"Are you okay now," Natsuki asked softly, as she lightly brushed away a few stray tears from Shizuru's face.
Shizuru nodded lightly as she also wiped at the tear tracks left on her face. She felt faintly embarrassed to have just started crying in this stranger's arms, but the ebony-haired girl had definitely made her feel safe, so she didn't really mind all that much. She knew that once she walked back out the front door, this small time of peace would be forever gone. Shizuru decided that she would try to savour this night for as long as she could.
"Come on, let's get you washed up a bit," Natsuki said with a light grin as she rose to her full height, and held out her hand for the honey-haired girl to take.
Shizuru nodded once again, and lightly placed her hand in Natsuki's. She was easily pulled to her feet, and idly noted that the sable-haired girl was slightly taller than her, by perhaps a couple of inches. Still it was enough that Shizuru had to cant her eyes slightly upward, and she found herself lowering them back down quickly and shyly, as a faint blush coloured her cheeks.
I'm blushing! I never blush. Certainly not with paying clients...but this girl...she's like no other client I've ever been with before. She makes me feel...like I'm an actual human being, and not just a piece of meat to be used and tossed out.
"Oh, I almost forgot. I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Natsuki. Natsuki Kuga. What's your name?" Natsuki asked with a smile, and a curious tilt of her head towards the brunette.
"I'm ahh...my name is Shizuru. Shizuru...Fujino," Shizuru said softly if not a bit hesitantly. She herself had not used her family name is years. She was just usually referred to as 'Shizuru', Reito's best 'girl'. It was kind of...nice...to actually tell another person her full name. It made a small smile tug up the corners of Shizuru's lips.
Natsuki grinned back brightly, as she saw the smile working its way across the brunette's lips.
"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Shizuru. Let me show you to the bathroom so you can wash your face," Natsuki said as she reached forward, and gently entwined her fingers with Shizuru's. Then not waiting to notice the slightly-stunned and shy look that crossed Shizuru's face, Natsuki gently tugged the other woman in the direction of her bathroom.
Once in the bathroom, Shizuru carefully washed away the tear stains and messed up make-up on her face, leaving her skin feeling fresh in a way that it hadn't in a long time. For once she was just her regular self. No make-up to hide her natural features.
Tonight is a night of many firsts, Shizuru thought to herself with a small smile, as she exited the bathroom. Once she stepped out of the bathroom, a small bundle of clothes was held up and presented before her slightly-surprised face.
Natsuki stood by the bathroom door holding up one of her own large t-shirts, and a pair of comfy shorts with a light, shy blush on her face.
"Figured you may wanna wear something a little more...comfortable...than what you have on since you'll be staying here for a while longer," Natsuki said with a light, slightly-nervous grin as she gently handed the clothes over to the brunette.
Shizuru nodded quietly as she took the clothes, a light blush also staining her cheeks, and she stepped back into the bathroom to change into Natsuki's loaned clothes. Once she had finished changing, Shizuru once again stepped out of the bathroom. The shirt was a little big as were the shorts, but they were comfy and made her feel a sense of warmth that she couldn't remember feeling in her current life.
"Okay, I'm all changed," Shizuru said with another shy grin, as she clutched her own clothes against her chest.
Natsuki returned the grin and said, "come on, lets go put your clothes down in my bedroom. And then lets go watch a movie and have some popcorn."
Shizuru tilted her head curiously. "A movie...and popcorn..." Shizuru said a bit hesitantly.
Natsuki smiled softly and kindly at Shizuru, as she reached forward and gently took one of the brunette's hands into her own.
"Yeah, a movie and some popcorn. I know...with your line of work, you almost certainly don't get to do...normal everyday stuff like just relaxing in front of the TV, and sharing snacks with someone," Natsuki replied gently, as she led Shizuru first to her bedroom where the chestnut-haired girl placed her folded clothes at the end of Natsuki's bed. Then she led the crimson-eyed girl out to her small living room, and gently tugged her down onto her couch.
Shizuru followed along behind Natsuki in somewhat of a daze. She was wholly and completely out of her element at this point, but not in an unpleasant way. This dark-haired stranger...Natsuki...was showing her a whole new way of life...a simple everyday life that she had missed out on growing up, and she wanted to soak up as much of it as she possibly could.
Because she knew that come the morning, her magical fairytale night would all come to an end.
"Alright, now just wait right here while I go make us some popcorn. You can watch whatever you want while I'm in the kitchen," Natsuki said with a happy grin, as she handed Shizuru the TV remote, and almost bounced excitedly into the kitchen.
Shizuru giggled lightly as she watched Natsuki almost skip away. She then began idly flipping through channels, not really interested in anything that was on, but just wanting to pass the time until the sable-haired girl came back. Which she did in record time carrying a bowl full of freshly popped popcorn, and set it on the low-standing table before the couch.
Natsuki then went to her small entertainment center, grabbed a DVD, and popped it into its player. She wasn't really sure what she'd grabbed, but it would most likely be a movie that had a fair amount of action and good comedy. Natsuki then stepped back over to the couch, and settled onto the corner opposite from Shizuru, who was sitting with her legs curled up under her.
They both reached for a handful of popcorn, and both tried to hide the slight shiver that went through them, as their fingers lightly brushed against each other.
As the movie progressed, Natsuki watched the brunette out of the corner of her eye. Shizuru became more and more relaxed as the movie went on, even letting down her ingrained guard to the point of giggling out loud at all the comedic parts of the film.
Natsuki found a soft smile coming to her lips as she watched Shizuru enjoy herself like this. She just knew that Shizuru most likely never got a chance to just be a young woman like this, and Natsuki bit her lip pensively as she tried to think up a way to allow the brunette to enjoy more moments like this.
Time slowly passed as they both focused on the movie, enjoying it to the fullest, and quickly emptying the bowl of the popcorn. Natsuki got up halfway through the movie to get them both drinks, and somehow during the course of the film they found themselves getting closer and closer to the middle of the couch. Until by the end of the movie, Natsuki found herself waking up with a small start, realizing that she had fallen asleep at some point during the movie, and now had a sleeping brunette leaning her head against her shoulder.
Natsuki blushed lightly at how close Shizuru was to her, and she could smell a faint scent of lilacs on her.
Not wanting to wake Shizuru up, Natsuki carefully and slowly moved out from under the brunette, cradling her head and gently arranging the honey-haired woman out, so that she was now laying fully on the couch.
Natsuki then quickly went to her room, and returned with a soft blanket which she gently placed over the sleeping woman. Natsuki stepped back and smiled down at the chestnut-haired girl, who with all the stress and worries of her waking life erased from her face, looked like a teenage girl in deep sleep.
She shouldn't have to do what she does everyday. I have to find a way to get her out of this life. I owe it to you Mom to not allow someone else so young, to have her life ruined or taken away from being in this 'profession', Natsuki thought to herself as she moved back into her room, and brought out another blanket and a small pillow.
Natsuki lightly placed the pillow on the ground before the couch, and then laid down on the carpeted floor, and drew the blanket over her body. She could have stayed in her room to sleep, but she couldn't leave Shizuru out here to sleep by herself. Even if the brunette would have no clue whether she was kept company or not, with how deeply she was sleeping. Natsuki just couldn't leave her on her own even if most of the night had already passed, and daybreak was now only a few hours away.
Natsuki then stifled a yawn, grabbed the TV remote, and turned the set off. The room was immediately thrown into darkness, and Natsuki snuggled down into her blanket, and fell asleep with a small smile on her face.
Shizuru's ruby-red eyes snapped open, and she looked around herself in mild confusion of where she was. Then the fairytale night that she had just spent flashed through her mind, and she slowly made herself sit up on the couch. A small digital clock sitting on a small table beside the couch read 4:01am in bright, red digits. Shizuru had trained her body to instantly awaken at 4:00am, as it was always a good time to slip out of her paying client's bed, and vanish into the pre-dawn morning.
Shizuru looked down and in the faint light coming from the glowing clock's light, she saw a bundled form at her feet. Shizuru smiled down sadly at the still-sleeping Natsuki.
Her fairytale night was now officially over, and the harsh realities of her true life were once again staring her hard in the face.
She had to get back to Reito.
Shizuru lightly and quickly moved from under the covers that she realized with a soft smile, Natsuki must have placed over her sometime during the night. She carefully stepped over Natsuki and made her way slowly down the hallway in the near-darkness, to the cobalt-haired woman's bedroom to retrieve her clothes. She then quickly changed back into her own outfit, neatly folded the clothes Natsuki had lent her, gently fingering the soft fabric of the shirt, before she shook her head and made her way back out to the front door.
Shizuru paused briefly by the front door, and looked over her shoulder back down the darkened hallway to the living room. Then with a soft sigh of regret, Shizuru quietly and carefully opened the front door, and stepped out into the early twilight morning. And walked straight into a solid chest and crossed arms. Shizuru blinked in confusion and looked up into glinting, emerald-green eyes.
"You weren't planning on leaving without saying goodbye were you? You gotta remember I'm training to be a cop. I knew the instant that you woke up and began moving around. I've been trained to wake up early myself and to sleep lightly," Natsuki said with a small grin, as she looked at the slightly-stunned woman before her.
Shizuru's mouthed opened and closed a few times, as she tried to verbalize a response. She then took Natsuki by unexpected surprise herself by quickly leaning forward, and claiming the ebony-haired woman's lips in a searing kiss that left Natsuki stunned with sudden desire. Shizuru then ripped her lips away and made a dash down the walkway to the stairs, that led to the bottom floor of Natsuki's apartment complex.
Natsuki lost a few precious seconds as her mind, which had been derailed by that heart-stopping kiss, had to find its way back onto its tracks. By the time she had managed to gather her thoughts, Shizuru was already running quickly down the path before the apartment complex, and disappearing into the early morning twilight.
Natsuki cursed silently for allowing herself to be so easily distracted, and letting Shizuru get away. She then quickly turned on her heel, and went back into her apartment, slamming the door hard behind her.
She had two trouble-making friends she had to wake up to get a number.
"Well good, I see that you're back on time as usual from your 'night out' Shizuru," Reito drawled from behind his desk, where he lounged in his office chair. "You must have done a very good job with that client last night, because I just received a call from her requesting your 'services' again. Very good, my pet. I think that we're going to have a very lucrative repeat customer here," Reito said with a smile, that always sent an unpleasant shiver down the spine of the brunette standing before him.
Natsuki...paid to see me again...why...why would she do that? Shizuru wondered in complete bewilderment to herself.
"Oh, and she's asking to pay for your company for the whole day. I'm not sure what the fuck you did to this woman last night...well besides fuck her of course, but it must have rocked her little world if she wants to see you again this badly," Reito said with a smirk as he rose fluidly from his chair, and walked over to Shizuru.
"Just remember this one thing, darling. You belong to me. And you will always belong to me. So don't get any funny ideas in your pretty little head of getting...'attached' to anyone. I'll allow you to...'play' with this girl, who seems so taken with you a little while longer. The money is good, and you know I'm a man who enjoys his money...and his toys," Reito purred into Shizuru's ear as he pressed his body hard against hers, and slid his hand down until he was firmly gripping her shapely behind.
Shizuru stiffened in his grasp, but she didn't say a word.
She never did.
"Oh, and I've heard word that your sister is still happy and safe attending that school out in the countryside. She's received the monthly check that you always have sent out to her. She still doesn't know who her benefactor is, but she's happy enough living out there going to that boarding school and living the life of a happy, carefree teenager. And you want your only living relative to continue living out such a carefree happy existence, don't you Shizuru? Even if she herself doesn't have a clue about your existence," Reito drawled into her ear before he bite down on it, and licked his tongue across it.
Shizuru did her best to keep the revulsed reaction from her body from showing, but it always did in the form of a small shudder, which caused Reito to laugh out loud before he smacked her hard on her ass.
"Now go get yourself cleaned up and changed. You have to go back out to that girl's place by midday," Reito continued, as he began making his way out of his office. "Oh and remember, I own you, darling. Never forget that at any point that you're out 'playing' today. You...are...mine," Reito said as his voice dropped to a low deadly, possessive tone before he walked out the office door, and slammed it hard behind him.
Shizuru stood in the middle of the room and shivered uncontrollably for a few seconds, before finally moving off to begin getting ready for the rest of her day.
A few hours later...
A gentle knock on her front door had Natsuki scrambling to her feet and rushing towards the door to fling it wide open, without even looking to see who was on the other side.
A shyly-smiling Shizuru stood before her, with her hand raised in a small wave.
"Hello again, Natsuki. I'll be your date for the rest of the day."
To be continued~
AN - Wow...have I mentioned already that I heart you guys? Yes? Then let me state it again just because I HEART you guys. Muchly~
Thank you all so very much for the reviews for my last chapter! They inspired me to write a longer chapter (long for me XD) and I hope you all enjoyed it =3
Please review again to let me know what you all thought about it ^.^