I'm so sorry I haven't updated! I've been really busy with school starting up and getting everything organized for the club I run at school. It's my Senior year, so I'm going to be pretty busy. TT
I'll try to keep up with the story though, so fear not! Chapter 3 is up, and I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 3:
Then next morning Natsuki woke up in worse pain than she fell asleep in, if you can call what she did last night sleeping. She eventually developed a pattern of dozing off, unconsciously turning over in her sleep and waking up, hissing in pain. One time she even yelled, causing the apartment below her to get upset and bang on the ceiling, screaming to 'keep her shenanigans down.' What did they think she was doing up here? She couldn't breathe without her ribs sending sharp pain up her back, let alone anything troublesome.
Natsuki made an attempt at sitting but fell back on the bed, gasping and grunting at the pain. She felt like a turtle that had fallen on its shell. After a few more attempts she gave up, flopping back onto the bed in defeat when the young teacher realized it was no use. She turned her head to the side at looked at the clock on the dresser. It was only five-thirty in the morning.
Natsuki hated to admit it, but she knew she wouldn't be able to go to work today. She couldn't even sit up, let alone get dressed and get to the school. But Natsuki's pride just wouldn't let her give up. She could just hear the nurse from yesterday tell her 'I told you so.' If she wasn't in so much pain she'd be pissed off by the mere thought of admitting she was wrong. But even if she could get to class how would she be able to teach? She'd need about ten pain pills and someone to hold her up.
The young teacher blushed when she remembered Shizuru trying to support her the day before. Damn it, why'd she have to touch there? She shrieked like a little girl! Natsuki threw her head back on the bed in frustration. Her injuries were killing her, she wasn't able to move and she couldn't do a single thing about it. She hated feeling powerless, she hated being wrong and, the best part was, she had to admit both over the phone when she called in to tell the school she'd be absent today. The only thing Natsuki didn't know was how she was going to get over to the phone, which was sitting on the kitchen counter.
She could take some pain pills and wait for them to take effect, but her prescription bottle was on the kitchen table. Natsuki looked over to the phone and stared at it, as if hoping it would simply come to her. But, instead of doing Natsuki's bidding, it sat there on its charger; taunting her.
This was all her fault. Her injuries wouldn't have been this bad if she had just stayed home yesterday. Natsuki hissed as she struggled to sit up, supporting her weight by holding onto the head board. It hurt so much she had to resort to quick breathes just to keep the pain down. She thought of lying back down, but one look at that damn phone and Natsuki knew she had to get to it.
Twisting her body, Natsuki touched her bare feet to the cold hard wood floors. She clutched the edge of the bed as she took a moment to rest. It felt like her chest was contracting around her lungs. Natsuki expected them to collapse at any moment as she reached out and grabbed the edge of her dresser, leaning on it for support as she struggled to stand.
Her mind felt jumbled and clouded as she clung onto the dresser, the floor boards creaking from the additional weight on the cupboard. The young teacher groaned, realizing she had gotten up to fast. One step at a time Natsuki made her way across her apartment, clutching onto anything she could reach for. Cabinets, the couch, the wall, anything she could get to. She eventually made it to the kitchen counter, grabbing the phone off its charger.
Just as she did so the young teacher slid on a piece of paper, landing on her back with a yell. Natsuki cried out as the impact caused her ribs to throb and her head to sting. Natsuki yelled out every curse she knew as she clutched her sides with one hand and her head with the other.
"Keep it down up there you hooligan!" She heard from down stairs.
"Overdose on sleeping pills, will ya!" Natsuki yelled, losing her temper as she pounded on the ground. She was beginning to hate that old man.
At this point she was willing to just screw the school administration and just let them figure out she wasn't coming in… Natsuki instantly regreted her choice of words and quickly changed her line of thought, not wanting those images stuck in her mind the rest of the day. The young teacher looked around and spotted the phone lying next to her hand. She picked it up and began dialing the school's number, putting it to her ear and waiting for someone to pick up. That dull throbbing pain was beginning to set in as she listened to the phone continue to ring.
"Fuka academy, this is the school nurse speaking."
"What the hell are you doing at work this early?!" Natsuki groaned. Yohko was the last person she wanted to tell this to.
"Kuga-san?"
"Yes it's me!"
"I thought I recognized your petulant tone. Why are you calling this early?"
Natsuki paused as she tried to get over her pride. "I'm not…um…"
"Let me guess. You're not coming in today?"
"Don't sound so smug!" Natsuki yelled, but then hissed at the pain.
"Kuga?"
"I'm fine." Natsuki grunted. "Listen, I don't have any instructions for a substitute--"
"No problem Kuga-san, just let me handle that. How are you feeling?"
Natsuki thought of laughing dryly at the question but decided against it, knowing that it would probably hurt. "Just peachy."
"Kuga-san, I'll be over after school to have a look at you, but I'm worried about you staying home alone. I think I'll send someone over to check up on you, possibly during lunch time."
"Wait a freaking minute--"
"Until then I suggest you get some rest. Take care and don't do anything foolish." The line cut off before Natsuki could argue, causing the young teacher to growl.
She threw the phone someplace and slumped back onto the hard wood floor, groaning as she stared up at the ceiling. She seemed to be doing this a lot lately. After her little chat with Yohko Natsuki stayed there, lying on the floor by the kitchen counter. She didn't have the will or the energy to try and get back to the bed. She ended up falling asleep there, sprawled out on her kitchen floor.
She kept going in and out of a half-conscience state, knowing what was going on around her but not really caring due to her sleep deprivation. She heard the door open but ignored it. She heard someone say her name, but merely overlooked it. At one point she could have sworn she felt someone touch her face, but Natsuki just pushed the thought aside. The only important thing to her was sleep. Not until she felt someone shaking her did she feel the need to open her eyes, only to be met with a pair of red ones. "Kuga-sensei?"
Natsuki's eyes grew wide when she realized who that voice belonged to. "Fujino!?" The young teacher yelled, attempting to sit up but she instantly regretted that action. Natsuki cursed as she felt the clutch of her chest again. The only good thing was that it was what the pressure and pain had decreased. Shizuru grabbed a hold of Natsuki's arm and helped her sit up against the counter before getting up and grabbing a blanket.
"Kuga-sensei feels like an ice sickle." Shizuru said as she wrapped the blanket around Natsuki's shoulders, making sure the blanket covered as much of Natsuki as it could.
"What the hell are you doing in my apartment? How the hell did you get in!?" Natsuki practically yelled as she stopped Shizuru's persistent hands.
"It's not proper for Kuga-sensei to use such language in front of a student."
"I can say whatever I want, it's my apartment."
"Then what is your excuse for such language during class?"
"What!? Why am I even explaining myself?" Natsuki rubbed her forehead as Shizuru sat down beside her, much like how she did yesterday after class. Natsuki found it incredibly strange for a teenager to be this well mannered. Natsuki took a deep breath to try and compose herself. Losing her temper wasn't the solution.
"Fujino-san, what are you doing in my apartment?" Natsuki asked, tightening the blanket around herself. Now she wished she had worn her pajamas to bed instead of those boxer shorts and tank-top.
"I noticed Kuga-sensei wasn't in class so I went and asked Sagisawa-sensei how you were. She told me that sensei sounded like she had been ran over or something, so she sent me to check up on you."
"But what about your classes?"
"The only class I have left today is Kuga-sensei's, and it will just be a study session, so it's no trouble. Has Kuga-sensei eaten anything?"
Natsuki sighed, knowing that arguing would be futile. "No I haven't. But it's not wise for you to be here. It's not your responsibility to come and check on me and Yohko shouldn't have asked you to. You're a student, so you number one responsibility is to study." Natsuki said as she grabbed the counter, attempting to stand. She was feeling a bit better and was surprised to learn she was finally able to move.
"Sagisawa-sensei didn't ask me, I offered." Natsuki looked down at Shizuru and instantly regretted it. The young girl was staring at her with that same stare, the one from class. It was such a piercing stare, but it also held a sort of softness. "I was worried about Kuga-sensei." Shizuru gave a soft smile before heading towards the refrigerator.
Natsuki felt her face grow hot as the third year student opened the refrigerator's door.
"What would Kuga-sensei like to eat?"
"Oh, uh…" Natsuki said as she snapped out of her thoughts. "There's nothing in there. I just moved in two days ago." Natsuki responded as she limped over to her bed.
"What has Kuga-sensei been eating? The only food item I see is mayonnaise. " Shizuru called, sounding slightly disturbed. "Mostly take-out." Natsuki almost laughed when Shizuru didn't respond. She was clearly a traditional type of girl.
She knew the girl was just trying to help but it was awfully awkward for Natsuki to have one of her students take care of her. She still wasn't really thrilled about the whole thing, but she had already lost her cool around this girl three or four times.
"Don't worry about it. I'll just fix some toast and mayonnaise later." Natsuki called as she sat down on her bed, resting her back against the head board. "Kuga-sensei should consider changing her diet. All I see are pizza boxes and instant ramen packages. It's not healthy to eat like this constantly." Natsuki heard Shizuru say as a rustling sound came from the kitchen.
"Are you cleaning?" Natsuki called, leaning back a little to try and spot Shizuru in the kitchen.
"I wouldn't be if Kuga-sensei wasn't such a pack rat."
"What!? I am not a--" Before Natsuki could finish her sentence Shizuru came around the corner with one eyebrow raised, an empty pizza box in one hand and empty container of Chinese food in the other. Natsuki stared at her student for a few seconds before sitting back, remaining silent. She couldn't really think of a comeback for that one. Damn, she won again.
Shizuru went back to picking up the food containers off of the cabinets as Natsuki sat against the headboard, pulling out some papers to work on. "Sagisawa-sensei said she'd be by after school to check up on you." Shizuru called from the kitchen. Natsuki looked up from her papers suddenly, realizing she hadn't changed her bandages since yesterday.
"Crap." She said silently before reaching into her dresser, pulling out fresh bandages. "I don't need Sagisawa-san checking in on me, I've got everything under control."
"Yes, you have proven that time and time again." Shizuru said sarcastically as Natsuki loosened the old bandages under her tank-top. Natsuki just hoped the girl wouldn't suddenly come in while she was changing her bandages.
"Oh, stop being so sassy." Natsuki said, throwing the old wrappings on the floor.
"Ara, Kuga-sensei thinks I'm sassy?"
The young teacher felt her face heat up as she heard the suggestive tone in Shizuru's voice. "Fujino!" She yelled in anger, groaning when she heard a giggle from the kitchen. "God, this is ridiculous. Everything I say she turns into something inappropriate. At this rate I'll be charged for sexual harassment." Natsuki said to herself as she began dressing her wounds.
It was harder to do this with her shirt on, but she didn't want to run the risk of Shizuru walking in on her. She knew it was unlikely, but it just sounded like something that would happen. The young teacher eventually got the bandages on; maybe not as securely as she would have liked, but they were on.
"Does Kuga-sensei require assistance?" Natsuki turned to find Shizuru walking from the kitchen. "No, that's fine. It'll do for now." They remained silent for a while, Natsuki sitting on her bed while Shizuru simply stood at the kitchen entryway, staring at a near-by wall.
"If Kuga-sensei doesn't mind me asking, how did you injure yourself?" Shizuru finally asked, looking over at Natsuki. Natsuki looked back at the younger girl and sighed, running her hand through her hair. "I understand if Kuga-sensei doesn't feel comfortable telling me, I was simply curious."
"Naw, that's okay. I guess I owe you some sort of explanation." Natsuki paused before continuing, wondering where to start. "This job at the school wasn't really what I originally planned on. It was sort of a last minute thing. The day before yesterday I was coming into town, worried that I wouldn't make it before school started, and I slid. The roads were slick and I was going too fast around a turn, so I crashed." Natsuki said as Shizuru walked over and sat at the end of Natsuki's bed. The young teacher shifted her gaze to the floor.
"Someone saw the crash and called an ambulance. The next thing I knew I was at the hospital being lectured to by a doctor, telling me to take a few weeks off."
"Why didn't you?" Shizuru asked. Natsuki kept her eyes on the floor, thinking.
Natsuki was fully aware of why she didn't. She was too stubborn to admit she was in pain, too stubborn to accept aid and too thick headed to use her common sense. She got so swept away in her pride she just ended up hurting herself.
"Well…" Before Natsuki could answer though there was a knock at the door, causing Shizuru to go and answer it. Natsuki leaned back against the head board just as Shizuru came back, accompanied by Yohko.
"Kuga-san, how are you feeling?" The nurse asked, sitting on the end of the bed.
"Better than this morning, that's for sure."
"Good. I was worried when you called in though, I have to admit, it wasn't unexpected." Natsuki scowled at the nurse as she dug through her bag. Shizuru, who was standing next to Yohko, couldn't help but giggle at the expression Natsuki was making.
"Kuga-sensei shouldn't frown so much or her face will get stuck that way." Shizuru teased, causing Natsuki to blush. "Besides, while Kuga-sensei's pout is simply adorable, I bet her smile would be even more enjoyable."
"Watch it Fujino-san or all of the blood in Kuga's body will rush to her face. We don't want a fever on top of her injuries." Yohko chimed in, pulling out a stethoscope from her bag.
"Wh-what are you guys talking about?!" Natsuki yelled out of frustration, feeling like she was being backed into a wall. "Shut up!" The young teacher yelled as Yohko and Shizuru simultaneously started laughing. How dare these two tease her!
"Alright, alright, enough fun." Yohko said, putting on a serious face. Natsuki just glared at her, hating her idea of 'fun'.
Yohko proceeded with Natsuki's examination, checking Natsuki's temperature, blood pulse and looking over her injuries. "You should rest for a few more days. After that you should be well enough to return to school, but you will still have to be careful not to over exert yourself." Yohko said as she was packing her equipment. "We don't want repeat of today." Natsuki rolled her eyes as she leaned back against the headboard. Like she'd voluntarily put herself in this position.
"Do you need a ride back to the dorms Fujino-san?"
"That's very generous of Sagisawa-sensei, but Kuga-sensei hasn't eaten yet." Shizuru responded as she walked towards the kitchen.
"Just go Fujino." Natsuki piped in, crossing her arms over her chest. Her voice was a little harsher than she had intended.
"Kuga!" Yohko exclaimed. "She's just trying to help."
"I understand that." Natsuki said, looking over at Yohko. "But it isn't her place to help. She's my student, she isn't supposed to be taking care of me or making me dinner. She's suppose to be in class studying, and you shouldn't have sent her over in the first place." When no one responded Natsuki stood up and walked towards the front door before looking back at Shizuru, ignoring the girl's hurt face.
"I appreciate your concern Fujino-san but, like I said before, it's not your responsibility. I'm sure you have something better to do than watch over me." Natsuki than opened the door, signaling them to leave.
Natsuki sensed Yohko was about to yell at her again but before she could Shizuru stepped forward, a polite smile on her face.
"Very well. If this is what Kuga-sensei wants I will not argue." She said as she walking toward Natsuki. "Please get better soon." Natsuki didn't know why, but she didn't like this smile. It wasn't like the others the young third year had flashed her before. She felt a cold feeling slip down her back as she turned her head, not wanting to face Shizuru as she exited the house.
She knew she was being harsh, but this wasn't a proper student-teacher relationship. She shouldn't be taking care of her, she shouldn't be smiling at her like she had earlier and she most certainly shouldn't be making Natsuki feel so… uncertain.
--
Yay, it's up! I hope everyone liked it. I'm still working on the whole seperating paragraphs thing, so any edvice would be appriciated. That picture I promised is up on my profile and there will be more to follow. Just to tell you now, this story isn't just going to revolve around Shizuru and Natsuki. Natsuki will be dealing with other students as well starting in the next chapter.
Have a great day
-Kruger