TOKYO—11:30 a.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—7:30 p.m. Yesterday
Natsuki stopped slouching after getting scolded by the flight attendant to sit up straight since they were about to take off. Shizuru only giggled faintly at Natsuki's quick, clumsy repositioning in the seat. Nao snickered silently from behind.
The passengers perceived a very light recoil before the airplane began to move forward. The display screens on the back of the passenger seats instantly turned on to play the Airline Safety Video, which was in Japanese with English subtitles.
"Welcome aboard, and thanks for flying with us. We're committed to making your flight safe and comfortable. So before we depart, we'll show you a brief safety presentation. It can help you if there's an emergency, so pay close attention, even if you are a frequent flier. Wink."
A wink. Did the video pilot really just wink at his passengers? He wasn't even that attractive. These thoughts haunted Natsuki's mind throughout the rest of the video.
Meanwhile, Shizuru ignored the safety video and instead regarded the airfield as the plane rode on. She leaned in closer to the window to broaden her view and then glanced back at Natsuki only to see the girl watching the safety video with a clearly bored expression.
"Your mobile phones and other electronic devices should be turned off. Once airborne, we'll let you know when you can use approved electronic devices. But note that some items, such as phones, may not be used in flight at any time… "
Nao, right behind the other two, mumbled out a disgruntled curse and pulled out her phone, turning it off.
"If you're seated at an emergency exit, please review the responsibilities of emergency exit seating on the back of your safety information card, which is in your seat pocket…"
Natsuki, at hearing this part of the video, recalled that Nao sat right behind her. Wasn't there an emergency exit by that row? And if an emergency occurred and aforementioned girl sat there…
Oh, we're doomed, Natsuki thought with despair.
Shizuru estimated that there was still a few more minutes left until the video concluded, so she chose this time to inspect the layout of the plane.
Needless to say, all passengers' seats' headrests were equipped with small TV touch screens for entertainment throughout the flight. The aircraft's fuselage was wide-bodied, with two aisles and a block of seats between them in addition to the ones on the side. There were about fifty rows in total, with nine seats per row. Shizuru and Natsuki sat very close by the left wing of the plane.
"Now, before we take off, be sure your seat is upright and locked, your tray table is put away, and all carry-on items are properly stowed. As we come through the cabin for our final safety checks, please let us know if you have any questions. Thanks for your attention. Enjoy your flight!"
The screens all powered off at the exact same time.
Natsuki was glad that was done and over with. The relentless smile the flight hostess in the video wore was beginning to creep her out. Really, for a second it looked like it was stuck there.
The plane made a final turn, and then hit the turbines, gaining speed profusely. This sent most passengers deep into their seats.
Shizuru turned to Natsuki and tapped her shoulder.
"Hmm?"
"Kuga-han," Shizuru said, her tone low and trying hard to suppress the excitement it wanted to spill. "We're about to take off."
It was Natsuki's first time seeing Shizuru lose a bit of her cool, but when she wasn't being all high and mighty, she was actually pretty cute. Particularly now, since she wore a very child-like smile as she turned back to the window to watch the outside scenery blur in rapid succession. Natsuki couldn't help but smile, either.
Then, there was a moment in which gravity seemed to have been lost, and Natsuki felt her stomach float within herself.
It must suck to be in space, Natsuki thought with dread.
To Shizuru, though, it was the best feeling. She liked the peculiar queasiness the take-off provoked.
Then it felt as though the airplane was accelerating up a slope with as much speed as though it were skiing downwards from it, often encountering mounds of snow that incited turbulence. But that only made it all the more exciting for Nao.
Now she really wished she had gotten a window seat, too.
Natsuki was relieved that the turbulence was settling and the plane was straightening, much to the dismay of the other two girls. One of the most exciting parts of plane riding was over.
Shizuru continued to stare out the window with a smile on her face. Nao, in the back, pressed a bored font. And Natsuki stared at the blank screen in front of her.
A few more minutes of silence stretched before the TV's clicked back on and one of the stewardesses, a girl with short raven hair, stepped forward.
"Passengers, we are now on air."
Dot. Dot. Dot.
"…Get it? On air? Since we're on a plane... and flying—"
Another one of the stewardesses, one with long, lacy brown hair, immediately showed and took the other's place.
"Forgive her. She's new. Anyhow, the use of approved electronic devices is now allowed. Thank you for your attention."
The two attendants retired, the brunette chastising her friend with a "Dammit, Chie, you're not a stand-up comedian, do you want to get us fired?"
"With you here, Aoi, I'm already fired up~!"
Suggestive grin.
Ear pulling.
"Owie!!"
The voices faded as the distance increased.
"Wasn't the take-off just delightful, Kuga-han?" Shizuru commented after the hostesses had gone.
"Eh? Um, yeah, sure it was," Natsuki quickly replied.
"My, but Kuga-han doesn't sound so jubilant," Shizuru expressed, jutting out her bottom lip slightly.
Oh, crap, no displeasing your client!
"L-let's try this again," Natsuki suggested. She straightened up and beamed at Shizuru. "It was great! Wonderful! Exciting!" Insert other synonyms here…
Shizuru waved her hand dismissively and chuckled. "Kuga-han is so entertaining. She doesn't have to force herself to pretend for me, though."
"Err… sorry," Natsuki muttered, averting her gaze from Shizuru and returning it to her lit screen.
"My favorite part of flying is the take-off and landing, since throughout the flight it feels as though our position remains constant," Shizuru shared.
"But the Earth is round, right?"
"Exactly, so though we don't really sense it, we're actually flying in a curve," Shizuru explained. "This world is filled with wonders…"
"Yeah, like how this piece of heavy metal is flying in the first place," Natsuki said. "I mean, I can't even keep a leaf or paper plane in the air for too long, so how is this possible?"
"Ara, I'm afraid I can't provide Kuga-han with a satisfying answer, since I'm not very familiar with Aerodynamics," Shizuru confessed.
"…I thought the field was Aeronautics?" Natsuki replied.
"Aerodynamic is the study of air in motion and how it interacts with an object," Shizuru explicated. "Aeronautics is the study, design, and manufacturing of an airborne machine."
"…TomEIto, TomAto, same thing," Natsuki concluded with a dismissive shrug.
Shizuru only demurely chuckled.
"Are you seriously discussing useless trivia?" a voice piped up from behind their seats, startling the two.
Shizuru was the first to recover. "Ara, I was only trying to strike up some friendly conversation."
"Who are you to be questioning us anyway?" Natsuki growled to the back of her seat.
"I'm the lucky girl that gets to listen to your trivial chat for 11 hours," the voice said cynically.
"You're just jealous 'cause you've got no one to talk to," Natsuki jeered.
The girl was about to retort, but after checking the seats at her opposite sides, and seeing that one of them had an old lady already asleep and the other a man listening to his ipod, she gritted her teeth and instead replied with "It's not like I want to talk to anyone. It's a waste of time."
"You mean it's a way to pass time," Natsuki corrected.
"There would be nothing to lose," Shizuru then said. "After all, we are going to be in this plane for quite a while."
"Don't remind me…" the girl mumbled with distaste.
"Ara, Passenger-in-the-back-seat-han, what might your name be?" Shizuru asked.
There was a short moment of silence.
"Nao."
"Just Nao?" Natsuki questioned.
The redhead glared at Natsuki's seat, thought not very satisfied since the girl couldn't see her. "Yuuki… Yuuki Nao."
Natsuki grinned. She finally knew the delinquent's full name.
"I am Fujino Shizuru," the brunette said. "Nice to meet you." There was another moment of silence. It was sort of awkward since at this time, after the introductions, the two would shake hands or something. But a seat was blocking them so…
"Yuuki-han, I'm afraid I can't maintain my current position for too long, would you care to join Kuga-han and I up front?" Shizuru politely offered, pointing to the third seat in her column row, though Nao couldn't see it.
Natsuki's eyes widened like saucers. "What!? You've got to be kidding!" Natsuki instantly turned to her right and found a little boy playing with his action figure. "Th-there's a kid here, so we can't just tell him to move. His mom, wherever she is, might get mad."
"My, Kuga-han has made an important point," Shizuru said. "I suppose we can't—"
"Watch me."
Nao rose from her seat and, being as slim as she was, skittered past her right-side seat companion without making contact.
Once out in the narrow aisle, she sauntered over to the little boy beside Natsuki and tapped him on the shoulder. The little boy turned to face her with a wondering expression.
"Hey, sweetie, mind switching seats with me?" Nao said in an uncharacteristically amiable tone. She smiled.
The boy blushed. "I-I'll switch seats with Pretty Girl."
"Aww, thanks!" Nao, nicknamed Pretty Girl, said before ruffling the boy's hair and stepping aside for him to move.
After making sure the boy settled into her old seat, Nao fell into her new one.
"And that's how it's done," Nao said victoriously. "Seriously, kids are so easy."
"What if it'd been a little girl instead?" Natsuki challenged.
"…Same approach," Nao said dismissively. "I mean, look at me. Who wouldn't want to give up their seats for me?"
"I'm right here," Natsuki replied.
"You got a crappy seat anyway," Nao jeered.
Natsuki glowered. "Take that back!"
"Ara, Kuga-han, we shouldn't be rude to our new"—Shizuru pondered for a bit—"flight companion."
She didn't want to say "friends" right away, since she didn't want to pressure the new girl into the position when they'd only just met.
"So there you have it, I'm your new flight companion." Nao smirked.
Natsuki narrowed her eyes dangerously at her, and then checked her watch.
Ugh, fudge-nugget!
TOKYO—12:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—8:30 p.m. Yesterday
"So… the other day I ate some coal, and you'll never guess what came out of me today. Go on, guess."
"Why are you telling us this!?" Natsuki asked incredulously. She didn't want the delinquent to make her client uncomfortable.
"It's called an ice-breaker, stupid," Nao said, and then returned to her playful grin.
"I suppose it'd be a diamond, yes?" Shizuru chimed in.
"Yeah!" Nao laughed.
What the—it doesn't bother her? Natsuki thought, startled. A part of her, though, was glad that it didn't. Since, quite frankly, she was into these kind of silly jokes, too.
"So you are going to spend the summer in L.A.?" Nao suddenly asked.
Natsuki immediately became wary of Nao. Her mother taught her that divulging personal information was irresponsible and dangerous and therefore should be avoi—
"No, the destination's Europe," Shizuru revealed simply.
So much for precaution, Natsuki thought dejectedly.
"Oh, Europe, fancy~!" Nao drawled out. She then turned back to Natsuki. "How about you?"
Natsuki arched an eyebrow and pointed at Shizuru. "What do you mean? She just told you where."
Nao blinked. "Oh, I thought you were just strangers sitting next to each other. So you're together then?"
"Yeah, we're together," Natsuki responded firmly.
Nao grinned knowingly. "So, traveling to Europe, the continent of love, for a summer romance?"
"Yup, that's pretty much it," Natsuki replied casually.
Shizuru's mouth slightly drooped at how relaxed Natsuki seemed while answering these questions.
"I knew it! You guys are a couple, huh!" Nao smirked.
"Well, we are two people, so I guess that makes us a couple," Natsuki reasoned, tilting her head to the side.
Nao face-palmed. Shizuru cleared her throat and spoke up. "Ara, Kuga-han, I think Yuuki-han means it in the sense that we're romantically involved."
After processing what her client just said, Natsuki's jaw dropped and she flailed her arms frantically to deny all the crap she just said.
"NO, NO, WAIT, FORGET EVERYTHING YOU HEARD! I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT! I WAS JUST ANSWERING FOR HER"—she motioned to the tawny-haired heart-throb—"SHE'S THE ONE LOOKING FOR LOVE, NOT ME!"
"Ara… love?" Shizuru reiterated.
Natsuki turned to Shizuru. "That's what you're going to Europe for, right? Looking for a partner?"
"You guys are not together then?" Nao said, trying to understand.
"Yes," Natsuki firmly said, turning back to Nao.
"So you are."
"No!"
"You're not?"
"Yes!"
"You are!"
"Okay, this is getting us nowhere!" Natsuki finally said.
"Ara, but I'm glad Kuga-han had enough interest in me to learn the reason for this trip," Sizuru said gleefully.
The bluenette glanced at Shizuru from the corner of her eye and sighed. "Well, yeah, I mean, I couldn't just agree to travel halfway around the world without knowing what for, right?"
Shizuru's amused expression gradually vanished and turned a bit more serious, but her enigmatic smile remained in place. "Yes, my parents have dictated that I am to find… love… in Europe. I've managed to avoid having to do it in the past, but apparently I couldn't get away this time…" She shrugged charmingly.
"So you're going to Europe because your parents want you to find someone to marry?" Natsuki said, trying to process the new information.
"Well, it was actually my idea," Shizuru said.
"What—getting engaged?" Nao asked.
"No, going to Europe," Shizuru replied bluntly.
"With your looks, though, I doubt anyone in their right mind would refuse you," Nao said, leaning a bit past Natsuki to scrutinize Shizuru's being.
The girl in between the two took this time to do the same thing, placing her left hand below her chin. "Hmm, true."
The heiress feigned a shy-away and said, "Ara, when you two look at me like, it makes me feel a bit…" She trailed off, leaving the girls' wonderful imaginations to fill the empty slot.
Needless to say, many bawdy words analogous to others came to fill the blank.
Natsuki, feeling the need to protect her client, immediately averted her ogling eyes and pushed Nao back into her seat.
"Sorry for staring," she muttered, bashfully apologetic.
"Ara, I never said you couldn't," Shizuru replied playfully, reassuring her escort that she did nothing wrong.
Up until now they hadn't noticed, but one of the flight attendants was standing right by their row.
"Hello there, bab—ladies, what would you like to drink this morning?" the ebony-haired woman asked
"Oh, my, I do believe it's not morning anymore, considering we're past one p.m.," Shizuru corrected.
"Do forgive my misconception!" said the hostess, feigning shock. "Let me try this again." She straightened up and flashed them a smile that twinkled. "Good afternoon, my charming ladies, would you be interested in a drink?"
"Chie," a stern voice came from the second aisle in the plane, "you don't need to add those extra words to the service line."
"Hey, at least I said the lines this time," said a grinning Chie, raising her voice a little so that her work mate could hear her.
"Smile, give them a drink, and walk away," Aoi replied with a frown, and then returned to her passengers to display a glowing façade.
"Yes, ma'am!" Chie said clearly. She turned back to her own line of passengers. "We got it, you name it!"
"You've got vodka?" Nao was first to speak up.
"Your age?"
"Never mind."
Natsuki held in a chuckle. "I'd like some Sprite." Her eyes fell on the red-head. "Just get her some coke and…" Natsuki realized that she didn't know what Shizuru wanted, and she turned to her beauty of a client to ask, "W-what would you like to drink?"
"Some iced tea will be fine," Shizuru said to the stewardess.
"Coming right up!"
In a few seconds, Chie handed the three their respective drinks.
"Oh, could I have some ice?" Shizuru later asked.
Chie's eyes widened. "Oh, how stupid of me! I forgot to put ice in the iced tea!"
Dot. Dot. Dot.
"You were the one that pulled that 'on air' joke, weren't you?" Nao accused.
"Ha ha ha, you heard that?" Chie laughed, almost embarrassed, as she took the cup from Shizuru's hand. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for puns."
"Yeah, I can see that," Nao said dully. "Could I get the ice taken out of my drink?"
"Anything for you two," Chie said, performing a double-wink for Nao and Shizuru.
Natsuki's eyebrow twitched.
Did that chick just hit on my client? Natsuki thought, aggravated.
Before she could do anything about it, though, the same voice that scolded Chie without fail came to reproach her again.
"Chie, move on! There are other passengers, you know!" Aoi reminded, already three seats ahead of her partner.
Chie winced and grinned at her line of passengers. She handed the drinks back to the two girls and said, "Beauty calls!"
And she rushed to the next row of passengers and closer to her agitated girl friend.
TOKYO— 1:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—9:30 p.m. Yesterday
The three passengers had folded down the tray tables from the back seat in front of them. There they placed their drinks.
"We've already stated where we're going, but I don't recall Yuuki-han telling us where she's going?" Shizuru said, raising her intonation at the end to indicate it was a question and not just a feel-free-to-pass-it-off comment.
Nao casually picked up her coke, sipped from it, and then placed it back down. "Well, I'm on this plane, aren't I?"
"So it's safe to assume for it to be Los Angeles?" Shizuru questioned.
"That's where I'm going right now, yeah," Nao replied dismissively.
"What are you going to do there?" Natsuki asked.
"I'm a photographer," Nao began. "I get paid for taking pictures of hot—places, so I get to travel."
"Hmm, how much?" Natsuki queried, suddenly interested. She'll need a job once she got out of college, so it wouldn't hurt to get more information on this one, right? Besides, if it suited her tastes, she still had time to change her major.
"Why—wondering if I'm loaded?" Nao asked, not bothering to hide her knowing smirk. She glanced at Shizuru. "Hey, you better guard your pockets. Your escort's a little treasure digger."
"W-what!?" Natsuki growled out indignantly. "That's not true! I was just wondering how good of a job being a photographer was!"
"Well, if you want a well-paying job, why not try your hand at being a model for your client over there?" Nao then suggested, focusing the spotlight on the girl sitting by the window.
Shizuru feigned ignorance and cocked her head faintly to the side. "Ara, care to elaborate, Yuuki-han?"
"Come on, did you really think I wouldn't recognize a 'Fujino'? That last name must be known throughout the whole world," Nao said, broadening her gesticulations to emphasize her point. "Being the one selling over millions of modeling magazines and having agencies under its name spread out all over the globe. Pretty hard to miss."
Natsuki gulped. So that's how much of a big deal Shizuru is?
Shizuru seemed unfazed by the redhead's overcompensating depiction of her soon-to-be company. Not that it was exaggerated in the least, because that was an exact equivalent to how her corporation should be described. She wasn't very fond of boasting, though, so she often belittled the exceptional accomplishments of her business to the most credible range, only to be corrected by others and further praised.
"Why, I am very honored to have someone such as Yuuki-han recognize me," Shizuru said with an even voice. "And if Kuga-han ever applies to become one of the models at my parents' company, I'll be sure to express my recommendations."
Natsuki smiled kindly. "Thanks, it's good to know I have a last resort."
"Last resort?" Shizuru's countenance displayed perplexity.
Natsuki grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. "Well, being a model is not exactly what I see myself doing after graduating college."
"Yeah, neither is being a photographer, but life's a bitch, huh?" Nao commented.
"I thought you liked being a photographer?" Natsuki spat incredulously, quirking an eyebrow.
"You take what you get." Nao shrugged.
Natsuki cleared her throat harshly. "As I was saying, Shi—err—Fujino, I'm sure you'll have a lot of models that would be way better than me once you become owner. I really wouldn't be much of a loss."
Shizuru released a subtle frown. "Kuga-han shouldn't deprecate herself. She is very beautiful, more so than many of my models. She appears most… natural."
What am I being compared to a pine tree? the dense Natsuki thought, a little offended.
"Oh, you mean the make-up?" Nao piped up. "I agree. You must be the heiress then, right? Once you become owner, you should totally lay off the cosmetics on the models. Not that much though, you don't want them to end up looking like that." She finished voicing her opinion with a conspicuous finger directed at Natsuki.
"I'm. Right. Here," Natsuki said through gritted teeth.
"Whatever do you mean, Yuuki-han? I think that is pretty cute," Shizuru said with a light chuckle.
Natsuki pouted, but decided not to counter her client. She didn't want to cause her mother any trouble.
"But that's right," Nao then said. "You could get the best models in the world, with that fortune of yours. Which leads me to this, why are you flying with us commoners? I mean, don't you have your own private jet? Or you could have at least taken the first or business class, right? Why bother taking an economy class seat?"
"Yuuki-han is certainly full of questions," Shizuru said, amused.
"Which will have to be answered later, since I'm serving meals right now," Chie's voice came to intercede in the conversation.
"Oh, cool, what do you have?" Nao said, ears perking up.
"Whatever you're willing to pay for," Chie responded smoothly, handing her a menu. "We've got three boxes coming with different meals and prices. Choose either A, B, or C."
"I'll go with C" was the delinquent's immediate response. She then handed the menu to the other two.
"But you didn't even look at it," Chie said meekly, puzzled. "Are you sure?"
"C's always a good letter to pick when given multiple choices, so I'll trust my judgment."
Chie smirked evilly in delight. "Your wish is my command." She lowered herself to pull out meal C from her cart and handed it to Nao. She then glanced over at the other two passengers that were still looking over the choices.
"I suppose I'll go with choice A."
"You're going to go with the vegetarian meal?" Natsuki questioned incredulously.
"Might there be a problem?" Shizuru replied, her tone carrying a bit of defiance and hinting a… challenge?
Why does her voice sound like fingernails scratching a board all of a sudden? Natsuki thought, a little fearful.
"N-nothing at all!" the bluenette quickly assured. "I-In fact, I think I'll go with meal A, too!"
For the mayo, of course, she thought, knowing that the other meals didn't offer the condiment, but she would never admit that.
"Got it," Chie said, and then repeated her earlier action, though this time pulling out two boxes containing meal A.
They paid.
"Enjoy your meals, my ladies," she said with her most enchanting smile.
And then she left.
TOKYO— 2:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—9:30 p.m. Yesterday
Nao's eye twitched.
"Are. You. Serious!?" she cried in disbelief at the sight of her box C meal.
"Aw, it's so tiny and cute," Natsuki cooed, suppressing a laugh.
"My, it is a kid's meal, so I don't find it that surprising," Shizuru joined in.
"Well, you are kind of short so—"
"Shut your hole!" Nao warned angrily.
"It was Yuuki-han whom ordered the meal, so I don't think she's in any place to complain," Shizuru reminded.
"Which proves C's not always the right choice," Natsuki said prudently.
"I swear I'm going to stuff that lettuce down your throat if—"
"Itadakimasu~!" Shizuru deliberately interrupted, and then she began to eat.
"You should start digging in, too," Natsuki said impishly. "Unless you want to trade with that little boy behind you first?"
"Very funny"— What was her name…? —"Natsuki."
Natsuki's eyes widened in surprise, and Shizuru blinked in her direction. When did Natsuki ever introduce herself to the other girl? And if they'd just met, why were they already on a first-name basis? And what bugged Shizuru the most…
Even I have yet to address her by her first name, Shizuru finished her thought petulantly.
Natsuki and Shizuru weren't the only ones startled by what Nao had said, since aforementioned girl was too. She couldn't help but feel a little awkward after calling out her name when she was supposedly mad at her. It really just killed the effect it was supposed to have on the object of her insults. But the college-bound student hadn't provided her with another, so it couldn't be helped.
What does this mean? That I should call her by her first name, too? But we're still strangers and I don't trust her! Besides, I already have her last name so I can go both ways. But wouldn't it be impolite to call her by her last name if she's used my first? Ugh, Natsuki, you're over thinking things. Just go with the shorter of the two—Nao. Yeah, it'll save me about a millisecond of my time every time I call out to her. And in this lifetime, I could probably save about a day's time. Cool. Nao it is, then.
She nodded to herself, a way to seal her inner agreement.
The redhead quirked an eyebrow at this.
"Are you talking to yourself in your mind?" Nao asked with slight amusement.
"W-what, no, I'm not!"
"You so were! Freak!" Nao laughed.
"Shut up"—here goes nothing—"Nao."
It was Nao's turn to be surprised.
And that was it for Shizuru. It was one thing for someone to call her escort by her first name, but for her escort to do so in return just hurt! She had known her flight companion for about an hour longer than she had Nao, so didn't she have the privilege of calling the bluenette by her first name, too? She was a bit envious of Nao for having enough courage to sail the unstable waters of calling someone by their first name without permission. Apparently, she had managed to finish the trip successfully by getting Natsuki to sail on those waters, as well.
And now, she felt like the outsider.
Oh, curse her manners! Without them, she'd be calling her escort by the first name, too.
Nao cleared her throat awkwardly and turned her attention past Natsuki to a pensive heiress.
"So, Fujino"—like hell I'd risk calling a powerful woman by her first name—"What type of guys are you into?"
Shizuru was snapped out of her thoughts and she blinked. "Pardon?"
"Well," she began, taking a bit out of her mini burger, "you're going to Europe to find a partner, right? So do you have a type in mind? Or are you just going to grab the first person you see?"
Shizuru utilized the time Nao spent talking to compose herself and ponder over the question. "It's not that I'm searching for a particular character in a person, or that I'd want to be searching for that someone, either way. My parents just want to leave me in the hands of someone whom I'll be able to love and will reciprocate my feelings."
"Your parents sure care for you," Natsuki opinioned. "But why not just get a dog? If they want you in good hands, a dog works the same way. They're faithful, loyal, strong, protective, and love you unconditionally. There's the whole packet right there."
Shizuru blushed at her next sentence. "My parents also said they'd very much like mini heirs."
Natsuki took a moment to process this, and her face immediately flushed. "O-oh, now I get why that won't work out…Forget I said anything."
"Hey, if you're into bestiality, I'm not judging," Nao jeered.
"Let me cut that quick tongue of yours!" Natsuki snarled out.
"Please quiet down over here," Chie came in. "I'm getting a lot of complaints from other passengers about this particular column row."
"My, do forgive us, we're easily excitable," Shizuru covered.
Chie leaned in a little closer to the three. "Like, I don't have a problem, 'cuz I sit all the way up front and can't hear a thing, but if I don't do anything about this, it's so going to be deducted from my paycheck. So stay quiet a while and make it look like I did my job, okay?"
The three nodded in understanding.
"Cool," Chie said, returning her formerly low voice to normal. She cleared her throat and said a bit louder, "And I hope I don't get anymore complaints about you guys during the rest of the flight!"
"Of course not."
"Yeah, we totally got the point!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Chie nodded, and then promptly left down the aisle.
The girls resumed their conversation, but keeping their voices reasonably lower now.
"So, you never really answered the question. Do you have a type?" Nao prodded.
"I've never had a crush, nor have I ever been in love, so I'm unable to say exactly what type of people I'm attracted to, as you so put it," Shizuru replied honestly. "How about Yuuki-han?"
"Me?" Nao didn't even take a second to think before responding. "I go for the handsome, rich, and pure. It's fun corrupting and mooching off of them."
"Ara, everyone has their tastes, I suppose," Shizuru then commented.
"You say you like mooching off of them because it's fun, but haven't you ever felt anything other than amusement for them?" Natsuki asked.
The redhead placed a pensive finger by her chin and gave the question some thought. "Nope. Not really. I've never actually seriously dated any of them because of love."
"Then that settles it," Natsuki concluded. "You don't know your type, either, since you've never been in love, or had a crush, or whatever."
Nao scowled. "Oh, what are you, the love sage?"
The escort shrugged. "Not really. I just think that what Fujino said was true. If you've never loved anyone, you can't know what type of people you're attracted to. Same goes for me, since I don't know whom I like, either."
"Ara, Kuga-han has never been in love?" Shizuru asked, though a very small part in her being that she wasn't even aware of was placated with subtle relief. "My, then you must be quite the heart breaker."
"I'd say the same to you, Fujino," Natsuki said with a playful grin. "I'm sure you've had many people after you the moment you hit puberty."
"My, is Kuga-han trying to say that I was ugly during my childhood?" Shizuru questioned humorously.
Natsuki instantly became frantic. "What? No! That's not what I meant at all! You're really beautiful now, so as a child, you must have been very cute! There's a difference!"
Yes, compliment her. It's not good to offend one of the most influential men in the world's daughter! Natsuki thought, trying to ameliorate her former mistake.
"Why, Ookini, Kuga-han, I think you are quite the beauty yourself," Shizuru said, returning the compliment.
Nao pretended to gag and went back to her food. "Call me when you guys are done flirting."
TOKYO— 3:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—10:30 p.m. Yesterday
"Ugh, I'm boreeeeeeeed!" Nao complained, hanging her head back. "It's been what—like four hours already?"
"Oh, no worries, only seven hours and 18 minutes to go," Natsuki jested.
"If I had a pillow, I'd so hit you with it right about now."
Our three favorite passengers were now done with their meals and had discarded of them. They had asked for a refill of their drinks, though. The main monitor in the plane displayed the airplane's route, and they still had over 2478 miles to go before reaching Los Angeles. Nao wished she could just go and tell the pilots to hurry up, but she knew that wouldn't be wise to do if she didn't want to get kicked out of the plane while in flight, especially if she didn't carry a parachute with her. Besides, skydiving was never her thing.
Hmm, thinking of pilots, Nao thought, and then turned to her closest seat buddy. "Hey, don't you think it's weird they named the place where pilots do their flying thing the cockpit?"
Natsuki stifled a laugh. "Here I thought I was the only one that thought it sounded ridiculous."
"I know, right?" Nao laughed. "Hey, you want to play a game?"
"What kind of game?"
"A fun game."
"Is it hard?"
"Not if you know your ABC's."
"Alright, I'm in. How does it go?"
"We come up with a bad word for every letter of the alphabet."
"You're on!."
"Cool. Start!"
"Asshole," Natsuki said.
"Bitch," followed by Nao.
"Cuntface."
"Dickhead."
"Excuse me."
"Fuc—huh?"
"Shi—Fujino!?" Natsuki's soul about detached itself from her body. "I-I thought you were sleeping!"
I'msodeadI'msodeadI'msodeadI'msodead!
"I was, until some harsh words woke me from rest," Shizuru said with a smile. "Why, I never knew my escort's vocabulary was vast enough to reach the dirtiest corners of our language."
"Aw, I was so game and you interrupted me," Nao mumbled out, peeved.
Which brought Natsuki to recall the last word leaving Nao's mouth during the final moments of their improper game.
"Hey, you swore at my client!" Natsuki accused, now turning the flashlight of guilt and exposure in Nao's direction.
"What?" Nao said skeptically. "I never swore at her! She said Excuse me and I just got interrupted midsentence and said Fuc—huh?!"
"You said 'fuc her'!?" Natsuki gasped out, appalled and completely misinterpreting. "How dare you fuc my client right in front of me!"
"I did not fuc her! You should know that! You were just playing with me!"
"Yeah, I know I was playing with you, but bringing her into this was so uncalled for!"
"A-ara… please keep your voices down, spectators might misunderstand…" Shizuru politely intervened, trying her best to prompt them into silence, but failing miserably, since the two were already too riled up to stop.
"I didn't bring her into this! She barged in with her Excuse me!"
"Oh, one more word out of you and I'm soooo—!"
"—kicking you out of this plane," Aoi's glacial voice completed. There was a little vein comically popping out of her temple. "Now, please, I suggest you do as your friend said and keep your voices down because I don't want the other passengers to be disturbed."
And at this, Chie came into the scene to supposedly back up her work mate. "Yeah, like, I get that you're pissed about having the blue-haired chick just playing with you and want to get back at her by fuc'ing her girlfriend, but please ground your personal issues with each other once we land." Chie laughed at her own little joke. "See what I did there, Aoi? You know when we land, we hit the ground, and they have issues and—"
Aoi sighed and pulled her companion back down the aisle along with her. Love overlooks anything. Love overlooks anything. Love overlooks any—
Oh, who am I kidding? Aoi thought dejectedly. She would have a talk with her girl friend about these distracting jokes later during the flight.
TOKYO— 4:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—11:30 p.m. Yesterday
The main monitor's little plane icon had moved remarkably closer to its destination, but it was still a fair amount away from actually reaching it. Natsuki stared phlegmatically at said monitor with a lethargic spirit. Her opaque eyes, which reflected the monitor's rectangular light, were clouded with feelings of shame, embarrassment, confusion, and foolishness.
At the time of her argument with Nao, she genuinely believed she was doing the right thing by standing up for her client. She was so passionate about defending her that she was loosely inattentive to the evident innuendos her accusations were sealing with every word. That was the cause for all the emotions roused heretofore, for both Shizuru and herself. The maiden of scarlet gaze had not directed a word to her after the stewardesses' departure, and this disquieted Natsuki to no end, leading her to assume that her precious client was mad at her for her absurd actions.
Of course, said heroine was not in the least troubled or angry at her. She merely just thought that her escort needed some time to cool her head after all the blood that had rushed to her head and overwhelmed her when a very insensitive and oblivious Chie had revealed the underlying meaning behind her words to her.
Nao was used to stuff like this, so she just pulled out her ipod from her carry-on and played a song while she fiddled with her cup of coke, which she'd gotten a refill for. Again.
Oh, gawd, I'm so stupid, Natsuki mentally berated herself. Okay, me, it's time for one of your internal pep talks. Which is kind of sad, in a way, having to console your own self. I'm glad people can't read minds, because I'd be sounding so ridiculous to a mind reader right about now. And, okay, this is not what I need! I'm supposed to be cheering myself up, not leading me further into depression!
Though Natsuki's self-chat was quickly interrupted by Shizuru. "Kuga-han, there's something I need to say to you."
Oh, no, she's going to fire me, Natsuki thought with dread. She'll be all like, 'This is not working out, so our contract ends today. I'm getting a new and hopefully more competent escort.'
Shizuru took a deep breath and then looked at Natsuki right in the eyes. "Kuga-han, I'm sorry—"
"Y-you don't have to say it, I get it," Natsuki quickly interjected. "You don't have to be sorry about firing me."
Shizuru blinked. "Oh, dear, what I meant to say was that it was my fault—"
"No, no, it's not your fault, really," Natsuki, once again, cut in. "I mean, I don't blame you. After what happened, if I were you, I'd fire me, too. So I totally understand and I'm fine with it. Once we get to L.A. I'll cancel my flights, call you up a new escort, null our contract, and then—"
The heiress placed a finger atop her escort's lips to silence her babbling. "Ara, Kuga-han is getting ahead of herself. I never once said I was firing you. I was going to apologize to you. I feel that what transpired a moment ago was my fault. Had I not barged into your game, none of us would have gotten in trouble"
The bluenette was caught off-guard by her client's sudden apology. But she quickly recovered and began to deny everything she said. "What? No! It's not your fault! Nao and I shouldn't have started to play that stupid game anyway! You were doing the right thing by stopping us!"
Shizuru scrutinized Natsuki's demeanor for any hints of dishonesty, but she found none. "I do still feel the need to make it up to Kuga-han, though. How about I let you two resume your game?"
Natsuki laughed and Nao paused her ipod to listen in on the conversation.
Oh, wait, she's not kidding, Natsuki realized.
"Y-you're serious?" Natsuki questioned, bewildered.
"Very much so," Shizuru affirmed. "However, I will not allow the use of profanity so lightly, so there'll be one small change in the game…"
After Shizuru explained, the other two began playing their game.
"A…Awesome…"
"B…ugh...Beautiful."
"Ch—charming…"
"Delightful…"
"Entertaining."
"…Funny."
"G-gorgeous…?"
"…Hilarious?"
"I…I…I can't do this anymore!!" Nao finally snapped.
"Ara, I thought listing a complimenting word for every letter of the alphabet was a very positive twist to make to the game," Shizuru said innocently.
"Not when I have to compliment that," Nao hissed, protruding a finger in a certain escort's direction.
"Yeah, I'm not very happy complimenting this, either," Natsuki retorted.
"Forget it, we're playing cards," Nao announced firmly, pulling out an Uno set from her carry-on.
TOKYO— 5:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—12:30 a.m. Today
The escort let out a frustrated grunt, and then slammed the twenty-one cards she'd accumulated throughout the Uno game onto the tray table.
"Not fair," she barked out. "You did something to those cards, didn't you!?"
"Wha'cha talking about, Na-tsu-ki?"—Shizuru subtly winced at hearing that—"The cards are totally harmless. Not my fault you suck at playing this game!"
The tray tables were still pulled out, and that's where the girls were playing their Uno game. Though, being as close to each other as they currently were, it was tempting and very hard to keep from peeking at the other player's cards. The escort, specially, had a hard time keeping her cards hidden while being in possession of the middle seat. Not once had she won a game. Out of five games so far, the photographer had claimed 2 and her client had claimed 3.
"Let's play again, this time, I'm shuffling," Natsuki declared, snatching everyone's cards hastily.
After messing the order of the cards enough times to satiate her livid pride, she handed seven cards to each player, including herself, and placed the remaining stack in the middle table, which was hers.
A few minutes into the game…
"Uno," Shizuru ringed out happily.
"What?" Natsuki bawled incredulously. "You've got to be kidding me! It's only been like five minutes!"
"Well, Kuga-han handed me some pretty efficient cards," Shizuru defended. "I owe it all to her."
"My turn," the redhead bluntly said, and she put down her very ineffective and average card.
Natsuki eyed both players warily and put down her own card, which was as useless as Nao's.
"My, then I suppose I win again," Shizuru cheerily said as she put down her last card, the killer 'draw +4.'
Natsuki slumped forward onto her table in defeat. Every time Nao shuffled, she won, and every time Shizuru shuffled, she won. So Natsuki thought that if she were the one to shuffle this time, she would win a game with a miraculously fortunate hand. But no such luck.
"Hey, you shuffled this time," Nao reminded. "So you can't blame anyone for your loss. Admit it, you're just poop at this."
"Ara, Kuga-han shouldn't feel bad," Shizuru comforted, patting the pitiful loser's noddle lightly. "I, for one, love her shuffling."
Nao smirked and elbowed the escort mockingly. "Whoa, watch out, the girl's got a thing for your shuffling!"
Natsuki mumbled out a very disgruntled and incoherent response and Shizuru chuckled daintily.
Seeing how boring the college student was insisting on being. Nao turned her attention to the heiress.
"So, you never finished telling why you're traveling with us commoners," Nao said, changing the topic.
"Ara, I'd completely forgotten about that," Shizuru said pensively. "Well, I suppose I just don't want to be a burden to my parents by borrowing a private jet over such a trivial matter. First class and business class people need their space to relieve some of the stress the real world brings upon them. Why would I, someone who's just trying to find…love, take the seat of somebody who might need it for more important matters? Besides, it's not absolutely necessary for me to travel in luxury, and it also saves money."
Natsuki listened intently.
"But you've got all the money in the world, literally," Nao argued. "Why does it matter whether some poor, tired soul doesn't get a first or business class seat? I mean, if I were loaded, I wouldn't be wasting my time with you guys."
"Ara, it pains me to hear Yuuki-han admit that in such blunt manner," Shizuru said, feigning surprise and hurt with a hand to her chest. "Wouldn't—?"
"Hey, Fujino," Natsuki finally spoke, unfastening her seatbelt, folding her tray table back, and slowly rising from her seat. "Hey, um, I'm going to the restroom."
Shizuru nodded. "Ara, Natsuki doesn't need my permission to go, if that's what she's implying by telling me this."
Natsuki cleared her throat and looked down at Shizuru. "Um, no, I'm telling you this because… um… wanna come along?"
Dot. Dot. Dot.
The photographer's lips broke into a mischievous grin and Shizuru only blinked in surprise. Shizuru held Natsuki's gaze for a while longer and noticed a twinkle in it that was trying to relay another message.
"Oh, I see how it is," Nao said, standing up to let Natsuki get out of the row and into the aisle.
Shizuru smiled. "Of course." And she moved out, too, following Natsuki all the way back into the restroom.
Once there…
"Sorry for bringing you out here with me," Natsuki said, being a perfect gentle(wo)man and allowing her client to get the toilet seat while she just remained standing up. "I really needed a private word with you."
"Why, it is certainly cramped in here, and I suppose that makes it secretive enough, " Shizuru commented, placing herself as far from Natsuki as she could in order to give the girl some space.
The restroom stall had very limited room, and that was what made having two people stuffed in there all the more uncomfortable. Well, its rectangular prism-like structure wasn't built to sustain two people at the same time, so the girls were in no position to complain. The escort moved closer to the door and locked it, so that people outside would see the 'occupied' tab in display and thus avoid any unwanted interference.
Shizuru leaned closer to the sink and began, "So, what important matter did Kuga-han wish to discuss that she's dragged me all the way to the restroom and placed me in such awkward positioning?"
"I-I'm sorry," Natsuki murmured apologetically.
"I'm not upset," Shizuru assured, shooting an amused smile. "In fact, this is kind of exciting. I hope we don't get caught. Though facing the consequences would also be quite the thrill." Shizuru faintly giggled.
Hah, Shizuru's not such a goody-goody it seems, Natsuki noted with a devilish grin. Natsuki referred to her client in the first name only in her thoughts. "Well, uh, anyways. It's actually about Nao."
Shizuru inwardly scowled. She didn't have anything against the young photographer, but apparently seeing Natsuki use her given name when even she hadn't progressed that far was indeed irking her.
"My, what have we got to discuss over Yuuki-han?" Shizuru asked. She didn't mind calling Nao by her last name. "Has Kuga-han taken a special interest in her?"
Natsuki snorted at the absurdity of that actually being the reason, and Shizuru's antsy emotions subsided.
"Far from that," Natsuki said, then immediately turned serious. "I want you to be wary of her. I don't trust her. She's just a stranger, after all. We've been sharing too much personal information, and we haven't gotten much in return, except for her maybe telling us that she's a photographer. For all we know, she could be one of those paparazzi trying to dig their heads into what doesn't concern them. Or she could be an assassin. Or even a bomb terrorist from a desolate land in Saudi Arabia that wants to—"
"Ara, let's not allow our imagination run away with us, Kuga-han," Shizuru quickly cut in, before the other girl began to fantasize more ludicrous possibilities. "But I do understand where Kuga-han is going with this. I'll heed your precaution and stop giving away much information. If I do, I'll try to make it false."
"I-I hope I haven't made you too paranoid, though," Natsuki said worriedly. "I mean, we won't be seeing her again after this flight so we'll be able to relax soon."
"Ara, when did Kuga-han become my bodyguard?" Shizuru queried, batting her eyelashes enchantingly.
Natsuki's cheeks were lightly tinted with carmine, and she huffed away. "I'm your escort. All applies."
Shizuru only smiled in response.
There was a knock at the door.
"Excuse me, sir or ma'am? You've been in there for quite a while, are you in any need of assistance? If not, it would be very refreshing for us if you unoccupied the stall soon."
The occupants' eyes darted to the door, Natsuki's held panic and Shizuru's held excitement.
"Ara, I wonder if we'll be punished?" the tawny-haired heartthrob wondered with a delighted chuckle.
Damn it, this is no time to laugh, Fujino, Natsuki thought desperately. "What are we going to do?"
"What else is there to do other than come out of the stall?"
Natsuki groaned. "Ugh, I was hoping you wouldn't say that. But I guess there's no other way out."
Natsuki mentally prepared herself for what was to come. She took in a deep breath and unlocked the door, then proceeded to pushing it open.
The occupants' eyes met with the ones of the stewardesses they'd now grown very familiar with.
"Well, lookie here," Chie drawled out teasingly, eyeing the bluenette's catch. "Never thought you'd be a member of the club."
Natsuki blinked, perplexed. "A member of what club?"
"Aw, don't pretend you don't know," the raven-haired hostess said. "It's the mi—"
Aoi slapped her hand onto her girlfriend's mouth, effectively shushing her. "Please return to your seats and disregard everything she's said."
"Um, okay…?" Natsuki said, unsure.
Shizuru rested her hands atop Natsuki's shoulders and led her down the narrow aisle. "I believe it's best we leave them be," she said with a smile.
Once the two were gone, Chie pulled her now surprisingly submissive girlfriend into the stall, whispering, "VIP members coming through!"
TOKYO— 6:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—1:30 a.m. Today
"Welcome back," Nao asked with a very irritating smirk. "How was it?"
"How was what?"
"Your trip."
"I didn't trip."
Nao wanted to slap some sense into the escort's head. "Ah, forget it, never mind."
Nao rose from her seat and into the aisle to let her seat partners through, and then she sat back down.
Natsuki watched her client position herself in the seat and then glance back at her. The two nodded at each other. They would not pay as much attention to Nao, and only talk to her when the topics were fairly detached and harmless, so as to not arouse any suspicion from the girl sitting by the aisle.
The bluenette looked around her vicinity, searching for something to entertain herself with. While performing this search, she found Shizuru once again in her line of sight, imprinting soft touches on the screen of the small tv she had on the backseat of the seat in front of her.
Oh, yeah, I can't believe I forgot about that, Natsuki thought, astounded with herself. She was a movie maniac (she could name many movies just by being given their description) so how could she have put off something such as movie viewing for later? It must have been because Nao and Shizuru were both so distracting. There was no other sensible explanation.
Natsuki held out her hand to the screen and touched it. It responded by displaying a menu that queried, "English or Japanese?"
Natsuki knew both languages, so she was fine with either one, but since they were heading for the United States, she chose English.
Okay, so let's see, what do they have?
Natsuki flipped through many channels, but they all had boring shows playing, so she gave up on channels and looked at the movie section. They were offering over 20 movies for viewing, but none of them seemed to catch her interest. She kept searching for a decent film, page after page, until she saw a canine on one of the thumbnail previews.
Hachiko: A Dog's Tale, Natsuki read in her mind. And the title was all she needed to be pushed into watching the movie.
TOKYO— 7:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—2:30 a.m. Today
Sniff.
Shizuru's ears perceived the sound, even though working earphones currently covered them. The noise had been rather low in volume, so she figured it was a small interference in the headphones. Besides, she had stopped hearing it, so she dismissed it.
Sob. Sniff.
There it was again. And as fast as it had come, it had gone. Should she pay it any heed? Nah…
Sob. Sniff. Whimper.
The movie the brunette was watching did not contain a crying character at the moment, so the sound was definitely coming from within the plane.
Shizuru's head snapped to her right, and she found her escort regarding her respective TV screen with glassy eyes and quivering body. Shizuru's heart broke at seeing the girl in such vulnerable state, and not to mention, she had suddenly grown a bit panicky. Had she done something wrong? Why did Natsuki look like she was on the verge of crying?
"Na—Kuga-han," she said, quickly covering her slip-up, but allowing the concern to show in her voice. "Is something wrong?"
Natsuki heard Shizuru's voice through her headphones, not that there was anything blocking out her voice, either way, since the movie had already ended and only the credits were playing. She wiped her eyes really fast and coughed to clear her throaty voice.
"Y-yeah?" Natsuki said, trying to sound tough.
"Just now… were you…?" Shizuru was trying to find the best way to formulate her thoughts into words.
"N-no!" Natsuki denied curtly. "I mean… yeah… well, sort of… It was a sad movie."
Shizuru blinked. "Ara, a movie?"
Natsuki nodded. "You've heard the story of Hachiko, right? You know, that faithful dog that waited for his master at Shibuya station every day even after his master had died? Yeah, well, that was the movie. Though, they Americanized it."
"Oh, they Americanized it? I'm sorry, you must be very upset," Shizuru said sympathetically.
"No, no, I have nothing against the Americanization of it! At least they kept the real Japanese name, but that's not the point!" Natsuki said. "It's the plot. Since it was based off of a true story, it makes you sad."
"Ara, does Natsuki harbor a soft spot for puppies?" Shizuru teased.
"Do not!"
"Does so."
"Do not!"
"Does so."
"If you want to do it, just do it already!" Nao snapped, exasperated. She had been watching her own movie, only to be disrupted by her fellow passengers.
"I think the volume's a little too loud for ya," Natsuki snarled out. "Let me help you lower it!"
And she pressed the maximizing button.
"OUCH! SUNAVVA—!!"
Natsuki slapped her mouth closed. "Oops, sorry, wrong button," she said without a hint of remorse.
Nao glared at her.
"It's your fault for getting the wrong idea," Natsuki said, letting the other girl's mouth go and rubbing off the Neo germs from her hand with the help of her jeans. "We were just talking about a movie."
"Oh, yeah, I think I remember seeing you bawling your eyes out over that film just now," Nao said in a very fresh manner.
"I was not crying! Just got a little emotional!"
"Yeah, whatever, you so did."
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Oh, my, it's like watching a different version of our argument, Kuga-han!" Shizuru commented giddily.
Natsuki huffed.
"Yeah, I think I'll go back to my movie now," Nao said dismissively, and put her earphones back on.
Shizuru and Natsuki engaged in some idle chat while the redhead finished watching the rest of her movie. It had lots of explosions and violent scenes, and the volume was so loud that the other two girls wondered how she hadn't gone deaf yet.
"So, Kuga-han likes movies?" Shizuru began.
"Hmm?" Natsuki said, turning from Nao to Shizuru. "Yeah, I love them!"
"Since Kuga-han is such a film enthusiast, I suppose she could number all the movies she's watched up until now?" Shizuru joked.
"904."
"Ara?"
"904. That's the exact total of how many movies I've seen so far. Well, at least I think that's about right, since I tried to get my mom to recall how many movies I watched when I was a kid. And she said about 25, so I sort of started my count from there."
Shizuru was only kidding when she made that remark, but apparently her escort took it seriously, producing an equally serious answer.
"What might be Kuga-han's favorite movie, then?" Shizuru asked.
"Hmm, hard to say, since I liked a lot of them, and many were in different genres," Natsuki said.
"Then how about Kuga-han's favorite genre?" Shizuru prodded.
"Maybe… action or mecha," the bluenette responded after some serious thought. "How about you?"
"While I do like action movies myself, I'm also a romantic, so I like to watch the amorous films," Shizuru shared. "Also, I'm into comedy."
"Oh, cool," Natsuki said. "So, if we ever found an action-filled romantic comedy with kick-ass robots, that'd totally be our movie, huh?"
"Probably so," Shizuru said with a smile. "If such film ever comes out, would Kuga-han be so kind as to accompany me to a movie theatre and watch it with me?"
Natsuki grinned cheekily. "Done deal. I'll even escort you there."
"My, then a date it is."
"Who knows when that date will be, though," Natsuki laughed, completely missing the other meaning of date.
"Ugh, excuse me while I throw up in the restroom," Nao said, pretending to gag and heading for the bathroom.
TOKYO— 8:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—3:30 a.m. Today
Natsuki restlessly bustled about in her seat and tapped her finger on the armrest impatiently. "What's taking her so long?"
"Why is Kuga-han so concerned?" Shizuru asked, closing the book she was reading and heeding her companion.
Natsuki's cheeks heated. "I… I sort of need the restroom."
"Oh." Shizuru decided to say no more. She felt a bit guilty now, having questioned the girl sharply like that.
A few more minutes passed and Natsuki grunted in annoyance. She abruptly stood up. "I'm going to check on her. Wait for me here."
"I doubt I can go anywhere else, Kuga-han," Shizuru quipped mirthfully.
"R-right." And the embarrassed bluenette left up the aisle.
Stupid Nao, I've been holding it in for too long, Natsuki thought angrily. I swear I'm going to knock on that door, punch her, and drag her unconscious ass off the toilet seat and kick it out of the stall!
And so, she proceeded with step one. She knocked on the door.
"You done yet?" she spat. "If you are, then get the hell out. I need to use the restroom. If you don't, I'm going to make a fuss and tell the flight attendants on you—whoa!"
The response she got was a swift hand snaking out of the door and pulling her into the compartment.
"OW! Gently, woman, gently," Natsuki said, massaging the mark of nails from her pained wrists.
"I wouldn't have had to do that if you hadn't been so loud out there," Nao countered. She had taken off her jacket and tossed it somewhere in the lavatory. Apparently, being in cramped spaces for too long made you hot.
"Why? What were you doing taking so long anyway?" Natsuki inspected the object Nao had in her hands, but the other girl was showing her back to her so she couldn't clearly make out what it was. "What's that?"
"You ask too many questions," Nao said.
"So do you," Natsuki replied.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You've been questioning Shizuru since the moment we got on this plane," Natsuki explained. "What's the deal?"
"I see you've gotten very familiar with her since I left," Nao said with a smirk. "On a first name basis already?"
Oh, crap, did I really just call her Shizuru? Natsuki thought with dread, but then returned to glaring at the shorter girl. "Shut up, just answer the question!"
"How am I supposed to answer the question if I shut up?"
Snarl.
Sigh.
"Fine, it was really nothing, just curious about the world's most popular heiress, that's all," Nao responded casually, then went back to her object.
"Yeah, like I'll believe that. I mean, I do believe it, but I think there's way more to your explanation than just that and—are you even listening to me!?"
She snatched the redhead's precious object from her and analyzed it. "A cell phone?"
"Hey, what's the big idea? Give it back!" Nao exclaimed, agitated.
"You made me hold it in so you could do whatever-it-was-that-you-were-doing with this cell phone? What's the point? There isn't even any reception all the way up here! And did you know that this thingy could interfere with radio navigation signals sent from air traffic controllers on the ground to get us to our destination? Are you trying to kill or delay us?"
"Hand. That. Over." Nao said through gritted teeth.
Natsuki huffed and shoved it back into Nao's hands. "Whatever. I don't care. Just finish whatever you were doing and get out so that I can take care of my business."
There was a knock on the door.
Aw, just my luck! Natsuki thought miserably.
"Excuse me, sir or ma'am? You've been in there for quite a while, are you in any need of assistance? If not, then it would be very refreshing for us if you unoccupied the stall soon."
Is this Déjà vu or are they required to say that line to whomever takes too long in the restroom? Natsuki wondered.
But then she remembered the situation she was currently and went back to panic-mode. She glanced desperately at Nao, who had made no signs of moving any time soon.
"Nao," she hissed, towering over the girl. "I can't be caught here with someone a second time! DO something!"
"Wow, there was a first time?" Nao whistled lowly. "Anyhow, there's a window up there."
"What are you implying?"
"… Throw yourself out the window and save your dignity but lose your life."
"HELL NO!" Natsuki shouted. "That window's fastened anyways."
"Miss? We can hear you in there," Aoi's voice resounded. "If you do not unlock the door in a few more minutes, I'll be forced to open it."
I'm in deep shit!
"We—I'll be right out!" Natsuki knew there was no point in lying, since the stewardesses would soon see that there were actually two people in the stall, but there was oddly something comforting about stretching out a false truth for a certain amount of time longer before coming out and facing the music.
"Hurry, shut your phone and let's get out of here," Natsuki hissed at the redhead.
Nao, though, had other plans. They were already in plenty enough trouble, so there was nothing wrong with having a little more fun before facing doom, yeah?
"I would hurry up if you'd give me some space," Nao said rather loudly. "I mean, you're practically all over me!"
Natsuki blinked. What was this girl trying to do, telling a flat-out lie like that? "What?"
Nao snickered silently and began depowering her phone. "Don't be so impatient! Once it stops vibrating, you'll know it's off! Or should I just silence it?"
Natsuki's eyes widened at the sudden realization of Nao's stupid innuendos. "What the—keep quiet, you!"
"Geez, you're so demanding," Nao said with a false irritated tone. "At least give me some time to finish getting dressed."
And this wasn't a complete lie, since the redhead was reaching for her jacket, and draping it on.
Natsuki's eye twitched. She heard someone clear his or her throat on the other side of the door.
"Um, take your time, you two, but please be out soon, others are in need of the restroom," said Aoi, sounding abash.
The overwhelmed escort couldn't take it anymore, and she slammed the door of the stall open with a very flustered and wild expression riding her countenance.
Chie raised a bemused eyebrow. "Well, well, well, what have we got here? Never thought you'd try your luck a second time."
Nao walked out of the restroom looking smug and took her place beside Natsuki, who was about to pee her pants in fear and embarrassment.
"W-wait, let me explain—"
"I'm not sure if you know, but this stall is me and Aoi's fun spot, so like get your own," Chie chastised with arms akimbo.
"C-Chie!" a flustered brunette sputtered out, placing a shy hand on her girl friend's shoulder to hopefully make it somewhat known to her that she was feeling a little uncomfortable.
The ebony-haired tomboy evidently sensed this, and sent her girl a reassuring smile, then returned to the rule-breakers.
"Don't worry, I know what it's like to have a high libido during long flights such as these, so I'll let you off the hook," Chie said with a knowing grin.
This misunderstanding, of course, only made Natsuki fall deeper into distress and anguish. Nao just inspected her nails with a bored expression.
"B-but I—"
"Run along now, before I change my mind," Chie warned.
Nao didn't think twice and promptly left for her seat. Natsuki was about to follow but found herself being halted by a firm grip on her shoulder.
"By the way," Chie whispered into her ear, "just between me and you, try to keep it a girl per flight, it's safer, take it from someone who knows."
And Chie clicked her tongue before pushing Natsuki, the good ol' player, down the hallway and sluggishly on her way to the seats without having the opportunity to reclaim some self-respect.
Aoi eyed Chie with suspicion. "What did you tell her?"
"Oh, nothing, just offered some practical advice," Chie said with a grin.
TOKYO— 9:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—4:30 a.m. Today
The weary escort (now done with her business) rested her unresponsive body in her seat, utterly mortified. She hadn't had the chance to explain herself, and now what did the stewardesses think of her? She didn't even dare to speculate, since the many possible assumptions would only serve to augment the fierce gnawing at her morale.
It's all Nao's fault, Natsuki thought bitterly. I wish I hadn't gone to check up on her, all it did was bring me trouble. Agh, curse my bladder's needs! Why did Nao have to make all those weird statements anyways? They just made the situation worse! Her stupid, vibrating cell phone… what was she trying to do with it, anyhow? Take a picture of the toilet water? Keh, that'd be weird.. taking a picture… with your cell phone…
"Of course," Saeko said, grinning. "Be sure to send me some pictures of your new friend—oops—I mean, client."
Oh, crap, I completely forgot about that! Natsuki exclaimed in her mind, her eyes snapping to a further extent.
The bluenette gingerly glanced at both of her sides through the corners of her eyes. Her seat buddies were asleep. Nao had her headphones on once again, so the college girl doubted she would hear any movement considering how loud she usually set the volume.
But just to be sure…
The bluenette increased the volume, noisy enough to make her oblivious to other sounds but low enough to keep her from becoming aware of someone messing with the volumes and waking up.
Natsuki eyed the rest of the passengers in the plane. Most of them were either asleep, reading, or watching a movie. Good.
The escort deftly pulled out her phone, a very cheap one at that, but as long as it could call, she was fine with it. She turned it on, all the while looking secretive to the point of paranoia. Once it had stopped starting up, and was ready to go, she slid a little closer to her dozing client.
Okay, Natsuki, you can do this, she mentally encouraged herself. Just press the button, take her picture, and after we land, send it to mom. She'll never notice what you did. And who's going to tell her anyway?
As the now resolute girl adjusted Shizuru into her lens frame, she couldn't help but admire her client's astounding beauty. She'd never spared herself some time to stop and really assimilate the girl's features. And just now she realized the maiden serenely resting beside her had been truly blessed by the gods and endowed with the gifts of elegance, fairness, and pulchritude.
Her slender figure was above any of the models' Natsuki had seen in the magazines she'd read. Her voice was clear and alluring, sweetly coated with the canorous ringing of her distinctive dialect. The hue of her skin was that of a faintly tanned cloud, and her touch was light and chaste. Her deep saffron mane appealed to all forces of motion, and stray hairs curled around other shafts of hairs, creating lovely spiral locks. Then there were the captivating and impervious hyacinth gems she possessed for eyes, which, while not curtained by her long eyelashes, seemed to suspend the course of time when boldly directed at someone.
Damn, Natsuki thought, shutting her gaping mouth to prevent anything from dripping out. No wonder I was getting some scary glares at the airport. And that was with me being just her escort! I never realized she was this gorgeous! Heh, I sort of feel sorry for whoever ends up with her. That person's going to have to take a lot of shit from envious people.
Natsuki chuckled at the thought. She'd love to see the troubled look on that person's face, but by then, she'd have cut ties with Shizuru.
Oh, well, I guess I'll find out who it is once I read the news of her marriage in the future, Natsuki concluded with a shrug. She shook herself from cogitation and focused on the task at hand. Okay… 3…2…1…
Snap!
Natsuki smiled to herself.
Got it! She cheered in her head, scrutinizing her newly shot photo.
"Ara, may I see?"
Natsuki instantly flinched, then froze for a few seconds, before stiffly lifting her gaze to meet the model of the picture's.
Natsuki whimpered in fear under the watch of those piercing eyes. "Uh…err… I… Don't get the wrong idea! Let me explain!"
"Ara, then please do elaborate," Shizuru said sweetly, though there was something menacing about the way she voiced it.
"It was my mom!" Natsuki quickly admitted.
"How's that?" Shizuru questioned lithely. "Could it be that I've missed Kuga-han's mother aboard this plane?"
"No, no, no, nothing like that! She's not here or anything!" Natsuki corrected. "Remember that call I got back when we were checking the panels? Well, that was my mom. She told me that she wanted a picture of you, and I'd totally forgotten about her request until now. I would have woken you up, but you seemed so peaceful and tired and I didn't want to disturb you, so I just opted for taking a sneak shot. I'm sorry, that was low. Here"—Natsuki handed her client the phone reluctantly—"feel free to delete the picture. It was wrong of me to take it without your permission in the first place. I mean, now I'm no better than stupid paparazzi—"
"Why, this is a wonderful picture," Shizuru interjected with her praiseful words. "Well, I did kind of pose for it, so I suppose that's why."
"Huh? Wait, so you were awake while I was taking your picture but didn't say anything!?"
"I trusted Kuga-han," Shizuru confessed. "I knew she must have had her reasons for taking them, so I didn't try to stop her."
Natsuki blushed lightly. How could a stranger harbor so much faith in her already?
"Kuga-han may even keep the picture and send it to her mother," Shizuru said, returning the device to her owner. "Or would she like to take another one? This time with me visually conscious, perhaps?"
"Ah, no, no, I don't want to pester you with this anymore," Natsuki said modestly.
"Ara, I am in no way bothered by Kuga-han's actions," Shizuru assured. "But if she doesn't want to take anymore pictures of me, I suppose I could live with that." She pouted a little. "Who would want to snap pictures of me, anyhow? I must not be very photogenic…"
"No, that's not it at all!"—Nice one, Kuga, you're supposed to keep your client happy!—"I'd love to take more pictures of you! You mind posing for me?"
Shizuru flashed a genuine smile. "Not at all."
TOKYO— 10:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—5:30 a.m. Today
"Passengers, this is your pilot speaking."
Everyone's face lit up expectantly. Was the man finally about to announce their close arrival? After all, eleven hours had already passed, so they should be approximately 18 minutes away from their destination. Nao, for one, was very glad to hear the voice of the man in the cockpit come on. She had honestly already grown sick of the lengthy plane ride and wanted to get off already, to be greeted by fresh air and kiss the ground hello.
"I am happy to inform you that, yes, we are in Los Angeles, California."
Everyone cheered.
"But apparently there's a storm by the airport's vicinity, and we can't take landing."
Everyone groaned.
"We will have to remain in the air until the storm settles down. We are not aware yet of how long it will last. Please be patient for the flight is being prolonged."
Everyone had different reactions to this: anger, sadness, annoyance, and me-no-understand-English-are-we-yet-in-America?
Natsuki wanted to smash her head into the closest solid object she could get her hands on. Shizuru remained composed and holding her ever enigmatic smile.
"Okay, that's it, if we don't land in the next hour, I'm totally jumping off this plane," Nao growled out.
"Don't joke like that," Natsuki said, though she understood her reason for being upset.
"Who said I was kidding?" Nao snapped back. "I've had some training in sky diving. I don't like it, but I can pull it off if I really want to."
"Relax, Nao," Natsuki chided. "It'll probably only take an hour for the storm to subside."
"You're telling me to relax," Nao began. "But I'm wondering how you're managing to keep a leveled head when it's very likely that you're going to miss your next flight."
And realization hit Natsuki like a bitch-slap in the face.
HOW COULD I FORGET ABOUT OUR CONNECTION!?!?
Natsuki rushed past Nao and headed for the overhead compartments. She pulled out her carry-on and fumbled for her itinerary. Once she grabbed a hold of it, she stuffed her carry-on back in the bin, closed it, and hurriedly made her way back to her seat.
Ohcomeoncomeoncomon! Natsuki thought desperately, hoping for her next flight to be hours away. Pleaseletitbefarpleaseletitbefarpleaseletitbefar!
The girl's eyes dilated at the sight of her next flight's departure time.
And the clouds dispersed, revealing the mighty creator, who said, "I hate you, Kuga Natsuki."
Her flight was at 6 in the morning in Los Angeles time zone.
Well. I'll. Be. Dammed.
And she slumped forward into the seat in front of her, banging her forehead rather painfully on the small touch screen TV.
LOS ANGELES—7:00 a.m. Today
Natsuki panted heavily and ran to the gate she was supposed to have been at and hour ago with her new boarding ticket at one hand and dragging a submissive Shizuru along with her other one. Nao was following after them, and after being harshly questioned by Natsuki, she just said that she needed to go in the same direction and that there was no reason to get all paranoid.
Natsuki left Shizuru's side for a while to go speak (in Enlish) with one of the representatives at the gate. After several minutes, she sluggishly made her way back.
"How did it go, Kuga-han?" Shizuru asked with concern.
The bluenette shook her head in defeat. "We missed it."
"Don't worry, I missed my flight, too," Nao consoled.
Natsuki shot daggers in her direction. "I thought Los Angeles was your destination?"
Nao shrugged. "I said I was heading for Los Angeles. I never said it was my final destination."
"Kuga-han, what will we do?" Shizuru asked.
"Ah, don't worry, the lady scheduled us another flight for tomorrow noon," Natsuki reassured with a weak smile. "We didn't even have to pay for it or anything."
"Where will we stay until tomorrow arrives?" Shizuru queried.
"The lady said they're not to be held responsible over us missing the flight, since it was the weather's fault and all, so they're not obliged to pay for our inn," Natsuki explained.
"Ara, I do believe we have enough money to pay for one, yes?" Shizuru questioned.
"Yeah, we do," Natsuki said. "Don't worry, I'm your escort. I'll hold responsibility for this, so let me take care of the expenses."
"Cool, so where are we staying at?" Nao piped up.
Natsuki glared her way again. "We?"
"Yeah, I mean, I'm stuck here, too," Nao said. "Which reminds me, I need to schedule another flight. I'll be back, let me talk to that lady!"
And she left.
"My, we are in California, so we might as well make the best of it, yes?" Shizuru suggested optimistically. "Our flight isn't until tomorrow noon, is that correct, Kuga-han? So how about we visit the beach tomorrow? I've always wanted to go!" Shizuru clasped her hands charmingly in excitement.
Natsuki's jaw dropped in disbelief.
We're stranded in L.A. and all she's thinking is the BEACH!?!?
O_O.... This was 45 pages long on Word. Sorry if you're not into reading long stuff, but this was 11 hours and 18 minutes worth of material :p. I'll try to keep the next chapters short if you don't like it. I hope this chapter amused you. Reviews or any type of comment would make me really happy and make writing this and getting hand cramps worth it. Thank you for your support so far! I hope you enjoyed your flight :3!