Live and Lost
Author's Note: [4/5/09] So I finally decided to look over the last chapters before I decided to update. I was really disappointed in myself seeing that I needed to correct quite a few things for each chapter. It was quite confusing. I managed to clear up some things that might have been like WTF? Or oooh…. I get it now or something.. maybe o,o? It's not major things that I rewrote, just fixing grammatical stuff and what nots
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and such
The sunlight shown brightly over the recovering land of Fuuka Academy. Repairs have already been made to the church that was once destroyed due to the fighting during the Carnival, and now was ready in use, unlike the other buildings. The girl's dormitory was still in minor repairs, but the girls near the bottom floors were able to live inside, as well as some of the school buildings. Everything seemed like it was all back to normal. Most of the students returned for another year. Some graduated and some transferred either due to the dormitory still being in repairs and fearing that it might trample on them in their sleep or to everything that happened: the lock-in at the school, the strange appearance of a 'dragon' and Kuga Natsuki appearing at school more often than usual as the new school year had begun.
Natsuki had finally got her act together. She started working harder in school and less on the dangerous road riding her Ducati and inside night pubs chatting with dark, mysterious figures. Most of these efforts were helped and advocated by the crimson eyed goddess, Fujino Shizuru– her best friend. Shizuru had moved in with Natsuki into their own apartment, away from the academy, during the middle of their summer vacation, so she could help Natsuki with school work. Also it would be easier than going up and down a flight of stairs in a crowded, unsafe building.
The chestnut hair beauty awoke from her fabulous dream that was filled with the blunette in many revealing and embarrassing outfits, in the younger girl's perspective. Ara… what a nice way to start a new day. She smiled and slowly crept out of the queen sized bed not wanting to wake Natsuki from her deep slumber. She tucked the other girl in and wiped her mouth from any drool before leaving to the bathroom. She made this "routine" a habit to ever since they moved in with each other. She never had the heart to tell Natsuki in fears of the younger girl staying up all night till she fell asleep and waking up earlier than her so she wouldn't see the cute display.
Shizuru had continued her previous morning schedule from when she used to live alone, but she added just a few things: to leave and prepare things for Natsuki. When she finished brushing her teeth, she put some toothpaste on the blue toothbrush for ready use. After she took her shower, she made sure to lay out a clean blue towel. And after she got dressed, she laid out an outfit on her side of the bed that the younger girl would obviously reject but in hopes that one day Natsuki would actually decide on wearing.
After the latter got dressed and was ready to take on the day, she walked out of their bedroom and into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. She would always prepare their meals with a cup of tea for herself and a giant bottle of mayonnaise and water for Natsuki. She still found it hard to believe that Natsuki would almost eat anything with mayonnaise on it. She dreaded giving the blunette more of the white poison but it was the only thing that could liven up the younger girl's mood in the morning. Normally the younger girl would wake up about the time the food was done. And just on time, she did, like usual. The blunette walked hazily out of the bedroom and sat down in her normal seat. Shizuru prepared the table with the chopsticks, two bowls full of ramen, her tea, and Natsuki's mayo.
Natsuki silently whispered, "Iikidakimasu" and picked up her chopsticks and poured a copious amount of mayonnaise on her ramen, stirred it, and started eating. Before she started eating her own food, the crimson eyes always travelled onto the emerald ones. It enjoyed Shizuru to no extent on spending time with the younger girl.
"Mai invited us to a 'HiME Rangers' gathering today." Natsuki spoke with her mouth full.
Shizuru finished her food in her mouth and spoke clearly, "Natsuki, don't eat with your mouth full. And wouldn't Sugiura-san be the one to invite us instead of Mai-san?"
Natsuki kept chewing as she nodded in agreement. "Well, when Mai called, she said that baka-sensei was having a hangover at her place and told her to call everyone for the meeting for her." She paused and added more mayo to her food. She looked up to meet the crimson eyes and flinched. She knew that Shizuru already hated her for eating mayonnaise in practically every meal. She gulped. "Do you want to go?"
Shizuru calmly put her utensils down to take a napkin and wipe her mouth from any unwanted watery spots. "Natsuki, stop talking with your mouth full. It's very impolite."
"It's just you." She continued to talk with her mouth full of ramen.
"Ara, does Natsuki-chan consider me very close then?"
Natsuki choked on the food that was in her mouth. The latter giggled to herself quietly observing the younger girl's reaction. "Whatever! Anyways! Are we going or not?"
"Ara ara, Natsuki-chan is so mean to me." Shizuru turned away and looking emotionally hurt as she pressed her hands to her heart signaling pain.
"What!? I am SO not mean!"
"Ara… Natsuki doesn't need to yell at me…" She appeared more distressed than the first comment. It seemed to only worsen as time passed as faint sobs reached the younger girl's ears.
"Ughh… Shizuru… this is serious!" Natsuki tried remaining as calm as she could. She absolutely hated it when Shizuru played a damsel-in-distress and played her out to be the mean witch.
Shizuru slowly turned her head towards the very frustrated girl. "Of course we'll go." She gained back her more formal voice. "Why? Did you have plans?" An idea came to her. "Ara… Did Natsuki have plans with her secret lover…? It's okay then, I guess, I am just your best friend after al—"
"—Shizuru! And no I don't have a lover!"
"Would you like one?" Shizuru looked at Natsuki with seducing puppy dog eyes.
Natsuki blushed furiously. She wondered how that combination was even possible: cuteness with raw sexiness. Well it seems like Shizuru can pull it off. Well it is Shizuru. "Would you cut it out?! And actually! YES! I did have plans."
"With who?" Shizuru looked suddenly disappointed, but she knew that Natsuki had a life outside of their safe haven.
Natsuki averted her gaze from the piercing, saddened, crimson eyes and to the walls and floor. "I was planning… for us to go… somewhere… alone…" She lowered her speech as she finished her sentence.
The brunette perked up when she heard the last word. "Ara? Natsuki wants to spend time alone with me? But… what are we doing right now?" Shizuru wanted to dig deeper. She wanted to know what her beloved was thinking. Is she going to ask me out on a… date? She didn't want to get her hopes up. So she pushed the thought away.
"This is different!"
"How?" Her retort was as fast as the younger girl's exclamation.
Shizuru could see how frustrated Natsuki was getting. She looked adorable when she was frustrated… mad, sad, happy… well heck! She's downright cute! "Well, this is normal stuff! I was planning for us to go somewhere special…"
Natsuki's voice dragged on. Shizuru was barely able to make out the last word she spoke. "Ara, is Natsuki asking me out on a date?" She added some confidence in her voice, even though she was petrified if Natsuki was going to say 'no'. She hated being disappointed, especially in matters concerning Natsuki.
"NO!... maybe… Well you can think of it like that… if you want!" Natsuki turned to the side with her arms crossed and away from the slightly blushing girl in front of her. The blunette didn't want to be caught with a reddening face.
"Ara…" Shizuru was stunned with happiness and relief. She became speechless, for a few more seconds till she was snapped out of her trance.
"Well it's too bad. Since I knew you were going to say 'yes' to going, I already told Mai that we're going to go." Both of them looked very saddened. How they wished they didn't have to go. But they didn't want to let the others down. It had been quite awhile since they met up with the rest of their friends.
"Well that settles it." Shizuru rose up from her seat. She took her empty bowl and cup with her to the sink.
The concerned emerald eyes followed the taller girl. "Shizuru! You're not mad at me… are you?" The taller frame turned to meet the crestfallen emerald eyes and sank into their sea.
"Of course not. I was just stating the obvious." Shizuru gave an innocent smile to the younger girl. Natsuki looked flabbergasted from the brunette's response. Shizuru walked up to her and took her dirty dishes and started cleaning them up.
After an hour of doing their own individual morning routines, they were finally ready. Shizuru finished the dishes and cleaned up their room. After Natsuki finished eating, she took off her clothes right when she got into their bedroom and closed the door. While waiting for Natsuki to get ready, Shizuru would read a book on tea ceremonies. She took a quick shower afterwards, which is normally 15 minutes, and got dressed, which is 30 minutes due to her indecision on her outfit for the day, clearly dismissing whatever Shizuru had chosen for her.
Downstairs of their apartment building, they walked over to the Ducati's parking space. Shizuru put on her purple helmet that she specifically customized when she moved in with the blue haired girl. She touched the purple design that had three serpent heads with a metallic black as the background color of the helmet. She still remembered that day as if it was yesterday.
"Shizuru, you need your own helmet!" Natsuki fixed her leather gloves making sure they were a tight fit. Shizuru was standing next to the shiny black motorcycle with Natsuki's helmet in her hands.
"But I like Natsuki-chan's! I don't want my own!" Shizuru loved wearing Natsuki's helmet. It held so many memories.
Natsuki shot her head up to meet the pleading ruby eyes. "I said 'no' and that's final. We're going to the shop now to pick one up." Shizuru's face turned into a questioning look. "You can even get it customized." Her face did not change. "I'll even pay for it!"
"Ara… If Natsuki insists…" Shizuru put the helmet on with a hidden smile. She wasn't going to pay for something she didn't want in the first place. And she did want her friend to have a helmet to wear since they rode on the motorcycle quite frequently.
"Shizuru!" Shizuru snapped out of her daydream and turned her head to the owner of the voice. Natsuki was already sitting on the bike with the engine roaring for her to get on. Shizuru tightened the claps under her chin and shut the visor down. She sat right behind the younger girl and tightened her grip against Natsuki's slender frame.
The Ducati sped off without another thought.
Omake:
Shizuru and Natsuki are reading the story from an iPhone.
Shizuru: -sobs-
Natsuki: What's wrong, Shizuru?
Shizuru: We're…
Natsuki: We're not what?
Shizuru: We're not a couple –cries-
Natsuki: But! But! We are a couple!
Shizuru: But I want us to be a couple in the story too!
Natsuki: -in slight panic- Uhh! I'll call the author to change it!
Shizuru: -face brightens- Really…?
Natsuki: Course! –takes the phone and calls the author- Author?
Author: -dark ominous creepy voice- yessss…
Natsuki: O.O nevermind!
Shizuru: What happened?
Natsuki: Too scary! –grabs Shizuru-
Okay that Omake sucked haha. First one. And Last.
So for those who've read the story, just read the author's notes at the beginning of each chapter to know what I've changed or added, if I did o,o.
