I just realized, apparently my pacing is waaay too slow... So i'm going to try and speed things up a bit on the next few chapters XD
Not my characters...
Enjoy!
Chapter Three
The dining room was a wonder to behold.
So far, Natsuki observed, it was the biggest room in the house. The table was wooden and heavy looking. It was plain, really, but the fact that it stood out still made Natsuki wonder why it stands out. The chairs were also made of wood but they were huge. Interestingly enough, they looked more like a small couch than a chair. A small chandelier was hanging at the top of the table, giving the illusion that the table was glowing.
At the head of the table was a small fireplace, already glowing with fire in it.
The sitting arrangement was thus: Himeko sat beside Natsuki and in front of them, the two cousins sat beside each other. Shizuru was facing Natsuki, and Chikane, Himeko.
"I must apologize, Himeko, if my cousin made you cook all these." Shizuru said, motioning at the abundant food sitting in front of them. "As you must have discovered, she is of no use in the kitchen."
Chikane said nothing.
"It's okay, Shizuru-chan. Chikane-chan helped me a lot. And your kitchen is wonderful!" Himeko replied, blushing even more. Natsuki thought Himeko was getting smaller and smaller.
"How's the food Natsuki-chan?" Himeko turned to Natsuki.
Natsuki smiled at the angel. "Wonderful as always, Hime-chan."
Chikane looked at Natsuki, "Hime?"
Shizuru laughed. "I think it's short for Himeko, Hime-sama." she said, poking her cousin gently in the arm. Chikane merely glared at Shizuru before going back to eating silently.
"I just noticed, Himemiya-san," Natsuki started, looking straight at Chikane, "Why is it that you never argue with Fujino-san?"
Shizuru was the one who answered. "Oh, believe me, my cousin always argues with my father. You cannot put them in the same room without expecting a banter at least, in which my father always loses." She had that amused smile on her face again.
"What?"
"Natsuki-chan, Fujino-san is Shizuru-chan's father." Himeko supplied, laughing with Shizuru.
Natsuki was left blushing furiously.
"Ara, doesn't Natsuki-chan look cute when she blushes?" Shizuru pointed out. Himeko, to Natsuki's horror, turned to look at her and giggled, her cute childish giggle.
"Yes, she does, Shizuru-chan!" and the two were left giggling. Natsuki was still blushing furiously when she turned to the quiet Chikane who was smiling.
"And you think this is funny too?" Natsuki said, annoyed at the smiling Himemiya.
Everyone became quiet then. Even Shizuru stopped giggling and turned a wary eye at Chikane, who was still smiling but was now looking at Natsuki directly. Her eyes were unreadable.
Chikane took time to swallow her food, drink water, and gently wipe her mouth before answering. "Forgive me. But I wasn't smiling because they were teasing you. I was smiling because Himeko's laugh sounded wonderful." She turned to look at Himeko directly, her sapphire eyes warm despite the color. "You should always laugh, Himeko. It reminds me of… home."
Three things happened at once: Himeko blushed even more and was smiling shyly, Shizuru sighed obviously in relief and Natsuki looked at Himeko.
That smile, Natsuki thought, I would give up anything for that smile---anything and everything.
"Natsuki-chan?"
Natsuki was violently pulled back into the real world by the sound of Himeko's voice.
"What?"
"You were spacing out." Himeko pointed out.
Natsuki wanted to say something to defend herself. But so far, she noticed, everything she has been saying has backfired. She decided then to just keep quiet.
"My cousin is right though, Himeko-chan." Shizuru said after a while.
"What?" Himeko was, once again lost.
"Your laugh really is wonderful," Shizuru said, smiling at the blushing angel. "And so is your smile."
"I wonder how many people would give up anything, do anything, to have you smile at them like that." Shizuru wasn't looking at Himeko. She was smiling at Natsuki. And then, without turning her head, looked at the quiet pianist beside her. "Or how many people would kill or die just so you could smile, to protect your smile."
Shizuru then bowed, said her thanks for the meal, and produced her tea set. "Me? I feel blessed your smiling and I will leave it at that."
The whole table was quiet.
Chikane glanced at her cousin. True, her cousin was annoying most of the time. But Chikane could guess what Shizuru was doing. Damn! It was working. And for all the annoying things Shizuru was doing, Chikane knew her well enough to trust her. She just hated how she had to manipulate everything to her advantage. Sometimes she'd like to think that Fujino Shizuru's world just revolved around Fujino Shizuru. But then she knew better than to believe that.
And of course, Fujino wasn't the only one who could manipulate people.
"Kuga-san, you have a motorcycle, right?" Chikane's face was unreadable. Shizuru glanced at her cousin for a fraction of a second. Unless I miss my guess, my cousin is now starting her revenge on me.
Natsuki nodded. She wasn't really surprised at the question. She was just curious as to where the question was heading…and if anyone was observing Shizuru, it would have been obvious that she was asking herself the same question.
"Then you should come on Saturday." Chikane gestured to her cousin nonchalantly. "Fujino is sponsoring a racing event on Saturday. You maybe interested."
"Shizuru-san's father?" Natsuki was now confused as to where the conversation was going. While it's true that she was just invited by Himemiya, it was far from possible that the pianist was even slightly interested in her as this was the first time Himemiya had actually spoken to her directly.
"No. Shizuru." Again, Chikane said this as if it didn't really matter.
Shizuru on the other hand was now looking at her cousin with an obvious question on her face. True, Shizuru was sponsoring that event on Saturday, but it was only by signature. Chikane was the one who actually paid for everything. She had forgotten why Chikane even agreed on paying. She must have pushed her cousin again. Where are you going with this, cousin?
"Do you race, Kuga-san?" Chikane was still looking intently at Natsuki. It wasn't menacing or threatening or anything like that. But there was something about her stare that made Natsuki think there was no way she could lie to the pianist.
"I used to," Natsuki trailed off, aware of Himeko staring at her. Natsuki had promised Himeko she wouldn't race anymore after she nearly died in an accident. They had to spend all the money they had saved and Himeko had to stop school for a year so she could work off their hospital debts. For six months, Natsuki was completely useless. She promised Himeko she would never race again after that. She tried to keep that promise, but good work is so hard to find.
"I see," Chikane answered. Shizuru was still observing her cousin. There was something off about the conversation. Shizuru decided she'd like to see where it would go.
"I'll see Kuga-san on Saturday then? The race starts at two in the afternoon. I have reserved seats, courtesy of Shizuru." There was finality in Chikane's tone that sounded as if objections were prohibited. No, Natsuki thought, it didn't sound like it. It imposed.
Out of nowhere, Himeko spoke---well, she stammered, more like.
"Can I come too?" Natsuki thought Himeko wasn't asking. Himeko was begging. And it was obvious begging.
Shizuru, whose eyes was still locked on her cousin, saw a fleeting look of victory on Chikane's eyes. It was so fast, Shizuru almost missed it. A normal person wouldn't have even seen it. That's one point. And then something else surprised her. Chikane was still looking at Natsuki. So, she's not done yet, eh?
"But don't you have classes on Saturday, Hime-chan?" Natsuki looked at Himeko who just realized her dire situation and looked like she wanted to bury herself.
Two points, Shizuru noted.
"But I can skip classes just once, right?" Himeko was desperate now.
"No. You skip class once and you may do it again." Natsuki answered her firmly.
What now, cousin? Shizuru was surprised when Chikane went back to eating silently. Is that it?
"Oh! I know! Why don't we have dinner at our place after that?" Himeko looked really pleased at her idea that it was impossible to decline. "I could go home right after classes. I'll prepare dinner again!" Himeko looked, not at Natsuki, but at Chikane who was simply eating her food as if the news didn't excite her too.
Shizuru smiled. Three points. You're not yet done, are you?
"But our house---," Natsuki started her objections when Chikane cut her off.
"That seems like a wonderful idea." Chikane smiled at Himeko kindly…too kindly.
"But you must be very busy and we hate to impose---," Natsuki tried again.
"No, it's fine. My Saturday is empty." Chikane cut her off, again, this time with a slight wave of her hand.
"Yatta!" Himeko almost jumped off. But then she saw Chikane was staring at her so she tried to regain whatever composure she had.
Natsuki sighed in defeat and went back to eating.
Four points. Shizuru noted the smile her cousin had. Ara? One more?
"Pity my cousin can't go even though she sponsored the entire thing..." Chikane said it as if it didn't really matter in the world. But she held Natsuki's stare. "So it would just be the three of us for dinner, Himeko." She smiled at Himeko once more.
Whatever it was that Natsuki did or didn't do, it was enough for Chikane. She went back to eating again.
"What do you mean I'm not coming? Of course I---," Shizuru tried to stop herself, but it was too late. She wanted to slap herself in the forehead as soon as she saw the slight sneer Chikane had. Bingo! Five points. You really are the master, cousin. She bowed her head slightly at Chikane who acknowledged it with a slight bow of her own.
Shizuru looked at Natsuki and Himeko. Honestly, they probably didn't know what hit them. She observed the two carefully. Natsuki was gently telling Himeko off for spilling her soup. Himeko was apologizing profusely and blushing at the same time.
Dinner ended a few minutes later.
Natsuki and Shizuru both volunteered to wash the dishes as there was obviously no one to do it for them. As Natsuki suspected, Shizuru was horrible at doing the dishes. She managed to break a few glasses and a couple of dishes. But, surprisingly, none of her tea cups were harmed. Natsuki suspected Shizuru was only very particular about her tea cup and did not even care about the other chinaware.
Natsuki ended up doing the dishes herself, with Shizuru teasing and annoying her mercilessly.
After washing the dishes, they joined Himeko and Chikane in the living room. And the sight of them together nearly broke Natsuki's heart.
Himeko was stretched across the couch, sleeping, her head resting on Chikane's lap. She looked like she was at peace and was having a particularly good dream seeing as she was still blushing even in her sleep. Chikane on the other hand was holding Himeko's hand, her head resting on the head of the couch. She, too, was sleeping soundly.
"Tell me, Natsuki-chan: How much are you willing to give up for the one you love?" Shizuru was almost whispering. "When you have everything in the world, except for a heart that beats, what can you give up?"
Natsuki was silent. She would give up everything.
"I have never seen my cousin sleeping so peacefully. For being one of the most powerful people in the world, she can't even have the one thing she craves for the most."
"Should we wake them up?" Natsuki was surprised to hear her own voice. It was shaking and weak.
"Yes, but I better drive. I'm afraid my cousin has had too much for one day." Shizuru replied, looking curiously at the pained expression. "Let me go and get the car while you wake them up."
The drive back was eerily quiet. Chikane sat in front, leaving Natsuki and Himeko in the back.
Shizuru dropped them off in front of their apartment building.
They all said their awkward goodbyes.
Inside the car:
"That was an interesting dinner, don't you think?"
Chikane was quiet.
"Oh! I forgot to ask Natsuki-chan's number!" Shizuru was tapping at the steering wheel.
Shizuru dropped Chikane I front of her huge mansion.
"Here you go," Chikane threw something at Shizuru before exiting the car. "I thought you might need this." And with that, she turned around and quickly walked to the door.
Shizuru looked at the thing Chikane threw at her.
She smiled her widest smile that night.
It was Natsuki's cellphone.
