A/N: There will be no superpowers involved, just ordinary students harboring mutual (?) feelings for each other. ShizNat-centric. AU. Written in Natsuki's point of view.
WARNING: Rated T for safety for some inappropriate language and future content. Definitely not for those individuals who doesn't have a thing for shoujo-ai or yuri.
DISCLAIMER: Mai-HiME was never mine.
PROLOGUE
The feeling of holding a high-class paper sent a tingling sensation to my nerves, subtly exciting my almost steady body that deemed the stimulus a foreign feeling I still haven't grown accustomed to.
She's not here. I constantly reminded myself that the girl I held important was nowhere near my presence. I looked around the room for a while and I ended up staring at the sole photograph sitting atop her desk. It was a picture of us- bodies adjacent to each other while she graced a smile that denoted happiness in its purest form. Her dark golden brown strands overlapped against my navy blue one as she brought her rosy cheeks close to mine.
I unconsciously trailed my fingertip down the frame, touching the cold glass that contained memories I could vaguely remember. All I know was this was just another depiction of our usual day in the academy and this thing was the only concrete proof of our proximity I allowed to be kept at home.
A slight smile curved the edge of my lips upward, reminiscing the time before this photo was taken despite my initial violent protest. I was completely against it yet, nevertheless, she succeeded to persuade me in a manner I hardly had no power to object.
Indeed, beneath her calm demeanor and those enigmatic smiles she possessed masked her rather peculiar nature. I tell you, she's no ordinary. She's the perfect epitome of deceit itself. Her overprotectiveness was something not to be underestimated and I have seen how she worked her way towards people who spoke random shit behind me. Believe me, it was no humane punishment at all -carried out in a frightening level of secrecy.
Chuckling out of my pathetic display of vulnerability for this single photograph, I thank the gods she couldn't see me in this state because I knew she would definitely make her advances even more devious than ever before.
Her logic regarding love was quite different, in my own opinion, as one would, undeniably, see it as mere obsession. But I beg to differ, she is who she is. Shizuru will always be Shizuru. All human beings have their own ways to express their love for another uniquely.
My rear found its way to rest comfortably in the wooden chair that was devoid of its usual occupant since almost half a year ago. I could still smell her sweet yet mild fragrance lingering in this very room. This may be quite an exaggeration, but I had a keen sense of smell similar to those of the wolves. I could tell the nature of the person through their scent alone. The stench reeking from the people driven by greed will lead me to nauseate vehemently on how evil we, human beings, can get. I already saw mankind's darkest nature and I stood firm to the belief of what my emerald eyes had already witnessed.
Truth to be told, if it wasn't for her, there will be no way to unfreeze my heart coated in thick layers of ice. I am the cold, aloof wolf treading down the hallways of Fuuka. But in the face of Fujino Shizuru, I am just a mere puppy begging for something essential she believed I needed the most - affection.
I redirected my focus back to the letter she sent a day before, my fingertips held it gently so as not to allow the crease to disgrace this fragile piece of material. Her handwriting clearly reflected of how she was brought up by her family, revealing her innate elegance as a young and collected woman.
I stifled a laugh as I read along the first few lines of her letter. Crazy it may seem, it felt like she was talking straight to my head despite we're, obviously, miles apart. I have yet to figure out where she went and I only have these pictures she enclosed as my clue to her current whereabouts.
-xoxox-
Dear Natsuki,
You were never wrong to assume that I was drinking tea while writing this. If you had your mayonnaise, I had my tea as well. But above all, I'll never trade my Natsuki for anything else. I know that you've been missing me badly, haven't you? I am dying to see you soon and I really want to hug you with all my might. Within my travels, I came into a greater realization of how much you mean to me. A day without Natsuki almost drove me crazy but six months without my Natsuki is, undeniably, a kind of hell I wouldn't want to endure anymore! I couldn't even hear your voice because phone calls are very expensive and I'm saving up some money for my next destination. I hope you're doing fine there and I hope I would see a healthy Natsuki greeting me halfway in my return. Good luck and I love you. Mwuah~
P.S: It's really near. Three months more and you're already considered as an adult. I humbly ask you to wait for my return, my beloved Natsuki. 3
-xoxox-
I slid the letter back to its envelope and pulled the pictures out carefully. There were three pictures of her in three different places. She would only provide me clues through the distinct features of the foreign land.
All in all, she sent me a total of thirty photographs within these past six months. All of these had one thing in common: there was my name manually inscribed in some hard concrete. To me, what she was doing was definitely a crime that is punishable by law. She was obviously practicing vandalism to some extent.
If my knowledge in geography was correct, this one picture's in Hawaii. She was wearing a black two-piece swimsuit and a variety of tropical flowers sewn together in a single nylon thread to act as an indigenous necklace encircling her porcelain-like neck. The sun kissed her fair skin yet she looked so stunning whenever she bathed herself under the rays. She was, with much honesty, like an angel thriving alongside the mortals.
I could really see that she was having lots of fun in her travels. The sent pictures were the decisive evidence that aided me to reach to this kind of conclusion. I wonder what would it have been have I considered following her abroad? Regrettably, I don't have the cash to spend to some luxurious leisure only influential people like Shizuru could afford.
Well, moving on… the unfortunate victim of her crime was the lone coconut that bore huge fruits in the apex of its slender trunk. I sighed on the idea that even trees were no exception. I knew that she chiseled this poor thing so hard and she even put a hideous heart symbol next to my name.
Ridiculous but I found it… well, somewhat endearing.
I remembered the very reason why she's doing this to an insane extent. This stupid idea dated way back when she took my question seriously.
"What do you want for your eighteenth birthday, Natsuki?"
"Seriously, you should go figure that out."
"But I don't have the slightest idea of what you like in the very least."
"Then, a decent supply of mayonnaise will do."
"I see, but isn't there anything in mind apart from the mayonnaise?"
"Gah, then why do you need to ask me a question when you don't agree to my suggestion at all?"
"…"
"Hey, why aren't you answering?"
"…"
"Tell me, Shizuru. What do I mean to you?"
"…"
"Hmm?"
I recalled vividly the exact scenario when she answered my question with a hint of confidence enshrouding her entirety. I was caught off-guard when she tucked her stray strands beneath her right ear, revealing her raw beauty as she beguilingly looked at me straight into my green irises. She finally found the answer in the least expected manner and flashed the rarest smile I had never seen before.
"My world revolves around you only. You mean the world to me, Natsuki."
A/N: Uhhmm… Hi. This is my first Mai-HiME story. I don't know what's with the sudden urge to write but, probably, to take a short break from school. English is not my native language so… please forgive me if you'll encounter grammatical errors along the way. Probably, the next chapter will contain some background stories. I don't intend to make this too lengthy but it will depend as the story progresses. Reviews are greatly appreciated, this would help me very much to help improve myself. Please, have mercy on the criticisms as well. TT_TT
Thank you very much for reading this story in your spare time. I would apologize, in advance, if the characters seemed OOC. I'll try my very best to fix it if it causes you, readers, distress. Thank you.