Chapter 8 – My lovely Princess

The fact that 'the ears of the Kruger' is the most famous family trait goes without saying. But Shizuru had forgotten the existence of family trait until just they arrived before a door with a picture of a large sunflower basking in the radiance of a star.

"These are your quarters." Natsuki said while pointing at the door.

"It's been bothering me for a while, but…" Shizuru examined the door "Just what are these pictures? What kind of meaning is behind them?"

"They're just decorations. They're meaningless." Natsuki said. "There has to be decoration on a warship too, don't you think so?"

"But they throw me off." Shizuru muttered. "if they're decoration, shouldn't they reflect space in some way?"

"How?" green eyes focus on to enquiry.

"Stars or galaxies or…" Shizuru putting her finger in a thinking pose.

"Who would draw such a boring thing?" Natsuki huffing.

"I thought you people loved space." Shizuru was surprised.

"We loved it, because its our home. But stars are too commonplace to be the subject of a painting. You can look at the real thing if you wanted to see one."

"Ara, I see…" Shizuru calmly smiling. "Since the stars is your home, have you seen the real sunflower?"

"That's prejudice, Shizuru. Of course I've seen a real sunflower. There are green house on Kruger Kingdom, and there is a garden in my house." pouting cutely.

"Ara." Shizuru turned around and pointed at the wall behind her. "Then what about a scenery like this?"

It was a great field of grass. Grass tall enough to reach a person waist grew densely, and elephants and horses were eating them. Large trees popped out of them occasionally, and cherry blossom petals were floating in the blue sky.

"I haven't seen anything like this." Natsuki answered honestly.

"Then, what does it look like to you?"

"Why are you asking me that?" Natsuki look displeased.

"Well, I'm interested as to what a Hime feels when looking at the surface nature."

"Like I keep saying, you're…."

"Ara..ara..I'm a Hime too." Shizuru interrupt. "But I'm not a Hime by birth so I'm interest what a Hime think when they saw the planet surface."

"Oh." Natsuki seemed to understand. "it looks like something out of a dream."

"Like some place that doesn't exist?"

"No." Natsuki shook her head. "I know that it exists somewhere. I know that we came from a planet just like that. Its remind me of a myth."

"The homeland you left?"

"Yes, Space is our home now. We are people of space, and feel pride in it."

"So, have you ever though on going to the surface?" Shizuru questioned. Interest pique her.

"Hmm.. I think maybe some day. I have a territories, so, of course I have to develop it."

"Ara..the Kingdom of Wulfaz? Can you tell me about your territory? What kind of place is the territory of Wulfaz? Since it's call the 'wolves kingdom' in the archaic Earth language (Wulfaz :In ancient Germany, means wolf), I bet there many wolfs and cubs there. Maybe a fields just like the picture too, right?"

"No." Natsuki reluctantly responded to her. "There are no animal at all. Just a plants and microbes on the planet. The Imperial terraformed the planet just a few years ago."

"Then, why is it called the wolves kingdom?"

"A captain who loves wolf discovered the world, so she just named it on a whim."

"I see. What kind of place is it?"

"It's not worth discussing. There one yellow star and seven planets orbit it. The second planet are habitable. That's why I'm thinking about fiddling with it once I'm relieve of my duties as royalty. I want to grow plants and flowers. Of course raising animals too."

"That's wonderful."

"I suppose." Natsuki eyebrow raise showing unconvince.

"Ara, for me it's wonderful. You're such a wonderful person to appreciate the beauty of ground world. If I can, I'd like to take you to my home world and make you live there for a few years. So you can have ideas on how to design the nature for your planet."

"Oh, I may take you up on that offer once my duty as royalty over." Natsuki said slightly happy.

"Yes, that would be great." Shizuru felt grief even as she answer.

You've forgotten. Even then, you'll only have grown ten years; you'll still be young. But by then, I'll either be an old woman or dead...

"Speaking of, can you let me in now? I don't know how to open the door."

"You're the one that brought up the sunflowers." Natsuki said.

"But wasn't it interesting?"

"Yes. It was the first time I looked at the picture so intently." This first princess of the Kruger family seemed to have an honest personality deep inside.

"Then please, Natsuki."

"Use your wrist computer. The electromagnatic wave signature has already been registered."

"Ara, really." She touched the red stone on the side of the display area of her wrist computer. The door open.

Shizuru look around the room from the door. It wasn't very large. The length of the room was just enough for the bed. Its width was about twice that. There was a table and chair in the space not occupied by the bed. A tea maker station by the wall next to the table. There was an even smaller door in the back. But what really caught Shizuru attention was the Fujino family standard hanging on the wall over the bed. A red serpent was pictured over the green background.

"Your luggage should be in there." Natsuki pointed at the closet on the opposite side of the bed. "Use that door if you care for you hygiene."

Shizuru shift her gaze to the flag hanging on the wall. "Where did you get that?"

"Oh, we made that on ship." Natsuki said casually.

"For me?"

"Who else would it benefits?"

It doesn't benefit me either….

Shizuru just felt the bed to see how comfortable it was. It was soft enough to promise a good night's sleep. Shizuru sat down on the bed and asked. "Well, what should I do?"

"Okay." Natsuki checked on the schedule on her wrist computer. "Dinner will be in another two hours. You will probably be invited to the Captain's table. I'll probably come and get you when it's time, so wait patiently."

"Ara? If you tell me the way over the intercome, I'll get there myself. I'm sure you have better things to do."

"That's not a good idea." Natsuki said seriously. "I've been ordered to show you around tomorrow. It's best if you don't wander around alone until then. There have been many incident where new recruits and civillian had almost died in an abandoned storage closet because they firmly believed that they knew how to read a ship diagram since the formation of the Star Forces."

"How did you do?" Shizuru asked teasingly.

"It's rude to ask questions that you know will touch upon old scars." The Flyer Trainee answered blushingly.

"Look like you had some fun memories." Shizuru laugh.

"Quiet, Shizuru." Natsuki pinned Shizuru to her bed straddling her.

Minutes pass, both company seem to silently gazing at each other eyes. Shizuru was fascinated by the beauty of the green forest orbs and slowly shift her gaze toward the luscious lips that parting slightly. Her heart beating wildly inside her chest. How about I teach you how we grounder produce a child right now, Natsuki? No..no…fight the urge..

Natsuki on the other hand, closing the distance slowly.

E-Eh?..A-ara..don't tell me, she want to..ki..ki..Kami-sama...Shizuru closing her eyes readying herself..

"Hmm...doesn't seem you have fever. I wonder why your face red?"

"Ara?" Shizuru opening her eyes realizing that Natsuki testing her temperature by touching their forehead together.

"Anything else you need?" Natsuki immediately standing up. She had a grin on her face.

"A-ara. No. O-Ookini. I have something I can kill time with, so I'll wait obediently." Shizuru averting her eyes.

"Then, see you in two hours."

"Yes. In two hours." Shizuru answer obediently like a child would.

Natsuki turned around. The door closed behind her back. What was that? Mou..Nat-chan, my heart beating like it would leap out of my chest!

"Ara-ara..I feel so hot." Shizuru decided to take a cold shower.

"I'll see you soon, my lovely princess." She whispered silently into the room caressing her lips.