Peach Blossoms
By: DarkBlue Mint
Disclaimer: Still not mine, please try again.
Notes: So as Cross-san said the chara was Kinomoto Touya; now next contest, knowing that my favorite Seiyuu are Tanaka Rie, Nogawa Sakura and Shimizu Ai (in that order) can you guess my favorite singer? (And really it's incredibly easy so if no one guesses I'm gonna stop writing this fict). There's a poll concerning this series in my profile go answer it, it will be closed by Friday night.
Yuuki Rie had always been a calm woman, even before the accident that left her in a coma for some years she had constantly been patient; when her daughter told her about the happenings of the Carnival she had been calm and comforting whenever her little one confessed her crimes (she had the idea that those were not really crimes as all of the poor girls had been under the influence of that damn star), and when some weeks after she had heard about the situation that Miyu Greer and Alyssa Searrs she had used her cool head to go to Himeno-san and offer to take care of both of them (something had made both girls grateful about and her little princess a little jealous). Very little fazed her so when the door of their home was quickly opened and fast and loudly closed she was as serene as ever.
"Nao-chan what did I tell you about banging the doors?" She let her voice carry from the kitchen, where she was preparing dinner with the aid of Miyu, to the lounge where her little angel seemed to still be; actually by the sound she seemed to be pacing in there and cursing rather loudly (she hopped that Alyssa that was doing homework in her room couldn't hear that vocabulary). "Nao-chan what did I tell you about using those words when in home?" When she finished exiting the kitchen to scold her, she saw that her daughter apart from being cursing was also crying and had a desperate look on her eyes, very little fazed Yuuki Rie, seeing her daughter cry was one of those things. "Nao-chan, what happened? All you alright?"
"I did something so wrong... My God! Why did I...?" With those words the younger redhead let herself fall on her knees while grabbing her head. "I'm such an... Why!?"
"Has Nao-san gone to hunt child molesters again without backup?" Miyu supplied seriously, the last time that Nao had came home that disturbed it had been for that reason, although she hadn't cried that time she had indeed cursed herself and everyone else in the world. As the girl kept crying she couldn't help to be more uncomfortable, she was a battle android; she didn't know how to act in these situations. "Yuuki-san I will continue with the food preparations." At seeing the warning look on the older woman face she thought prudently to correct herself. "I'm sorry... Mama." With those word the former battle android and now daughter left the room to continue preparing dinner (and no one could see the happy smile on her face at knowing that she belonged to a family that cared about her and her ojou-sama, even thought Nao pretended not to).
"Nao-chan, what happened?" After her older daughter left the room (at least older in appearance), she let herself go to the floor and embrace Nao, the little redhead clutched to her and kept crying the only moment she had seen her like that had been when she confessed about the Carnival. She really felt herself hurt with her little girl and wanted to know what to do to take away the pain. After some minutes the tears subsided and Nao seemed to be a little more calm.
"I... Mikoto got hurt today, it's not bad, but she would not be able to use a bokken in time for the regionals." Rie understood that, although she didn't seemed it outwardly Nao was a very sensitive girl and things like having a friend be hurt would drive her to tears (when she had been a little girl she had cried when her papa had killed a spider). "And I kissed Shiho." That of course was unexpected, and the small voice that her daughter had used to inform about this fact, let her know that this was really the problem that had sent her to tears. "And then I ran away."
Rie thought that laughing when her girl seemed to be too distraught wasn't going to be well received, but the scene seemed from a soap opera or a teenage drama, and she could barely contain herself. The fact that Nao had a pout on her face let her know that she hadn't been that good in hiding her humor about the situation; still the younger redhead was smiling now and giggling at hearing herself describe the situation.
"You have feeling for Shiho-chan?" Nao looked at the opposite wall and Rie smiled again. "Do you want to talk about it?" This time the redhead reacted by denying with her head. "Ok, it's almost time for dinner; so why don't you and Alyssa-chan take a bath and then come and help set the table?" Nao got up from the floor and help her to stand, and then she started to walk to the stairs leading to the rooms. "Nao-chan, I know that you got used to be alone but if you want to talk I will always be here. What's more you have two sisters now, and they are good girls, so you are not alone. You understand?"
Nao stopped halfway on the stairs, the crying girl was gone and the roughish smile of the school delinquent adorned her face. "I'm alright, Mama." With that she started to take the stairs to at a time. "Oy! Alyssa-chan it's time for the bath, and then we will see what Miyu uses to poison us tonight!"
The sparkling giggle from Alyssa's room and the "I'll never poison ojousama" that came from the kitchen let Rie know that even if things weren't alright, they were going to be very soon.
--
The morning sun entered the window, and only because it's light was different from the orange glow from the afternoon one could say that some time had happened since Mai had decided to sit on the floor and think. Actually thinking wasn't what she was doing she was wallowing, grieving for reason that were hidden for her. She actually would still be like that, seated in the floor hugging her knees, if the door to her room wasn't forcefully opened and Kuga Natsuki and Higurashi Akane entered the room.
"Ok, this is stupid. Get up, take a shower, and go to class." When Kuga-san, who next to Yuuki Nao was, one of the most infamous delinquents of the school told you to go to class was a sign of the apocalypse (and that you were being incredibly pathetic). Of course for the catatonic redhead Natsuki could have been telling her that she was going to dance in the Bolshoi. Natsuki turned to the other girl, which had closed the door so there weren't witnesses to the intervention. "She's worse than you told me."
"Mai-chan, have you moved at all since I left you here?" Akane's tone was tender, as if she was talking to a frightened child or a scared animal; Natsuki wondered why she hadn't let her speak since the beginning (she was a little tactless).
"I think so?" Mai's voice sounded raspy, she was sure that she had gone to the bathroom at least twice. "I threw up, I didn't feel so good. I don't understand why; why I'm feeling this much pain?"
Both classmates exchanged a look. Most people, most witnesses of this triangle (Akane was sure that after yesterday, Reito didn't considered himself a contestant) thought that the feelings of the busty redhead went to Tate Yuuichi; and yet if you ask any HiME that knew Tokiha Mai and Minagi Mikoto would give a very different answer. Natsuki put her hands on Mai's shoulders.
"Mai, do you remember Duran? You remember his size during the Carnival?" Mai let her amethyst eyes find Natsuki's emerald ones; not only her but also Akane wanted to see where the Ice-Princess was going with this talk. "He was pretty small wasn't he?" Mai nodded, and Natsuki's smile turned tender. "When I thought that my feelings of revenge were my most important he was so small... but when I realized that Shizuru was my most important person, you didn't saw him Mai, but he was massive, as big a Kagutsuchi." Mai flinched at hearing her Child's name; she actually missed him very much (Akane and Natsuki also reacted remembering their Childs). "You understand what I'm telling you? Kagutsuchi was always so big and your powers were always the stronger; do you remember what was happening when they manifested?" Comprehension started to appear in Mai's amethyst eyes. "Do you remember who you were protecting?"
"Mi-Mikoto?" A lurching pain started in her chest at thinking of the hurt kendoka, her heart was trying to tell her something but now it had help. "This pain... this pain is for her?"
"You love her Mai-chan." Natsuki nodded at Akane's statement. And a smile appeared in Mai's face at those words, she felt so relieved that tears came from her eyes and she slid from the wall to lie on the floor.
"I love her... I think you are right." Mai looked at both girls as if they had all the answers. "And she loves me too, right?"
"The girl did everything to tell you, except maybe shout it from the rooftops." Akane said with a smile, happy that her friend had left the catatonic state.
"Actually she did shout it from the rooftops." Offered Natsuki; remembering the time when the kendoka had screamed 'I love Mai' while letting herself fall from the roof of Nao's house, the day that the damn spider had moved.
"But I hurt her. I loved her and still I hurt her so much." The redhead covered her face with her hand and cried again; this time neither of her friends knew what to do.
--
Nao and Miyu were walking to the school, just some moments ago they had dropped off Alyssa in the part of the Fuuka Gakuen campus that housed her school. Nao was still surprised about how her life had changed lately; before Aoi was the only person that worried about getting her to school on time, today she had woken with a blonde girl shaking her and a materialized sword near her neck (Miyu informed her that Mama had say to wake her at any cost). More estrange for her was that while leaving her in school Alyssa had given Miyu the customary kiss in the cheek, and then had tugged Nao until she was at her level and done the same to her (actually the more bizarre thing had been that the blonde said goodbye stating: "Goodbye Miyu-onesama, Nao-onesama").
"Is Nao-san alright?" Miyu asking about her wasn't weird; the cyan haired android had made an effort of making small talk while walking to school after a day that Nao declared creepy to walk in silence. Nao only shrugged dismissively. "I just wanted to say that if you need to talk-."
"I know I'm not alone." The redhead interrupted.
"No, we are not alone anymore." Before Nao could change the subject she continued. "And Munakata-san is a good friend and a good person."
"Say Miyu, you start working at Linden Baum next week, right?" Miyu had predicted a 96 percent of probabilities of Nao changing the subject, so she only nodded in confirmation and let her do so. "What do you say if today Sister Nao and Sister Miyu console the lost souls of Fuuka Gakuen for one last time?" the cyan haired android let her eyes drift to the sky, but still Nao saw. "Why Sister Miyu, is that an evil smirk on your face?"
And after causing more trouble for Yukariko-san, she was going to certain temple to talk about a certain job (and in any way she was hopping to see certain redhead girl with orange brown eyes).
--
Tate Yuuichi had being informed at midmorning that his self-proclaimed sister had missed the day of school; he had also been worried about Mai, but a quick message from Natsuki to his mobile let him know that if went near their dorm his life was in danger. The blonde kendoka decided not to take chances and opted to leave school at lunch to visit Shiho; he wasn't one to admit it loudly but he did loved the redhead with the peculiar hairstyle as if they shared blood, that had been the reason why a relationship with her seemed ludicrous to him (he wasn't a very big fan of incest).
As he was going up the stairs he looked up and saw the girl he had wanted to see; she was sitting in the last step, just under the Torii Gate, and was wearing her uniform and had her bag next to her like if she was going to school and at the last moment decided not to.
"Shiho, I was worried about you. Your classmates told me that you weren't in school." Shiho let her eyes lift and saw him as if she was trying to recognize him or trying to see something in him, then they moved away and seemed to go to some lost point in the sky.
"Nao kissed me." Tate's eye widened at hearing this and he let himself fall next to her.
"Wow. That was unexpected." The redhead at his side only nodded, her eyes still lost. "Do you like her?"
"I don't think it matters." A sad smile showed on her face. "I think I do, she's nice... don't look at me like that, she's actually a nice person she just hides it well." She ignored Tate's quip of 'really well'. "These last months of friendship were so nice, and I do like her... It's just I have very bad luck in love don't I?"
"I love you, Shiho. Just not as you wanted, you are my little sister and I never saw you as anything else." He felt like an ass for not saying this before. "I'm sorry I didn't explain myself before."
Both childhood friends shared the silence for a while; without words Shiho finally forgave her Oniichan, and Tate was glad that he didn't loose a person that had been with him in his most dark time. Still something nagged in Shiho's conscience something that she needed to tell him before it was to late, she didn't want him to hurt as she had before.
"Oniichan, there's something you need to know. Mikoto got hurt yesterday and..." She was quickly interrupted by Tate.
"I know; I was going to talk to Mai and tell her to postpone our date until Mikoto-chan recovered." And now it was Shiho interrupting him.
"Tate, please hear me out and don't interrupt. Mikoto got hurt and I think because of that Mai-san is going to learn something that all HiMEs know." She got herself in front of him and put her hand on his cheek giving him a small consoling caress. "You were my important person during the Carnival, Oniichan, that's why when Mikoto defeated Yatagarasu you disappeared; when the important person to a HiME disappears she looses her powers, and yet..." Shiho sighed, Tate seemed to understand where she was going with this, but she didn't want to take any chances so she continued along. "And yet Mai-san kept her powers. If you were her most important person she would not have been able to call forth Kagutsuchi."
"And the only one around at that time was Mikoto." Tate's voice sounded defeated, but he had actually suspected something like this; Mai's smiles were always brighter when the kendoka was with her (he should have known). "You all knew?"
"We suspected." Confirmed Shiho, they decided without words to miss the rest day of school and share the silence.
--
"I'm sorry to intrude." The polite voice of the Kaicho, Fujino Shizuru, said when Kanzaki Reito let her in his. "Suzushiro-san wanted to bring the papers herself but I convinced her that it would be better for me to do it. I think I surprised when I offered to do work."
"I should thank you then for saving from the loud tones of Suzushiro-san. Could I offer you some tea?" At Shizuru's polite nod the Fuku-Kaicho let himself go to the kitchen.
Shizuru for her part went to the living room; she had already been in the Kanzaki house enough time to be familiar with the layout. When entering the room she saw something that surprised, Minagi Mikoto was in front of the window; not that her presence was weird (although it kind of was) after Reito had informed his parents that he knew he had a sister they had confirmed it, and informed him that she had been given to their grandfather at his insistence (they also confirmed ties to the First District but he ignored that part).
When the girl was brought to them, their mother had started to pamper her and their father had been pleased to now have a Kendo fan in the house (although Reito was fine with a sword he didn't love it in the way that his father and his sister did). Still even though the girl had been offered a place in the family and in the home, she still preferred to spend her time in the presence of Tokiha, and from there was Shizuru's surprise borne. The catlike kendoka's right hand was bandaged and she remembered rumors about and incident in Linden Baum the previous day.
"She had been like this since I brought her here from the hospital yesterday." If Reito's voice surprised her she didn't let it show, and let herself be guided to the dinning room. "One part of me wants to hit me in the head for having a hand in causing her pain, the rest wants to find Tate-kun and Mai-san and... I'm sorry."
"It's alright one is free to talk about whatever one wants among friends." And although still preoccupied with thoughts about her best friend sister, she let a happy smile show on her face. "I actually came to inform you about a change in my relationship status."
"Don't tell me that Kuga-san has finally seen the light." Both friends shared a smile and Reito seemed glad for the distraction. In the living room Mikoto kept watching through the window and wondering what more she could have done to make Mai love her.
--
After school, among the under of students leaving Fuuka Gakuen to go to their homes or run to their part time jobs, a couple walked kindly towards Lindem Baum. Suddenly the girl stopped, and looping her arms around her boyfriend's neck gave him a passionate kiss (that made him check if he had a nosebleed). A goofy smile showed on his face at hearing other students catcalling and telling him he was a 'lucky dog'.
"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that about?" Kurauchi Kazuya asked his girlfriend Higurashi Akane.
"Nothing; I'm just really happy that you are such an uncomplicated and lovable boyfriend." The former HiME answered.
"I will say the same to you, but you almost cut my head last week because I talked to you while in your period." At seeing his girlfriend murderous look and pouting cheeks, he smiled tenderly. "I love you, Akane-chan."
"I love you too, Kazu-kun. But just for that comment you are taking me to some place expensive next Saturday." The boy only put his arm around the girl's shoulders and both kept walking to their part time job (he already had planed to take her out Saturday).
Next Chapter: (I think this is the longest chapter that I wrote... ever!) Marguerite-san shows up again to the bane of Natsuki. Shizuru discovers that there's nothing more dangerous than a jealous wolf. Mai and Mikoto are forced to talk. Nao kisses Shiho again (and this time she stays a little longer). Takeda and Tate talk (small scene I promise).
More Notes: The name of Nao's mother was the reason why this chapter almost isn't written, at first I was going to use the name that Han DJ had given her, but I didn't want people calling me a plagiarist (that and I wasn't sure if I could get a hold of Han quickly enough), in the end it was solved by the poster of Suigintou that it's in the ceiling over my computer (actually I have the ceiling over my computer wallpapered in Anime pictures, I wanted to put one of Kirijo Mitsuru today but my brother stole my ladder). That poster also gave me the idea for the new contest. Speaking of incest, yeah I know the scene already passed, has anyone seen Candy Boy? That Anime is amazing.
While I was writing the scene between Mai and Natsuki one of my favorite songs sounded in the radio (Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic) and the scene particularly wrote itself, I never thought that music could be such a big help; you'll never guess what scene was written at the sound of the Beach Boys.