I know...you all thought I was dead, didn't you? Well, I'm not dead...I'm just at college. I'm sorry for the long waits but it's like marriage: a commitment you pay for, so there's no way out. -_-''' Not that I want to get out, but considering I'm socially dead here in La Grande, I'm getting lonely.

Now, after that overly-personal introduction I give you chapter eight of Hello there sensei:

Chapter 8:

"You're doing that on purpose." Natsuki growled over her desk at the smiling brunette sitting opposite her.

"What to you mean?" Shizuru asked, but Natsuki knew that was her dangerous teasing voice. She wouldn't be fooled. The young teacher marked another check onto a poorly done essay before dropping her pen to glare at the third year properly.

"That" was all she said, pointing down at their feet. Shizuru's foot had been nudging her own for the last five minutes while she graded papers. Well, tried to anyway. The prodding had grown so annoying she could barely get through the third paragraph. Shizuru merely smiled, tilting her head slightly.

"Well, I can't rub your ankle properly because Natsuki is wearing her riding boots again today" Shizuru pouted, her usually impervious crocodile tears almost thwarted by a smile when Natsuki blushed from ear to ear.

"W-why would you want to rub my ankle?!"

"Natsuki's saying I can't?"

"W-well, that's- I mean- That's neither here nor there, I'm trying to grade!"

"So Natsuki's saying a can?" Shizuru smiled as Natsuki let out a groan of defeat, dropping her head to rest on the table.

Natsuki remained silent, almost like playing dead when a bear comes sniffing around, but the lack of attention merely caused the third year to start her foot prodding once again. Shizuru couldn't see it but the young teacher was smiling, bringing up her arms to rest her head on while fending off the third year with her own feet. It had been much like this the last few days. Every since the festival the two would meet during lunch and after school and just talk while Natsuki graded papers. It had gone back to normal, as if the bar or the festival never even happened. The only difference being Shizuru's jokes had grown steadily more suggestive. Natsuki managed to trap the younger girl's foot with her own feet, grinning as Shizuru giggled, trying to free herself from imprisonment. Truth to be told the teacher didn't really know where to go from here. Do they date? People would recognize them in public. Her apartment? Somehow, Natsuki figured it was a little too soon, even if they were to just watch a movie or something. She didn't even want to consider Shizuru's house. Out of town? No transportation. Suddenly the young teacher became distracted from as a clothed foot slunk under her jeans and up her calf, gently stroking her skin.

"Shi-Shizuru!" The teacher yelled, jumping back at the touch.

"Ara, I wonder what Natsuki was thinking about that could distract her in such a way. Usually you're so adamant."

"N-nothing!" She yelled, blushing at the word 'adamant'. Damn it, Shizuru could make anything sound suggestive. "I-I was just thinking I need to get my bike repaired. I was thinking of looking for a mechanic after school today."

"Bike?" Her voice serious, Natsuki almost jumped at the sudden mood swing as Shizuru lifted a thin eyebrow in question. "You mean that monstrosity that put you in the hospital?"

"I-well, that is…H-hey, it was a stupid mistake, you can't blame the bike for that! The gun doesn't kill, only the person who's shooting!"

"Yes, but the gun allows the person to kill." Somehow, Natsuki didn't figure she'd win this argument. Shizuru's eyes dropped to her tea, rubbing her thumb along the cup. "I'm sorry. I know it's not my place to say, but…I worry. I just don't want to see you hurt."

"It is your place to say."

Natsuki rose from her seat, her quiet and kind words surprising the third year. The biker felt her heart ache slightly at Shizuru's shock as she walked around the desk, leaning against it and standing in front of the third year.

"Shizuru, don't think you have to restrain yourself just because you think it'll upset me. You…you have a right to worry about me." Natsuki raised her hand, lightly brushing away the brunette's bangs to revel in her deep burgundy eyes. "Just like…I can touch you like this…I can, right?" The third year merely smiled, brining her hand up to meet the young teacher's, nuzzling into the palm.

"Yes." The simple happiness in her voice was all Natsuki needed. She felt a smile slip across her face. She was wrong. Everything had changed, and she was happy it did.

"I know you're worried, but motorcycling is important to me. It's not always about crashing…I hope someday I'll be able to show you that."

"Hmm…maybe" Shizuru purred, placing a small kiss on Natsuki's wrist. "Natsuki certainly is very persuasive today."

The young teacher suddenly felt an alarm ringing as Shizuru rose from her seat, closing the space between them. She tried backing away; suddenly afraid someone would come in and see but ended up sitting on her desk, the third year trapping her with arms on either side her. Shizuru leaned in, a dangerous smile adorning her beautiful face.

"So, tell me more about how I no longer need to 'restrain' myself."

"Kuga-sensei, Takeda-sensei wants to-"

Natsuki's mind froze as Minagi Mikoto appeared at the door, a kendo shinai slung over her shoulder, her expression matching that of the young teacher's full body flush.

"Minagi-san, what a surprise" Shizuru smiled, not bothering to remove herself.

"Minagi! Is Kuga-san there?!" Takeda ran up beside his star athlete, both Mikoto and Natsuki panicking as his face came into view.

"C-coach watch out!" Mikoto yelled, pointing in the opposite direction.

"What?" Before Takeda could turn back around the young athlete struck the back of the man's head with the hilt of her sword. A painful cry escaped his throat before he collapsed to the ground, stunned by the blow. Natsuki could only watch, horrified. "A-ara" Shizuru stuttered, backing away from the biker before rushing to the second year student and the fallen P.E. teacher.

"I-I'm sorry! It was the only thing I could think of!" Mikoto exclaimed, kneeling over Takeda, slapping him on the cheek in an attempt to wake him. He didn't budge however.

"Shit Minagi, how are we supposed to explain this?!" Natsuki yelled, looking around the corridor to make sure there were no witnesses.

"I believe what Natsuki means to say is we should get Takeda-sensei to Sagisawa-sensei immediately" Shizuru resolved, Mikoto nodding in agreement as she pulled one of Takeda's arms around her shoulder. Natsuki took the other arm and together they dragged the couch down the hall, the Kaichou close behind, carrying Mikoto's shinai for her.

"Oh! We left his bag back there! I-I'll go get it!" Mikoto exclaimed.

"Wait Mina-" Before Natsuki could finish she felt Takeda's full weight press down on her shoulders, the athlete being forgetful in her panic, "gi-" The young teacher growled. "Damn it! You could have gotten it."

"I believe Mikoto-san is still in shock" Shizuru mused, reminding herself to fill the younger girl in later.

"Yeah, well she'd better hurry. He's packin' so much weight I'm surprised I don't fall through the floor yet."

"N-Natsuki?" The young teacher looked down to see Takeda wince, rubbing his head. "W-what happened?"

"Uh…W-well you- you see, there were some, uh, kids! Yeah! They were tossing around a baseball in-in the hall. Minagi tried to warn you, but you, uh, looked the wrong way and got hit." Natsuki made up, hoping beyond hope the couch was as stupid as she thought.

"What? Where are they?! Those little punks-"

"Don't worry, I, uh, took care of them. I sent them down to Midori. We were just taking you down the see Yohko." The young teacher let out a sigh, relief rushing over her.

"K-Kuga-san…"

The teacher looked up to see a pair of bright, hopeful eyes staring into her own, her mouth twitching slightly as Takeda place both hands on her shoulders.

"I- I didn't know you cared!"

"What?"

"Natsuki, there's something I've always wanted to- ack!"

A loud smack rang through the hall as Takeda suddenly collapsed, falling into Natsuki. The young teacher caught him the best she could, but ended up holding his upper torso while the rest of his body slunk to the floor.

"Ara, ara! It seems Takeda-sensei is accident prone today!" Shizuru exclaimed, Mikoto's shinai resting conformably in both hands.

By the time they got the P.E. teacher to the school nurse Takeda was so jumbled he couldn't tell the ceiling from the floor. Yohko stared at the man, confusion smeared across her face.

"You're telling me a baseball did this?"

"Yeah" Natsuki confirmed, both students nodding in agreement. "Though, Minagi and I did drop him down the stairs."

"What?!"

"Accidentally! God, I don't like the guy but I wouldn't toss him down the stairs…Hit him a few times maybe, but not that!"

"Why didn't you take the elevator?" Yohko exclaimed, turning to Shizuru with an exasperated look. "Fujino-san, don't you have a key? Because of your position?"

"Ara, I must have forgotten." The Kaichou said, merely smiling as Natsuki chuckled nervously.

"Remind me not to get on her bad side" Mikoto whispered, Natsuki nodding in agreement. An awkward silence enveloped the group as they left the school, heading for the kendo hall. Natsuki would have rather no one found out about her and Shizuru but, if anyone, she supposed Mikoto would be it.

"So…" Mikoto said, rubbing her arm nervously. "So, you two are…I mean…"

"Look Minagi, I'm sorry we got you involved in this-"

"No! It's okay sensei! I'm happy for you- for both of you!"

Shizuru smiled, moving forward and giving the athlete a quick hug. "Thank you Mikoto-san."

"Yeah. I just wished I had your luck Fujino-san."

"What do you mean?" Natsuki asked, causing Mikoto to smile sadly.

"Mai-san isn't very pleased with me right now. She heard you got in trouble and was furious. No matter what I say it doesn't help!"

"Is she yelling?" Natsuki asked, dreading the answer.

"Worse. She's giving me the cold shoulder."

"Crap. That's bad." The young teacher remembered her high school days when she'd piss off Mai…She might have been the ice princess, but there was no colder feeling than Mai's unspoken fury. "Don't worry kid" Natsuki said, patting the second year on the arm. "I'm sure she'll come around, she always does."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! I lived with her for four years! No one knows Mai better than me. One time I skipped school to go to a race and she blew like a nuclear bomb! Oh! That reminds me, good job on your test. You got an eighty-four percent." Natsuki said, pulling out a paper from her briefcase, "Show that to Mai- that'll soften her up!"

"Really!? Thanks Kuga-sensei!" Mikoto exclaimed, leaping up and hugging the surprised educator.

"W-watch it Minagi!" Natsuki exclaimed, but her temper was short lived as Shizuru, quiet up till then, tugged at Mikoto's sleeve.

"Now Mikoto-san," She began, embracing the young teacher's arm possessively. "Please respect my claim on Kuga-sensei. If not, however, I suppose I needn't respect your claim on Tokiha-san."

"W-what?!" Mikoto yelled, backing away from the couple, "you wouldn't!"

"Ara, ara! But Tokiha-san does have nice 'assets', don't you agree?"

"I gotta start hanging out with people my own age" Natsuki growled, rolling her eyes at the adolescent squabble.

"I'm sorry Natsuki, what was that?" Shizuru asked sweetly, tightening her hold on the teacher's arm.

"Nothing dear" She said sarcastically, causing the third year giggled.

After that Mikoto left to go back to practice, having to explain where their kendo couch had gone. Without Mikoto there the couple walked around campus a bit, making sure to keep a reasonable distance between them. They talked… just talked. No teases, no snide remarks. It was then Natsuki realized how little she knew Shizuru. It pained her to admit, but how much did they know about each other in fact? This was the downfall of their attraction. They couldn't go anywhere without the chance of someone recognizing them, but merely spending time together during school wasn't enough, not for a healthy relationship. Natsuki was almost afraid, thinking how this might end. She knew it couldn't be good but, at that moment, she didn't care. Whenever she was near Shizuru, she just didn't care. All that mattered was her. She wanted to learn as much about Shizuru as possible, get past attraction and grow into something…more. It was times like this, moments of revelation, that truly made Natsuki realize how beautiful Shizuru was. Not physically, but emotionally and personally.

"FUJINO!" A booming voice erupted from around the corner, causing Natsuki and Shizuru to stiffen.

"Uh oh, that's bad. Come on!" Natsuki exclaimed, grabbing the third years hand before darting down the sidewalk, cutting around the corner and through campus. They ran to the soda machines, to the computer lab and even to the gardens, but no matter where they turned Suzushiro was right on their heels, screaming at the top of her lungs. "BUBUZUKE! I know you're here somewhere!"

"What, does she have a tracker on you?!" The teacher yelled before Shizuru yanked violently on her arm, drawing her attention.

"This way" she said, leading Natsuki through the bushes and brambles. Before she could protest the third year disappeared into the underbrush and Natsuki's vision was consumed with green branches, scratchy twigs and vines.

"Shizuru? Shizuru! Where are we going?!"

"We're almost there."

She tightened her hold on her student's hand, receiving a squeeze in return. In silent surrender the biker allowed Shizuru to lead the way, dragging her where she may. It felt odd to Natsuki, letting go. She had never trusted anyone to any extent since she lost contact with Mai but, with Shizuru, it came so easy. It scared her, the implications. She never liked placing too much trust in people. She'd been betrayed before, and she knew it wouldn't be the last time. That's just what people are like. She had lost everything, taken away by the people she thought of as friends. She lost everything yet, watching the young women before her as they ran through an endless onslaught of undergrowth, she felt everything she lost was truly nothing- nothing compared to what she could have. Natsuki felt a smile escape from the warmth enveloping her chest as she reminded herself- what she did have.

Light poured down on them as they entered the clearing, the young teacher recognizing the hidden place immediately. The grassy hill, the stone steps, and the traditional Japanese house hidden above the school, giving a view of the campus entrance where the festival had taken place.

"How did you know those brambles would lead us here?" Natsuki asked, breathing heavily from their mad dash.

"Ara, I have to escape Haruka-san's tracking devise somehow." Shizuru smiled, Natsuki chuckling nervously, hoping the third year was joking.

"Besides," Shizuru whispered, intertwining her fingers with Natsuki's, "I was hoping we could talk here. Privately. No interruptions."

"I'd like that." Natsuki smiled, leading Shizuru to the house. The couple found their plans short lived however, discovering an unpleasant surprise awaiting them.

"Nat-chan!" The drunken red head sang, leaping to meet the young teacher before she and Shizuru could enter.

"M-Midori?!"

"Sugiura-sensei?"

"I'm so sorry, I didn' mean to be so h'rd on you! But" The red head put her hand on the biker's shoulder, a serious expression on her face, "us peoples gots to stick together! I jus didn' wan' you ta regret your actions latter! Devil's candy, Nat-chan, devel's…hey-" Midori paused, breathing heavily enough so Natsuki could practically taste the alcohol on the breath. "Whad is she doin' her?"

"Uh, well…" Natsuki stuttered, unaccustomed to thinking up cover stories so frequently.

"Ara, Well Sugiura-sensei, Suzushiro-san was looking for me and Kuga-sensei so kindly offered her assistance, where she found me outside. I merely came to get my bag." Shizuru responded, dropping her schoolbag quickly behind her, than stepping aside to show the headmistress. Luckily for them the headmistress was so heavily intoxicated she didn't even notice.

"Oh! Thas a relief, tha is!" Midori smiled drunkenly, looking back to Natsuki. "Devil's cany, Nat-chan! Devl's Can…" She didn't finish her sentence however, suddenly collapsing on the floor with a loud thud.

"God damn it, why can't we go one damn place where we can be alone?" Natsuki growled, glaring down at the now snoring headmistress before turning to the third year. "I say we toss her out."

"Natsuki, there has to be another solution" Shizuru said, sighing as her teacher shuffled around the millions of sake bottles on the floor.

"There's so much booze inhaling could get you drunk!" The young teacher kicked an empty bottle over before heading to Shizuru, grabbing the girl's hand. "Come on. Better get out of here before Drunkard-sensei wakes." The brunette merely giggled, following the older woman out.

"That wasn't very polite Kuga-sensei."

"Wasn't meant to be Fujino-san."

They both smiled, walking hand in hand along the side of the building.

"We gotta help Minagi get on Mai's good side again" Natsuki said, running a hand through her blue tresses, "I've been on the cold side of her shoulder and, believe me, it's enough to give your butt frostbite."

The third year nodded. "I agree, but how? I'm afraid I don't know Tokiha-san very well, I've merely dined at her restaurant a few times."

Natsuki grinned, tightening her hold on Shizuru's hand.

"I think I have a plan."

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I know, kinda a filler chapter. Hope you enjoyed it though. (To my beta: I lost your email address, so I couldn't send this chapter to you. Could you shoot me an email so I can add you to my contacts again? Thanks.)

Have a great day,

-Kruger