Warm, I felt myself drawn to the center of my bed towards the familiar which lay there.
Soft, I hugged myself and snuggled into the soft pillow, slowly being lulled back to sleep by its slow rise and fall of respiration. Wait, this isn't my room, and why is my pillow breathing?
I groggily opened my eyes and was immediately met by her bare chest. My face immediately flushed and I could feel a drip of blood make its way down from my nose. I quickly wiped it away hoping that she hadn't seen. I looked up at her peacefully sleeping face and smiled. Phew, that was close.
Watching her I couldn't contain the warmth that filled me.
"Shizuru…" I absentmindedly whispered.
"Yes, Na-tsu-ki?"
"Ah!" I yelped in an embarrassingly feminine voice and fell backwards off the bed.
"Ara, does Natsuki find my face that frightening?" Her now open crimson peered over the bed to look at me.
"Uh…n-no," I turned my head hoping my hair would hide the coming blush. I looked back up at her when she didn't say anything in response. I flicked my emerald eyes up at her in time to notice the hungry grin spreading across her face. I blushed a darker shade of red as I realized I was naked and so I quickly began to dress from the floor.
My shirt was a lot more damaged than I had recalled, but there was no doubt I was even coherent enough at the time to properly assess the damages. It was a simple white Duran Duran t-shirt, but still. Worse off was my favorite blue lace bra which now had one broken strap. I internally winced as I looked it over.
"Was that really necessary?" I whimpered.
"I'm sorry Natsuki," she licked her lips, "but you're too easy to tease and I still need to get you back, your hands are really dangerously skilled to say the least." She winked. I blushed. What's new?
"Not that idiot! And you ripped my shirt too!"
"Ara, I guess I was just too eager to get to my beautiful Natsuki."
I blushed and looked away, "idiot."
Silence once again fell and there was a familiar glossy humor to her eyes as thoughts flashed behind them.
"There it is!" I pointed, and suddenly it was gone.
"Ara, what is Natsuki talking about?" She smiled her fake Fujino smile.
"That look from, that time…you probably don't remember…" I looked down at the beige carpeting, "it's like you're laughing and crying at the same time," The springs of the bed shifted and I looked up to see her crawling over the edge of the bed on all fours, like a lioness inspecting her prey. I fell back onto the floor as she peered down at me.
She tilted her head and gave a mischievous grin. She leaned down to my ear and blew hot air. A shiver of electricity ran down my spine. "It is because Natsuki is my prisoner," There was a click of metal as I felt the cool steel curl tighter around my wrists.
I looked over in shock at the hand cuffs that now attached me to the heavy leg of the dresser. "Sh-Shizuru! What are you? How did you…?!"
"Natsuki is still technically my enemy, but I will not let them hurt my Natsuki. So she must play along for now." Her index finger traced the bridge of my nose before giving it a light tap. She leaned forward again, "Ara, we need to make it look like a convincing fight." I gulped as she traced my jaw line with her lips. I pulled against my restraints in a failed attempt to break free. She found her way to my lips with great hunger before she sucked my bottom lip through her teeth and forcefully bit down. I yelped into her mouth, as lightning was now coursing through me.
She slowly broke away from the kiss. I tried to follow her lips but she was sitting on me and soon they were out of range. I growled, again fighting the chains which kept me from taking what was mine.
She licked off my blood that was still on her lips and smirked. "Ara I think that is plenty convincing." She stood up off of me, a sudden chill sweeping in from her sudden absence. I whimpered as she redressed.
"We need to make it look like Viola was defeated," she said as she showed me a portion of the shattered mask.
I was never one to go along with such deceptive a ploy as pretending to still be held prisoner in the middle of an enemy base after defeating (whatever the hell that meant) the commanding general. However, between the sheer restraint of the actual handcuffs and the mental fog she had so successfully cast upon me, Shizuru wasn't leaving me with much room to come up with an alternative.
"How did we end up in here anyway," I gave in against the restraints. I was slightly disturbed by the situation to say the least but there was no way I'd be able to win against Shizuru in this state.
"This room connects to my office, or Viola's office. Natsuki was too cute while she was sleeping so I carried her over." More blood rushed to my cheeks at the thought of the embarrassing prospect.
"Damn it, you should have left me on the floor," I scowled. She just laughed as she left me in the room.
I sighed, clutching tightly to a piece of the broken face.
The black corner of the mask with a single bell still intact and the single empty eye slot held more vacancy than it did before. It was a fine mask indeed but I was slightly relieved too. It meant another one of my persona's was destroyed, leaving me with Fujino, Kaichou and perhaps somewhere in there, Shizuru.
Natsuki leading the rebels was a major complication and I wasn't even sure I enjoyed the notion of her seeing what exactly my role has been for the whole ordeal. Needless to say, I was feeling guilty beyond measure, proof again that Shizuru was still somewhere inside me. I guess she was always that missing link.
My father had been manipulating the economy for some time before its initial collapse. That way when it finally gave in to the stresses he was putting it under, the Fujino name was the only political entity still standing. Many came to him on hands and knees begging to obtain grants from the Fujino accounts. I still remember how he smiled at them, laughter like a fire in his eyes as he lent them their grants. I know that sounds like a contradictory statement but if those fools had known my father when they asked for their grants they should have realized that the Fujino head NEVER gave anything for free. They sold themselves to his whim.
"What do you think Shi-chan?" My father asked me after the small men scurried from his office. I had sat through the whole thing, silent and still at my father's side.
"Otousama has just played a delightful game of chess," I asked while politely sipping my tea.
He smiled, "Shi-chan, I give you the world for your twenty first birthday."
"Ara? And here I was thinking of asking you for a car." I teased.
"I am running out of opponents down here, so I must go higher up to find a better game," I raised my brow unsure of what he was saying. "All though I suppose that isn't entirely too appropriate of a metaphor."
"Otousama?"
"Shi-chan, you will have needs to cleanse this world of ignorant rats who dare to get in your way. You must not hesitate in striking down those who will oppose you. And I can guarantee it will start in the slums. Just destroy them from the start. We need to get rid of them all Shizuru, that is all that I ask," He gave a weak smile, his eyes hanging down with a melancholy gloss. How does one manage to obtain sympathy while speaking of exterminating an entire social class of people? Only my father was capable of that and I was capable of nothing more than to agree.
"Very well, Otousama."
"Good, Kaichou-chan," he grinned his devilish grin. Again, only my father could use such a title to look down on me.
"I will not let you down Otousama." The only response I could give.
I tucked the mask into an inner pocket of my black coat as I headed through the temporary base's corridors. I flung open the door to the comm. room where the holographic projections of the council were arguing and a few of General Viola's elite guard. In between them stood a proud and angry looking Natsuki.
"Tell us what happened to the General!" Haruka commanded Natsuki. If her wrists weren't bound they would probably have been defiantly crossed at her chest. She cocked her head and glared at the blonde woman. She didn't say anything.
"Listen to me you delinked rat!"
"That's 'delinquent' Haruka-chan," calmly stated Yukino.
"Listen, your silence will only increase the council's wrath," Reito stated coldly. Ara, getting defensive Reito-han? They apparently hadn't taken notice of me yet and so I decided to listen in in silence.
Still Natsuki said nothing.
"Captain, teach this prisoner what happens when captive's refuse to answer," the white haired council man commanded. He had a sick grin on his face and I knew how much he took pleasure from such things.
"Hai, councilman." Deni reached forward to grab Natsuki by the hair, but I couldn't let that happen, so I stepped forward.
"Ara? What seems to be the situation?"
"Bubuzuke!?" Haruka exclaimed in shock.
"Kaichou? When did you get here?" Reito sat back now relieved to see that I really was okay.
"I had some business to take care of in the area when I heard rumors of the elite guard letting a high class criminal escape," I smiled politely as I stood next to Natsuki. She avoided looking at me and instead glared at the floor.
"But all I see here is a wounded girl. Where is the Rebel leader?" This time she looked up and cast a sideways glance at me.
"I'm right fucking here," she snarled.
"Ara? A very vulgar little girl." She glared at me. Her lip was still bleeding and she was probably still mad at me for leaving her handcuffed. Oh well.
"Council, you will leave this matter to me," I switched off the line causing their ghostly figures to disappear. "If you gentle men would be so kind as to have an office established for me. I would like to question a few of you and the prisoner in a more comfortable environment. Some tea would be appreciated as well."
Deni bowed to me, "yes Kaichou-sama. Please follow me." He led me to the General's office. I smiled recollecting the events that had taken place but a few hours before. I was glad to see that the room had been cleaned, and shards of my mask had been carefully placed over the tattered violet cloak and splintered naginata.
"What happened," I asked once the tea was finally brought to me. I took a seat behind the General's desk.
"Well, somehow the prisoner escaped while being transported to meet with the council. The general herself went ahead to deal with the prisoner. When I returned to report to the general that I had done what was asked of me I found the office completely wrecked. The General's weapon cloak and mask were destroyed. The prisoner had somehow ended up handcuffed to the general's dresser in her private room. It looked like she took a hell of a beating. There were deep scratches along her back, as you can see her lip is bloody and there are bruises all over," I glanced over at Natsuki who was now trying to hide her deep blush behind a curtain of her long hair.
"And the general?" I asked.
"Disappeared. My guess is that she took quite a number from the rebel girl," I grinned into my tea cup, yes indeed, "and once she was restrained, fled in hopes of recovering on her own. The General never liked revealing herself to anybody. So my guess is that she will probably return once she's healed or found a new mask."
"Probably?" I have no desire of returning another mask to myself. "What if the General is dead?"
Deni shifted uncomfortably, "then she is dead."
I nodded my head. "I will be taking over from here. Have the prisoner moved to a better room befitting a diplomatic prisoner. One closer to the General's quarters would be best. I will be using it for my own usage."
"Hai, Kaichou-sama."
"I will have a few words with the prisoner. You are dismissed."
"Hai." And then it was just us two. The way it should always have been.
"So how did you escape anyway?" I asked still sipping my tea. She grinned.
"Well, I think Mikoto went to go get food. The other guy was dumb enough to ask me out."
"Oh?" I raised my brow, "what did you tell him?"
Her grin broadened, "I politely declined."