In retrospect, it probably hadn't been a good idea to push herself so hard the day after a double guard training session. It had been an even worse idea to do so with half healed wounds. So when the cut on her arm reopened, she really shouldn't have been surprised.

If she hadn't been so surprised, she would have realized that it wasn't that bad, in spite of the alarming amount of blood staining her arm. If she had realized that it was easily taken care of, she would have bandaged it herself, like she had been taught to do in dire emergencies (that she didn't know this was a dire emergency was of little consequence). If she had bandaged it then, she wouldn't have had to go to the nurse's office like a normal student with too much free time and no common sense. If she hadn't gone to the nurse's office, she wouldn't have run into Ai-san. If she hadn't run into the head nurse, she wouldn't be...here.

But that was in the past, because she hadn't done those things, and it was pointless to dwell on opportunities missed. Hindsight was 20/20 and all that, but it didn't really help her escape her current situation.

"Since I couldn't find our normal guest, I brought someone new. You all know Shizuku, yes? Good. Lesson starts in ten minutes, so have fun until then." With those energetic words, Ai had damned Shizuku to ten minutes of being subjected to the (nonexistent) mercy of the third year students in the nursing program. In an instant, she had been transformed from an authority figure to be respected, into a new plaything to be fawned over.

Worse, she had been mercilessly stripped down to a sports bra and compression shorts, then dragged into the connected classroom to stand in front of several upperclassmen. Ai's comforting words of "We're all girls here. Nothing they haven't seen before." hadn't been so comforting. Quite the opposite, in fact. One look at the suddenly predatory gazes told her that she should have run far, far away, lack of clothing notwithstanding.

"Awww she's cute!"

"I love your hair! It's so soft!"

"You're in damn good shape girl!"

"A little short, aren't you?"

"Those eyes! So pretty!"

"Eeeee! Look at her blush!"

"No wonder the Kaicho keeps her to herself!"

Shizuku wished she could sink into the floor. Hell, she would gladly take spontaneous combustion if it meant she wouldn't have to go through this. Her internal temperature was already high enough that her face was darker than her hair. All these people surrounding her, squealing over her, touching her, was too much to take. She had never been more embarrassed in her life. Ever. And she grew up regularly attempting to explain Hitsugi-san's latest stunts, and how they led to their less than pristine condition, to their amused mothers.

She didn't understand how such normally calm people could change so vastly. As far as she had known, all these girls were composed, cheerful individuals with a friendly bedside manner and patience tempered by iron hard stubbornness for dealing with hardheaded patients.

They were also, she now knew, her worst nightmare. They loved to tease, and she distinctly did not enjoy being teased. If she had been a more outspoken person, she might have said something about not liking being the center of attention, and that she would really prefer to have her clothes back on and would they please stop touching her because it was incredibly uncomfortable. Alas, she was not, and so her protestations were limited to a few scattered failed attempts that amounted to little more than "ah." They were even occasionally accompanied with a flinch.

Never back down indeed. The Tenchi precept obviously never took into account being stripped to your underwear and attacked by enthusiastic nurses who thought you were their newest plush toy. If it had, then it would have been amended to "Never back down unless faced with reasonable threat to sanity and dignity." A mental note was made to toss that by Hitsugi-san sometime after this, then shied away when realizing an explanation would inevitably be required.

At least her arm had gotten cleaned up. The bandages were nice and neat and very professionally done. Ai had trained her students well. She wondered who the other poor soul that had been subjected to this horrible ordeal before her was. (Elsewhere, a happy Kotake Rina sneezed, ignoring it, and the nagging feeling that she was forgetting something, in favor of enjoying her strange good mood.)

"All right. Lets get started!" Ai, her friend, co-worker, and kidnapper, finally reappeared. The hope of rescue rose up. "It's bruises and sprains today, which, as you can see, our guest has a lot of. Gather round." And just as quickly, it was dashed away. She did not like the way the head nurse was smiling. At all. It was disturbingly similar to the way Hitsugi-san smiled, just before she executed another chaotic scheme. It all but screamed smug mischief and impatient excitement. "All but," because the screaming was done by the victims immediately after.

Mere minutes later, Shizuku realized that she was wrong in her earlier thinking that things couldn't get worse, or that she couldn't be any more embarrassed. She should have learned her lesson after all these years of living with Hitsugi-san and her antics, but she had remained ever an optimist, albeit a sarcastic one.

This incident might forever cure her of that way of thinking. Putting a chronically shy person on display, practically in her underwear, and pointing out all her bruises, strains, cuts, and scars was a sure fire way to kill her belief that hope existed in the world. Add in some poking, prodding, and massaging, and it was an instant K.O.

A hand stroked her spine then stopped at one of the larger bruises, pressing hard to make her jump and yelp. The nurses giggled, and she could hear the smirk in Ai's voice. Her face darkened even more, if it were possible, and she hung her head to try and hide the blush.

She just wanted it all to end. She didn't even care how, just that it did, and soon. She was sure it wasn't healthy to have the much blood rushing to her head. At least if she fainted, there were plenty of well trained nurses to take care of her. Things couldn't possibly get any more awkward than they were now.

She should have known better than to tempt fate. Fate was unforgiving to those that challenged its almighty rule, even in their thoughts. Her lesson on optimism and the misfortune it brings wasn't complete yet.

"I apologize for interrupting your class, but I seem to have lost my...part...ner." She was proven wrong once again. Now she couldn't possibly be more embarrassed. In fact, she skipped over that emotion all together, and jumped straight off the deep end of mortification. She was never going to live this down. Once Amachi-shacho and her mother heard about this, the guards would hear about it, and then her life would effectively be over. She would be unable to stand the teasing that was sure to result. Just thinking about it made her brain shut down to avoid an emotional overload.

"I borrowed her for a little lesson. Hope you don't mind Kaicho." Ai was grinning. She was always grinning. But never before had Shizuku wanted to destroy her for it. She used to admire that, even. Now she understood why Kotake-san was always glaring at her nurse counterpart.

"Ah, no. I ...do not mind. I will allow you to...continue. With your lesson. Excuse me." Had she been in her right state of mind, she would have immediately noticed that Hitsugi had the oddest look on her face. She would have realized that the Kaicho voluntarily skipping out on any chance to tease her younger partner was an indication of a dilemma of earth-shattering proportions. Had she been in her right state of mind, she would have said that, at that moment, Hitsugi looked almost...embarrassed.

Her brain, however, was still attempting a reboot, and so the moment was stored for reviewing at a later time, when she was alone and had plenty of time to ponder the look. That was, if she could get through remembering everything else she experienced without attempting to wipe the incident from her mind. First the Paint Incident the other day, now this. She must have angered a deity of some sort, to have deserved this.

She was in a daze for the rest of the lesson, and numbly said her goodbyes to the students when they left. She dressed in silence, and when Ai dragged her to the teacher's lounge for hot chocolate, she didn't object. She didn't care what happened to her anymore. She just wanted to go home and sleep, so that she could forget everything for a few hours.

~After~

She, Kotake Rina, head judge and assistant coach of the track team, was having a good day. All her work was done, her students hadn't caused any problems during practice, and, perhaps best of all, no one had been injured on her watch, meaning she had no reason to go to the nurse's office. More to the point, she had no reason to see That Person, on this particular day, and therefore had no reason to fear for her sanity and/or dignity.

True, she couldn't remember why today, specifically, was supposed to be dreaded. In fact, she hadn't taken note of the date at all. She wasn't about to look too deeply into the reason for her good mood, not when such a smooth day was so rare. She was going to take advantage of it while she could, and not ruin it with getting herself dragged into another of Tenchi's spectacular messes.

So it was with good cheer and enough caution to be just shy of paranoia that the young woman walked into the teacher's lounge. It was a dangerous place to be if a woman wanted peace (not that there was anywhere else in the school that could claim otherwise), but she really wanted a cup of coffee right now. It would only take a minute to make.

Holding her breath, she listened outside the door carefully. No noise. That was good. It meant the room was either empty or occupied by a saner staff member. Maybe.

A single step into the room was enough to force her to pause and consider backing away. Someone was laying on the couch. She spent a breathless moment ensuring that she was not about to get attacked, hugged, molested, or anything similarly disturbing. Once that was done, she continued into the room. Examining the figure on the couch with trepidation and more than a little concern, she began the simple matter of solving the mystery of the person's identity. The face was hidden, but the gym clothes and short stature were strong indicators of safety. Nevertheless, she froze when the cushion covering the person's face shifted, just in case she was wrong.

"Kotake-san...I didn't notice you come in." Her suspicions proved correct. The body was Miyamoto Shizuku. With a relieved greeting, she relaxed and headed to the coffee machine. That particular half of Tenchi's rulers was one of the sanest people in the school, if a little excitable. She had a lot of respect for the anyone who could put up with all the weirdos on a daily basis and remain somewhat sane.

Still, the girl's voice was unnaturally dull for someone who was normally very energetic, even in her exhaustion. Her survival instincts were screaming at her to leave the girl and save herself, advice that was disregarded for several reasons. One was that she rather liked the young sword bearer, who was a genuinely good person. Another was that her instincts sounded suspiciously like a certain not-to-be-named nurse. Any advice connected to that woman, in any way, was not to be trusted. Or at least, trusted without a ten foot pole, three back up plans, a bottle of headache relievers, and extreme paranoia. The ability to run fast was also helpful.

"You seem tired today. Do you want a cup of coffee?" She set herself to work, acknowledging the mumbled thanks with a hum. Peering over her shoulder, she took a better look at young sword bearer. The vice president was sprawled face down on the couch, one hand hanging down to rest on the floor. Despite her shortness, her feet rested easily on the arm of the couch, and the cushion still covered her face. On her arm was a clean bandage, neatly and professionally wrapped. "Training extra hard?"

"Not...exactly. No. I mean. I was. Earlier. But then..." The redhead trailed off with a sound that was almost a whimper. Rina blinked. Something was really nagging her, something important about today that she was forgetting. Her eyes trailed back down the bandage, her eyes narrowing as a feeling of foreboding washing over her.

"Miyamoto-san...did you, by any chance, stop by the nurse's office within the last hour or two?" she asked with dread, covering her face with her hand. It was all starting to come together. Her instincts had picked up on what her brain had not, attempting to warn the oblivious judge of the coming danger. The poor girl on the couch didn't answer, clenching the pillow and pulling it down on her head harder. With great sympathy, she poured the depressed student her drink and handed it to her.

Shizuku sat up on the couch dully, hugging the cushion and cradling the drink with an empty expression. "Thanks."

She sighed. It must have been especially hard on someone as shy as Miyamoto was. "I'm so sorry." She crouched in front of the girl, looking her straight in the eyes. "I know how you feel. Believe me. I know it was overwhelming." She rested her hands on tense shoulders. "But you'll be okay. Just try not to dwell on it. You don't have to do it again. I promise."

"You...you mean it?" Gods, the hope in her eyes would have been considered absurdly exaggerated in any other situation, but now it was just heartbreaking.

"Yes, I mean it. Today you were just at the wrong place, at the wrong time." Purple eyes gazed at her with despair. No doubt the girls had been extra excited about their new toy. Err. Guest. "If you want, I'll print out the schedule for the nurse's extra classes. That way you'll know when to avoid the office, or rather, the one in charge. Now that she's used you once, she won't ask before doing it again." A grimace was shared between her and her new fellow victim-in-arms.

"Would you be...the normal guest then? You seem to know a lot about it." She winced at the question, and the younger girl patted her arm in sympathy. Having someone who understood the pain must have had a better effect than she expected, if Shizuku was coming out of the shock already.

It almost made her wish she had someone to empathize with in the beginning, when she had realized that she had just signed herself up for a monthly session of hell. In little more than underwear. Surrounded by disturbingly enthusiastic girls. Being put on display by that wild haired, feral woman who was always grinning and poking her and prodding her and purposefully making her twitch, jump, laugh, and wince like she was some sort of toy.

Not that she wasbitter about it or anything. Really.

"She...asked me for a favor at the beginning of the year. She only said that it was for her class...I couldn't say no to that." There was no need to explain who "she" was, or what she had found herself walking into. She tried not to sound too annoyed by it. She was sure she failed. "But that's the past. I've gotten used to them by now, but I know you could use some rest. Why don't you go home? There's nothing important going on at the moment. You'll feel better tomorrow, I promise. Embarrassed maybe, and most likely a little mortified, but the worst is over." she said firmly.

When a person was in this state, they tended to respond well to authority and a strong command. The less thinking they had to do, the easier it was for them to recover. Shizuku, she knew, was a member of the Amachi guards, and trained to never disobey and order, if the person in question was respected and recognized as an authority figure.

The respect and gratitude shining towards her now was kind of embarrassing though. She had to remain strong, no matter how much she wanted to blush. The poor girl had gone through enough. She deserved a break.

"You're probably right." The coffee she had prepared for her was finished quickly. "Thank you, Kotake-san. I'll go rest right now." Oh, good. There was some life in those eyes again. Not enough to fake being normal, but it was a start. She just hoped that the Kaicho would go easy on the girl when she saw her.

"Good. Take it easy for the rest of the day, alright?" She smiled at the nod she received in response, and a minute later she was alone. Exhausted, she fell onto the couch and closed her eyes. She could do with a little rest herself. There was a small, cool breeze coming in through the window, and the setting sun lit the room softly. It would be so easy to just fall asleep here..

"Not like you to be sleeping on the job. You sick, Rin?" Oh no. Nonononono.

"You!" she tried to scream, sitting up so fast she made herself dizzy. It came out more like a squeak, and she turned red in embarrassment. Staring down at her was the one woman she did not want to see. How she had gotten so close without her knowing, she didn't know. Cursed woman moved as quietly as the jungle cat she resembled.

The object of her nightmares snickered as if she could read her thoughts. Not that she needed the ability to. Her annoyance was plainly written on her face.

And why did she insist on shortening her name? They weren't close friends! "It's Rina!"

"Working hard today? You missed a good lesson, but I got Shizuku to cover for you. The girls loved her." How could a person be so casually cruel?

"You're heartless. How could you subject her to that?" she asked rhetorically, glowering at the clear amusement in the woman's countenance. She already knew the answer. The monster before her had no mercy.

"You make it sound like I tortured her or something." The nurse might as well have. She was sure that being put on exhibition in your underwear was a legitimate torture method in some part of the world. "You always have so much fun though."

"Fun?" She couldn't believe she had just heard that. When did she ever look like she was having fun? "I don't enjoy standing in front of your students in my underwear!"

"Actually, a sports bra and shorts." The nurse corrected matter-of-factly, with a completely straight face.

"It's the same difference!" Did she have no dignity? Sure, working in a medical profession meant that one had to be comfortable with seeing people in various states of undress, but that didn't mean other people were comfortable being seen in various states of undress.

"Well, I'm sure you wouldn't agree to stand around in your underwear, so I'd say there's a pretty big difference." It was kind of annoying that Ai looked like she was having fun arguing with her. It always made her feel as though she was ultimately being ignored.

"Because a sports bra and compression shorts leave so much to the imagination. It's utterly embarrassing to be paraded around like that in front of students." It took all her effort to keep her voice even, but her frayed patience let her agitation slip through. She wondered when this had stopped being about Shizuku, and started being about her.

"You place a lot of emphasis on the "student" part."

"Of course I do! We're supposed to be authority figures!" Did she really have to explain this? It was common sense!

"Hmm..." Ai scratched her cheek, face twisting in concentration. Had she maybe gotten through to her? Dare she hope?

"So that's how you feel. I never noticed." The nurse actually looked like she was seriously considering her words.

"...I'm sorry. What?"

She didn't like it.

"You were very specific about your dislike of being "paraded around" in front of my students." the nurse started to explain, placing a creepy and unnecessary emphasis on the word "students."

"I was...yes, but I don't think like where you're going with this." Actually, she was very certain she didn't like where this conversation was headed.

"You should have said something sooner." Oh no. Ai was smirking again. Her survival instincts were shouting again.

"Err. I...did?" She was sure there had been a talk like this before. Or had there? Were they even on the same page? She had a bad feeling they weren't.

"You're really forward, you know that?" That bad feeling was growing, and she fidgeted on the couch. It never failed to make her nervous when the Ai changed things up. It usually meant more trouble than usual. "Not that I expected anything less from you."

"Umm. Forward about...what?"

"Your feelings!" For some reason, that happy look on the older woman's face was more unnerving than the feral smirk she usually displayed. In fact, it had her considering the viability of jumping out the window, rather than attempting to run past her opponent.

"My...feelings." she repeated flatly.

"Yes." Ai smiled widely at her, and she stared blankly back. There was some sort of disconnect here. Forget being on the same page, they weren't even on the same chapter.

"About...what, exactly?" she asked cautiously, narrowing her eyes. There was a small chance that the situation was salvageable, but she wasn't about to bet on it.

"Me!"

"Oh. Right..."

"..." She continued to stare at the smiling woman, letting the implications of the response slowly sink into her brain.

"...Wait what? NO! Not right! Not right at all! What are you talking about? How does that even relate to anything we were discussing? No wait! Don't explain. I don't want to know!" she sputtered, the connection between brain and mouth malfunctioning under the pressure. This woman was unbelievable! Her brain was obviously wired wrong. Where did she even get an idea like that? How?

"That's okay. There isn't much to explain. You're shy about being in front of the students, but not me. Simple, see?"

She choked back a growl, the noise making Ai raise an eyebrow. "I'm leaving! Now!" She stood up, face burning, before realizing abruptly that she had miscalculated. She had naively expected Ai to move. She should have know better than to rely on activating the woman's (nonexistent) personal boundaries to prompt her into backing away. They were now standing far closer than she was comfortable with. Far, far closer. She felt her face start to flush, and she cursed her body's betrayal.

"Aw come on now. No need to be embarrassed!"

"I, I'm not embarrassed! I'm annoyed!" Don't blush don't blush don't blush.

"You're blushing." Damn it all.

"I am not! I'm leaving!" she said again, this time with more force. Ai said nothing as she all but ran to the door, except to sing a happy "See you tomorrow!" before the door slammed shut.

It was times like these that she considered taking up drinking. Or murder.

~Staff Room~

Ai hummed as she picked up the leftover mug and placed it in the sink. Not only had she snagged a second guest for her classes, she had managed to get a better reaction from Rina than she ever had. Now that's good work for one day.

"And this time, she didn't even hit me. I'm definitely growing on her."

~End~

Yes, the writing style changed. No, it is not a different writer. I never liked third person narrative. Why, then, did I use it? A teacher once told me it was good to challenge your boundaries. At one in the morning though, I wasn't going for it. And so, this story, originally written in aforementioned style, was reworked into what it is now. At was also shorter. A lot shorter. So short, I'm not even sure how it's the same story. (Checking against what I have written in my notepad, it is. I guess that's what happens when you stop fighting yourself about everything you write.)