Hello I'm back the truth is I haven't been away and no im not dead , but I couldn't do anything because of my beta reader so because they were busy with work , I felt bad of asking them too do it so I decided to go for another beta reader who is awesome and managed to do it in such a quick time too so the next chapter already been sent too them, so thankyou!.
Also I do apologise that it is a long time I wished I could give you the chapters but it would be wrong of me too post it up with really bad English , it wouldn't of been fair for you guys who have been supportive about this story.
Another thing is that this year is my last year at uni so I'm focusing on my work but the chapters of some of them are done just needs proof reading now.
Now as you all know the story continues but this might be well…a bit different but im hoping u guys will like it.
I do not own mai hime/otome it belong too sunrise
So hope u enjoy it and please be nice…
HowlingSilverWolf
At Garderobe
Natsuki and Alyssa both arrived in her office, but they found no one there. For Natsuki this was unusual. She would normally see either Shizuru or Miss Maria. Alyssa was amazed to see her sister's office. She had never really been to Garderobe before as she would always send her sister letters.
"Hmm… this is strange. Usually I would see either Shizuru or Miss Maria around in the office." Natsuki said.
"Who's Miss Maria?" Alyssa asked.
"She's a member of the Garderobe administration. She's also one of the teachers here. Even from before I was enrolled. She always argues over every political agenda I do, because she's from the old generation. She's always telling me off about my reports. Stubborn old women." Natsuki crossed her arms whilst Alyssa giggled at her sister's comments.
"Who are you calling a stubborn old women, headmistress?" An angry voice was heard behind them.
Natsuki and Alyssa both turned around quickly and found a not so happy Miss Maria. With the very angry look on her face, Natsuki knew she was in trouble.
"Why erm hello …Mmiss Maria." Natsuki said nervously. She could hear her sister next to her, giggling at her.
"Honestly headmistress, you still perceive lack of grace. I hoped maybe once you returned you would be able to finish off those reports on your desk?" she asked but in more of a commanding tone.
"Yes, of course Miss Maria. By the way where is everyone? I noticed all the students and teachers are in class but where is Shizuru?" Natsuki asked.
"That is why I'm here. To inform you that about ten minutes ago she, along with others, was rushed into the medical wing to see professor Yohko. Something happened to one of the children." she said.
Natsuki now had a very worried look on her face. If Shizuru was seen rushing down the halls, Natsuki then knew which child it was.
"Thank you Miss Maria. I will head down there immediately to hear everything from professor Yohko." Natsuki said before leaving her office, with Alyssa following her. Natsuki was walking in a fast pace.
"Natsuki, do you think something has happened to Natsumi?" Alyssa asked.
"Knowing Shizuru's reaction, I definitely think it's Natsumi." Natsuki said.
If only I could have seen her earlier. Then I would be with her and Natsumi now. I hope she's ok.
By the time they both made it to the medical ward, they saw Mai, Mikoto and Mia sitting in the waiting room, with Kagutsuchi on Mia's shoulder.
Mia was worried about Natsumi. She hated how Natsumi would always get hurt. Not just her, but Diana too. She was leaning towards Mai, hugging her.
"Mommy, is Natsumi going to be ok?" she asked.
"Don't worry little one, I'm sure she will be. She's tough. Just like her mothers." Mai said.
Then she looked up and noticed Natsuki and Alyssa standing there. She could tell from their faces that they must have run all the way and they must have heard about the news. She let Mikoto look after Mia and got up to greet her friend.
"Natsuki! Thank heavens you made it. I was starting to worry about your arrival." Mai said.
"I'm sorry Mai. I didn't know you would be here. How's Natsumi? What happened to her? Is Shizuru with her now? Did an enemy attack them?" Natsuki started to panic.
"Natsuki, relax ok. Natsumi is fine. Shizuru is with her now. She hasn't left her since we came. Professor Yohko has done some tests on her, so she's gone to check out the results. We really don't know what happened. By the way, is that Alyssa?" Mai said.
Alyssa smiled at Mai and walked up to her side.
"Hello Mai. It's nice to see you again, but it would have been nice to meet under different circumstances." she said.
"Oh wow! You've grown since the last time I saw you during our coral years. You look like Natsuki, except with blonde hair and blue eyes. You even dress similar too." she said.
Although having a low long ponytail, she wears a long coat like Natsuki, except it's green and instead of the white collar Natsuki has, it's black and goes down the side. She also wears a light green vest, a long, white shirt; with a little bit of frills around the cufflings and along with the same tie as Natsuki, except instead of green, it's blue. The same color as her eyes.
"Mai, I'm going inside to see Shizuru and Natsumi ok? Could you stay here and keep Alyssa company for me please?" Natsuki asked.
"Sure. No problem. Go in and see your family." Mai said.
The words struck Natsuki hard, stopping her for a second all lost in thought. Mai picked up the weird atmosphere and knew she must have said something wrong, but then Natsuki gave her a sad smile and walked past her.
"They are not my family Mai. In fact, I don't think they will ever be." Natsuki said.
Then she opened the door and walked inside. Mai was shocked at her comment and turned to Alyssa.
"What did she mean by that, Alyssa?" Mai asked.
Alyssa looked sadly at the door where Natsuki disappeared through and thought about what had happened during those days Natsuki had been home. She had tried all kinds of things to try and get out of the arranged marriage, but unfortunately she couldn't get out of it and her parents weren't making things easier for her. They kept on giving her ideas for the wedding and who to invite. She couldn't do anything and she looked so sad about it all.
"There's something you should know, although I'm not sure if I should tell you, because Natsuki hasn't even told Shizuru yet. She's worried that it's going to hurt Shizuru really bad." Alyssa said.
"What is it Alyssa?" Mai asked.
Luckily for Mai and Alyssa they weren't near the door enough for Natsuki and Shizuru to be able to overhear and Mia and Mikoto were waiting further down the corridor, so they couldn't eavesdrop on the conversation.
"Nee-chan went back home to tell the news about Natsumi. Although they were shocked about it at first, they then thought it was splendid to have been blessed with a granddaughter. They even accepted Shizuru as the second mother."
"But that's great news, if they accepted Shizuru and Natsumi, but why does Natsuki look sad then. What's troubling her?"
"That day, my parents also told her that she is going to be married soon and it isn't with Shizuru." she said.
"Wait, you don't mean…that can't be… " Mai said in a disbelieving voice. She couldn't believe it.
"Yes Mai, nee-chan is going to have an arranged marriage." Alyssa said.
When Natsuki entered the room, she saw Shizuru sitting in a chair next to Natsumi, holding her hand. Natsumi was sleeping with a silver toy next to her. Natsuki approached them quietly. Shizuru turned around when she heard that someone had entered and noticed Natsuki standing behind her. Natsuki noticed that Shizuru looked like she had been crying, because her eyes were all red.
"N..Natsuki?" Shizuru said in an uncertain tone. She wasn't sure if she was really there or not. She was wishing for Natsuki to be there with her. She needed her.
"I'm here Shizuru. How's…" before she could say anything, Shizuru got up quickly and gave her a hug. Natsuki was shocked at Shizuru's reaction at first, but then she thought that Shizuru must have really worried about her, so she relaxed into her embrace and hugged her back carefully.
"I was so worried about her. Natsumi and I were wishing you were here. I didn't know what happened to her. I saw Mia come running in and she told us that something had happened to her. I quickly ran to her and by the time I found her, she collapsed in Mikoto's arms. I tried to get her here as quickly as possible. Oh Natsuki, I'm really glad you're here." she said.
"Don't worry Shizuru. Once Yohko is here, we'll find out what she knows."
Natsuki said.
Natsuki then remembered that she couldn't do this to Shizuru. She needed to tell her as soon as possible.
"Shizuru.. There's something that I need to tell you." Natsuki said in a sad tone.
"What is it Natsuki?" Shizuru said.
There was a long silent moment between the two as they kept on staring at each other, looking into each other's eyes to decipher what the other one was thinking, but then a small voice was heard from behind Shizuru.
"Mama? …mommy?" they both heard the voice and Shizuru quickly turned around to see Natsumi opening her eyes and looking up at them both. Shizuru quickly let go of Natsuki and went over to Natsumi and gave her a hug.
"Ara…Nat-chan. I'm glad that you woke up. How do you feel?" Shizuru asked.
"I'm fine mama, but I'm not sure what happened to me though."
"Do you remember anything?" Shizuru asked.
"Yeh.. I was with Mia and Mikoto and I was showing them the place where you and mommy live and showed them my toy. Then Mia showed me Kagutsuchi and for some strange reason, I felt something and all of a sudden this power came out of me and went straight into my toy." she said.
All of a sudden something caught Shizuru's and Natsuki's attention and they both looked over to the toy and saw that it wasn't a toy anymore, but instead it looked alive. It was the same small size and body type as kagutsuchi. It had fur and was silver like a cute wolf puppy with small wings. It had its eyes closed, so they never noticed before, but now they saw it moving and twitching a bit. Finally its eyes opened. They were the same color as Natsumi's red eyes. It looked around and when it saw Natsumi, it stood up on its four paws and jumped up on Natsumi and licked her cheek.
"Hehe… Hey, that tickles cut it out!" Natsumi said. She looked up and noticed that Natsuki and Shizuru were completely shocked at what they were seeing.
"Shizuru, what on Earl is happening here? Did the toy really come to life!?" she asked.
" ..ara! It appears so. I think we might need to talk to Yohko about this." Shizuru said.
"I'll contact her immediately about this situation." Natsuki said. She was about to walk out.
"Wait, Natsuki! What were you going to tell me before?" Shizuru asked.
"Don't worry about that for now Shizuru. I will talk to you once this is sorted." Natsuki said.
"I understand and also Natsuki.." Shizuru said.
"Yeah Shizuru?" Natsuki asked.
Natsuki then felt something on her cheek. At first she didn't realize that it was Shizuru kissing her, but then she remembered this feeling from what Shizuru used to give her, when she use to give them. However, now it made her feel even sadder, because those happy memories would be gone, once the kiss ended. Shizuru looked at Natsuki and smiled at her.
"Ookini Natsuki, for helping me before." she said.
"Erh..Well…e…your welcome Shizuru." Natsuki said and went out the doors.
Shizuru could tell, from the way Natsuki acted, there was something really troubling her. She just hoped, that it would not be something bad.
Natsuki came out of the room and noticed Mai and Alyssa talking together, but Mai's face turned sad when she noticed Natsuki coming out. She quickly got up and went to see her.
"How's Natsumi?" she asked.
"She's awake now, but something strange has happened just now and I think I know why she collapsed. Somehow she's managed to make her toy come to life." she said.
"What! How could that happen!? I mean it's impossible to be able to create life from a toy. Not only that, but a little girl managed to do it?" Mai said.
"I think I know what has happened." all faces turned around and noticed a woman in strange clothes with a yellow bird on her shoulder.
"Miyu! What are you doing here?" Natsuki asked.
"I came here because I felt a disturbance of great power, so I came to find the source of it. Of course my premonition was right. Headmistress, would it be alright if we could hold a meeting now? I think it important that you must hear this, along with the parents of the artificial children." Miyu asked.
"Well, we only have two of the three children here. The last child is with her biological parents in Aries, but I can contact them and they can listen in on the meeting." Natsuki said.
"Thank you. I think it's time to tell you what I have discovered so far and also tell you the true powers of otome." Miyu said.
Miyu looked over to Alyssa and smiled at her.
"It's nice to see you again Miss Kruger." Miyu said.
"Yes. It's been a long time. I hope that you have been doing well?" Alyssa said.
"Wait, Alyssa how do you know Miyu?" Natsuki asked.
"When you were at Garderobe, Miyu used to come and visit me. When I was little and you weren't around, she used to play with me, but usually she was always going on journeys, so I never really saw her much." Alyssa said.
"We should be going now and make the preparations." Miyu said.
All of them nodded in agreement and followed Natsuki to her office.
After Natsumi was checked by Yohko, she was able to leave. Shizuru was walking with her back to the office along with Yohko. As soon as they arrived, they saw Mai, Mia and Mikoto sitting down on one of the sofas, whilst Alyssa was talking on the communicator to Yukino, Haruka and Diana and Miyu was standing, waiting for everyone to settle down. Then Shizuru noticed Natsuki sitting in her chair. She noticed that Natsuki was looking sad and worried. She also noticed that Mai was looking at Natsuki with a worried glance and Shizuru didn't understand what was troubling her. She was lost in her thought when Alyssa called her.
"Shizuru, it's nice to see you again." Alyssa said.
"Ara, Alyssa-chan. I didn't know you were coming back to visit. It's so nice to see you. My goodness you've all grown up now. You even look like Natsuki a little." Shizuru smiled.
Alyssa blushed at Shizuru's comment, before she shook it off and smiled at her.
"Thank you. Well, I got some business to handle down here. My mother will be handing over her company to me soon, so she wants me to be able to do business on my own. Even though I already do, but I'll be staying at Windbloom." Alyssa said.
She looked at Shizuru's side and noticed Natsumi who was clutching onto Shizuru's hand.
"Shizuru, is that Natsumi?" Alyssa asked.
"Ara, indeed this is your niece. So, Natsuki did tell you about her?" Shizuru asked.
"Of course. She also told my parents and although I have to admit we were all shocked at first, they decided that they were ok about it." Alyssa said.
Shizuru was pleased to hear about the results of Natsuki's visit to her parents, but she was still wondering why Natsuki looked sad and worried. Alyssa leaned down to Natsumi's height and smiled at her. Natsumi was curious of the visitor, who had just talked with Shizuru and she also reminded her of Natsuki.
"Hello Natsumi. Pleased to meet you. I'm your aunt Alyssa, your mommy's sister." she said in a pleased voice.
"Pleased to meet you Aunt Alyssa." Natsumi replied.
"I tell you what, Natsumi really does look a lot like Natsuki, but you can tell she's got her manners from you though." Alyssa said and giggled.
"Ara, ookini Alyssa-chan." Shizuru said.
A loud cough noise, came from the communicator. Haruka was starting to lose patience.
"Can someone tell us what's going on around here and why we have been called for?" asked Haruka in an impatient tone.
"Haruka, calm down." Yukino said.
Miyu then walked over to a place where everyone could see her.
"Yes, I believe it is time to tell you. A few incidents happening recently, as you have seen, have revealed that, so far two of the children have shown incredible powers, although one of them didn't know about it. Natsumi would you kindly show everyone your toy?" she asked.
Natsumi looked a bit scared of the older women, but when Shizuru put her hand on her shoulder, it made her feel calm. She nodded and then she lifted her shoulder up a bit. Out of nowhere, the small wolf toy came up and was leaning on her shoulder.
"What in the world is that?" Haruka asked.
"It's a toy Haruka, but I believe it looks like it's more. Could I be right in saying that it's alive?" Yukino asked.
"You are correct Madam President. The toy was brought to life due to the powers of Natsumi. Because of this, they have been bonded, but with the help from science. Because of what has happened, they have managed to develop the true powers of otome. This has been kept secret for many years. There was only one person who could have that power, which is Fumi herself, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I would also like to ask, could Mia and Kagutsuchi stand next to Natsumi please?" Miyu asked.
Mia got up, with Kagutsuchi on her shoulder and stood next to Natsumi.
"Have everyone noticed that both of the creatures are similar in size? I want to ask a question to the children, including Diana. Does any of you have a strange marking anywhere on your body?" Miyu asked.
Yohko then came in and responded to the question.
"Yes. I examined each of the children and they all carry a strange marking. Similar, but on different parts of there body." Yohko explained.
"I see. Has anyone ever heard of the word H.I.M.E?" Miyu then asked.
"The word is familiar, because we heard stories about these hime, from the long lost world, Earth. Fumi came from Earth to Earl and was able to create Garderobe to train future Otome." yohko said.
"I thought the story was only a legend?" Natsuki said.
"No. The story was true, but in order to protect Earl from the powers of hime, Fumi locked it away. Recently, I went to the place where it rested and the powers had awakened, but not only in the children. Every otome is now able to unlock this power." Miyu said.
"What power do we also have?" Shizuru asked.
"When Fumi came here, she stored the powers inside the G.E.M, but only in the stronger ones. So far, each meister otome is able to have their own G.E.M, along with their own element, but there was a stronger power hidden amongst them, which has been sleeping for a long time. Now, since it has awakened, they will also be rising up. They are known as childs. It's a guardian that gains its power from the person most important to the HiME. However, during that time of the Carnival, when a Child was killed, that person also vanished. Fumi was able to stop the carnival before coming here, so instead of fighting against one another and losing your important person, now if a child dies, the otome will also die along with their master. The five columns and stronger otome are able to awaken this power." Miyu explained.
Everyone in the room fell silent. Listening to Miyu's story, each of them gained a concerned face and some of them were thinking about the childs.
"But I fear that in the future the childs will come out more frequent in Garderobe, if you still have otomes. However, if you taught the students how to control the power, then hopefully it won't fall into the wrong hands and cause destruction. I calculate the risk of the power to be a 50-50 chance." Miyu said.
"You're telling us that we have these monsters inside our G.E.M's?" Haruka asked while curiously touching her G.E.M.
"What about the children then? How did they become part of this? They are not even at the age where they can enter Garderobe. They are still very small children." Yukino asked.
"I believe that when the people who created the children, discovered the secrets of the power of the G. , they wanted to obtain that power. However, they also wanted to create the strongest otome, so they stole your DNA and were then able to create artificial children. When the children were experimented on, their powers evolved quicker and now they have their own childs able to stand next to them. The childs are currently not at their true form though. That will only happen if the children activate their power from their G.E.M. That is why you see them in a small version." Miyu said.
"It's a good thing that we have managed to find the children before they would have been used as tools." Shizuru said.
"I'm still unable to see the true intention of the organization that created these children, because when I snuck in there, it looked like they also had bigger plans, but by the time I warned you and you infiltrated their base, they must of taken there plans with them." Miyu said.
"Once the investigation team is finished with the research they found, hopefully they will manage to find something that could sort this out." Natsuki said.
"How are we able to use our childs?" Mai asked.
"By summoning them. It may not be easy at first, but in time you will be able to summon them. You just need to search inside yourself and draw it out." Miyu said.
"Hold on a minute! You say that the other two children have these childs. Does this mean that Diana will also get this?" Haruka asked in a rather demanding voice.
"It won't take long for Diana to bring her child out too." Miyu replied without showing any signs of intimidation.
Everyone went silent for a bit before the door was heard opening and Nao walked in.
"Did I miss something important?" Nao said. She then noticed all the children.
"Who are the kids?" Nao said.
Natsuki was annoyed with Nao's timing, but then again, Nao got her annoyed all the time.
"Nao! Where have you been?" Natsuki asked.
"Chill out! I have been doing the task you assigned me. It's not my fault that you need your own personal diary to keep you on track." she said sneakily and looked over to Shizuru, then back to Natsuki again.
Natsuki raised her eyebrows at this comment. Nao knew which buttons to push to get under Natsuki's skin. Everyone except Miyu and the children, who were too young to understand this, were giggling at Nao's comment.
"Ara, forgive me Nao. Natsuki is a big girl, so I'm sure she's fine without me every now and then. I have been busy with looking after my daughter now." Shizuru said.
Nao had a confused look on her face and she looked at the girl who was standing at Shizuru's side.
"She looks more like that idiot over there." Nao nodded in the direction of Natsuki. "..And you say she's your daughter?" she asked.
"Ara. That's because she's mine and Natsuki's child." Shizuru said with a smile.
Nao now looked even more confused and she looked at Natsumi, then at Shizuru and Natsuki.
"Could someone fill me in as too what the hell is going on?" Nao asked.
Natsuki sighed at Nao. She stood up behind her chair.
"I will fill you in on this in a moment Nao. As for the rest of you, I think we should call this meeting finished and by now the children would probably want to get something to eat. Alyssa will also need to head out to Windbloom. Tomorrow I want full scans on both Mia and Natsumi with there childs. If this should happen to Diana too President Yukino, could you please make sure to let us know and could you send her down here so we can get a scan of her too? For now we will have to wait for the results from the investigation team and try and locate the organization as quickly as possible. Miyu, if you find anything, please let us know and we will try and help you as much as we can." Natsuki said.
"Of course principal. If anything happens to Diana, we will inform you and head straight to Garderobe." Yukino said whilst Haruka nodded and crossed her arms in agreement of Yukino's comment.
"Thank you Madam President. Yohko, could you also arrange a ride for Alyssa please and make sure they escort her up to Fuuka castle." Natsuki asked.
"Yes principal." Yohko said.
Before Yukino and Haruka left, Natsumi and Mia said their goodbyes to Diana and Miyu left. Alyssa went over to Natsuki and gave her a hug before she went and said goodbye to Shizuru and Natsumi. Then her and Yohko exited the room.
Shizuru noticed that something was odd with Natsuki. When Alyssa said goodbye, she whispered something to her and it made Natsuki look sad and worried.
"Shizuru, Mai, I think it will be best if you could stay at one of the 3 apartments we have here in Garderobe or perhaps it would be better with Shizuru's old flat. I'm sure that Mia and Natsumi would like to spend some time together. Your things will be there by the time you arrive. I asked for it to be done whilst we were having this meeting." Natsuki said.
Shizuru was confused as to why Natsuki wanted her to move back into her old room, but then she looked over to Mai and noticed she had a very worried face.
Mai knew why Natsuki wanted her to move back into her old room.
Is this how you are going around it? By distancing you from Shizuru as much as possible. Natsuki are you really going to do this?
"Ara. As you wish, Natsuki. Will you be joining us later then?" Shizuru asked
"I've got some important calls I have to make and I'll need to finish off my reports before Miss Maria scolds me again." Natsuki said.
"Ok then." Shizuru said.
"Shizuru, when you have dropped Natsumi off at your room, could you come back here? There is some business that we need to talk about." Natsuki requested.
"Of course Natsuki." Shizuru said.
Before they were about to leave, Natsumi went over to Natsuki and gave her a hug. Natsuki was surprised by the sudden contact, but then she slowly returned it. Mai noticed that Natsuki had a sad smile on her face. She felt bad for what was happening to Natsuki.
"We'll see you soon mommy." Natsumi said.
With that, Natsumi let go, went over to Shizuru and then they all went out of the office, leaving only Nao and Natsuki in the office.
Outside Garderobe.
A figure was keeping an eye on Garderobe, when they noticed a blonde person going into a car and driving away.
"Perfect! Now it's time to go in." said the figure.
They materialized a weapon in their hands and started to enter Garderobe without anyone detecting them.
Shizuru and Mai went straight to the room where Shizuru used to stay, when she was a meister and Natsuki was a pearl. This was the place where she locked herself away during the time her and Natsuki broke up.
Natsumi and Mia where in awe about the big room and wanted to explore the place.
Mai and Shizuru went into the kitchen, whilst Mikoto went over to sleep on the sofa. She felt tired from the meetings.
Mai noticed that Shizuru was confused about everything and she wasn't sure whether or not she should tell her. In the end, she shook her head, thinking that it was something Natsuki should do.
"Is everything alright Shizuru?" Mai asked.
"Ara. Everything's fine Mai. Ookini for your concern." Shizuru said.
"It's about Natsuki, right?" Mai asked?
Shizuru nodded and sighed at the situation. Then she looked over to see Natsumi and Mia playing together with there childs.
"Well, I'm sure that I'll find out what's bothering her. I've got to go and meet her now." Shizuru said.
"Ok. I'll make the kids something to eat then, whilst you're out and I'll leave you some too." Mai said.
"Ookini Mai." she looked over to Natsumi and called her "Nat-chan. I'll be going to see your mommy, so stay here and be a good girl for aunty Mai. I'll be back soon." Shizuru said.
"Ok mama." Natsumi shouted and waved at her.
Shizuru then got up and headed straight to Natsuki's office.
Meanwhile at Natsuki's office
"AAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHA! Now that's funny! You and your lover have a child. I never knew you tied her down so quickly and also at such a young age." Nao said, clutching her arms together and trying to control her laughter.
"NAO! This isn't the time for jokes. These children are artificial children and were being experimented on, so they could be the strongest otome, by using a far more powerful power." Natsuki said.
"I was just teasing you. Honestly, you don't have to bite my head off, but maybe I should send Shizuru in to see if she can bite your head off. I'm sure you would enjoy that." she said.
"Can we leave Shizuru out of this. I keep telling you, that there is nothing going on between us. We are work colleagues. That's all and it's not going to change anytime soon. Especially now." Natsuki said the last part in a whisper and then she shot Nao a glare.
"Also, if you continue to wind me up like this, then I will choose a mission much worse for you next time." Natsuki threatened.
"What! You can't do that to me. Honestly you are so petty!" Nao said.
"Anyway, have you been doing the task I asked you to do?" Natsuki asked.
"If you mean, keeping an eye on Nina, then yeah. I've been seeing her at Windbloom. She seems to be settling in fine, although I think she's still unsure about it all, because of what happened. I think she still feels responsible." Nao said.
"I see. I was hoping maybe Arika could get her out of those dark thoughts, although recently, I've noticed you go to Windbloom a lot. Usually you wouldn't get too involved in this. Is there something I should know about, Nao?" Natsuki asked sneakily.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean. You think I go up there because I enjoy speaking to Nina?" Nao said.
"Oh, here I thought Nao was starting to have a heart." Natsuki said.
"Listen you!" Nao started.
She was interrupted when the alarm in Garderobe activated. Natsuki quickly got up from her chair. Then suddenly Yohko's voice came from the communicator.
"Principal! Trouble in the lab. A mysterious figure has broken in and they're still in there!" Yohko said.
"We're on our way Yohko." Natsuki said. She faced Nao.
"Nao, let's go!" She commanded. Nao nodded and they both ran out of the office and headed straight towards the lab.
They both activated there robes.
"MATERIALIZE!"
Meanwhile at the lab…
The figure was typing as quickly as she could on a machine, trying to gather up some data.
"Dammit! No one told me it would be this difficult to get in here and access these files and now the alarm has gone off, so I haven't got much time before someone shows up."
The figure then gathered as much of the information as they could before the doors opened. The person looked up and noticed two figures standing there.
"That's quite far enough!" one of the figures said in a commanding tone, before materializing a big canon from their arm and aimed it at the figure.
Meanwhile, the other figure materialized a claw weapon on one of her arms.
"Hey, didn't I see you at the bar …ah!... You're that ass that bumped into me!" Nao shouted.
"Well well.. if it isn't the stupid spider. No wonder I called you that, you look like one. All creepy and ugly!" the figure shouted.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING CREEPY YOU ASS!" Nao shouted. She was about to go down there to teach the intruder a lesson, but the principal held her hand up in front of Nao to stop her. She sighed and looked back at the mysterious figure.
"Who are you?" Natsuki shouted.
"Tsch… Well, you can call me Duran, although I could ask you the same question." the figure said.
"I'm Natsuki Kruger, Principal of Garderobe, which you have just infiltrated. You can either surrender and come quietly or we'll use force." Natsuki said.
"Hmmm… well this is interesting." the figure said.
They never told me about the principal and that she's called Natsuki Kruger. This is great, they are pointing a canon at me. Guess it's time to get to business then.
"Sorry, I think I will choose another option." the figure said.
Then all of a sudden the figure moved their hands and materialized some strange small weapons, which looked like pistols. They started forming a strange aura around them.
"You definitely messed with the wrong person today…DURAN!" they shouted.
Out of nowhere a small mecha-wolf appeared, howling. It was silver and blue and was standing before its master.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" Nao shouted.
"DURAN, LOAD SILVER FLASH CARTRIGE!" commanded the figure.
The mecha-wolf loaded its guns, located at the sides of its shoulder blades and prepared to launch.
"AND FIRE!" The figure shouted. The wolf launched a bright light, which nearly caused Natsuki and Nao to go blind and the noise was so loud they had to cover up their ears.
As soon as the flash disappeared, they noticed that the figure and its strange wolf had disappeared. In fact they had blown up an entrance and escaped through it.
Both of them de-materialized their robes, before Nao was heard, shouting out loudly.
"DAMMIT! THEY'VE ESCAPED!" Nao said. She really wasn't happy with the comment the figure had given.
"Natsuki!" a voice shouted behind them and someone landed safely before de-materializing their robe.
"Shizuru?" Natsuki said.
"Are you alright? What happened? I heard the distress call from Yohko and I came as quickly as I could." she said.
"It's alright Shizuru. We're fine, but the intruder managed to escape. What's strange about this, is that they could materialize strange weapons and not only that. I think they also summoned a child. It was a strange wolf creature." Natsuki explained.
"What!? A child? Does that mean that they are also otome or hime?" Shizuru asked.
"I'm not sure. They called themselves Duran. From the looks of them, they were a lot older than the children. I would say around 16 or 17 and it was a female." Natsuki said.
"Man! Of all the days to come back, I ended up coming on a day were I got my ass kicked by a woman in weird clothes." Nao moaned.
"Nao, get Yohko down here, along with Irina and Professor Gal. Tell them to inspect this room as quickly as possible. I want results back. I need to know what this person was doing in here, what she was searching for and if she found it." Natsuki said.
"Yeah yeah.. Leave it too me." Nao said in an exasperated voice. After what had just happened, she didn't feel like arguing anymore.
"Right. Shizuru, can you let Mai know what has happened here and also please look after the children?" Natsuki asked.
"Of course Natsuki. What are you going to do now?" Shizuru asked.
"I'll be going back to my office and make a few calls and do my paperwork. There seems to be a lot on my desk. I'll speak to you later, ok?" Natsuki said.
"Ok. Please don't work to hard now." Shizuru said.
"I won't." Natsuki said.
She walked away and headed straight back to her office, whilst Shizuru walked the other way, back to her room.
In the underground enemy basement…
Ring!ring! The phone went off when a female picked it up and placed it by her ear.
"It's Duran. I have what you assigned me to get. I'll be back soon." Duran said.
"Good. I knew I could count on you to do this." she said in a mysterious voice.
"I'm not doing it for you, I'm only doing this for what you said you would do." Duran said and hung up the phone.
"Well aren't they a bit grumpy?" the female voice said with a smirk.
Back at Shizuru's apartment…
Mai was sitting on the sofa and was watching television, with Mikoto slepping on top of her legs, whilst Mia and Natsumi were in the bedroom, playing.
Mai was rubbing Mikoto's hair affectionately, whilst thinking about everything that has happened so far.
How did all this happen? Everything's happening to fast for everyone. We've been busy with our lives and all of a sudden, I ended up having a child and she's been through all kinds of dangers and being experimented on. Why did they do it? They are all lovely children, why change them into tools for fighting? It's not fair at all… Fair, hmmm, I'm sure Natsuki wouldn't agree to things being fair either. Especially with what she's going through. Having an arranged marriage, not being able to see Shizuru or be with her. There must be some way. I hope Alyssa can help out, but what will Shizuru even think of all this? Is Natsuki going to tell her?
Mai was lost in her thoughts, when Mikoto's head shot up and looked around as if trying to sense something.
"Mikoto, is something the matter?" Mai asked.
For a second Mikoto didn't respond. She looked around a second time and then went back to lying on Mai's lap again.
Strange. I thought I sensed a familiar power…
"Sorry Mai. I thought I sensed something." Mikoto said.
"Oh. What?" Mai asked.
"It felt familiar.. like a power from long ago, but it can't be." Mikoto said.
"Maybe it's the powers of the children's childs. Perhaps Diana's power might be coming out soon." Mai suggested.
"I don't know. Mai, this power is different compared to the children's. It's almost as if from the original." Mikoto said.
"Hmm… Why don't you think about it for a while, it might come back to you." Mai said.
Mikoto nodded and then quickly fell asleep again.
"Sheesh! It didn't take you long to fall asleep again." Mai said.
In Natsumi's room…
Natsumi and Mia were both enjoying the company of their childs. As they were flying around the room, chasing each other, Natsumi and Mia where sitting on the bed talking.
"Wow Natsumi, being able to stay here and with really nice mother's, you sure look really happy to be here?" Mia said.
"Yeah, it's great so far. I was able to meet mama's parents. They really are nice people. My mama is so graceful and beautiful." Natsumi said.
"Awww, aren't you cute, you became such a mommy's girl." Mia teased.
"I have not." Natsumi denied.
"Have too!" Mia shouted back.
"Have NOT!"
"Have TOO!"
Natsumi folded her arms together and looked elsewhere, trying to ignore looking at Mia, whilst Mia was giggling at Natsumi trying to be tough.
"So, Natsumi, I just realized.. Your child, does it have a name yet?" Mia asked.
"Hmmm…I've decided to call him Fenrir." Natsumi said.
"Fenrir? What made you think of that name, Natsumi?" Mia said.
"The truth is, I don't really know. It just came to me in my dreams." Natsumi said.
"You know what? I think that Fenrir gave you that dream, so he could tell you his name."
"Really, you think so?" Natsumi asked. She thought it sounded cool.
"Yeah. Mikoto told me, that we are connected to them, so maybe because you didn't know his name before, he decided to give you that dream." Mia concluded.
Suddenly, having had enough of playing, Kagutsuchi and Fenrir landed on their master's laps and rested there. Both Natsumi and Mia smiled at them and pet them on the head.
"I think you might be right Mia." Natsumi said as she looked down and saw Fenrir's eyes, staring back up at her.
Fenrir.. I'm sure mama and mommy will like your name too…
Meanwhile at Fuuka castle…
"Come on Arika, hurry up! We're going to be late." Nina shouted, as her and Arika were running down the corridors.
"Wait, Nina, I don't understand. What are we late for?" Arika asked.
"Well, you know that the fiancé for Mashiro is coming to visit tomorrow, right? But Mashiro sent out a letter to an old friend of hers, requesting her company here for a while." Nina said.
"Who's her old friend, I never heard of this?" Arika asked.
"I don't know. From what I've heard from Aoi, she has always visited her in the summer, but due to her family business, she hasn't been able to visit in the last few years. They still send each other letters though." Nina said.
"I wonder what she will be like?" Arika thought.
"Well, we won't know if you don't hurry up you idiot!" Nina shouted.
"Aww Nina is so mean!" Arika whined.
They both managed to make it to the entrance, just in time. They quickly took their places on each side of the queen, everyone else already in place for the arrival. Mashiro gave them both a stare before quickly returning her gaze up ahead to see a car pull up in front of them.
"Hey, Mashiro, who is this friend of yours by the way?" Arika asked.
"Honestly Arika…We've known each other since I was a little girl. Even though she was a few years older, she would always play with me. Her mother would always do business here at Windbloom, but she was also good friends with the previous king and queen. My friend wanted to become just like her mother, whilst her older sister wanted to become an otome." Mashiro explained.
"Do we know who her older sister is?" Arika asked excited.
"You'll find out soon." Mashiro said.
She then turned back and looked at the car in front of them. A servant opened the door and as soon as it was opened, Arika was stopped in her tracks when seeing a girl with blonde hair, kept in a low ponytail and piercing blue eyes. Not sapphire eyes like hers, but still her eyes shined bright and she was wearing a long green coat with gold trimmings. She walked towards Mashiro.
As soon as Alyssa got close to them, she stopped and kneeled before the queen.
"Your Highness. It's a pleasure to see you again and I would like to thank you for allowing me to stay in your castle." she said.
"Rise, my dearest friend, you don't need to act like this in front of me, but thank you for accepting my invitation. I wasn't sure if you were able to come or not" Mashiro said.
Alyssa stood up and Arika and Nina now noticed that Alyssa was indeed taller than all of them.
"Of course I would if my old friend was in trouble. You can't get rid of me that easy. Plus, I'll also be doing business here." Alyssa said.
"Indeed. I would like you to meet my two otome." Mashiro said.
Nina and Arika stepped closer and both bowed down to Alyssa and then stood back up again.
"Greetings and welcome to Windbloom. I'm meister Nina Wong, the second otome and holder of the Neptune emerald, for her Highness Queen Mashiro Blan de Windbloom." Nina said.
"My name is meister Arika Yumemiya. I'm the first otome and the holder of the blue sky sapphire. I welcome you." she said.
"Pleased to meet both of you. I've heard so much about you two. I'll be looking forward to staying here and learn more about otome. My name is Alyssa Kruger" she said.
"Kruger!? As in our headmistress' last name?" Arika asked.
"Yes. My older sister is Natsuki Kruger, the headmistress of Garderobe." Alyssa said.
"What!? No way! That is so cool! Wow, I just realized, you do look like her!" Arika said, the excitement beaming out of her.
"Arika, watch your manners!" Nina scolded.
"It's alright Nina. Something tells me I'm going to enjoy staying here." Alyssa said, looking at Arika and smiling at her. As soon as that happened, Arika blushed, until Mashiro interrupted her thoughts.
"Come Alyssa. You must be tired from the long journey. Let's go and have some tea. I believe I might need to fill you in on what you've missed." Mashiro said.
"Why thank you Mashiro. That would be good." Alyssa said.
Arika was too much in a daze, until Nina hit her side, getting her out of her trance.
"Come on Arika. There's no time for spacing out." Nina said.
"Huh… Oh yeah. Let's go." Arika said.
That's weird. Why did I suddenly stop like that? It felt like I couldn't move when she looked straight at me…
Once everyone arrived in a big room, filled with luxury sofa's and exclusive paintings along the wall, Aoi was pouring tea into Alyssa's cup, whilst Arika and Nina were sitting beside Mashiro on the sofa and Alyssa was sitting on the one across from them. Mashiro had just finished explaining to her about her fiancé.
"I see. So that's what happened, but Mashiro is this, what you really want?" Alyssa asked.
"Well, the truth is, it's not, but after a lot of thought, it would be good if the two kingdoms could unite. It would be great for Windbloom with Zipang by our side" Mashiro said.
"But that's not what I asked you Mashiro. I'm asking, would you be able to go through with this, an arranged marriage?" Alyssa asked.
"What choice do I have Alyssa? It's what the previous king and queen wanted, to be able to unite with Zipang. I'm doing this because I'm the queen and it's my role to make their wish come true." Mashiro said.
"So you are prepared to give up on finding your true love or have you found someone who did make your heart flutter hmm..?" Alyssa asked in a teasing voice.
"Baka! Who would I fall for?" Mashiro asked.
"What about the prince of Zipang, didn't you love him once?' Arika said.
"ARIKA!" Mashiro said, as her face turned red, whilst Arika quickly shut up.
"So prince Takumi, well, he is quite handsome?" Alyssa said.
"I do not love him. I only spend my birthday with him. Besides, he doesn't think of me in that way." Mashiro said.
She never thought about Takumi before, until now. She remembered the day they spent together. She never had so much fun in her life, but she was also upset with what Takumi said. Even though she listened to him and now understood what he meant, she even became a good queen for Windbloom, she was still upset. Especially after seeing what his bodyguard did to him. The way she gave him his pills, by chewing them and transferring them by kissing him.
"Mashiro? You did fall in love with him didn't you?" Alyssa said in a worried voice.
"What's the point now? I'll be meeting a diplomat son from Zipang. I'm sure I will never see him again." Mashiro said.
"You know, you kind of remind me of onee-chan. Now the truth is, she's in the exact same position. Getting married." Alyssa said.
"Wait! You mean the principal is going to get married? I knew there was something between her and Shizuru onee-sama. They make such a cute couple." Arika said.
"I'm sorry Arika, but it's not onee-chan and Shizuru. In fact, onee-chan is having an arranged marriage, just like Mashiro." Alyssa said.
"What!? But why would she go through this? Won't she make Shizuru oneesama upset and what about their child?" Arika asked.
"There's nothing Natsuki can do. She tried to get out of it, but unfortunately it hasn't gone well, so now she's decided to accept it." Alyssa said.
"Why do these things happen? It's not fair to force someone to marry a person they don't love." Arika complained.
"Arika, you're being rude." Nina said.
Arika then looked back to Alyssa and bowed her head.
"I apologize for my behavior and for what I said, miss Kruger." Arika said.
"There's nothing for you to apologize for Arika and please call me Alyssa. Miss Kruger makes me sound old or it makes me sound like my mother. If there are other questions you would like to ask me, please let me know and you too Nina." Alyssa said and smiled at them. Then she looked at Mashiro.
"That is also why I'm here. Besides seeing you, my family wants me to make sure Natsuki goes through with this, but I'm not going to. I'm going to make a deal with Artai" Alyssa said.
"Really? You're going to help principal?" Arika beamed her smile at her.
"Yes. I won't sit by and watch my sister ruin her life and I also don't want my niece to grow up without her other mother by her other mother's side. Natsuki and Shizuru deserve to be with each other. Even if my sister is stubborn about showing her love for her. Honestly, why won't she confess to her, it's beyond me?" Alyssa said.
"Maybe stubbornness runs in the family. I remember you used to be stubborn when we were younger and I'm guessing it hasn't changed at all." Mashiro said, making everyone laugh, whilst Alyssa crossed her arms and turned the other way, pretending to be mad. Eventually she couldn't hold it any longer and joined in.
"You may be right on that." She then turned to Arika and smiled at her "Don't worry Arika, I'll make sure my sister ends up with the person she loves." she said proudly.
Arika was struck again by Alyssa's smile. She didn't know what was making her feel like this. She only hoped that she would be able to find out what it was.