Disclaimer: I don't own Mai Hime.
This is a gift-fic for a friend who asked if I could write for these two. This isn't exactly a pairing fic however (Sorry Tori!), but more of the beginning of their relationship, showing how they first met up. Beginning being the key word; this is my contribution to the MaiUniverse one-shot prompt collection for the first prompt: 'beginnings'.
The characters may not seem to work well together at first glance, but try it out, you might like it. =)
She stood there, motionless over the ebony colored coffin. It was pouring heavily outside but she couldn't feel it, her body was too numb to feel anything. Her pale hands trembled as wave after wave of droplets landed on her body, soaking her all the way to her core, but she still she didn't move. "Mother…"
Nao Yuuki had been alone, out in the graveyard, for the past twenty minutes, no one else bothering to stay longer than needed. Bastards, She thought, her hands slowly balling into fits as they laid upon her deceased mother's casket, None of them care if mother died. They're just here to save face. They've never cared.
For as long as Nao could remember, all of her relatives had been aristocrats, all equipped with the pompous, slimy personalities that came with it. Not Nao's mother, though; the redhead felt her hands relax at the thought of her mother: Kind, caring, and willing to help those in need… And they all took advantage of that! The eighteen year old inwardly seethed, her otherwise dull green eyes flashing as her anger rose. They constantly complained about their 'money woes' when they obvious had more than enough cash to live pampered lives. Still, mom helped them out because "they're family". Did they ever return the favor, even when mom became sick? Did they ever try to help pay for her medical bills when mom barely had enough strength to sit up? NO!
"Damn it!" She roared, pounding her fist hard enough onto the sealed coffin to splash some of the water. "You'll pay!" She yelled as loud as she could, looking skyward as she screamed her emotions out. "You'll all fucking pay!" Her words echoed across the somber landscape of the graveyard and towards the Heavens where Nao knew her mother was now resting. "You'll all…" She grew quiet as her fury left her, staring upward to the dark gray clouds above as she was pelted by the rain. But how, mother? She asked, her emerald eyes searching the sky for an answer. Who can I ask, mother? Who do I go to, now that you aren't here? I don't…
"I don't have anyone," Nao ended, her words barely above a breath.
Suddenly, black nylon blocked her vision of the sky and she immediately knew it to be an umbrella. The gentle pitter-patter of drops hitting the umbrella's canopy was disrupted by a single word, "Ojou-sama."
Nao's eyes widened slightly as she lowered her gaze, still didn't turn around to the newcomer, "You're…" I know that voice.
The only thing that registered in the seven-year-old Nao's mind was the other girl's cries for help as she swung down the wooden plank. She batted at the first man's head until he went down, crumpled on the floor, nursing his throbbing skull. The young redhead quickly threw the splinter block of wood aside as the second man turned to her, pissed that his friend was injured.
"You little twir—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, Nao launched at him, latching onto his body and biting his hand. As the man howled in pain, she quickly got a few kicks in and turned to the other girl, yelling, "Run now!" As soon as the words left her mouth, she gasped, feeling a large, strong hand grip the back of her shirt. Her attention turned to the infuriated snarl the man was giving her, her eyes growing wide in fear.
A loud yell came from right beside them and the guy holding the seven-year-old grunted in pain. Nao suddenly found herself on the floor, blinking bewilderedly; she moved her gaze upward to find… the other girl punching the man in the gut?
The man doubled over, holding his stomach as he bent down, the wind knocked out of him. He didn't have any chance to recover as the older girl, who Nao was previously trying to save, swept her foot under the man's legs, knocking him off balance. She then grabbed his arm as he fell forward and threw him over her shoulder with a grunt, sending him toward a nearby concrete wall.
Before Yuuki could even register what had happened, she felt a tug on her arm, "Come on!" The other girl urged, sending a panicked look toward the two groaning men and then back to Nao. The redhead quickly sprung up and nearly tripped over her own feet as she was tugged out of the dark alleyway and onto the busy sidewalks of the city.
Nao guessed they must've been weaving through the dense crowd of people for a good five minutes before the other girl finally pulled them into another -less shady- passageway. The two girls slowed down to the speed of a stroll, walking toward the vine-covered gate at the far end of the alley.
Nao frowned and stopped, pulling her arm back from the girl's grasp, "Jeez, what're you trying to do? Lengthen my arm?" She rolled her dully-throbbing limb, trying to see if it was still connected to her shoulder.
The other, who had turned around after feeling Nao's wrist slip from her hand, stare on worriedly, "Oh I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Her unmistakably female voice was coated in apprehension. "I just wanted to make sure they couldn't follow us."
The young redhead slowly lifted an eyebrow, "I bashed the first guy with a wooden plank and you flung the second one against a wall. I somehow don't think they would have been able to follow us."
The other girl shook her head, her shoulder-length hair swaying slightly as she did so, "I saw the man you hit was starting to get up. We had to get out of there as quickly as possible." She gestured back to the gate, although the gesture seemed like a practiced move, far from casual, "Might I suggest we go inside the gate and rest? There's a place to sit, and it's out of the site of anyone passing by, should the men reach this far."
Nao stuffed her hands into her trouser's pockets and shrugged, trying to appear indifferent, "Sure." Not that I have anywhere else to go anymore… She was wearing overalls over a pink-and-white stripped shirt.
Once stepping inside, Nao was certain the other girl was right: they definitely wouldn't bother looking here. The area was an old playground-slash-basketball court that looked like it was barely used, if at all. It was worn-down and some of the equipment look it might collapse at any moment. It wasn't uncommon to see these kinds of places in the older parts of the city, but then again, Nao was rarely in the older parts of the city due to her upbringing.
The seven-year-old spotted the other girl brushing leaves off a nearby bench and decided to analyze her to see if she could get any information from her appearance:
She was older, that much was obvious by her height and appearance, but not by that much (maybe four, fives years tops?) Her hair color was a bright pink, distinctive enough to where she couldn't be a "redhead" anymore, and her eyes were the oddest shade of grayish-green. She wore a simple white sundress with a couple frills at the bottom and matching white sandals.
Yuuki frowned when something caught her attention and she quickly rushed over, "Hey," She started, grabbing the other girl's wrist before the older one could respond, "What's this?" She asked, her seven-year-old mind being curious about everything. She stared down at what looked like a large bruise on the side of the other's forearm.
The older of the two gasped and yanked her arm back, hugging it to her chest. "It's nothing," She hastily responded in a guarded fashion.
Nao's clear green eyes met clouded greens evenly, "It's not nothing! That bruise was huge!" Her eyes widened as her mind came to it's own conclusion, "Those guys did that, didn't they! That one guy was holding your arm while you were in the corner, so that must be it!" She glared back towards the gate, "Those bastards!"
"You don't look old enough to be using such vulgar words."
Nao turned back to the pink-haired girl to see a disapproving stare. She gave the other girl a dull look, "And you don't look like my mom," She retorted.
The other blinked, a little taken back by the reply. "I…" She finally nodded, "You're right, I apologize." She bowed.
Nao stared on, confused, "What're you bowing for?"
The taller one leaned back up, "Oh, does it bother you? I'm sorry."
The seven-year-old frowned, "And quit apologizing!"
The other one jolted a little at the increase in volume, "I'm sorr—"
"Don't!"
"—! …" The pink-haired girl bit her tongue to keep from responding, fidgeting slightly.
Lime-colored irises watched as the older girl stood there, submissively in silence. She rolled her eyes, sighing, "Look, you don't have to keep apologizing. In fact, it's kinda annoying if you do."
Pink strains of hair moved a little as the taller one shook her head, "Old habits die hard, I'm afraid. I was just trained this way."
"'Trained this way'?" Nao asked.
The other's eyes widened a fraction, as if surprised she revealed that. She then smiled, giving a pleasant, if somewhat fake look, "In any case, to answer your previous question, the men didn't give me this bruise." She explained, hoping to move the topic along seamlessly.
"What?" Nao was perplexed, "If they didn't give you those bruises, then who did? And why were they attacking you in the first place?"
The older girl's dimmed as she looked away. Her voice was low and distant, "I somehow don't think they were trying to 'attack' me." She shivered.
Yuuki watched, quickly deciding she didn't like that expression on the girl's face, She looks scared. She coughed to bring attention to herself and smirked, folding her arms over her chest, "But we sure kicked their asses, huh?" She watched as the girl indeed came back from whatever thought was scaring her, but only to give Nao a reprimanding/imploring look. The redhead's face dropped into a scowl, "Fine, fine. We 'kicked their butts'. Happy now, Hime-sama?"
"Himeno."
"Huh?"
The other girl giggled, a twinkle in her cloudy-green eyes, "My name," She explained. "My name is Fumi Himeno. And yes, I'm happy, thank you." Fumi pondered for a moment before continuing, "What's your name?"
"Uh… Nao," The redhead answered cautiously.
"Just Nao?" Fumi joked.
Nao, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes defensively, "Yeah, just Nao."
"… Oh," Fumi's smile disappeared for a second before it came back, "Alright, Nao-chan." She continued their conversation earlier once Yuuki's stance relaxed, "And I have an idea why they… came after me. I shouldn't have been using that shortcut to get here in the first place."
Nao looked around, "You come here often?" She asked, surprised to find this was Fumi's destination. It didn't really look like the place a girl like Fumi could be found hanging out in.
Himeno nodded, smiling brightly, "Yes, this is my safe heaven. You're free to use it whenever you want." She then added, "I often come here to escape from, um, my tutoring." She seemed to be choosing her words carefully, probably still conscious of her last slip-up.
Nao grinned, "The tutor that bad? Yeah, my teacher is a pain as well," Nao responded, snickering.
Fumi's expression turned miserable when Nao started snickering to herself, successfully distracted, "You have no idea…" Fumi muttered, once again shuddering as she held her bruised arm close to her body, protectively clutching it with her other hand. "'A family of the finest trained servants', huh?..."
"Hey, I just thought of something," Nao said, once again drawing Fumi's attention away from her thoughts (she didn't notice as Fumi placed a smile back on her face), "If you could disarm that one guy and throw him over your shoulder, how come you didn't take care of those two guys in the first place?"
A touch of shame and sadness mixed into Fumi's otherwise warm grin as she responded, "I was too scared to move." Foggy eyes watched as Nao's stance stiffened, probably turning uncomfortable, and quickly continued for Yuuki's sake, "But that's where you came in." Fumi bowed, the bright smile coming back, "Thank you for saving me."
"Of course," Nao frowned, "You can't just ignore something like that!"
"Most of the other passersby did…" Himeno pointed out with a hint of hidden bitterness.
Nao scoffed, "Well I'm better than those jac—" She paused, holding the last spoken sound and watched as Fumi's eyes, yet again, hardened disapprovingly, "—jerks." She ended.
Fumi smiled warmly at Nao's change of words and previous actions, "Yes, and again, thank you. You probably don't understand now, but you saved me from something horrible. I'll pay you back someday, I promise," She answered back with conviction.
"I somehow doubt that," The redhead responded casually, a knowing lilt in her tone.
"Oh? I might see you around."
"Nope!" The seven-year-old smiled smugly, "I ran away from home and I'm gonna flee the city."
Fumi's eyes widened, "But, you shouldn't!"
The grin from Nao's face dropped, "And just why not?" She then added, "It's not like it has anything to do with you anyway."
"Maybe not me," Fumi replied, "But what about your family? Won't they be worried?"
Nao's expression darkened, "No, they won't care." I'd just be 'one more issue' taken care of, after all. She thought back to the family gathering she had ran away from, feeling angered that, once again, her mom was getting frustrated over their relatives' constant whining and moaning that their lives were so hard and that Nao's mom 'had it easy'. They're the ones that keep taking her money! Mom's constantly stressed and never has any time for herself! It was right then and there that Nao decided she'd run away, get a job and become famous. She'd make enough money to keep her relatives at bay and make her mother happy!
"Even your mother and father? Won't they be worried? Won't they miss you?" Fumi asked, sadness in her words and eyes.
Suddenly, the image of her mother, crying -a wreak!- and in a state of panic, came to her mind. Yuuki winced at the image, "Mom…" The last thing she wanted to do was cause more problems for her mother.
Fumi smiled, nodding her head, "Won't she be heartbroken to find her daughter gone, disappeared without a trace?"
Nao solemnly nodded her head, the images still playing in her mind. It pained her to think she'd be the cause of her mother's suffering. I thought I could get enough money to make mom happy, but she'd be sad if I left…
Fumi walked over and took Nao's small, limp hand in hers, smiling gently, "Why don't you walk back to your house and you can talk this over with you mom, okay?" She asked, bending down a little so she was closer to eye-level with the girl four years younger than herself. After receiving yet another silent nod, Fumi leaned back up and began to lead the way, "Alright, I'll walk with you then." They started to walk toward the gate, hand in hand.
"And then I can return home for tutoring," Fumi added quietly to herself, her smile disappearing as she walked ahead of the younger girl, "… Because everyone has to face their fears eventually."
"So this is what you were training for," Nao ended.
"Yes, Ojou-sama," Fumi's response came as she stared at Yuuki's back, holding the umbrella over Nao's dripping body.
Silence passed between them, neither of them talking for a minute or two, just staring ahead. "It's been eleven years," Nao finally said, casually stuffing her hands into her pants pockets, but still not facing the older woman.
"It has, Ojou-sama."
"But why are you here?"
Nao could almost feel the grin on Himeno's face broaden without even turning around. That unmistakable voice followed, "In your mother's will it was stated that, while not gaining a whole line of servants, you would be granted one maid along with the material goods. I am yours to command for however long you employ me." There was a pregnant pause, "Let me help you, Nao-chan."
Nao shivered, whether from the cold chilling her bones or the emotions that flowed out through those last words, she didn't know.
"Let me repay the kindness you once showed me; I owe you so much, and yet I can only offer you my loyalty and services in return." She bowed, "By your command, Yuuki-ojou-sama."
"'By my—'…" Nao turned around only to find Fumi smiling warmly down at her, such gentleness in her eyes; the redhead suddenly didn't feel so cold.
"I'll always be here for you, Nao-chan."
'I'll always be here for you.' Fumi's words echoed in Nao's mind and all she could do was stare at the older woman. Someone… Yuuki turned her head, her gaze ending up on the coffin, I've found someone, mother. A small smile spread on her face, her features hidden from Fumi's view, I'm not so alone anymore, mom. You don't have to worry about me.
A second or two passed, "… Hmph." Nao looked back to her new personal maid, her smug smirk present, "C'mon, Fumi. We've got work to do." I'll see those bastards taken down one by one. Her smirk grew mischievous as she started the trek back to the entrance of the cemetery.
A light giggle erupted from Fumi, a knowing glint in her eyes, "Right away, Ojou-sama," She responded, walking dutifully behind Nao while holding the umbrella over her charge.
And that was my first contribution for the prompt project on MaiUniverse. If you'd like to check out the site, the link is on my profile. =)
I was a bit worried about Nao's characterization, I'm not sure if I characterized her correctly but I'm hoping I did. I wasn't too worried about Fumi's characterization seeing as how she basically has no personality to speak of. ^^; However! I gave her a personality in the piece, so that should automatically give me three points on the 1-10 scale for judging this story. ;)
And as for this pairing, I like it and I like writing for it, even if it is quite random. Fumi doesn't really have a personality, but if you give one that matches her general demeanour, I think they compliment each other. =) We didn't get to see much of that in this particular one-shot because I was focusing more on the meeting and start of their friendship, but had this been longer, their relationship would eventually develop but alas, not this time.
Please review! Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome! =)