A/N: a tiny little drabble since it's Christmas Eve! Really, that's all it is, and I hope you enjoy it...Writing this on the fly before the first of three parties start here. So, yeah, take it for what it is...hope you all like it...not really meant to be anything else than a little Christmas...well, something or other...
The sounds of paper crumpled under her hands as the last of the torn wrapping was thrown into a hoop before landing in the trash can, and the boxes with a plethora of nicknacks inside lined the wall. The house was noisy, as several friends shared in the spirit. All of the HiME got together, a forced ideal of fun, stemming from Midori's over active imagination, and it had actually turned out pretty well.
It would have been even better in the resident scrooge wasn't outside moping around, still, not everything could be perfect...then again, it would never be perfect unless all went well, and they wouldn't know of that truth until Shizuru arrived. Until then, Natsuki would stay at her post, even if the others found it silly to do so.
Even as her nose turned a rosy red from the cold, all she could do was let out puffs of air, watching the warmth disappear into the chilly air. Her arms were folded on her chest, and she seemed lost in thought as her leather clad hands protected something velvety red...a tiny little box, that would normally contain something of high value, most people assumed it was earrings, or perhaps, a ring, and they'd all assumed it was for one person, and one person only.
Natsuki knew the truth, and she sighed she she gazed down at her tiny gift, that may have seemed meaningless for everyone else. She couldn't have gotten something like that, only having danced around the idea of dating off and on for a while now. They hadn't even kissed yet, because Natsuki knew they had both been wavering. As she peered into the distance, waiting for Shizuru to arrive from her family party, Natsuki felt uneasy, knowing that the others would likely invite themselves into her personal space, and she felt territorial over such a thing, because tonight, she hadn't wanted to be here...not for this.
"But this is why you chose tonight, Idiot...can't back out now." Her plan...that was why she was doing it here in the first place.
She sighed as she slipped the tiny little box into her pocket...it wasn't the most romantic gift, and it didn't scream amazing things from the rooftops, or anything like that. She wished it did, that she could give Shizuru something so great, but that, as she'd most assuredly decided was not meant for Christmas, and it simply wasn't the time...She'd fiddled with the idea of candy, some expensive chocolates were an easy thing, but Shizuru didn't particularly have a sweet tooth. She'd come across some beautiful jewelry, but decided not to even try. New shoes, or possibly a purse came to mind, but then she cast it aside quickly.
Natsuki had given thought to everything she had passed by, even looking, momentarily, at a new bra and panty set that was a huge find, and would be gold in the eye of any collector...but Shizuru didn't have such a fondness for things like that, in fact, her wardrobe was very plain in that department...at least, it had to be considered rather plain when Natsuki compared it with her own. That was Shizuru though, the woman was impossible to deal with, and even more impossible to buy for...but then, it begged the question, why buy anything?
There was no need.
Shizuru had money, she could buy whatever she wanted...perhaps she couldn't have everything though, and that made Natsuki sigh. Shizuru wanted one thing that wasn't an object, but Natsuki didn't really know what the right thing to do was, not at the time, not when she herself, felt lost in the calling of being a HiME. Things became clear however, when the unfathomable pain for Shizuru going away became a reality. University left a hole for both of them, and try though they might, classes and homework made it hard to be together, and their relationship was new, a very gentle thing.
Natsuki wanted to protect it...
The tiny box was her answer to many questions that they'd never spoken of, but always wondered within the backs of their minds. The little compartment inside cradled perhaps the only thing that meant the world to her. In the distance headlights began to shimmer past the trees, and Natsuki felt her pulse quicken, and she licked her cold lips in anticipation. Above her head, a great annoyance had been hung, mostly to harass the guests, and there was more inside...well, there had been more inside. All over the living area, and sprinkled about the kitchen and halls like confetti.
It had been inadvertently destroyed after Natsuki and Nao got caught underneath it, exchanging a good punch, refusing to even kiss at all, a plethora of invectives the only appropriate response to something like that.
Natsuki was happy that this one piece was still properly placed, and well away from at least the big picture window. However, she was still exposed from the side, and she knew that, still, it would be enough for what she was wanted it for. With a deep breath, and a shaky sigh, she welcomed Shizuru with a soft smile as the woman stepped out onto the slick pavement. Her steps were meticulous, and her black coat, made of fake fur, made her look beautiful, she had just come from an elegant party, and now, she would look out of place when she stepped inside of the casual little home Midori owned. Natsuki was sure Shizuru was in some type of skirt, her high heels clicking softly with each step, but the coat was long, and luxurious, so there was no way to tell.
The mere idea made her nervous, as she looked at her own state. She didn't have time to panic as Shizuru got near. "Natsuki seems to be catching flies."
"Damn it, woman." Natsuki mentally snarled. Inarticulate as always, she simply shook her head and grumbled incoherently. "Nice to see you too." The muttered response she finally managed to slip from her lips made her realize she was still standing there gaping like a complete idiot, and she sighed again to calm herself. "I missed you, ya know." Finding her sincerity was easy after she let go of the fact that Shizuru would always have the upper hand, at least, at first. "An entire month is just way too long."
"I missed you as well. These long spans apart are really starting to bother me." She wished she could reach out and give into her desires, but Natsuki was never a fan of public displays, in made her uncomfortable, and nervous. Even the mere idea of holding hands made Natsuki into a skittish mess if someone made an off colored comment. "I see Natsuki is out here, and not inside with the others. I wonder why that is?"
"I want you to myself for a few minuets, as soon as you walk in that door, Midori is going to come up with a new party game, I know it." Still, even as she said it, she stood carefully under the mistletoe, waiting to be pounced upon, wishing it would have happened already, but it hadn't, and with an inward sigh, she felt a few prying eyes burning into her back. She knew there would be photos of this, but she could murder Chie and Mai later...right now, she couldn't take her eyes off of the crimson orbs that shimmered with something both hesitating, and lingering. "Look, I'm even standing under this damn thing."
"We have a few witnesses." Shizuru said then. "In case, you may not have noticed."
"It's just Mai and Chie." She tried to shrug, but it was hard to do...she really wasn't comfortable with others knowing yet, or seeing them do things that went beyond friendship. "It'll be alright...if it's just them." She watched as Shizuru's thumb traced the strap of her purse that hung idly on her shoulder, the woman seemed confused, but then again, this really was out of left field.
"Natsuki, you don't have to do this for me." Shizuru's chuckle was soft, the earnest expression showed that she didn't mind.
Still, it bothered Natsuki as she stepped forward, and out of the mistletoe. "I wanted an excuse, but if you won't give me that, then I'll do it out here."
She wasn't anywhere near the mistletoe, and the alibi was lost, but that didn't stop her, as she cupped Shizuru's cheek, pulling her in for a kiss before the woman could react, melting into the clod fingers that had captured her, and the frozen lips that claimed her own. The flash of light went ignored, and even though there was a few loud voices coming from the house, Natsuki just melted further into Shizuru, letting the warm embrace protect her from the trembling reality of what was going on.
"Ara..." Shizuru breathed when the kiss ended and Natsuki buried herself from view. "Natsuki has encouraged quite a scene." Shizuru words weren't lost on either of them, as she turned Natsuki away from the view of others. "You've never been so bold." Shizuru whispered into Natsuki's ear.
"At least now they know..." Natsuki's voice was higher pitched than normal, embarrassment and contentment mixed into one. "Sorry, I just didn't know how else to really tell them." Still, as she shook from the weight of the deceleration, of what it would undoubtedly imply, she leaned in to kiss Shizuru again, and this time, it was anything but innocent as she parted her lips and let herself her carried away by the warm, protective embrace. She knew by now, the uproar from beyond the window was calling attention to the others that hadn't seen the kiss from before, and if there wasn't video being taken before, she knew it surely was now, as she let Shizuru take control for a heavenly few moments.
The kiss ended slowly this time, and there wasn't any question anyone could give to their actions now. "You didn't have to tell them anything Natsuki." Shizuru said then, running her fingers through midnight tresses. "I didn't mind that no one really knew."
"Everyone knows about Mai and Tate...and it'll only be a matter of time before Haruka spills the beans about Yukino." Natsuki pulled away, her eyes looking to the frost covered grass, pulling Shizuru with her, until they were out of sight of others, who were all still gaping at the window like busybodies. "Everyone who has someone, they're okay with others knowing about them...and even though I know I can't say things like I want to...I don't want things to be unclear either." She put her hand into her pocket. "It's not a gift, just something I decided...but, I thought if I could grant a wish, instead of give a present, then..."
"Natsuki, really..." With gentle hands, she picked up the red velvet box that fit into the palm of her hand. Her thumb traced the crease for a moment as she took a breath, and lifted the lid. Inside, there was a scrap of paper folded haphazardly, as if it had taken great difficultly to get the box to closed with it inside. Shizuru expected the paper to be a photo of something, a house, perhaps a car, even the new school and chapel...it was anyone's guess, but of all of the things it would open, she would have never expected something like this. "Are you...are you sure about this?" With hesitation, her eyes wavered, and her fingers held onto the paper just a little tighter.
"There are so many thing in my life that I've been afraid of...things that scare me, and learning to love someone is part of that." Natsuki's voice grew soft, but it became filled with honesty because of that. "Every time I get scared, I think of you just being there, somewhere at the end of everything, and I know that's really the only thing I want in my life...everything else, well, that's just an extra bonus along the way." Natsuki just shook her head, a small smirk on her face. "I know this is what you want the most, so lets just...lets just do it one day at a time."
"Let me learn to love you." That's what she'd written across the top, with a list of things to do...dreams that would be impossible, mixed with the ordinary simplicity of daily life. "I know that I can." The first mark was checked off, the first thing on the list, to out themselves to others, completed. There were others that lined the page, both front and back, and stapled to the paper was also a copy of her new student I.D for the same university Shizuru went to, with the same credit requests Shizuru had filled out a year before.
"Starting next semester, I'm a student in Fuka University." Natsuki said softly. "I finished my last few credits, and tested out, so, after the new year, I'll be considered a graduate from high school." Natsuki said softly, taking Shizuru's hand in hers. "So, because of that, I thought that I'd go with you, and we could be together...and just...let things go what ever way they take us."
Shizuru licked her lips then, a small little smile playing across her lips. "And where do you think it'll take us?"
"Where ever we want to let them." Natsuki said as a blush colored her face. "But, you'll have to guide me."
Well, there we go...little fluffy something or other...