Wow... You guys like this one too? Now I feel obliged to finish this story. Hahahah~ What did I get myself into?
Disclaimer: Mai Hime is belonged to Sunrise. *boo*
For You, 12 Years From Now and Counting…
"Natsuki-chan!"
Her feet froze on the spot. From afar, she could hear the approaching footsteps—they came in a very rapid speed and she knew that person was running, or more like sprinting towards her.
Glomp!
"Yeah~! I got you!"
Natsuki stumbled forward slightly by the sudden force coming from behind. She sighed when she felt arms circling around her neck.
"Yeah-yeah, you got me..." Natsuki sighed again as she quickly pulled up the girl's thighs which straddling around her waist to avoid her from falling, "Hold on tight!"
The girl just giggled as she tightened her hold around Natsuki's shoulders, "Is Natsuki done with the part-time job?"
Natsuki nodded her head, "Yes, pretty much... Is there anything?" she asked, trying to look at the girl on her back. Crimson eyes glittered in anticipation and she saw a wide grin slowly spreading on the girl's face.
"Can you help me out with my math? I have plenty of homework need to be done by tonight. The teacher wants to see it by tomorrow morning..."
"Okay... but you have to pay me later! I'm not going to do it for free!" It was Natsuki's turn to grin when she saw the brunette haired girl started to scowl cutely.
"But I don't have any money!"
"Well, you certainly need to find a way to pay me though..."
"Can I pay with my body instead?"
That was all it took to make Natsuki almost died by her own saliva. She choked and coughed so hard, her face went blazing red.
"Where the hell did you learn that, Shizuru!? Oh my god!"
Shizuru just giggled at Natsuki's fuming face, slowly raising a finger and she poked on the blushing cheek.
"Natsuki is so cute!"
"I'm not cute and stop being like an old geezer! You're 9 years old, for god sake!" Natsuki barked as she started to walk with Shizuru piggybacking her.
Shizuru just gave off another giggles as she rested her chin on Natsuki's shoulder, closing her eyes. As she inhaled, a distinct scent which came from Natsuki wafted into her senses; a mixture between coffee and something citrusy also a little bit of engine oil—it worked like a charm, always made her calm and relaxed. Her lips unconsciously curved up into a smile.
They went into silence as they walked along the path by the river. The sun was slowly setting, obscuring the area with orange glow. It was one of the things about that small town she had grown to love ever since she placed her feet there. Though it took her around 30 minutes to get to her campus and some of her colleagues were worried that since she was living so far, it might cost her more on her transportation. Well, that was not a burden at all. She got herself a secondhand motorcycle to ride back and forth. Besides, all other expenses were already covered by being a personal tutor to one particular girl.
Natsuki took a glance at the brunette girl on her back. Her eyes were closed, she thought Shizuru was sleeping until,
"Watching me sleep? How romantic..."
It was the second time Natsuki was almost killed by her own saliva.
"Stop pretending like you're asleep or I'll toss you into the river!"
"Is this the last one?"
"Yes..."
Shizuru's voice was cracking—Natsuki quickly noticed that Shizuru was tired. She glanced at the pile of books on the table. Education was getting difficult each year and slowly became a burden to most children since they had to reach a certain standard to finally being recognized as a brilliant student. Knowing that somehow made her feel sick. At the age as early as 9, Shizuru had been piled with this and that while she remembered when she was at that age, she was still fooling around with her friends.
Growing up in the middle class household with her mother as the sole breadwinner, Natsuki definitely could taste the hardship Shizuru had to go through. She was once in her place. She knew exactly how it felt to be alone when her mother went out for work.
Natsuki flipped through some of the short notes she made earlier in her class. The exam was around the corner—with her part-time job, she had to make a good use of the time she had studying, even though it was only for a few sparse of hours a day. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Shizuru losing to sleep. Shizuru's head jerked up and fell every few seconds as she tried to stay conscious. Natsuki curved up a smile. The half hour was almost up and they both needed a break.
Natsuki reached out a hand and she gently patted the little brunette's head. She could barely hold a smirk when Shizuru instantly jerked her head up—a little drool escaped at the corner of her lips.
"Who told you to sleep while doing homework?"
"I-I'm sorry!" Shizuru clumsily looked for a pen which had been lying forgotten on the tatami floor when she unconsciously slipped it off her hand while she was dozing off. She was about to pick it up when a hand swept it off, away from her reach.
"Let's take a break."
Shizuru blinked a couple of times, quickly shaking her head in disapproval, "No. I want to finish it now."
Natsuki took a deep breath, folding her arms, "You're being stubborn, aren't you? You can hardly hold your eyes open. Just go wash your face and we'll go out for a little walk!"
Shizuru spun around, more like a reflex to look at the clock on the wall, "But it's 9.30, Natsuki…"
"So?"
"It's late!"
"So what?"
Shizuru lowered her head, sighing heavily, "Mama will get angry…"
"She won't." Natsuki smiled reassuringly, "Since I'm the one who's taking you out."
A couple of red bean popsicle, Shizuru was good for another round of homework but Natsuki decided to stay at the quiet park for a while, waiting for that little brunette to finish off her third popsicle.
"How nice…"
Shizuru was licking on the melting ice as she tilted her head up, meeting Natsuki's stare on hers, "Yes?"
"You're on the third one. You are so damn lucky that you don't have to worry over your weight..." Natsuki sighed, "And I have to get up tomorrow morning to jog the calories out my system!"
"Ara, don't worry! Natsuki's body is amazing."
Natsuki's brows twitched incredulously when she noticed Shizuru's eyes weren't looking at hers but they were trained on her chest instead.
"Oi! Where exactly you're looking at!? Eyes up here!"
"Ehe~!" Shizuru chuckled cutely and it fuelled more fire in Natsuki's head—she slapped her forehead in frustration.
"Don't 'ehe' me! Who influenced you that you become like a dirty old man? Dear god... please return my pure Shizuru-chan back to me..."
"Mou... Natsuki is so mean..." Shizuru pouted, looking a bit offended.
Natsuki frowned as she pointed an accusatory finger and jabbed Shizuru's forehead jokingly, "Me being mean!? I have to! You're 9 years old! You shouldn't act like that!"
Shizuru pouted more, looking away angrily, "If that so, I want to become an adult now!"
Natsuki straightened her back upon hearing Shizuru's words, "Why would you want to do that?"
"So I can make Natsuki my girlfriend..."
"Oh brother..."
Natsuki sighed for the umpteenth times that night as she shook her head, finally giving up with Shizuru's insistent effort of trying to make her as her girlfriend. They went into silence—Shizuru had finished her ice-cream. She fiddled the stick quietly; sometimes glancing over to look at Natsuki who was staring up the dark sky.
"Natsuki does not like me?"
The question completely took her by surprise, Natsuki quickly turned and found Shizuru sulking, "No... It's not like that... I like you!"
And it surprised her even more when Shizuru swooped up her hands and held it close to her chest, staring deeply into her eyes—acting like a scene in a drama series.
"THEN PLEASE BE MY GIRLFRIEND~!"
"AND YOU'LL BE SEEING ME IN JAIL~!"
Both of them were practically yelling to each other. Luckily there weren't many people around the park—Natsuki quietly felt thankful for that. Sighing again, Natsuki patted Shizuru's head and she smiled,
"Seriously Shizuru... I don't think I could ever like you the way you want me to... But I swear to god, being with you made me happier than I've ever been. I'm glad that you like me. Just... please don't grow up too fast..."
Shizuru blinked her luminous crimson eyes in confusion, "Why is that?"
Natsuki rubbed her temple slightly, "Because it will make me feel old..." she sighed again.
"You ARE old!" Shizuru curved up a playful smirk.
An angry vein popped on Natsuki's forehead, "Excusez-moi? I'm only 19 years old, okay? And from all people, I definitely don't want to hear it coming from you!"
"Hey oba-sama..."
"Quiet!"
"Wrinkly old lady..."
"SHADDAP~!"
"The combination of the strong, ferocious taste... this luxurious looking dish sure leave a refreshing taste in my mouth..."
"So... you mean...?"
"Did you put in toothpaste?"
A loud thud echoed across the room and a crashing sound came after—Shizuru stormed out the kitchen—face flushing so bright and looking obviously furious. Seconds later, Natsuki finally realized that she had been lying on the kitchen floor; her back stung in pain.
It was on Saturday morning—they were supposed to have breakfast together and Shizuru had taken an effort to prepare some of her cooking which she considered as 'masterpiece' to repay Natsuki for staying up late the other day, helping her with the homework. Apparently, the dishes didn't come out as good as she thought it would be and Natsuki took the consequences for commenting on her cooking: a kick on her tummy.
"Shizuru! Come on! I thought you said you want me to be honest!"
"Go away! I hate you!"
Natsuki tried her best to control her laugh. Her hands dropped at her sides as she grinned, "Okay. So you hate me now, huh? Fine. I'll ask Aya-chan out for a movie—"
BAM~!
"NO! I'll go with you!" Shizuru was frowning cutely and panting—probably because she had jumped off her bed and dashed to her door as fast as she could.
Natsuki arched one brow, restraining her smile—silently rejoicing her success, "Okay…? I thought you said you hate me?"
The brunette vigorously shook her head, making Natsuki almost slipped a chuckle.
"I would never hate you!"
"Good to hear. Get yourself ready then. We're having breakfast at the mall and then to the movie!"
Seeing the bright smile on the girl's face, Natsuki silently let out a small sigh. Well, she definitely didn't want to deal with a grumpy Shizuru all day long. Sacrifice had to be made.
Besides, going out for a movie didn't sound so bad.
"Come on, Shizuru, we have to go pay for the food."
Natsuki almost forgot to look back to see if Shizuru was following her, but when she did, she noticed that little brunette had disappeared.
"Shizuru?" Natsuki called, walking with her small bundle of snacks that she had bought from the counter.
"Shizuru? Where are you?" Natsuki called again, worried.
"Natsuki, look!" a voice called her excitedly. Natsuki spun around, to see Shizuru hopping in front of a little vending machine.
"They're selling rings for cheap here!"
Natsuki was curious, walking over with her arms full with snacks. Sure enough, Natsuki saw little plastic rings that looked real, set with stones of all colors as its centerpiece.
"They're pretty..." Natsuki said with a smile, "I like that blue one."
"I like that purple one!" Shizuru said cheerfully. "Purple is awesome."
Natsuki chuckled, but suddenly was surprised as Shizuru pulled out a little purple purse and took out the sufficient coins to drop into the vending machine.
"Are you getting one?" Natsuki asked her.
"Two."
"Huh?"
"For the both of us. Since they're pretty rings."
"Wait, let me pay—"
"No! I'm the one who proposed to you! I should be the one who get to buy the rings!" Shizuru cut off, her tongue sticking out at Natsuki. Easily enough, before Natsuki could even protest again, a ring in a little plastic capsule dropped into the slot, and another one after it.
Two rings. One was a lovely aquamarine and the other a sweet light amethyst, according to the colors Shizuru chose.
"Are we still playing that marriage game?"
"It's not a game! I'm being serious! I want to marry you!"
Much to Natsuki surprise, Shizuru pulled at her left hand and she slipped the aquamarine ring on Natsuki's ring finger. It was a perfect fit and Natsuki had to wonder if it was a total coincidence or a fate just like Shizuru had been gushing about.
"See!? It's perfect! And now, Natsuki needs to put this on me!" Shizuru said as she handed over the amethyst ring to Natsuki.
"Seriously?"
"Pleaseeeeee~?"
Natsuki instantly rolled her eyes at the sudden display of startling cuteness in front of her. Finally giving up, she got down to one knee and she took Shizuru's outstretched hand. As much as she wanted to ignore it, Shizuru's hand was trembling and that cute little face was blushing so hard, she worried that Shizuru might pass out for blushing too much. Natsuki couldn't help but to chuckle when she saw Shizuru was being all nervous like a real bride would do.
She gently slipped the ring on Shizuru's finger. It was slightly bigger for her size but it sure looked nice on her. Natsuki smiled, arching one brow playfully,
"Does this make us official?"
"No, not yet!"
Natsuki's brows instantly twitched when she saw Shizuru leaned into her, pouting her lips.
"We have to seal it with a kiss—KYAH!"
Shizuru squeaked in pain when Natsuki suddenly pinched at her nose,
"Yeah, in your dreams!"
"What the hell is on your finger?"
Nao's thin brows knotted into an angry frown when she didn't hear any response from the blunette. The latter was bobbing her head up and down, listening to the CD player so loud that Nao also could hear the beat coming from the earpieces. Nao silently rolled up a few piece of paper,
SMACK~!
"What the fu—NAO!"
Natsuki snapped instantly, pulling off the earpieces and was ready to climb over the table to kick Nao square on her face when,
"YOU, OVER THERE! BE QUIET! AND PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN THE TABLE!"
Natsuki already had one foot on the table when the librarian barked at her. Her face was fuming; just as red as the color of her sweatshirt and slowly she got back to her seat, glaring at the red head who was trying so hard not to laugh. Nao chuckled quietly and covered her face with a textbook; 'Collateral Consequences of Criminal Convictions: Law Policy and Practice.'—reading the title was enough to make Natsuki's head dizzy.
"Why did you do that!?" Natsuki leaned forward, hissing angrily at Nao's mischievous grin. She had to be careful because the librarian was still shooting out icy glares at her direction.
"That!"
"What?"
Nao pointed at the plastic ring around her left ring finger; Natsuki's eyes followed.
"Oh. It's a wedding ring…"
"WHAT THE FU—"
Nao almost yelled but her mouth was quickly cupped by Natsuki when she noticed the librarian turned to look at them.
"You want that old hag kick us out of here? Be quiet, dammit!"
Nao gasped for air when Natsuki finally released her hold around her mouth, "Wedding ring? What the hell?"
Natsuki pinched at the bridge of her nose as she breathed in, "My wife will get angry if I ever take it off..."
Nao's brows furrowed tighter, "Your wife? Who!?"
"Shizuru…"
"Oh my god... I'm going to call the child protection service right now. You're creeping me out!" Nao's face crunched in disgust as she shivered—Natsuki tossed a paper ball at her head, feeling annoyed,
"We're just playing around. Don't worry about it!"
Nao shook her head, clearly disagreeing with Natsuki's statement, "But you're leading her on, mutt! She might get the wrong idea about it!"
Natsuki smiled as she reached for the earpieces, "Nah... I doubt that. By the time she gets mature enough, I'm sure she will forget this whole silly game we're having..."
And god, how wrong I was to think like that...
Okay, review anyone? (^_^)v