I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.
This chapter contains a sexual situation involving two women. If this bothers you, skip to the next chapter.
9: Something new
Shizuru felt the strangest sensation flutter in her chest, building into a tight pressure, almost as if it threatened to break her ribs. Her stomach twisted into tight knots, her guts seemed to wring into each other, and it felt like she would throw up. Acid seemed to splash in her throat, adding to the feeling she was about to vomit and it burned her chest. She thankfully held the sick feeling in.
The elegant Otome was not sure what the horrid feeling was, but she was almost certain that it was caused by what she witnessed. Her Natsuki danced with some man; the man was actually Takeda, but Shizuru did not know what he looked like. If her tension building within her meant anything, he probably was going to wish that she never found out what he looked like.
The problem with Natsuki dancing with him, aside from the fact that he was clearly not Shizuru, was that he was touching her Natsuki. Sure, he only had his fingers on her back and it was necessary for the dance, but that was way more than anyone had ever been allowed to touch Natsuki, except for Shizuru anyway. Shizuru frowned deeply. She picked that dress for her delight and her delight only, so he needed to get his fingers off of Natsuki's back. Now.
"So, bubuzuke woman, can't even keep your woman under control either, huh?" Haruka remarked, actually nudging Shizuru in the side with her elbow. The blonde smirked, mostly because she did not totally grasp the seriousness of the situation and Yukino was nowhere in sight at the ball to control the madwoman that was Haruka.
"Natsuki is allowed to dance with people," Shizuru replied, sounding as close to normal as she would get for the moment. Her gaze stayed locked on her beloved and those intruding fingers on her creamy, smooth skin. She did not lose them, even when they moved into a more crowded section of the dance floor. It was almost like she tried to make him burst into flames with her molten crimson gaze.
"Since when?" Anh asked with a slight tilt of her head, her voice close to laughing. She still stood with Shizuru and her eyes were locked on the same thing as Shizuru. She thought it was too adorable to see Shizuru in such a state. Obviously, she did not know the full severity of the whole situation. If she did, she might have had the decency to tell Takeda to run… or she might have just left him to his fate. She could understand Shizuru's feelings, after all.
"It is only dancing," Shizuru stated, sounding quite believable. She waved it off with her right hand to further prove her nonchalance and tried her best to turn her attention back to her onee-sama.
Anh politely put up with Shizuru's pretense of being interested in conversing with her. However, she noticed those ruby eyes seemed to follow Natsuki around the room, even though they did not leave her face. Even when Natsuki was out of view for both of them, Anh could still tell Shizuru somehow tracked the younger woman. It was amusing to watch.
-8-8-8-8-
Shizuru was not the only person to notice Natsuki dancing with Takeda. Arika saw her, and she was going to ask the Garderobe principal about it, but after about ten minutes with Natsuki still twirling around the dance floor, the young Otome decided to go find someone that might know what was going on. She spotted Chie with Aoi and thought that they were as good a source as any.
The auburn-haired teenager practically ran over to the other Otome. Arika had grown a bit, but she still was not quite Chie's height, so she had to look up to older woman with big, curious eyes. Chie and Aoi only had a brief moment to regard Arika before she started talking. Chie was about to compliment Akira on her gown, a simple yellow dress that looked rather good on the shapely teen, but Akira started talking before Chie could open her mouth.
"Oi, Chie-san, Aoi-san, do you know what the headmaster is doing?" Arika inquired with a nearly innocent expression on her face. Her eyebrows were curled upward, showing her confusion. She figured once she got an answer to her first question, she would then ask just what in the world the principal wearing. She knew Shizuru-onee-sama had something to do with that outfit, but she could not figure out how anyone could get the principal into it.
Thankfully, Arika had developed a small amount of self-control and manners, so she did not scream her question at the top of her lungs. The last thing they needed was to get on Natsuki's bad side. Despite the fact that Nao would like everyone to believe that the principal was a tame little pup, Chie was quite aware that that pup had sharp teeth. It just took the right motivation to bring the teeth out.
"We're convinced that's actually a clone of the principal," Chie remarked with a small, amused smile. It was a poorly made clone in her opinion. She did not wear her glasses right now because after she saw Natsuki dancing with Takeda, she was certain she needed a stronger pair. She just could not believe what she saw was true; something just had to be wrong with her eyes.
"Clone?" Arika echoed, putting a finger to her chin as she started to contemplate what the older Otome might mean by that. Her face scrunched up slightly as she began to think deeply on the subject.
"Don't tell her that," Aoi scolded Chie. She knew Arika might take the words to heart and the last thing they needed right now was for Arika to have a weird idea in her head. After all, they would probably need all the help they could get when Shizuru inevitably got her hands wrapped around Takeda's neck for touching Natsuki. They probably would not be able to get Shizuru off of him with the jaws of life if she got her hands on him.
"Well, how would you explain her being with someone that's clearly not Shizuru-san, and looking like she's enjoying herself?" Chie countered, sounding almost smug, but she was still too confused to really gloat over things.
Chie doubted she had ever seen Natsuki voluntarily interact with anybody that was not Shizuru, or more recently Mai, unless it was absolutely necessary. To top things off, the headmaster of Garderobe did not look irked as she usually would when having to put up with someone else's presence. She actually looked like she was having a good time, nearly smiling and everything. No, no, no, Chie convinced herself. That had to be a clone, an extremely poorly crafted clone.
Aoi did not have a reasonable explanation for what the so-openly-antisocial principal was doing with Takeda. She had quite a few semi-logical excuses for why Natsuki might be with Takeda. They all stemmed from the fact that she did not know who Takeda was.
"Perhaps he's a dignitary from a nation that the principal would like to start relations with," Aoi offered in a steady voice, even though did not explain why Natsuki did not look annoyed with having to deal with him.
A sly look curled onto Chie's features from her chocolate-haired woman's choice of words. "I'm sure he's looking for relations all right," she remarked, earning a glare from her girlfriend and a puzzled look from Arika.
"Chie," Aoi reprimanded the taller woman. The last thing she needed was for Arika to have some weird idea in her head. She had to live with the girl, after all. But, Chie seemed hell bent on planting something into the younger Otome's head. Arika would follow her around the castle, begging for an explanation if things kept up as they were.
"I don't understand," Arika admitted. Somewhere in there, she knew she missed something, but she could not put her finger on what went over her head. She considered she might ask Aoi later. She seemed to comprehend things enough to scold the older Otome, after all.
Chie sighed, glancing away for a moment. She had to put on her serious face before turning back to her audience. "Don't worry about it. The principal is probably just doing it as a favor or for the reason Aoi said. It's probably nothing serious," she tried to assure the younger Otome in a calm tone.
Arika nodded, showing her acceptance of that response. Her bewildered expression remained, though. "Um… what about her clothes, though?"
Chie just threw her hands up in defeat; she could not even speculate on that one. She imagined poor Natsuki being tied down while Shizuru somehow forced the rather sexy black dress on her. And, yes, it was sexy, but it was not something that Natsuki would wear and everyone knew that. They could only wonder what powers Shizuru exercised to get Natsuki into the gown.
"Maybe I'll ask Shizuru-san her secret. I'd love to see you in something like that," Aoi said with a smile to Chie, who gulped. Damn it, Natsuki, she thought; Natsuki made things bad for everyone by being such a pushover.
-8-8-8-8-
Shizuru decided to make her way through the crowd after watching Natsuki glide around the dance floor for almost thirty minutes. She was not sure why she was going over to Natsuki, but she instinctively knew it would make the pain in her stomach go away if she had Natsuki by her side and not with that man, whose fingers were still on her Natsuki's back. She could not help wondering why Natsuki did not move his hand to the side, so he at least did not touch her skin.
"Ara, Natsuki, I see you've made a new friend," Shizuru said with a smile so brightly it was a shock that she did not blind everyone standing in front of her. She came up behind her girlfriend, knowing that sort of reaction she would get.
"Shizuru!" Natsuki kind of squeaked in surprise while tensing up for a second. Damn Shizuru's ability to sneak up on her like some snake approaching a mouse!
"Oh, so this is Shizuru-san," Takeda commented as he turned his eyes away from Natsuki to look at Shizuru, who was still smiling wide and strong. He bowed politely to her. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"I see my reputation precedes me," Shizuru remarked, smile still in place, even though there was a dangerous glint in her blood-colored eyes.
"Natsuki-san speaks highly of you," he informed her.
Shizuru was a bit startled by his almost informal demeanor with her beloved, but she did not outwardly react to it. She was not sure of the last time she heard someone call Natsuki by her name since she became the headmaster of Garderobe. She managed to keep her smile on her face, but she could not help wondering who the man was.
"Oh, sorry, I'm Takeda Masashi," he introduced himself. He offered her his hand, the hand that was occupied with Natsuki's hand. The other hand stayed planted on the principal's back.
"Oh, you're my Natsuki's little friend," Shizuru said. She nearly split her cheeks open because of how hard she forced out her smile.
Takeda laughed a little bit; the trained ear of the Graceful Amethyst knew it was an uncomfortable sound. Yes, Shizuru declared in her head and in her gaze, Natsuki was hers. Take that! And then take your filthy hand off of her. You're spoiling her pristine skin.
"I suppose I am," Takeda replied in a nervous tone about being Natsuki's "little friend." He had to admit, the way Shizuru put it made things sound quite childish, which was her intent. He wondered what she meant by "her Natsuki" also. He had heard things about the Otomes, but he did not think that Natsuki fell under that rumor. He could hardly believe that rumor was true. As far as he knew, no one did things like that.
"Um… Shizuru, is something wrong?" Natsuki asked because she could feel an almost poisonous air radiating from her lover. She hoped she was not in trouble. I haven't done anything. I've been dancing, like you should do at a ball, so she can't be upset with me.
Takeda could feel the heaviness in the air, too, and wanted to run away before it killed them all. The aura coming from Shizuru seemed as tense as she was and seemed to cause a pressure that could have possibly leveled the castle. Aside from the pressure, the sensation seemed toxic, as if it would dissolve anything in its path.
"Of course nothing is wrong, Natsuki," Shizuru replied in a light tone while attaching herself to Natsuki's free arm. She almost sighed in relief when she touched Natsuki. She also noticed Takeda when he glanced at her interlocking her arms around Natsuki's and her eyes seemed to boast that Natsuki was all hers. He could not and would not have her.
"Um… then how come you're on my arm?" Natsuki inquired in a clueless fashion, her face scrunched up in confusion. If everything was all right, then why was Shizuru not letting her dance while Shizuru mingled, as she typically did at parties and gatherings?
"Is it wrong to be close to my Natsuki?" Shizuru countered, almost purring there. She quite content now that her love was in her grip and she had no plans of letting the younger woman go.
"Well, no, but it's gonna make it pretty hard to dance with Takeda if you're on my arm like this," the raven-haired Otome pointed out the obvious.
That's exactly the point, my dear. Shizuru growled in her mind. She did not want her Natsuki dancing with him anymore. It was bad enough that Natsuki spent so much time on the phone with him as it was. She knew the sooner she got Natsuki away from him, the sooner the discomforting burning in her belly would go out.
"I'm sorry, Natsuki, but Mashiro-sama wants a word with you," Shizuru easily lied.
"Oh, Shinso, I hope it's not for another speech," Natsuki groaned, falling limp against her girlfriend. She then turned her attention to Takeda. "If I don't get a chance to see you again tonight, call me," she informed him.
It felt like lightning struck Shizuru at that very moment and burned its way from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes. Her Natsuki invited some man to call her?! Right in front of her to make matters worse?! Before completely losing it, Shizuru had to calm herself down, reminding herself Natsuki was just friends with Takeda. That was all, nothing more. Natsuki was just friends and Natsuki was still hers.
"I'll be sure to do that, Natsuki-san," Takeda replied with a grin, happy to hear such an invitation. He looked like he was ready to float off into the air due to his joy.
Shizuru then pulled Natsuki away from the man she now decided was a worm. The rest of the ball, Shizuru made sure to keep Natsuki away from Takeda. It was a noticed effort by almost every Otome there, except for Natsuki anyway; she was too busy dreading that she might have to make a speech. All of the other Otome thought Natsuki dreaded the wrong thing; surely, Shizuru's wrath when they got home was something much more frightening than any surprise speech could ever be, especially if the evil glint in those blood-colored eyes meant anything!
"Should we say our goodbyes to our brave principal? After all, we might never see her again… not alive, anyway," Chie remarked as the evening started to wrap up. She spoke to Aoi, Haruka, Anh, and Arika.
"What do you mean?" Arika asked in a puzzled voice while scratching her head.
"It means the principal's as good as dead," Haruka answered bluntly. Boy, she certainly would hate to be in Natsuki's shoes right now.
"Why?" Arika inquired, so clueless that it was cute. Anh could not help bending down and embracing the smaller female, which got a startled reaction from Arika. She was actually still a little scared from being assaulted by the drunken princess when they were in the baths a couple of years ago.
"The same reason Mashiro-sama would be upset to see you in your current predicament," Aoi said with an amused smile.
"Is Mashiro around?" Arika asked in a panicked voice as she pulled away from Anh… or at least tried to. She wailed and flailed her arms, but Anh did not give any ground.
"You are just too cute," Anh remarked with a purr that transformed into a delighted smile. She then turned her attention to her former charge, who led Natsuki out of the palace hall. She merely shook her head; a jealous Shizuru certainly was a new and funny creature when it came to Natsuki. "I haven't seen her like this in so long," Anh commented under her breath. Well, no, she had actually never seen Shizuru quite like she was at the moment. No, this was something totally new.
-8-8-8-8-
"Oi, Shizuru, could you stop crushing my arm, please?" Natsuki requested for about the fiftieth time that night. Shizuru had a death grip on the limb, and had it ever since tugging her away from Takeda. She began to lose feeling in her forearm thanks to that the grasp the older woman had on her.
"Ara ara, forgive me, Natsuki. I wasn't aware," Shizuru apologized as they made it into the car.
"Wasn't aware?" The Second Column blinked hard from that response. She had only been griping about it all night!
Shizuru did not respond to that. She noted her heart rate finally returned to normal. Her stomach and throat began clearing up from the irritation that she felt through out the night, even though she had Natsuki on her arm and it was clear to all just who the principal belonged to. She breathed a sigh of relief and thanks to feel as she usually did now.
But, something still felt off to Shizuru. It was like her balance was off and her world titled just a little. She glanced over at Natsuki, still gorgeous in her little black dress. She realized she had not really gotten the chance to appreciate Natsuki in the gown as she had planned. Instead, she had spent the night making sure that worm Takeda stayed away from her lover. She had spent the night trying to fight down that horrible feeling and stressing over something she was almost certain was not an issue.
"Na-tsu-ki," Shizuru hummed the name in manner that earned her a suspicious sidelong glance from her girlfriend. She smiled; it was a demonic smile that was reserved for her lover to let the younger woman know that naughty things were on her mind.
"No, not in the car!" Natsuki protested, inching away from the insatiable woman that she was in love with. She held up her hands, objecting to the idea she knew played in her lover's head and attempting to keep the older Otome at bay.
"Please." A pout was now in place that was expected to get Natsuki to give in without physical persuasion.
"No! The driver," Natsuki hissed while nodding to the front of the car.
"Easily taken care of," Shizuru pointed out and she hit a button that raised a barrier between the backseat and the driver's seat. She went back to smiling as she moved closer to Natsuki, mouth dangerously close to the soft lips of the principal.
"That's not a proper solution!" Natsuki objected, even though she knew she had already lost this battle. When the hell was the last time I won anything against Shizuru?! Probably never.
"It is the perfect solution," Shizuru insisted in a whisper while placing a hand on Natsuki's slim thigh. She ran her fingers up and down the leg in her grip, enjoying the feel of the dress and her lover against her hand. She slowly leaned in for a kiss.
The kiss was surprisingly hard and Natsuki whimpered when Shizuru's mouth practically conquered hers, a demanding tongue parting her lips, invading her mouth, and pushing her own tongue into a submission. The kiss screamed something possessive and almost primal – MINE! Natsuki was hers, Shizuru mentally insisted, and no one else could have her.
"Shizuru…" Natsuki whimpered through deep breaths as Shizuru pulled away, a thin line of saliva still connecting their mouths.
Shizuru did not seem to notice that her name was spoken. Her eyes focused, pretty much locked, onto her girlfriend. Her pupils were dilated, taking up much of her eye; it was almost as if she was high.
Natsuki was not too sure what to make of the expression. She was pretty sure that she had never seen Shizuru look like that before. She was ready to gulp and say a quick prayer because it seemed like the usually cheerful woman planned to eat her alive… and not in a pleasant manner.
"I need Natsuki now," Shizuru stated soundly, almost dangerously. It was not a tone that her lover could argue with.
Hey, Natsuki knew a lost battle when she saw one and she had just had the realization that she never won against Shizuru anyway. Some things were worth a try and some things… well, trying was a waste of time, especially when she did not mind when Shizuru led her to naughty places.
Shizuru's wandering hand found its way inside of Natsuki's dress while her mouth went back to claiming her beloved yet again. The busy hand went right to the center of Natsuki, not bothering to sample any of the fine skin of her leg along the way as she typically would. Natsuki yelped from surprise that shifted into a moan easily when she felt Shizuru's fingers probing insistently at her thinly covered core.
Natsuki cried out into Shizuru's dominating mouth as those demanding fingers bypassed the thong she put on; she could not have on a dress and have panty lines showing, now could she? Shizuru had to groan when she felt the slickness and heat against her hand and felt Natsuki's screams of pleasure in her throat.
"Oh, god, Shizuru," Natsuki panted.
Shizuru only moved in for another kiss, just as hard as the first. Mine! Shizuru's brain cried out. She was the only one that could make Natsuki feel so good. She was the only one that could touch Natsuki in such a way.
Shizuru's mind staked her claim again as she felt Natsuki moving against her hand. She groaned at the feel of Natsuki, at the thought of Natsuki wanting her and only her. She made sure to keep her mouth on Natsuki's, swallowing down all of those delightful moans, knowing Natsuki would hate for the driver to hear her cries. Her free hand moved to caress Natsuki's breast.
The hand on Natsuki's chest was much like Shizuru's mouth and other hand. The attack was swift and heavy. The caress rapidly changed into outright groping, complete with squeezing and kneading. She delighted in the feel, even with the dress in the way. My Natsuki feels so good. My Natsuki. Mine.
Natsuki moaned desperately into her lover's mouth as she shifted to feel more of Shizuru, rocking her hips against Shizuru's hand. Teasingly, Shizuru slipped her fingers inside of her lover before removing them, sliding against Natsuki once more. Natsuki's clutched onto Shizuru's shoulders, trying to gain a bit more leverage. Natsuki responding so eagerly only made Shizuru want more.
At first, Shizuru thought it would be enough to fondle Natsuki with the dress in the way, but quickly found that was not the case. She needed more and shamelessly shoved her hand down the front of Natsuki's dress. The principal did not object, only screaming in pleasure, which pretty much caressed Shizuru's throat. Natsuki held on tighter the older Otome to her.
Natsuki's body practically begged for more attention from the older woman. Shizuru would have been all too happy to provide Natsuki with what she desired, unfortunately the ride was not long enough for them to accomplish their main goal. It did not matter anyway; Shizuru never left a task halfway done. Besides, she had plans to see Natsuki in that dress, modeling it for her, before she peeled the emerald-eyed woman out of it.
When they got to their apartment, Natsuki tried to continue where they left off in the car, but Shizuru stopped her, which surprised her for just a moment. She knew what was going on when Shizuru stepped away from her and just stared at her. Shizuru had to admire the dress. She stood still for the older woman for a moment.
"You look stunning," Shizuru breathed. All the stares at the ball confirmed that for her, but it still needed to be said.
Natsuki blushed. "Thanks…" she muttered. She would rather be out of the damned thing, even if it got such a passionate reaction from Shizuru. She had a feeling she would not be wearing it for too much longer, though.
"But, you, of course, look even better without it," the elder remarked with a smirk.
Natsuki only had time to blush deeper before Shizuru attacked. Natsuki was not sure how, but she was naked in about a second. How the hell does she do that? She considered Shizuru might actually be some kind of witch with how quickly she always managed to undress Natsuki. Shizuru was naked just as quickly and pressed Natsuki into their bed.
"Oh, Natsuki," Shizuru moaned.
They shared a breathtaking kiss. Shizuru was the first to pull away. She looked down at her Natsuki, those jade eyes glazed over with the pleasure that only Shizuru could deliver. Shizuru leaned down close to Natsuki's ear, running her tongue along the shell, and she rubbed her body against Natsuki's wanting form. The feel of their skin together was heaven.
"Say you're mine," Shizuru requested in a whisper. It almost came out like a demand, but she needed to hear it and she needed to hear it now.
The words shocked Natsuki, though, because they seemed rather out of the blue. She locked eyes with Shizuru and a gentle smile overtook her face. It was an expression that only Shizuru ever witnessed. The smile was enough to answer the question, but words quickly followed it.
"Of course, I'm yours," Natsuki replied like it was simplest thing she would ever say. She was silent for a moment. "And you're mine, right?" she asked just to be sure since Shizuru was being slightly weird in her opinion. She reached up, caressing Shizuru's warm cheek.
Shizuru looked almost confused by the question for a second. "Of course, I am all Natsuki's and only Natsuki's."
With that, they shared another, much gentler kiss while their hands roamed each other's bodies with fervor and familiarity, visiting spots they both enjoyed. Shizuru's thigh settled in between Natsuki's legs and the motion made them both moan. Their bodies began to move as one and the room was filled with passionate cries as their mingled musk replaced the still smell in the air. Of course they possessed each other; their bodies seemed to confirm that. The connection they felt as they loved each other told them what they already knew; they belonged to each other.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: this is not the last we've seen of Takeda. Natsuki almost mows him down with her bike while Shizuru has to deal with quite the troubling sight.
