There are twists to come that will hopefully shock you readers.
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2
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"You think that just because you are the Alpha heir, you have a supremacy over everyone else!"
"Enough!"
"Shi-Shizuru-onee-sama-"
"Leave her alone, Tomoe."
A sneer, and Tomoe was gone.
"Shizuru I-"
"What are you doing here Natsuki?"
"I came to apologize... you were right. And so is she..."
"Ara, the great Alpha-heir has come to apologize to – may I repeat her own words – 'a simpleton'?"
"I did not mean it that way, Shizuru. I was angry, I wasn't thinking-"
"It's okay Natsuki."
"No it's not! I... you... you're my only real friend, and I truly regret my disrespect."
"Natsu-"
"And after all these years you are the only one who sees me for me, yet I failed as your friend."
"Natsuki, these things happen."
Natsuki flushed because Shizuru took her hand and gave her a gentle smile.
"Do you remember, Natsuki, how we first met? Since then you have always been dear to me. Such things we should laugh about now."
"Natsuki-chan?"
Natsuki turned around at the disruption. She had been drinking, again, in front of Shizuru's portrait. She skipped dinner and refused to come out of her room.
Everyone in the castle knew better than to disrupt her on the anniversary of her wedding day. Her wedding day to Shizuru, that is.
"Mother," she said softly before returning her eyes to the smiling Shizuru.
Saeko frowned at the stench of alcohol, and her own heart broke to see her child's depression.
Natsuki poured herself another drink.
Saeko sighed again and left the room. She had always disliked Shizuru because of Natsuki's rebellious marriage to the girl but as the newlyweds got along she realised that perhaps no better match could have been made, in regards to love. Shizuru, despite not having the nobility to marry into royalty definitely acted as though she did and even though it took a few years until she got pregnant it was then that Saeko started to acknowledge her.
She missed Shizuru of course, but Nao was a good girl as well and now Natsuki had a new family she should be taking care of, not an old one she mourned over.
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'Do you remember the first time we met?'
"Hey you! Get back here you little thief!"
Natsuki had snuck out of the castle for her weekend stroll through the city and she watched as a young boy around ten ran in her direction with a loaf of bread and two people chased him.
She frowned as the boy darted behind her. He was so young, and clearly needed a meal.
Seeing how tired the boy was and seeing the advance of the two very angry sellers, she took his hand and started to run, lifting him up to her back and sprinting on all fours like a true wolf.
Her mother would be proud, except for the fact that she was helping a thief.
She made it through a few alley's, marvelling at the beautiful structure of her city as she completely lost the sellers by miles and stopped her blur in a far enough field.
"WOW! How did you DO that?" The young boy squealed and started to chomp away on his bread.
Natsuki flushed slightly, "everyone can do it."
"But you're faster than anyone I've ever seen before!"
Natsuki shrugged before trying to smile, "what is your name?"
"Doro-chan is what my friends call me. What about you nee-chan?"
Natsuki scratched her head, "Natsuki."
"Would you like some?" he sweetly offered his prize loaf to which she refused.
It was then that Natsuki noticed this boy was starting puberty, his ears had some fuzz and his nose was morphing to a snout as he ate and then back into a nose.
"Where do you live Doro-chan?" She asked him plainly.
"There they are!"
Natsuki cursed, she had thought she had lost those two sellers. They were faster than they looked and better at tracking scent than she assumed.
This was when she understood her mother's scolding of 'assumptions'.
Out of nowhere, however, a figure jumped out and drop kicked one of them, before grabbing the other and punching them out.
It was swift and knocked both of them unconscious.
Natsuki remembered. She remembered how that light brown hair flew in the wind.
'I remember the first time we met.'
'Ara, Doro-chan, what had I told you about going off on your own?'
'Sorry, Shizuru-nee-chan, the others were teasing me and I ran away.'
Natsuki flushed when the brunette glanced her way and averted eye contact, feeling strange and intimidated.
'Who's your friend?'
Doro-chan beamed, 'this is Natsuki-nee-chan, and she helped me escape from those guys.'
As if on cue the two unconscious sellers grunted.
'Shall we go back to the orphanage now?' Shizuru, that was her name, she ignored Natsuki and held a hand out for Doro to grab.
'Hai!'
'Doro-chan, how did you get that bread?'
'I gave it to him,' Natsuki found her voice and cut in when she saw how frightened the boy got at Shizuru's question.
'Is that right?' Shizuru questioned, clearly not believing Natsuki.
They were now walking a loop back toward the city in a poor area.
'Natsuki, was it? Lying is bad. Doro-chan, you will take money and pay those men back tomorrow.'
Natsuki was dumbfounded. No one ever told her off so bluntly. If this commoner knew who she was talking with, why then ... then... then she'd be shocked!
'Shizuru-onee-sama!' A young girl with green hair leaped from the designated orphanage gate and hugged the brunette, a few other children following before noticing Natsuki and whispering about the stranger.
Natsuki flushed and offered a small smile until Doro-chan shrieked, 'this is Natsuki-nee-chan! She saved me from bad guys until Shizuru-nee-chan beat them up!'
Now the kids attacked Natsuki with a fervour of questions, except for the green-haired one who continued showing attention to Shizuru.
Shizuru giggled at Natsuki's shocked expression causing the blue-haired girl to blush in embarrassment.
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"No, give it back."
"Nu-uuuh. It's mine now!"
"Boys! That is quite enough. Did you finish your schoolwork?"
"Hai!"
Shizuru giggled at her son's faces, amused that they had previously been fighting but now sided together. Too bad for them Shizuru always knew when people lied.
"Ara, really?"
They nodded, dark curly hair a windy mess from their playtime.
"Good boys, then I'll buy you ice cream when you get a good score on your test tomorrow."
"Test?" Doro, who she named after someone special to her, looked frightened at this revelation.
Tamai, the more mischievous of her twin sons crossed his arms, "what test?"
"The one your teacher told you about, and told me about of course."
"Oh no! Tamai we must do our work!" Doro fell for the bait and Tamai flushed brightly, the two nine year old boys red in the face when their mother started laughing.
And they fell for it every time. There was no test!
Mean mommy.
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Natsuki had bought two bicycles; her sons would have turned nine this evening had they still been alive.
In the very large room she demanded be kept as it were stood two cribs, looking small in the vast space, and birthday presents from over the years she bought them.
Natsuki sighed and closed the door behind her, walking down the halls toward the dining table.
She put her hands in her pockets, watching her mother tease her son as Nao talked with a maid to the side.
Natsuki decide to approach Nao and the maid, knowing Nao's way with words could be very insulting and hoping no feelings were hurt.
"Nao, its dinnertime."
Nao seemed annoyed at Natsuki 'saving' the maid from any more scolding and crossed her arms as the maid blushed, bowed, and left the royal couple alone.
"Nice to see you out of your hole," Nao grabbed Natsuki's arm and leaned forward, pressing her mouth and nose just below Natsuki's ear where she smirked.
"I have wonderful news."
Natsuki hated it when Nao did this in public and she knew Nao knew this, but she also knew Nao enjoyed it when she got agitated. This happened again. Natsuki stole her arm back and walked to the table, leaving a smirking Nao behind.
She sat at her usual spot along the very long table at the head. Her mother sat to her right with her son to her mother's right and Nao came and sat to her left.
"Serve," Saeko's voice went to the closest servant who bowed and gestured for their dinner.
Natsuki was silent as her food was placed in front of her. She waited for everyone to take a bite before she took her own, something no one ever noticed of her... yet Shizuru had.
Natsuki sighed. It was becoming less painful over the nine years to think about it, but the scar was always there.
She couldn't help but wonder what her life would be like had Shizuru and her sons never died.
She looked to her son Jule who ate his food and made faces with his grandma. He was almost four now and deserved her attention: none of this was his fault.
"Natsuki," Nao said, her diner manners were impeccable despite her usual manner of courtesy lacking, "Mama, and Jule-sweetie. I have an announcement to make."
Natsuki put another portion of food in her mouth and chewed, wondering what party Nao had decide to throw at the palace now.
"Oh! Are you throwing a party for my birthday?"
Natsuki's eyes widened at that: she had forgotten her mother's birthday was coming up again. She was a bad daughter.
Nao frowned, "Of course mama," and then she grinned, "But this is more wonderful."
"Tell mommy, tell!" Jule grinned before frowning and adding, "please."
Nao smiled at her cute son and then reached over to Natsuki's hand that held her spoon and took hold of it.
Natsuki raised a brow.
"I'm pregnant!"
Saeko gasped and smiled in utter delight at this news whereas Natsuki felt her face go pale, snatching her hand back as Saeko explained to Jule that he would be having a sibling.
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"How can you be pregnant?" Natsuki came to Nao's room by herself for once and hissed it out in anger.
"Well you see Natsuki, you and I happen to do something call sex-"
"Shut up," Natsuki walked forward, "you know what I mean."
"No I don't," Nao retorted, "your Alpha cells entered my body and blessed us with Jule. It simply happened again."
"I was away for four months Nao! The last time I was with you was four fucking months ago! How are you pregnant?"
Despite Natsuki's anger, she did not want anyone to hear their argument so both her and Nao had taken to hissing in whispers at each other.
"I am, and it's your baby if that's what you're trying to wonder! How dare you insult me of such a thing?"
"Oh really?" Natsuki moved forward, "I saw you talking with my General at my return ball last night! You were all over him! How can I be sure you never slept with him when I was away?"
"Oh! That's rich! So you never treat me like I'm your wife, never make me feel loved, but when someone remotely charming and nice asks for s fucking dance you're possessive and care all of a sudden?!"
Natsuki stopped with her next words, feeling something similar to guilt at the way Nao put it.
"For your information – had you ever bothered to look at me – you would have realised this fucking little bump on my stomach. You would have realised I'm four months pregnant and mama knew it but I wanted you to be there when I announced it!"
Natsuki closed her mouth her eyes moved to Nao's stomach that was under her cloak. Was that what Nao was trying to hint at when she pressed up against her before dinner?
She reached her hand out and touched Nao's stomach lightly, feeling and noticing the bump she failed to before.
That was her child in there.
But Nao slapped her hand down, and when Natsuki looked up she noticed tears in her wife's eyes.
"Out."
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