Kazuko Suema pushed her glasses up as the brown haired young woman sat at her desk, listening to the teacher droning on once more. Classes could be so boring, even though she did her best to pay attention, and it didn't help having to hear Nagi Kirima snoring softly in the back of the class. 'I wish I could do that,' Kazuko admitted to herself as she shot Nagi a glance. The slightly scraggly black hair fell around a face that was more handsome than pretty, the normal intensity of her eyes hidden away by her closed eyelids. "Kirima!" the teacher finally yelped, exasperated. Nagi sat up, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. "Yes?" she asked as she looked up at the teacher with a deceptive kind of mildness. He gestured towards the board and the mathmatics equation they had been discussing. "Glad to have you back with us," he said sarcastically, "now please solve this.". Nagi looked it over a moment, then she calmly rattled off the answer. As he looked at her dumbfounded she smiled sweetly, "Anything else, sir?" He looked visibly deflated as he said, "No, that's fine." Nagi calmly sat back down, rested her head on her arms and in no more than a minute was once again out like a light. The rest of the class looked on in a combination of awe and disbelief until the teacher once again got their attention and class staggered on once more. "I can't believe that Nagi," one of the girls clustered together for lunch muttered resentlfully. There were various groups that formed in the classroom, each based on various conditions of entry. There were the rich kids, the cool girls, the misfits... of which both Nagi and herself belonged, more or less. Tho Nagi was a bit of a group by herself, her fellow students holding her in a combination of awe and fear. With some amusement Kazuko continued to listen in, eating her lunch quietly. Kyoko Konoshita flushed slightly, "She's not that bad." Yuri Sakumoto shook her head as the brown haired woman complained, "She's a total delinquent." She looked out past their group and met Kazuko's eyes, "You agree with me, right?" "Not really," Kazuko answered honestly. As the others looked at her questioningly she smiled slightly, "Her reputation is rather exagerated." "What about the smoking incident?" another girl challenged. Kazuko smiled slightly, "She had a smoke in her mouth, unlit." Yuri blinked, "You mean she got suspended intentionally?" "It's possible," Kazuko smiled mysteriously. "But what about her fighting?" Yuri demanded, looking at her scheptically. Kyoko looked destinctly embarrassed as gazes focused on her. She had been at the center of several of the fighting rumors, having been publically manhandled by Nagi. Of course, what most people didn't know was that she had been on the edge of getting into dangerous trouble and Nagi scared her straight. "Maybe," Kyoko said very quietly, "she just did what was necessary." "Huh?" another girl blinked, looking confused. Thankfully lunch drew to a close, and soon they were back to classes accompanied by the soft sound of Nagi snoring softly in the background. After school found Kazuko manning the security gates along with the other members of the security committee. To say it was boring would be true, and nearly as pointless. Still, it was their responsibility and Kazuko wasn't the type to evade it, no matter how stupid she privately thought it all was. As Kazuko walked away from the gate she saw a figure waiting leaning up against the wall, dressed in her school uniform as she watched the passing traffic. "Nagi," Kazuko greeted her with a smile. "Kazuko," Nagi nodded back as they fell into step. Once Kazuko would never have imagined spending her time with the woman many of their fellow students called 'the Fire Witch.' Yet the more she learned about Nagi the more she felt a bond, which was odd because Nagi seemed determined to try to keep her at a distance. She contantly claimed to be messed up, to having a messiah complex, and spent much effort in trying to get Kazuko to follow a different path. Nagi gave a slightly quirky smile as she said, "You don't have to defend me, you know." "You want to stay a exile in class?" Kazuko raised her eyebrows. "Not so much that," Nagi chuckled softly, "but my reputation helps me do what I need to." Kazuko shook her head wryly, "You are a very strange woman." Nagi laughed, "I've been told that before." They walked side by side, and without thinking about it Kazuko reached out to take Nagi's hand in hers, squeezing it gently. Nagi gave he a odd look but held on, the two walking together silently for a moment. "Planning another late night?" Kazuko had to ask. "Sort of," Nagi admitted readily, "I'm hacking into the local police database. I think Manticore left some damage behind, and I want to clean it up." "As usual," Kazuko agreed, "let me help." Nagi gave her a thoughtful look, "Let me guess, if I argue with you you'll just follow me anyway?" "Or go stumbling into something unprepared," Kazuko nodded. "Okay, okay," Nagi smiled tiredly, "come along." "So it's a date," Kazuko winked. Nagi blinked, "Date?!" End Notes: This is a first draft, will probably get expanded on later. I rather like Nagi and Kazuko, they seem both very similar but also quite different. Reading the novel there seems to be a interesting degree of admiration coming from Kazuko that might develop into something more.
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