"The hardest thing in life is when you know inside your heart that you still love the person but you already ran out of good reasons to fight for what you feel and what you believe in."
Disclaimer: Sunrise owns Mai HiME.
Chapter 9 - Gotcha
It doesn't feel the same. A pain I never knew before. The wind has become heavy. The sky turns from grey to black and back again. My world's shaking under this force. The protector is nothing more than a liar. My hands are stained and you're still so pure. So innocent... I can barely look at you without regret, but I smile. Just like you; only worlds apart. I've always wanted to protect this purity, but I fear I am the one who took it away from you. Although I shouldn't have laid hands on you before you know the whole truth, I couldn't resist... Forgive me... again.
"Really Shizuru, you seem to space out a lot lately." Natsuki said. She was still lying in bed next to stretching her legs.
"Mh? Ara, there's a lot of stuff going on with transferring and moving back to Fuuka." The older girl put on her perfect mask and Natsuki didn't seem to find anything suspicious about her words.
"How can you actually think of something like this after 'such' a night...?" Natsuki's cheeks became red and she looked away by saying the last words.
I cannot stand this. I have to tell her... Shizuru thought, feeling completely guilty. "Natsuki, I... "
Natsuki's mobile phone was going off, sending a wave of shock through Shizuru's already pain filled face.
"Oi, don't be so easily startled. It's only my phone. Birthday, remember?" Natsuki stated.
"Right, go ahead." Shizuru shook her head, being very irritated about the reoccurring interruptions. Natsuki gave her quick peck on the cheek and flipped the phone open, while jumping out of bed.
She seems to be quite happy and full of energy... Maybe it isn't that bad. It's her birthday after all. She has a right to enjoy it to the fullest. Shizuru thought as her eyes followed the dark-haired girl through the room.
"Thank you, Mai. Yes you're the first one, besides Shizuru, of course. Okay, I'll see you at the Game Center then. Bye bye."
"Ne Shizuru, let's have brunch in the city before we go play paintball." Natsuki said with cute puppy eyes.
Shizuru relaxed a bit when she locked her gaze with the deep and soothing ocean of emerald. Without responding she touched the porcelain face and pulled the younger girl towards her and answered the question with a fierce kiss instead.
"I love you, Natsuki..." She inhaled. "You know that, right?"
"I think by now, I finally got it. So, yes." Natsuki playfully winked at her.
Shizuru sighed. "Alright, let's go and have breakfast then."
A hearty breakfast later the fresh couple had gathered in the Game Center along with the rest of the band.
"Alright, HiME-Rangers! There is a time when every true hero has to face its fate. Today, is that day! The time has come to be brave, to be strong and to fight for those you love once more!"
"Midori, you're completely nuts." Mai said while holding her forehead in shame because everyone in the Center was looking at the group of girls thanks to Midori's powerful speech.
"No no, Mai, my dear little Fire-HiME, someone has to coordinate the two teams and as we all know, I am very capable of doing so." Midori said and flashed the embarrassed girl a smile.
"Wouldn't Shizuru be a better option then? I mean, she was the Kaichou after all. She should know about coordination. When I think back at the time when you were still working at 'Lindenbaum' though, coordination is a word that is far away from the truth."
"Ara, that's so kind of you Mai-san." Shizuru was smiling her usual smile before she continued. "I will leave everything to you then, Suzushiro-san."
"Yeah, yeah. Just go and drink some tea until I finish arraigning the two teams."
"It's 'arranging' Haruka-san." Yukino, as always, corrected her older friend.
"Fine. Then let me at least do the teaching of the rules. That's my profession after all." Midori claimed with a pouting face. "We will fight in two teams. Team Red and Team Blue. You will get protective clothes in the color equal to your team's name and of course, the paintballs will have that color too, so that if you take somebody down, it will be visible on the body with either blue or red paint. The battlefield is outdoors and the main goal is to eliminate the other team. If the Team Leader gets shot down the game is over. The team that loses has to buy a round this evening in the club. Any questions?" After a short pause Mikoto raised her hand.
"Yes, Mikoto."
"Where are the others?"
"Well, we wanted to do kind of girl-thing. So, I asked the others if it's okay to meet up later at the bar and Akira wanted to stay with Takumi since it's a girl-thing... for whatever that means... Miyu wouldn't let Alyssa play without being at her side, but we all know that we don't even have to start the game when Miyu is participating. So, there's only the ten of us." Midori explained.
Half an hour and a lot of discussions later, Haruka pinned a list on the board in the locker room.
Team Red:
Fujino, Shizuru (Team Leader)
Kuga, Natsuki
Sugiura, Midori
Higurashi, Akane
Muhakata, Shiho
Team Blue:
Tokiha, Mai (Team Leader)
Minagi, Mikoto
Yuuki, Nao
Suzushiro, Haruka
Kikukawa, Yukino
"Wait! Why am I not the team leader?" The red-haired girl said in total shock.
"That's simply because you would get shot down too easily, Midori." Shiho responded with a mischievous grin.
"What? You little brat!"
"Don't fight. We're on the same team after all." Akane tossed in.
"Right... Team Red..." A grumbling low voice complained and everyone started to look for the origin of it.
"What are you looking at? Why would I be in the red team? I hate red. I want blue!"
"Ara, Natsuki. Don't be so querulous. I am sure red will suit you just fine. You look breathtaking no matter what you wear." Shizuru gave the birthday-girl a quick peck and was able to tame her a bit with the compliment.
"Don't worry Kuga, you'll be all blue after I got your ass on the field." Hearing the sharp voice, Shizuru built herself up in front of Natsuki.
"First, you'd have to take down me then, Yuuki-san. And that didn't work very well the last time you've tried, if I remember correctly." Shizuru deadly voice cut the air and Nao took in a deep breath. She had to fight down the urge to just punch that arrogant girl in the face, but that wouldn't do any good.
I'll have my chance today... You'll see. I will kick your ass and win this game for sure! "We'll see." Nao tried to sound as composed as possible, but Shizuru knew she had stroke a nerve.
"As you wish." The conversation had sent an icy breeze through the room and everyone stopped breathing for a few seconds.
"Okay, welcome to Alaska. Now, let's get this game going." Midori broke the uncomfortable silence and tried to ease the tension. "You two can settle this on the battlefield." She turned around to face the rest of the group. "Don't forget to keep your leaders clean, girls. Protect them as good as possible or else you will lose right away."
Natsuki was enviously looking at the blue protective uniforms of the other team when Shizuru whispered something into her ear.
"I didn't think you would be looking at other girls after last night... We should have better gone to the men's locker room if Natsuki is such a voyeur."
"Shizuru!" Natsuki screamed and her head went bright red.
"Oh my god, I don't even wanna imagine what Shizuru-san just told you." Mai said with a grin.
"Get a room!" It was low but audible, at least to Natsuki's ears. No one else seemed to mind the comment of the pink-haired girl in the corner though. Well, nobody except a very angry Kyoto-woman behind Natsuki, but as always, Shizuru's faced remained composed.
"Okay, Team Blue, let's meet in five minutes in the base to coordinate our winning strategy."
"Well spoken, Mai-san. Like a true leader." Haruka said with a battle-ready-glance in her eyes.
While the blue team was walking towards their base the others got together for a tactical talk.
"Okay, we have two options. We can go directly after Mai or we can try to simply erase every one of them." Natsuki said, sounding like a sergeant in war.
"Natsuki, that sounds so brutal. It's a game after all." Shizuru smiled at her lover.
"Yes, but she's right." Midori said with a slightly sarcastic undertone. "We have those two options. What do you think about it, leader?"
Shizuru took a minute to deliberate and came to the conclusion that an elimination game should be about elimination and not about too much tactical stuff. Plus, she had to settle something on the field and that would get more difficult if they would only aim for Mai.
"We go for the second option. Take down any of them that come across your way. We will win this match for sure." Shizuru flashed a confidently smile at her team.
"Alright, but we still need a tactic because we need front liners and back up to cover Shizuru." Natsuki tossed in.
"Ara, I suppose Natsuki sees herself as a front liner and not as a protector." She let out a fake sigh.
"Ummm... Well, if you want me by your side... I will protect you for sure. But you're right, I would love to be on the first attack-wave." Natsuki unintentionally made puppy eyes while stating the truth and Shizuru just couldn't say no to this.
"Don't worry, sweetheart. I am very capable of looking after myself. It's your birthday. Go out on the battlefield, have fun and play."
"Thank you." The ice princess was smiling like a little girl again and happily hugged Shizuru.
"I think you could need some help out there. I'm with you Natsuki." Midori pumped her fist.
"It's dangerous to be the vanguard, Midori."
"I know, but I love the thrill. I am an Aries after all. We're supposed to be that way."
"Okay, then you come with me. That would make Akane and Shiho back-up." Natsuki said and turned towards the other two girls. "Now, listen. It's your first priority to keep Shizuru safe. If she gets shot, we lose. It's your duty to prevent that from happening with everything you've got. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!" They both said in awe.
"Ara, I believe Natsuki would have been a better leader. But you couldn't stay calm in the back, could you?"
"Don't think so..." The raven-haired girl admitted and Shizuru smiled about the adorable sight.
"I believe everyone is satisfied. Should we go and kick some ass then?" The leader-for-one-day said full of enthusiasm.
"Huh, I didn't know that you're capable of using such words." Midori said a tad startled.
"Don't underestimate me." Shizuru winked and made a gesture to both front liners to go ahead.
In the other base, Team Blue was debating on how to approach the other team.
"Fine, we'll all go together. They probably don't expect us to do something like this. Maybe they will send a few people ahead and then, they'll have to face all of us at once."
"Sounds good to me." Nao said, very satisfied not to have a tactic at all. That will allow me the freedom to do whatever I want. So, I will have my chance to get after Fujino.
"We will kick their butts for sure! Just you wait Fujino!" Haruka said with an evil grin.
"You'll never stop fighting with Shizuru-san, right?" The comment from Yukino startled Haruka a bit.
"Not until I win." The blonde said nonchalantly.
"This is going to take forever then..." Yukino mumbled, inaudible to the others.
A few minutes later Team Blue was ready and started to slowly move forward.
"Mikoto, it's okay if you go in a row with the others. You don't have to walk right in front of me and you have that edgy look again. It's a game, don't you forget this." Mai lectured the younger girl.
"Yes, but I won't let anyone come close to Mai, yup."
"Oh my... This is going to be fun. Alright! Everyone, watch out! We're entering enemy territory!"
The outland area was mainly woodland that offered many places to hide. The blue team, except for Mikoto, was accurately walking in a line, five pairs of eyes eagerly searching for any spot of red. They were all very quiet in the hopes of hearing some revealing noises, but there were none. What they didn't know was that a certain raven-haired girl was lying not far away from them, using a bush as her cover, watching their every move.
Shit, they're too many. Damn, that Mai. Who would have thought that she would do something so stupid? We need to stay calm and attack them from the back as soon as they got past us and then... WTF?
"FOR JUSTICE!"
Midori! Don't!
But it was too late. Midori, who had been lying on the other side, had already left her cover. Screaming like a maniac, she was running towards the other Team, while firing red paintballs all over the place. As expected, the other team reacted fast. They split the row and attacked Midori from two sides. Of course, she didn't have a chance and got shot down within a few seconds.
"Why... why me...?" Midori stammered, her body covert in blue paint.. She was lying on the ground and closed her eyes for a while to dramatize her fall.
"I'm sorry, Midori-chan. But you made it too easy for us." Mai grinned.
"Oh shut up, Mai! We'll kick your ass for sure! Just wait until Natsu... oh shit!"
"I see. So, Natsuki is close. Okay, everyone you've heard it. Keep your eyes open. She might be..."
Mai could hear the click of the paintball-gun behind her, but she wasn't able to turn around in time. She closed her eyes and awaited the impact of the ball somewhere on her body. But when the sound came, she couldn't feel a thing. She turned around and saw Mikoto standing in front of her, shielding her with her body. Haruka was the first to react and started to fire back at Natsuki, followed by Yukino and Nao. Natsuki reacted quickly and decided that now wasn't the right time to avenge her fallen friend. She couldn't take on all of them. She elegantly dodged the attacks and retreated into the woods.
Dammit! That Midori, why would she do something so stupid? Anyway, I need to get out of here and think of something. I should have known that Mikoto would get in the way. The shot was perfect, but this little girl is still as fast as a cat. I should be glad I have at least shot her down. Teams are equal again!
"Okay Team Blue, it's like I said. They've sent people to the frontline. That means there are only two of them left protecting Shizuru-san. We'll try to entice them away from her, so that somebody can take down their leader." Mai stated like a true leader.
"I will do it! I will face Fujino!" Nao said in a strong and confident tone.
"Are you sure?"
"Dead sure…"
"Okay, then we will try to scatter their back-up."
The group silently moved forward and even Haruka kept still for not blowing their position. Suddenly, they could see the rest of Team Red standing near some huge ginkgo trees. The position was strategically good, plus all of them were looking out for their enemies. Sadly though, they looked in the wrong direction. Mai gave quick orders to Yukino and Haruka for distracting Akane, who was watching Shizuru's left side, while Mai herself was moving to the right to have her match with Shiho. Nao was left behind for taking on Shizuru at right time.
In a few moments it will just be the two of us and then we'll see... Nao thought.
The plan worked out well and the leader of Team Red was soon left all by herself. She was positioned behind some bushes when she heard a faint crack coming from her right side. Her crimson eyes were frantically searching for any sign of another intruder. When she turned around she could see a glimpse of a blue uniform and pink hair before she had to roll over to dodge the first shot. The ball missed the target at a hair's breadth and Shizuru used Nao's swearing-time to find a new cover. She didn't need to think twice before firing back as good as she could. After all, she was much more comfortable with swords. Her shots were good enough to at least trouble the young girl in front of her though. The last one almost got Nao, who decided to search a new cover first.
Damn, that was close! I need to think of something... Yes, that'll work! Nao suddenly jumped out of her cover and started to make wild gestures while fearfully starring in a direction somewhere behind Shizuru and to underline her little dramatic act she started screaming.
"No, Natsuki! Don't! Watch out! That's dangerous!"Nao screamed hysterically.
Shizuru's eyes became wide and without a second thought she turned around. She couldn't see her lover anywhere, which worried her even more. The next thing she felt was a hard kick against her arm with the gun and wasn't able to keep her hold of it any longer. The force was so powerful that she fell hard on her back.
"Ouch! That hurt you bitch!" She screamed in affect.
"Fu fu, for the Kaichou to use such improper words. I am very irritated. Aren't you supposed to be some kind of role model? I don't think these words suit you at all." Nao said in a playful tone.
"Well, sometimes they are needed. Especially, if someone's using cheap tricks."
"That's very brave of you to talk like that in such an unfortunate situation. I've heard paintballs can hurt very much, depending on where they hit the target and I also believe that the closer you are, the more it is going to hurt. So, you better watch your tongue." Nao's eyes were cold, though a victorious smile crossed her face.
Shizuru's tore her eyes away for a short moment to check how far away her gun was lying but as soon as she did, Nao was moving forward. She positioned herself right over the lying form of Shizuru and put her left foot on the arm that was closest to the gun.
"Don't even think about it. This is my victory and I will enjoy it to the last. So, where do you want your first shot? Arm? Upper-leg? Or rather ribcage?"
Nao was now pointing at Shizuru's upper body with an evil grin. The crimson-eyed girl knew she couldn't do anything about it and although she was afraid of the pain, she would not give Nao the pleasure to show any of it. She just looked straight into the lime green eyes without a hint of fear. The effect was quite visible on the younger girls face.
"Eat this!" Nao said angrily.
Right in the moment when Nao was about to pull the trigger, she was thrown back by an unknown force. She stumbled a few steps backward before she found her balance again. Shizuru was still lying in the same position. Her brain didn't seem to be able to make a connection to what had just happened, until a slender figure came out of an ambush right behind her. The moment she saw the red clothes and the long black hair, a sharp pain shot through her chest.
Everything had happened so fast, that Nao was still standing there like an idiot. Natsuki had already moved to Shizuru's side to help her lover stand up. Only then, Nao began to realize.
"Natsuki..." She whispered in disbelief.
"At your service. You're out!" Natsuki said, still enjoying the game to the fullest. "Shizuru, let's go! We still need to take down Mai!"
"Thank you, Natsuki. You saved me." She passionately drew Natsuki in and gave her fierce kiss.
"Huh? What was that?" The younger girl was completely taken off-guard.
"A 'thank you' to my savior." Shizuru answered with a disarming smile.
"Oi, we don't have time for that right now!" And with that Natsuki was on her way to find the opposite leader. Of course, Shizuru didn't forget to give Nao a jubilant smile before she turned away to follow her lover.
Nao remained in her position like a statue, unable to realize what had just happened. Her chest was still burning like hell, although she wasn't sure if it was because of the hit. When she lowered her head she could see the red liquid on the left side of her chest slowly throbbing down to earth...
A/N: Ahh, the paintball-chapter...finally it's done. Wow, that took me awhile. It's the longest chapter so far but it was worth it. I am very pleased with it and I hope you've enjoyed it too. I am always glad about reviews. The next chapter is going to be very...mh, let's say intense.