thank you?

I knew I couldn't refuse, and I wanted to somehow clear things up if there was a way...

We were the centre of attention when we entered the hall. Luckily no-one knew who I was, thanks to the look overhaul. Eventually Leopoldt asked me to excuse him for a bit and left me by the drinks table. I took a glass of champagne.

"So...who are you?" a woman suddenly asked me. She was obviously someone who had her eye on Leopoldt. What was I supposed to say?

"I guess you could say a friend," I replied, feeling uncomfortable since several other women had also gathered around me now. Were they Leopoldt groupies? Then I was in serious trouble... as soon as the opportunity came up I quickly made an escape outside onto one of the terraces. I haven't been able to locate Jessica or my brother.

It was a beautiful night, and the stars were visible... I wonder where Leopoldt went off to? I also haven't seen Saizo around...just thinking off him made my stomach knot. I don't think I'd be able to face him… I was just about to leave.

"Aoi?" a voice asked, and I looked up to see the person I was dreading to see. He was dressed in a suit and looked extremely handsome. His face was one of disbelieve. He must surely hate me... The dress did not allow any mistaking me for a guy, especially around the chest area, as small as they were.

"Saizo..." I whispered before taking off and running for it. I had pulled up the skirt so I could run better but the shoes were quite painful to run in. After a while I stopped and realised I wasn't being followed. Saizo wasn't chasing after me... I don't know what I was expecting, but I felt miserable...

I was somewhere close to the dorms. In my hurry to get away I had run in the opposite direction I actually needed to. "Idiot..." I said to myself and wiped the tears that started rolling down my face with the back of my hand.

"That you are," a voice suddenly said and I got swept up before I could react. I was too shocked to say anything as Saizo carried me off to his room. He kicked the door closed and then let me down and pressed me against the wall.

"Sai..."

I couldn't even finish before his lips claimed mine in a very savage, hungry way. My mind instantly went blank. What was happening? Why was Saizo kissing me like this? I'm a girl! At the same time I stopped caring and kissed him back, letting my hands get tangled in his hair. His hands stroked down my hips and found my legs and pulled them up so I was straddling him. The slits of the dress was high enough so the dress didn't tear. He made a bit of a growling noise and carried me over to his bed and lowered me onto it while climbing on top of me. Was he going to?

"Saizo..." I managed to say, my voice a little panicked.

"We'll talk later...now I'm making you mine," he said in low voice as he undressed himself.

It was early morning when I woke and found myself still in Saizo's bed. He had pulled his duvet over us and still had his arms around me. I felt incredibly happy... I looked at his sleeping face. He didn't look scary at all to me. To me he was beautiful.

"Have you stared enough yet?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"Er...sorry... but I need to ask...are you a ninja?"

He opened his eyes in slight surprise and when he saw I was smiling he pulled me towards him and kissed me and I kissed him back. After some time, we finally sat up. I shyly covered my chest with a part of his duvet.

"You shy now after what we did?" he asked looking amused.

"Shut up," I said, looking away embarrassed.

"Don't be too cute or I might just eat you up."

I looked up at him in surprise. His gaze was soft.

"Saizo...I thought you were into guys?"

It was his turn to look surprised.

"What made you think that?"

"Well...there are rumours I suppose...and I...I had thought you had fallen in love with the guy me...that's why I couldn't face you...because...I had fallen in love with you too."

"And I thought you didn't like me because you left so suddenly," Saizo said, pulling his fingers through his hair. We looked at each other and laughed.

"So...then what happened?" I asked.

"Well...first off, I'm not gay...that rumor probably spread because I helped out some juniors a while back...Kingstons is not a friendly place to newcomers as you should well know...and then I found that I was developing feelings for you...I thought that perhaps I was switching sides...it was frustrating but at some point, I decided that it didn't matter to me anymore. I wanted you to be by my side...but I wasn't sure about your feelings in the matter...and when I thought you had a girlfriend, I thought that my feelings would always be one-sided..."

"Oh...the bra...that actually was mine..." I said looking away and scratching my head sheepishly, "I had been switching in and out between girl and guy 'modes' while with my friend Jessica...

"I'm just glad that I managed to save you when I did. If they had found out that you are a girl or worse...I don't know what I would have done to them..."

"I never asked...but what did you do to those guys?"

"Knocked them out pretty much. I'm not one to kill unnecessarily...but when it comes to you, I just might."

Saizo was gently stroking the side of my face as he was saying this.

"Is your body...okay?" he asked.

"It feels a bit sore, but I think I'll be okay...but Saizo...it's already morning...if we are found like this there is going to be trouble..."

"Then you'll just have to change into your uniform."

"Huh?"

I looked over and saw that my Kingston school uniform was on my desk.

"I didn't let them take it, I didn't want anyone coming in here and changing anything...I guess I was waiting for you to come back..."

"I'm...so sorry Saizo...I was unbelievably stupid...but how are we going to manage things going forward?"

"That's easy, you are coming back to Kingstons."

"But..."

"No excuses. No one else knows the truth except for a few and they won't talk. I want you with me."

Saizo got up and picked up my dress and folded it up, putting it away into his cupboard. I then proceeded to change into my uniform and Saizo then helped me take out the extensions from my hair.

"I'm a little sorry that they have to go..." I said a bit sadly.

"Don't worry, when we graduate you can let your hair grow as long as you like."

"Yes...I guess you are right." I said smiling up at him and knew that as crazy as it seems to be somehow things would work out all right.

The end.