"This thing is seriously getting on my nerves," Natsuki growled, frustrated, as she adjusted the beret on her head. She obsessed over the headgear's appearance, using her hand to hold down one side and crease the beret's peak with the other. Finally, she dropped her hands and looked at the taller, handsome, black-haired girl in front of her, "I think they issued me the wrong size. How do I look?"
"It fits your head, you're worrying too much," Chie pushed up her glasses and took a step back, observing Natsuki's attire. Hundreds of young men and women standing around them in the wood line wore the same outfit and berets. The same digitally camouflaged uniform. All in all, the bluenette looked stunning in the combat uniform and tan boots. Unlike the many girls in training with them she was not issued a larger, baggy size-as most receptionist that issued their gear upon their arrival to boot camp could care less about the sizes they gave them. Chie let out a hum and gave her the thumbs up, "Looking like a real good-looking soldier, battle buddy!"
Natsuki scoffed, looking at Chie. The uniform fit her perfectly in form and height. Her hair, although dangerously close to breaking the regulations for uniform and appearance, was still in the messiest fashion she could manage without getting chewed out by the drill sergeants. At the back of her neck rested the tiniest nub and excuse for a bun that the young woman was required to tie up. Natsuki remembered first arriving to boot camp and first meeting Chie and, through two months of sharing an open shower with fifty other females, saw her muscles had grown significantly larger. Natsuki almost crosses her arms, but stopped the motion their training had prohibited them from doing. Instead, she kept them at her sides, "Forget me, you look the sharpest here. Your girl is sure to love seeing you in this. Is she coming today?"
Chie chuckled, "Why thank you," she rested a hand on the top of her beret, "And of course, she's coming! I can't wait, two and half months away from home and here we are on the field! Graduating boot camp!"
Her grin widened, staring past the wood line. Just beyond the trees the hundreds of graduating soldiers hid amongst, the graduation field stood and countless friends, families, wives, husbands, boyfriends, and girlfriends sat in the bleachers. Chie knew Aoi would be among them and the waiting would be over.
Natsuki pushed her shoulder with a grin, her excitement completely relatable as the others wishing to meet their loved ones. Just letters and no phone calls, completely separated from the world, yeah, they wanted to go ahead and run out of the woods. "Correction, Harada. Graduation is tomorrow. Today's family day."
"Whatever, Kuga, I still get to drive around with her!" Chie was shaking with such excitement that Natsuki worried she'd faint and be marked as a heat casualty on their day, "And I get to eat fast food~" she drooled, missing the fatty foods of the urban world. She would not miss the chow they had to eat the past few months.
"Careful with that, wouldn't wanna get sick," Natsuki cautioned, but wanted to go and eat some pizza or burgers herself.
The handsome soldier chuckled, "It'd be worth it." She then looked at Natsuki with both curiosity and concern, "Nevermind me, what about you? Is your girl coming?" She walked alongside Natsuki towards the firebreak in the woods, sand covering their boots.
With a sigh and averting her gaze from Chie, Natsuki grabbed a cup and filled it from the water buffalo attached to the armored vehicle. "I don't know..." Natsuki said quietly after a sip of cold water. They emphasized hydration in training and the day was hot. A glimmer shown in the emerald eyes.
"Hey... no crying now." Chie placed a hand on her shoulder. She had seen Natsuki cry a few nights ago on her bunk, a letter in hand. She didn't ask what happened, but repeated what she said to her that night, "Don't worry too much. Everything will work out."
"Her parents didn't like their daughter dating someone wanting to become a soldier. They refused to let her drive up here." Natsuki's eyes lowered, growing increasingly upset, "So I really don't know."
"It's not the end of the world though," Chie told her as they left the water buffalo and stepped out of the firebreak. Natsuki was downing the last of the icy water the privates flocked to in the heat, "After this, we'll have our phones. You could finally call and stuff. It's something at least and she won't be too far then, right?"
Another sigh, "You get to see your loved ones. Me, Yuuki, and tons of others won't. I'll just hang with Yuuki today if Shizuru isn't here." Natsuki threw away the cup in a nearby trash bag.
Chie stopped in her tracks for a while. She supposed it did suck for the people that couldn't have anyone visit the fort for their graduation. They have anticipated the day for quite a while. Finding out such a thing crushed even the toughest.
"Hey! Start forming up!" Shouts came from the distance and older men and women, wearing the same uniforms, but round brown hats, walked about the woods. The drill sergeants, standing tall, proud, and the epitome of professionalism, used their booming voices to call the trainees to their respective company areas. Although scary and hard on their recruits, they were truly proud to have raised another excellent generation of soldiers.
Chie quickly followed after Natsuki as they broke into a run-their habit of having to run everywhere deeply etched into them.
"Hurry up!" One of their company drill sergeants hollered, almost angrily, "It'll be just like how we rehearsed!"
The formation fell into place quickly and easily. With one last glance around before having to fixate her gaze forward, Natsuki saw the various companies in the battalion formed up in certain areas of the woods. Natsuki and Chie were beside each other in the third rank, or row. The formation had the shortest girls, ocassionally boys, in the front as the tallest stood in the back.
She heard the announcer at the podium begin speaking to the audience.
"Hey," their drill sergeant turned and grinned, "No one trip and eat dirt now."
Natsuki thought, Shit this is just gonna get messed up and reform in a moment. We didn't really have to line up.
Suddenly, the families in the bleachers cheered and roared. Without an effort, the drill sergeants left the formations and towards the woodline, hiding their presence behind the trees. Natsuki looked in awe of their instructors, holding colored cans in their grasp. Shit, she thought.
A loud boom rang through the air, followed by the whistles of several fake mortars. All at the same time, the drill sergeants flicked the pins off the grenades in their hands and threw the cans out of the woods.
Colored smoke filled the air and several mortars went off again, the whistles drawing out the training in the privates as the each shouted in one thunderous roar together, "INCOMING!"
They stormed forward with sprints into the blinding smoke, following each person in front of the other. Natsuki kept her eyes on the girl in front, trailing her, attempting not to choke on the smoke that masked the graduates from the families in the bleachers. Her eyes soon searched for their company guidon. The flag came into view through the smoke and she followed. Natsuki eventually felt Chie's hand on her shoulder, guiding her forward. Another hand was on her back as Natsuki guided them forward until, finally, they halted in the smoke in the same formation they previously stood in.
Other privates choked and gagged from the colored smoke coming into their lungs. Natsuki held her breath.
As the smoke cleared, heavy rock music began playing and the civilians in the bleachers roared louder than before. The voices blended as each called out their graduate's name.
While the smoke disappeared and the heavy music played, the companies marched forward across the large field. The cheers and cries from families did not soften, but seemed to grow louder and louder. Natsuki's heart pounded in her chest as the closed the distance. Chie fought a smile, too close to the front to break her military bearing in front of the hundreds in front of them.
Soon, the companies halted and stood at attention as the music faded and the families continued to cheer until the speaker began his introductions. Natsuki tuned out. The speeches during their graduation practice bored her to death. It bored everyone to death as they had to stand in the agonizing heat, fighting to lock their knees and accidentally pass out.
As the intro closed, the awards were handed out to outstanding trainees for shooting, leadership, and PT scores. It passed into handing out citizenships to the foreign born trainees and eventually the recital of the Soldier's Creed. That, they recited from their diaphragms, making sure to sound loud, thunderous, and in unison to impress their loved ones with the creed they took to protect Windbloom from dangers both foreign and domestic.
Natsuki was getting antsy. The whole time her eyes searched vainly for the crimson-eyed brunette in the shaded bleachers. She searched from left to right but cursed the distance they had from the bleachers and the hundreds of faces making it increasingly difficult as they blended together.
"We ask that families please refrain from jumping over the protective railings and stairs," began the speaker, the comment drawing laughter from eager families that had seriously considered jumping, "and please exit to the field in an orderly manner to find your soldier."
As the families stood up, Natsuki's eyes searched again. Soon, the bodies moved-and quickly, too-as the guards opened up the gates to the stairs.
People flooded onto the field towards the formations. None of the graduates moved a muscle, instructed not to move a muscle, not to smile, call out names, or even so much as blink until their families found them through their own effort. The anticipation built up as even Chie grumbled beneath her breath and Nao diagonally to the front of her clenched her fists with a saddened look in her eyes.
She saw the first family crash into a soldier in their formation, crying out their name in tears as they walked away to spend the day together. A pain shot through Natsuki's chest. Please be here... she begged within her thoughts, Please...
One by one, the soldiers disappeared as their loved ones found them. Natsuki searched and searched, but still no sign of Shizuru. Shit, what if she really isn't here? She blinked several times, eyes glistening, What if her parents really did stop her? A lump formed in her throat. Her own parents, too, Natsuki realized could not even make time to see her. She was almost convinced she would be spending the day with Nao.
A beautiful brunette with her back towards them did, indeed, come into view. Natsuki's heart fell. The woman's was hair braided and pulled over one shoulder. As she turned to look over the company with deep blue eyes, she ran towards them, pushing past some soldiers that did not mind the action, "Chie!"
Natsuki was beginning to lose it. A single tear escaped and she stopped the rest, attempting to ignore her best friend's reunion beside her.
Chie, now able to smile and move now that her love found her, tightly wrapped her arms around Aoi and buried her face into the soft braids. Tears escaped from both. It had been too long of a wait, "Oh, I've missed you so much..." Aoi whispered, fingers digging into the dark hair and grasping her soldier tighter as if she would disappear.
Chie visibly shook, any tough barriers she had created disappearing with Aoi present, "I've missed you, too, Aoi," her voice cracked, "I've missed you so much... By god, I'm so happy to see you," she took in everything. Her scent, the feeling of her hair, her skin, her voice. Everything. The two months had been worth the wait and the two truly felt much stronger than they had been.
Natsuki's face was forward but she watched from her peripheral, a few more tears escaping as she watched the two exchange a kiss before running off the field. She clenched her teeth and kept forward, thankful the sweat and sun hid the small amount of tears.
She should feel happy for Chie, and she was, but at the same time she was horribly jealous. Jealous of not only her best friend, but everyone who had their loved ones that day.
She felt childish, but it wasn't fair. It just wasn't. All the letters, all the plans she and Shizuru had, all just ruined. Because of her parents' refusal. What was so wrong with Shizuru being with a soldier? Because they thought it would never amount to anything? Just pain and complications for their daughter? Natsuki knew those were the last things she would want Shizuru to feel.
"Oi, Kuga," a stern voice in front started. The redhead in front of her did not move her head, "I can't see you, but I can smell the damn tears from here. It fucking sucks. I know. I'm fucking bummed too, but you've got to calm down." She said the last sentence in a surprisingly calm and soothing voice.
Natsuki stopped her thoughts and looked around with her eyes. With no one in sight, she quickly brought up an arm to wipe her face. The pain in her chest remained, but her head leveled out again, "Thanks, Yuuki..."
"No prob, battle." Nao suddenly paused and ceased all talking. Natsuki wondered what got her. Maybe the drill sergeant saw her speaking? Or maybe she saw her own family coming to surprised her?
No, Natsuki thought, but this is definitely a surprise. My surprise. The bluenette suddenly saw her. The gorgeous brunette, with desperately searching crimson eyes, walked past Nao and turned to meet eye to eye with Natsuki.
As if never moving at all, Shizuru's arms were suddenly around her neck and the space between their bodies nonexistent, "Natsuki..." the honey coated voice whispered into her ear, sending a wave through her body. "I'm sorry I took so long.."
"Shi... zuru...?" Natsuki was stilk in shock, but her arms were locked tightly around the older woman, chin on her shoulder, "You're really here...?" Her fingers gently pressed into the brunette's back and she nestled her face into Shizuru's neck. Breathing in the sweet scent, touching her, hearing her voice, she just had to make sure it was real. That she was real.
Ever since receiving the letter that she would be unable to come because of her parents, Natsuki had had countless dreams of meeting Shizuru again. Only in those dreams Shizuru would just disappear or the dreams would be interrupted. Natsuki stood there, deathly afraid it would happen again. She began shaking as her embrace showed no signs of loosening because of her fears of losing Shizuru like the dreams.
Shizuru only smiled, not minding one bit having Natsuki hold her as such. Feeling her love's warmth after so long was invigorating and something she had learned to appreciate on another level of its own. It made her believe it was real as well. She tangled her fingers deeper into the soft, dark blue hair and pulled back just enough to kiss Natsuki's soft lips. "Hai, I'm here, my Natsuki." The crimson eyes glistened with the joy that her lips showed in her smile. A giggle escaped the brunette, "Or shall I say my soldier Natsuki?"
The soldier let out a relieved sigh and pushed for another kiss, perhaps with a bit much force, but real enthusiasm. Shizuru smiled once again into the kiss, falling deeper and deeper into the passion that had grown over the two short, but long months they had been apart.
After some time, they pulled back and Natsuki pressed their foreheads together, giving another quick peck on Shizuru's nose. It brought out a beautiful giggle from the brunette and Natsuki's lips pulled back into the largest, brightest smile she had ever shown to the woman she loved so dearly, "I'm just... so happy, Shizuru. We won't have to be apart much longer after this,"
She truly felt a new surge of energy and confidence to finish the last phase of training approaching now that she had seen Shizuru. They both needed this. Shizuru took her hand and kissed it, drawing a deep blush from Natsuki, "I am happy as well," her name then rolled sweetly off of Shizuru's tongue as she spoke again, "We will never be apart, my dear Natsuki. I love you and we will always be together. If you allow it," Shizuru kissed her hand once again, and reaching into her pocket, slipped something onto Natsuki's left ring finger.
The soldier's heart pounded faster than any time she ran, a deep red engulfing the porcelain skin. Before Shizuru could have the chance to speak more, add to her proposal, Natsuki drew her in and pressed their lips together once more, exclaiming as she pulled back with a joyous laughter and smile, "Yes! I do!"
Shizuru's heart picked up, feeling complete and utter happiness and bliss seeing the joy in Natsuki. She would want this, to make her Natsuki this happy for as long as they lived. No matter her parents. No matter how many times they moved because of Natsuki's Army occupation. No natter how long they would possibly be apart. No matter what happened.
Natsuki, holding Shizuru tenderly, brought up a hand to cup her cheek and stare absolutely lovingly and adoringly into the crimson eyes, "Always and forever. I love you so much Shizuru..."
A/N: Hope this third fic of mine is alright... More Mai-Hime military AU different from the last one. Memories of training and personal experience has influenced some of this since being on base (with four more days left until we go home yayy) has brought back memories of my trainee days. I had have something similar to what happened to Natsuki and at first it wasn't the most pleasant of experiences at all. But it all works its course.
I thought about continuing this somehow, but for now I'm just going to say this is a oneshot.