A/N: Sorry, but I kinda screwed up. Here's the same chapter, only re-edited.
Disclaimer:I do not own or claim to own Mai Hime. Mai Hime is copyrighted to Sunrise Studios as well as Bandai Entertainment. Please support the official release.
Mai Valentine
Valentine's Day, the day in mid-February that had somehow morphed from a day of mourning for religious martyrs into a yearly mandate for those in love to buy one another chocolate and flowers, did not go unnoticed at Fuka Gakuen. The day before this holiday would pass, like most High Schools around the world, Fuka was already abuzz with romantic energy as the student body jumped at the opportunity to celebrate their affection. A quick look around the campus revealed many different means of celebration: Chie Haruda and Aoi Sennou publicaly gave each other kisses on the cheek. Sister Yukariko and Professor Ishigami celebrated the day together in their small family. Nao Yuuki celebrated by going on the internet, pretending to be an innocent high-schooler, and terrorizing several perverts by stealing their wallets and all of their clothes. Even Alyssa Sears sang a private concert to her faithful companion, Miyu. Even now, Mai Tokiha, Mikoto Minagi and Natsuki Kuga celebrated the day by sitting at the marble pavilion amongst the flower garden. The three girls relaxed, watching the day pass by.
That is, when Mai Tokiha wasn't complaining about her boyfriend.
"God!" The redhead screamed. "Tate is so cheap! Yesterday, he got me a single flower. Only one! And it was a daisy that he probably picked up from the garden. Did you see the bushel of roses Kazuya got Akane?"
"Yeah," The ocean haired girl said, leaning back. "What do you expect? 'Kazu-kun' probably spent a month's salary on those things."
"Which reminds me that I have to tell Tate to get a job as soon as possible. I can't be the one supporting this relationship on my paycheck!"
Natsuki shook her head. "Is it just me, or are you two more miserable the closer you get to one another?"
Mai denied such a claim. "Don't be silly! Yuuichi and I have a perfectly balanced relationship. But there's always room for improvement. Right, Mikoto?"
When the catgirl did not reply, Mai assumed the worst. "Mikoto?"
"I didn't know how many different chocolates there were!" The feline girl raised her head with her entire mouth smeared with melted cocoa. "I got dark chocolate from Chie, milk chocolate from Aoi, chocolates with gooey insides from Shiho and white chocolate from Nao!" Mikoto ripped open another box of chocolates and crammed them into her mouth as quickly as she could.
"Mikoto!" Mai chimed. "If you eat all of that, you're going to get sick!"
"Ah, let her have her fun. She always eats something bad for her anyway."
Mai tried her best to pry herself away from the catgirl who was now opening her fourth box. "Well then, let's talk about your plans."
"What 'plans'?" Natsuki shrugged with her shoulders crossed.
"You know...You and Kaicho-san." Mai made a small gesture with her neck, implying a relationship between Natsuki and the President.
"Hang on." The blue-haired girl yelled. "Me and Shizuru are not in a relationship. Where did you get that idea?"
"But, she was your important person during the Carnival, right?"
"Sure, but...It's not like I'm...her pet or something." Natsuki seemed to fumble over her words, looking away from Mai's careful gaze.
"It's okay if you like Kaichou-san. I think she likes you more than just a plaything."
When Natsuki said nothing, somehow Mai understood her. A part of Natsuki, independant from the girl who rode on Ducatis, and the girl who had precise accuracy with pistols, was a girl who seemed shut everyone else out. After hearing about Natsuki's mother, Mai understood why the femme fatale didn't feel comfortable in relationships. Even if the initial ice between them had thawed since their first meaning, a part of Natsuki always seemed to remain cold, frozen solid from others. As such, Mai decided it was best to leave things alone.
"Well, I won't ask you if it makes you feel uncomfortable. But, I think Valentine's day is best when you spend it with others."
"Yeah..." Natsuki with her mind deep in a trance. "With others."
The Student Council usually regretted Valentine's day. With the combined popularity of Shizuru Fujino and Reito Kanzaki, each year a bundle of letters was often dumped onto their desks, giving the two the day-long task of reading said letters. As such, the Executive Commitee, mainly Haruka Suzushiro, often openly protested such 'pure distraction of student management'.
"The Executive Board feels that too much time is spent on answering student letters. There are much more impotent matters to be handled."
"It's 'Important matters', Haruka-chan." The secretary, Yukino Kikikuwa, replied automatically.
"Are you sure you're not saying that because you didn't get any fanmail?" Reito replied as he ripped open another one of his letters.
"Ha!" The blond officer replied. "Don't make me laugh! If if I wanted such indecent proposals of love, they would be a waste of my time."
"Ara ara." The Student President said after finding a yellow envelope. "Then I guess you don't want this letter addressed to you then."
Almost immediately, the officer grabbed the letter from Shizuru's hand and tore it open, much like a mad dog tore open sausage. When she had finally opened the letter, the message was in neatly cursive hand-writing. Beaming with pride, Haruka Suzushiro handed it to the secretary.
"Yukino, won't you please read this honest letter?"
The secretary cleared her throat and began reciting the letter.
"Dear Executive Comitte President,
I have often been an admirer of your dedication to justice as well as to deceny. Because of you, Fuka Gakuen is not only a great place to study, but also one of the best campuses to live in. Thanks to you, I don't have to worry about random gangs or delinquets running amok as in other schools."
The whole time Yukino read the letter, the Executive Comittee president nodded her head slowly in agreement.
"Please forgive the fact that I have omitted my name from this letter. However, please note that I have a bit of a crush on you and hope you continue to do what you do best.
Sincerely, Anonymous."
Haruka Suzushiro cocked her fist and shook it into the air, as if gaining a sort of victory this day.
"Ah ha! Take that, Kachio-san! How many letters have you gotten have shown that sort of deication?"
The president took a quick sip of her tea and replied cooly. " About 2,535 letters. But that was in a week, so I wouldn't be absolutely sure."
It was about this time the blond enforcer stood quietly, as if her accomplishment had been taken away from her. So, she did what any other person would do in her position: she tried to strangle the president. Luckily, Yukino had enough foresight to see and prevent the attempted homocide.
"Haruka-chan, don't!"
"Stupid, lazy, good for nothing, spoiled, bubuzuke woman!"
"Ara ara." The Student body president said lazily. As she rested her tea cup down, she shot a simple gaze at Yukino. For a moment, it was as if Shizuru knew everything there was to know about them. Mainly, she just wanted to make sure Haruka paid attention to the 'secret admirer'. Saying nothing, she gave a wink to Yukinoand kept her mouth quiet. Luckily, Reito decided to break the silence, by turning his attention to Shizuru.
"Haruka-san, I believe Shizuru-san meant nothing by her words. Besides, I think she's much more interested in a certain blue haired girl."
The President smiled. "Why, I have no idea what you are implying, Reito-san. As for Valentine's day, I guess I'll be spending it alone as usual."
Reito stared a hole into the honey-haired woman as long as he could. For some reason, he could tell there was much more to this story than what was being said. As such, Fujino was always cleaver enough to mask her own feelings, except with those closest to her. Reito was fully aware of her unspoken words. However, it was not his place to judge their relationship. He simply grinned back and went back to reading the many letters in his pile.
The private Fujino teahouse was usually off limits, save the occasional students coming from Fuka Gakuen. For the most part, it had remained the same as it did during the night: silent, withcherry blossoms falling onto the sand garden. However, once a week, lights would appear inside the house along two sets of shadows. Tonight would be another lighted evening. With a Ducati parked outside the grounds, a girl with viridianeyes and oceanic hair marched to the house and slid the door open. Inside, a woman, withlightly tan hair, waited eagerly. She rose up and met her partner. The blue-haired girl wore her biker suit, having been unable to change out of an outfit. The girl with tan hair wore a simple yukata, morose and subtle. The two stared at each other before opening their mouths.
"I missed you." said Natsuki.
"I know." said Shizuru. Immediately, the two began groping each other as their lips crushed one another. Their tongues wrestled and their arms began to travel downwards to more private areas. Though they had not fully 'explored' each other's bodies to the fullest, they had felt each other well enough that imagination did the rest. When they finally broke apart, they both wore silly grins. The blue-haired girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a long thin box with a crimson ribbon neatly tied on it.
"I got this for...you know." Natsuki said sheepishly. She was never one for deep, complicated words.
When she had opened the present, it revealed a golden 'S', dangling on a double looped chain. The president smiled, and wore it over her neck, letting it drop between her bussoms.
"Natsuki is so kind to me. Will she open my present?" She smiled, waiting to get the pounce on her lover.
"Where is it?" The biker girl asked. The president then pointed to her yukata, only fashioned by a simple knot. The blue-haired girl blushed. Shizurusmiled, seeing her lover flabbergasted even with her icy exterior. It was one of the many joys of actually knowing who she was, rather than looking from the outside. When Natsuki finally built up the urge to open the yukata, she gulped quite loudly. She pulled on string, causing the robe to fall. There, Shizuru revealed her crimson underwear, exclusively made to her proportions. The upper bra revealed her cleavage quite nicely, and her red laced panties left little to the imagination.
"Do you like them? I had them custom made to Natsuki's proportions. But they're so tight on me...Maybe Natsuki could take them off..."
"Oh, you are the best girlfriend ever." The biker girl pounced on her lover as she pecked and brushed her face with kisses. The president responded by finding the invisible zipper on Natsuki's suit and ever so slowly pulling it down. Natsuki felt the heat surge through her body, wanting more of her lover than Shizuru would allow her. As she waited to be undressed, Shizuru whispered into her ear.
"Can Natsuki do me one little favor?"
The blue haired girl blushed at the sound of her name, how it was spoken so sensually. "Anything. Just tell me and I'll do it."
"Will Natsuki kiss me in public the way she kisses me now?"
"Anything but that." The femme fatale responded, leaping off of her lover. Now, she seemed to be much less eager to pursue her base desires.
"But Natsuki is so mean." The President pouted, giving her saddest face. "She makes me keep our relationship a secret."
"I know, but I'm not ready yet." She snapped back, as if her icy exterior had now began to crawl into her heart. Shizuru felt a bit discouraged by this. The secrecy and the lies felt unnatural to her. She wasn't sure what Natsuki was afraid of: being judged by fools who don't know love or being called Shizuru's pet. Shizuru ddn't care if their love was different from others as long as it was beautiful. As for being called her pet, Shizuru would never subject Natsukito such a fate. As they both sat up, she leaned on Natsuki's shoulder.
"Does Natsuki still want me to keep a secret, even on Valentine's day?" She asked politely, showing genuine interest.
"Could you? That's all I ask."
Shizuru closed her eyes and smiled, "If it's for Natsuki's sake, I'll make sure everyone is convinced I have no interest in her."
When Valentine's Day had arrived, the gifts given on that day shamed the previous presents. What had been one box of chocolates was now an easy dozen. Kisses had now become full blown make-outs. Even Kazuya managed to trump himself by getting a Mariachi band to play a love ballad to his precious Akane (It was surprising to see how diverse club activites were at Fuka Gakuen). As such, Mai, Mikoto and Natsuki sat at their lunch table, forwarding whatever gossip landed on their ears.
"Oi! Tokiha!" A familiar voice came to the table. It was none other than Mai's precious person, Tate.
"I told you, I'm not talking to you until you wear that Hello Kitty Sweater I bought you!"
"C'mon!" The blond haired boy replied. "I am not wearing a sweater where a cat with a bow and dress is hugging a depressed penguin."
"Mai says you have to wear it, so you have to wear it." Mikoto said while eating her 17th box of chocolates.
"Anyway, I got you a present." Tate reached in deep into his pocked and pulled out a golden band. Whatever criticism Mai had at that point, vanished with the golden ring before her.
"Oh Tate! It's...it's beautiful!" There, at that moment, Yuichii put the ring on Mai's hand...which never got past midway.
"Yuichii! It's stuck!"
"It's not stuck! Your finger's just too fat." Tate covered his mouth, realizing how improper his diction was.
"My finger is too...what?" Mai said rather demonically.
"No, I didn't mean that." Tate cried out while guarding his face. "I-uhh. You could always just wear it on your pinky!" At that moment, the golden band was thrown at his head, as well as several well placed punches.
Mai's argument almost made Natsuki interfere, but her viridian eyes caught sight of something much more noticeable. There, Shizuru Fujino, had been seen holding the hands of a young girl, possibly a first year high school student. At first, she figured it was only her imagination. However, the way a crowd of girls followed her, it must have been Shizuru. Natsuki leapt from the marble steps and witnessed as her precious person, brushed away the green hair of another girl.
"Natsuki? What's wrong?" Mai asked, prying herself off of Tate. However, when she saw what Natsuki saw, the redhead understood completely.
"Who's that with Shizuru?" Natsuki replied. Her body felt a sort of numbness, something possibly worse than pain. She wanted Shizuruto leave her alone, but she was with another girl. Shizuru was with someone besides her. The pain seized Natsuki's chest and kept clutching at it. In short, her heart began to fall.
"I think that's....Tomoe-chan from First year. She's been a big fan of Kaichou-san for a while now. Why do you care?"
"Because Shizuru is-" Natsuki considered her words. However, when thinking about her proper diction, her mind wondered on that evening night. "If it's for Natsuki's sake, I'll make sure everyone is convinced I have no interest in her."Now, Natsuki understood what had happened. It was a trick. Shizuru pushed Natsuki the right way so she could react and be the one at fault. Unfortunately, it had worked. The biker girl felt genuinely hurt by this experience. Her heart beat painfully slow. Her fits unclenced into a pair of dull muscles. Even her eyes began to feel sad.
Then, Natsuki felt her fists clenceagain. She gnashed her molars, and took a deep breath. There was no way she would let Shizuru win, even for a moment. She turned back to Mai and said her words with confidence.
"Because Shizuru is my girlfriend, and I'll be damned if I let some first-year take her away from me."
Mai smiled and give Natsuki two thumbs up. "Go for it, Natsuki-chan!"
"Shizuru onee-sama, would you like some more tea?" The grassy hair girl asked. The President nodded her head, seeing the ginseng tea pour down in front of her. It was quite boring to have this new girl cater to Shizuru's every whim. This sort of idol worship didn't interest her in the least. She did, however, know that soon a very upset blue-haired girl would come marching up and demand that she talk to her. When she did see Natsuki come towards the table and pass the sea of fans, she smiled to herself, feeling comforted by Natsuki's presence.
"Shziuru...Can we talk?" Natsuki said sheepishly, tucking her hands into her pockets.
"Excuse me," The first-year said with a touch of arrogance in her voice. "But I believe Shizuru onee-sama was talking to me." Normally, such a statement would've made Natsuki break the girl in half, but then her viridian eyes caught sight of something else. There, around Tomoe'sneck, was a chain with a golden 'S' dangling on it. Shizuru gave Natsuki's present away. She gave it away to some first year as if it were nothing.
"It's alright. I'll only be a moment."
She held in whatever base urges told her to strangle the first year, and led Shizuru to a corner.
"Okay, I get it." Natsuki said bluntly. "You don't have to pretend anymore."
"Whatever gave you the idea that I was pretending?" The President said with her usual grace and smile.
"Stop it. I know you're not really like that, but when I see you doing that it really-" Then it hit Natsuki much like a splash of cold water to the face. For once, she saw the hurt in Shizuru's ruby eyes, and the longing they had for Natsuki. Now, Natsuki understood what pain she had caused Shizuru on a daily basis and it had hurt Shizuru, as rare as anything did. Natsuki looked away and thought of this revelation, understanding the depth of her feelings. All this time, she hurt Shizuru but the president endured it. Natsuki, on the other hand, couldn't even tolerate it for one day. Natsuki felt about as dirty as a muddy T-shirt. She looked up to those delicate eyes and gave her sincerity.
"It really hurts me, just like it's been hurting you."
"Natsuki is very smart and very wise." The president reached into her pocked and pulled out the chain with a golden 'S' on it. "And very gullible."
"But-but, how-"
Saving Natsuki from her stuttering, Shizuru gave her explanation, sweetly. "I made a duplicate so I would never lose Natsuki's present. I love Nat-I love you. And I will always be patient whenever Natsuki wants me to be."
The blue-haired girl nodded her head. "Well, then your patience is rewarded." Without a moment's notice, Natsuki flung Shizuru into her arms, turned her around and bended her back over. Then, she gave a sensual kiss, wrestling with Shizuru's tongue. When Shizuru's mouth responded eagerly, a crowd of fangirls began to scream and cheer en masse. The first year, Tomoe, simply fainted from the sight of this. For the longest time, Shizuruhad been patient With Natsuki. Now, Natsuki knew she didn't have to afraid of any criticism or mockery, for it was nothing compared to the fear of losing her Shizuru.
Shizuru liked that idea just fine.