Author's Note: I underestimated how much I had left to write, so here's the second to last chapter. The final chapter should be out shortly. Sorry this one took so long... work on this story has been intermixed with work I've been doing on the sequel to this. More details on that at the end of the final chapter. For now, enjoy!
-----
With the low rumble of a well tuned motor, Natsuki coasted her bike into Fuuka Gakuen's familiar parking lot. It was mid-afternoon, without a cloud in the sky, and the sun beat down mercilessly. It was unseasonably hot, especially in her jumpsuit. Ignoring the painted lines, she gave the vehicle a small bit of gas to head past the other cars and aim for a shady spot under a tree.
Parking her bike on the lawn, she drew her helmet off with a flourish. Without the protection of the plastic shell, she felt a rush of warm air against her face. The humidity was almost oppressive, as though the moisture in the was so thick, it began to condense on her skin. She stripped off the suit, exposing her jeans and robin blue blouse underneath. Ignoring the weather, she set off, determined to burn off the stress she had accumulated over the last week.
The studying had definitely taken its toll on her, but she felt like she had made it through the exam gauntlet with relatively decent scores and her sanity intact, if only barely. It felt damn good to finally be done with exams and actually enjoying her life again. This month of vacation would do her well. She normally wasn't much of a fan of festivals, but after Nao had called to ensure she was going, it hadn't taken much internal argument before she finally relented and decided to go.
The raven haired girl strolled through the familiar parking lot, heading towards the section of campus the school had converted into festival grounds. The transition into fairground was abrupt, as suddenly a garden-lined walkway hit a wall of painted banners and wooden stalls. The festival had just opened, so the crowds weren't very thick. Scanning over the figures she could see from the entrance, no one that she recognized popped out at her. Undaunted, she strode inside the festival grounds.
-----
"Onii-chan" came the plaintive whine. Mai felt the temptation to turn and swat the child behind her, however unseemly it might be. It was an effort, but she managed to restrain herself, forcing a neutral expression before she glanced back.
Her honey-blond haired boyfriend had an annoyed, yet resigned expression on his face. "We're going to listen to the youth choir first, remember? We don't have time to stop for takoyaki."
"But... I'm hungry..."
"Shiho-chan." Mai intoned crisply, carefully keeping her anger out of her voice. "We all decided that we would see the Fuuka Youth Choir, since they're only doing one show this year. If we don't get there soon, we'll miss it."
The octopus haired girl looked up at her with a expression that hovered halfway between smoldering resentment and an innocent pout. That look had ceased to have any effect on Mai; holding Yuuichi as he died in her arms burned out any sympathy she had held towards Shiho. But Yuuichi still harbored some strange sense of responsibility towards the girl, so Mai tolerated her presence for his sake.
Turning on a heel, she headed off towards the central square of the festival. She heard Yuuichi's footsteps begin again behind her, and as Shiho was clinging to the blond boy's arm, she was dragged along as well. Mai bit her lip, glancing at the people around them watching the spectacle. It was shameful, really. He was her boyfriend, but that little menace in her pink yukata was the one at his side. It made her skin crawl. And yet, that was the only reaction she had. Over the last months, the jealousy that had welled up inside her had slowly waned, until only a bitterness remained in its wake. If Yuuichi was willing to let her cling to him like a parasite, then that was his choice, and it wasn't her place to force him to stop.
She couldn't help but glance back again. This time, Yuuichi at least had the grace to make an apologetic smile. Mai turned back without replying in kind. She loved Yuuichi, she truly did. And when it was just the two of them together, things were enjoyable and fun. But times like this left her with a burning sensation in her chest. She slowly and deliberately relaxed her fist into an open hand, beckoning them to hurry and follow her.
-----
Though an entire crowd thronged around her, Shizuru concentrated on the sound of her geta sandals making sharp rapping sounds against the cobblestone path. It was difficult to pick out the sound of her own footsteps among the cacophony created by the masses of people around her, but that was part of enjoyment of the exercise... a sort of meditation as she walked. The rhythmic beat of the knocking sound soothed her, granting her expression a serenity which would have been impossible to maintain otherwise.
The past week had been a period of mourning for her, and her yukata represented that. She wore an undecorated fabric of the deepest crimson, with a golden obi drawn into a simple extra fold on the back... attire more appropriate for an older woman. But the severity of her yukata fit her mood. A large chunk of what had once been her life was now gone, and the hole it left in her chest seared like white fire. Her tumultuous path through the five stages of grief had been hard on her.
First, had come denial. She had wandered the leafy isles of the municipal park near Natsuki's apartment for hours, letting her fingers trace along thorny brush, leaving red scratches down her open palms. The raven haired girl had been a part of her life, if only in her mind, for so many years now. It didn't seem possible that it was over... that she really had lost her chances with Natsuki forever. She kept expecting to wake up, to realize that this was all simply a complex and realistic nightmare she was having. But even when she pinched herself to the point of making herself bleed, reality refused to give in.
After her encounter with Nao, denial had faded into anger. A dark voice inside of her, the one she had associated with the demon-child Kiyohime, began to gnaw at her soul. Deep down, she knew that the voice was not Kiyohime's, but rather a part of herself. Even though she wanted to believe otherwise; to assign blame for the actions she regretted elsewhere, the fact that the voice was still with her when Kiyohime was not was evidence enough. Regardless of blame, she had been driven into a sleepless insanity for three days; throwing and destroying every object in her hotel room that was not nailed down, and even some that had been. Sometime through the second day, the hotel manager had entered her room to threaten to call the police if she did not stop bothering the other tenants. But the seething, furious expression she had given him as she stood there, heaving for breath, had apparently been enough to convince him not to follow through with the threat.
Third, had come bargaining. Laying amongst the ruins of her self-wrought destruction, she had prayed to every spirit and god imaginable... her ancestors, the kami, the Buddha, and even the Christian's God. Her only reply was a deafening silence inside of her head... an absence of sound that seemed as though it was trying to suck her in and destroy her. The void echoed with trace whispers of Kiyohime's hissing whispers, audible despite her best efforts to crush him down under her will. But the whispers were only teases or laughter... never the urgings that had come to her during the Festival. For that, at least, she was grateful.
The fourth stage, grief, set in quickly. It hadn't taken her long to give up on prayer and descend into despair; Shizuru had never put much faith in spirits or gods, preferring to believe instead in her own strength. When even that strength left her, as it had, she had little to fall back upon. The tears had streamed down her face until she could not even find the will to cry.
And finally came acceptance. Is that where she was now? Honestly, she couldn't answer her own question. It was strange, to be so psychologically aware of the path her grief traveled, he be so helpless to the churning waves of her own emotions.
A voice interrupted her thoughts from behind; a warm, low simmer of masculinity. She turned, smiling brightly, to face one of the few males she held respect for. "Ara... Reito-san... I'm glad to see you again."
"As am I to see you, Shizuru-kaichou." The man was wearing a deep blue yukata of a heavier material than was really suitable for this weather, but emphasized his rugged appeal.
Shizuru gave him an admonishing look. "I'm not the President anymore, I'm afraid."
"Ah, but you'll always be my President, Shizuru." He smiled with a humble, yet brilliant smile that would melt most women.
She favored him with a returned smile, but didn't deign to voice a reply. She had grown accustomed to Reito's flirting long ago, back when they first began to seriously interact as they ran for Student Council positions together. She wasn't sure how serious he had been back before they knew each well, but the flirting he did nowadays was simply a matter of his ego demanding that he go through the motions. They had come to a good understanding of each other's positions. He had a relentless pressure put upon him by his adopted family to be not only successful, but the most successful, at whatever he did. It was a feeling that she could empathize with quite well, since her situation was not entirely different. Neither of them had ever bothered to dispel the rumors about their dating... such rumors made it so she needed to ward off the boys with crushes on her less frequently, and for Reito, the 'forbidden fruit' aspect only increased his appeal with the freshman girls, which was fine by him. She had made it perfectly clear that she wasn't interested, and after they had come to that understanding, they had developed a solid working relationship and friendship.
A girl next to Reito tugged on his yukata to call his attention back, a girl who Shizuru took a moment to place. Minagi Mikoto had gone through significant physical development in the last few months. She had gotten at least a few inches taller, and her bust and hips were filling out well. Perhaps she was simply a late bloomer after all.
"Mikoto... say hello properly to Shizuru-san." Reito admonished with gentle tone.
"... hi." Mikoto said, with a bashful aversion of her eyes. The young girl had never seemed comfortable around Shizuru, the ex-president reflected.
"Hello to you too, Mikoto." Shizuru said politely before turning back to Reito. "You managed to peel her away from Tokiha-san?"
"I've been told that I'm one of the few who can. Right Mikoto?"
"Mm mm." the feral girl agreed enthusiastically. "Anii-ue is fun to be around."
Reito chuckled and rubbed her on the head before turning back. "So... Shizuru-san. Forgive my rudeness in asking, but... are you with someone here?"
Shizuru shook her head. "I came alone."
"As I thought. You seem... unhappy."
She only gazed at him evenly in reply.
"Then, perhaps you'd care to join us for a time?"
The auburn haired woman made a show of considering it, but then smiled in acceptance. "I'd love to."
-----
Nao wiggled out of the car, embroiled in a struggle with her yukata of epic proportions. She staggered, then leaned against the doorframe for support. "Geh... I think it got tighter during the ride."
Kaori grinned while spinning the keys around her finger, regarding her with an evaluating eye. "Nope... it looks perfect. Don't worry, it takes some practice to learn to walk around in these things."
Nao's eyes bulged. "Well, great. If we weren't at the festival, maybe I could get some practice in. But I don't fancy falling over in front of a crowd." She squirmed, awkwardly trying to loosen the obi's knot's, despite not being able to see it.
"Stop, Nao-chan." Kaori swatted her hands away. "If you loosen it anymore, its liable to fall open before the end of the night. You wouldn't want that, now would you?" Her mother winked and headed for the gates.
Nao struggled to come up with a response, but her mother's receding form didn't appear to care. Resuming her previously foiled in her attempts to make herself more comfortable, she struggled to catch up with her mother. "I can barely even walk." she grumbled.
"You can still walk, just take shorter steps."
"I feel like I'm hobbling... like some sort of cripple." The material of her yukata prevented her from taking strides any more than half as long as normal, which meant making twice as many steps to reach a normal pace in a sort of rapid shuffle. Combined with the awkwardness of walking with the wooden sandals, she felt ridiculous.
"Take it easy... this isn't a race." Kaori said with sympathy. "You'll get used to it in no time."
They walked on, and Nao concentrated on matching her mother's pace, and before they had made it too far into the festival, she was fairly certain she could avoid toppling over, at least. She still was worried the entire dress might unravel and fall off if she ever needed to run, but that was a risk she was going to have to take. 'How the hell did Shizuru manage to kick my ass in one of these? She must live in these things.'
They entered the festival, and spent some time exploring the stands. Eventually, Kaori left to buy food while Nao was alone. The redhead continued to scan the crowds, but she couldn't spot anyone that she knew... at least no one she had any real desire to talk to. Kaori returned to her after buying what looked like two onigiri. With half hers already gone, the mother handed Nao's to her. As they ate, Kaori shook Nao's shoulder and gestured with her chin. "Is that your friend?"
It took Nao a moment to track who her mother meant through the throning crowd, but Shizuru and Reito both were unusually tall for Japanese, and spotting the former executive pair wasn't difficult. "I told you, she's not my friend." she muttered.
"Nonsense. You trusted her enough to ride in her car, didn't you? Call her over."
"Wh... No." Nao responded resolutely.
Kaori looked disappointed, but then shrugged. "Fine." Her mother put an arm behind her back, subtly but firmly guiding them towards the ex-president. When they were fairly close, she made a feigned exclamation of surprise. "Nao-chan... look, its your friends from school! What a coincidence."
Nao closed her eyes, trying to avoid letting the feeling of panic cross her face. When she reopened her eyes, she could see that those she didn't want to meet were all greeting her in their own way; Mikoto was waving enthusiastically at her, Reito was smiling in her direction, and Shizuru was giving her an ambivalent look which could indicate anything from a warm greeting to impending doom. "Hello, everyone." she said in a tone belying her lack of enthusiasm.
Reito stepped forward, giving Kaori a bow. "Nao-san, I don't believe I've ever been introduced to your older sister."
Kaori gave a polite laugh, and smiled broadly. "Well, go on, Nao-chan."
Nao scowled, upset she was forced into this, but tried to straighten her face into something that wasn't impolite when she spoke to Reito and Shizuru. "This is my mother, Kaori. Mama, this is Kanzaki Reito, Minagi Mikoto, and..." she hesitated before speaking the woman's name. "Fujino Shizuru."
Reito shook his head. "I go by Minagi as well now, I'm afraid. But don't worry, there's no way you could have known that."
Nao noted that Shizuru looked surprised by that announcement too, though Mikoto had a pleased smile.
"It sounds like there's an interesting story behind that." Kaori observed.
"Not really. There's a story, but its terribly boring." Reito said, undertones in his voice making it clear that he simply didn't want to talk about.
Mikoto grabbed the side of Reito's yukata again, smiling up at Kaori. "He's my Anii-ue. That's why."
"And so there my questions will end." Kaori replied gracefully.
There was the beginnings of an uncomfortable pause, but Reito quickly picked up the slack. "So... Yuuki-san, is it then?"
"Call me Kaori." the older redhead quickly interjected.
"Kaori-san then... would you care to join us as we walk the fairgrounds?"
"I would be honored to." she replied, the charm in her voice matching the former student council vice-president's.
-----
"Well, this is thrilling." Sarcasm dripped from the honey-blond's voice, Mai noted.
"You said you wanted to listen to the choir too." Mai muttered, hurt that he would take out his aggravation on her. Suddenly, the dreadful heat of the afternoon sun felt worse, and the singing of the young girls up on stage was less enjoyable.
Yuuichi scratched the back of his head. "Yeah... I did say that. I know its important to you. But we didn't need to listen to it from start to finish, and stopping for food would have at least gotten her off my back a little..."
His voice was plaintive, almost whiny to her ears, irking her. "Well, fine." She scowled and turned from him. "Go get a freaken octopus ball with her then, if its so important to you that spoiled brat is happy. You two can make a date out of it, since you're apparently not interested in going on one with me." Snarling under her breath, she stalked away, ignoring Yuuichi's protests from behind her. 'This is probably some sort of record...' Mai thought bitterly as she fled. 'We usually make it at least a minute into a conversation before we start bickering.' The fighting between her and Yuuichi had grown more frequent over the last few weeks. Or maybe... it wasn't that the fighting had become more frequent, but just that she had become less willing to accept his selfish ways and was less accommodating. She was so involved in her own inner turmoil as she walked that she knocked shoulders with a taller figure in front of her, and nearly fell backwards. Apologizing hurriedly, she bowed. "I'm so sorry..."
A pair of mechanical red eyes framed by light blue bangs turned to stare back at her with a neutral expression. "No apology is necessary... I am undamaged."
"Mi... Miyu-san." Mai stuttered in surprise, then straightened up with smile, trying to forget Yuuichi for a moment. "It's... uh... been a long time since I last saw you."
"It has been approximately three months and one day since we last met." Miyu agreed turning back to the choir.
"Right." Mai smiled, scratching the back of her neck with a feeling of awkwardness as she stood beside the mechanical girl. "So... um... what are you doing here? I haven't heard much about you two lately... has Arisa-chan recover enough to perform with the choir again? I looked for her up on the stage but..."
"Ojou-sama's condition has not changed from the last data you received. She remains... troubled, and is unable to attend this performance."
"I see." Mai's tone was somber. Despite the fact that the young blond haired girl had once been her enemy, she still felt sympathetic towards young girl's plight. She had been cloned, raised and manipulated by Searrs Corporation, all for the advancement of their goals. They thought nothing of inflicting emotional scars upon the girl that would stay with her for the rest of her life. The few times that Arisa had responded to her invitations to spend time with the group of ex-HiME, Arisa only managed to isolate herself further by antagonizing everyone who spoke to her, especially Yukariko and Nao.
But Arisa's bitterness was not entirely unfounded. The techniques used in cloning her were... for the lack of a better word, horrifying. Mai had only followed most of the basics when Midori and Youko explained the problems to her, but the gist was that Arisa's body had been designed to mature at a rate three times faster than a normal humans. Searrs had managed to succeed at creating her only a few years before the HiMEs began to emerge, and they needed her to be relatively physically mature before the Festival began. Apparently, they hadn't thought or cared what would happen to her afterwards. Probably, they had viewed the long term effects of such genetic manipulation as insurance, in case Arisa survived past her point of usefulness, as she had. Besides infanthood, which had all taken place inside of a laboratory, puberty was the time of the most rapid physical development in the human body. The already overtaxed cells in Arisa's body were beginning to fail under the strain, and her body was slowly losing the ability to function. So much of her body's energy was becoming devoted to growing that even the smallest of problems, such as a paper cut or a seasonal cold, could become life threatening. As the problems got worse, Miyu and Arisa had left the church, and Miyu had begun to take twenty-four hour care of her ojou-sama somewhere else in a hidden location. That had been the last anyone had seen of them for a long time.
"Well, I hope she gets better soon." Mai finally managed.
"Your desires have been logged and will be relayed to Ojou-sama upon my return."
"Thank you, Miyu-san." Mai smiled. She watched the android stare impassively at the singing young girls. "So... what brings you out here? If Arisa-chan isn't with the choir... Its unlike you to come somewhere without her."
Miyu turned back to her, a small crease rippling across her perfect faux-skin before the normal placid expression returned. "Are you aware of any threats to Ojou-sama?"
Mai smiled nervously and waved her hands wardingly. "No no! I'm just... making conversation, I guess."
Miyu tilted her head to the side slightly, as though an analysis had just completed. "Very well. I sense no falsehood in your mannerisms. Your statement is correct... the protection of Ojou-sama is my highest priority. However, she desired to hear the Fuuka Youth Choir's production this year, so I have come to record it for her."
"Oh." Mai replied, listening to the soaring sounds of the young girls' song. "Well, its beautiful this year too."
"The quality of the music is not comparable to when Ojou-sama participated. However, she desires to hear it, so I will record it.
A thought occurred to the orange haired girl. "Does that mean..." She dropped her voice to a low whisper. "... I'm interrupting your recordings?"
"Decreasing your vocal output is not necessary. I am capable of automatically filtering your voice patterns from the file concurrent to saving the data."
"Well, thank goodness for that." Mai smiled.
-----
Nao was in a foul mood, and though she knew she should probably hide that fact, concealing her discontent was something she was woefully bad at. Kaori, Reito and Shizuru had all become immersed in what she was sure was a rousing discussion of the merits of various types of tea, and only Mikoto was left for her to talk with as their makeshift group meandered. But even the feral girl seemed on edge and unhappy, something that was quite rare for her.
Finally, she nudged Mikoto, who nearly jumped in surprise. Nao gave her an even look, then finally spoke. "What's wrong?"
Mikoto looked to the side for a moment, her expression nearly guilty, before responding. "I... I can't tell you. It's 'privacy', you know?"
"Yes... yes I do know. I was the one who taught you that word, as I recall." Nao replied with a hint of bite. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I'm just..." She trailed off, vaguely waving towards the two women and one man walking ahead of them. "I'm just not a big enough fan of tea, I guess."
Mikoto seemed absorbed in her thoughts for a moment before looking up again. "Does talking about problems help?"
"When you're not giving people blackmail opportunities." Nao grinned. Mikoto stared back at her blankly, and Nao realized the comment had gone over her head. She decided to respond more directly. "Uh... yeah, I guess sometimes it does."
Mikoto nodded firmly, staring directly into Nao's eyes. "You promise this is 'privacy'?"
"I don't think you know how to use that word correctly, but yes, I'll keep your secret, if that's what you mean."
The dark haired girl nodded again, then leaned closer. Her thin braids swung as looking around conspiratorially. "I love Mai."
"And a great many other people and things, as I remember hearing." Nao replied dubiously. Yukino had told the story of her discussion with Mikoto on the steps, when Mikoto had confessed her undying love for Mai, Mai's cooking, and Yukino herself, among other things.
But Mikoto seemed prepared for that response, and shook her head. "This is different. Before, when Mai was happy, I was happy. I loved the smiling Mai. But now, even when she is happy, I'm..."
Nao watched Mikoto's expression. The feral girl had always been as easy to read as a book, and now was no different. The signs of sharp jealousy were obvious. "You don't like it when she's happy with Tate?"
Spelling it out was apparently a mistake. Mikoto's face was overtaken by such a crushing guilt that she stopped walking, and Nao had to grab her by the shoulder and guide her back into motion so they weren't left behind. Mikoto's lower lip trembled as she spoke. "I want... I want Mai to be happy, but..."
"Look, its okay." Nao grumbled. She didn't really enjoy playing the therapist, but its not like she had anything better to do at the moment. "It's a perfectly natural reaction, I guess."
That simple statement seemed to mollify Mikoto somewhat. Then again, she always had been simple. "How do I make it better?"
"Make what better?"
"This... feeling." Mikoto looked at her mournfully. "I don't like it."
"Well..." Nao pondered, tapping her chin. "One option is to beat the tar out of Tate. You could probably win a straight out fight, and if you sent him packing, you'd have Mai all to yourself."
Mikoto stayed silent for a moment, then shook her head. "I think Mai would get mad. Besides, he isn't a bad person."
"Hrmm... There's another possibility, but it takes time." Mikoto looked at her eagerly. "You can just keep doing what you're doing, and protect Mai. Be there for her when she's sad, and share the good times together too. Eventually, she'll probably realize that you mean more to her than Tate does."
She contemplated, then grinned. "Anii-ue told me something similar before, but I forgot with everything that's happened. But you're right." She nodded again, a sharp and rapid head movement. "You're a good person, Nao. Yup!" And with that, she sprung off into the crowd, presumably to find Mai.
Nao watched her go, then shook her head with a hint of a smile. "I'd dispute that, but oh well." she said under her breath. After a while of walking solitarily, she sped up her awkward shuffle to join up with the three people in front of her. She waited for a break in the conversation before nudging Reito. "Your sister is gone. She went to go find Mai."
Reito smiled good-naturedly between his three companions. "Well, it appears I must depart. I'm afraid I've been told stories of the sorts of havoc Mikoto can cause at events such as this... I should probably find her and assure she doesn't do anything of the sort."
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Minagi Reito." Kaori bowed.
"And you." he returned, leaving at a brisk pace.
After he was gone Kaori turned to her daughter. "And how are you faring? You look horribly bored."
Nao managed a smile. "Eh..."
With an apologetic look, Kaori shook her head. "If you want to head off on your own, that's okay. Shizuru-san and I will be looking at crafts for a while, and I know that's not your thing."
The younger redhead nodded. "I'll meet up with you in a bit." She looked at Shizuru, waved and walked away.
-----
Shizuru watched the younger girl walk away, her mind startlingly devoid of plans. Her ambitions and her reason were at such disparate odds with each other that her normally calculating mind was paralyzed into indecision.
"So..."
She heard the woman beside say as she cleared her throat, and the former student council president turned up to see what her new companion wanted. The moment Shizuru took in the older woman's eyes, she nearly choked on her own tongue. The balmy, cheerful grin was gone. Her airy expression, suggesting a passive and simple view on life, had vanished as well. In their wake was left a hard expression and eyes filled with steely resolve.
"... now that we're alone, tell me. Do you have any intentions of harming my daughter in any way?"
It was all Shizuru could do to keep from blinking in dismay. The transition had been so abrupt that she was left mentally reeling. She flickered through a bank of reactions, discarding each as she conceived them. When the hesitation in her response grew to an unbearable length, she finally gave up and shook her head lightly. "I considered it for a while." she admitted.
Kaori raised her eyes brows very slightly, but her expression seemed to silently beckon her to continue. Shizuru mentally struggled; her efforts to collect her thoughts unusually slow... too slow to contribute to the discussion. There was a distracting quality to the redhead's fiery emerald eyes, but Shizuru couldn't put her finger on it.
"... but?" Kaori prompted.
"... but in the end, I decided against it." she finished simply.
The ambiguity of her statement was an evasion of sorts, and for a moment, Shizuru was worried the other woman would reject it. Shizuru wasn't sure what she would say if Kaori demanded more explanation... especially now, with her brain infuratingly working at the speed of molasses in a bad Hokaido winter.
But Kaori's brutal expression melted into a smile. "Good. It would be a shame if I had to kill you." Her laughter at her own joke was lighthearted, and Shizuru joined in after a moment of hesitation. Still, Shizuru wasn't entirely certain that the statement was a joke. The cold certainty of Kaori's eyes from only a moment ago was still vivid in her mind. But the mother quickly whisked her away, resuming their previous conversation about painted chopsticks. Shizuru felt herself getting back on track after Kaori's suddenness had derailed her train of thought, and she responded smoothly aloud with a subtle pun. 'What a scary woman.' Shizuru contemplated as she watched her companion reply as she poked amongst the products the vendor in front of them was offering. 'And that's saying something, coming from me.'
-----
Natsuki ran her fingers through her bangs, listening to the antics of the three beside her. Shiho was joyously consuming her takoyaki, while Yuuichi and Mai made awkward conversation. Natsuki wasn't one to get herself involved in such things, but she could tell without even trying that Mai was upset with the blond headed male about something. He was pleading with her about something, and something she couldn't hear apparently set off Shiho's jealousy, as the youngest girl threw her dinner at Yuuichi. Her aim was off, and she ended up splattering the remaining octopus dumpings across the front of Mai's ample chest. Mai exploded at the two of them, and Natsuki subtly broke off from their group to leave them to their squabblings. She had been with them nearly an hour, and in that time they had nearly managed to kill most of the good feelings she had from the end of the semester.
Suddenly, she felt something small and hard pressed against her lower back while another hand grabbed her shoulder, and a raspy voice behind her whispered. "I never thought I'd see you here... Kuga Natsuki."
The raven haired girl froze, her mind going through a flurry of thoughts. Whatever it was against her skin, it wasn't big enough to be a gun, so she decided to risk it. She ducked out of the grasping hand spun around, her arm cocked back to throw a punch into the face of her assailant.
The mischievous face of Yuuki Nao stared back at her, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "Gotcha" the redhead snickered. "You should have seen the look on your face."
"Geh." Natsuki dropped her fist, watching as Nao put the cellphone, the offending object she had been threatening with, away. "I should punch you anyway, just for giving me a heart attack."
"Now now..." Nao placated. "I'm saving you. Unless you want to stick around with these guys." Nao casually jerked her thumb at the chaotic trio some feet away. Tate was doing his best to hold the two females apart, though they both had murderous intent in their eyes.
Natsuki considered for a brief moment before making her decision. "Very well, save away."
Nao grabbed her hand, dragging her along. "There has to be something fun around here to do, right?"
"Sure... if you look hard enough." Natsuki enjoyed the feeling of letting herself be lead around, and smiled.
-----
Several hours had passed, and Natsuki had been enjoying herself immensely. They had played a few carnival games, walked around the Director's garden, watched a puppet show, played more games, and then watched the visiting local kami be paraded around on a mikoshi shrine. The final activity hadn't been interesting enough for Nao, who had taken to stepping on random people's toes to alleviate her boredom. Natsuki had to eventually give in and pull her away from the precession before she angered someone important.
It had been a few hours since they had eaten the first time, so Natsuki agreed with Nao's demands that they visit the food vendors again. Natsuki ordered a simple onigiri, and Nao asked for teriyaki chicken on a skewer. When it came time to pay, Natsuki handed over enough for her food. Nao looked disappointed, and gave her a pout.
"What?"
"I was hoping that my sempai, who I look up to and respect so much, would pay for me." Nao spoke sweetly, flashing her doe eyes at Natsuki.
Natsuki almost choked on her first bite of her onigiri. "What do you think this is, a date?" Nao's only response was a fluttering of her eyelashes. With a roll of her eyes, Natsuki threw money for the rest of the bill onto the stand. As they turned and walked away, Natsuki grimaced at the younger girl, wondering if she would get at least a 'thank you'.
Nao raised an eyebrow. "What's this? Expecting gratitude? A good deed is its own reward, is it not?" She turned away, leaving Natsuki about to explode in outrage. But after a few steps, she stopped and gave a coy glance over her shoulder, finally giving a small smile that was nearly apologetic. "Thank you, Natsuki." With that, she set off at a quick pace towards the edge of the fairgrounds.
Natsuki stood rooted in place, scratching her head for a moment. That may very well be the first time she's ever thanked me for something. Even after the months they had spent together, Nao was still a mystery to her in many ways. She shook her head ruefully, setting off at a trot to catch up. With Nao's speed encumbered by her clothing, it wasn't hard to draw even. She followed the younger redhead out towards a brick utility shed.
"I've been wanting to ask something for a while."
"Oh? And what's that?" Nao replied haughtily.
"... why are you wearing a kimono?" Natsuki finally voiced.
Nao stumbled, nearly toppling over. Natsuki glanced at her with concern, but the redhead shook her head. "First off, its a yukata, not a kimono."
"Same difference." Natsuki shrugged. "My question still stands."
Nao tried to salvage her pride with a smirk, making the best of the situation. "What, are you scared?"
"... of what?" Natsuki asked, her expression morphing into bewilderment at the response.
"Well, you haven't had the best of luck with women in kimonos, to my recollection."
Natsuki made the connection, then frowned. "No, I haven't."
Nao chuckled at her own joke, but noticed Natsuki failed to join in. "Too soon to be making jokes about it?" she said with a small pout.
"I'm just..." Natsuki gave a half hearted smile as they came to a stop at an uncrowded section of the festival. She leaned against a brick building, and Nao followed suit. "No, it was funny. It just reminded me of how much the events six months ago still affected me."
"I'm... not her, you know." Nao said tentatively.
The raven haired girl gave a defensive look. "I know that. And I don't blame you or her for what happened. I've forgiven both of you... you know that."
"Maybe you don't blame me..." the redhead offered, "But you're still holding yourself back, on some level." She gave Natsuki a serious stare, though her wicked smirk marred the act. "Don't you trust me?" she purred.
"You're kidding, right?"
Nao shook her head, leaning forward with a gleam in her eyes and waiting for an answer.
Natsuki raised an eyebrow as the silence stretched on, finally realizing that Nao expected a serious answer. "Fine. Do I trust you?" She sounded as though she was asking the question to herself more than anything. "You're devious, mean and callous, and on occasion, you're downright cruel."
"Oh, do go on." Nao beckoned for the compliments to keep coming with her hand.
"But!" Natsuki exclaimed, with a small smile. "You're driven and passionate about what is important to you, which I respect. You also only hurt people who you think deserve it. And on the whole, they usually do. I'm much the same way, I suppose, so I'm not really in a position to judge. So I guess that in a strange way, you're the only person I do trust, though I'd never thought I'd hear myself admit it."
"What's that?" Nao cupped her ear playfully. "Did Kuga-san just say something nice about me?"
"Don't push it." The older girl growled good-naturedly in return.
"What fun is that?" Nao countered, taking the time to snack on what was left of her skewer of chicken teriyaki.
Natsuki followed suit, popping the last part of her onigiri into her mouth. "So..." she mumbled while chewing, continuing with her sentence after she swallowed. "... you still never answered me about the yukata."
"You don't like it?"
She shook her head. "It's not that, just... you don't seem the type to wear one."
"Oh!" Nao wilted with mock dismay, putting the back of her hand to her forehead and sinking down against the wall. "I'm being lectured about my femininity by Kuga-san of all people..."
The raven haired girl shook her head placatingly, ignoring the dig. "I've grown wise to your tricks, and I refused to be distracted until you answer the question." Natsuki's eyes glimmered in the encroaching darkness. "How come you're wearing a yukata?"
"Geh." Nao lamely gave up her attempts at evasion. "Mama forced me. It's quite uncomfortable, really."
"Thought so." The lull in the conversation stretched. The times when she could wheedle the truth out of Nao were far and few between, and Natsuki almost felt bad. "It... looks good on you." she offered.
"Ohhh?" Nao breathed, her Cheshire smile blooming in full force.
"Not that I'm... you know..." Natsuki immediately regretted the admission, true though it might be. She felt a blush coming to her cheeks, and averted her eyes. "I'm just saying... from an impartial, you know... point of view..." She sighed, as Nao's grin grew even wider with each verbal stumble, and gave up. "Yeah. It looks good on you."
Nao leaned back against the wall, humming in a sing song voice to herself, and pulled her cellphone out of the small purse she carried with her. Ignoring Natsuki's inquisitive noise, she punched in a quick combination of keys and brought it up to her ear. "Mama? Hey, its me." She paused, as though listening to a response. "Yeah... Natsuki just loves the yukata... so much in fact, she was wondering if we had one in her size?"
"What? Give me that!" Natsuki cried as she lunged, a measure of panic evident in her tone. On some level, she realized it was just Nao teasing her, but the idea of getting stuffed into one of those yukatas invoked a sort of primal fear in her.
They struggled over the phone, with Natsuki managing to hold Nao's slender wrist up against the building almost immediately, trying to wrench her other arm up to capture the offending phone. Nao countered by sinking her teeth into the skin of Natsuki's shoulder, not too hard, but hard enough to make Natsuki gasp and release the wrist. Their arms twisted and parried, with Nao trying to worm her way out of Natsuki's grasp, and the older girl pinning her against the brick with her hips while her hands made another diving effort for the offending cellphone.
"I'm not... letting you get me into one of those things." Natsuki grunted.
"Why not?" Nao gasped, switching which hand the phone was held in at the last minute to avoid losing it. "You'd look great in it, I think." Her free hand darted down to poke Natsuki in the vulnerable side of her lower abdomen, and was rewarded by a half squeal from the taller girl.
"Just isn't... my style..." Natsuki growled as she redoubled her efforts, finally pinning both wrists up against the wall with one hand and plucking the phone out of Nao's clenched fist. The screen was dark; no call was in progress. Natsuki turned with a disgruntled half smile to Nao, who's face was only inches away. "You were bluffing?"
"Eh... if I put the idea in Mama's head, she would hound you to the ends of the earth, trying to get you to wear one. As much as I'd enjoy that, you'd probably hate me forever, so..."
"Hmm... maybe you are capable of making decisions with consideration for others in mind occasionally." Natsuki observed. She noticed Nao wasn't struggling anymore, despite her vulnerability. It seemed strange, until it dawned upon Natsuki what kind of position they were in. It hadn't seemed awkward in the heat of the struggle, but now that they were still, she noticed how easily she could feel the heat of Nao's body through their clothes. The warmth was consuming, drawing her in, as she pressed Nao against the building. She waited to feel something... panic, fear, rejection... all of the emotions that she had always associated with this sensation of closeness. But there was nothing, only a calm void. The moment stretched on. Natsuki could sense the rise and fall of Nao's panting breath beneath her, could see the flush of her cheeks from the exertion, and she could feel where Nao's scarlet painted nails still clung to the skin of her hands, clasping their arms together, keeping her locked in this position. Despite the restraint, she didn't feel the need to escape.
The moment was shattered by a powerful vibration from the device in her hand. She was so involved with her own thoughts, she shrieked and dropped the cellular phone against the pavement. She took two steps back, holding a hand against her hammering chest. She watched Nao crouch and pick up the cellphone mournfully, checking the pink casing for damage as a generic ring tone began to emanate from the case.
"I'm... sorry. Did it break?" Natsuki could feel the heat of her cheeks... she must have been blushing horribly.
"Nope... looks fine." Nao shrugged nonchalantly and answered it. "Hi Mama."
"Hello there Nao-chan. Having fun?" Kaori's bubbly tones were clear despite the electronic distortion of being transmitted.
"Sure are." Nao replied, winking at Natsuki, compounding the raven haired girl's blush. Natsuki couldn't hear the conversation, but she knew Nao and Kaori well enough to guess at the meaning behind at least that first exchange.
"Well... sorry to interrupt you. But I just wanted to check to see if you could find your own ride home."
Nao pursed her lips. "That probably won't be a problem." she said smugly with another glance to Natsuki. "Something happen?"
"Ah... in a manner of speaking yes. You've got my permission to stay out all night, though I suppose you've never needed it before. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Nao issued a short bark of laughter. "And what, exactly, does that exclude?"
An only slightly resentful sigh was her mother's reply. "Kids these days... growing up so fast." Nao's only response was a small snicker. " Just take good care of yourself, Nao-chan."
"That much I can promise. See you tomorrow, Mama."
"See you tomorrow."
Nao ended the call with a flourish, sending the cellphone back into its pouch. "Looks like I've got no ride home tonight. Mind if I crash at your apartment?"
"Kaori just dumped you?"
"Well... she called to make sure it was okay first." Nao retorted defensively.
"And you agreed without asking me?" Nao nodded with a smirk. "Che." Natsuki intoned. "Need I remind you of what you're wearing? A skirt is one thing, but riding a motorcycle in a yukata is going to be... well... cold, for one thing."
"Crap. I knew I should have brought a spare change of clothes." Nao lamented.
"Tell you what. We can head over to my place by subway. I'll leave my bike here, and tomorrow we'll come by and I'll drive you home."
Nao smiled brightly. "Sounds like a plan."
"It's getting pretty dark. I think the festival is closing up soon."
"Yeah... I think we've wrung all the fun out of this place that we can. Want to head off?"
"Let's go."