Chapter Eight
--
The following morning...
"Yo," a sleepy redhead said in greeting as she shuffled into class and deposited herself onto Mai's desk with a thud.
"Morning Nao," Mai replied with a little wave. "Romeo not with you?"
Nao shrugged before picking Mai's water bottle of the girl's desk and holding the cold thing to her head.
"Out for the count I'm afraid. I have no idea where she ended up last night."
"To be honest I have no idea where I ended up last night," Mai replied with a sheepish grin.
"Ugh. At least you woke up in your bed right?," Nao asked with her eyes closed. "This morning I woke up in some old lady's back yard covered in leaves. Have you ever slept in leaves Mai? It sounds comfortable but it's not. It's not Mai. It's leaves."
"Hmm so leaves and hickeys for you this morning huh."
"That's right. Leaves and also hickeys. Wait what the hell?! Who the hell gave me hickeys?!"
"I have no idea. There was much drinking last night and not so much of the remembering this morning. Can you not warm my drink bottle on your head so much? I have to drink that later you know..."
Unfortunately, Nao was too busy sputtering out annoyed statements to be able to focus on what Mai was actually saying.
"They better have been good looking dammit. Average people cannot leave hickeys," Nao said.
"Average people are afraid of you," Mai replied. "In all seriousness, you're like the school heartbreaker..."
"Good, carry on with the making me feel better!"
"I can't even tell when you're being sarcastic anymore Nao."
"Neither can I. Anyway apparently we're not the only ones that had interesting nights last night."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah Captain Harada called me this morning to ask if I knew where her shirt was."
The two looked at each other before sharing a laugh.
"Her shirt huh?"
"Uh huh. I have no idea what she went home in..."
"Don't you mean who?"
"You sure you didn't do anything perverted last night Tokiha?"
"Positive, as far as I can remember I spent most of the night with you."
--
At the Suzushiro Estate...
A young blonde was just about to make her way out of her house and to school...
"Hold on Yukino let me get my coat," Haruka said as she opened her closet door.
Upon seeing the contents of said closet, Haruka quickly closed the door, blinked a few times and then opened it again only to have her eyes widen at the sight.
" What the hell are you people doing in my closet?," she roared at it's inhabitants.
"Ugh Haruka stop yelling," a sleepy Natsuki answered as she snuggled into her 'pillow' for the night.
"What did you people do to all the coats in my closet?!"
"Haruka calm down nothing weird happened ...," the same sleepy voice answered.
"Excuse me? Nothing weird happened? Calm down? Kuga, your head is on the bubuzuke!"
Natsuki rubbed her eyes and stretched out prompting Shizuru to make crooning noises while placing her hand in Natsuki's hair while giggling.
'Natsuki is so cute in the mornings,' Shizuru thought.
"Haruka what are you talking about?"
"Kuga! Survey the situation!," Haruka yelled as she fought the urge to smack the still sleepy girl.
Natsuki furrowed her eyebrows before finally turning her head. Seeing that her 'pillow' was actually Shizuru's lap the girl had a few complex sentences flash through her brain.
'Omgwtf?!,' Natsuki thought.
--
"Now that intense fear and nerves has finally woken you up Kuga... what the hell are you people doing in my closet?! God dammit I can't believe I just asked that again even though I already told myself I didn't want to know. Curse the unnecessary excitement of this situation!"
"Stop yelling! It's early in the morning and my head... feels oddly fantastic and is it our fault your closet has no door from the inside?," Natsuki asked as she lifeted her head off Shizuru causing the girl to inwardly pout.
"Is it my fault you people are freakish enough to hide in people's closets?!," Haruka countered.
"Hey! Hiding was not what we were doing..."
"Oh my God Kuga shut up I did not need that visual so early in the morning."
"Is it our fault the door closes all on it's own?!"
"Is it my fault you can't even find a room with a bed?!"
"Don't derail the conversation Haruka."
"This conversation was derailed when you were born and then years later, you decided to sleep in my closet! Your head and God knows what else was on the bubuzuke!!"
"There's a reasonable explanation for this Haruka," Shizuru said calmly as Natsuki turned several shades of red before her eyes.
The blonde before them merely huffed.
"If I was stuck in a closet for the entire night I'm sure I would have managed to come up with a few dozen reasonable explanations too!"
Before she could get out other interestingly accusing statements and before Natsuki could even turn the next shade of red, a soft voice calling down from Haruka's room interrupted them.
"Haruka can I borrow a coat?," Yukino asked shyly. "I didn't bring one last night."
Natsuki blinked up at Haruka while Shizuru broke into her 'Ara' pose.
Haruka swallowed hard before taking a decisive deep breath.
"Don't say a word," she half growled half pleaded to the two still sitting in the closet.
"Wasn't planning to Haruka," Natsuki replied as she stood before helping Shizuru up. "And by the way, Shizuru and I very much enjoyed sleeping in separate guest rooms last night. Your house was lovely."
Haruka nodded quickly.
"Don't mention it. And also, get out."
--
"There's no need to be so angry Haruka," Shizuru said as she fixed herself up. "Natsuki said that she would take complete responsibility for asking me to lay down with her last night, I'm sure Kikukawa-san would gladly bear the same responsibility for your time together last night..."
Natsuki and Haruka looked at each other before yelling out simultaneously.
"Shizuru!"
"Bubuzuke!"
"Ara I'm so popular this morning. I should take to sleeping with Natsuki more often."
"Whatever just do it in someone else's closet! Dammit Kuga you are into some weird things."
Natsuki's jaw dropped.
"Hey! I don't have a closet fetish!"
"Yeah yeah tell that to my coats!"
--
As they were already late to class, Shizuru and Natsuki opted just to head to the school on Natsuki's motorbike while Haruka and Yukino took Haruka's car.
--
In Midori-sensei's class...
"Right people welcome to class," the teacher said as she stood up at the front of the room. "Sit down, don't talk. Don't talk or I'll kill you all!"
Nao raised her head from Mai's drink bottle and threw a smirk at her teacher.
"Tough night Midori?"
"Go spout understatements elsewhere Yuuki. And get off that desk would you. And give me Tokiha's drink bottle, my head needs it more than yours."
"Hey," Mai protested weakly as Nao continued.
"Hmm so great night, tough morning huh. I've been there. Heck I think I'm still there," Nao said before she had to swerve to avoid the piece of chalk Midori had just hurled in her direction.
"And so are you... I'll take that as a shut up."
--
"Listen kids," Midori began again as soon as she had re-armed herself with chalk and was sure Nao would return to nursing her head.
"Regular programming is cancelled today due to a slight rescheduling. Apparently I wasn't the only one partying last night and the school nurse decided to teach you people a lesson. Seriously what were you thinking. In my day when we partied we didn't hold school wide events! You spoilt brats..."
Most of the class, also present at Haruka's party stared guiltily at their teacher as Midori continued her rant.
"And those of you in the soccer team and or the cheer leading squad, this little talk goes double for you, canoodling on school grounds... on the field of all places... at least do it in a secluded area of the library where only the nerds can see and or envy you. Geez."
"Is she still talking?," Mai asked her friend.
"I don't know Mai, I tuned out way before she started," Nao replied.
"If she brings out bananas I'm going to kill myself. Just putting that out there. I do not need that kind of scare training," Mai said, making Midori sigh at the front of the class.
"Oi! I can hear you people! I have good hearing which is why you should talk less around me and also why Yuuki is always in detention!"
Nao threw another smirk over as Midori contemplated throwing the chalk.
"Midori-sensei always says my name really loudly in class, do you think she's into me?"
Midori throws the chalk...
"Are you really going to punish us with bananas?," Mai asked as she used a hand to pet the whining Nao on the head.
"Close but no... geez stop tearing up Tokiha! I'll deal with that little comment later Yuuki. Now partner up, wander over to me and collect yourself an egg."
"A what?"
"An egg! Making me repeat myself is also a good way of getting yourself killed today! Now hurry up!"
The members of the class gave each other confused looks before slowly partnering up and doing as their teacher asked them.
One look at their fallen comrade Nao who still had her head on the desk told them one thing and one thing only. Midori had a good throwing arm.
"All partnered up now?," the teacher asked without waiting for an answer. "Good! Congratulations party people. You've all become parents for the week. Aren't you glad?"
The class blinks at her.
"Here are the rules; Do not throw your eggs at things, Do not eat your eggs, Do not trade eggs with other people, Do not try and trick me into thinking you took care of your egg by replacing it with a new one even though you didn't follow the previous rules! I signed all eggs at the bottom so no sneaky wrecking and or swapping of the eggs! Any questions?"
Nao raises her hand.
"Put your hand down Yuuki!"
Nao puts her hand down.
"At the end of the week, return with your eggs to class along with a detailed report on what life skills you learned and a diary of your time with your egg. That is all. Go away now."
--
At that moment, a certain ruffled looking blue haired girl entered the class room.
"Midori, I'm really really sorry I'm late but I have a reason! Ok I can't tell you but don't give me detention!"
'Kuga with Fujino?,' the teacher thought with raised eyebrows.
"Good morning Midori-sensei," Shizuru said, her melodic voice entering the class room making Natsuki take a double take and gape at her.
"Good morning Kuga and partner. Please choose yourselves an egg."
"Partner? Shizuru?," Natsuki sputtered. 'I thought she went to her class,' she added in her head.
"Yeah well, there's a better than average looking school girl following you around. Odd that you didn't notice, most of your class seems to be aware of the fact."
"Woo hoo go Kuga!," Nao said with a smirk.
"You dog Natsuki!," Mai added with a wink.
--
"Quiet down excited friends sitting at the back. And oi the rest of quit creating a murderous aura. You at the back, put that hit list away. Put it away, hey I said away! ... oi don't add me to it! You remind me of that octopus child... Fujino, take the egg, take Kuga, raise them both. Thank you."
"Of course sensei," Shizuru replied with a polite bow. "I would be glad to."
"Shizuru don't take that egg," Natsuki said to the girl, placing her hand on Shizuru's to stop it grasping what Midori offered out to her.
The motion, caught by everyone in the class caused Nao and Mai to smirk at each other, Midori to roll her eyes and members of the Shizuru and or Natsuki fanclub to start adding names to their hit lists.
"Does Natsuki dislike our egg?," Shizuru inquired with a pout.
"Shizuru that's not what I'm saying to you right now."
"Natsuki said she would take responsibility for last night!," Shizuru replied while adding crocodile tears to the statement.
"Can I get a woot woot?!," Nao yelled as she sprang up in her seat at Shizuru's 'revelation.'
"Oh my God Natsuki! That's so insane!," Mai piped up.
--
"What happened? What happened?," a new voice said as she poked her head through the door. "Harada Chie, gossip enthusiast at your service. What're we watching?"
"Harada?! You're not even in this class!," Midori yelled out. "Is that Senoh with you? Aoi you are in this class, get your butt in here!"
"Kuga slept with Fujino!," Nao said causing half the class to faint, a quarter of the class to tear up and the other quarter to aww.
"Wait I didn't...," Natsuki sputtered. "Ok I did but..."
"Well well Kuga," Chie said as she walked into the class completely and took Natsuki's before kissing it and dropping to one knee. "Teach me my master!"
Shizuru smiled to herself before starting to sniff.
"Natsuki said she was going to take responsibility but now ... now... now she's letting other girls kiss her right in front of me!"
"Shizuru stop crying I'll take responsibility!," Natsuki said as she smacked Chie away making the girl laugh playfully before sneaking out of the class with Aoi in tow.
"Don't think I didn't see that Harada," Midori called after them. "I hope you know you're doing detention for her later on. Take responsibility like Kuga here."
--
'Everything's suddenly gone insane,' Natsuki thought as she narrowed her eyes at Nao. 'I bet it's her fault.'
"Good now what would you like to name our egg?," Shizuru asked as she painted a patient expression on her face.
"Our what?"
Midori sighed exasperatedly.
"Kuga, why are you such a high maintenance student?! Well as you can see your classmates are nicely partnered up and there's no one left for you. Luckily you brought your own. Now egg up and go away my head is killing me!"
--
"Ara it seems Natsuki and I have become parents of an egg!," Shizuru said gleefully as she held the object lovingly in one hand and Natsuki's arm in the other.
"Go away Fujino!," Midori said. "I don't care how long you people stand there I'm not marrying you two together or anything so just raise the damn egg!"
Youko took that moment to poke her head in the door.
"Midori I gave you the handbook for this exercise this morning," the other teacher began. "Are you teaching the kids incorrect life-skills?"
"Youko did you do the alcohol pouring last night?," Midori countered.
"I'll be in the infirmary if anyone needs me," was the curt reply.
"Yeah that's what I thought."
--
The rest of the class went on without incident as Midori kicked everyone out and told them to go frolick on the field except that time to not get caught by Sakomizu.
--