Disclaimer: I don't own Mai HiME.
Happy birthday, Naolin!
Chapter 1: Why, Hello There
"Unemployed" was not a label Shizuru liked to slap across her forehead, which frequently led her into dead-end jobs that favored increasing her underlying violent tendencies. Having left one of said jobs (and avoiding doing twenty to life), she had been stuck in that horrid limbo and pondered once more on the lack of an unemployment check. Every once in a while, dignity had its downs.
Turned predator, Shizuru had set off on her job hunt with a promise to herself that she wouldn't pounce so soon this time. She was an experienced hunter; lame prey was not her only choice. Only now she started to wonder if she lived up to that promise, as there she was, dressed-up in that classic maid outfit—the apron, the dress, the lace, the frills. And she wasn't quite sure if she should feel glad or sad at the absence of any sort of headgear.
"Ah, Fujino-san, it suits you well!" a cheery, yet soft voice complimented from somewhere behind her.
Shizuru turned, her hair flowing out in a small, graceful arc as she found herself in eye contact with a buxom redhead that she felt like she should know. She set a warm smile on her face. "You are too kind..." Her eyes wandered downward, lips curving up a smidgen more at her rectangular find. "...Tokiha-san. And I do believe the maid-look flatters your physique quite nicely."
"Th-thank you." It wasn't the words spoken by the honey-haired bombshell that caused the pinkish tint in Mai's cheeks, but rather the bordering on suggestive tone it was delivered and the glint of something she'd rather not guess shining in burgundy irises. Swallowing her welling unease, Mai fished a dark-gold item from her pocket and presented it to the other woman. "It's a nametag, and, as you've already found out, they can be useful little things."
"Thank you." With a small bow, Shizuru gingerly took the tag and pinned it over her left breast. She spoke again with a tone no different than before, "I'm in your care."
Mai laughed a tad nervously, gesturing her hand underneath her ample breasts to behind her. "Follow me, I'll give you the tour."
"Fujino-san, the interview was only the tip of the iceberg, wasn't it?" Mai stated offhandedly as the two strolled through one of the mansion's many halls.
"Inter–" Then it hit Shizuru—that's why the redhead was familiar. "Oh yes, one has to spend at least half an hour with me before they can grasp the varied aspects of my personality."
Mai glanced at her watch—twenty-two minutes and counting. She feared, to say the least. "In any case, I think you're just what Natsuki needs."
Shizuru caught the name; Kuga Natsuki was the mistress of this particular overly sized house. When Shizuru had found her picture through some "research," to say she was enamored is an understatement. "You address her so casually."
"It's by orders. All servants have to call her either Kuga or Natsuki and '–san' is the only honorific she'll tolerate," Mai carried on in an almost breezy manner. "Although, I wouldn't immediately jump to 'Natsuki.' She threw quite a fit when a new butler called her that right off the bat. Come to think of it, I haven't seen him around lately..."
Shizuru quirked a questioning eyebrow. Perhaps she would have to test the waters a bit more carefully than she had originally planned. All pondering halted when she caught sight of a deep, dark blue just beyond the next corner.
"Oh, that's probably her," Mai reported jovially, quickening her pace. "Natsuki!"
Barely a second later, a cutely scowling face poked out around the bend. "What?"
Oo, gruff. Shizuru mused with an instant fancy.
"Natsuki, I would like you to meet your new personal maid, Fujino Shizuru," Mai announced with a sweeping hand toward the slightly wide-eyed Shizuru.
That was the position she applied for? Oh, what a wonderful day this was.
"What? Aren't you enough, Mai?" Natsuki narrowed her eyes in scrutiny at the newcomer.
"Well, to quote your father, you need some 'new blood' in your life." Mai sighed upon seeing Natsuki shy further behind the wall. "And I have to agree with him."
With a premonition that an awkward silence was coming, Shizuru stepped up to the un-wanted plate of verbalization. She bowed just enough to have a slight bend at her waist, not wanting to come off as too formal and stiff. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kuga-san. I hope that you will accept my company."
"Kuga-san" weighted her tongue in an unfavorable fashion, but she would have to deal with it for now. Still bent, she peeked at Natsuki through the shield of her bangs.
"I-I suppose..." Natsuki mumbled, shifting all the way out into view.
At this, Shizuru straightened up with a bright and genuine smile. She had wanted to speak more, but the other maid seemed to have plans of her own.
"Excellent!" Mai cheered, Shizuru half-expecting her to give a little clap of excitement. "I have to finish training Fujino-san in, but after that we'll drop by so you two can get acquainted."
Natsuki turned about-face and ambled off with a barely audible "can't wait." Mai began to wander off, but Shizuru only inched forward enough to see the swaying bottom of the retreating mistress.
Ara, jeans suit her so very well...
-.-
"Tokiha-san," Shizuru attempted to grab Mai's attention, withholding most weariness from her tone. "How many more wings does this fine example of architecture have?"
"You don't want me to answer that question." Mai held a shaky smile on her lips and met Shizuru's eyes. "Actually, let's head back. You most likely won't leave the first few wings I showed you. Even I rarely do."
The two started their long tread back to whichever wing Natsuki called home. Shizuru hadn't exactly been paying the utmost attention to the redhead's tour guide-esque commentary, finding much more entertaining options in the recesses of her not so clean mind.
Only now, when Mai's mouth functions solely consisted of breathing, did Shizuru take the time to notice how utterly casual the atmosphere was. She saw many maids busying about, but none appeared to be in a great hurry, contrary to what she was used to seeing in her past work environments. Most dawdled about, chatting while dusting off the nearest decorative vase or painting, but her attention was drawn to one particular detail.
Her own skirt, in a respectable fashion, reached down to her knees, yet a majority of the skirts she found her eyes lingering on barely made it to half-thigh. Rather than summoning up pleasant fantasies, the sight reminded her of a certain blonde ranting about how too short skirts were "littering the hallways of this dignified embankment of education." Then, of course, the mousy voice popped in with the chronic, mumbled follow-up of "establishment, Haruka-chan."
A sigh passed her lips. She, of course, hadn't minded the change in scenery in the slightest, but it had been her role as Student Council President to help enforce the rules, no matter how irreverent they were to her personal interests. It had been easy enough to push all responsibilities off onto the rambunctious Executive Committee Director, but she hadn't done it without the heartbreak of seeing that much less flesh around campus.
Back then in the good ol' years of high school, with so much as a glance in her general direction, one would assume that three little letters would be the center of her future—CEO. Yet, alas, here she was, a maid for a strikingly beautiful rich girl.
She knew it was irrational to apply for a job just because one thought one's could-be boss was hot, but she had lost the ability to think rationally after five weeks of instant ramen. Her sodium levels couldn't have taken much more, and not even her beloved tea could wrench the taste forever seared on her tongue.
"Oh!" Shizuru suddenly piped, and epiphany of sorts hitting her. Mai glanced back quizzically, but Shizuru just waved her off with an "it's nothing."
She had met Kuga Natsuki before this day. Well, at least she thought she had.
"Oi, Mai!" a slightly perturbed Natsuki called, stomping towards them.
Ara, what wonderful timing.
"Yes, Natsuki?" Mai spoke in a deadpan with a look that suggested she already knew what the dark-haired girl was after.
"Have you seen my, you know..." Natsuki paused, her face scrunched in mild concentration.
"Second drawer from the bottom." Mai strode right past the now bewildered Natsuki.
"But–"
"Look again, it's there. Now, I have to go check on the kitchen, so you'll have to excuse me."
And with that, Mai was gone. Shizuru wasn't letting this opportunity escape.
"Kuga-san, if you wish, I could aid you in your search," Shizuru offered, already heading toward the other girl.
"Hm? Oh." Natsuki's eyes finally turned to Shizuru, realizing that the new recruit was present. She shrugged non-committally. "Sure."
Hands shoved firmly in her pockets, Natsuki walked back the direction she had come from with Shizuru trailing. Now that Shizuru had Natsuki to herself, she just had to think of how to bring up her desired topic.
"Kuga-san, this may sound awkward, but..." Shizuru brought herself up to Natsuki's side, deciding just to get straight to the point. "I feel as though I've met you before."
With a glance in Shizuru's direction, eyebrows slanted in confusion, Natsuki responded, "Yeah, I saw you about half an hour ago, didn't I?"
A giggle threatened to escape, but she repressed it into a hiccup. The other's brow folded a little more. Shizuru chose to ignore her action ever happened. "But what of before today? Your face, it seems very familiar."
At that moment, when Natsuki's eyes locked with her own, she wanted nothing but to reach out and caress those cheeks. Even though her hands didn't stray from her sides, she swore she could fell that soft skin just underneath her fingertips.
"Hm, about two weeks ago in the playground across from Yamamoto's Convenience Store," Shizuru reminisced.
Naturally, in her already confused state, it didn't click in Natsuki's mind.
"It is said that hot tea can even warm one's heart," she levelly spoke the line she'd made up on the spot that distant night upon the sight of a crumbling girl on a swing.
Natsuki stopped and stared, mouth loose in disbelief. "You... You're that... The hell!"
"Ara, one should not use such words in front of a lady." She lifted a hand up to the side of her face and savored the reddish tinge in those cute little cheeks.
"Daaah! That doesn't matter! You...you're the pretty lady that–" And Natsuki cut herself off, realizing her word choice.
"Kuga-san thinks I'm pretty?"
"Yes–no! That's not the point!" She emitted a strangled growl. "You can't be that woman. It's too strange."
Shizuru freely let her warmest smile spread across her lips, those eyes widening for the second time. She had her now.
"You are her..." Natsuki let her voice fade, her gaze falling to the floor. When she looked back up, Shizuru swore she could see a grateful curve to the girl's lips. "Thank you for that time, even if I didn't show it then."
"You were grieving," Shizuru rebuked lightly.
"I just couldn't stand it if I lost him, but he's..." Natsuki let her had fall back, eye closed, still holding onto the small smile. "He's alright now."
Shizuru didn't say a word, too transfixed by the new expanse of skin that was exposed. Sure, she felt a little guilty ogling at such a time, but wasted opportunity didn't sit well with her.
"Wanna meet him?" Natsuki blurted, causing Shizuru to flinch a little in surprise.
"Gladly."
The grin on Natsuki's face was undeniable as she took off down the hallway, Shizuru two paces behind. Just when she thought to spark the conversation back to life, Natsuki suddenly turned into a connecting hallway and, well, whistled.
"Duran! C'mere, boy!"
Barely a second later, a lively "woof" echoed, causing Shizuru's eye to twitch just so. This "he" that Natsuki spoke of not being able to lose was...
A large mass of fuzz barreled down the hall and collided with an open-armed Natsuki, who surprisingly remained upright.
A dog.
Shizuru could just feel the slobber now.
-.-
"He's friendly," Shizuru mused, trying to ignore the wet coat of saliva covering her hands. Natsuki, in all her grinning glory, had managed to coax the unwilling maid into letting Duran "kiss" her hands. And at this point she felt it would be detrimental to their budding relationship to race off to a bathroom to rinse herself of the dog's show of affection.
All the while, dear Natsuki was swept up in a sort of blissful abandon, that smile shining on her face as brightly as it was in the dog's presence. However, Shizuru only had a moment's time to soak in her companion's gaiety before said companion realized that she was wearing her happy thoughts. In front of a near stranger to boot.
Natsuki fell back into her indifferent façade jerkily, but altogether successfully. Shortly thereafter, the two ventured off into what appeared to be a bedroom, indiscernible by the seer amount of...things that littered its expanse.
Putting aside appearances, Shizuru carried on with determination. "Kuga-san, what are we looking for? I seemed to have missed that part."
"It's a..." Natsuki's mouth froze as her complexion grew redder. Hurriedly, she turned her back to the maid. "Actually, I don't I need any help. You can go, uh, dust or...something." Her hand poked out, taking part in the classic shooing motion.
"Nonsense. This is a dilemma that is currently facing Kuga-san's life, and it is my job as her personal maid to remedy it," Shizuru spoke resolutely as her eyes scanned for anything with drawers.
"No, you really don't have to..." Natsuki pivoted back around, her hands propped up near her face.
"Second drawer from the bottom, was it?" Eyes locking on a dresser, Shizuru made a beeline for said object. Once there, she crouched and gingerly opened the designated drawer. "Why, there's nothing in here but a worn blanket and a few stuffed animals."
"Ah, Fufu-chan?" Natsuki piped, Shizuru swearing the girl's voice went nearly an octave higher than normal.
And that was the day Shizuru found out Natsuki had a favorite blankie.
-.-
Natsuki had to admit, albeit grudgingly, that she had taken penchant to the tawny-haired vixen over her three months of employment. Although Natsuki may be too clueless to be able to attribute such a thing as "vixen," she did know that said woman was doing a few things that she knew weren't in the job description...
"Come now, Natsuki, I didn't mean to."
"What do you mean 'didn't mean to'? To have your hand slip that perfectly..."
"Perhaps a second accident will prove my honesty?"
"What? No!" Sounds. "Away, Shizuru! Away!"
"Muu, meanie."
Following the last coo, screams and other assorted sounds found their happy little way to two eavesdroppers just beyond the wall.
"Is it like this everyday?" Nao raised an eyebrow, her expression bordering on incredulous.
Mai donned a half apologetic/half I-can't-believe-this-myself smile. "Yes," she spoke, her voice bordering on shaky.
"Joy," Nao drawled with a sarcastic edge, but held a grin to her lips.
-.-
A/N:Oh dear moo. Yes, Natsuki has a blankie and it's named after a type of laugh. Fu fu fu. She's strange girl, that one...
In any case, this will be continued. I promise neither a consistent story line nor a consistent chapter length nor consistent updates. This is, more or less, the introduction chapter. Later chapters will essentially be one-shots sharing the setting. Sure, there may be allusions to other chapters, but nothing beyond that. Unless, of course, some kind of absurdly long plot bunny bites me.
And, yes, this is for the Naolin. Why? Aside from the obvious birthday reason, she was the one who prodded me to do this idea after I'd told her of it. Also, because this is her present, she refused to beta it. The little booger (with all love, of course).
Ah, one more thing to add to this author's note of doom, the next chapter will be the park scene mentioned in this chapter. This is my attempt to lessen the confusion in a fic that shouldn't be confusing. Oi.