I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.
11: Not what it seems
The Graceful Amethyst could not believe her eyes. It was like she was living in a nightmare. Surely her eyes lied to her, she tried to convince herself. Her Natsuki, her precious, darling Natsuki, who believed she was away on a mission, was walking into the park with Takeda in Windbloom City. It just could not be happening or there had to be a better explanation than what it looked like. Her eyes were liars more than likely, she told herself, but that did not ease the discomfort rising in her chest.
Shizuru felt compelled to follow the pair. She barely remembered to pick up the package that she dropped moments ago after seeing her dearest one with Takeda. She did not think to check on the state of the box or the delicate paper that it was wrapped in. She only wanted to see if it was true. Was her beloved out on a date?
The brown-haired Otome made sure to stay far behind her love and Takeda. She was not sure why she felt the need to see them, but not approach them. That burning sensation that she was getting familiar with flared inside of her while a primal voice now began begging the question as to who Takeda dared to think he was, trying to take her precious one from her! Shizuru tried to block all of that out, focusing only on watching Natsuki and Takeda as they traveled through the lush, green park.
-8-8-8-8-
"Sorry for almost mowing you down," Natsuki apologized, sounding quite sheepish and looking quite the same with her mouth curled up, her eyes focusing on the sky for a moment. She felt a little embarrassed being an expert rider and almost killing someone while she was on her bike. She supposed she had been riding a bit reckless. I allowed my joy to get the better of me and could've hurt someone, she mentally scolded herself.
Takeda laughed, a little nervously. He was just happy he had not peed in his pants when he thought he was going to be flattened by her bike. Sure, he had been trained for hard battle and life-threatening situations, but the speed the bike came at him sort of made his mind go blank for a second and he forget everything he knew. He figured it would be best to keep all of that to himself and just continue to act as natural as possible around the principal.
"It's okay. Not like you actually hit me or anything," he replied with a nonchalant shrug and put a smooth smile on his face… or he hoped it was a smooth smile. Honestly, Natsuki did not notice.
"Well, still, I almost did, so sorry about that," she pointed out. She felt a little guilty over nearly killing him, or at least that would explain the slight nagging feeling tugging at her insides.
"It's fine, really. I'm glad we… um… ran into each other. I've really wanted to see you for a while now," he admitted, a blush staining his cheeks.
"I guess it is nice to get out and hang out with someone for a while," she said with a carefree shrug. She had been quite bored and Shizuru always told her that she needed to go out more. Well, there she was out in the park, getting some fresh air. She was even socializing, which she was sure Shizuru would be proud of.
Takeda nodded in agreement. They continued walking through the large, open park, little conversations popping up here and there. They both could not help but feel as though they were being followed. Takeda felt like someone was glaring fiery daggers into his soul while Natsuki glanced back every minute just because it felt like someone familiar was nearby. They did not see anyone, though.
"Hey, you want some ice cream?" Takeda suggested as they strolled passed a cart advertising that they sold ice cream.
"Sure, why not," Natsuki answered with a shrug.
The pair walked over to the cart to get two cones. Takeda ordered a vanilla cone and Natsuki came very close to ordering two chocolate cones. That was what she ordered whenever she was there with Shizuru.
Damn, it's like I'm trained or something, Natsuki thought with a grimace, as if that revelation pained her. She could hear Nao in her head referring to her as a "whipped pup." It was not just that she was about to order two chocolate cones, but also because she never liked chocolate until meeting Shizuru. When they used to sneak out into the park when they were students, Shizuru did all of the ordering when they had food, always speaking up before Natsuki could figure out what she wanted.
-*-(Flashback)-*-
"Oi, Shizuru, what're you doing?" fourteen-year-old Natsuki complained as she looked like a startled bird when her onee-sama passed her a chocolate ice cream cone.
The pair was in the park. It was a lovely spring day and they could not pass it up, so right after classes, they sneaked off campus and into the city. Sometimes with them, it was a wonder who was the bad influence on whom. Haruka had figured out that the duo fed on each other's delinquent behavior, but no one really believed her. Most just decided that the bad-seed Kruger corrupted the somewhat-innocent Viola; no one was stupid enough to believe that Shizuru was totally innocent, no matter how hard she forced out that angelic smile.
"I'm handing Natsuki her ice cream," Shizuru stated the obvious, which was a fun pastime of hers since it came along with teasing.
"I didn't want chocolate!" Natsuki huffed, taking the cone, even though she really did not want it. She glared at the ice cream like she was trying to kill the inanimate object.
"Well, Natsuki should have said what she wanted instead of standing there with her mouth glued shut," Shizuru remarked, smiling in amusement because she thought Natsuki's expression was too cute.
"I was deciding!" Natsuki replied through gritted teeth, getting worked quickly as always. She motioned to the sky with one hand, as if that would solve her problems. She did not move the hand with the cone because she did not want to drop her ice cream.
Such animated behavior always led to Shizuru having mischievous thoughts, wondering if Natsuki got worked up just as quickly in other places. She hoped one day to find out the answer to that.
"What was there to decide? There are three flavors and none of them are mayonnaise," the older student pointed out, hiding her terribly amused smile by taking a lick from her ice cream.
"I wouldn't have gotten that, even if there was such a thing," Natsuki growled. "I damn sure wouldn't have gotten chocolate if you gave me a chance?"
"Natsuki had a chance and didn't say anything. There were only three choices," Shizuru said slowly.
Natsuki glared; the look really did not have the desired affect on her onee-sama and really never had. She suspected Shizuru thought the glare was adorable, which seriously undermined the point of it. She was right, of course.
"That's why I needed to decide! You always do stuff like this!" Natsuki griped, scowling deeply with her focus now on the cone in her hand.
"Natsuki is making a very big deal out of a treat. Maybe I should just not treat Natsuki to anything anymore," Shizuru commented, which got her partner-in-crime to quiet down for a moment.
Natsuki went from looking angry to looking ashamed in about a second, maybe even less than that. She put her head down and her shoulders slumped. She mumbled something.
"What was that?" Shizuru asked curiously, a half-smile tugging at her lip like she knew she had just won yet another argument.
"I said sorry for acting ungrateful," Natsuki grumbled again.
Shizuru smiled a bit, a genuine, light expression, and reached out to gently rub Natsuki's shoulder. The younger woman looked over at her and saw the smile, which let her know that everything was all right. Natsuki was able to lift her head now.
"You should eat your ice cream, Natsuki. It is melting, after all," Shizuru pointed out in a gentle tone.
Natsuki turned her attention to the offending cone. She was not a fan of chocolate ice cream, but she did not want to waste Shizuru's money, so she went in for a taste. Shizuru glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Natsuki licking her cone and the ruby-eyed girl could not help shivering. Envy raced through her. What Shizuru would not give to suddenly be an ice cream cone, if only for a moment.
Heaven help me. The effect she has on me is incredible, Shizuru thought to herself. She was not sure why Natsuki could do such things to her, but what started out as a friendship of two delinquents was shaping into something faster than either of them could gather. Shizuru could only hope Natsuki was going through the same thing as she was because she did not want it to be a one-sided affair.
"Thanks for the ice cream, Shizuru," Natsuki said with a half-smile, which snapped the fair-haired teen out of her daze.
"Think nothing of it. One day, Natsuki can treat me to something in return," Shizuru replied, gently bumping her hip against her companion's side.
"Deal," Natsuki agreed. She then stole her own glance at Shizuru licking her ice cream. A blush immediately flared into Natsuki's cheeks, making her bright enough to use as a signal for passing planes. Shizuru noticed, of course, and smiled at the sight.
-*-(End flashback)-*-
Of course, as time marched on, Natsuki started treating Shizuru to things, including ice cream in the park. Unfortunately, Shizuru still made sure to order for the both of them, especially with the ice cream. Eventually, Natsuki just started saying "two chocolate cones" when ordering ice cream. Of course, she grew to like chocolate, too.
"You know what, make it two vanilla cones," Takeda suddenly said before Natsuki could talk. He started going into his pocket for his wallet. "My treat," he added.
Natsuki was now stunned into silence. His treat? Vanilla? But, she did not even like vanilla! It was too late to say anything by the time her brain decided to return; the cone was already in her hand when she remembered how to talk. Damn it! Her mind screamed.
"Thank you," Natsuki said with forced politeness as she tried her best not to glare at the ice cream as if she was completely disgusted with its existence.
"No problem," Takeda replied with a smile, obviously thinking that he had done something worthwhile if the proud gleam in his eyes meant anything.
Natsuki took a deep breath as they walked off from the stand to continue on through the beautiful, green park. She took a taste of the ice cream and decided she liked chocolate a lot more. Now, if only someone would wise up and make a mayo-flavored ice cream, so she would not have to go through such problems, she thought.
-8-8-8-8-
Shizuru could not believe pretty much anything that was happening at the moment. After all, she was the Bewitching Smiling Amethyst, Third Column, and second-in-charge of Garderobe and she was hiding in a bush right now. Adding to that, she was spying on her beloved, who appeared to be on a date. She had to seem utterly ridiculous now and she knew that, yet she continued on.
The tension in her body seemed to drive her on. The burning sensation pushed aside her shame, overrode any thoughts of how silly she had to look, and ordered that she find out what her lover was doing. She was not enjoying what she witnessed.
"She allowed him to buy her ice cream? Is it true? Are they out on a date?" Shizuru wondered as a stabbing sensation shot through her heart. It was like a trillion tiny, poisonous needles slowly pricked her in the center of her soul.
Shizuru could not believe her eyes as she watched her Natsuki eating vanilla ice cream with that… that… that… Takeda. Frustration set in so deep for her that she could not think of a proper insult. She was not even able to focus on the world around her, just the tight feeling in her body and the fact that her beloved was out with a man. Nothing else really registered to her mind.
Usually, when Natsuki had ice cream, it was quite an enjoyable sight for Shizuru. But, now, all she could do was wonder if Takeda enjoying that wonderful sight. What was going through his mind if he was? Oh, she could guess.
Natsuki wouldn't…wouldn't let him, right? Of course not. Natsuki is mine. She would never… Shizuru cut her own thoughts off. She did not realize it, but she sounded ready to burst into tears in her own head. After all, until today, she never would have thought that Natsuki would go on a date with someone that was not her, but there her Natsuki was, walking around the park with that worm.
The fair-headed Otome did not have too much time to ponder things anyway. She had to keep moving since the pair continued moving too. She remained undercover in the bushes and behind trees while doing so. She also made sure to keep her distance, not wanting to be spotted. After all, it would be hard to explain what the hell she was doing crouched in a bush or pressed against a tree.
-8-8-8-8-
"This park is really nice and it's huge, but I guess that fits in this city," Takeda commented as he and Natsuki continued walking.
"I guess. Doesn't really bother me much since I used to play in the woods," Natsuki replied with another shrug. She did not notice it, but she hardly ever shrugged so many times in one day. She managed to resist the urge to throw away her ice cream. She had given up licking it after catching Takeda glance at her while she was eating the dessert.
"Really? Aren't the woods around your home dangerous?"
She shrugged again. "I suppose. There's wild life and everything there, but I never really thought about it."
"Wow, you were a brave kid, huh?" he asked. He could not imagine this angel before him playing in the woods.
Natsuki shrugged yet again. Her parents more often told her that she and her brothers were crazy kids for playing in the woods; stupidity and insanity should never be mistaken for bravery, they used to say. She and her brothers did not care what it was. All they knew was that the forest surrounding their home was fun. Just like the marsh in the middle of the forest. Luckily, they never ran into any wolves, bears, or poisonous snakes… well, not that they noticed anyway. They ran into plenty of mud, which drove her mother crazy.
"But, I guess that's why you would train to be an Otome, huh?" Takeda said to keep the conversation up.
"Not really," she replied in a near grumble. She was getting bored, she realized. She was not sure what it was, but she decided to ignore the bored feeling. Maybe it was just the subject of being an Otome, she considered.
"So, why'd you become an Otome?"
Natsuki was not in the mood to answer that question and she doubted she ever would be. She did not want to think about why she had to become an Otome. She searched for a change of topic and got one in the form of the duck pond.
"Have you ever fed ducks before?" Natsuki asked. She and Shizuru used to feed the ducks when they were younger… after Shizuru got her out of the habit of chasing the ducks anyway. Chasing the ducks would always be the more fun activity between the pair, but Shizuru insisted it was mean to scare ducks. But, feeding them had grown on her.
"No," he answered.
"It's fun. Come on, let's see if there's some kids with some bread," Natsuki said, taking his hand to pull him away. For some reason, she felt a frost overtake her body that would have put the pole regions to shame. She fought back a shiver, but her soul quaked.
Takeda grinned like a dope while letting Natsuki lead him down to the pond. He was just thrilled she held his hand, even if it was just to take him to a pond. A warm sensation, like hot water, flooded his senses and for a few seconds, the only person that existed in the world aside for him was the woman holding his hand.
They went down to the muddy bank of the pond where there were a few little kids down there with the ducks. Natsuki was the one to ask if the children had bread to spare, so that she and her friend might be able to feed the ducks. The children were kind enough to share a couple of slices of bread for Natsuki and Takeda to feed the ducks.
"This is pretty relaxing," Takeda said while throwing bits of bread to the ducks.
"Yeah," Natsuki agreed. She made a mental note to get Shizuru out there with her as soon as they had a spare moment. It was nice to feed the ducks and they would be able to reminisce about when they were younger.
While Takeda was distracted with the ducks, Natsuki pretended to drop her ice cream. Takeda noticed the cone on the ground when he was done with the ducks. He turned his attention to the principal.
"You dropped it. You want me to get you another one?" Takeda inquired, motioning down to the disregarded cone.
"No, that's okay," Natsuki said, hoping that he did not put up an argument about it. She did not mind the generosity… okay, no, she actually did mind, but the fact of the matter was that she was sick of ice cream for the day.
"Should we keep going through the park?"
"If you have the time for it," Natsuki answered. After all, she was done for the day. Takeda confirmed that he did have time to continue their walk, so they continued on. Shizuru followed them until they left the park and went to a near by diner for some lunch.
-8-8-8-8-
Shizuru was in the principal's apartment, which was really their apartment since Shizuru had stopped going to hers a long time ago. She was curled up on the sofa, looking quite miserable for perhaps the first time in her life without having to wonder if Natsuki was injured. Of course, she might be injured later, though. She sat sideways on the couch with her knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs.
"My Natsuki… on a date… with a man…" Shizuru's voice trembled like a lone leaf in a storm. She could not fathom it, even though she saw it. She shook her head. No, it could not have been possible, she told herself. Her Natsuki could not have… no, it just was not possible.
How could she be losing her Natsuki, especially to some strange man that could not even talk straight in Natsuki's presence? Natsuki had been hers for ten years now, and all of a sudden, a man came to try to sweep her off her feet. It would not do. It did not even seem real to her. It could not be real.
The burning in Shizuru's stomach rose to her throat, joining a sorrow that was now working its way to building a home in her body. The burning seemed to devour the sadness as soon as they made contact, swallowing the heartache whole like some monster whale. It was then that Shizuru began to feel determined, which was more like herself. For once, she was thankful for whatever that was that flared inside of her.
There was no way in hell that she was going to let anyone take her Natsuki! Natsuki was her most precious person, after all. Natsuki was the only person she could show her true self to without fear of judgment. She would not just wallow in grief and melancholy, being pathetic, while some unworthy man tried to take her Natsuki from her. She would keep her Natsuki.
She picked a good time to find her backbone because the door opened as soon as she decided that she was not going to lose her Natsuki at all, to anyone. She picked herself up off of the sofa and checked on a bag that she had on the side of the couch. Natsuki came in, whistling a tune to the air as she shut the door.
Why is she whistling? Was her day that good? She looks so casual about it. How often has she been out with Takeda? Shizuru wondered to herself before she could stop such troubling thoughts from crowding her mind. They did look comfortable with each other. Maybe this was not their first date.
Natsuki chucked her keys in the direction of a plant that Shizuru brought to brighten up the apartment years ago; it was something that she usually did. She then turned her attention to the interior of the apartment and noticed Shizuru. She jumped in shock, throwing her hands up.
"Shizuru! What're you doing here?" Natsuki asked while trying to will her heart rate to slow down. Damn Shizuru and her ability to surprise me, Natsuki thought.
"Ara, ara, is Natsuki unhappy to see me?" Shizuru countered, smiling a bit. She really wanted to pout and act utterly pitiful, but she felt like that would be too close to the truth for her to try teasing that way.
"Idiot," Natsuki stated automatically as she walked over to the older woman. She wasted no time embracing Shizuru.
The light-haired Otome almost sighed into the hug. It felt like the same embrace that she always got from Natsuki. She returned the hug as she felt some of her tension melt away thanks to the warmth that was Natsuki.
"I'm glad you're back," Natsuki said in a whisper, almost as if she spoke romantic words.
"I'm glad to be back," Shizuru replied honestly. She was glad to be in her love's arms and feeling want and care in the embrace.
"But, what're you doing back so soon? And why didn't anyone tell me you were going to be back earlier?" the principal inquired as her eyebrows curled up and her forehead wrinkled in confusion. She wished she had known that her beloved would be back; she would have come to greet her at the gate as she occasionally did when Shizuru went away.
"It turns out that there was nothing going on with the mission. It was just a false alarm. Once I figured that out, I figured that I would surprise Natsuki and come back early. I brought Natsuki a gift."
Natsuki looked surprised by that and she released Shizuru. The taller woman reached down to the sofa and picked up the bag that was waiting. She handed it over to Natsuki with a smile. The principal smiled while taking the gift.
"I thought of my dearest Natsuki the moment I saw it," Shizuru reported, voice low and loving.
"Thank you," Natsuki said while pulling the box out of the bag. She noticed the torn corners of the one side of the box. "What happened here?" she asked curiously while flipping some of the ripped paper with her index finger.
"I dropped it."
Natsuki laughed a bit. "I hope there weren't any Corals around. They'll know you're not perfect."
Shizuru was quiet, but she managed a smile. The smile remained as Natsuki opened the box to see a new jacket. The jacket was a rich, light blue made out of the finest silk; blue being Natsuki's favorite color. She sorely needed one considering the one that she owned now was her favorite and she wore it everyday. Natsuki had a habit of wearing things until they fell apart. Shizuru suspected that it either had something to do with the younger woman's brothers or just her seemingly disregard to her status as a princess.
"Thanks," Natsuki said while trying the jacket on. She had to shed the one that she was wearing first, which she did in a flash.
Shizuru sat down on the couch while Natsuki dropped her jacket. She looked like a child with a new toy as she put on the new jacket. Natsuki practically grinned as she flopped down on the couch, now wearing her brand new and totally cool in her opinion, jacket. She threw her arms around her beloved as soon as she was seated next to her. She actually snuggled into Shizuru, much like a puppy would curl into any warm, loving body.
"I missed you," Natsuki muttered, head resting on her lover's chest.
"Oh?" Shizuru accidentally sounded quite skeptical and that earned her a puzzled look from her girlfriend.
"Of course, I did. I was bored without you. I did get a lot of work done, though. Weird, huh?" Natsuki mused aloud.
"What do you mean by weird?" the elder Otome asked curiously while trying to get herself together mentally. She could not believe she allowed herself to sound so skeptical over Natsuki missing her. Of course Natsuki missed her, just as she had missed Natsuki. Natsuki loved her.
"Well, while you were gone, I kept finishing my work early, even today. The couple of times, I didn't know what to do. Yesterday, I even came back here and straightened the place up. Today, I went out to ride my bike, though. It was great!" Natsuki's eyes seemed to sparkle as she recalled her bike ride. She clung to Shizuru a little more, but her excited expression morphed into something more blasé as she added to her statement. "Although, I did almost hit Takeda."
Shizuru decided to take the opening that Natsuki gave her. "Almost hit Takeda? What do you mean by that?"
"Well, you know how I ride. You've been on the bike with me, after all. So, I was riding like always and he was crossing the street and I was this close to flattening him." Natsuki showed how close by putting her thumb and index finger together to the point that they almost touched.
"Ara ara, it's a good thing you didn't. It wouldn't look good for the school to have the principal in jail," Shizuru remarked, a small, teasing smile in place as she put her arms around Natsuki.
"Tell me about it! Plus, if I killed him, my parents would probably come here and I don't think I'd be able to handle them," Natsuki said with a laugh.
"So, what happened after you almost killed your friend?" Shizuru asked.
"Well, I didn't have anything to do and he invited me into the park. I went for a walk with him. Is that okay?" Natsuki asked, almost like she believed she had done something wrong just by walking with him.
Shizuru blinked, not expecting that question. "Why would you ask?"
"Well, before you got a little mad because we went to that diner without you. And then you told me that it was 'our' diner. Is the park 'our' park, too?" Natsuki already felt pretty guilty from not knowing that the diner was theirs. She would feel even worse if the park was supposed to be something for them and she went there with Takeda.
"Natsuki, the park is a big public facility. I don't think we can claim it," Shizuru quipped, still smiling. She felt a little better, knowing Natsuki was openly telling her about her day instead of trying to hide it. She was thankful that she was perceptive, too, because she could tell that Natsuki was being truthful.
"Oh, okay. Well, so, yeah, walked through the park. We had some lunch at a diner that wasn't 'ours' and then I went back to riding my bike since he had to go back to work. This bike ride was great. I met up with some other bikers and we raced. Great day."
"That would explain why Natsuki is getting in so late," the older woman commented. It was good to know Natsuki and Takeda went their separate ways and he did not seem to be the highlight of Natsuki's day.
"Yup."
"So, anything else happened to you today?" Shizuru asked in a quiet tone while pulling Natsuki even closer to her. She rested her head on the top of Natsuki's.
"Oh, yeah, since I didn't know you were gonna be back today, I agreed to go to the fair tomorrow with Takeda. Now, you can come," Natsuki replied, sounding quite happy about that. Shizuru probably would have sounded the same as her girlfriend if only the name "Takeda" had been left out of the equation.
"Goodie…" Shizuru deadpanned. Maybe she should have left well enough alone, but at least she would be able to let Takeda know that Natsuki was hers. She would show him that he could not have her precious one.
The tone went right by Natsuki. She seemed very much into just holding onto Shizuru and being with her. Everything seemed right in Natsuki's world and Shizuru decided to bask in that as much as she could, enjoy it as much as she could. She did not let go of the idea of showing Takeda that Natsuki was hers, though.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: to the fair they go!