Author's Notes:
Hi everyone! Here is an edited version of Chapter 1. I do hope you'll enjoy it. Thanks, Please R&R.
Disclaimer: I do not own MAI HIME, just this story.
Two high school girls are pulling and pushing each other at the back gate of a local motel. Evidently, by the way they act, the two seemed more of friends than high school sweet hearts. Apparently, the scenario is starting to call the attention of the near bypassers. Since it is Valentine's day one shouldn't be surprised over this scene. But still, the conversations between the two are a bit peculiar.
"Natsuki, let's go!" Nao said, pulling the blue haired goddess by the collars away from the motel.
"No! I'll talk to her. There must be a good reason why she is with Yuuchi!" Natsuki said in a trembling tone refusing to leave with her best friend.
"Give it up, man! Let's just go somewhere else…" Nao said in an annoyed tone followed by a deep sigh. "Natsuki, they are in a motel!
"A M-O-T-E-L! Are you supposed to take a friend with you in a motel? On Valentine's Day?" Nao and Natsuki looked at each other in disgust. "Well, this thing right here, between us is an exception… cause technically, you're not taking me to a motel to screw me, we're here cause you need to see for yourself if Mai and Yuuchi really are dating, Which, I'm telling you, is as true as fuck!"
"I think I should hear from Mai." Natsuki said as she pulled the reluctant Nao to the entrance of the motel.
"Natsuki, snap out of this! They're dating! Even more, they're sleeping with each other! Will you take a friend to a motel to do a stupid homework? God! Nats, have a little bit of sense back in your head let's just leave." Nao almost killed her friend with her angry tone. A part of her is very pissed at Natsuki for letting herself fall for someone who doesn't see her worth and another half is sorry for Natsuki for being so blinded by her feelings for Mai. Under any normal circumstance, Natsuki will not allow them to be humiliated like this. She knew better. But she's a mess. Her feelings for Mai made her this desperate and although that was something Nao disagrees with, she decided not to leave her friend alone.
"You know what, you can go. I'll catch up with you in the coffee shop." Natsuki said. Her eyes red and watery.
"alright... I'm staying but Nats, what are you gonna tell her?" Nao asked in an impassive monotone voice.
"I'll tell her that I saw her and Yuuchi get in this motel together. Then I'll ask her about who and what I really am in her life." Natsuki said with a feeling of empowerment in her voice.
"okay, goodluck talking to h.."
"Hey, who's talking to who?" An orange haired girl beside a tall guy interrupted as they walked closer to the two girls.
"Mai?" The two surprisely said unminding the tall man beside Mai who was enjoying himself holding Mai's arm and by rubbing the back of his palm on the girl's breast.
"Oh, hey, Mai, what a surprise! You're here." Natsuki said. Trying to cover the jealousy in her voice.
"Yeah... so ahm what are you two doing here?" Mai said raising an eyebrow on Natsuki.
"Well we are… we 're here to get some coffee and a nice walk around to ahm... lose some weights, Mai." Natsuki was completely out of her mind with that damn excuse but she didn't care whether Mai bought it or not. The jealous expression on Mai's face was all she needed to calm herself down.
"Oh, I see, but isn't your fave coffee shop just four streets from the dorm, completely opposite from this direction? Nats, I see you're badlydetermined to lose some fats." Mai smirked like a sex goddess.
"Yeah. She has tons of unwanted toxins to burn before she gets really crashed and burned to the nth time...ouch!" Nao's ironic speech was interrupted by Natsuki's pinch.
"We're going see you later, Mai." Before Mai can even answer Natsuki was grabbing Nao's back. "Let's go, beyotch"
"Quit messing up my uniform, Chicken shit!" Nao teased.
For a year and a half, all Natsuki Kuga did was love Mai. Yet, that love was never reciprocated. Mai frequently teased Natsuki. Mai often says that girls around Natsuki are making her jealous. Whenever the two of them are alone, Mai would say things that would give the raven-haired girl chills down the spine. Although Mai is fully aware of the other gir'ls feelings towards her, she seemed to just play with it, torturing Natsuki with the teasing and the empty flirting. The saddest part Natsuki is going through in Mai's hands is her confusion. If or not Mai has intimate feelings for her remains a mystery to this date. But day by day, the blunette's feelings for Mai is intensified. And though she has a few admirers from both sexes, the raven haired beauty can't see anyone else.
"...all I'm saying is that, a lot of other girls are out there, Nats. Just leave this one alone." Nao said calmly, before lighting another cigarette, hoping to convince the other girl to forget her feelings for Mai.
"You don't get it, Nao, I'm in love with her."
"Natsuki, she's going out with someone else. Forget her. Move on."
"I still have to hear from her."
Nao let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, it really is your call. I'm tired of telling you the right thing as you do otherwise." Natsuki looked passively at the other girl.
"Ok, I need to go home and change. Meet me at the club." Natsuki said while throwing away a cigarette butt.
"Later at the club, I want you to meet some nicer people! And hopefully, hook up with 'em"
"And later I want you to meet a nice person who won't allow you to hook up with someone else" Natsuki said, while starting to walk away.
"You could only wish so much!"
Natsuki is hurriedly combing her hair while mentally reading another text message from Nao. This is Nao's seventh text message since the turn of the hour.
Get ur butt hir already!
"God, Nao! You never learned to wait."
After spraying her favorite cologne, There was an unexpected doorbell. Natsuki rushed to open the door.
"I thought you'll meet me at the... Mai?"
"Hey, I see you're going out?" Mai said in a very disappointed tone while keenly eyeing Natsuki.
"You, ahm, wanna come in?" Natsuki blushed upon seeing the other girl
"Aren't you late for something?"
"It's okay. Nao won't even notice my absence." Natsuki said while turning off her still vibrating phone.
"Would you like anything?"
"I'm fine. I just came to see you."
"Really?" Natsuki can feel her cheeks turning red. 'That's so sweet. You came here to see me?'
"So, I see, since Nao is always around, you don't even have the audacity to call me anymore. Is she taking you away from me?" Upon hearing those words from Natsuki's face blushed. The sensation of Mai's finger tips through her face made her flush all the blood.
"Mai, no one will ever equal your importance." Natsuki blurted out in a broken voice. Mai's gestures are making her hard to speak. The orange head's touch stirred the sensation inside her pants.
"That's nice to hear." Mai said while almost closing the distance between them. She playfully kissed Natsuki's left ear while rubbing her chest against Natsuki. Mai leaned forward to hug Natsuki tighter.
"Mai, are you dating Yuuchi?" Natsuki asked hoping Mai would say No.
"Yes." 'Could it be any more obvious?'
"Is it serious? Do you love with him?" there was the awkward look on Natsuki's eyes. Mai paused before answering the question. She smiled like she knew exactly what was going on in Natsuki's head.
"I'm not sure..." Mai said while backing away from the hug. "Maybe I like someone else." As she moved away from the blunette, Mai brought her index finger on Natsuki's face, caressing it seductively.
"Someone else? Who might that be?"
Mai smiled as she fixed herself to leave. "Nats, it's getting late. I've to go." Before leaving the orange haired kissed Natsuki's lower lip. "Bye."
Mai took off leaving the raven haired girl speechless and very, very unsatisfied.
Natsuki entered the noisy bar and started to walk over to the very familiar spot she usually occupied along with her best friend Nao.
"Hi! It's a bit crowded in here, Mind we'd go somewhere quiet so I can love that ass?" She whispered to the red head who just noticed her arrival.
"Sure. I don't think you afford it." The red head answered in a flirty tone.
"Oh! Like I'd shove up a cent to touch you!"
"It was your idea." Nao quickly answered. "What took you long? You just missed the opportunity to meet someone with a very nice body and interesting accent."
"Mai came to see me." The raven haired said. Blocking the other topic.
"Really?"
"She said she's not sure if she likes Yuuchi, that she might like someone else, she kissed me, Nao."
" I'd hate to tell you this again, but Natsuki, don't you think she's just playing with your emotions?" upon hearing her words, the raven haired furrowed her brows.
Natsuki can now predict the next words that Nao will say. Instantly, she warned the red head. "Be careful, Zhang"
"I'm just telling you to not let your guard down, there are a lot of other people in the world that are not as complex to read as Mai Tokiha. Why don't you try to hang out with the girl I was telling you about a while ago?"
"Okay, listen..." Natsuki is already pissed with Nao. In her perspective, when someone sees a dim light of hope in a very unlikely situation like what she has with Mai, the best friend should be telling her to keep on. Nao's actions are the exact opposite. "... first stuff, Mai isn't a player… Don't roll your eyes on me, Nao. Second, there's only one person in the world that made me feel as crazy as I am now and that is Mai, third, you sucked as a match maker." Natsuki said the third sentence to lighten the situation between her and Nao.
"I bet I won't suck on this one"
"Where's she anyway?"
"Must be somewhere else with the prince of charm."
"You mean, Reito Kanzaki?"
"Exactly."
"She must be hot if she's with Reito."
"Poor girl waited for you till 12 then charming Kanzaki boy took her away for a cup of tea somewhere. She said they'll be back soon but I doubt if Reito'll let her take off that easily though."
"Looking for a cup of tea? When she's in a bar... hmmm, weird girl." Raising an eye brow and lifting a bottle of beer
It was Monday morning. Another boring day in the class. Nao was walking in the streets on her way to school when a blue ducati bike passed by her speeding. The wind blew Nao's skirt revealing a red panty. "Waaa! YOU PERV!" Nao yelled.
"Cheap undies! Wanna barrow mine?" Natsuki stopped two meters away from Nao to mock the other girl.
"PERVERT!"
"Good morning too, Nao..." Natsuki said removing her helmet. "Wanna ride?"
"The only thing you wanted to ride this morning is me, remember?" Nao winked. "Nice bike anyway. Is that the advanced birthday gift from your Mom you were telling me yesterday?"
"Yeah. I received it this morning. Hop on."
"Alright then." Nao rode at the back of Natsuki.
"Hey, I heard we have a newby in our section." Nao shouted while walking speedily at the corridor.
"The hell I care with another newby? There are at least four new students every year in our class and I barely remember their surnames." Natsuki accidentally bumped sideways to an unfamiliar chestnut haired girl. She managed to yell sorry without actually looking at the person.
"Good morning! I am Shizuru Fujino from Kyoto, 17 years old. It's a pleasure to meet you all." Everybody seemed to be intently listening to the charming new student who just introduced herself to Natsuki's class.
"Okay, class, I hope that you will all be friends with Ms. Fujino. Help her along since she just moved from Kyoto."
"Ms. Fujino, please occupy that third seat beside the window." Ms. Midori said while pointing the seat before Natsuki's.
On her way to the pointed chair, the new student motioned hello to Nao and looked at Natsuki.
Nao smiled back while Natsuki was in confusion. "Nao, do you know her?" Natsuki whispered to her red head seatmate.
"She was the girl I met last Friday at the bar. The one I was talking to you about." Nao answered still smiling at the chestnut haired goddess.
The bell rang signaling the end of their fourth class and vacant period. In less than a minute, the room was almost empty. Nao and Natsuki were on their way out of the room while a group of girls neared Shizuru asking the crimson eyed beauty to join them for lunch.
Nao looked at the boring scene of students walking in the corridor, the group of tall cheerleaders chatting about a possible new recruit, the soccer players laughing around complementing a new white meat in the campus, etc. and sighed. "Instant famous chick, don't you think?"
"Well, some girls have all the luck." Natsuki said indifferently.
"I'm sorry. I'm joining a friend for lunch today. But I'll try to make it up to you, ladies. Tomorrow, maybe I can join you." Shizuru politely said to the girls around her.
"Okay." One of the girls replied having a slight feeling of disappointment.
"Nao!" Shizuru called out to the red head who looked back and waited for her. "Would you mind if I'd join the two of you for lunch?"
"Oh, it would be fun. Anyway, Shizuru, this is Natsuki Kuga."
Natsuki managed to smile at the other girl who was also smiling at her. 'Damn, this new student is dead hot.'
"Nice to finally meet you, Natsuki chan."
Natsuki just nodded. She was at this point preoccupied by scanning the corridor around for Mai Tokiha.
The entire lunch had been a very awkward scenario for the three. Nao was chatting with Shizuru about her sudden transfer to Fuuka Academy at the middle of the school year. Shizuru is obviously trying to impress Natsuki with her charms. While Natsuki seemed to still be in another world thinking about Mai Tokiha while eyeing the entire school cafeteria in hope that Mai was somewhere to be found. Meanwhile students from around are looking at the new transferee and wondering why she chose to have lunch with two of Fuuka's most dangerous juvenile delinquents.
A/N: Please Read and Review. I will be editing all chapters before the finale to make this a little more bearable to your eyes.