So… I was in need of some good fluffy delight; needless to say I turned to writing my own. Thank my girlfriend for this fic; it's partly inspired from events having to do with her. Anyway, I will be updating this story but it won't be on a super regular basis like HiME (update coming within the week!) which is my primary story at the moment. Enjoy the sickening sweetness of it, but don't complain to me if you get a cavity from indulging! If you have a spare moment though, a comment/review would be just frickin' fantastic! ^_^ Have fun with this one!
Sweet Indulgence – Chapter 1: Random Encounter
"Have a good trip!" She yelled through cupped hands.
"We'll be back soon!" The words twisted along the cool breeze, only slightly garbled as they fell from the bouncing red-heads upturned mouth. She waved frantically, that broad smile growing each passing second the large ferry ebbed away on the current.
Back at the docks a set of viridian orbs shimmered as their owner watched her friend sail away from the Island of Fuuka. A slow sigh penetrated plump, pink lips. With a flick of long, blue-black hair the figure turned and retreated.
That's the problem with holidays… Everyone leaves. She thought humorlessly to herself while straddling the wide, sleek body of a dark blue Ducati. After tugging on a cat-eared biker helmet the girl started up the motorcycle and without hesitation threw it into gear. The monster roared back, front wheel completely in the air and then fell forward with a thrust of raw power. Gears shifted again and the red dial hand climbed further up the speedometer. Wind and scenery whizzed by at a dizzying pace, but the rider wasn't affected. She was used to the blur; it was something she grew to love over the years.
Second guessing her destination, the bike suddenly made an abrupt right across traffic. Several pairs of tires screeched, horns blared, and the smell of burning rubber wafted through the air but the rider never slowed down. Pushing faster through the less crowded side streets, hectic jade eyes strived to locate at least one neon sign switched on. And there's the other problem… Nothing is friggin' open! She let out a frustrated sigh behind her faceplate.
Eyes widened. The bikes newly replaced brakes slammed into action, effectively halting all movement. The rider's boot came down firmly into pavement as she stared upward at the one lit sign in the entire damnable city. It was only a small general store, but it would do the trick. Dismounting she removed her helmet and hastily made her way inside.
It had taken a little longer than expected at the general store. By the time the motorcycle made its way noisily across school grounds the sun had already begun it's decent toward the mountains. After dismounting and de-helmeting, the rider popped open a hidden compartment under the bike's seat and took out a couple plastic bags. Slinging them over her shoulder she locked the newly emptied compartment and strode purposefully across the large, empty parking lot.
While making her way through the small security gate that led to the quad her eyes caught sight of a lone figure walking somberly in the distance. Brows rose slightly in curiosity, she had thought for sure she had been the only one to remain on campus for the holiday. As the figure came nearer, viridian eyes widened the slightest bit.
That golden mane of hair fluttering in the breeze, bronze skin so sinuous and firm in the confines of a form fitting yellow sundress… Oh she is truly a Goddess.
"Oi, Shizuru!" She called out, waving when a pair of crimson eyes rose to meet her. With a smile she jogged over and came to stop in front of the upperclassman. "I thought this place was deserted." She licked at slightly chapped lips. "Not going home for holiday?"
Blood colored eyes shimmered with amusement at the sight of the dark haired girl bounding over and coming to rest slightly bent over in front of her. "Ara…" That honey covered accent sounded especially sweet today. "Natsuki?"
Of course she knew of the popular underclassman. Everyone on campus understood who Natsuki Kuga was! She was the mysterious biker rebel that never followed the rules… Who did everything on her own terms and more often than not clashed with authority. She had males and females alike lined up through the gates wanting just a little taste of her attention, though she spared none for any of them.
Oh yes, Shizuru knew who Natsuki Kuga was… But she didn't actually know about her. Though three months ago she had at least had the pleasure of being formally introduced to the girl. Their relationship since that day unfortunately remained a mere 'friends in passing' type situation. Oh they spoke casually when they would bump into one another in the halls, or outside on school grounds, but aside from those simple instances they didn't really spend any time together. The fact that she had approached with such ease and suddenness today actually brought on a wave of excitement in the older woman.
A smile curved the sides of the blonde student's lips. How lucky, She mused. "I've got work for the Student Council so –" She eyed the bags the other girl had slung over her shoulder curiously. Eventually her gaze rose to two piercing emerald eyes and her smile widened. Beautiful, She thought to herself. "I decided to remain on campus and finish."
Manicured brows rose together in surprise. "Ne, Shizuru even the Student Council President needs a holiday!" She shook her head with a chuckle. "You take your work too seriously sometimes."
"Ah – Maybe so…" Shizuru brought a finger to her chin in mock contemplation. A very small, secret smile pulled at her lips, and she fought to keep it in check.
Of course Natsuki saw straight through the sarcasm and smirked. "Uh huh, I get it." Placing a hand on her hip she shifted her weight onto her right leg. "Really though, won't your parents be missing you?"
Shizuru's normally relaxed posture seemed to stiffen the slightest bit. She carefully brushed a few wayward straw colored strands from her line of sight and smiled. "They also work through the holidays." Her voice seemed a bit softer than before.
The younger woman across from her easily picked up on the change of mood. That fake smile hid nothing from penetrating viridians that actively searched the red depths in front of them. She could see the hint of loneliness the upperclassman was trying so desperately to conceal. How did she understand that look? She had worn it several times herself… It was easy to recognize.
"Ah – " Natsuki pursed her lips. Halfway through what she was going to say she thought perhaps it would be better to change the flow of conversation all together. At that moment her eyes lit up and a bright smile appeared across her lips. Shizuru eyed her with a raised brow.
"I was planning on spending the holiday in solitude myself, but…" Her throat bobbed gently as she swallowed down the sudden eruption of nerves in the pit of her stomach. What the hell was that about? She questioned mentally and then shook her head to clear the strange vibe.
"Since I'm not the only one left, there's no real reason to spend the holiday alone…" Her voice got a bit softer toward the end of the sentence and she kicked at the sidewalk with the tip of her left boot.
So cute! Is she asking me… Shizuru blinked in surprise and bit into her lower lip, anticipating the words she hoped to hear. Secretly she had wanted to get to know the dark haired underclassman ever since that first meeting, but circumstances never seemed to allow for it.
"Kaichou, I finished the reports for the closing of the festival. All they need is your signature and I believe we can call it a night." The brightly smiling red-head approached the desk and slid a stack of paperwork across its smooth surface.
Shizuru smiled up at the girl and gave a nod. "Thank you for your help with this, Mai. You can go on if you wish; I will sign these and make sure they get to their proper destinations."
Mai shook her head and waved a hand in front of her. "Ah please, it was no trouble at all." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Actually I will stick around; a friend is meeting me in just a little bit."
Fifteen minutes later the door to the council room opened and in strode a leather clad, biker knock-out that surely was not of this world. Mai looked up from her seated position by a large bay window and a smile instantly flashed on her face.
"Natsuki!" She cried happily while popping up to her feet.
Shizuru looked up the second she heard the door shift. At some point her mouth had fallen ajar as she stared at the woman who had just waltzed in, unable to tear her eyes from the visage. Of course she had seen the woman randomly across the campus, but never quite so up close… She was utterly remarkable.
"Kaichou, this is my very good friend –" She paused momentarily when she saw the look on her prized Kaichou's face. For a woman nicknamed The Sphinx she sure couldn't seem to hide her admiration at the moment! Mai smirked at how quickly the woman fixed her mask when being addressed, and she continued with the introductions. "Natsuki Kuga. Natsuki…" She turned to the beautiful biker who shifted her endless emerald eyes to the woman behind the desk. "This is Shizuru Fujino, Student Council Kaichou and friend of mine."
Blood colored eyes lifted to meet those emerald depths head on and a shiver made its way down her spine, though she was able to conceal it. Elegantly she stood and extended a hand, a brilliant smile situated on her lips. "It's a pleasure to meet any friend of Mai."
When the biker slipped her hand into Shizuru's for the shake a small bolt of electricity passed between them. The Kaichou's breath hitched as she retracted her hand. What she hadn't known, was the same feeling had passed through Natsuki as well.
At that first meeting both women had thought the same thing; she's beautiful.
"…Shizuru?"
The concerned sound of Natsuki's voice brought her back to present time. Shizuru cleared her throat gently and focused on the green eyes staring at her. "Kanin Na, Natsuki. What did you say?"
"Do I bore you that easily?" Natsuki chided playfully.
"Not at all!" Shizuru answered almost too quickly, a flash of apprehension in her normally unreadable eyes.
Natsuki's nose twitched slightly at the uncharacteristic outburst from the normally so cool, refined Kaichou. It was cute. "Well that's a relief." She smirked. "Now about my question… I asked if you – " Asking the second time around proved to excite her nerves even more. She shifted her stance again and finally brought her eyes back up to those questioning crimson. "Might like to spend the holiday together?"
Every nerve ending stood at absolute attention, heat radiated from each pore, and the peach fuzz on the back of Shizuru's neck prickled. Trying to tame the excitement, she quickly allowed a slow breath to pass her lips. "I…" She started but then paused and smiled at the brief hint of disappointment that suddenly appeared in those beautiful green orbs. "Would love to."
An immediate grin plastered itself across the underclassman's face, and Shizuru caught herself thinking it adorable.
"Yeah?" Natsuki questioned excitedly, her grin turning a bit goofy at her own realization of how happy she sounded. "I managed to find ONE open general store on the way back to campus so I picked up some provisions. It should be more than enough for two." That goofy smile turned triumphant.
Shizuru couldn't help but giggle slightly at the overzealous display; she found the cute biker girl's attitude severely charming. She had to admit though; from their few encounters she hadn't pictured her quite in this light. Not to say that was a bad thing necessarily, more so it was surprising in a very interesting way. It made Shizuru quite curious to see what Natsuki was truly like. "I'll be swift with my work, Natsuki so we might begin the holiday properly."
"Oh don't rush; I'll get everything set at Mai's." Natsuki waved a hand in dismissal.
"Mai's?" Shizuru questioned, brows dipped together.
"Yeah, I told her I would stay at her room while they are gone."
"Gone?"
Natsuki raised a brow and then chuckled. "Right, she, Mikoto and Takumi went home for the holiday. I saw them off earlier at the dock."
Shizuru pinned her unruly hair with a free hand as a gust of wind blew through the quad. "Ah, I see. Shall I meet you there then?"
"Mm…" Natsuki hummed as she stepped forward and idly brushed a finicky strand of hair from Shizuru's cheek. "That's fine." She smiled and gave a wave as she turned and strode away with that confident gait she always had.
For a few moments after the younger woman disappeared past the dormitories, Shizuru stood frozen in place. Her skin tingled where it had been so tenderly touched. With a slow breath she released the vice like hold on her bottom lip. "Araa…"
True to her word, it had only taken Shizuru around an hour to put the finishing touches on the remaining paperwork that had been waiting in the Student Council room. Everything had been quickly filed away, and the room locked as she took her leave.
Three minutes worth of walking left her standing rigidly in front of Mai's door. Her hand was mid-air, but had yet to knock. Butterflies flapped nervously in her stomach for reasons she couldn't quite pinpoint, and it proved to be quite distracting. With a gentle clearing of her throat she brought her knuckles against the coarse wood and stepped back. From the opposite side of the door she could decipher muffled voices. Her brows dipped curiously. Hadn't Natsuki said they were going to be alone? A bit of disappointment crept up, but was quickly dispelled when the door threw open.
The underclassman stood there smiling, a cell phone crunched between her ear and shoulder. Wordlessly she ushered Shizuru inside and closed the door with a click behind her. Spinning around, she leaned back against the door and hummed into the phone. "Uh huh, I'm sure it's only a little sea-sickness. No worries, I've got this place on lock down. Mm-Hm. Try to get her to rest, maybe some ginger tea or something." A soft chuckle passed her lips and she rolled her eyes slightly while nibbling her lower lip.
Shizuru watched the varied expressions with interest. The younger girl was quite animated, and she couldn't help but think it was cute.
"Later, Takumi." Natsuki said after a couple more seconds and slid her phone shut with a shake of her head. "Mai is apparently not doing so well on the ferry." The phone was tossed carelessly on the small counter that separated the 'living room/entry way' from the small kitchenette. Those emerald eyes came to stare into sparkling crimson and a slow smile spread across plump lips. "You got here quick."
Across from her Shizuru shifted slightly. "I can always find more work to do…" Her tone was teasing, a little mischief twinkling in her eyes.
Natsuki snorted softly. "Oh I have no doubts about that! You're a regular workaholic it seems." She smirked and brushed past the blonde into the open area of the living room. With a glance behind her she silently beckoned the older girl deeper inside.
"You think so?" Shizuru hummed quizzically as she followed Natsuki into the larger room.
"Well, you're here on a holiday when the rest of the normal crowd's gone home." She took a seat on a small couch.
The blonde chuckled softly. "You're still here too."
"Ah – But I did say the normal crowd." Natsuki shot back with a lazy grin. Something vibrated the cushion beside her, followed by the distinct sound of stifled screams. Both women's brows shot up, viridian as well as crimson eyes focused on the spot beside the younger woman. "What tha – Oops."
From between two of the cushions Natsuki dug out a wireless PS3 remote control. With pursed lips she chuckled and extricated a headset a second later. Someone was screaming obscenities across the line. "I…" Her tongue swiped across her lower lip and she ducked her head bashfully.
This was the moment Shizuru happened to glance at the flickering screen for the first time. Her brows furrowed as a lone soldier stood motionless around a sea of moving bodies. Grenades flashed, gunfire sparked, and several of the pixilated enemies rushed the scene. The unmoving soldier, she guess, was Natsuki's player. Said player crumpled to the dirt a second later after being exploded by some sort of rocket propelled explosive.
"I was passing the time." Natsuki said with a clear of her throat. Gingerly she rubbed the back of her head, a little embarrassed at having this smooth upperclassman catch her playing video games. It seemed such a teenage boy thing to be doing. Oh she's probably laughing on the inside… She cringed and heat crept onto her cheeks.
On the contrary Shizuru hadn't thought it was lame at all…Quite the opposite actually! Slowly she took a seat on the edge of the couch beside Natsuki, eyes still focused on the television screen. "What is the objective?" She questioned suddenly, those eyes finally flickering over to surprised emeralds.
For a second Natsuki said nothing. She had been so surprised by the obvious interest in the video game that all thought had slithered out the window. "Uh – "
Shizuru raised a brow questioningly, which brought all those missing words rushing back. "Well it's a first person shooter. Right now it's multi-player team elimination; the objective is to purge the other team first." It seemed utterly bizarre to be sitting here with the prestigious Fuuka Kaichou explaining the workings of a video game to her.
It only surprised her further when the upperclassman disentangled the remote from her hands and turned toward the television. The gesture in itself was almost absurd looking… Shizuru sat perfectly straight, knees together and wrists resting against them with the black remote in hand. She managed to inject elegance no matter how small the movement and that fact alone baffled Natsuki to no end.
"Would Natsuki show me?" She asked.
Not wanting to mess up this rather unreal and rare moment in her life, Natsuki wasted no time scooting closer to Shizuru and pointing to the controller. "You use these joysticks to move your soldier, left right, forward, backward." As she was explaining the upperclassman was testing out the commands on screen. In no time she had the actions down, surprising Natsuki with her natural skill for adaptation. Those lithe fingers caressed the buttons, firing weapons and running across the snowy landscape. She was actually doing quite well.
"Bad guy!" Emerald eyes flashed to the far corner of the screen where an enemy target approached.
Shizuru's fingers worked the joysticks, slid across the appropriate buttons, but she was taking a lot of damage.
"Melee!" Natsuki squeaked out, pointing toward the right trigger at the top of the controller.
The upper classman tapped the trigger but it was a little late. Her soldier had been taken out by an enemy sniper across the map. Natsuki huffed and looked over in time to see determination flash in crimson depths. Her brows rose and she sat a little straighter, waiting to see what Shizuru would do.
Not one to be easily defeated, Shizuru waited for the next round to start. She sent her character on a mad dash toward the center of the map, but then veered off to the left side when enemies began to converge on the area. Curious emeralds observed in silence, switching between the concentration on the blondes face and the action on the screen. Oh it was heating up, Shizuru had been spotted but managed to get out of the main line of fire with minimal damage. She ducked her character behind a fallen tank and waited.
Natsuki pursed her lips when one of the enemies gave chase. As he sprinted past the tank Shizuru brought her character up behind him and fired off several rounds. With a groan the enemy crumpled, effectively vanquished.
"Awesome – Ah!" She spoke too soon.
Shizuru scrunched her nose as her character fell over, his blood splattered across the television screen. "Ara." She breathed out with a chuckle.
From beside her the younger girl rifled through bags on the coffee table in front of them. She withdrew a red, cardboard box and tore into the top.
"Next round, go get 'em." Her voice had a little edge to it as she chewed through the silver paper concealing whatever was in the package.
Crimson eyes focused on the television screen as the next round began. Her team ran off and she followed them into a dilapidated warehouse. Loud explosions rippled from the speakers as the entire area burst into flames and pandemonium. Her team mates scattered in various directions, but Shizuru decided to take refuge underneath a destroyed airplane fuselage. It proved a wise decision. Several enemy players trampled through the remains of the warehouse, taking out more than a couple of her teammates in the process. The upperclassman played it cool and waited for things to die down before she had her character leap out from hiding and take down two guys at once.
"Ohhh Double kill!" Natsuki cooed her voice full of excitement.
Shizuru felt a little niggling of satisfaction rise in her chest at the praise from the dark haired girl beside her. Her body went a little rigid when she felt the couch shift and a hand come to rest on her thigh. She faltered slightly in game and almost lost her head; literally… Natsuki?
Her eyes widened at the feel of something sliding between her lips. Instinctively she bit down. Surprise etched across her face as the taste of chocolate coated her tongue. Brows dipped together and she looked down at the thin, rounded cookie stick poking from her mouth. Questioningly she chanced a glance over her shoulder to Natsuki who sat with one leg curled under the other, brows tightly knitted, and eyes glued intently to the television screen. From between the younger girls lips hung the same manner of treat.
"Mou, Shizuru pay attention – Sniper!" Natsuki pointed toward a tall, broken down water tower in the far corner of the screen.
Sure enough a player was crouched down behind the busted railing taking shots at her character. Tearing her eyes away from the visage of the cookie stick between Natsuki's lips, Shizuru brought her attention back to the game. She managed to evade the bullets, barely moving out of the way as they hit the dirt beside her character. Someone got to him before she could, but that was fine. Shizuru was already on the trail of another player, and managed to cut him down before he could reload his weapon. Oh it was so thrilling! Soon it came down to only Shizuru from her team and one person from the other team, both of them circling the map trying to find the other.
Natsuki sat, bottom lip sucked between her teeth, eyes slightly wide in anticipation. Shizuru stalked through some brush and then stilled. The other team's player was standing not that far in front of her own character, his back turned to her. Slowly she crept up behind him.
There was a collective silence and then…
"Damn!" Natsuki hissed.
"Ah – " Shizuru hummed.
On the screen her character was nothing more than a mangled assortment of body parts. She had unknowingly walked into a mined area, a clever trap laid by the enemy. As the scoreboard rose onto the screen Shizuru smiled and laid the remote down beside her on the couch. Amused crimson met equally amused jade and laughter passed between the two women.
Natsuki reached over and pulled another chocolate Pocky stick from the cardboard container. "Mm?" She held one up for Shizuru who took it appreciatively. "You did pretty damn good for your first time!" The cardboard package was set aside.
Shizuru chewed thoughtfully on the tip of the cookie stick. "You think so?" She smiled. "I've always been interested in… Video games, but my parents thought they were a waste of time." A slow, drawn out chuckle passed her lips after which she continued to broodingly nibble the chocolate treat.
"Waste of time? Psshh…" Natsuki shook her head while waving a hand to dismiss the absurd notion. "I learned a good chunk of life lessons from playing video games." She patted her remote affectionately.
The upperclassman took all of this in with a raised brow and an interested smile. "Oh? Pray tell just what has Natsuki learned?"
A ludicrous little smile plastered itself across the younger woman's lips. "Always watch your six." She stated matter-of-factly. Laughter ensued after a fraction of a second, and Shizuru couldn't help but join in.
"Ah – Oh it's hot…"
"Mm… Just like this?"
"Uh-huh."
"It's salty…"
Shortly after the shared giggle fit passed, both girls retired to the kitchen in order to figure out what would be on the menu for dinner. Shizuru had offered to unlock the cafeteria so that they might make a proper meal for the shared holiday, but Natsuki had immediately protested. Though the idea of cooking a meal with the Student Council President had been tempting she hadn't wanted to put the other through so much trouble; especially when she had purchased the perfect meal time delicacy earlier that evening.
So now here they were; seated across from one another at the low lying table just outside of the small kitchenette. Both women leaned over steaming bowls of instant ramen positioned in front of them, Natsuki presently trying to show Shizuru how to eat it without getting it all over her. In essence she was teaching her to slurp instant noodles, a feat which the Kaichou had never tried to master before this night.
"You got it." Natsuki said with a grin, watching as the upperclassman hoisted some noodles onto a pair of chopsticks and slowly slurped them into her mouth.
"And not a bit of elegance spared." She chuckled when the other woman shot her a half-serious glare.
"So you like them?" Eager brows rose high on her forehead as she waited for an answer. She had nearly fallen over when Shizuru explained she had never eaten instant ramen before. It seemed like such an odd thing! Natsuki ate them almost every day, normally covered in copious amounts of mayo. Tonight she had to forgo that luxury, Mai didn't have any of the gooey goodness in stock and like a true baka Natsuki had forgotten to bring her own reserves from home.
There was a moment of silence before Shizuru finally gave a nod of approval. "It's surprisingly not bad." She smirked and continued. "I thought for sure when Natsuki brought this out she meant to poison me…"
A little hint of crimson blanketed the underclassman's cheeks at the teasing remark. Her lips pursed and she swallowed down the remaining bite of ramen still in her mouth. "Shizuru, if I wanted to poison you I would just use arsenic… No use wasting good noodles." She grinned and cut her eyes toward the older woman who stared at her, seemingly shocked by the statement.
It was a rare occurrence indeed for Shizuru Fujino to be stunned into silence. "Touché." She conceded after a moment of deliberation.
Dinner remained light with sprinklings of sporadic conversation between mouthfuls of ramen. Both women were rather comfortable around one another, more so than either had thought considering this was the first real time they had spent time together at length. The teasing remarks, gentle chides, and laughter seemed to come almost naturally which was relaxing in itself.
"You and Mai have been friends for a long time?" Shizuru asked while turning her head toward the underclassman seated across from her on the small couch. They had long since retired from dinner, choosing to return to the comfort of the couch and the intimate setting of the living room.
Natsuki quirked a brow and gave a little shrug. "About a year give or take." She smiled remembering the first encounter with the buxom red-head. "We met when she started working as a waitress at a place I used to frequent. I came in often enough to talk to her casually, and eventually we just clicked. Imagine my surprise when I learned she attended the same school as me…" A soft chuckle passed her lips. "Of course my attendance never was that great." Thoughtfully she scratched her cheek.
Shizuru narrowed her eyes just slightly. "Oh don't I know it." Her voice was lilting, a hint of a laugh behind each word.
That laugh only got louder when the underclassman shot Shizuru a questioning glance. "Eh? What do you mean, Shizuru?"
"Ara, Ara, did Natsuki forget? I am the Student Council President." She brandished a bright smile. "I see all of those slips. I signall of those slips. I also deal out the resulting detention." Her smile turned into a smirk.
Natsuki's cheeks ignited and she looked away, guiltily rubbing the back of her head. "Ah – Aha… Right, right…" She cleared her throat.
Oh the colors she turns are magnificent!Shizuru mused silently to herself as she indulged in intently watching the squirming girl beside her.
The nervousness from Natsuki ended as quickly as it surfaced. She turned full on toward Shizuru and tilted her head thoughtfully. "If you do all of that, aren't you supposed to be in charge of detention as well?"
Shizuru shrugged gently. "I delegate some of my lesser duties."
The brief, almost haughty remark caused a toothy grin to tug at the underclassman's lips. Had she just seen a little upper-crust attitude come out in the older woman? Cute. "Oh I see how it is. No time for us delinquents, hm?" Natsuki hummed with a nod and a raised brow.
Shizuru's lip quivered as she fought back a snigger. "Bad influences, the entire lot of you."
That lone comment caused a bark of laughter to escape Natsuki's mouth. She doubled over shaking her head, causing those beautiful long blue-black locks to frame her face.
A smile bloomed across Shizuru's lips as she took in the rich sound of the underclassman's laughter. It was melodic, alluring and strangely caused tightness in the Kaichou's stomach. She decided right then and there that she rather enjoyed being the cause.
Leaning back, Natsuki wiped the under part of her eyes and cleared her throat. "So what about you, have you known Mai long?" She questioned after regaining a measure of equanimity.
"Hm." Shizuru pondered. "Since she started Fuuka Academy." She nodded. "I was asked to show her around until she adjusted to campus life."
"I see." Natsuki nodded. "I ask because until that day I came to get her from the Student Council room, I'd never seen you two together."
"Ah – "
Natsuki's brows rose slightly.
"Mai and I…" Shizuru paused for a moment to contemplate her choice of words. "We don't really 'hang out' per se." That sounded fine she supposed. It was the truth after all. "She assists the Student Council, that's mainly the times we are together. Though, we are friendly and polite when we see each other outside of that setting as well."
Emeralds flickered with interest. "So… Who do you hang out with?" The underclassman's lips pursed slightly.
There was a brief silence as the older woman considered the question. Her mind sought out one person outside of school functions, but no names were forthcoming. After a moment her brows dipped and she glanced over to Natsuki who sat expectantly. "Mm, no one I suppose."
"No one?" That voice sounded a little shocked. "Well what about your friends?" Surely the woman had friends at least! She was one of the most sought after people on campus, or so she had heard… Though, from spending just a short amount of time with Shizuru tonight, she could easily understand why so many vied for her attention. The woman was poised, confident, radiated modesty despite her obvious high status within the Academy, and perhaps least important (but still important) she was drop-dead gorgeous. She had thought that the very first time she had met the woman.
Chance encounter indeed… Lucky for her she had promised to meet up with Mai in the Student Council room that night. When she laid eyes on those curious colored blood red eyes she had been instantly intrigued. It seemed until this point, until today, the timing for them to do more than just occasionally greet one another in passing had never been right.
Shizuru tapped her index finger against her knee. "Outside of school functions I'm afraid I don't really have many… Friends." Her voice sounded a little detached. "I suppose I have more acquaintances."
It was true; no one really sought Shizuru Fujino out for friendship. Even the hoard of fangirls that constantly surrounded her, following her every move weren't there to be friends with her. They tagged along seeking status by association. She had always been sweet and obliging, despite thinking them a bunch of morons.
"Well…" Natsuki said, clearing her throat afterward and averting her eyes across the room. "Despite the fact that after we were introduced, you still ignored me…" A slow smile started to spread across her lips.
Shizuru blinked, but remained silent.
"…And even though I went out of my way countless times to strike up conversations in the hallway, and when I would see you out on campus…" The dark haired girl continued that smile growing by the second. "I would like very much if –"
She wasn't sure why exactly, but her face began to feel rather warm as she struggled to finish her sentence. Where the hell were these nervous feelings coming from all the sudden! "We could be friends?" Her brows rose the second the sentence was spat out. Her gaze focused back on the upperclassman, half expecting a hell no or something equally demoralizing.
But when emerald met crimson, Natsuki's breath caught in her throat at the sight. Those blood red eyes were soft, and a little shimmery under the dim lighting of the living room. "Shizuru?" She questioned, her voice dropping slightly.
Shizuru had to take a moment before responding due to the constricting feeling in her chest. No one had ever come right out like that and asked to be her friend. Yet here was this mysterious biker coming to her with no expectations or requirements. It was quite a humbling experience, one that caught Shizuru very off guard.
"Ara… I would like very much to be Natsuki's friend." She finally replied, her voice barely a whisper.
A warm smile slowly made its way onto Natsuki's lips, creasing her cheeks just slightly. "Then it's settled…" Something inside radiated affection toward the upperclassman. "Friend."