Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters that belong to Sunrise. Yup.
Chapter 11
"Say anything and I will seriously hurt you," the cobalt-haired girl warned as she made her way down the staircase. To Natsuki's annoyance, she had to hold onto the railing as she walked down the carpeted steps. The dress was still a bit too long for her and there was no way she was going to make a fool out of herself in front of Shizuru.
When Natsuki finally reached the bottom of the staircase, she gave an involuntary twitch at Shizuru's strange expression. The doll, who was dressed quite elegantly in the matching dark blue dress, was staring – no, gawking – at her with wide eyes. Shizuru's well-formed jaw had gone slack, allowing her adorable cherry lips to part far enough for a bug to mistakenly fly into it. It was as though Natsuki had suddenly transformed into some sort of divine creature or perhaps by the doll's shocked face, a disgusting monster. In fact, Shizuru seemed to have become completely mesmerized by Natsuki's appearance, which left the latter feeling rather uncomfortable and yet amused. This strange dumb gaping expression certainly was not befitting for Natsuki's usually "sophisticated" friend. Oh how Natsuki wanted to laugh, but there was still something bothering her.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" the eight-year-old demanded, her voice oozing annoyance. As soon as the words left her mouth, Natsuki felt stupid for asking something she already knew the answer to.Her action resembled a natural reflex, except with words – kind of like those "are you okay" questions that she heard so often on the television. Wasn't it obvious if the person was hurt or not? So why do people still ask that question? Shizuru always laughs at me when I wear a dress. It's not my fault I look stupid in them!
The red-eyed girl blinked as though waking from her hypnotic spell. Suddenly, a wide grin broke out across Shizuru's face, revealing two rows of pearly whites. "Natsuki looks positively gorgeous in her dress."
Another twitch. Extending her hand, Natsuki pinched at her doll's soft, pale cheek. "Didn't I tell you not to say anything?" she asked, increasing the pressure of her pinch; it was her new form of torture for her companion.
"Ah, but Natsuki was the one who asked me! You can't blame me for answering can you?" The doll had found a loophole. Scowling at her friend's clever response, Natsuki released her victim. Shizuru was left rubbing at the now reddened flesh.
"I know I look weird, don't remind me," Natsuki said grumpily as she turned her back to Shizuru, who now looked at her friend in confusion. Didn't she just say that the blue-haired girl was gorgeous? Beautiful? So unbelievably lovely that there were no words in the world that could describe how the girl looked?
"Weird? I said you were –"
"La la la, I can't hear you," the younger interrupted as she began to sing aloud obnoxiously. Covering her ears, her "singing" grew louder as Shizuru attempted to complete her sentence. But no matter how hard the doll tried, her owner would just increase her voice with much ease. Finally, unable to handle Natsuki's immaturity to hear the truth, Shizuru pulled down Natsuki's arms with surprising strength and with all her might yelled, "I THINK YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL!"
"Wha?" Baffled jade gems stared into determined ruby ones. An unfamiliar wave of heat flushed the younger girl's face. Beautiful? Where did that come from?
"But… why do you always laugh then?" the blue-haired girl asked calmly, which seemed to assure Shizuru that her words finally got through. Slowly, Shizuru removed her hands from Natsuki's wrists and the latter mused at her doll's ability to leave red imprints of her grip.
"I don't laugh, I smile," the older girl responded with a sigh. It was just like Natsuki to misunderstand her intentions. "You rarely ever wear dresses and when you do it makes me…" How exactly did she feel about Natsuki wearing dresses? Shizuru didn't know the finish to that thought. "You look nice in them and… and I think you should wear them more often," the doll concluded, her face beginning to mirror her friend's rosy complexion.
"Oh," Natsuki stated. She was rendered absolutely speechless. The two girls were both embarrassed by their comments and couldn't look each other in the eye properly. Upon taking a closer look, Natsuki noticed that her refined friend also seemed to be blushing. Didn't Shizuru like teasing her? Why was this time any different? It was then that Natsuki was blown away. When did Shizuru suddenly become so... dare she use the word… pretty? Her hair was now dry after the earlier sprinkle of rain, those tan strands appearing softer and lustrous than ever. Shizuru's petite, cherry lips curled into a cute pout which matched perfectly with her naturally pallid skin. But along with that wonderful match was the hauntingly magnificent contrast of Shizuru's pale skin with her crimson eyes. There were times when Natsuki would feel intimidated by those ruby gems; she feared that her friend was looking too deeply into her. But that only occurred a couple of times, and only when Shizuru was really serious about something.
"Natsuki?" Now it was younger girl's turn to be ripped away from her thoughts. Any sign of Shizuru's previous blush had been replaced with a look of concern. You always worry about me, Shizuru…
"You look really pretty, Shizuru," Natsuki said as confidently as she could, giving a dashing smile. And the only way she could say it without seeming nervous was to make this into a competition. Shizuru might have won the first round with a surprise attack, but after that confession she had blushed too! So they were tied! Now all she had to do was get Shizuru to turn red and she could prove once and for all who the superior one was.
"Ara, thank you, Natsuki. Did I ever tell you how cute your determined look was?" The older girl smiled warmly at her companion. Had Natsuki said the comment in a more serious tone, Shizuru was sure to have blushed. However, after living with her owner for four months now, the brunette was able to read Natsuki easily. A combination of a smile and smirk like the one Natsuki was wearing right now usually meant that the younger girl was certain she was going to win something. Natsuki, if you're trying to hide something from me, you shouldn't let your face show what's on your mind.
"Tch." The tomboy rolled her eyes at Shizuru's teasing. She was a bit let down that her friend had seen through her tactic, but that was to be expected right? Shizuru is my best friend after all… Great, my best friend is a talking doll…
"Natsuki!" Only one person in the entire world could ever say her name with such a nagging tone. Groaning, Natsuki lifted her eyes to meet her mother's proud ones. Mutsumi was obviously proud of her handiwork. Despite her daughter's enjoyment of parading around in shorts and loose clothing, when the girl was dressed in proper formal wear, she looked amazing. Sitting by her doll again, probably engaged in some eight year old conversation. I wonder what the two were talking bout.
"Yes mother?" she answered in mild disdain. Her mother probably wanted to further embellish her appearance.
"Let me fix your hair." The older woman knelt by her daughter so the two could look each in the eye. It was common courtesy to look at a person when speaking to them.
"No, I'm already wearing the stupid dress and my hair is fine as it is!" The girl stubbornly crossed her arms as though to demonstrate her lack of desire to be involved with her mother's primping activities.
Knowing that she'd be unable to persuade her daughter, Mutsumi gave a wearisome, pleading look to Shizuru. The doll was taken back that Natsuki's mother seemed to be asking her for help – did Kuga-san finally believe that she was alive? Still, even if that wasn't the case, Shizuru did enjoy seeing her friend dressed up.
"How about we do it together? It's Christmas; we should be in the holiday spirit! It'll make you even prettier!" the doll said enthusiastically as she laid her head against Natsuki's bare shoulder. The dress had two thin straps that traced over her shoulder blades and collar bone. Because Natsuki was thin, her collar bone protruded noticeably, but Shizuru knew well enough that it could soon disappear as a result of mayonnaise overdose. Overall, the dress was nicely designed, in which the dress dipped into a nice crevice in the middle of Natsuki's upper chest. Had the blue-haired girl been an adult, an ample amount of cleavage would have been offered for all to see. Unfortunately, this was not the case, but that didn't lessen Natsuki's beauty at all. There was also a pale blue sash that circled and Natsuki's waist. The ends of the sash were left dangling messily and the doll was sure that Mutsumi was going to have to redo that as well. Above the sash, the dress was layered into equal sized slits, one over the other. The remaining bottom half was long, decorated with a cute floral pattern, and also inflexible, nothing like those dresses where you can spin and it'd flutter upward. Natsuki would be safe from the hands of a naughty boy.
"Why do you keep siding with my mom?" Natsuki complained quietly so her mother couldn't hear; she could easily refuse her mother's wishes, but when her best friend was also there pressuring her… that made matters much more difficult.
"I thinks it's proper to dress up for a Christmas party, back where I li – " Shizuru cut herself off. Once again she had become careless and almost revealed something she shouldn't have.
"What was that?" As a result of Shizuru's occasional accidental blurts, Natsuki grew more and more curious as to what there was that was so secretive. Ever since Natsuki met Shizuru, she knew the older girl had a strange mysterious aura, but wasn't this expected from a talking doll?
"Let your mom play with your hair and I'll tell you," Shizuru bargained, knowing that Natsuki wouldn't be able to resist such an offer. To tell Natsuki her origins would be risking her connection and everything she had with Natsuki. However, Shizuru was certainly not going to jeopardize that – a witty plan brewed within her mind.
"Really?" Natsuki had taken the bait.
"Really." The older girl smiled at her excited friend. Thinking to herself, she found a way to make Natsuki trust her. Extending her pinky, she turned to the younger girl and said seriously, "I pinky promise."
And that was all Natsuki needed to hear. The two hooked pinkies and grinned happily at each other, both happy with their end of the deal. The only thing Natsuki forgot was that her mother was still in the room with them and currently giving that worried and perplexed look again.
"This is always your fault you know," Natsuki quickly whispered into Shizuru's ear, only to find that her friend had transformed back into her doll form. Smart Shizuru, this way I won't treat you so much as a living being. Holding the doll closely against her chest, the younger girl carefully stood up, her left hand gripping the railing.
"Let's get this over with," the tomboy said coolly as she made her way slowly up to her room. All Mutsumi could do was smile. Somewhere in her heart, she wanted to believe that the doll was real, but there was no way that'd be possible, even if it seemed like the doll had helped to convince her hardheaded daughter.
"Thank you, Shizuru," Mutsumi said inaudibly; she couldn't help but play along with all this nonsense.
"Ow! That hurts!" A hand instantly shot up into the air, waving fiercely as though to swat the source of pain. Instead, she slapped her mother lightly, on the face and blocked the young woman's view of her work.
"Stop moving around and it won't hurt!" she reprimanded as she unraveled the curling iron, producing a very springy curl. With only two hands, Mutsumi wasn't able to properly curl the ends of her Natsuki's hair and keep the girl from moving about.
Not too far from this scene, Shizuru sat contently on Natsuki's bed playing with one of her own curls, her other hand holding the adored dog plush, who just so happened to be wearing a mini Christmas hat for the occasion. The screams from the bathroom seemed completely normal to her; in fact, they were quite reassuring. It was just Natsuki being Natsuki and Natsuki's mother being all motherly – which was much better than the depressed and argumentative Kuga-san she'd heard a couple days earlier.
"There, we're done," her mother puffed, exhausted from having such an uncooperative girl for a daughter. The younger Kuga only glared at her mother before taking a quick glance in the mirror.
Ew, I look so girly. The young girl could only frown at her reflection. I hope Mom doesn't think I like doing these stupid things. Stupid Shizuru, why do I always listen to you? Stupid dress, stupid Mom, stupid holiday spirit. The list went on…
Hopping off her seat, the jade-eyed girl ran to meet her friend, who was now humming a popular Christmas tune. Mutsumi once again sighed to herself wishing that she had a more feminine daughter who enjoyed these sorts of things. Maybe I can ask the doll, I mean Shizuru, to make Natsuki more girly… Yeah right…
The chime of the doorbell sounded cheerfully throughout the house, indicating that one of the guests had arrived. Looking at her watch, Mutsumi found that she was running quite behind schedule. Muttering a curse to herself, she finished restoring the bathroom to its previous condition and quickly went to open the door.
"Hehe, now we match even more," the doll said, tilting her head as she reached out to play with one of Natsuki's long blue curls dotingly. As much as the younger girl would hate to admit, she did at times enjoy Shizuru's flattery and teases about how pretty she looked. It was different from when her mom said it or Takeda did or even her dad. The doll's words, well, made her feel as though she really were pretty.
"Never, I look so much prettier and girlier," the younger girl stated, feigning the voice of the vain but ditsy girls on the television. Shizuru could only giggle as she watched her friend start to make ridiculous faces while flipping the navy coils over her shoulder.
"Natsuki, someone's here to see you," her mother shouted in a way that indicated Natsuki had no choice but to greet their first guest.
"Hmn?" the doll asked, sitting up from her reclined position.
"C'mon, we have to go entertain the guests," the blue-haired girl said, emphasizing the last three words with much disdain. And to further Natsuki's dismay, the person she'd have to "entertain" was none other than…
"Takeda-san…" she did no attempt to hide her annoyance at the first visitor. Of all people… it had to be Takeda.
"Takeda-san?" Shizuru's voice, on the contrary, was elated. The doll loved watching the boy's attempts to woo her friend, especially since they always seem so pathetic. He was tan, too tan for Natsuki's liking probably. And so thin, surely her tomboyish friend would never go for a guy that was weaker and scrawnier than she was.
"Hey, K-Kuga-san." He waved nervously at the unimpressed blue-haired girl. Poor boy, Shizuru thought to herself, she'd eat him alive. The boy was wearing a black suit with a red and green tie to symbolize the Christmas spirit. Natsuki scoffed as she noticed that the suit didn't even fit him well. His hair for tonight's celebration was combed neatly to one side. His mother probably did his hair for him as well the attire. It was the only thing Natsuki could sympathize with him.
Turning away from the annoying boy, Natsuki led the other two to the TV room. Sitting on the sofa with Shizuru next to her, she watched as Takeda awkwardly maneuvered his way around the furniture to occupy the seat next to Shizuru. And for a while the three sat together, engulfed by an awkward silence.
"So… Kuga-san, how has winter vacation been?" the boy asked, fiddling with his tie. He snuck a peek at his classmate, who was leaning against her hand looking extremely bored.
"Natsuki, answer him," Shizuru elbowed her friend in the ribs, causing Natsuki to jerk.
"Fine," replied an icy voice. Grabbing the remote, she turned on the television and flipped to a random channel, so at least there was some noise to fill the room. Of course, her parents and the other Takedas were together in the dinning room discussing things, but Natsuki needed an excuse for not being able to hear Takeda.
"Oh, um…" But as soon as Natsuki turned on the television, he felt his comments to be bothersome for his crush. So the boy with the red and green tie shut his mouth and watched the array of colorful lights and a dancing figure in front of him. He wanted Natsuki so badly to like him. Maybe she was playing hard to get. This piece of information alone was able to bring up his spirits. Digging in his pocket, he felt a distinct, rectangular box with a small bow at the top. He grasped it with his hand and pulled it out thinking it would be the perfect time to surprise her.
"Hey, Natsuki, let's go back to your room," the older girl whispered into her companion's ear. She was hoping that the boy would be of more amusement, but all he did was twiddle his thumbs. This boy Takeda would never be the one for Natsuki.
"I want to, but I'm stuck with Stupid," she said, throwing her head slightly in Takeda's direction, her eyes still glued to the cartoon characters.
"Say you have to do something, I'm sure he won't question." The doll smiled knowingly. The boy was too scared of Natsuki to ever go against anything the girl did.
"Kuga-san, I hav – "
"Takeda-san, I need to get something from my room. I'll be back soon." She quickly clutched Shizuru's wrist and together they escaped back to the cobalt-haired girl's room. Disappointed by his crush's sudden leave, he put the present he bought by himself into his right pants pocket. The Christmas tree's alternating light patterns flickering on and off left the poor boy feeling lonelier than ever.
"Ryo, you're amazing, putting up cutesy decorations like a real man." A tanned man in a dark grey suit lay his large hand against Ryo's shoulder. Prior to the Takedas' early arrival, Ryo had been putting up even more Christmas decorations. Surprised to see the guests, he apologized for his appearance and welcomed his friends wholeheartedly. Kuga Ryo and Takeda Taro were childhood friends who'd kept in touch for the past twenty years. Though not best friends, since Ryo didn't believe in the concept, they were as close as any friends could get. And for this reason, Ryo did not mind the friendly physical contact and taunts Taro often made.
"Taro, it's good to see you." Ryo wiped at the sweat cascading down the side of his face. He opened his arms to embrace his long time companion, but Taro stepped back and wagged his finger.
"You smell worse than some of the guys in Kendo," Taro exaggerated, pinching the bridge of his nose. Of course, there was no way the clean freak Ryo would ever let himself reek to such a level. Ryo grinned at his friend's usual childish comments and in return complimented that Taro looked handsome in his suit.
"I better, this piece of hot stuff cost a pretty penny." The two laughed together, remembering how horrible Taro had been with money in their high school years. Taro wasn't particularly fashionable, but did love spending his money on lavish and, at times, unnecessary items – all the better to blend in with the upper-middle class of Tokyo.
"I should go let you change. You'd better not outdo me in front of the ladies," Taro laughed, brushing imaginary dust off his precious suit. Not extremely handsome, but still completely full of himself.
"Taro-san, I don't think that'd be appropriate in front of your wife," warned a familiar voice. The two men turned to look at Kuga Mutsumi standing in the hallway. She gave a crooked smile before entering the room and bowing to the Takedas. Her hair was tied up with a clip, ends flowing down like a majestic waterfall. She wore Stravinsky earrings, the ones that Ryo had given her oh so many years ago. Her dress was dark red with a slit on the right traveling up to mid-thigh. The dress was gorgeous and reminded Ryo of how beautiful his wife was, or in this case, is.
Stunned by his wife's beauty, Ryo walked toward her and tried to kiss her affectionately on the lips. But, just as his lips descended, she turned her head and his lips fell upon her Mutsumi's cheek. Her eyes met his and she smirked at the desire hidden in those pleading eyes.
"Damn, Mutsumi-san, had I known you could transform into such a beauty, I would've married you!" Taro joked as he went to his wife and snaked his arm protectively around her. He joked often about things like this, but he was devoted forever to his wife. She knew this and this was why she allowed her husband to still flirt with other women. Takeda Yoko was a woman who would rarely ever be jealous.
"Yoko-san, always a pleasure," the head female Kuga smiled politely. The two wives weren't particularly close, but had a mutual respect for each other – good acquaintances you could say.
"Mutsumi-san," Yoko smiled back, "Taro… took the words right out of my mouth. You look amazing."
"Thank you. Ryo, don't you think you should change before the other guests come?" The group looked at Ryo's out of place attire. He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and excused himself to the room he shared with Mutsumi, or used to share.
Buzz, buzz his phone vibrated in his pocket. Reaching in he took out the cellular device and beamed to see it was another text message from his favorite bunny.
"My number one, Shinichi
Merry Christmas and as promised tonight will be free of charge. I'll even pay for drinks for tonight. How does champagne sound, or would you prefer wine? You are coming over tonight, right? I look forward to your arrival. I will be wearing a cute Santa outfit, just for you. I love you so much. You are my life saver.
XOXO, Usagi"
Chuckling at his bunny's plea to meet with him, he kissed the screen of his mobile device. Masami is so perfect! And it's not like I'm cheating on Mutsumi, I'm helping her with a worthy cause! She needs the money and tonight, well it's Christmas! No worries, Ryo, none at all. His smooth thumb pressed the reply button and eagerly, he texted his response, grinning the whole time like a schoolboy in love.
"I heard my Masashi has a crush on your Natsuki," Taro started, leaning his strong frame against the kitchen's counters.
"Where did you hear that?" Mutsumi asked, surprised. Natsuki never talked about any boys or crushes!
"Caught the boy up late a couple nights ago, thought he was doing something he wasn't supposed to, but turns how he was writing a love letter!" Taro laughed aloud, his hand slapping the counter.
"Well, Natsuki never talked about boys," the female Kuga stated somewhat sorrowfully. She was reminded of the lack of communication she had with her daughter. How unnatural it must be for a mother to know almost nothing about her daughter. There was one thing she knew though – Shizuru.
"She's probably just shy. She'll warm up to the Takeda charm, I taught the boy some moves. He'll have her in no time," he stated proudly. Yoko looked at Mutsumi apologetically. Sorry for my husband's behavior, she seemed to say. The other woman could only smile and nod her head as though to say, it's alright, my husband can be quite embarrassing at times as well. It was then that the doorbell suddenly rang.
"Please excuse me." In a graceful turn on the heels, a spray of curls flew into the air before neatly falling back into place. She was walking in her slippers; she hadn't expected for it to rain today. This obviously put a damper on her plans, but having the party inside the house was just as fine. As she passed by the television room, she noticed Takeda sitting by himself.
"Masashi-kun, where's Natsuki?" And of course the doll is gone, Natsuki really takes that thing everywhere. The doorbell's incessant ringing was growing more frequent, causing Mutsumi to rub at her temples in frustration. Too many things were happening at once. She peered at the boy and saw him point upstairs, meaning that Natsuki was probably up in her room. Did she leave the boy all by himself? Mutsumi wanted to groan.
"Natsuki, come downstairs right now! More people are here!" Mutsumi mouthed an "I'm sorry" to Masashi for her daughter's rudeness.
"Ugh, we hafta go down again. I'd rather just stay here and spend my Christmas with you, just the two of us," The two girls were apparently watching the same channel as Takeda downstairs. Natsuki was lying on her bed, her head rolling off the end of the bed, allowing her curls to sway freely. Shizuru, on the other hand, was sitting at the edge of the bed, near Natsuki's head, her legs together like a lady.
"We should go then," the older girl said responsibly, knowing all too well the procedures for family parties. "Your mom's going to come and get you anyway."
This was true, and Natsuki scowled at the thought of her mom's pestering voice constantly forcing her to go down. She sat up straight and just as she was going to get off the bed, her mother opened the door rather forcefully, her eyes glowering.
"What do you think you were doing leaving Masashi-kun by himself? Have you no respect for him? The Takedas are our family friends!" Mutsumi chided. The clamor of noise downstairs increase and she heard the many beeps of car keys locking their door. More guests, ah! "I don't have time to deal with this. Go downstairs right now, we'll discuss this later." And as soon she finished what she needed to say, Mutsumi left the room to welcome more of the guests as her husband was still finishing preparing for his appearance.
"Wow," Shizuru said a bit breathless.
"Tell me about it. I have to live with her all the time." The younger girl hopped off her bed and turned to look at her friend, who seemed to be staring off into space. "C'mon" she rushed; she didn't want to get into anymore trouble.
So that's what Natsuki is going to look like when she's older when dressed up. Natsuki is going to grow up to be very beautiful.
As most parties would go, different age groups were separated into their according place. The company workers or family friends would be in the dinning-living room with the host and the hostess. Most of these guests brought their children, who would then be further divided into their own sects. Those considered as "adults," but weren't old enough to be with their working parents came together. They talked about college or their most recent relationship with a loved one. There was the young adult group, which covered a sufficient amount of the kids. Seldom did they really talk to others for each was absorbed in their own thoughts – their teenage minds forcing them to think of all the causes of their suffering. There weren't too many really young kids or babies, since most of the couples long had their children. Most of the adults here were considerably older than Ryo, but that was to be expected since this was more of a company get-together.
There were about six people in Natsuki's age group, seven if Shizuru was counted in. Each adorned in their respective colorful garments that their parents forced them into. Only two girls seemed to have actually enjoyed their formal attire.
"That's a really cute doll," the chubby girl with the pigtails from her birthday greeted. Was she really not fazed by her last attempt to start a conversation with Natsuki? In the plump girl's arms, which were pudgy and not at all fit for climbing trees, was a foreign looking doll. Like Shizuru, the hair was tan, but even a paler version. The doll's eyes were black, which gave the doll an eerie feel of sucking you in. Walking over, the chubby girl went to touch Shizuru's face. Natsuki had forgotten Shizuru was still one of those creepy, life-sized dolls to the eyes of others.
"Don't touch her!" Natsuki shouted after seeing Shizuru's uncomfortable expression. How dare that girl just randomly go up to her and touch her beloved friend's face? Would she like that if she did that to her? Shizuru, however, reassured the hotheaded blue-haired girl that she was fine; it wasn't that big of a deal, just a bit weird.
"Kuga Natsuki, long time no see," declared a pompous voice. Natsuki couldn't distinguish the voice or remember the girl's name, but then again she usually never cared to do such a thing in the first place.
"It's Minato Satomi, don't tell me you've forgotten? I know I missed your birthday party, but I've been to your family's Christmas party every year," the girl named Satomi stressed the last part as though to demonstrate her importance to these revelries. "And I must say, you've really outdone yourself this time. Finally becoming a girl?"
"Minato-chan," the pudgy girl said, happily hugging the newcomer briefly before returning to the side of a grey-haired boy wearing black-framed glasses. Oh Minato-san, Natsuki remembered as she eyed Satomi's gold sequined dress. How could I forget the most obnoxious daughter of the most obnoxious mom in the history of the world?
"Ah, Senou Aoi, I see you've lost some weight since our last encounter. And how maybe times have I told you, you can call me Satomi. Just don't forget to add the –chan," Satomi winked at the girl now identified as Senou Aoi. At least someone was able to remember everyone's names. "Still hanging out with, is that you, Harada Chie? I barely recognized you with that new haircut. Mom was right, you need to learn to stop fidgeting when people cut your hair!"
Girl? She looks so much like a boy! Wait, Harada Chie? She used to have such long hair, I guess she had a bad time at the barber's.
"How do you know her, Natsuki?" Shizuru spoke softly into Natsuki's ear, her arched eyebrow rising further at the noisy girl's endless comments.
"Daughter of Minato Naomi, one of the secretaries at my dad's workplace. Her mom is just as bad. They know all the gossip of the people around them and they're big mouths. Really, really annoying. This family, especially the mom, she's so dramatic, especially about her divorce," Natsuki sighed at the memory of a woman who wore bright red lipstick, who kissed her cheek and criticized her for unladylike behavior.
"Takeda Masashi! Still harboring a crush for, ahem, you know who I'm talking about, right? Because if you don't, she's standing right there!" Satomi pointed a finger polished with vivid red in Natsuki's direction. Suddenly self-conscious in front of his crush, Takeda lowered his head, hoping that those emerald gems weren't looking at him.
"And last but not least, Machida Vincent, the half-Japanese half-American boy!" Satomi wrung her arm around the nonchalant boy's neck. Vincent was the oldest of the group and because of his mixed blood felt that he never could belong with the pure Japanese kids. He was quiet, making others believe that he was a loner like Natsuki, but this was not the case. He lived most of the time in America and only came back during school vacations to visit his grandparents and father. The Machidas weren't divorced but were merely separated due to their jobs. Vincent never spoke because he feared his incorrect pronunciation of the Japanese language. The only time he got to practice his Japanese was when he was with his father, which was only a few times in a year. Still, he was one of the few people that Natsuki thought was okay.
"You know I've been to America too, and France and England and… say Natsuki what are we going to do. I'm bored! Let's play something," Satomi pouted, jutting out a glossy lower lip.
"Oh I know let's play house!" Aoi suggested giddily as she held the doll close to her chest as though it were her child.
"Good idea Aoi-chan, we can help Masashi-kun," the gossip-loving girl said not-so-quietly to the chubby girl. "Except, house is so boring, it's for little kids! We need to make this more interesting. How bout "who can make their marriage can last" game?"
"What's that?" Aoi had never heard that name before, but neither had any of the other kids.
"Easy, we're paired up as husbands and wives and see which group can last the longest," Satomi grabbed Aoi's doll and Shizuru so that the two toys were now in her arms. "These will be the babies. See one couple won't be able to have a baby, which becomes a problem because people only get married to have babies!"
"Shi…" But Shizuru held a finger to her lips signifying for Natsuki to be quiet. She mouthed her alias to her companion as a reminder not to use her real name with people she didn't know.
"Can I have Shizuka back?" Natsuki said, trying her best to restrain herself from attacking the girl and saving Shizuru from the likes of Minato.
"Already named your baby? That excited to be a mom? Well, you'll need a husband first! Masashi-kun, you're with Natsuki-chan. And… Aoi-chan, you're with Chie-chan. And I guess that leaves me with the handsome, mixed Vincent-kun," Satomi strolled over to loop her arm through Vincent's.
"Don't want to play," Vincent said in broken but comprehendible Japanese. Removing himself from Satomi, he took out his mp3 player and went to the sofa to drown himself in his music.
"Fine! Be that way, darling! I'll just be the single mom, who messily breaks up with her husband, but is secretly glad because now she gets to date younger and BETTER men," she shouted, hoping to stir Vincent's interest to play the game again. Alas, Vincent was smart and managed to escape. Now, he was transported into a world of music, something universal to all.
"I don't want to play either, can I have Shizuka back," Natsuki demanded, her hand outstretched waiting for Satomi to release her cherry blossom scented arms from Shizuru's waist.
"You can have Shizuka back after you give birth to her!" Satomi stuck out her tongue at Natsuki, who in turn wanted to rip the muscle out of Satomi's throat.
"Ara, I'm Natsuki's child," Shizuru mused as she grinned in what Natsuki deemed to be very irritating. Now perhaps Shizuru would get to see Natsuki's "suitor" in action.
"Shut up," the blue-haired girl mouthed while the doll's grin only widened.
"Okay, so hold hands, I'm going to pronounce you husband and wife!" Satomi said setting her hostages in a secure place where she could easily reach.
"Um…," and shyly, Aoi reached out to take Chie's into hers, the boyish girl giving a reassuring squeeze as their fingers intertwined.
"Honey?" Takeda tried, which caused Shizuru to lightly chuckle.
"No," Natsuki said stubbornly as she crossed her arms, preventing Takeda from even trying to take the hand into his.
"Don't be such a party pooper Natsuki-chan! It's just Masashi-kun, not some pervert!" Still, Natsuki remained rigid in her position, her glacial glare turning colder by the second.
"Ugh, soooooo unhelpful. You're married. You're married. Now you're married! Time to try and make a baby!" Satomi pretended to sprinkle imaginary dust between the two couples.
"I didn't know two girls could get married. I've never seen two mommies before," Aoi pondered aloud triggering a very exasperated sigh to emit from Satomi.
"Of course they can! Whenever I watch TV with my mom she always says that she should've been a lesbian, so then she wouldn't have ever needed to meet my father. That's what they're called you know. And for guys, I think my mom calls them gays. So lesbians and gays, there you have it," Satomi informed the group of children as though she were an all knowing god. Aoi, on the other hand, was fascinated by the new information. Chie didn't say anything though, she rarely does. Aoi once said that Chie was really talkative, but Natsuki found that hard to believe.
"You're so smart, Satomi-chan!" Aoi complimented, giving Satomi more reason to feel like the supreme ruler of the universe. Natsuki sneered at that though – she could take on Satomi anytime.
"So how do we make a baby?" This time it was Takeda who asked, but it was actually something everyone wanted to ask. Since everyone was around the age of eight or nine, no one was really sure how babies were created. The stork idea or finding a baby in bamboo or peaches was long extinguished as incorrect.
"I'm really surrounded by kids, aren't I?" Satomi touched her pointer finger against her temple as though in great annoyance of being surrounded by naivety. "You have to kiss, but it can't be a normal kiss. It has to be a really passionate one! I remember watching with Mommy that after kissing there's a lot of moaning and finally a scream. Then a couple days later the woman will have a big tummy!"
"Are you sure that's how babies are made?" Chie questioned; she wasn't as knowledgeable at these things as Satomi, but for some reason the information seemed wrong. Shizuru raised an eyebrow at Satomi's fictional story of how babies are created – she knew better.
"Of course! Oh, Aoi-chan, Chie-san, I'm sorry, but two girls can't have a baby. I don't know why, but that's just how it is. So what will you do now? How are you going to continue your marriage?" Satomi turned to the two girls with a devious grin.
"Well, ah, I'm sorry I can't give you a baby, Chie-chan," the pudgy girl honestly said to her "wife."
"Don't worry about it," and suddenly the boyish girl embraced the shorter, chubbier girl, "we can adopt."
"Really – "
"Great idea, Chie-chan! I knew those glasses meant you were smart," Satomi snapped her fingers and then continued to congratulate the two for their wise decision. Suddenly, she grabbed Aoi's doll and threw it in their direction – Aoi caught it and cradled the baby in her arms.
"Natsuki-chan? Masashi-kun?" Satomi now turned to the couple that stood a good three feet apart.
"W-would you like to make a baby with me, N-N-Natsuki-chan," Takeda stuttered out. His face flushed from calling the blue-haired girl such a familiar name.
"Goo, goo, Natsuki, I mean mommy," Shizuru couldn't help herself from taunting; this was priceless. The doll loved the scene before her – an angry, twitching Natsuki and a scared, shaking Takeda. Her "mom" looked like she was going to explode. What a great family she had!
N-Natsuki-chan?" Takeda attempted once more to get the attention of his wife.
"Shut up!" Natsuki yelled in the doll's direction causing the other kids to look at her with alert eyes. And just when Satomi was going to say something, Natsuki shot a glare at her with such contempt that it shut the talkative girl up.
"Minato-san, I don't want to play this game anymore. Gimme my Shizuka back right now." Her jade eyes pierced through Satomi's mundane, chocolate ones.
"No, you have to make your baby with Takeda first!" the girl in the gold sequined dress argued. Knowing that Shizuru would never approve of any violent outburst, Natsuki ignored Satomi's words and walked to where her doll was held prisoner. She gave a smirk to the doll and offered her hand to the sitting girl.
"Does that mean I'm not your baby?" the older girl asked jokingly as she grabbed Natsuki's hand and was pulled up, her height surpassing Natsuki's.
"Afraid not, let's go," and while still holding her doll's hand as gentleman would when escorting a lady they walked away from the other kids.
"Where are you going? We're not done with this yet! Are you leaving Masashi-kun? Fine! I'll marry him! We'll have lots of kids and …." The voice of Minato Satomi soon became softer and softer as Natsuki and Shizuru walked into the living room where all the adults were. Natsuki did feel a bit bad for leaving Takeda though. And back in that room, Takeda released his grip on the present in his pocket. Another perfect moment to give the present to his girl lost.
"You sure they won't catch us out here?" Shizuru asked, her hand still tightly grasping Natsuki's. It was her only source of warmth, since her delicate dress was not made to be worn in the rain. Droplets fell furiously from the darkened sky, causing anyone to be outside without protection to be immediately drenched. It wasn't until they reached their favorite tree that Natsuki released Shizuru's hand and began climbing. The task proved to much more difficult with the combined obstacle of the rain and the restraining dress.
"They won't even notice we're gone, they're too busy talking to each other." The younger girl grunted as she failed to get a good grip on the tree. It was useless, and unless she tore the dress or took it off, it was unlikely that the blue-haired girl was going to scale the tree. Grunting in irritation, she pounded her fist against the bark of the tree.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, ne?" Shizuru smiled gently as she cupped Natsuki's fist between her own. Even if they wanted to return to the warmth and safety of Natsuki's room, the girls would've attracted too much attention with a trail of muddy footprints.
"You said you were going to tell me something, time to fulfill your part of the bargain," the cobalt-haired girl had wondered for so long why her doll would always cut herself off. Now she was finally going to get some answers and satisfy her mounting curiosity. The curls her mother had worked so hard on were now ruined by a shower of rainwater.
"Eh? Already? I… "
"SHIZURU! You promised! Pinky promised!" Natsuki reminded as she brought up her pinky. Don't forget Shizuru, if you break a pinky promise, you'll have to give me your pinky!
"Okay, okay. I said 'back where I li – '," Shizuru paused as she looked at Natsuki's eager face for her to continue that sentence. "That's it."
"And then? Back where I li – ? What's that supposed to mean? You pro – "
"I promised to tell you what I said. And that's what I said. I fulfilled my end of the promise Natsuki," the older girl's voice was abnormally harsh. Diverting her eyes to the festive noises from inside the Kuga household, Shizuru inwardly hoped that her friend wasn't going to take this cheat in their promise badly.
"…." Natsuki was speechless with disappointment, so she had been tricked by her best friend once again. The tea incident, however, didn't leave her feeling as devoid; that time was a harmless joke. Now, she was beginning to doubt her trust with Shizuru. The corners of her frail mouth fell, those emerald eyes losing their shine. How could she have been so foolish? Twisting her hand out of her friend's hold, Natsuki began her walk back to her house. I'm so stupid…
"Natsuki, wait! Please," Shizuru begged as she lightly wrapped her hand around Natsuki's wrist. Roughly, the younger girl ripped her hand away and continued making her way to her home, her room, her bed. She hadn't felt like this in a while – she wanted to cry. Stupid Shizuru… Stupid! Stupid! I hate you!
"Natsuki!" Shizuru called out desperately. Her mind was urging her to move, to chase her best friend and apologize over and over until the younger girl believed her. Shizuru's body, however, shaken with rain's cold, refused to budge from its spot. "NATSUKI! I'M SORRY! I WANT TO TELL YOU, BUT I CAN'T!"
That stopped the tomboy. Turning her head in Shizuru's way, Natsuki noticed that the girl had fallen to her knees, her thin arms wrapping around her own body lessening the surface area, thus warming her body easier. Nothing like a lady; Shizuru looked pathetic.
"WHY?" Natsuki screamed back. Shizuru's eyes widened at the sight before her. Despite the rain, she could tell with ease that tears were flowing down those beautiful, but hurt green eyes. "You're my best friend, Shizuru, you… you know you can tell me anything, and nothing would have mattered!"
At last, feeling her legs regaining their ability to move, Shizuru weakly stumbled toward her friend's spot. "I'll disappear… I want to stay with you forever." There was a salty taste in her mouth. Was she crying too? Her words were a half-truth. The rules to this game were sometimes just too cruel. If she were to reveal any source of her origins, she'd disappear not only from Natsuki's life, but also from the younger girl's memory. Everything they shared would be completely erased.
"Stupid! Stupid Shizuru!" Natsuki said, smiling. She knew how ridiculous they must look – two girls bawling on Christmas Eve. In a flash, the younger girl's arms wrapped around her friend for comfort and to create more warmth. "You should have told me!"
"I did!" Shizuru laughed as she recalled telling the tomboy when they first met.
"Your present is in my room, by the way," Natsuki and Shizuru were sitting beneath the tree since its foliage provided some sort of protection against the sky's tears.
"I know, I saw it in the closet." Shizuru giggled at the memory. One day when Natsuki wasn't in her room, Shizuru had wanted to hide in the closet and scare her companion. To her surprise, she found a large box wrapped in colorful paper and labeled with her name. Feeling terrible for discovering her owner's present to her, the older girl decided not to scare her friend – for that day, it would be compensation.
"What? How'd you… are you sure you don't have super powers or did you just go into my closet?" Her teeth were beginning to chatter from the cold temperature; perhaps it would be good to go inside soon. She didn't want to get sick and remain in bed for the rest of winter vacation.
"Maybe." The two girls smiled at each other. Her parents really don't know we're outside? She looked at her owner, teeth chattering, and body trembling. Even in this state, she found her friend very pretty. Natsuki must be really cold, we should go in… or…. I have one more trick to pull.
"Natsuki, do you know that is?" Following where Shizuru's index finger was pointing at, Natsuki's eyes squinted at some unidentifiable object.
"No?" Was there anything even there besides branches and leaves?
"It's mistletoe. Have you heard the story about mistletoe?" The older girl smiled inwardly at the evil idea forming in her head.
"No? What's that?" Natsuki asked curiously, sitting upright to emphasize her attentive state.
"Before Christmas, Santa puts these mistletoes on certain trees all over the world. They're filled with magic and you could say it's how Santa tells if you're naughty or nice. And when two people are underneath it, they have to kiss in the spirit of Christmas," Shizuru lied; she had no idea how these little fibs came to her with such ease. Maybe Natsuki wasn't the one with the playful imagination after all.
"What? How do you know this?" The younger girl did her best to not seem nervous by the comment. She was still a bit dubious because of Shizuru's previous ruses.
"I'm a talking doll, am I not?" There was no way Natsuki couldn't not believer her now. "If you don't kiss, Santa will put you on the naughty list, and no more presents for Natsuki."
This proved to be a difficult situation for the blue-haired tomboy. She had never kissed anyone else other than her family and even then she still didn't like to do it. Kissing was… yucky, but with Shizuru, it couldn't be that bad right? Better than having to kiss Takeda. Satomi said that only boys and girls could get pregnant from kissing right? So she would be safe from that too, she didn't want to have a baby just yet. And as she turned in her friend's direction, she felt something soft and moist pressing against her own lips. Shizuru?
In an instant, Natsuki's face became completely red as it flushed with heat. Shizuru chuckled at her friend's adorable reaction; at least the younger girl had stopped shivering. Mission accomplished! Touching her own lips, she briefly tasted the sweet and salty flavor on Natsuki's lips, knowing that her own cherry lips tasted the same. It would be a small memento of today to cherish forever, for both had taken the other's first kiss.
"I'm not going to get cooties, right?" The older girl could only throw her head back and emit a glorious laugh.
Author's Note: Once again... I apologize for the slow update, I HOPE YOU CAN FORGIVE ME!! As always, I thank my patient and uber kind beta, Olivia, who saves my fanfiction from being a complete disaster. Next chapter will have a bit more Xmas stuff, so that the Christmas portion of my story will seem more complete, and hopefully, if all goes according to plan, Valentine's Day stuff. Thanks to all those who have read my story, we're almost half way done with the whole thing! Muahaha