Disclaimer: I do not own Sunrise or any of its creations. All works created and published by me are purely fanbased.
Note: It was brought to my attention of how much time has passed between each little scene I put in. Some were wondering if it was a day by day thing (unless I note otherwise). It is not day by day. Between 'scenes' (usually shown by a linebreak) you can suspect a few days or so have passed.
Also, due to demand. We'll just jump back to the main story plot and save some more delicious special extra chapters for later.
And here we go!
Three Wishes Or You
Chapter 7
Nimara
"Natsuki! Dinner is ready!" I called out to her from my position at the stove. Her signature jingle sounded beside me and she puffed into view.
"Is that curry?"
"Yes, sweet curry," I replied looking over at her and waiting for that bright smile I knew would come. I doubt anyone would peg her for it, but Natsuki loved sweet curry. It was the only dish I had seen her easily refrain from dumping mayonnaise on. While I am a decent cook, or at least good enough to make any spouse pleased, I did not know how to make curry before I met Natsuki.
After hearing from her, an off-handed comment about how delicious sweet curry was, I decided to try my hand at it. It was simple to make, thankfully, and Natsuki's noticeable delight made any trouble it took worthwhile.
Natsuki eagerly helped me set the table with two servings of sweet curry rice and tea. With a cheerful "Itadakimasu," she dug in. Watching Natsuki eat was kind of like watching a child eat. Children have a hard time keeping their emotions hidden when they eat. Their expressions are a dead giveaway to if they like or dislike what they are eating. Where Natsuki is usually a mystery to me, she could be read like an open book at the dinner table. Mentally I have catalogued an array of likes and dislike for her. She hated cucumbers, raw, pickled, or seasoned. She loved strawberries but apparently not if she has to eat them with apples. In addition, she will show the most disgusted look if you serve her eel any way but grilled. However, grudgingly, she will still eat anything I serve her and thank me for the meal.
More and more I found I was catering to her taste buds, even planning meals ahead of time just to see her reaction. It made me happy to see her happy. I may even go as far to say that it gave me a sense of purpose in my increasingly mundane days.
"Does Natsuki enjoy the meal?" I smiled when she nodded with the spoon in her mouth.
"You're getting good at this!" She drank the lukewarm tea I served her. "I used to make something like this all the time for the children."
Children? I wondered what she meant by that but she continued to speak. Like I said, she was always more talkative during dinner.
"Then again, it wasn't really curry. Curry did not come to Japan until…early Meiji era and it was strange and earthy. But, we had a similar version that was made with tubers, onions, and wild vegetables. The consistency was more liquidy and the taste more mild. The kids loved it when you put sugar in it since candy wasn't popular back then."
There was that word again. She must be talking about children she knew when she was a living human but the imagery of her cooking for a young child was provoking.
"Natsuki mentioned she cooked for children? Were they your siblings?"
Natsuki shook her head, already half way done with her plate. "Orphans from the constant warring. My mother gave birth to only me. She loved children though and took in the children of fallen families in the area. I taught them how to cook and basic self-defense. We'd go together to the river and learn to catch rabbits and fish since food sometimes came up short, even for my family."
She was smiling softly and I could feel that she was recalling good memories.
"Sounds like you would have made a good mother," I teased and watched as a small blush formed.
"Yeah that's what my mom said. She figured it would be my only saving grace as a wife," she grunted, pondered for a few moments, then smiled again.
Over the weeks, she had become more open with me and I no longer hesitated much about asking her things from her past. I enjoyed hearing her speak. Her voice was a treat to hear since it was always so full of emotion.
"Besides taking care of little children, what other talents does Natsuki possess?"
"I doubt taking care of children is much of a talent, Shizuru. I was good at a bow and arrow. Erm, I was a fast runner? Oh! I was damn good at arithmetic. Math is different these days but I was considered a quick calculator back then."
"You could have become a scholar!"
"Maybe once the kingdom was reunited under one Court, yes, but being a female scholar seemed so tedious. It was definitely not that great of a life unless you somehow married into the high Court."
"Oh was it? I played a female scholar in a Drama once but I suppose our media romanticizes our history."
I refilled both of our empty teacups my mind going over all the roles I had played in historical dramas. Even I knew that many of the dramas were horribly inaccurate historically. They were only so popular because people wanted to see actors like me act, sing, and dance in them.
There was an affirmative nod from her as she finished off her plate of food. She looked over at the television at the far end of the room.
"Hey Shizuru, do you think I could watch some of the dramas you acted in?"
While the question did not throw me off guard, I was swept back to memories of just a few months ago when I met her. I remembered the time she had been watching several DVDs of my shows and how upset I felt. Much had changed in the relatively short period that Natsuki had come into my life. I had changed and I felt that Natsuki also changed on some level. She was looking over at me with uncertainty as if she remembered the day she had confronted me about my life, my past, and Yukino.
I smiled softly to relieve her and nodded from behind my cup of tea. Her emerald eyes brightened in excitement almost as if I had given her a great gift. Her happy reactions had recently begun to incite an uncomfortable feeling in my chest.
"They are just silly dramas."
"You look pretty cool in them."
"Maybe Natsuki just likes to see me play dress up," I winked, an action that I, myself, was not used to. Ah, how beautiful that blush is on her face. I believe the Gods created the blush just so she could wear it.
"Did you enjoy acting?" She finally said after forcing her flush down.
"I truly did. It was always enjoyable to slip into another persona and even a different world entirely."
"Do you ever consider going back? Since you have made peace…-"
"I suppose," I cut her off for no real good reason. The topic was slightly uncomfortable being that I had not worked in almost two years. She did not like the borderline curt reply at all and narrowed her eyes.
"You should go back."
"We will see, Natsuki," I said more firmly.
"Maybe an opportunity will present itself soon enough. Would you take such an opportunity?" She leaned back in her chair and looked casually over at me.
Now that was a question. Was I ready to go back? I would be considered very weak of character if I refused such an opportunity. With each passing day it seemed more ridiculous that I had spent two years trapped in my own grieving, almost never leaving the house except for the necessities. Though truly shaken by Yukino's death, I had moved forward and now it just felt as if I was dawdling in life. Not a very Fujino characteristic. However…things were not that simple.
"I would love to return to acting but I committed career suicide in my actions. By failing to see my commitments through, millions of yen was lost in the productions."
"I suppose so…" She trailed off.
"I was talented though," I started, knowing my level of professionalism and expertise was almost unparalleled.
"You were amazingly talented!" She jumped up with that eager smile again. I could not hold back my own smile. She was as cute as any puppy. When she wore a smile like that, it showed her true young and tender age. "You know they still write about you right? You were at the doorstep of being an idol. You could be there again, Shizuru. I know it."
"Natsuki is so kind to give me her vote of confidence. It really means a lot to me," I spoke with a sincere tone hoping she would not take my words as teasing.
She turned her reddening face away from me. If it were not so ludicrous, I would wish to see her blushing face every second of the day.
I ran my hands down the dove-gray cocktail dress I was wearing as I looked at myself in the mirror. I had gone through most of my old clothing, interested to see what still fit. Some of the costumes and clothing from my years as a teenage actress were set aside to be donated. I frowned as I noticed that I had developed 'trouble spots'. Unfortunately, it would be slightly conceited to call them my 'trouble spots'. Trying on outfit after outfit I noticed that most of the chest areas were uncomfortably tight and even my rump had some trouble squeezing into a couple of skirts. I was able to maintain a healthy weight over the months of my solitude even though I had become very inactive. The truth is that I had matured, stepping further and further away from my soft teen-like features that made me so popular on screen. Most Japanese women would kill to have the trouble spots I do, but for me it meant I had to abandon some of my favorite outfits.
This particular cocktail dress was one of the few remaining outfits I could still fit in. The halter strap was tastefully decorated with small rhinestones and the dress was layered, ending above my knees. I could say the style was more Western even though cocktail dresses tended to be fairly universal. I turned in a circle in front of the full length mirror, ignoring that the back zipper of my dress was still undone. The last time I wore this dress was to a charity Gala when I was twenty. My designer picked the dress out stating it would keep me looking modest for my age, which was important to my public image. People were comfortable seeing me play young and innocent.
I definitely did not look modest in this dress after so many years. The more I looked at myself in it, the more embarrassed I became. The couple of inches that I had grown due to a late growth spurt caused my legs to slender out and the skirt to become too high. The style of the dress helped accommodate the expansion of my chest but the small V-neck plunge that used to be deemed fitting for my age would now be considered quite risqué.
I ran my finger that had been resting at my lips down to my chest. I poked my breast with a deep frown. They really had become large. A knock at my door caused me to jump and momentarily choke on my lack of breath. Of course, it could only be one person.
"Hey Shizuru? You in there?"
"Yes," I said hastily wondering what she needed. The door opened and she walked in and I rushed to find something to cover myself with. When she caught sight of me, a record-breaking blush splashed onto her face. Even my own face began to heat up as I tried to keep from squeaking, "Did you need anything?"
She had turned her head and pointed at me, "Would you like me to zip up the back of your d-dress?"
I swallowed and nodded remembering that my entire back was showing. Slowly I turned away from her trying to figure out how she would zip up my dress. My heart began to beat more quickly at the thought of her hands travelling up…
My thoughts were quickly interrupted as I felt the zipper slowly being pulled up to my mid back and the dress fit snugly into place. Maybe too snugly, I thought, looking at the mirror where my breasts had been pushed against the tight chiffon of the dress. Natsuki though, had not come near enough to be able to zip me up with her own hands so I quickly assumed she used her little genie magic to help. I turned to face her, putting my hands to my side. Was she going to comment on the dress?
"Did it come from one of the boxes?" The red on her face was fading but she still seemed embarrassed. Her eyes slowly wandered over my body. My breath hitched when emerald settled on my chest. Was the dress really too wanton? I thought it may have been appropriate for a fancy night out with other women or even upscale clubbing but maybe I had misjudged the dress.
"Yes, I was going through to see what still fit me and what did not. How do you think it looks?" I dreaded to hear her answer but I had to know. Her eyes met mine and one of her cheeky smiles came to her face.
"You're beautiful in it," she breathed out and I subconsciously grabbed the side of my dress with my hand. How she could go from abashed to cool so quickly was beyond me. And the way she said it shot a shudder down my spine. Regardless if the last compliment I had received on my beauty had been two years ago or yesterday, I knew her words were special and they felt special.
"Thank you." I smile, circling in front of the mirror once more. I turned to her and noticed the little pieces of paper in her hand. She seemed to catch where my gaze had dropped to and brought the paper stubs in front of her.
"Oh, uh, I wanted to ask if you…There is this movie coming out. Action, uh, it's rated really highly for its upcoming premier. The theater in the town down the hill is showing it." My smile grew and she tried to piece together her words and finally she did, "Do you want to go see the movie with me?"
"I'd love to. When is it?"
"Next Tuesday at seven," she tossed her long hair behind her shoulder, sneaking small glances at me. I walked up to her with a polite smile. Pushing a few buttons wouldn't hurt.
"Is this a…date, Natsuki?" Her eyes locked on mine with mild alarm and I did my best to hide my amusement.
"Well, you and I are going out to see a movie. A date is two people going to do something, I think. Uh, so yes it's a date?"
"So what time did you plan picking me up?" I feigned innocence.
She narrowed her eyes at me finally catching on to my game. She crossed her arms and growled, "You don't have to make fun of me, Shizuru."
She turned to leave the room and I realized she was more frustrated than I had thought. I called out to her, "Natsuki, wait."
She turned around showing her blush.
"I really appreciate this, Natsuki. Thank you. I'm excited to watch the movie with you."
She smiled softly with a sigh. Then the sides of her mouth turned up just a bit more.
I felt the zipper on the back of my dress yank down and I let loose a strangled scream. Before I could put two and two together, she had retreated down the hall laughing all the way.
"Natsuki!" I yelled.
When I heard it for the first time, I nearly missed it and went back to reading. I don't even know what my doorbell sounded like! The last time I heard it was when Mr. Takahashi from down the road came over to ask if I wanted apples from his tree and that was a year ago. Even my few students never used the doorbell. They always knocked. It was not until the bell sounded again and Natsuki popped in next to me did I realize that someone was at my door.
"It's Saturday. You have a visitor?" Natsuki left the kitchen and down the hall and I got up and followed her.
"Not that I know of," I said, furrowing my brow. It was probably a neighbor or a rare solicitor who had gone out of his way to come to these houses on the hillside.
Natsuki waited patiently at the door as I came to it. She seemed a little more anxious than usual about this guest of ours. I waved her away from the door and opened it just as the doorbell rang a third time.
With a smile already in place, I looked to see who it was and it I felt my heart stop.
"Hello, Shizuru."
A/N: Hi there! It's been a while. Shame on me! Working and being a fulltime student has caught up with me and is only continuing to put more pressure on me as finals come right around the corner. You may see me lurking around the site, dropping odd reviews here and there, but I have not stopped writing! I'm tryin to work through several offers for replacing my wonderful BETA and I appreciate all the offers I have received. As of now, I still do not have a BETA and am really quite too busy to pick one out. Hopefully my work will not suffer too much. Feel free to flame my ass on grammar errors since they will only help me.
I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter. I really enjoy the simplicity of the story and the slow pace, even though I know some don't. :D Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me for this long. There is a lot of writing and not often a lot of dialog but I feel it's pretty fitting for this story and what I've had in mind for it.
I'm a retard when it comes to managing reviews. I keep saying I'd reply to everyone but really, I'm just a dunce and I never remember who I've replied back to or not. So, please do not feel neglected if I did not reply back to you...D: I'm such an idiot and I'd love to take all of you to have coffee and chit chat. :D THIS TIME, I SWEAR, I'll reply to EVERYONE. Bug me if I don't.
So I bid you all a goodnight and hope all of you remain safe and happy as the Holidays roll by. For you students, don't forget to do your homework! If you wish, you can hit me up on the forum I frequent, my outdated website(lol), via email, or twitter.
Thank you, I look forward to your replies!
-Nimara
