ahh...I suppose for all of those who have read my other works need some justification for this...too bad though, I really don't have one. x3 I just wanted to write for one of my newer OTPs. They're really adorable, and the whole relationship is so fun to write...ah, yeah for Mai HiME/Otome. SA two-shot because I couldn't wait for the whole thing to be done. =w= sorta AU because they're in a NORMAL life. (strange I know right? xD)
I disclaim any rights to the characters and the shows (I merely enjoy torturing them is all ;) )
The emerald eyed girl beneath her bike grunted at her red haired friend as she continued to gush over what she was able to catch, a date with Tate. She tightened her grip on the wrench in her hands and sighed, exasperated as she rolled out from under her prized possession. She gave her friend a pathetically honest look. "Mai, seriously, I'm not catching a word of what you say. You're giving me a headache- mind backing off with the jabbering?" she pleaded resting a hand on the pavement below her.
Her red headed friend pouted, and stuck her tongue out. "Oh, boo to you Natsuki, don't spoil my good mood!" she whined, winking one of her steel colored eyes to her friend, indicating the teasing manner of the comment. Natsuki rolled her eyes, shoving herself back under her vehicle, and Mai continued to talk, a bit slower this time. "In any case! Yuuichi-kun seemed to actually relax this time, I wonder what the difference was this time…" she pondered.
Natsuki couldn't help but snicker at this, "probably because octopus girl wasn't there glaring at the two of you this time," she reminded, sending Mai into a fit of laughter. Natsuki allowed herself a small smile as she tuned up the underside of her bike. Mai had been her friend since their first year of high school, and for the longest time she had been in a relationship with Kanzaki Reito, who was Mai's underclassman's brother; Mikoto, who also held dear feelings for Mai, found the relationship distressing, and it caused quite a bit of strife between the siblings. That was until Mai finally ended it by kindly rejecting the both of them, remaining friends with both parties. Natsuki shook her head in mute amazement at her friend, her ability to dissolve problems and tension never failing to catch her by surprise.
"Oh don't be mean to Shiho-chan, you know she can't help it," Mai scolded lightly, leaning over slightly to try to make Natsuki hear her firmness.
Natsuki rolled her eyes, "Being a stalker?" she mumbled, and yelped as Mai kicked her rolling board playfully, grabbing onto her bike in shock. "Don't do that!" she half growled, trying to calm her heart's sudden burst in speed from the jerk. Mai giggled in response, causing Natsuki to growl again. "Shut up," she muttered bitterly, trying to remember what line she had been working on before. The silence lasted for a while longer before Mai huffed, standing.
"Honestly-I come to visit you on your day off and all you do is fiddle with your bike! I would've thought Shizuru-san would be over," she groaned, getting the reply she wanted from the girl as she quickly slid out from under the bike, an indignant blush dusting her cheeks.
"W-What the heck makes you say that Mai?!" she protested loudly, a stutter in her words and a blush dominating her face. She saw Mai's smirk and groaned, slapping her forehead. She'd fallen for it.
"Ah…so you and Shizuru-san still are having some strange feelings, mm?" Mai teased playfully. She dropped her coy smirk in favor of a honest smile and giggled, "How is Shizuru-san anyways?" she asked casually, watching as Natsuki removed herself from below her beloved piece of metal.
Natsuki shrugged, grabbing the cloth off the bench Mai was now leaning on and started rubbing her wrench clean. "D-dunno, I guess she's fine really," she muttered, turning her head away, trying to hide her blush. The bluenette failed however as Mai giggled again.
"Oh, so you two have been hanging out then?"
"Nah, just hearing some snippets every now and then-since she's been so busy lately," Natsuki answered, putting the wrench down and wiping her hands. Mai frowned and Natsuki answered her hanging question, "Well, her parents want to be sure that the transfer of the family estates and business goes smoothly when the time comes so they're taking care of that,"
"And she didn't invite you along? Wow, that's pretty different-normally when she goes to Kyoto she brings you along right?" Mai mused, tapping her chin lightly.
Natsuki grunted, leaning against the bench herself, "Things have been different lately, you know? It's just…" a blush dusted her cheeks, "kind of awkward having to share the same room as her when things are like they are," she finished, mumbling enough that the words were muffled by her lips. Mai sighed and shook her head pushing herself off from the bench and shook her head at her friend.
"Well, in any case, hope things work out. Take care of yourself, and lay off the mayonnaise!" she ordered her friend, giving her a quick hug. Natsuki reluctantly returned it but stuck her tongue out at her friend, "oh bite me, it's good, and I work out, so it's fine," she countered childishly. Mai laughed, and Natsuki couldn't help but feel the twitch at the sides of her lips. "See you later Mai, take care of yourself too!" she called as her friend slipped out of the door of her garage.
A few moments went by before Natsuki allowed herself to sag against the wood. She knew Mai meant no harm when she had brought Shizuru up, it was just…touchy. She grumbled, scratching her scalp, her alternative to flipping her hair since it was held back in a messy bun at the moment. She wasn't quite sure what had conspired with herself and Shizuru, only that it had become very awkward since their last real outing. She bit her lip, trying to stop to already oncoming blush at the thought and grabbed a clean rag and a bottle of lube and quickly found herself snugly under her bike.
She still remembered the moment well. It had started off simple, they'd gone to the amusement park with a few friends; Mai, Mikoto, and even Reito had tagged along. However, it wasn't long before Shizuru had begun teasing Natsuki in front of them and the girl had found her day becoming increasingly harder to deal with. She could deal with Shizuru teasing her in private, or when they were alone, but not with more people around to laugh at her. She was spared however when the three broke off to go somewhere else. Well, at the time she had thought it was a blessing. She scowled as the memory resurfaced.
"Ara, does Natsuki wish to be alone with me that badly?" she had teased, her Kyoto-ben lilting Natsuki's name. A gleeful expression covered her face as she watched Natsuki's face splotch with an adorable shade of pink.
"Sh-Shizuru! Quit it already!" Natsuki demanded weakly, through a stutter. The elder of the two only smiled, narrowing her crimson orbs slightly. The emerald eyed one of the two knew just what had happened. She could just as much chalk up a point in her book for Shizuru making her blush.
"Ara, is Natsuki angry with me?" Shizuru continued, pouting slightly, a mask of hurt of as she leaned towards the bluenette from her seat on the bench. Natsuki briefly considered saying yes but merely gave an exasperated sigh of defeat. She heard Shizuru's quiet giggle and chanced a glance to the girl at her side.
"Mou, Shizuru, why do you tease me like that?" she asked flatly, a pout on her face, "I mean, it's really not worth anything is it? It seems stupid to me…" Natsuki rejoiced at the temporary sight of the elegant girl surprised for a moment before she was depraved of the rewarding sight.
"Ara, because it's fun to make Natsuki blush," Shizuru answered truthfully, "it's a rather adorable sight,"
Natsuki felt her eye twitch at the word, "Adorable?"
"Hai, Natsuki's blush makes her even more appealing,"
Natsuki stiffened and a deep blush flooded her cheeks, eyes wide, "Appealing?" Shizuru was joking with her, right? It was true, Shizuru had admitted a few years ago that she felt something more than friendship for the girl, but Natsuki had brushed it off at the time as another one of Shizuru's traps to get her flustered. Natsuki felt her stomach turn in a knot as Shizuru's face twisted in confusion before she realized her slip and bit her lip.
That was the sign something was wrong to Natsuki. Shizuru rarely, if ever bit her lip. She'd only seen it once, and that situation was something far more trying than this, right? Shizuru averted her eyes and Natsuki felt the knot tighten at the sight. "Shizuru?" she managed to choke out. Shizuru quickly glanced at Natsuki before putting her hand over Natsuki's, causing the other girl to jump slightly in her seat.
"Natsuki…I really do…" Shizuru trailed off not exactly sure how to phrase her next words, "…want to be more than best friends Natsuki…Kannin na, Natsuki, shouldn't burden you with these feelings," she whispered, looking up at Natsuki a melancholy look in her crimson eyes. Natsuki couldn't help but see something more than sadness though; She saw a deeper feeling, something that scared her.
"ie…Shizuru, ie, it's not…" Natsuki managed after a time, a scared tone to her voice. She saw the brief pain cross Shizuru's face before her mask was up and she allowed a sigh. She dropped Natsuki's hand and stood.
"Ara, well then, ookini for taking me today Natsuki, I enjoyed it," she said with a mock happiness before walking off, "I'll see Natsuki later, mm?"
Natsuki frowned, she had tried calling Shizuru, but she'd never pick up. She blamed the caller ID. She knew that she had a special ringtone-so Shizuru wouldn't need to pick it up. It was ticking her off. It'd been at least 3 weeks since she'd talked to her friend, and the only reason she knew about the Kyoto trip was because the note Shizuru had left for people at the front desk of the build her loft was in. It really pissed her off. Shizuru was flat out ignoring her, and it wasn't helping her work out this situation at all. Of course, she herself hadn't left any messages for Shizuru on her phone, save the last time she'd called and she'd gotten so upset she'd yelled into the phone 'talk to me god damnit!' before hanging up. It wasn't her most tactful method to getting attention, but she was frustrated.
Mai had relieved a bit of her lack of social behavior with her visit but it wasn't the same as being able to share a good conversation with Shizuru, or hanging out with the older woman. She sighed underneath her bike, letting her hands rest on the cold pavement below her , allowing herself to close her eyes in thought.
She laid there for a few moments before she heard someone opening her front door. She rolled her eyes, Mai probably forgot her phone on the bench or something, she groused inwardly before yelling out to the visitor. "Yo! In the garage!" She went back to her work and waited for the person to arrive. She could tell by the footsteps that it was definitely female and groaned. "Mai, what're you doing back? You forget something or something? I thought you had plans for later," Natsuki called out from her spot.
She froze when she heard the pleasant chuckle from above her. "Ara, Natsuki thinks I'm Mai-san? Should I be honored or upset?" Natsuki's bottle of lube dropped from her grip and she had to grab the side of her bike to keep steady. She gulped as she pushed herself out from under the Ducati and flushed when she saw the elegant lady smiling down at her.
"Shi-Shizuru?" she breathed, embarrassment rising into her cheeks and seeping through her voice.
The crimson eyed beauty nodded, "Unless I am not myself, then yes Natsuki," she teased. Natsuki's blush only found itself spreading as she shoved herself back under her bike to hide it. She heard the polite laughter and saw the woman kneel. "Ara, why is Natsuki hiding from me? Am I that scary?" she whispered adding a sniffle to her thorough act. Natsuki bit her lip, this was tough, tease or real? The next sniff sent her out from under her hiding place and glanced up at the now smiling Shizuru.
"Shizuru…" Natsuki growled, the blush returning to her face as she pulled herself out from under the bike, "Why'd you show up all the sudden?" she asked, wiping her hands.
"Ara, did Natsuki herself not ask me to talk to her?" Shizuru asked, coking an eyebrow and pulling her phone from her pocket.
"aww shit…" Natsuki grumbled slapping her forehead, "look, I'm really sorry about that, I was just frustrated about you not picking up your phone," she apologized through a grumble.
"Kannin na myself then Natsuki, I should've answered your calls," Shizuru answered.
Natsuki shook her head, weakly glaring at her friend, "Don't try to make it your fault Shizuru, I started this mess," Natsuki muttered, tossing the rag and bottle onto the bench before trying to turn back to Shizuru, only to be caught by the girl's arms around the waist.
"Ara, Natsuki shouldn't take blame for something she has no control over, mm?" Shizuru whispered to her friend, causing the other the shiver before tensing up in her arms.
"Sh-Shizuru…" she stuttered, trying to warn her friend. She was thankful that the older of the two got the message and let her go, a light pout on her face.
"Natsuki's no fun…Ikezu,"
Natsuki felt her face slightly scowl at this and she could feel the blush that had risen from the embrace slowly start to fade as she turned to face the girl. Her scowl dropped in favor of a surprised look when she caught the look on her friend's face. She knew Shizuru well enough to know the expression she held on her face at the moment was something that wasn't in her normal array of expressions. A pained, saddened look, one she'd only witnessed briefly in the park. Of course, just as soon as Natsuki had witnessed it, it disappeared. "Sh-Shizuru…what was that…about?" she inquired hesitantly, not wishing to drive the woman away as she had done before.
Shizuru's face gained an amused tone and her mouth quirked upward in a polite smile, "What was what Natsuki?" she asked innocently.
Natsuki felt her frown return, she hated being teased like this. It wasn't fair. Especially when it had to do with something she wanted to remain serious about. She grasped at Shizuru's shoulder and turned the older woman to face her completely. She need to keep her focused. This was important. That look, it had been… "That look you just had Shizuru, the one that wasn't teasing me," …sad.
oooohhh, cliffy! xD no, I didn't plan for it to end there, it just kinda did. It's what happens when I split things up into two chapters instead of one. rawr, sometimes Shizuru can be hard to write-but it's still fun! and Natsuki too, she's easier to write I gotta say. x3 reviews are always love-until next chapter!
Konaxookami