Summary: Natsuki pulls a Takeda. Erh… yeah.
Rating: G.
Disclaimer: They belong to Sunrise.
A/N: Obviously set sometime after episode 9. I know absolutely *nothing* about the workings of motor-bikes! Just ignore and everybody is much happier. Promise. shifty eyes.
Oookay.
So, the bike sputtering like this probably wasn't a good sign. Or the black smoke getting coughed from the exhaust pipe in small, fat, gleefully evil clouds for that matter. If clouds could be evil. Natsuki wasn't sure on that one.
But it surely did mean one thing: some major motorcycle reparation was called for. Pronto. So - since she wouldn't be able to drive home to her apartment on a broken motorcycle anyway, she figured that she was more or less forced to take a look at the problem here in the clearing (which happened to be her usual hiding place for the 'now-disabled' bike when she *did* decide to show up for classes) near Fuuka Academy.
Quickly pulling her thick gloves off, the teenager threw them on the saddle, started rummaging through the motorcycle's storage compartment for a while before finding the wrench she was looking for, and then - albeit grumpingly - dutifully went to work.
Despite the stupid situation...
She hadn't really noticed how sunny of a day it actually *was*:
Pleasantly warm, sure, if you just stood still, closed your eyes against the broad yellow rays hitting your face, trickling down through the branches and over your body in soft patterns of drifting temperature, whisper-presses against you. All of it cosy like an extensively long-worn sweater would be, but...
Goddamn hot if you were actually *doing* manual work of any kind. Which she did happen to be.
The dark leather, heating up at the same speed as asphalt would, was already starting to slightly cling to her sweaty flesh, as faint squeaking could be heard inside the suit with each movement she made, each circle her arm performed from elbow to wrist to... unscrew/re-screw the metal nuts she had to.
It was mainly the reason why - after ten minutes of concentrated fumbling with a decidedly stubborn nut that. just. wouldn't. get. *out* - that she decided to make herself more comfortable, since she was going to be working for some time still to come like this in any case.
Natsuki tiredly let the wrench fall from her hand to the grass as she stood. She wiped her damp hands on her thighs for two seconds, then took a quick look around, just to make sure - before she unzipped, freed her arms from inside the tight inferno they had been trapped in, and let the leathers drop to around her waist. She then looked down into the storage department again, retrieved her oil-stained white tank-top from the bottom of it, donned the piece of clothing, and, jeez, those sure were two instantly happy armpits!
'Freedom!', they seemed to gasp once they were exposed to the air.
She turned back around, only to find a curious lack of shiny wrench in the grass.
/Huh? Wait. Didn't I just.../
Ah, no need to worry, *there* it was - wrapped inside one of the bleary-eyed rodent-looking orange Orphan's tentacles, sitting a safe distance away from the bike and its owner, glaring at her.
She felt her lips instantly draw back in a snarl worthy of belonging to the biggest baddest wolf in the world as a vein started throbbing dangerously near bursting point in her left temple. "Oh no you don't! Not this again! Come here, you damn Orphan!"
The Orphan in question dumbly blinked at her before staring at the pretty 'Silver Metal Object' it had picked up. The biker felt like screaming in sheer frustration. Why wouldn't the small bastards just leave her alone? What had she ever done to deserve this? First panties, and now tools! Important, important everyday *things*!
"Give it back *now* or I swear I'll make you end up looking like a Swiss cheese!"
It seemed like a good threat to make at the time... even though the glob didn't look like it understood any of the growled words directed at it. She even got as far as stretching her arm out stiffly along her side in preparation to summon one of her guns to appear -
- before the small blur of orange shot off fast into the woods like a completely unnatural hare.
"Shit!"
And, of course, there was no time to materialize weapons or call for Duran when her legs had already, obviously, decided that following in the chase was a good idea. The only clever thing to do, actually.
Just run-run-run, keep her sight locked on the jelly-like culprit bounding in front of her, and how could she not catch it? Seeing as she was already gaining on it, close, closer, damn, a mere *inch* away from brushing its back with her reaching fingertips, running as fast as she could for what felt like five minutes when her prey unexpectedly leapt to the right, up onto the branch of a tree...
And then -
Well.
Something which wasn't really in the plan:
All of a sudden, she was sort of... no longer *in* the forest. Was, in fact, flying through the nearest bush, with too much speed to even try slowing down, and... colliding *hard* with someone else on the other side once she exploded through the lump of lush greenness, dragging leaves and twigs after her in a drizzling shower. Bringing whoever the person happened to be right along with her to the ground like an unflatteringly heavy sack of potatoes.
And that was... someone's *body* which she was now situated on top of, and...
When Natsuki finally dared to look down to see who's body she had indeed tackled, she wasn't sure she could feel more mortified.
Or, that was, after a split second. Then she realised she was mortified beyond human comprehension:
Loudly swallowing, she watched as the eyes beneath, wide with unchecked surprise for a few moments, quickly let that familiarly calm, enigmatic smile creep up into them. The curving lips following suit.
The blue-haired girl sensed her face grow unbearably hot, and she could only imagine how close the colour spreading from her cheeks to her ears matched the pair of the eyes she was staring into.
Because, yeah, this was another one of those episodes she would never be able to live down, wasn't it? All of a sudden, Natsuki felt like dying quite a lot, seeing as the Universe only seemed hellbent on embarrassing her at every and all possible opportunities that happened to present themselves. Now, if the earth would just kindly open up and *swallow* her...
Shizuru on the other hand, quite unbeknownst to the female atop, was convinced she had in fact ceased to live and then gone straight to Heaven. Being near a blushing Natsuki was always wonderful - but a Natsuki in a tank-top *and* pressed firmly against her...
"S- Shizuru," was the only thing the shocked teenager was able to croak out.
One slim brow arching, and the patented Amused Smile broke through. "My, Natsuki... you are aware that there are other ways to get my undivided attention? Although I do admit to this being a very effective way - somewhat rough, but undeniably effective -"
"Please! Shizuru, just... don't speak," the younger girl squeaked, voice unusually high-pitched.
It was fact then - Natsuki was going to die from embarrassment right on the spot. As simple as that.
And, hey, while the subject of 'humiliation' was up and turned -
Whatever made Natsuki glance up from her compromising position then she wasn't sure, but the comical expression spreading across Mai's face as she chose that exact moment to round the corner and spot the two of them, sprawled further ahead on the road near the school's outdoor tennis courts...
Actually seemed so ridiculously typical, at least when it came to Kuga Natsuki's general line of luck.
end.