X - Gotta Be Somebody
At around six o'clock this winter morning Natsuki was woken up by a strange disturbance in her sleep. The girl wasn't sure what it was, but it certainly was bothersome. She sat up with a start and then, after seeing her surroundings, leaned back on one extended arm while using the other to rub her eyes. Once she was conscious again her memory seemed to be wiped clean of whatever was bothering her in what she only assumed was the dream world.
Whatever it was felt real... Not like a nightmare though...
She now folded both of her arms in front of her to lean in that direction and look down at her hands.
Argh... I can't even think straight... I'm still half asleep...
Natsuki didn't seem to care too much that she was talking to herself in her own mind. Instead, she tried to lean back in the bed and pull the blanket back up over her shoulders. She rested her head on her pillow for a little while longer, but could only feel herself wake up more and more.
Damn it... I want to go back to sleep!
She cringed and tried to force her eyes shut but it failed; instead she opened one to look out the nearby window. It was still too early to even be light outside, but at this point the girl realized it was going to be one of those days where no matter how hard she tried, trying to get back to sleep was a futile task. It was even harder now that, after this long of being awake, her hunger was becoming more and more influential.
With a sigh, Natsuki rolled herself up and out of bed, rubbing her face yet again with a yawn and tip-toeing downstairs to make breakfast. Luckily, this house was so newly built that none of the floorboards creaked, at least not loud enough to wake Shizuru who was still sleeping down the hall. In short time she reached the kitchen where she proceeded to look for what she wanted to eat. It wasn't a good day for her at all so far. Everything she found made her change her mind to something else, although after a chilly wind blew through a small opening in the window the girl settled on something warm.
... Ramen...
Lazily, she pulled the bowl of instant noodles out of the cupboard and filled it with water before sticking it in the microwave. Natsuki waited in silence for now, with her arms resting across her chest and her eyes focused on the sky slowing turning from black to a gray-blue. She only noticed it once more natural light was provided but it was actually snowing rather heavily.
This is Shizuru's kinda weather.
She took the hot ramen over to the island table in the middle of the room. Natsuki kept herself occupied with whatever random thoughts came into her head as she ate; mostly about the weather. Even if winter wasn't her most favourite of seasons she was still hypnotized by the beauty of the snowfall. So much so that she didn't even realize it slow to a near-complete stop until a thump at the door broke her stare.
"What the hell?" she muttered aloud, going to check it out right away.
"Who'd be egging our house this early in the morning?"
... She was still a bit too tired to think clearly.
By the time she got there, whoever was there had gone but when Natsuki opened the door she found a rather sizable box sitting on her doorstep: a package. Taking an educated guess that it wasn't some sort of letter bomb, the girl brought inside and set it by the inside of the door before looking at the name tag on it.
"For Shizuru?" she asked aloud, though not taking much of it, after all it wasn't a big deal for her to be getting some sort of delivery.
In a few minutes there was another arrival though, making Natsuki slightly more suspicious, but unlike the last one the delivery man was waiting at the door for an answer.
"Can I help you?" the groggy navy-haired girl asked rhetorically, having already seen through the window that he was carrying a package.
"Yes I have a delivery for Fujino Shizuru, is she here?" he was holding a clipboard with some papers.
"Oh, well she's sleeping, can I sign for it?"
"Sorry, only her legal guardians or a spouse can sign for mail," he leaned down to pick it up again, "That's okay, I'll just bring it down to the post office and she can get it-"
"I'm her fiancée," Natsuki said.
She held out her hand for the item while mentally shoving away her surprise at it being the first time she called herself by that title. The girl rationalized it by merely being more convenient to not have to go to the post office later.
"Oh, that's fine then," he said, handing her the papers, "I thought you were her roommate."
"Yeah," she wanted to ignore the questionable thoughts about her relationship to Shizuru, "Do you happen to know what it is?"
"Nope, sorry, my job is just delivery; it looked like that when I got it."
"Alright," she sighed, "Thanks then."
With a nod, the man got back into his truck and drove away, leaving Natsuki to return inside and sit down next to the two boxes. For now she was only thinking that it was, perhaps, some equipment Shizuru had delivered.
-0-
Five hours later, at minimum three packages an hour; Natsuki barely had the time to get fully dressed before another person was at her door with yet another delivery for Shizuru. The navy-haired girl was surrounded by piles of anonymous boxes of various sizes which were now starting to take up most of the living room along with many letters that were all delivered with the rest of their regular mail.
Another unusual occurrence was the fact that Shizuru wasn't awake by now. Especially with a tournament coming up Natsuki expected her to be up training whenever they weren't doing anything else.
Today is already weird...
Right on cue, Natsuki finally heard footsteps on the floor above her, and they were approaching quickly. The younger girl turned in their direction and looked quite confused at Shizuru running into the living room with a bright smile. It was the first time since they met that it appeared Natsuki had actually gone unnoticed in her eyes. In her defence though, it wasn't like the latter was all too visible in what was soon becoming a mess.
"Happy Birthday to me!" she cheered like a child while, quite literally, diving onto the sofa and looking around at the mountains of gifts.
"What?! It's your birthday?!" Natsuki exclaimed taken aback when jumping out from behind one of the piles.
Despite being accidentally shocked, Shizuru swiftly regained composure and nodded happily. The navy-haired girl was stunned silent, so much so that her left shoulder even drooped down a little when her jaw fell. She had no idea.
Did I never ask her? That'd be pretty well... stupid of me... But crap I didn't get her anything! I'm such an ass!
Fortunately Natsuki's train of self-loathing thought was stopped when she was pulled down on the couch next to the now-nineteen-year-old.
"Which one should I open first?" Shizuru asked, stopping Natsuki's eyes from spinning around from her dazed state of mind.
"Uhh, open the letters first... or well, now that I know it's your birthday, I guess they're cards, anyways it'll ease you into it," she chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck, "You need to calm down a little."
"Good thinking Natsuki!" she replied, not quite adhering to the thought of calming herself which made the other girl laugh even more at her behaviour.
Seeing that Shizuru was clearly going to be enthralled by the stack of cards, at least for a while, Natsuki saw that as a chance for her to escape to the kitchen. She shook her head and ruffled her hair in frustration. The first thing she thought of, as something to delay Shizuru in finding out that she hadn't got her a real gift yet, was making her breakfast. And while she wasn't much of a chef, Natsuki knew enough to make a decent quality "fancy" breakfast.
By the time her platter of fruit salad, cheeses, eggs, and some scones (which Natsuki didn't even know they had until now), Shizuru had gone through all of the cards and was starting on the big gifts. Nevertheless, she was back to normal enough now to give the younger girl priority for her attention.
"Aww, Natsuki made me breakfast for my present?" she noticed her uneasy, shy smile, "Come sit, we'll open things together."
"Umm... okay?" she was still reeling in from the hectic morning, "And this isn't your real present!"
She shut her eyes tightly; irritated with herself.
"I'm getting you something better, you're just going to have to wait until later!"
She pouted and looked away. However, the point she was trying to make was ignored by Shizuru who was now munching on the food with glee, leaving Natsuki to roll her eyes and wait patiently.
-0-
About an hour or so later, every package had been opened and both girls were resting on the sofa, spent from all the excitement.
"By the way, who were all those from?" Natsuki asked.
"My fans," she gave a half-hearted sigh, "They mean well, and at least know what I like... but I don't think it'll ever stop being strange."
The navy-haired girl laughed.
"Yeah, I don't think I'll ever stop finding it funny either," she turned to her with a grin, "But if they ever step over the line let me know and I'll pound 'em!"
She jokingly punched her fist into her palm, getting an amused reaction.
"Thank you. That probably won't happen though, they know their place around me... or well," she looked up in thought, "It appears that they have their own little code of conduct that forbids them from any further contact with me... I suppose it's so that it's fair... I don't fully understand. I'm not all that special."
"Hah!" Natsuki sat up.
"You don't give yourself enough credit. You're the strongest person in your dojo, possibly in your whole style, I'm sure there's a ton of people who find that alone really attractive."
Shizuru's eyes sparked a little. It sounded like a compliment, and Natsuki was the one saying it, yet it wasn'tfrom her. She had to force all of her energy into not asking her directly if she was one of those people, convincing herself that if anything Natsuki held mere admiration and respect for her in that area; which was nice as well, just not the same.
"Your parents didn't get you anything?" the navy-haired girl continued, unaware of the other's hidden thoughts.
"Oh, every year they give me a little after-dinner party at their house. Nothing special."
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Natsuki whined, getting a raised eyebrow in response.
"I didn't think you'd want to come. It's just going to be my parents, my friends, and a few of the highest ranking members... But if you do want to I'd be really happy."
"Yeah of course I'll come, when is it? I have something I need to do first..." she tried to hide her shyness; after all she was referring to going out to get Shizuru a proper birthday gift.
"They asked for me to be there at eight tonight."
"Okay so how about we go get dinner at say, six? Then afterwards we can go to your parents?"
Shizuru smirked.
"Are you asking me out on a date?"
"What!?" Natsuki blushed hard, "No! I just mean! Gah! Just to eat and that's all!"
"Heehee, I know, I was only teasing you," good for Shizuru, she had planned it enough so that she could have a question to change the subject as fast as possible, in case Natsuki took it worse.
"Where do you plan on going though?"
"Well it's your birthday, it's only right that you choose."
After some thorough decision making, Shizuru chose a semi-formal restaurant that she hadn't been to in years. Agreeing to meet there, Natsuki got her personal things together in her wallet that she stuffed in her coat pocket before heading out into the town just below the hill which their house was atop.
-0-
Natsuki exhaled a shivering breath as she pulled her scarf closer to her. Even when she was dressed for the season, it was still quite cold on the streets of the town. At first she was annoyed by the fact that such temperatures made it impossible for her to use her bike to get through the streets faster, but after thinking about it, seeing as how she didn't have a particular destination in mind it was best to explore by foot.
The girl stood on the corner of an intersection, waiting for the light to change and looking down the street. This was the shopping district so she was bound to find something here but she wasn't going to rest until she found the perfect gift.
I feel so bad that I didn't even know...
As soon as the light changed, Natsuki headed forward to look in the window of the first store in sight. It was a jewellery store, and despite the fact that their merchandise were both of fine quality and pretty enough, the girl couldn't put her finger on something unfitting about it. She could see Shizuru accepting it happily, but not wearing it because she wanted to.
With a sigh she continued on to the next store, and the next, and the next, finding only mediocre gifts. Needless to say Natsuki was starting to get frustrated at her lack of success. After passing by every store in the first section the girl sat down on a nearby bench to rest her feet. She groaned and stretched her arms out across the back planks of wood then crossed one leg over her knee while leaning her head back, feeling the few remaining snowflakes fall on her.
Come on, think! You've lived with this person for almost four months now! What would she like?
The more she was stumped with the answer, the worse she felt. How could she not know one thing Shizuru liked?
And I don't wanna just copy one of the gifts she got from those weird fans... I want to get her something special from me... Something only I'd know... Agh! This is my own fault... If I'd taken more of an interest in her life from the start this would be so different...
For a while now Natsuki had, on some level, been thinking about that very issue. She had made a promise to no longer be guilt ridden anymore, but still, she couldn't help but want to apologize for acting the way she had when they first met. Even if everyone forgave her and she rationally knew she had good reason to feel that way, she just couldn't stop thinking about how Shizuru must have felt. That was what disturbed her.
No, I can't get thinking like that, she told herself, shaking her head and sitting up straight, I can't get caught up in this again.
With that, Natsuki stood up more focused than before. It was starting to get dark and when she looked at her watch it confirmed that there was only a short amount of time left before she had to meet Shizuru at the restaurant. It was time for her to be serious about this. So, without any more hesitating, she continued walking down the street, sharply looking for the right – no – the perfect present.
At the very last moment available, Natsuki stopped in front of a small obscure shop. She pressed her hand against the glass and looked as far inside as she could; and then around to make sure this was right. The girl finally relaxed and smiled. She had it, right there in front of her was what only she could give to Shizuru. At first she questioned if it would be good enough, but properly concluded that if there was one person who would see the gesture behind the item, it was the girl she intended to give it to.
-0-
Huffing puffs of frosty mist, Natsuki finally slowed from her run directly in front of the restaurant. She was only ten minutes late, but from the distance she was able to see that Shizuru was already there. Her coat flapped in the wind behind her as she stood straight again, looking directly into ruby irises. The latter was slightly confused at the sudden appearance of the navy-haired girl but smiled nicely.
"S-sorry I'm," she huffed, "late I-"
She huffed again but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Take a minute to catch your breath," Shizuru chuckled, "I only just got here."
Natsuki did as told, closing her eyes briefly to stop the dizziness caused by the sound of blood pumping through her head. In a few seconds she was feeling better she opened them again, although at the sight of the older girl's smile she felt a stutter fall over her body.
"Ah..." she muttered when her mouth gaped open slightly, the sheer kindness caught her off guard.
Shaking her head and dusting the snow off her coat, Natsuki finally regained her composure and grinned back at Shizuru while gesturing towards the doors.
"Well, shall we?"
She was aware of how she was behaving, feeling that it would be fun for the evening to act as upscale as this restaurant appeared to be. Of course, Natsuki would despise a lifetime of it being a reality. But for one night it was like playing make-believe. The whole evening she kept a smile on her face, one which enticed Shizuru to beam as well. From the time they entered where the navy-haired girl removed the other's coat for her to when they ate, she was caught up in the allure of being chivalrous for Shizuru's sake.
Throughout the meal, Shizuru's heart continued to flutter at the subtle actions Natsuki made. She giggled inside at how purely adorable it was. She didn't know when, but at some point during the night – or perhaps even before, when Natsuki offered to take her out – she had begun to think of it as a date. Even if the girl denied it earlier, and normally such thinking would scare her, tonight was an exception. Not only was it because the other had initiated the playful game, but she recently came to a conclusion:
As long as I keep it to myself, there's no harm in me thinking of this as a date. If it remains my dream, I'm allowed to dream it.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the table, Natsuki was practically reading her thoughts. But she continued to have fun, unfazed by it.
I bet she thinks this is a date.
She chuckled a little.
That's fine though... If it makes her happy.
She looked into Shizuru's eyes seriously for a moment, observing their innocent delight.
If I have the power to make her this happy, how can I not use it?
-0-
"Thank you for the dinner Natsuki," Shizuru said as she stood up, preparing to leave.
"Well it's your birthday after all, I told you before I'd take you out," the girl put her coat on and led the way out the front doors.
"It was a wonderful present."
Natsuki stopped and looked back confused.
"Huh? That wasn't your gift, that was just... something... because it's your birthday," she shook her head, "No no, you're getting your real one when we get home."
"So generous," she grinned mischievously, "Thank you for it all, and for what's to come."
The navy-haired girl grinned back, in fact, she hardly stopped throughout the evening they had together, but she hadn't noticed anything at all. In any case, it was time for them to get to Shizuru's parents house for the small party. Natsuki was still in her leader mode when she stopped briefly and turned.
"Err, I don't actually know where they live..." she rubbed the back of her neck, earning another subtle laugh from the other girl.
"Well," Shizuru looked around, then at the nearby outdoor clock, then at the ground somewhat hesitantly, "We still have some time, would you mind walking with me?"
Natsuki folded her arms behind her and leaned down a little so that their eyes could meet before using the connection to raise Shizuru's head to a more confident position. Then, to the latter's surprise her hand was taken and pulled forward with her feet skipping a little to catch up to Natsuki's side. The girl was silent throughout her actions, but that was fine, since her features had not once indicated anything along the lines of guilt, worry, or a sense of obligation.
She wants to be doing this... I can feel it...
Nevertheless, Shizuru felt it best to resist the desire to lean her head on Natsuki's shoulder as they walked, or pulled her closer. Instead, she made sure that no matter what their hands stayed connected. Unfortunately though, their moment was quickly disturbed by the sound of a car pulling up beside them in such a haphazard manner that caused Natsuki to jump back.
Although she cautiously never let go of Shizuru, actually pulling her further out of harm's way. Both girls were shocked and blinked repeatedly to regain their sense of direction before the loud honking of the car's horn sounded in their ears.
"I think they see us, Haruka!" a familiar male voice yelled as he tried to swat the blonde away from the steering wheel before she caused any more damage.
After all, the car was half slid up the curb and quite close to crashing into a lamp post as well as many other bystanders.
"...Haruka?" Shizuru asked, looking in the open window of the car.
"Hey! You're on your way to your parents' right?" she replied, leaning out.
"Were you honestly gonna walk the whole way if we didn't drive by now?"
The chestnut-haired girl gave a sigh. She would have blown off the whole party if it meant walking around with Natsuki all night; but she couldn't very well say that with the girl in question standing right behind her.
"Well I was only gonna walk until Shizuru didn't want to," Natsuki interjected, still feeling the need to defend herself to what Haruka said, "Are you guys going to the party too?"
The blonde nodded and pointed her thumb to the back seat.
"Yeah, so get in and we'll drive you," the group fell silent until Haruka reluctantly switched places with Reito, pouting in the passenger's seat.
After a brief wave-like greeting to the quiet Yukino who was already in the back seat, the other two girls slid in beside her and headed towards the suburban household.
-0-
Just as Natsuki was told, the atmosphere was quite casual, at least by Fujino standards. It wasn't like they lived in a mansion that could fit hundreds of guests anyway, but the people that were there all carried an aura of prestige. The navy-haired girl leaned on a wall, holding a glass of water in her hand, sipping it occasionally while looking around.
In one way or another, everyone here is elite... It's kinda of intimidating, but…
She drank some more water while she tried to find the right words for her thought.
I feel comforted somehow. It's like a type of scene I was missing. Like this secret world of secretly amazing people...
"Agh!" Natsuki shut her eyes and shook her head before gulping down the last of her water, "That makes me sound so arrogant..."
"You talking to yourself?" came Haruka's voice from the side.
Natsuki, thought slightly caught off guard, covered her embarrassment with a laugh and quickly jumped on the opportunity to start a conversation with the blonde.
"I was just thinking about all these people. I've never been around this many people with power before."
"Are you at least enjoying it?"
Emerald eyes sparked briefly before settling into thought again.
"Yeah... I am..."
She looked over at Shizuru who was in the middle of talking to a boy around their age with rather attractive features. His hair was made of ruffled short spikes and jet black to compliment his shining white smile. Natsuki couldn't help but become intrigued by it, her gaze shifting from one of simple curiosity to vigilance.
The navy-haired girl intently watched their conversation in the distance from her place just outside of the main crowd. They were both smiling. Laughing and smiling. Unaware of the growing tension in her muscles, Natsuki half turned to Haruka, still never letting the two leave her sight.
"Hey, do you know who that guy is? The one Shizuru's talking to?"
Haruka craned her neck a little to get a closer look before moving back.
"Yeah," she said with obvious displeasure, "Uwate Ganjou, the second highest ranking member of Shizuru's dojo, the first of course being her."
"Why do you say it like that?"
"Ugh... The guy just pisses me off. You can never tell what his real intentions are, and that stupid smile of his always gets you to trust him. Half the time he looks like he resents Shizuru for being better than him, the other half it looks like he's head over heels in love with her trying to win her over. At least Shizuru knows this; she's just putting up with him because he had to be here tonight."
Natsuki cringed, sharpening her line of sight, seeing that now they were engaged in light, familiar touching. Whether it was Ganjou sliding his hand over her arm, or Shizuru patting him gently on the shoulder, the girl was becoming more worried for the latter's safety. What had sparked her question to Haruka in the first place was her gut feeling that something wasn't quite right about this guy.
"What the-!" Natsuki took a sharp step forward, placing her glass on the table beside her, "Did you see that?"
Haruka followed her direction.
"What?"
"He just felt her up!" the navy-haired girl's fangs were beginning to show, "He keeps reaching for her thigh!"
"Damn it!" Haruka was about to deliver a charge of her own but out of the corner of her eye she saw that Natsuki beat her to it.
Purposely arriving in the middle of Ganjou's sentence to cut him off, the girl cleared her throat while stepping as close to Shizuru as possible; making a point of grabbing onto his outstretched hand tightly. Though she faked shaking it as a greeting, the force with which she was holding it made it clear that she knew precisely what he had been doing; and that she wasn't at all happy about it.
"I don't believe we've met," he said, keeping his smile intact as he retracted his hand with slight difficulty, "Uwate Ganjou."
"Kuga Natsuki," the navy-haired girl replied, turning to a slightly stunned Shizuru.
"It's getting late. We should get home if we want to have a full day of training tomorrow. The competition is in less than a week you know."
"Ah, yes, you're right," Shizuru looked to the boy, "I'll be taking my leave now."
And without another word the two turned to walk towards the exit.
"That's some strict personal trainer you've got there," Ganjou called out, still set on keeping up his conversation.
"For the Ashura tournament? I'll look forward to our match then Fujino-dono... friendlyof course," his tone implying it would be anything but.
Grinding her teeth, Natsuki stopped and looked back, unable to control her words.
"Before you can fight her, you're going to have to fight me. I'm entering as well," the girl stared at his cocky expression, desperate to take him down a step, "And I'm not her trainer, I'm her fiancée."
The whole room turned to the navy-haired girl, holding the stunned Shizuru's hand tightly and making a fist with the other. The elder of the two gazed wide eyed at the declaration, and unlike the rest of the guests who were all muttering words or muffled gasps, she was completely speechless. She tried to say her name, but not even the first syllable could escape her throat.
Meanwhile, Ganjou too was caught off guard by the words but surely wouldn't be halted by some stranger. Instead, he folded his arms across his chest and met Natsuki's glare with his own sneer.
"Fine, I'll make an exception. I usually prefer to have only Fujino-dono as my competition, but I have to make sure the one she's marrying is worthy."
He laughed at the look of disgust the girl shot at him, reverting to his cliché smile.
"As her student, of course. It's part of my responsibility to make sure my master is in good hands."
As much as Natsuki wanted to give this guy the beating of a lifetime, she felt a tug on her hand. She glanced briefly at Shizuru who was leaning towards the doorway, signalling her wish to leave. And then back at Ganjou whose own eyes said 'go on, take her home, you don't want to look bad after all do you?' before expelling a reluctant sigh. His thrashing would have to wait another few days.
On the other side of the room, the trio of Shizuru's closest friends watched them leave until the two on the sides turned to the blonde in the middle. Haruka was deep in thought before raising her head with a strong grin.
"I always liked that girl!"
-0-
"How come you didn't say anything?" Natsuki asked as they walked towards the closest bus stop, hands in her pockets, moving at a slightly faster pace than Shizuru due to her overbearing energy she just built up.
"I don't know," she replied, somewhat confused herself, "Uwate-san has always been like that, I suppose I've grown accustom to it and know that no matter what he has never been able to defeat me in a fight."
"I guess... Anyone'd be a fool to underestimate you, but agh..."
"He got under your skin didn't he?"
Natsuki stopped, looking at the street, watching the snow fall onto growing piles. She felt like she was going to explode, and the smallest of things were making her envious; except Shizuru's tranquil voice. The girl pouted, putting up a front of mock arrogance.
"Yeah right! That guy's not worth my time! I would have liked to see you kick his ass though!" she fell into a comic grin while lightly hitting the back of Shizuru's head.
"That's for making me come to save you while I was in the middle of having a decent conversation with Haruka!"
Shizuru chuckled at the gesture, glad to see that the girl's foul mood had dissipated.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to turn you into my guardian. I can take care of myself."
"I know," Natsuki replied with an understanding smile.
Don't make me worry like that again!
Shizuru was still all bubbly and had been replaying the moment over and over ever since.
Heehee... she called me her fiancée...
-0-
It was a long bus ride home, but it made the warmth of the indoors all the more appreciated. Before Shizuru was even finished hanging up her coat Natsuki was already starting up the fireplace. She exhaled her relief when her extended hands began to defrost.
"We finally got to use this!"
"You're such a summer child," Shizuru jested, having enjoyed the cool temperature, and sat on the sofa behind the navy-haired girl who was sitting on the floor.
"... Summer Princess," she grinned when the girl snapped back at her.
"Hey!"
"What? It's cute!"
"I'm not cute! I'm evil!" she faked a snarling monster sound and jumped onto the couch.
Shizuru shrieked in reply, scurrying to the far side of the furniture to escape from the "monster." They engaged in this play for a few minutes, which mostly consisted of Shizuru rolling from one side of the couch to the other with Natsuki following her. Although, given that it was a rather small space, it was only a matter of time before there was a slip and a fall.
"Uwah!" Natsuki exclaimed.
Her foot had slipped on the carpet, causing her to fall onto the elder girl lengthwise, so that her head ended up on her chest. Shizuru instantly gripped the cushions on order to pull herself up, assuming that Natsuki would be getting up as well, but was surprised by her remaining on top of her for a lingering moment. Her muscles held her stiffly, part confused and part not wanting to break the spell.
"Hang on, I'll get up in a sec, I just need to catch my breath."
"A... Ah..." the ruby eyed girl gulped and slid back down, trying to do everything she could to slow her heartbeat, especially now that Natsuki had her ear pressed against it.
In the other's mind, it was only after she did catch her breath that she even realized the position they were both in, scampering up and over to the other side. All anti-guilt self-talk aside, this was bad. Somewhere along the line she had lost track of her actions, forgetting to take the other's feelings into consideration.
I thought I had control... But the second I turn my back there I am at it again!
She mentally smacked herself.
I can't... I can't keep doing this to her...
She looked into amused scarlet eyes.
She just brings out a strange side of me...
"Well, I'm tired. It was certainly an eventful day... I'm going to bed-"
"Present!" Natsuki exclaimed, getting her mind off its track and stopping Shizuru, "I still have to give you my gift!"
"Oh?" the girl turned, intrigued as to what the navy-haired girl was going to the coat rack for.
"Now... Sorry I didn't wrap it... Since I didn't know it was your birthday," she groaned, rubbing the back of her head, "Sorry for that too... Anyway, here!"
Shizuru looked at the book that was handed to her, taking it slowly and reading the cover; a tear forming in her eye.
"Natsuki... this is..." it was a book of sheet music, specifically for piano and string duets.
"Now we have even more songs to play together, it'll be fun!" her excitement faded a little at the growing silence.
"...Do you like it? I know it's not much-"
"It's perfect," Shizuru said, still smiling.
Natsuki was right, she was the only one she could trust to see the true meaning behind it.