Disclaimer: i dont own mai hime/mai otome characters...
On her way back, Natsuki was smiling giddily, nothing could wipe it off her…. Then Midori appeared out of thin air, looking at her with serious eyes… her smile instantly vanished. The walk back to the apartment was quiet and tense. The two chose not to teleport themselves back and walked instead. Natsuki was sure that Midori had something to say, walking isn't really the cherubim's forte and the way the older woman was giving her a side glance every once in a while told her. A few more yards of walking when Natsuki decided to break the silence.
"Do you wish to tell me something?"
Midori took a long breath, scratched her forehead then stared at the sky. Natsuki knew the Midori only do this when she really did have something to say serious or something is troubling her. Her fluttering heart a while ago was replaced with fear and uncertainty, a totally new feeling to her but she knew it, she have read it somewhere but to actually feel it was unexplainable.
"Natsuki" Midori began; the hesitation in her voice was evident, this rarely happen. "How should I say this…"
"Just say it" Natsuki said, a little harder than she had intended to.
"Well then… to make things easier to understand… Natsuki, your mission here on earth is temporarily being stopped until further notice from the higher ups".
"Oh... okay. Do the others know about this?"
"Yes"
"Good, then we wouldn't have to act all weird while having a picnic with our human friends" especially around Shizuru. The feeling she had earlier dissipated. The Cupid started to think about the things she would do with the brunette since her workload has been lifted. She had totally forgotten (or maybe, had chosen to ignore) Midori was walking right beside her; not until the orange head cleared her throat loud enough for Natsuki to hear and bring her attention back to her.
"I think you misunderstood me Natsuki" she continued.
"Huh? I did?"
Midori just shook her head. "Yes you did, when I said that your mission here on earth was stopped, it means that you and the rest of the gang will be flying back with me to the Heavens. The others are arranging your stuff as we speak".
As realization struck her, Natsuki instantly stopped on her tracks, her previous feelings came back to her full force. Shock, fear, sadness, pain and so much more was evident on her face, Midori could read it clear as daylight. What… she must be kidding… there's no way… not when I just… The bluenette's knees went weak and eventually gave way, sitting herself on the pavement. She was still lost in thought. Her mind was filled with one person and one person only. There's no way I could leave her… no! Her hands went to her lips as she desperately tried to remember the feeling of the other's lips. "I.." I. What would I do? She wanted to say something but words were stuck in her throat before she would even have a chance to speak them. Her eyes began to sting, another first for the poor angel. Something in her eyes was desperately trying to get out. The more she feels the intense pain in her heart, the more the pressure is building up behind her eyes. The starry night suddenly turned cloudy. A roaring of a thunder could be heard from a distance. When she thought her eyes might explode, she felt something wet trickle down her cheeks. Her hands immediately went to her face, touching the liquid that has left a wet trail on her skin. She looked up at Midori, her eyes questioning.
"It's what they call tears Natsuki" as soon as those words left the Cherbim's mouth, the rain poured hard, but not hard enough to drown the feeling deep inside the Cupid's heart.
--
Midori watched sadly as she stood beside her favorite angel who was silently hurting but was openly crying. She knew this would happen. She knew that this is part of the protocol. A protocol when the Master Cupid has finally found the right person to love and cherish, one must go through a test. It is a tough one, one that even the Master Cupid before her has gone through. Why do Master Cupids tend to be stubborn? Will you tell me Saeko?
--
Mai was slicing up the vegetables for their dinner (she was still in Haruka and Yukino's room) when she happened to glance out the window and saw a flash of lightning lit up the sky. "It's gonna rain hard soon" she whispered more to herself. Yukino who found enough strength to use the toilet happened to hear the almost silent comment.
"It should be, the way those thunder sound and the frequent lightning" she said, as she sat herself down on one of the chairs in the kitchen.
"Yukino! You shouldn't be out here, your cold might get worse." Mai laid the knife down on the counter and went to Yukino's side.
"I'm fine Mai-san, I just wanted to be out of that cramp bed for once. Haruka is sleeping soundly too, I have no one to talk to." Glancing around, the brunette eyebrows furrowed a bit. "Where is Mikoto?"
Mai went back to what she was doing, slicing up vegetables and then placed a pan on the stove. "Oh her, she went back to our room to get some spices from the kitchen"
"Thank you very much for taking care of us Mai-san, you have been very kind"
"Psh, come on, what are friends for and besides, you have helped us a lot too. We are family you know."
The brunette smiled shyly at Mai. She was really grateful… no… she was blessed to have friends like Mai to rely on. After some comforting silence, Yukino remembered something.
"Uhm Mai-san, can I ask you something?"
"Hmm? What is it?" She was now stirring the cut up vegetables in a pan.
"How are things between you and Tate?"
Mai left the stirring for a while and proceeded to beat some eggs in a bowl. "Us? There's no us anymore, we broke up" she replied nonchalantly.
"Good!" Then Yukino did a double take at her words. "Err I mean, how sad?"
Mai just laughed. She was surprised to hear those words from Yukino. The brunette is usually empathetic and for her to say it was somewhat out of character which she found funny. "Its about time anyway, we don't really love each other"
Yukino just nodded. She knew where Mai heart belongs to after all. Her gaze went to look at the window after hearing the rain suddenly pour down. "It is indeed hard"
"Huh?" Mai ask in confusion.
She motioned towards the window with the rain droplets batting against the glass. "The rain"
"Yeah, just a few minutes ago, the sky was still clear. This rain clouds sure do build up so fast, weird."
It was indeed out of the ordinary. The weather forecast didn't say that it was going to rain that night.
"The weatherman said it was going to be a starry night." Mai added.
Yukino had her elbows on the table supporting her face. "When clear skies suddenly turn dark, and when the rain sounds like in agony, they say that an angel is crying."
--
Shizuru was ready for bed. She had her blanket halfway up her body while embracing a soft pillow. As soon as she heard the thunder roar, an unsettling feeling has laid in her stomach. She tried to ignore it by filling up her mind with a certain bluenette. A blush appeared on her face while her lips curved into a gentle smile. She couldn't wait for tomorrow to come for her love would be spending the night with her. Then another thunder roared, this time loud enough to make Shizuru bolt up from her bed. Something was definitely not right. She could feel it deep inside her, deep in her heart.
"Natsuki, please be safe" she whispered, her hands clutching her chest. She just can't shake off the fear that has started to grow.
i know its short..