Chapter 2: With a Little Help

The crumpled ball of paper landed neatly and completely noiselessly on Natsuki's desk.

It was Friday. Last period with Sawada-sensei and every single second was dragging by with the combined weight of three heavyset sumo wrestlers. It wasn't so much his fault as it was the subject matter at hand.

Or... wait.

No, maybe it was simply a combination of both. Probably both things. An old man talking about a building older than himself just made for a lethally boring combo.

Natsuki turned slightly in her seat in order to glare in one particular direction. Mai's grin was nothing short of frown worthy - it was reaching from one ear to the other. It looked like it was going to split her face if she kept it up. Turned around again while making a low noise in her throat and looked at the misshaped white form in front of her.

Had to give her that, at least; the other girl's ability when it came to throwing objects unnoticed had become flawless. Math and History classes had certainly been made good use of.

She really should consider joining the basketball team.

Natsuki let out a quiet sigh before picking up the thrown object, pulled it opened and slowly smoothed it out into its original rectangular shape again in order to read the message intended only for her eyes. Sawada-sensei continued with his positively fascinating droning up at the blackboard, presenting his small back to the students as he started writing something.

Soooo? What happened last night?

It was written with, if she was allowed to say so herself, an unnecessarily large handwriting, black curved shapes of the words almost filling up the entire paper. Natsuki cupped her hand over it in a protective manner, keeping it hidden from anyone who might take a sudden interest in finding out what she was currently looking at. The grin she was met with when she turned again to glare at Mai could have belonged to a happy shark, it was that obnoxious. If said shark had a baby seal stuck in its teeth, that was. No doubt about it - she kind of hated her friend with the fire of a thousand suns at the moment.

Slumping in her seat, Natsuki decided there and then to simply ignore the other teenager once school ended, completely and with no mercy. A little tuning out of the girl seemed to be in order. She wasn't being unreasonable, not really; there was a time and place for bothering your friend with unsubtle eyebrow waggling and right now wasn't the time. Or ever.

Damn it, it wasn't like it was any of Tokiha Mai's business, anyway.

And maybe she was being unreasonable, seeing as Mai was only teasing her, harmless fun and companionable familiarity, obviously. It just made her feel... like she had to defend herself. Wasn't feeling ashamed as much as it was like she'd just conceded… defeat? Dropped the truth in front of the short-haired female like a big yummy steak and Natsuki was showing her true colours, essentially turning out to be a lapdog, instead of a fearless lone wolf. Because she knew Mai knew where she had been the moment she walked in the door fifteen solid minutes late for class, caught sight of Tokiha-san's smiling face before slouching in her seat.

Mai's entire face radiated "I-know-where-you-have-been".

Well...

Come to think of it, Mai had a lot to be held responsible for, in any case. Because what was taking responsibility for your own actions, anyway. No, no, no, all the other girl's doing. Damn it, actually, it had been her fault to begin with - she was the one who put the idea in Natsuki's head in the first place. It was weeks ago now, what seemed like a lifetime, long gone and something to left behind for good, but the verbal results of that day had ended up churning inside her head way too persistently for her liking. Still roamed around inside her skull.

One poignant question and Natsuki's entire world had narrowed down to revolving around a single aspect of her life which she still wasn't clear on herself.

They had been walking back from Fuuka Academy. Mai swung one arm back and forth along her side, playfully tapping her grumpy friend's right shoulder every time it was within reach. "Hey, Natsuki? How come you don't have a boyfriend? I mean, it's not like the offers aren't there. I for one know that Takeda-san is more than a little desperate for any kind of attention from you."

She was answered with a groan as the dark-haired girl rolled her shoulder in an attempt at not getting touched. "Don't remind me. I don't understand why he keeps running after me - we don't even share classes!"

"He just likes what he is seeing, is all," the busty girl sing-songed as she made as to tickle her friend. Natsuki simply glared at her.

"Well, I for one wish he'd leave me alone."

"Still. With someone else in your life -"

And that was it. As Natsuki came to a sudden stop, she growled at her companion. "God, Mai - does it matter whether I have a significant other or not?"

Mai looked slightly surprised before collecting her wits. "Well... not really, no. Just... y'know, it's nice having someone who loves you," she muttered, eyes glazing over as pictured her very own manly sweetheart. "Ever since Tate and I became a couple - I've never been happier."

The dark-haired teenager frowned as she delivered her deadpan observation: "As far as I remember, there was a lot of drama involved too before you guys reached that stage. Quite a number of tearful midnight phone calls from your side, correct me if I am wrong..."

Mai gave a nervous laugh, a sheepish smile forming on her face at that piece of factual truth. "Eh... that's true, but there's always good parts and bad parts when you get involved with someone else. Just the way it is."

Natsuki seemed to consider her friend's insight for a little while before starting to walk again, footsteps following her shortly afterwards. "Even if I got involved with someone, who is to say it's going to last?"

A hearty laugh from behind her. "Such a pessimist, Natsuki-chan."

Natsuki didn't mean to sound bitter but it inevitably slipped into her tone anyway. It was out before she could stop herself. "Look at my Mom and Dad..."

She felt a hand clumsily grab hers and then Mai pulled her to a halt. When she refused to meet her eyes, Natsuki was pulled into a hug. Her nose ended up pressing against the slope of a shoulder, firm form of it serving as a nice place to hide her face for a little slice of time. The school uniform smelled like it'd recently been washed.

Allowing herself to be hugged for a prolonged moment, she patiently waited for the other teenager to let go of her, body stiff and awkwardly held, like a slender bundle of jutting, tangible, emotional mess.

Mai's apologetic words were mumbled directly into her ear. "H- hey, I didn't mean it like that! You could pick and choose if that's what you wanted. I know a lot of guys would jump at the chance!"

And, actually, she should have slapped the back of her head for that comment, because when it came down to it, it wasn't her job to ask Natuski what she wanted or didn't want, liked or didn't like. Nosy friend was being nosy. She meant well, but... god, all she was doing was bringing up bad memories she'd rather not have on repeat inside her skull.

The embrace ended. It was only when the dark-haired teenager drew back she caught sight of the puzzled expression the other student was wearing. "If..."

When the carroty-haired girl didn't say anything else, Natsuki firmly prompted her. "What?"

"If it's a boyfriend you want..." Mai gave her a thoughtful look, and then - as if instinctively knowing that the next thing she was going to ask might scare Natsuki off like a light-shy deer startled at the tiniest noise - while holding her gaze, the revelation softly fell from her lips. "Is... that what you want?"

When the question was asked just like that, without any way to prepare for it and completely out of the blue... Natsuki hadn't known what to respond. Because honestly - she had no clue. She hadn't been in any relationship to help her throw any distinctive feelings into sharp relief, to measure gained painful experiences or sacred knowledge against. Mai just looked at her with these big wondering eyes when she didn't answer or say anything until the entire situation felt too awkward and far too similar to stinging kitten scratches on skin as they stood there.

They finally resumed walking, their shadows stretching out in front of them like black lines to follow. To leave behind the curling questions just asked. Natsuki and Mai bid each other goodbye in front of the small convenience store on the corner which they passed every day on their way to Fuuka Academy, each of them heading in her own direction.

It was four days later when Mai decided to randomly pull some magazines out from under her bed and throw them in front of Natsuki, seated on the busty girl's bed as she was, engrossed in her English homework. She was struggling with deciphering the meaning of a particularly troublesome and needlessly complicated sentence (it apparently seemed to be about a retirement home) when the scattered shapes near her involuntarily drew her eye and... it finally registered that those were...

... porn magazines?

All glossy surfaces, titles big, white and trying to jump out at her with their urgent messages and. Breasts. And naked butts.

Natsuki felt the blood drain from her face as she blinked at Mai.

"Hey, it's okay! I borrowed them from Tate, he won't mind. Actually, I've told him to throw them out on more than one occasion, so I'm not doing anything wrong in any case and anyway - I brought them here to help you out!"

Help me out... Tried to process what she'd just been told but all she could see were floating butts and boobs, pink globes of flesh like meat planets floating around behind her eyes. She felt dizzy all of a sudden, like someone had just held her head under water for far too long.

Her friend had all the appearance of an overexcited puppy. "See anything you like?" With the utter lack of reaction from Natsuki's side, Mai frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe they are not your type?" Her mouth formed a perfect little "o". "Maybe I'm your type?"

That was it.

The offended girl shot to her feet, obviously fuming and a hair's breadth away from trembling from sheer outrage. With clenched fists she pushed out through gritted teeth: "I'm going to go to the bathroom now and when I come back that... stuff will be gone! And the two of us will never talk about this moment ever again! Okay?"

And off she went. She made sure to slam the toilet door for good measure. If anything Mai wasn't stupid - because when Natsuki finally did return the magazines were gone, the other girl was twirling a pen between her fingers as she studied her own page in an English book like nothing had taken place.

It was five days after that horribly uncomfortable and traumatic incident when her cheerful friend invited her over to her place again, which she cautiously accepted; they were in Mai's dorm room yet again, lounging on her bed, or... well, the frowning girl was sitting on the edge of it, and looked like she was ready to jump up if given any reasonable reason.

"Natsuki..."

"Yeah?" If she sounded wary, it was Mai's own goddamn fault. Springing unexpected porn on someone just wasn't the way to cement a friendship with her.

"Have you heard of Rorschach?"

"What, that nightclub downtown?"

The short-haired girl was on her back, stretching her arms above her head as she yawned. "Yeah." Waited a bit to see if the other quiet girl had anything more she wanted to say or ask, but when that didn't seem to be the case, she took the lead. "Apparently it's a good place to dance... and meet new people from what I've heard."

Mai rolled over on her stomach, looked at her skeptic companion.

"Natsuki. I can get you the password if you want. You know Chie-san knows about everything that's going on around Fuuka - I swear, when you people voted for her as Student Council president you didn't know what powers you were dealing with. Anyway, nothing escapes her eyes and I am her friend after all. Plus, I'm more or less convinced she's visited the club with Aoi, so they know whatever is necessary for someone to get into the club."

Natsuki was looking down at her hands, notably pale against the material of the skirt of her school uniform. Her stomach was knotting up, for some reason. "Mai, just drop it, okay?"

The other girl nodded once. "If you say so."

It was later that night, sprawled on her bed and still halfheartedly trying to tackle some of her math homework when her mobile signaled having received a message, small light blinking repeatedly catching her attention out of the corner of her eye. Flipping the screen up, the text informed her that it was from Mai. Obviously. Who else would bother her at this hour?

Her words were few, if nothing else:

Just in case. ^_^

Natsuki exhaled through her nose, hard and all at once. Under the three words, a picture of a little red symbol was linked; round, except for the form breaking where the sharp little tail, almost like a comma, jutted out. Inside it there was an even smaller circle. She turned her mobile off with a frown, stretched out on her bed, and rested one cheek on her pillow.

So you showed that picture to get into the club?

Closed her eyes and tried to detect any small shuffling noises her mother might be making in her room, but there was nothing but silence throughout the entire apartment. There was a routine by now, Natsuki knew it as well as the skin on the back of her hand; Mom got back from work, Monday through Wednesday around 10pm, Thursdays and Fridays 12pm or later (pouring herself into her work to the point where it produced bags under her bespectacled eyes was all she ever did, had done for years now), slowly made her way to the kitchenette, drank a glass of water before making her slowly traversed way to the bedroom, preparing for bed. Once she'd settled down she slept like a rock.

Rorschach...

It sounded like... a challenge. Like something to be overcome.

Friendships were strange things - at least in Natsuki's opinion.

They had a tendency to just... happen, out of the blue. And always at times when she definitely wasn't looking for them.

Take Mai-chan, for example:

Two years ago. It had been a sunny day. Really sunny, in fact, Natsuki had thought, as she'd squinted at the sky. She had been hanging out downtown, watching the busy, buzzing sidewalk, bodies a moving multi-coloured snake slithering through town. Mom wouldn't be home at this time of the day. There was no point in going back to an emphatically empty apartment, not with the weather Fuuka was having at the moment. Intended on staying out as long as she possible could, till the sky darkened and stars would show themselves like white punctures in the black canopy above.

She was in the middle of raising her water bottle up to her lips when something had caught her attention across the crowded street. A small slender figure with reddish hair was seemingly - kneeling? No, looking like he or she was about to drop to the ground due to feeling unwell from the looks of it.

Natsuki looked around - nobody was paying the slightest attention to the crumpling figure, pedestrians minding themselves as they kept walking. After waiting for a minute or so, she decided she couldn't just stand there if she were the only one who had noticed the person who appeared to be on the brink of passing out. Natsuki checked her right - then left - before running over to the individual in distress.

She looked at the panting bundle of T-shirt and shorts in front of her. "Hey. Are you okay?"

A squinting young face tilted up - belonging to that of a boy. "I - yeah, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Looking a little pale there. Here, drink some water."

Handed the bottle to him and it didn't even take two seconds before he was busy taking big grateful gulps - apparently he needed it. Natsuki was considering what her next step should be as a girl approximately around her own age came running up to the pair, almost shoving people out of her way to get to her goal, she was that focused on the younger male.

Her voice was really loud. "Takumi? Oh, Takumi! I'm so sorry! I only saw your SMS during my break, we were so busy, people kept ordering and we -"

"Onee-chan, I'm fine," he interrupted, allowing himself to be swept up in a bone-breaking embrace. She let go of him long enough to open her right hand; in it a white rectangular plastic container rested. "I brought your pills, here..."

So... they were siblings. Nice that things turned out well then. Seeing as everything seemed to be under control, Natsuki didn't see any reason as to why she shouldn't turn around and be on her way. That was until the newcomer made a surprised noise behind her.

"You saved my brother! Thank goodness!" the strange girl bellowed and then proceeded to throw her arms around her brother's Knight with a Shining Water Bottle to carry out a massive bear hug. And, whoa, that was a lot of personal space being invading all of a sudden - it left the dark-haired student so flabbergasted she forgot to swat the offender away.

When she was finally released, she took two steps backwards, just to put some safe distance between them. Facing a potential madwoman was the last thing she needed right now.

As if recalling her manners, the busty teenager's face broke into a huge smile. "Ah. Yeah, me and my brother just moved here. I'm Tokiha Mai and this is my little brother, Takumi." The boy was proudly presented by his shoulders, almost held out like he was the world's cutest kitten or an accomplishment to be universally admired. Natsuki just blinked in response. The boy gave her an apologetic smile.

"So you attend Fuuka Academy?"

"Uh... yes?"

"Oh, wanna meet up tomorrow? It's gonna be our first day there - would be nice to have someone to show us around."

At Natsuki's weirded out expression, the other female quickly threw up her hands in apology. Was moving a bit to fast here for the other teenager, apparently. "I promise I'll make it up to you!"

She frowned for a good solid minute. Folded arms across her chest, and studied the siblings standing in front of her, considering whether to deem them worthy of her attention or not. Finally – after long, long moments of weighing pros against cons – she conceded, because, dammit, they looked like they were decent enough people... as long as they kept their hands to themselves. That Mai person there seemed like she enjoyed using her hands an awful lot. "Alright. I'm Kuga... Kuga Natsuki."

Tokiha Mai's smile widened. "Pleased to meet you, Natsuki-chan."

Friendships - yeah, they were strange things indeed.

Sawada-sensei lightly bowed as the school day finally came to an end.

Of course Mai was right behind her as soon as they exited the room.

"Please?"

"Stop asking already!"

"Pleaaaase?"

"Gah! Fine! Nothing happened, okay?"

"Did you meet anyone?"

"No!"

"Aww, that's a shame," Mai mused as she winked at her friend, making a failed attempt at linking her arm with Natsuki's. "So... wanna come over and eat dinner with me? Takumi is out with a friend and Tate told me he has to work on a paper."

Natsuki tried to suppress it, she really did, but she couldn't help but smile. Tokiha Mai really did care about her, didn't she? Even if she happened to frustrate her immensely sometimes... her heart was in the right place. Two years had to count for something.

"Sure."

The neatly stacked numbers of printed papers were casually placed on the black desk next to the desktop computer. Yukino typed out the sentence she was in the middle of writing, cursor coming to a blinking pause, before turning her head to look at them.

Shizuru commented in a matter-of-fact tone: "These need to be handed to Mr. Armitage before 14.00."

Yukino pushed her glasses further up onto her nose. "Will do," she absently muttered as she scanned the newly arrived first paper, slightly knitted brow showing she was concentrating on the task at hand.

The body standing next to her still hadn't moved, though.

"How's Haruka feeling?"

The seated woman looked up at her friend; even though they were wearing the same identical outfit, workplace requirement and etiquette, she couldn't help but feel Shizuru was wearing it better. White dress shirt fitting her curves, black skirt stopping just across the knees, long chestnut hair coming down to the middle of her back, the combination giving the tuned and calculated impression of an overall professional competence. Seemed to exude it in the very way she was standing; powerful and experienced, a force to be reckoned with. Having this woman on your side, be it in a workplace or companionable context, was like having an ace up your sleeve, Yukino quietly mused as she looked up at the other female's profile. Shizuru wouldn't let someone down if she felt she had to personally answer to the person.

"Mr. Arm - her father made her stay home today. Didn't want her to show up sick, so I went up to check her office this morning, just to make sure she wasn't being her stubborn self and decided to come in today. Guess she listened to him."

"Well, we can't all have a father who's a well-off CEO, can we," Shizuru sighed with a small indulgent smile as she leaned against the desk, all smooth and effortless movement. Rorschach, work – the location didn't matter when it came to being sensually present in Viola-san's case. "I wish my father owned this office building - I'd call in sick every day."

Yukino gave a small snort, an uncharacteristic noise from her, but it was out before she could stop it as the clattering of keyboard typing continued. "Says the woman who essentially represents Armitage Corp's face outwards when it comes to business meetings with other companies. You boost sales – we have numbers to confirm it."

Instead of a pleased answer, a drawn-out groan sounded. "I'd gladly let Haruka take over, seeing as she wants to so much. You know I loathe doing it. Talking to old men for god knows how many hours postively drains the soul. Too bad we both know your girlfriend maybe isn't... well, Haruka-chan has her very own way of expressing herself, shall we say."

The shorter woman chuckled. Already knew that – not like it was a secret. "And yet you are good at your job. As far as I recall someone mentioned you being," and here Yukino did her best impression of a serious gruff male voice,"- one of our most promising hard-working members of Armitage Corp with a bright future in front of her."

Shizuru studied the nails of her right hand. "Such flattery." A thought seemed to occur to her then. "Hmm... Haruka has an eye for marketing and the strategic approach to how resources are best made use of - while I know how to sell the product. Clearly the two of us should make a lovechild, our offspring would be an invincible force."

"I'd prefer being the one creating a family with her, Viola-san, if you wouldn't mind."

The Kyoto-born woman leaned in then, lowering her face as she stepped close behind the office chair. To anyone passing by it looked as though she was simply surveying what her colleague had written in an open document. With a hushed voice Shizuru let her warm breath puff against the shell of an ear. "Don't worry, Yuki-chan, I won't tell anyone you've been fucking the daughter of the boss for the last couple of years."

Predictably, it resulted in Yukino flushing from the top of her head down to her neck. "Consider it lesbian solidarity," the accented voice teasingly whispered before she took a small step away.

"You're terrible," her friend admonished, the tips of her ears still red, showing her physical reaction to the words uttered as she kept writing.

"You wouldn't have it any other way," Shizuru commented, her attention now directed somewhere else. The office department was buzzing with quiet energy - people were immersed in their work, slaving away as the round clock on the white wall kept ticking.

Shizuru tapped the pen she'd been holding in one hand against her lips, a smirk forming as she purred: "And who is that?"

The bespectacled woman looked up from her screen, grateful to feel that the blush had disappeared from her cheeks by now as she tried to figure out who her friend was talking about. As soon as she located the object of Viola-san's fascination she made an exasperated noise. "Do you ever tire, Shizuru?"

"I have no idea of what you're referring to, dearest. I'm simply interested in the best for this corporation, is all."

Yukino's deadpan answer was called for. "I'm sure." Things can only hold your interest as long as there's breasts and a vagina involved. They both watched as a young woman stood awkwardly some distance away from them, visibly nervous as one hand kept clenching in front of her like she was trying to squeeze confidence out of her own pores somehow. She was studying a piece of paper, worrying her bottom lip between teeth.

"That's Soir Akane, she just started here - looks like she's still trying to get the hang of things." A short moment and then an added comment. "Don't do anything stupid now."

"And stupid would be?"

Yukino sighed. It said more than any words she could possibly choose in that situation.

"Have faith in me, Yukino-chan," the Kyoto woman sing-songed as she walked in the direction of the brown-haired woman, throwing a wink over her shoulder at her friend before focusing completely on her goal.

Shizuru stopped in front of the person completely immersed in reading the piece of paper in her slender hand. "Soir Akane-san?"

At hearing her name mentioned she instantly stiffened, head jerking up as though she'd just been caught with her hand in the figurative cookie jar. "Y-yes?"

An easy welcoming smile and she could see Akane grow a teeny bit less nervous. Oh, like a lamb to the slaughter – they never know what's coming, do they? Shizuru folded her hands in front of her, looking the very picture of refined respectability. Nothing to fear here, not at all. "I'm Viola Shizuru - you are new to Armitage Corp, correct? Are you familiar with the facilities?"

"Oh, ah... no, not exactly... I started this Tuesday so everything's all still a bit new to me," she nervously laughed, looking around as she did. Shizuru smiled again – this time it bore the tiniest hint of a wolf's intent in it. "Would you like a short tour? I'd be happy to show you."

"Oh, that's kind of you. Yes, thank you!" And it really was that easy. Shizuru allowed her colleague to step in front of her, making as though to rest her hand on the small of Akane's back to direct her, but let it hover in the space before contact was made instead - almost touching, and yet not.

If Shizuru wasn't mistaken...

She was almost certain she caught a glimpse in her peripheral vision of Yukino rolling her eyes before she gently guided a fidgety Akane in the direction of the copy room.