A/N: The dinner is coming in the next chapter. I know some of you were excited about it, it will be here in the next installment. I had to do a particular exchange first, and it turned out longer than I expected it would...

I don't own Mai HiME/Mai Otome.

Chapter 11

If the sun setting wasn't enough to make her squint, the sight before her could most assuredly be the culprit.

Natsuki gulped hard to steady herself when she saw what Shizuru had chosen to wear to bed that night. "That's a work shirt." Who knew such a thing could send a fist of need to slam at her gut in full force. She closed her eyes, putting her hand over them. "Do you really have to wear that?" She asked, in truth she already knew Shizuru enjoyed the feel of the soft, worn cotton. Still, it did nothing to calm her, in fact, it only served to bother her, letting her mind play with the image.

She'd never lived with anyone before, at least no one she took romantic interest in. Natsuki knew that Nao would do the same thing occasionally, when she had nothing else to wear. Nao, at least in Natsuki's mind was a child to protect. She was not a woman, not like Shizuru. Natsuki's shirts would pool over Nao's form, covering her quite well. On Shizuru, the effect was quite another matter. "I find them more comforting than my own nightgowns." Shizuru told her. She had to admit, Natsuki's shirts weren't baggy, in fact, they could be considered quite small. "It isn't a problem, is it?"

"No, not really." Natsuki told her, even though Shizuru could have done with a house coat to go over herself, least her breasts be put on display further by the tightly fitting shirt. "Could you at least wear a pair of my pajama bottoms too?" Natsuki offered then daring to open one eye, only to slam it shut again.

"It's alright, Natsuki." The woman of fawn tresses had already slipped under the covers. "I don't mind it this way."

She had to intake a breath, hearing those words. "It isn't that I mind either." Natsuki tried to push away the image that had greeted her, the thoughts of running her fingers along those shapely exposed thighs made her world spin upside down. "It's just a lot to take in." While it was true she had enjoyed many shows at the local burlesque house, secretly eying the scantly clad women who took a pride in being ogled, she had ever any intention of acting on her desires like that. "Besides, I've made a promise I can't break." She muttered then, holding out a pair of bottoms she retrieved from the closet.

"A promise?" She took the offered garment, but hesitated to put them on. "Nao isn't going to be sleeping on the sofa again, is she?"

"She's staying with Chie tonight." Natsuki shook her head. "This is something I promised your mother directly. I can't break it."

Shizuru's brows furrowed and she looked away. "My mother?" It was then she felt the urge to put them on. "I thought you were going to speak with my father."

"He wasn't home." Natsuki told her as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Your mother was, and we had a little chat." She recalled the harsh, but not uncaring words. "It's true she doesn't like that we're together, but at the same time, I know she was trying her best." With Shizuru's legs properly covered, Natsuki felt much more at ease. "I told her that I would keep my wits about me, until you were sure about us being together."

"That's a very bold conversation, especially for a person such as my mother." Shizuru was not at all please with the result. "You spoke with her freely on such a topic?" She didn't know if she should feel angry or ashamed that her own personal feelings were spoken about in her absence. "That's more than just a little uncouth."

"This is why I kept the matter to myself when I arrived home." Natsuki replied sternly. "I knew you would be unhappy about it." She could see it again. "It was unavoidable, to be honest." A young woman, very much fearful of her feelings being spoken of. It was easy to forget just how fragile those crimson eyes could be, and how much protection Shizuru's heart still required. "She's worried about you, and I couldn't avoid it."

"It isn't as if they would understand my feelings." Shizuru's voice was willed with it now, that insecurity she hated having in the first place. "That isn't something that they should be worried about, nor something you should promise them." Feeling weak and dizzy, she gripped the covers just a little bit. "Besides, it isn't as if they're going to know about every little thing we do."

"Even so, Shizuru you're younger than I am. It's my job to look after you, to see that your needs are being met to the best of my ability." She pulled one leg up, so she could rest on her knee. "Parents like the idea of a daughter being well taken care of. That she won't want for anything. I'd like to appeal to that side as much as I can." Natsuki hoped that even if the idea wasn't very well understood yet, she would at least get Shizuru's parents to see things her way. "While it's true they won't ever like the idea of you being with another woman, they're smart people, they know a good thing when they see proof of it."

"Then why don't they see it now?" Shizuru asked then, which only made Natsuki chuckle.

"They've never had to deal with it before." She reached out, pushing some fawn tresses behind Shizuru's ear. "Not only that, but how are they to know if I can properly run a home?" Natsuki asked her. "Most women could not support a family on their own, it just isn't logical."

"I'm independent enough to earn my own keep." The truth, sent another wave of anger though her. "Do they think I'm that inept?" Shizuru asked quietly, rage at the back of her voice, well hidden, but there none the less.

"My point is, you shouldn't have to." With that, Natsuki sighed, needing to ward away a headache. "Shizuru, think about this from a withdrawn view...that the people aren't your parents." Natsuki told her. "In the types of households they understand, a man works. He brings home the money, and the woman raises the children...but I'm not a man, so they're really judging me, not you." Shizuru's mother had made that apparent, glaringly so. "The fight their making isn't only about my gender, though that is a huge part, it's also about my capabilities."

"It shouldn't matter!" Her voice rose then and as soon as it did, Natsuki pulled her into an embrace. "This shouldn't even be their concern." She buried her face into the crook of Natsuki's neck, hiding her eyes. "So why does it? Why are they being so difficult?"

"Life is full of difficulties, ours are just found in different places." Natsuki sighed pulling away to look at Shizuru, cupping her cheek. "Still, it doesn't matter either way, because they are your family. Blood ties should never be undone." It was with her usual hesitance that she pulled Shizuru in for a kiss, even if it was something they'd done often enough before. It made her heart flutter in odd, but pleasant ways. It also did horrible things to her mind, as it skipped merrily along paths she dare not cross, and that was often why she was careful to limit her contact.

Still, as Shizuru clutched onto her shirt, a dire need flowing through her, Natsuki knew she couldn't be complacent, nor could she disregard her promise to Shizuru's mother either. It was a true fear of hers, that Shizuru may indeed leave one day, and that reminder made her tighten her hold just a little bit, even when she pulled out of the sweet maddening kiss. She fell backwards, holding Shizuru protectively as their heads crashed onto the soft feather pillows. "I won't touch her in dubious ways, I promised that." Natsuki thought to herself as she bit her lower lip. "Though, I never said anything about just holding her as we slept, either."

…

"You could have told me earlier." Shizuru called so that Natsuki could hear her.

"I wasn't going to add more pressure than you were already under." Natsuki was busy getting ready, so she didn't spare any time to let herself become worried. "You aren't the only one cooking for this banquet, and even if it is going to be lacking in privacy, it's the best thing I can offer." She hoped it would work. "I have a lot to prove, and I'm hoping that this way, I can."

"Natsuki, please reconsider." It was troublesome. "I don't see why you insist on this." It was a bad idea, and the fact that Natsuki had all but sword upon it, made the matters all the more agitating. "It won't change anything, they'll still be irked by merely the thought." Shizuru was cooking, but even as she did it with an acidity to her, she kept that much of her temper in her mind only. "Do you wish for them to see us as a couple so badly?" Still, she was an obedient person, when such a person was loyal and deserving. Natsuki was that, at least. Even now, her actions were seeded with good intentions only.

"I do." She told Shizuru as she looked at the clothes she owned, thinking of what would be best to wear. "I want them to see, so forgive me if I'm selfish." She had dresses and skirts, but they bothered her. "We've got to break them out of their shock somehow." That would go further into the grain, and fuel denial. Instead she chose a three piece suit. "Filling the room with gays might at least help them to crush some of their insane notions, if it does nothing else."

"Or, failing that, alienate them." Shizuru told Natsuki dryly.

"It's a charity benefit, Shizuru." Natsuki sighed then. "It occurs every year, and although the people who attend don't look it, most of them are the same as us." In the bathroom, her voice echoed off the walls. "Again, we have ways to network. Silent majority will always be the uncounted, and thus the unknown. Still, even they need a chance to breathe freely among their peers." She peaked out for a moment, while tucking her shirt into her pants. "These people are successful, and it wouldn't do for them not to have strong allies. The world we live in is very judgmental, between what color your skin is, and who you date, you may have several things that already set you apart."

"You could be right." Shizuru had to admit, she was interested in seeing what it would be like tonight, seeing the main floor of the building done up with necessary arrangements. Most were either cooking, or decorating. A small few were shopping at stores for anything else that might be needed. "Just what sorts of people come to an event like this? Surely it can't be advertised."

"Word of mouth is a very strong thing." Natsuki told her. "Many live an alternative lifestyle, even if they aren't open about it. As I've said, race means nothing to us, so you'll see all sorts of couples. Many are like us, but, many are not. There is a fight for equality among the masses, and each of them are looking for different things." A mere shrug was all she found willing to offer. "In due time, you'll see what I mean, though I apologize now. This will be work for me, more or less."

"Somehow, I doubt that's the case." Shizuru smiled softly, amused by Natsuki's earlier antics. "You are quite excited, aren't you." The joyful laughter on the first floor had been a spectacle, and even Nao was beginning to get into high spirits, a rarity as of late.

"On the surface, it's merely a charity benefit." Natsuki reminded Shizuru. "There is networking involved too, that's correct...so there is some level of work in this." Still, she couldn't help but send a grin in return. "I'd be lying though, if I didn't say that you would see plenty of idle bantering as well. I'm dressing to impress, but you'll see many more dressed in less than fitting attire, after a long day of work they'll have little time to return home."

"Who'll be at our table?" Shizuru asked then, remembering that Natsuki had been the one to set out the place cards.

Natsuki considered that. "Each table seats eight comfortably." She replied, fixing her tie. "Your parents and my father will be seated there along with us, of course, so that makes five. Nao will have to sit with us, since it's the only way I can ensure that she behaves. Reito and Takeda will be there as well, so our table will be all good company tonight."

"How on this earth do you find such confidence?" Shizuru asked as she stirred a big metal pot.

"It isn't confidence." Natsuki was finally happy with her manner of dress. "Sure willpower alone is the only thing that will get me though tonight." She walked into the small kitchen kissing Shizuru on the cheek before stealing a taste of the soup Shizuru was preparing. "I've got to go down and make sure Mai hasn't been given a heart attack yet. Even though I promised she could use the kitchen, I didn't promise she would be left alone."

"It's nice that she was willing to help out, but that poor woman will be driven to the brink of insanity." Shizuru agreed while shaking her head. "How do you think she'll cope?"

"Like she does every year, I suspect." Natsuki said with a smile. "A good bit of brandy, and hiding in the kitchen."

…

Are you sure you wouldn't like this table in the social hall as well?" Mai asked then as she dressed a much smaller table in one of the unused rooms, near Natsuki's office. "It would seem odd if you didn't attend your own gathering."

"I will attend for a while, but tonight I also have my own important matters." She thumbed though a few crisp bills, before handing Mai the envelope it was to come in. "This means a great deal to me, Mai." Then she sighed and opened her wallet to give some money from her own pocket. "I need to try to gain the acceptance of her parents, and as you know, that is no easy task." The bill she pulled out was much larger than it should have been, but she couldn't put a price on the necessity that tonight would bring. "For the first half of this evening we will enjoy a private dinner. After, if they wish to join is for the party, they'll be most welcomed."

"You don't need to bribe me." Mai groused, hesitantly accepting the offer.

"Don't think of it as a bribe." Natsuki told her. "Think of it as a bonus, just ensure my dinner goes uninterrupted, if that's at all possible."

With that, she exited the double doors that led into the machine room, and then took the stairs down into the first floor. She looked around, in hopes to find something, anything, that might be out of place. The decorations were splendid and nothing seemed to be amiss. With only a few hours to go, she helped finished what was already underway, making sure every table was perfect, every glass crystal clear. She eyed not only the china, but also the cutlery. Every fork, spoon, and knife without water spots.

The cloth napkins were given one final eye for detail. After Natsuki was pleased with the outcome, she then had only a short time to worry about the others. Everything was as it needed to be, and with a sigh to steady herself, and pulled her fingers into tight fists, breathing deeply.

"You are worried, aren't you?" Mai asked as she did away with the imperfect utensils, least they be seen cluttering the bins in the hallway. "You don't seem like it, but I can see it. You think they'll hate you, don't you?"

"Well, I'm not one for first impressions." Natsuki smiled then, a bit roguishly at that. Mai was well aware of Natsuki's lack in poise. "I've made a bit of a mule of myself, and I'd be lying, if I said I expected the best outcome." With that, she broke eye contact with the carrot topped woman who was fixing to put on a new apron. "Maybe I'm being more pushy than I should be."

"Well, you're a foolish person anyway." Mai shrugged. "If you had any good sense, you'd simply acknowledge Takeda."

"If he'd ever lost his mind like that, I'd knock his block off." Natsuki grumbled, more to herself than Mai. "Besides, you know he only see's Reito."

"He's lost his good senses too." Mai sighed. "Though in truth, he never had much of them to begin with. Having intellect does not mean a person has sound reasoning."

That pulled a chuckle from beyond worried lips. "You could be right." Her spirits lightened from Mai endearments made her feel at least a little better. "I never have thanked you." Natsuki said quietly. "You've always stood by our side, even though it's a danger for you, and your husband." She met violet eyes, a sincere smile all she could offer. "I am grateful, you know."

"You should be. One day, all of this will bite me in my rear end." Mai also smiled in return. "Anyway, don't thank me just yet. I'm making Nao and Chie help me with the dishes."

"Damn it all." Natsuki sighed, hiding her face in her hand. "Don't let them flood the faculty kitchen!" Natsuki yelled as Mai made a hasty retreat. She shook her head, still uplifted, comforted. Mai was the proof she needed, the hope and the reality. Not everyone hated her, even if they didn't like it. The busty woman was a good friend, and that wasn't at all something to question, even with her nagging aside.

Natsuki stood, observing all that she could, in hopes to keep her anxiety down.

There was a calmness that had fallen over the party room, as Yukino helped bring pots of food, still covered and warm. Haruka was delegating, loud and obnoxious as ever, her shouting echoing off the walls as she bellowed. Chie was going over her speech one last time, and Nao was off in the corner, likely harassing Mai. Aoi was probably at the door, where Natsuki knew her father was already making idle pleasantries with the young woman. Everything was as it should have been, and with that in mind, Natsuki went back upstairs to be sure Shizuru was quite alright.

…

"When they come to the door, Aoi will lead them to the small dining room I've prepared, and there we can share in a quiet meal." Natsuki said as she helped Shizuru slip on her shall. "I know you don't want to face them, but, I think it'll be alright, somehow."

"What if they insist I go back home?" Shizuru asked then, it was a fear of hers. "Or what if they don't make the offer at all? What if they don't even want me around anymore?" She scowled at herself, damning her weaknesses. She could see herself in the mirror, and hated how fearful she looked, how cowardly she appeared. "This is why I didn't want to see them. I don't believe I can't deal with it, especially if they try to separate us."

"It would be pointless." Natsuki put her hands on Shizuru's shoulders, trying to ease some of the tenseness out of them. "They wouldn't try to take you away from what you love the most." Though, she wondered just who she was trying to convince of that. "I doubt they would do anything with an intention of hurting you."

"Maybe not." Shizuru agreed. "But what about trying to protect me?"

Natsuki closed her eyes, nodding. She knew that was a possibility. "They might." She offered as her gut flipped in response to the horrible thought. "People often do painful things with the best of intentions." At that, a knock came from her door, and she gave Shizuru's shoulders a steadying squeeze before she went to answer it. "Hey, dad." Natsuki told him in greeting. They didn't hug, didn't do anything, as a gap seemed to stand between them. It was always there, a comforting void. "Did you have a good talk with Aoi?"

"Why yes, in fact I did." He said, nodding in greeting to both his daughter, and Shizuru. "She's a bright young woman, and I truly wish she would have become an accountant. She has the qualities of a broker, just my firm needs."

"Dad, stop trying to recruit my employees!" Natsuki warned him, though her voice was a bit more playful than it was inherently mean. "She doesn't belong with a bunch of boorish stiffs anyway."

"No, instead she belongs with an unruly lot such as yourself." He shot back, a troublesome grin on his face as well. "Go on, teach her to roll in the mud like swine. It's what you know best."

"Pompous old fart." Natsuki growled at him. She grabbed the tall man by the tie to pull him into an embrace. "I missed you."

"I know, Natsuki." He didn't show it in his face. It stayed as stone cold as ever, but his embrace was warm. As a father and daughter, they were so much alike, they had no idea how to talk nicely to each other. It was like a raging inferno, about ready to explode at any point...even still, their fights were muted by the truth. They were the only blood left, the only tie that bound them together. "I'm sorry." He wasn't around often, and that lack of his presence in her adult life bothered her. Aggressive reactions were softened by times like this. "You've bitten off more than you can chew, child. You are still naive, even now."

"Don't think me stupid." Natsuki fired back heatedly. "I know what I'm doing." She pulled away from him roughly. "I've got everything under control."

"Yes, you're harboring two young girls who know nothing of the real world." Her father told her. "On top of that, Nao is very much a child, and her mother worries constantly."

"I've got Nao under control." Natsuki told him quietly, crossing her arms. "I'm looking out for her, and I know what I'm doing." There was a shared sternness between them. Both of them daring the other to falter. "Her mom is sick anyway, she can't keep an eye on Nao. I can, and I understand what Nao's going through a lot better than anyone else could."

"That may be true in Nao's case." James replied relenting the facts surrounding Natsuki's young friend. "How about Shizuru?" His eyes cut across the room to the woman in question, and she averted his gaze. "Why amuse this...romance...of yours any further, Natsuki?"

Shizuru could see it. Natsuki's love for her father, even if she never said it...even if she would never admit it. Their bond was a strong one. She envied it, and that envy gave her the will to speak. "I'm alright." She offered shyly. "Natsuki cares greatly for me, as I do her." It still felt a little strange to say openly. "She has not let any harm come to me, nor have I gone hungry."

"Your parents are worried about you." James told her, as he put one hand in his pocket to fish out a flask of brandy. "To be honest, I am too." He twisted off the top and took a sip to wet his lips. "I can not even imagine what it must feel like to love a woman, when you, yourself are a woman." It boggled his mind. "Natsuki seems strong and robust, and she often thinks she is a man." He shook his head to prove otherwise. "It would be best if the two of you considered just who it is you want to confront." He looked to Natsuki directly. "You can't expect them to accept this."

"I don't." Shizuru spoke up instead. "I don't conceive this to be a good idea." It bothered her, hearing such a thing, hearing it aimed at Natsuki. "I highly doubt it will work." The woman she loved. "This dinner, it is merely to make a statement." She was terrified, but also, her rage burned deeply in he heart. "If they can not accept me, and the person in my life, I will shun them as well." Her voice shook, but she was confidant in that. "I am prepared to do it, if I must."

"Are you so foolish?" James asked her. "Would you really cast them aside?"

"Why haven't you tossed Natsuki aside?" Shizuru asked him, unsure of what she might hear.

He stood quietly, a frown on his face. He had often been on the receiving end of the question. It was always an answer he could shrug off, but this time, he was unable. This was not merely about having an illegitimate daughter. This was not about bringing her here from a country they had been at war with. This was not even about her mother, a person thought by many to be a mere concubine for the lonely men. He felt pained at that, knowing how horribly his child had been misunderstood at even a young age. When she could not speak English well, and he knew very little Japanese.

Their lives had been very difficult, and even as a child, Natsuki relied on her independence. She had to, in order to survive a world that knew nothing of her words or actions. He recalled when as a child she used to slap at him, or scream to get her point across...it was all she could do. There was a loss between them for many years, and schooling her early on had been no easy task either. People thought him insane, trying to raise a child on his own.

This was yet another misunderstanding, and little more. He found his answer hadn't changed. "She's my blood." He told Shizuru. "My child even now." He looked over to Natsuki, and once again, he questioned himself. He wondered if it was truly a good idea to have taken her under his wing, wondering if she would have grown to be a proper young lady, if she had stayed at the orphanage in Japan. "No matter how irritatingly irresponsible she is." Yet, he was the one who took her...who plucked her from the world she knew, and plopped her down in a place she'd be forced to learn and understand. As exasperating as it was, he could not turn away from that act. "Her mistakes are my burdens...I don't have the right to cast her aside."