I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.
12: Eye Opener
"I still can't believe Natsuki proposed to you!" Haruka shouted, throwing her hands out in front of her. She, Shizuru, and Yukino were walking around the capital of Saxas, enjoying the scenic city of Kugan. They simply wandered since none of them had ever been to Saxas before and no one knew their way around the city. They had been unable to get guides because the Kruger siblings were all busy.
"That actually makes two of us," Shizuru remarked with a small smile. She had always figured she would wait decades for Natsuki to propose — if she was lucky — because Natsuki had her macho, tough-Otome image to keep up, even to herself. She knew it would not sit well with Natsuki if Shizuru had proposed because it would have been a blow to Natsuki's pride.
"You had to trick her somehow. No way Natsuki was blight enough to think of this herself," Haruka declared. Her eyes showed she was convinced Shizuru somehow had to trick Natsuki into asking for her hand. Things did not make sense otherwise.
"Bright," Yukino absently corrected her Otome. She seemed distracted and slightly sorrowful, even though she had hit it off with the King last night and had had a chance to set up another meeting with him. This put Aries a step closer to having some sort of international relationship with Saxas.
The two Otomes glanced at the President. They then exchanged glances. Haruka had the decency to look sheepish, so it was clear she knew what was wrong. Shizuru looked around, spotting a reason to excuse herself.
"Oh, a bookstore. I should pick up some magazines for Natsuki," Shizuru said and she walked off before either of her companions could object.
The Third Column marched into the bookstore and scanned the area for some books that might interest her or some books for Natsuki. Before any books for her caught her eye, she spied some motorcycle magazines off to her left. She decided to glance through those while keeping an eye on her companions, who stood a few feet away from the outside of her store.
Shizuru knew her companions would be all right, despite the rough patch they seemed to have hit at the moment. Eyeing them made her think of her own beloved, sitting back at the palace, having lunch with some young man who desired her. With that in mind, she wondered if she and Natsuki would be all right.
"Natsuki doesn't like this man and I know this, but some part of me still fears…" Shizuru muttered to herself. Her heart beat a little faster and she massaged the area with her fingertips.
Part of her still feared she might somehow lose Natsuki to a man — if not the one she was having lunch with, then some other man that her parents found. She knew the chance was quite slim, but her heart did not seem to agree with the odds. Her heart was afraid it was happening at that very moment, like it had happened before. Now, she knew it had not really happened that first time — she never lost Natsuki's love or her heart — but, she still feared. After all, fear was never rational and often won against logic.
"Can I help you?" a shop worker asked, taking Shizuru from her thoughts.
Shizuru snapped out of her dreaded daze and quickly put on a false, but bright smile for the teenager in front of her. "No, it's all right. I'm just picking up some reading for my fiancée," she replied.
The worker nodded, smiled, and then left Shizuru alone. The Otome glanced outside of Haruka and Yukino again. From what she could tell, Haruka was doing something right. The sorrow that had followed Yukino around all day was taken over by a minute bit of cheer and a small, but delighted smile had worked its way onto her face. She stood taller suddenly and it was like the air around her cleared. Haruka seemed to be in her usual good cheer, too, more so than before now that Yukino was taken care of.
Haruka stood proud as always and grinned like the cat that got the cream. Shizuru chuckled a bit; maybe Haruka was growing up enough to know how to handle situations with more than just brute force. It was good to see. Maybe they were all growing up, she considered.
"If we are all growing up, why am I worried about losing Natsuki to some random man?" Shizuru asked the air in a quiet tone.
She shook the question away, hoping to rid herself of all such thoughts. She grabbed a few magazines that she was certain Natsuki did not have and went to pay for them because she could see that Haruka and Yukino were ready to move on. She rejoined them with her usual smile, looking rather proud of herself as she held her recent purchases tightly.
"Ara, ara, thank you so much for waiting," Shizuru said, as if she had not excused herself for their sake.
"Next time don't take so long," Haruka huffed, folding her arms across her chest. She tried very hard to look annoyed, but the smile on her face did not allow it.
"I am so sorry. Please, forgive me," Shizuru apologized. She added in a bow to complete the charade.
"Please, let's continue on. This is such a beautiful place," Yukino commented, eyes scanning around for the next place to visit.
"Be sure to tell Natsuki. She takes great pride in her country," Shizuru informed them.
Yukino nodded. It did not surprise her that Natsuki would take pride in her country. She knew from her moments of speaking with the King that national pride was something common in Saxas. Speaking with Shuichi often confirmed that. On the surface, it did seem like quite the wonderful place, but Yukino knew that everything, nations especially, had their secrets and their shadows. She suspected those were the things that kept Natsuki and Shuichi from visiting home more often.
-8-8-8-8-
Natsuki sighed, wishing for lunch to be over already or for Shizuru to magically appear. She would take either one if it would save her from her lunch date. Eiji poured on the charm so thickly that Natsuki was fearful they would drown in it shortly. She did not see why he bothered since she had already made it extremely, painfully, crystal clear she was not interested in him. She guessed he had erased that from his memory fairly quickly.
As Eiji smiled what he clearly considered his most seductive smile for what had to be the millionth time, Natsuki contemplated caving his forehead in with her spoon. As soon as she reached for the eating utensil, an announcement caught her ear. She could hear someone announcing Shizuru's return.
Natsuki turned to the entrance of the garden and grinned when the sight of her lover, standing there and looking like salvation, greeted her. She shot up from her chair and rushed to the doorway, surprising Eiji to the point where he stopped talking. Natsuki took Shizuru's hand in her own.
"I'm so glad you're back," Natsuki said, pulling Shizuru to her body for an urgent hug.
Shizuru breathed a sigh of relief as Natsuki held her. She felt so loved and appreciated. The emotions coursing through her now made her feel downright silly for what she had thought earlier. Natsuki was hers and she would not lose her most precious person to some random man, not now, not ever.
"Did you eat? Come on and have lunch," Natsuki insisted, pulling her love toward the meal before Shizuru could utter any words in reply.
"I think I was missed," Shizuru joked, even though on the inside she felt elated because she truly did feel that.
Natsuki only grinned, looking sheepish, but happy. When they got to the lunch table, Natsuki did not bother with introducing Shizuru to Eiji. Natsuki pulled out Shizuru's chair for her and motioned for her to sit. Once Shizuru was comfortably situated in her seat, Natsuki pushed her up to the table and then took her own seat, very close to the Third Column.
Shizuru turned her attention to the young man in their company for a moment, looking to gauge him. As soon as her eyes were focused on him, he poured on the charm. He smiled a small smile that made it seem like his teeth flashed and his eyes managed to glint with a cute, boyish quality. She could not help returning his smile with one of her own; a nice, false, polite smile that did not match with the I-will-eat-you-alive-if-you-touch-Natsuki, predatory gaze in her eyes.
"Natsuki-hime, surely you plan on introducing me to your friend," Eiji commented.
"Surely I didn't, but since it seems you're not taking the clue to go away, I might as well introduce you," Natsuki remarked quite seriously.
Eiji was not put off by the harsh words and continued smiling as Natsuki went through the painstaking motions of introducing her fiancée to Eiji. She went so far as to lead off his introduction with the words "the pain in my ass." Still, he smiled and got up from his seat in order to bow gracefully to the newcomer of the table.
Shizuru giggled as if she had air between her ears. "My Natsuki, you didn't tell me what an utter delight you were having lunch with."
Natsuki rolled her eyes, knowing Shizuru was being beyond sarcastic. Eiji grinned, apparently taking the words to heart. He shifted his gaze between each woman as he sat down. They eyed him, but emerald eyes turned away in disinterest quite quickly. Shizuru's crimson eyes shined with mischief, though.
"So, Shizuru-san, how is it you know Natsuki-hime?" Eiji asked since Natsuki had not included that in the introductions.
Shizuru glanced at Natsuki, who shrugged. Shizuru's smile brightened and she wasted no time putting her left hand up. She leaned forward, giving him a clear view of her engagement ring.
"I don't understand," Eiji admitted, laughing a little to lessen his own discomfort. It did not work thanks to the odd look Shizuru sported.
"I am Natsuki's fiancée. She proposed to me about a week ago in a lovely oasis setting with the sun at our fronts and a picnic dinner at our feet. Dare I go into detail?" Shizuru commented with a devilish look on her face.
"No!" Natsuki objected. Detail meant going into how Shizuru exhausted her and she was still a little too modest to allow people to know about their sex lives, even someone who she was sure would not believe it was possible. Of course, knowing Shizuru, she would just keep going until he did believe.
Shizuru chuckled and waved the whole thing off. "Fine. He doesn't look like he grasps the situation, anyway."
True enough, Eiji appeared to be utterly baffled. His forehead was wrinkled as his brows were drawn in, trying to understand what was being said to him. He then laughed, once again sounding quite uncomfortable.
"It's a joke. I see," Eiji finally commented, nodding and grinning.
"It's not a joke," Natsuki stated. "I'm marrying Shizuru. Probably sometime in the summer when I don't have to worry about so many kids at school."
"Oh, what about the spring break? I think a spring wedding would be truly amazing," Shizuru chimed in, smiling at the thought of starting their new beginning when new life was being breathed into the area. The idea sent a tingle down her spine.
"Whatever you want," Natsuki replied with a shrug. She did not know it, but she lost a few romance points with her lover because she seemed indifferent to their wedding. But, the when did not really matter to her, as long as they got married.
Eiji continued to laugh. "Okay, good one."
"It's no joke. I told you when we first sat down I'm not interested in men," Natsuki stated, taking Shizuru's hand in her own.
Shizuru smiled, even though she part of her worried Natsuki might have been lying. She hoped at some point in time, she could let go that Natsuki had dated a man for a little while when they were… less than together. She supposed time would soothe away her concern as she built a life with her beloved.
"I've never heard such outrageous lies. You were just engaged to a man a couple of months ago," Eiji pointed out, having the nerve to sound smug, like they were naughty children and he caught them with their hands in the cookie jar. He even folded his arms across his chest, like he caught them.
"My father tried to force that engagement onto me. I was only interested in that man as a friend," Natsuki countered plainly. She wondered if that mistake would follow her around for the rest of her life. She glanced at Shizuru and sincerely hoped it did not.
Eiji started to get visibly upset. His jaw was tense and his breathing had increased slightly; not a lot, but enough for the two Otomes to notice. Underneath the table, he made a fist and then unclenched the fist. His eyes burned with an underling fire.
"Are you trying to make a fool out of me, princess?" Eiji demanded, having the nerve to glare at her. His arm itched to pound down on the table, but he held back because he knew that was a surefire way to get removed from Natsuki's presence.
"It's not so hard that I would have to try. I don't see why you're getting so angry. You never had a chance for me," Natsuki remarked. He was a special kind of stupid if he ever thought he did have a chance, she figured.
"More lies. Your mother invited me here because of your obvious interest!" Eiji said heatedly.
"You haven't been paying attention at all, have you? It's only because I know my mother is watching that I haven't stabbed you in the chest with my fork. I'm not interested and I told you that at the beginning. I twisted your arm to make sure we were clear on that. Now, there's no reason for you to get so angry over a matter that doesn't concern you," Natsuki said as calmly as possible.
"It does concern me if you're sitting her trying to make a fool out of me, princess. Now, to tell such outrageous lies right to my face is uncalled for," Eiji declared. Natsuki was actually surprised by the size of his ego and how deep his delusions had to run.
"Putting my knee in your groin is getting more and more difficult to resist," Natsuki commented.
"My Natsuki wouldn't waste her time lying to you," Shizuru pointed out.
"She isn't yours. What you two are suggesting is impossible! Women don't go out with other women!" Eiji huffed, slamming his fists down onto the table. He could not believe how they were sitting across from him with those straight faces and trying to make a total ass out of him. He just would not allow it.
"And yet here we are," Natsuki replied, just to watch him get even more upset. She was not disappointed. His face was so red. "We might be lucky and his head will explode right here." The very idea delighted Natsuki.
-8-8-8-8-
Saeko continued watching Natsuki's lunch date from a window. She noticed how animated Eiji was and how enraged him seemed to be. He wisely did not make any moves toward Natsuki, but Saeko still disliked the disrespect the boy showed to her only daughter and the Princess of Saxas. After some yelling, Eiji stormed off, leaving Natsuki and Shizuru alone.
"All of that from Shizuru showing off that ring. She actually seems quite proud of it, like Natsuki truly proposed to her and she wants the world to know… much like I did when Ryo finally managed to propose to me. This is quite the troubling game," Saeko muttered to herself.
She was trying to hold onto the belief that Natsuki and Shizuru were just playing some sort of game to keep Natsuki from getting married. Unfortunately, the tighter she clung to it, the more that belief slipped away to something else. They reminded her so much of Shuichi and Nadia.
Although Shuichi and Nadia were not a perfect match, mostly due to her not having noble blood, it was clear they were very dear to each other. Saeko would even go so far as to admit her son loved his foreign wife, as it was one of the few ways to explain why he put up with her and her low-born quality in the first place. The looks they exchanged, the way they understood each other, how they comforted each other with minor touches or mere glances, those things let people around them know Shuichi and Nadia were quite in love. Those elements seemed to exist between Shizuru and Natsuki, too.
"But, that's just not possible. They're two women," Saeko tried to assure herself.
The Queen continued to try to convince herself that it was not possible for her daughter to be in a relationship with another woman and turned her attention back out of the window to see what Natsuki was doing now that Eiji had fled. Natsuki and Shizuru were still at the table, but now much closer than before. Shizuru handed Natsuki the bag she held and Natsuki eagerly looked inside. Shizuru tried to suppress a smile tugging at her lip as Natsuki peered into the bag. The battle was lost when Natsuki's face lit up like a firecracker; Shizuru's own followed suit because of her happiness that came from seeing Natsuki was elated.
Natsuki put the bag down and wrapped Shizuru into a tight hug. Saeko could tell even from a distance there was nothing "friendly" about the embrace. And then things went beyond that.
Saeko's eyes went wide with confusion and disbelief as she watched the two Otomes exchange a brief, but intimate kiss on the lips. The contact had been what most would consider a peck, but it lasted a few moments too long, and it was much deeper than any peck could be. It was like they took on pieces of each other's souls in those brief seconds.
"What was that? How could they… how could they…?" Saeko could not even choke out what they did. She rubbed her eyes, thinking she might have imagined it, but then, she asked herself, who imagines her daughter kissing another girl?
Saeko blinked hard and shook her head, trying to free her mind of the image of Natsuki's mouth being connected with Shizuru's. This certainly is not done in Saxas, she shouted in her mind. She could only wonder how serious the friends were now if they were able to go so far as to kiss each other when no one was in sight. It was not as if they had done that to prove some point in their game.
"What could this possibly mean?" Saeko asked herself. She still was not even totally clear on what she just saw. "Maybe Natsuki knows I'm watching."
After all, it was not like she was really hiding, but Natsuki had not looked her way. Even if Natsuki did know, kissing her friend seemed like a lot for a game. And, Shizuru seemed way too proper to allow things to go that far for a game.
Saeko was not sure what her next course of action should be. She was not sure what to do with such a situation, especially if it was true. I need to calm down, she told herself. She took a few calming breaths, getting herself together, and now she could think a bit more clearly, come up with a new plan.
"First, I must know exactly how deep this 'relationship' goes. Perhaps they've just developed a weird friendship and find it all right to share such kisses," she tried to convince herself. Even right then, she knew that was a flimsy excuse. She just did not know how else to explain what she saw and she needed to do something to keep herself calm, which the lie did.
Saeko called for Natsuki's two most devoted servants, Ran and Suzume. Ever faithful and keen to serve, the girls almost killed each other to get to the Queens presence first. She was used to their antics, and even though the charm of their insanity had worn off long ago, she let them slide.
"You called for us, Your Highness?" the pair inquired, bowing as deeply as their backs would allow. They could almost touch their foreheads to their knees.
"I did indeed. I want to talk to you two," Saeko informed them.
"About ouji-sama?" they guessed. They did not see why the Queen would need them otherwise. Well, they hoped she knew they would never betray their ouji-sama!
"Yes, about Natsuki. I am concerned for her. It would seem she is doing something dangerous and improper," Saeko said.
"Dangerous?" Ran echoed while Suzume was now intent to listen because of the words "concerned" and "dangerous."
"Yes, it would seem Natsuki is carrying on with her friend in a troubling fashion. I don't wish to see my daughter hurt, but this could very well do her harm. You two wouldn't want Natsuki harmed, would you?" Saeko asked. She was not trying to manipulate them… much. She genuinely believed Natsuki would be in danger because of the improper relationship she seemed to have with Shizuru.
"Of course we don't want ouji-sama harmed," Ran stated while Suzume just gave a powerful nod in agreement.
"Then I need you tell me about Natsuki's relationship with her friend Shizuru," Saeko stated. The two servants nodded.
"Well, Shizuru-san and ouji-sama talk a lot," Ran started and her counterpart chimed in before she could get any further.
"Shizuru-san really likes to tease ouji-sama! But, ouji-sama doesn't really mind. In fact, she blushes a lot," Suzume reported.
"Oh, she really is Shuichi," Saeko muttered in a very low tone. The servants did not hear the comment and just continued on. They were both terribly excited and on a roll, like always when they got to talk about Natsuki.
"Oh, they cuddle up in bed!" Ran added.
"Shizuru-san even rubbed ouji-sama's back to make sure she stayed asleep when we came into the clean the room," Suzume said.
"Wait, wait, wait… they cuddle in bed?" Saeko inquired. She cursed her mind for coming up with a mental image for that. She shook it away and tried to focus on the matter at hand. It was sounding more and more like Natsuki was seriously in a relationship with Shizuru, which was just bizarre.
"Yeah!" the two girls answered, almost as if it was obvious. They had gotten quite used to watching Shizuru with their ouji-sama, even if the couple had only been in sight for the past few days.
"You two don't seem to find it odd," Saeko commented. She wondered if the innocent infatuation many of the younger servants had with Natsuki was more inclined to how many of the female servants looked at the princes rather than the innocent and immature feelings she and the King had assumed.
"Well, they've been doing it since they got here," Ran pointed out with a shrug. They did not have a chance to find it weird since as far as they knew Natsuki and Shizuru always did such a thing.
"Yeah, they're really close friends," Suzume added with a nod.
"I can tell," Saeko concurred, even though it was a bit sarcastic. From what she could tell, the servants were just as innocent and naïve as always, but her daughter seemed to be anything but the two.
"It's good that ouji-sama has a close friend," Ran declared with a smile. "Ouji-sama was always so lonely by herself, even when she was with her brothers. She's very happy now with Shizuru-san."
"So, we will do anything to make sure that nothing happens to hurt ouji-sama or Shizuru-san," Suzume stated.
"Why Shizuru-san, too?" Saeko asked with a perplexed expression.
"Well, if something happened to Shizuru-san, ouji-sama would be hurt," Ran reasoned and Suzume nodded in agreement.
"Do you two really think they're that close?" the Queen inquired.
The pair nodded. "Very much so!"
"All right. I want you two to keep a watchful eye on Natsuki-chan and her guest. I want you to report to me about what they do when they're alone. This way I'm aware of things just to make sure that Natsuki-chan or Shizuru-san won't be hurt because of their own actions," Saeko said.
The girls were quiet for a moment. While they were hyper and came off as a little air-headed, they were not so completely dense that they did not realize something was weird about what was going on. The Queen had never asked them to spy on Natsuki when she was with a guest. Requests similar to watching Natsuki had been made, but it was more to make sure she was not doing something crazy that would end with her physically hurt. This order was just out of the ordinary.
"Highness, what's so wrong that ouji-sama could be hurt?" Ran bravely asked.
"I think Natsuki-chan and Shizuru-san might be carrying on in ways that if someone found out, it would cause them a lot of trouble," Saeko answered.
"But, they haven't done anything too weird. Besides, ouji-sama does weird things all the time!" Suzume pointed out. One of the things that many of the servants loved about Natsuki was how unique and sometimes outright strange she could be.
"I understand that, but Natsuki might be involved in something beyond weird. I know you two think of Natsuki as similar to her brothers, but you have to remember that she is a lady. She is not male and she not really a prince. She is a princess. She needs to carry on like a princess or she could end up hurt because if outside sources found out about these things, there would be a big scandal. Would you like to see Natsuki dragged through a major scandal?" the Queen asked the servants, even though she knew the answer to that one.
Suzume and Ran shook their heads. They would hate for Natsuki to be dragged through some horrible scandal. Their ouji-sama did not deserve for the world to think she was a bad person when they were certain she was anything but. Their ouji-sama was kind and funny… even though that latter bit was more through her actions rather than an attempt at humor. They did not want any harm to come to her.
"If you don't want to see any scandal, you have to help me. I need to know what Natsuki and Shizuru do together. If it is behavior that crosses the line, I especially need to know in order to correct Natsuki's behavior," Saeko stated. "Understood?"
Silence reigned for a moment while the servants were perfectly still. Something inside of them rumbled in disagreement, urging them to decline as best they could. The rumble worked its way into their throats, as if it was going to take control of their mouths. They found their mouths opening simultaneously; it was common occurrence.
"Yes, ma'am," they both said while nodding. Their eyes went wide for a second, as if they were stunned by what they were hearing.
"Good. That's all." She dismissed them with a wave of her hand.
The duo exited the room and they looked at each other. Their eyes asked what did they just do and begged to know if they had just agreed to betray their ouji-sama. They were not sure what to do and they could tell that neither of them had answers.
"We're screwed…" Suzume muttered and Ran nodded in complete agreement.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: Suzume and Ran go about reporting to Saeko about what Shizuru and Natsuki do behind closed doors.
