Disclaimer: I don't Mai HiME or characters

Chapter 1

"Natsuki... "

Who are you?

"It's me, Natsuki... Natsuki... Na-tsu-ki..."

Who are you!

"It's me... don't you remember?"

She gasped.

Natsuki quickly looked around her dark room, eyes darting wildly in synch with her speeding heart rate. She rubbed her forehead, frowning at the sweat there and let out a sigh.

She was working way too much lately.

()()()

"Gakuenchou?"

"What?" Natsuki snapped her eyes up from her desk, annoyed at being interrupted from her work.

"You have a personal phone call from Aries, line one."

Her secretary left her office and Natsuki sighed. A call from Aries meant a call from that annoying suitor/Princess who her father's council insisted she entertain.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose and pressed the speaker on her phone.

"Kruger here," she picked up her pen and got back to work.

"Ah, Natsuki-san, it's me. How are you?"

Natsuki changed papers, "I'm fine Princess Hiromi-san. What can I do for you?"

"Can't I just call to see how you're doing?"

Natsuki looked up from her desk as her co-worker, the Third Column, entered with a stapled document – clearly of great importance – from her latest mission.

Natsuki gave her a nod as Hiromi continued speaking on the phone.

"Are you working Natsuki-san? You know, you really work too hard... you should take a break from all the stress."

Natsuki gave out a "hmmm" before shuffling more papers and rubbing her eyes. Damn she was tired.

"You're not even listening to me, are you?" Hiromi sighed and then chuckled, "can't you even spare a minute to chat?"

Natsuki sighed, "sorry Hiromi-san, please forgive my rudeness."

Natsuki set her pen down and then turned to the Third column who sat patiently waiting for the call to end, "Shizuru can you get me some tea as well?"

Shizuru who had just stood up to boil some water nodded and couldn't help to overhear more of the conversation.

"Sorry Hiromi-san, you were saying?"

"... Right... I am making a trip to Windbloom for the royal ball next week and was hoping to spend some time together."

Natsuki grabbed the document in front of her and flipped it open, eyes scanning the first page as she responded absent-mindedly "get in touch with me when you come then, I may or may not be able to."

"I see..."

"Got to go Princess... bye."

Natsuki shut off the speaker and turned to the next page.

She continued flipping pages, and about five minutes past until Shizuru handed her a cup of tea before walking over to the large leather couch and taking a comfortable seat.

"Excellent," Natsuki closed the folder and grabbed her tea, "thank you for the tea."

"You're welcome," Shizuru nodded. "I take it you are pleased with the outcome?"

Natsuki nodded, "finally that case is taken care of, so we should have a few weeks off..."

"You look exhausted," Shizuru said gently, trying to ignore that familiar soothing sensation she got when with Natsuki.

Natsuki yawned, "I haven't been able to sleep well lately..." Natsuki flushed as her eyes caught sight of Shizuru's lips claiming the tea. Her heart started to beat faster and she gulped before quickly avoiding her eyes.

Why did this always happen when she was around the Archmeister?

Sure there were tons of gossip columns about them which Mai had always teased her about, all the staff and students thought they had office sex (she had overheard Youko and the other Columns) and the fact that Natsuki blushed all the time just provoked people.

But Shizuru already had a girlfriend – Anh Lu, but people thought she was two-timing Natsuki which made no sense... and then the few girls brave enough to try for the Gakuenchou's heart thought she was devoted to Shizuru because she always had to meet with her when in reality Natsuki was a workaholic whose co-worker happened to be Shizuru Viola.

It. Made. No. Sense. To her.

Shizuru was her really gorgeous friend, so of course she would feel attracted to her.

But that was it, right?

Natsuki's train of thought was disrupted by her friend's sweet voice.

"Ara, Natsuki," Shizuru raised an eyebrow at the flush on her friend's face, "Is Princess Duboi going to be your date for the ball?"

"D-D-date!" Natsuki choked, thankfully not on the hot tea, and shot her eyes to Shizuru. "What?"

Shizuru giggled and remembered the edgy sound of Hiromi's voice on the phone after Natsuki had said "Shizuru" out loud and requested tea. Could the Principal be any more oblivious to people who liked her and were jealous of the rumoured relationship between Shizuru and the Principal?

"I'm just teasing," Shizuru said simply.

Natsuki frowned then, "you always tease, I don't know why I put up with it. I'm guessing Lu is your date then?"

Shizuru paused in her next sip... was that Natsuki being terse because of the tease or was that Natsuki being, dare she say... jealous.

()()()

If there was something Natsuki decided she loathed about her job apart from the stress and work, she would list down social functions as her number one enemy.

Not only was she sitting at a table and glaring at the Princess of Annam and the Third Column dancing, she also had to dance with numerous politicians and ward off her drunk father's hugs.

Damn nobles.

And soon she would have to make the closing speech of the evening.

Damn job.

"Ara ara, Natsuki, its not that bad," the soft voice of Natsuki's unidentifiable feelings took a seat at their table and placed a hand above hers.

The archmeister was now holding her hand.

Natsuki flushed, she could smell a bit of alcohol on Shizuru's breath – make that more than a bit – and started to get worried about her friend.

"Natsuki-san, let us go dance again," Hiromi was bored and wanted to dance more with her crush, and Shizuru's arrival made her feel annoyed.

Natsuki felt her chest tighten as Shizuru's thumb started doing strange caresses.

"Princess, I must take Shizuru back to the quarters, forgive me."

Natsuki stood up and Shizuru stumbled slightly with her, still holding hands. She walked over to the mic at the front and the music stopped as she simply said, "Garderobe was honoured o have catered such a fine evening for our favourite nobles," there was bubbly laughter and she gave a quick bow, "goodnight."

They were both oblivious to the implications of holding hands and leaving a ball together, because it just felt right.

Applause died down and the music started again before she led Shizuru, who was now leaning on her and mumbling, out of the ballroom.

A hand grabbed her wrist violently and Natsuki was surprised to see the ever-happy Princess and Meister of Annam glare at her.

"Where do you think you're taking my girlfriend, Kruger?"

Natsuki felt Anh's hand squeeze but made no flinch, even as Shizuru's eyes opened and she mumbled, "Anh?"

"I'm taking her to her room," Natsuki informed her lowly, not wanting to make a scene.

Anh grabbed Shizuru's arm and pulled her away from her spot on Natsuki's shoulder, "I'll take her."

Natsuki felt jealous. Yes, she felt this bubbling of foreign chemicals upset her, and before she did something she knew she would have regretted, Shizuru – the drunk almost passed out Shizuru – pulled her arm from Anh and whined like a child.

"No!" She hugged Natsuki from the neck and nuzzled her cheek, "I want to go with my Natsuki."

Natsuki was shocked. Her eyes bulged and she felt heat creep along her cheeks.

"I... Shizuru..." she tried to push Shizuru off but she had a very strong grip and Natsuki didn't want to risk hurting her. "I'll just take Shizuru to her room," Natsuki said before walking off with the Third Column attached to her and not at all feeling guilty about the way Anh looked crest-fallen at Shizuru's declaration.

It would only occur to Natsuki after she tucked Shizuru in her bed and made to go to her own that they were only friends and had always been only friends, so where had these sudden feelings come from?

"Na-tsu-ki... my Natsuki..."

Who is this?

"Natsuki should be more careful on her motorcycle..."

Motorcycle?

"Mou, ikezu, I just don't want a fat Natsuki from all of the Mayonnaise..."

Mayonnaise...?

TBC