Troublemaker

	Shujin Academy was known as a pinnacle of education and principles, producing students with not only bright futures, but true exemples to be followed. Part of such fame came in the form of it’s Student Council, made of the very best alumni and it’s mission of making sure all students were up to the very strict standards the school was known for.
	Many great people went through the elite group, with it’s president always being the very best of his or her’s age group. Today it’s no different, with the council being spear-headed by the brilliant Niijima Sae. Even among her peers, it was known just how dedicated and focused the young woman was, patrolling the halls and making sure each and every student received the support they needed to succeed.
	Well, that WOULD be the case without the stubborn few problem students, those that refused to get in line and take things seriously. Everyone knew who they were, but none was more famous, or infamous, than one Takemi Tae. Rebellious by nature, she couldn’t care less about all the prim and proper rules and regulations; which often put her in opposition to the Student Council President.
	Their arguments were par for the course, with Sae berating the punk girl and her sly grins and attitude while rebutting. Like a carefully coordinated dance, almost every day brought another walts, with a few new steps and rhythm changes, to keep things interesting. Tae hated boredom and routine, after all.
	“Takemi, where’s your homework?” Asked the class representative, who also happened to be the president of the Student Council.
	“Sorry, I forgot to do it.” Deadpanned Tae, looking anything but remorseful.
	“This is the fifth time this month. I’m afraid this’ll have to be brought to the principal.
	“Oh, come on! You know I know all the material in there! I’m in the top 5 of the class. Homework is just a waste of precious time.” The blue-haired girl fought back.
	“The rules are what they are. Now come with me.” With a tone of finality, Sae crossed her arms and stared at her.
	“Ugh, seriously? What would it take for you to let this slide?”
	“I’m not condoning this kind of behavior.” Tae slid down her desk, defeated.
	“Come on, pres; be a pal. How about I make up for it~?” With a seductive look (she hoped) and a wink, she threw her Hail Mary.
	Instantly, Sae’s face colored pink. The two of them entered a long staring contest, Sae’s intimidating stare against Tae’s smirking act. They stayed that way for a whole 3 minutes, before a chair scrapping nearby broke them out of the spell.
	“…You’ll stay late today doing the homework assigned and a pop quiz about everything studied so far. Is that understood?” The president looked away, avoiding the steamy look aimed at her.
	“Aye, aye boss.” You could hear the victory in her tone.
	For a while, at least half of the confrontations between the two ended up like that, with Sae succumbing to the smaller girl’s come-hither looks. Sae did manage to get Tae to make up for whatever she did wrong in some fashion, but it never seemed like she was “winning”.
	The other problem cases were steadily getting dealt with. Takehiro stopped missing classes, Shiki came clean about what she did to meek little Hana and even Sadayo started taking her studies seriously when the notion of failing and being held back was made painfully real to her. However, Tae refused to defer to Sae’s judgement, acting out when she pleased.
	“Takemi! What are you doing up here?!” Sae bellowed from her side of the roof.
	“What? It was stuffy in there. It IS almost summer, you know?” The rebel retorted, sounding bored. “Besides, the view up here isn’t half bad…” Sae noticed the other kept her eyes on her.
	“What kind of lame excuse is that? You better march yourself right back down, or I’ll make sure this ends on your record!” The president ground out.
	“Alright, alright…Geez, no need to get so angry…” She got up, walking towards the silver-haired girl and the door into the building.
	“Although, you DO look cute all pissy like that~” She sealed her sentence with a peck on Sae’s cheek, making it reach a whole new shade of red.
	“Jus…Just get outta here.”
	“Sure thing, pres.”
	Well, that sure was different. ‘What the hell was that all about? Calling me cute? The nerve!’
	Nobody really understood exactly what was there between the mighty Niijima-san and Takemi. Most thought the president was far too lax with the resident punk menace, with a few claiming they were actually friends. Be what it was, everyone agreed that Sae hesitated dealing harsh, definitive punishment on her opponent.
	After that, there were plenty of weird situations that always ended in similar fashion: Tae getting away with whatever she had been doing and Sae flustered and red.
	Sae was at her desk, enjoying some leisure reading when a weight shifted in front of her.
	“’Sup, pres?” Tae sat on her desk, her uniform blazer sliding down her shoulders.
	“…Yes?” Sae said back, hiding behind her book.
	“I was wondering: you guys can get teachers to let people leave if there’s a problem, right?” Tae drawled, her signature sly grin already forming on her face.
	“…Why do you ask”? She inquired, her face red in equal parts annoyance and due to the closeness between them.
	“Thing is, I have some family business to get to on Wednesday, and I wanted to ask you to let me go?” Fake innocence dripped off her voice.
	“Do you think I’m that stupid? You just want to play hooky.
	“What, me? Nooo! I totally have a real reason, but nobody would believe me.” Her pout was adorable, er, DECEITFUL, that’s what it was.
	“I don’t, either.” Sae deadpanned at her. The other girl leaned in, her breath on Sae’s lips.
	Come on, pleeeease? I promise you can do whatever you want with me afterwards~“ Wait, what??
	“W-wha…?” The president was, for a rare occasion, completely at a loss for words.
	“I mean it; ANYTHING you want~” Oh the dirty, underhanded…
	“Even if I asked you to help organize the library AND the Student Council room?”
	“Ohh my, bringing me to your place? How bold <3” She leaned back, looking down at Sae with a weird glint in her eyes. “I promised, right? I am yours to command, mistress.”
	“I-I’ll…see about it.” Sae whispered, mortified.
	“Thanks, babe, owe ya one.” She winked at the taller girl and left as if the conversation had never happened.
	Next week, their banter became the talk of the school.
	“What. Are. You. Doing?” Growled Sae.
	“Yours looks tastier today.” Came the answer, accompanied by the least innocent shrug ever conceived.
	“Exactly; mine. Now, would you mind getting your hands off of it?”
	“Are you afraid I’ll make you sick?”
	“I’d rather you not slobber on something that belongs to me.” The coldness of Niijima’s voice gave a few people pause.
	“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a little spit swap~” The sly grin on Tae’s face made those people cringe.
	“D-Don’t say it like that!” Flustered yet again.
	“Alright, fine, I won’t take your oh-so-precious Daddy-made sandwich.” Tae relented, or so it seemed. As she walked away, however, she leaned in and whispered in the lunch owner’s ear:
	“The indirect kiss I got is enough for now.” Nobody understood why the president suddenly dashed out of room, but the smug grin on Takemi’s face made everyone tremble.
	‘What is wrong with me?!’ She thought, glaring at her reflection in the mirror. ‘Why is this happening?!’ She splashed her face with cold water, but the heat in her face just wouldn’t go away.
	“Did she really make me sick? It wouldn’t be a surprise, coming from her…” She whispered to herself, hating the panicked expression looking back at her.
	The sound of steps caught her off-guard and she quickly ducked into the far stall to hide.
	“Did you see that? Takemi sent the president packing!” A girly voice sounded out, echoing through the bathroom.
	“I know, right? And what’s with Takemi being all grabby? That’s, like, sooo weird!” Another voice answered.
	“Maybe she’s into girls? She never did try to go after anyone, even Higurashi-kun!” A third, shrill voice joined in.
	“From what we’ve seen, I think that it’s the pres that has a thing!” The second voice shot back.
	“Oh my god! That’s totally it! Wait until the others hear this!” The first voice exclaimed.
	‘WHAT?!’ Sae just couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How dare they talk about her like that! ‘If that’s what they want, let’s resolve this right now.’
	“Maybe we should try to seduce her? It could help our-“ The second girl was cut off by the sound of a stall door slamming open on the back. Sae walked out with the most terrifying glare any of them had ever seen.
	“Would you care to finish that sentence?” Her tone was calm, but her eyes promised only oblivion.
	“I-I…I’m sorry, Niijima-senpai!” The girl gave the deepest bow she could, her friends following suit.
	“You’ll give up this slanderous talk before it begins or I promise I will personally get each and every one of you expelled. Do I make myself clear?!” Rage was all she could register.
	“Y-yes, senpai!”
	“Now get the hell out of my sight!” Hurried steps fled the bathroom and she found herself alone once more.
	“This is all her fault…”
	That incident marked a shift in the atmosphere in Shujin. Sae became ruthless in her vigil, promising punishment for anyone who dared step out of line. Her jovial disposition gave way to cold focus and indifference. Even the infamous Sae x Tae matches escalated, with both of them entering shouting matches that were heard across the whole building.
	“You will take cleaning duty seriously! I don’t want to hear anymore talk about you ditching your classmates! Do you understand?!” The president’s imposing tone gave no room for backtalk, but Tae was never one to listen.
	“What are you talking about?! I had to leave early for personal reasons! I already made up to Makoto and Takashi by taking half of their next shift!” Tae threw back, furious.
	“I don’t care! You have ignored the way things work for far too long now! You’ll be suspended for 3 days.” Arms crossed, President Niijima laid down her orders.
	“You can’t do that!” Growled the smaller girl.
	“I can and I have. You better be here on Friday; I’ll make sure to take your attendance myself.” Cold, toneless voice.
	“Screw you, bitch!” Tae spat, grabbing her bag and storming out. Everyone was taken aback. This isn’t how things were supposed to be. Everyone present that day would deny if asked, but the tears Tae tried and failed to hide had been plain on her face. The few really observant ones had also seen the president bite her lip and clench her fits, but this would never be talked about; they had learned to fear death that day.
	Niijima’s tyranny had brought the mood of the whole school down. Students feared the hallways, knowing that SHE was stalking the premises, waiting to hunt them down. Murmuring and hushed whispers echoed down the halls, for no one dared raise their voice. Classes were ministered to the sound of silence; no one raised a hand, or asked a question. The students had become prisoners inside the walls of Shujin Academy.
	Takemi stopped rebelling openly, but she refused to bow down like a dog. If Niijima wanted a war, she would not back down.
	“Takemi, you’re late for P.E.” Sae said, walking up to her.
	“I know, Niijima, just had to go to the Nurse’s Office for a bit.” Tae replied, tone neutral.
	“What’s wrong?” The president questioned with an eyebrow raised.
	“Just a mild case of none of your damn business.” She raised her hand to show the P.E. uniform she had. “As you can see, I was just on my way there.”
	“Then start walking, I’ll go with you to make sure you don’t get “lost”.” Tae couldn’t stop the snarl that pushed itself out of her, but otherwise made no move to oppose.
	“Guess I’m the only one willing to make you company now, huh? How sweet of me, don’t you think?”
	“Walk.”
	Their conversations were full of snark from Tae and a lot of bossing around from Sae, yet they never crossed the limit into open hostility.
	Sports Day, however, marked yet another change in their relationship. It all started with Tae missing the first period.
	“You’re late.” President Niijima said, making everyone brace for impact.
	“…Yeah. Sorry…” Tae whispered back, no fire to be seen.
	‘What’s with her?’ It didn’t make sense to Sae. Where was the glare, the anger? ‘Maybe she’s finally decided to cooperate.’
	“Attention everyone. After lunch break you are all to head for the Practice Building. Tardiness will not be tolerated. Anyone not there in time will stay late to clean everything up. Any questions?” Of course, no one dared to defy her. She finally had the respect she deserved.
	The tense atmosphere persisted throughout the day. After lunch was over, everyone was present…with the exception of Tae Takemi.
	‘She knows what her punishment will be.’ “Alright everyone, let’s begin wi-“
	All of a sudden, the door to the gym open, and Tae’s hunched over, panting.
	“Finally decided to show up, huh? You know what will happen, right?” Instead of complaining, or even a miffed expression, all Sae received was an absolute miserable look from the punk, before she promptly collapsed.
	Everything after that was a blur. She remembers the dread she felt, the cold stone dropping in her stomach. She has flashes of a voice shouting Tae’s name (a very familiar one), and her running to the girl lying on the ground. She thinks she barked at people to get out of her way, and running to the Nurse’s Office. There was something slowing her down, but she didn’t rest until she made it there.
	When she came to her senses, she was sitting in a chair facing the office’s door, and deep, red marks all over her arm. She looked at the clock; last period would end in 10 minutes. What was she doing here? Did she miss class? She could not recall a single thing she learned that day.
	“Niijima-san, you’re still here?” The nurse said, walking out. “I told you your friend would be fine.”
	‘Friend? Oh, she must mean Tae. Wait…’
	“How is she?” She demanded.
	“Oh, she’ll be fine. It’s not the first time this happened, you know?” The nurse sighed. “That girl spends so much time here I should just get her her own bed… I was surprised when you brought her in. You were panicking, white as a ghost. You were talking so fast I needed to hear it three times before I got it.” A girlish giggle came out of the woman.
	“I-I’m sorry for causing any trouble.” Sae responded, embarrassed with her lack of poise.
	“Nonsense. Outside of the initial scare, it was so cute seeing you fret over her. She doesn’t have many friends, but I’m glad she has such a dedicated one.”
	“O-oh, we’re not…”
	“Would you like to see her? You’ll probably be leaving soon, so you can check up on her before the final bell rings.” The kind nurse offered.
	“I…I’ll take her home, if you don’t mind.”
	“Oh? You’re such a nice girl. What a wonderful relationship you two have~” The nurse said in a singsong tone.
	“I-It’s my duty as Student Council President to worry about all the students, ma’am. I’m just doing my job.” Sae stuttered back, feeling warm.
	“Oh, of course. That’s what it is. Anyway, you can go see her now.”
	Sae entered the office, trying to shrug off the strange knowing look the nurse gave her. She reached the bed where Tae was to find her looking a bit better. Her skin was back to it’s color and her lips were looking a lot better. Wait, what?
	“What do you want?” Tae said with a bored stare. “Coming to make sure I clean the gym?”
	“Uh, no… I, um…” She didn’t know how to say it.
	“Don’t worry, I’ll do it. I’d just like to have someone help me; the place is big and I’d like to get home before dark.”
	“You don’t have to do it.” Sae tried to keep her voice neutral.
	“What, thought of a better punishment?”
	“You’re not doing it in your condition! Goddamnit, you have any idea how much you scared me?!” Sae said, fuming.
	“Huh?” Was all Tae managed.
	“When I saw you there on the ground, I feared the worst! Don’t you dare ever do that to me again!” It all came out in a single breath.
	“What’s it matter to you? I thought you’d be happy to get rid of me…” The sick girl replied, her tone strange. Hurt? Guarded?
	“Of course not! I’d never want that!” The silver-haired girl exclaimed.
	“What’s with you today? Don’t tell me you’re sick, too.”
	“No, I just… I dunno, miss how things used to be? I guess?” Honestly, she had no idea what she was talking about, her voice just came out.
	“What do you mean?” Tae asked, looking at her strangely.
	“I don’t know. I don’t like fighting with you like that. I just needed to regain people’s respect. The way you acted, people were starting to…” Where was she going with this? Somebody stop her!
	“Starting to…?”
	“…Say things. Things like you were… and I was…” She lowered her head, unable to say the words.
	“What, that we LIKE liked each other?”
	“Yes. Rumors were starting to fly and I knew people wouldn’t respect me if I let it continue. I imagine you felt similarly, no?”
	“And what if they weren’t wrong?”
	“Excuse me?” She definitely missed something there, right?
	“What if the rumors were true?” Sae had never seen the other student look this serious.
	“What…are you talking about?”
	“I mean that, sometime that even I can’t determine, all the flirting stopped being just a joke. All those things I said? I meant them.” This can’t be serious, right?
	“Okay, drop the act, this isn’t funny.”
	“I told you, I’m serious.”
	“We’re both women.” Sae said neutrally.
	“And?” Tae countered.
	“And this just isn’t right. You know that as well as I do.”
	“All I know is that, for some god forsaken reason, I’ve fallen for you. All that’s left to answer is: how do YOU feel about me?”
	“I…I…I can’t…” Why would her voice choose now to stop working? And why was it so damn hot in here?!
	“Can’t what? Be with me?”
	“I…uh…”
	“Look, I’m not asking you to marry me; just if you like me.” Tae’s voice was shakier than she expected.
	“But…”
	“It’s a yes or no question, no buts involved. Weeell, unless you want to~”
	“S-Stop that!” Her face must have reached crimson by now.
	“Then answer me.”
	“I don’t know, okay?! I don’t even know how I’m feeling right now and it scares me!” The taller one forced out, shutting her eyes.
	“And you think I’m not? I just confessed to the all-powerful Niijima Sae, I’m just waiting for lightning to smite me for my transgression.” The grin was audible in her voice.
	“I’m not that scary.” Sae…pouted.
	“Could’ve fooled me; so, finish this tomorrow? I actually really need to get going now.”
	“I told you, I’m walking you home today.”
	“Aww, you DO love me! That’s so cute! <3” Tae put on the girliest voice she could muster.
	“Shut up and get your things. This doesn’t give you free pass, you know.” Tae reached up and pecked her lips, hopping back while Sae went through at least 10 shades of red.
	“Where would the fun in that be? Now c’mon babe, you promised me a romantic walk home.” Turning around, she starting walking out.
	“I said nothing of the sort!”