Author's Notes: Just a bit of slice of life kind of fluff. 'Cause I myself am bored. A rather pointless oneshot. For my woofy. ::hugs:: Probably a bit out of character as I must admit to not having seen all of Mai-HiME. Though I've seen over half… I just skipped most of Alyssa's arc (I'm poor, OK?). Umm… and I'll one day finish that Azumanga fic… This takes place… post-series sometime… or maybe AU if I really screwed up anything. Maybe I'll do more than one. Doubtful, but it's possible.
Disclaimer: I don't own Mai-HiME, yo.
She was bored. Bored, bored, bored. And angry. Well, more like frustrated.
'Sexually?' a little voice somewhere in the back of her mind deviously suggested.
NO! Damn it all, she was beginning to think like her. Not that it was completely a bad thing, but still, her own mind wouldn't think things like that. No way.
And yes, she was still frustrated. But not in that way! Not at all. She huffed aloud thus ending the internal debate, blushing despite the fact that she was alone in her apartment.
She liked being alone. There were tons of things to do! Like play video games, but she had tried that and it had worked… for all of twenty minutes. Or maybe go on a walk. Five minutes after stepping outside she had mentally declared it much too warm to go on a walk even though she generally didn't let the weather get to her. Or there was what she had previously considered a guaranteed enjoyable way to kill some time: take her bike for a ride. Waiting for it to cool off outside she had sped off on her motorcycle and was amazed to find that it just didn't feel the same. It was the same wind, the same beautiful Ducati, the same streets, but the rush… it just wasn't there. Just as that warm embrace, arms wrapped snugly around her waist, was noticeably absent.
Sometime around dusk, keeping with her reluctant promise not to ride by herself on the coastal roads at night without letting someone know, she had returned to her apartment beyond annoyed and had started furiously cleaning the place, desperately trying to find some way to pass the time. A couple hours later found her splayed out on her bed, staring at the ceiling as one eye twitched a bit every so often, a constant reminder of her aggravation.
So, it really kind of was her fault.
She could have gone to the wedding. She was told that it would be just fine. That she would be introduced as just a friend, if she preferred. That it would be dull without her. A dress had even been purchased for her, a midnight blue affair with a halter-top. She had then been dragged to the store to get shoes to match and had protested all the way, doing her very best to resist crumbling under the combined effect of puppy eyes and pout. She had ultimately failed and ended up trying on several other ensembles purely for the enjoyment of her companion who had more than once made comments inappropriate to be said at a high-end department store. Well, if it made her happy… it was generally worth it in the end.
She wished she had gone with that advice earlier that day though. Sighing a bit and furrowing her eyebrows, she remembered the disappointed expression on her golden-brown haired friend's face. She had only caught a brief glimpse before turning away, not wanting to lose her nerve and revoke her decision.
Then there had been the phone call. She heard the music from the reception in the background as a voice greeted her joyfully. The ceremony had been absolutely gorgeous. The flowers were beautiful, the food exquisite. She had been asked to dance several times and had complied though purely out of politeness she had assured her, commenting that the last fellow had seemed a bit tipsy before giggling to herself. She was the one who sounded tipsy. She then admitted to having a couple glasses of wine, but waved off her companion's concerns before getting quiet and telling her that she was missed and that she wished she was there.
Feeling a sharp twinge of guilt, she had responded that she would see her tomorrow before wishing her a good night and receiving a similar response.
Five minutes later she had called back.
"I miss you, too!"
Sounding pleasantly surprised, the other woman had softly answered, "I'll see you soon, my Natsuki."
Once again feeling her cheeks heat up she had repeated her good nights and farewells before hanging up.
That had been much earlier, somewhere in between her bike ride and her complete overhaul of the apartment. It had now been dark out for several hours already and not only could she not sleep, she couldn't find anything else to do that was to her liking. Grumbling a bit to herself, she got up and walked to the kitchen, making a quick stop before arriving in the living room area, switching on the television set and flopping down on the couch.
….::::….
Finally finished making her farewell rounds to various relatives and family friends, many offering compliments on her dress and overall appearance, she got a ride from a cousin who was also leaving to the hotel she was planning on staying the night at before checking out early and arranging for transportation, paying little attention to the cost.
Not even bothering to change out of her dress and into something more comfortable, she had freshened up a bit, fixing her hair and make up before packing her things. After all, puppy was waiting. Natsuki had received said endearment after being caught speaking baby talk to some puppies at the pet store. It had been one of the cutest things she had yet to witness, if a bit irritating. Canines seemed to make her girlfriend melt just as much if not more than she herself did. In a word, it was absurd. Recalling that particular incident, she reminded herself that no furball made her Natsuki blush and sigh like she could. Smiling at that thought, she requested that the driver speed up, wanting to reach her destination as quickly as possible.
The location of the wedding was over an hour's drive from home and she had gotten a room for the night, hoping to convince Natsuki to accompany her to the event. Though Natsuki had slowly grown less jumpy in private, she was still extremely skittish in public. She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised that her Natsuki would remain adamant to the end in her refusal.
She sighed a bit forlornly as she watched the street lamps blur by outside the window. Placing her chin despondently on a palm, she laid her other hand on the seat, starting a bit when it touched something. Looking over she grinned secretively to herself before picking up the object and resting it in her lap.
After what seemed like forever, they finally arrived at Natsuki's apartment complex. Taking care of the expense of the ride, she tipped the driver generously before quickly grabbing her things and almost running but not quite to Natsuki's door. Having come into possession of her own copy of the key not long ago, she quietly slid into the residence gravitating towards the sound of the television set, knowing that was where she would most likely find her midnight haired beauty.
What she found was a somewhat disheveled Natsuki, popcorn bowl balancing in her lap with a spoon in one hand and a jar of mayonnaise in the other. She appeared to be systematically scooping out a spoonful of mayonnaise and then allowing the popcorn to stick to the white substance of questionable content before shoving the unique combination in her mouth and swallowing it whole. That, however, was not what worried Shizuru. Natsuki appeared to be watching reruns of daytime talk shows. Her Natsuki hated talk shows. And reality T.V. And "chick flicks". And soap operas. And infomercials and regular commercials as well. And she claimed to hate "kids movies" though Shizuru knew better.
Sniff.
"Natsuki?"
There went the popcorn. Jumping up, the bowl tumbling off her lap she turned to the sound of the familiar voice, blinking in surprise, though if Shizuru didn't know any better, it would appear that her eyes were a bit moist.
"Shi-shizuru!? What are you doing here? I-I thought you were going to stay the night at a hotel!" Natsuki questioned, too shocked to be annoyed that Shizuru walked into the apartment without warning.
"I missed my Natsuki so I thought I would come and surprise her," she smiled, sauntering over to give her a one-armed embrace and nuzzle her neck a bit before giving her a kiss on the cheek. Natsuki flushed but leaned into the embrace before remembering something. Hurriedly grabbing the remote, she shut off the television and rubbed her eyes a bit.
"Think I got something in my eye," she lamely explained.
Shizuru raised an eyebrow.
Sniff.
Natsuki looked at Shizuru uncomfortably before muttering an explanation, gaze quickly turning away to the side.
"... it was a special on family pets… There was this one dog who rescued his kid from drowning… but… but he didn't make it."
Shizuru affectionately pat her girlfriend on the head.
"There, there. He's probably in Doggie Heaven. I bet he even met Duran."
"Mmhmm," the other girl nodded before burying her face in a shoulder and mumbling an "I missed you."
Brightening at hearing those muffled words, she slowly pulled out something she had been hiding behind her back.
"I missed Natsuki as well. I even brought back a present for Natsuki that I caught at the wedding."
Caught? Natsuki puzzled over the word choice.
Frowning a bit in her confusion, she pulled back from the embrace to focus her attention on the object Shizuru held in her hand. It was a bouquet of flowers, the stems wrapped in ribbon. Looking over to Shizuru's face with a quizzical expression on her own, she saw her girlfriend smile before leaning in and whispering in her ear.
"No pressure."
Realization slowly dawned on her countenance before she attempted to respond, only able to babble incoherently.
Shizuru just continued to smile before casually commenting as she appraised their surroundings, "Ara, Natsuki cleaned the apartment."