Tomato on the Roof by bluestripe
Summary: A thief, a villain, and a very embarrassed Natsuki.
Discalimer: I do not own Mai Hime or any of the characters or stories. But I do own these words. Please do not duplicate in whole or in part without my permission.
She was made of pure evil. If Natsuki could cut her up into little pieces and squeeze her into little bottles, she would surely make a fortune on the black market. "Kuga's Essence of Evil" it would say on the dark purple label. "100% All Natural Shizuru."
This was what she thought as she stood locked on the roof in her pajamas. It was a warm night, so at least the infamous Kaichou wasn't being too cruel. "Thief!" she had screamed. "He took my purse!" she squealed. "Headed for the roof!" she pointed. Natsuki didn't believe her. She didn't have to believe her. Kicking ass was instinctual. Running barefoot up the metal stairs as Shizuru shrank below her, Natsuki had pondered for a brief moment whether or not she should simply stick out her tongue and tell the Fujino to shove that purse where no one would want it. But she was already on her way up. Natsuki knew better than anyone how crap she was at going backwards. The Kuga gene must have lacked flexibility. At least Shizuru hadn't yet managed to manipulate that aspect of her personality.
She had reached the roof and looked around. No thieves, burglars, or crack addicts. Not even a sticky fingered orphan. Natsuki puffed her lips, scowled, and wiggled her toes against the cement. That was when she heard the click of the door behind her. Yanking violently on the doorknob, she shouted empty threats at whoever was behind it. "Open this door now or I swear I'll break it down and scoop out your pretty little eyeballs with a screwdriver!" There was no reply, but Natsuki could have sworn she heard a giggle. An evil giggle, she noted.
After scanning the edges of the building, she made the alarming discovery that there were no fire escapes. Natsuki was stranded for as long as Shizuru pleased. Pacing back and forth, she waited for whatever it was that Shizuru was planning. There was always logic behind her sadism, if you could even call it that. Logically, Natsuki should still have been in bed. Logically, she shouldn't have bolted up to the roof when Shizuru pounded on her door and cried for help. Logically, Natsuki was a pushover.
This was what she thought as a bolt of electricity hummed its way across the roof, igniting hundreds of pale white Christmas lights. She hadn't noticed them hanging in the dark. With the lights arranged in swirling and crisscrossing patters all around her, Natsuki couldn't help but smile. It was rather pretty, not that she would ever have such a thought. The door behind her clicked open as Shizuru walked out, her eyes half lidded with a sly smile creeping its way across her cheeks. "Do you like it?" she hummed.
"What is all this?" Natsuki grumbled. Shizuru moved in front of her and crossed her arms comfortably across her waist.
"They are Christmas lights, silly."
"I can see that, but why are they here," she huffed as an unexpected blush began to rise.
"It can be rather difficult to see the stars from the city. I thought this might make an effective substitute."
Shizuru took a step closer to her. Natsuki had known the girl long enough to detect that look in her eye. The look that said "I'm about to embarrass you." She felt an unwelcome chill run up her spine and involuntarily curled her fingers into her pajama pants as Shizuru leaned in and kissed her innocently on the nose. "Happy Birthday, my Natsuki."
"What?" she questioned, her face as crimson as a prize winning tomato.
"Ara," Shizuru cooed, tapping her fingers against her cheek. "Did Natsuki forget her own birthday?"
"Of course not. Well.....maybe." Yes, she was embarrassed. That look never lied.
"Truly, Natsuki. It's a good thing I wrote this down in my date book, and on my refrigerator, and on my bathroom mirror and the dashboard of my car." Natsuki's eyes widened. Shizuru merely brushed away her concern with a faintly sinister laugh. Really, the girl was frightening. Frightening like an Ebola victim in your bathtub. In one gentle movement, Shizuru uncrossed her arms and pulled the raven-haired tomato into her arms. "It's all right, Natsuki. You wont have to remember anything as long as you have me."
Slipping her arms around her, Natsuki sighed and began to return to her normal color. With Shizuru's lips brushing gently at her hear, she closed her eyes and let the electric stars fade.
"Just remember that I love you, and that mayonnaise is bad for you."
Groaning in protest, Natsuki pushed her away. "Now that's just asking too much."
With that sly smile returning to her lips, Shizuru lifted her hands and tugged at Natsuki's collar.
"I think I saw the thief head back to your bedroom."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this silly little oneshot. I posted it on shoujo-ai a number of years ago, but though it deserved a home here. Thanks for reading!