14.
The Fujinos met Natsuki and Shizuru at a small tea house in Kyoto.
"Your Grandmother will not be joining us," Hiroyoshi assured his daughter.
"I'm so sorry, Shizuru," Kagami Fujino bowed to her daughter, "If I had known how she treated you, I would have sent her away long ago. But whenever I saw the two of you together, she always seemed doting and attentive. I thought she had mellowed in her old age."
"She said many things, yesterday," Shizuru spoke in a near whisper.
"Yes. It is true that I was intimate with a girl from school in my youth. Sayoko. Mother caught us, one day. Sayoko's family sent her away, and I've not seen her to this day. And mother quickly arranged my marriage to your father after that. She warned me that if I ever repeated my behavior, she would sever my inheritance. And I did not know how the Fujino family would receive me."
"It wasn't until a few years after you were born that I actually learned about you Mother's history," Hiroyoshi said to Shizuru, "I told her that if she wished to live separately from me, I would send her to her family home, and for the sake of appearances, present myself as too stodgy and formal to worry about physical relations, merely sending money for her upkeep and your education."
Natsuki shook her head, "No offense intended, but I don't think anyone who has known you for more than five minutes would believe that you were 'stodgy and formal'."
Hiroyoshi smiled gently, "I see why Shizuru loves you. Your frank approach to things is highly refreshing. But Shizuru will tell you that I am more than capable of acting the part when a situation calls for it. The consequence of being brought up in such a traditional family."
"But Mother, you did not take him up on that offer," Shizuru pointed out.
"The thought of returning to my Mother's house, with you at my side, was not a pleasant one. But then, a financial reversal cost your Grandmother the Tatsunoko family estate, and Mother moved in with us," Kagami sighed, "By this point, an sort of affection had grown between your Father and I, and we wanted you to have a stable home, so we remained together. My Mother never presented herself as anything but doting when I was around you, but I suspect now that the situation was far different in my absence."
"It was. And for obvious reasons, I do not wish to speak of those times," Shizuru sighed, "They were…unpleasant."
"But…I'm glad you two wanted to both be there for Shizuru," Natsuki said, scratching her head in confusion, "But you weren't in love with each other, so, once the secret was out between you, how did you handle…other things?"
"Ara, she is delightfully shy about such matters," Kagami looked at Shizuru with a smile.
"I have always found her to be so," Shizuru returned the smile, "Though I am curious about that as well."
"Well, as I said, a sort of affection had grown between your Father and I by then. Is it so strange? Many arranged marriages were conducted without much thought to love. Besides," she leaned against Hiroyoshi, "Your father is both a kind and gracious man."
"As for my part, the actual act of intimacy was never something that interested me all that much. Your birth was only really because I was making an effort to please your Mother before I knew about how she felt. So, I found it wasn't something I truly cared about. And if the interest ever did appear, there were always purification rituals that involved a good deal of cold water."
"So, you're not in love, but you love each other?" Natsuki blinked.
"Essentially, yes," Hiroyoshi nodded.
"I would guess, Shizuru, that you and Kuga came here to inform us of your relationship. And you intended it to be a frank and respectful discussion, given how you presented yourselves at our door."
"That is so, Mother," Shizuru bowed.
"We've been living together nearly a year now," Natsuki said, "Shortly before my eighteenth birthday. But, our friends want to hold a ceremony to…I honestly don't know the right way to put it. We can't quite say 'make it official' given that it wouldn't actually be 'official'."
Hiroyoshi waved a hand, "I understand the sentiment. They wish to celebrate your relationship in a way that the law itself won't recognize. Your friends are trying to say they see you as married, though you wouldn't technically be."
"You wished for our blessing," Kagami wasn't asking.
"No," Shizuru replied quietly, "Not your blessing, as I would remain with Natsuki whether I had it or not. But I wanted there to be no secrets between us.
"Grandmother filed me with such hatred and self-loathing, that for a time, I was quite mad. My soul was at war with itself, desiring something that I believed to be wicked and disgusting. And it drove me to very dark deeds."
"We are aware of the fall of District One," Hiroyoshi said, his eyes looking down.
Natsuki nodded, "I wondered if you might be. Granny knew I was a HiME when I materialized my Element."
"Yes. District One interacts with many of the great families. The Tatsunoko Clan, from which your Grandmother hails, was involved with the very first Festival, and one of their bloodline has been involved since then. You were the latest in that line, Shizuru."
"I did not know," Shizuru said, "But neither am I surprised. Grandmother hoped I would emerge victorious, and then bound to the Obsidian Prince. But the joke would have been on her. The host of the Obsidian Prince this time around was my close friend, Reito Kanzaki. And he knew, and kept, my secret. He harbored no desire for me, and as such, neither did the parasitic being that inhabited him. And it was Natsuki who brought me back from the edge of insanity."
"We've all been working hard at forgiving each other for everything that happened, at that time," Natsuki said, "I have a half-sister who tried to blow up the school. I have a friend who tried to kill me twice after I was tricked into thinking she tried to kill a nun. My best friend, aside from Shizuru here, Mai Tokiha, has all but adopted a girl who tried to run her through with a demonic claymore, and is friends with another girl who tried to kill her for falling in love with her childhood friend. And aside from force feeding Reito a ton of spicy food, he's been all but forgiven for being the host of the Obsidian Prince. And Shizuru is best frenemies with a girl she basically killed."
"It sounds most complicated," Kagami put a hand to her head.
"We're thinking of drawing up scorecards so people can keep track," Natsuki agreed, "But I do love Shizuru. And I knew she wouldn't be happy until she discussed this with the two of you."
"Well, Mother was right about one thing," Kagami sighed, "You're a brave girl."
"I say this with all respect to you two, but bullies like her always know who they're going to have problems with."
"No doubt," Hiroyoshi looked at the pained expression on his daughter's face, remembering how troubled she'd been the night before, "Hypothetically speaking, if we withheld our blessing for your relationship, would it change anything between you?"
"No," Shizuru spoke calmly, "It would pain me, but believing I lost Natsuki once drove me to utter madness. I could not dream of being parted from her side."
"And I'm only here for her sake," Natsuki pointed out.
"Then, I can hardly see that our approval, or lack of it, would matter. But we won't oppose you," Hiroyoshi said, "That being said, bear in mind that our society may not be so kind to you. How open you wish to be will be entirely up to you, and no matter how much we love you, Shizuru, we cannot shield you from the way our society will treat you."
Shizuru and her parents rose, and Natsuki followed their lead. They bowed.
"Take care of yourself, Shizuru. And Kuga, while I doubt its an issue, if you ever treat Shizuru badly…"
"She'd be the first to let me know," Natsuki smiled.
Hiroyoshi and Kagami Fujino smiled, "You do understand her."
888888
Saori Tatsunoko was sitting in a chair, waiting for them, when they returned to their hotel room to pack up their clothes.
"I didn't know who you were, yesterday, Natsuki Kuga. Oh, I knew your name, and that you were carrying on in your lewd relationship. But not who you were.
"But when I saw that you were a HiME, I learned much more. And I can only say that it is a pity that you didn't perish with your traitorous mother."
Natsuki raised an eyebrow, "I suppose you're going to tell me that you ordered her accident."
Saori waved a hand dismissively, "Nothing so dramatic. They were supposed to stop her and confiscate you. She'd have been imprisoned, and you would have been raised properly.
"Your mother is dead because she panicked upon seeing the trap laid for her."
"And yet, your prediction didn't come to pass," Natsuki replied coolly, "Because District One chased off my father, and then left me to my own devices. I am what I am now because of their tender mercies. So don't play high and mighty with me, because the way I see it, you're just a thug with more money than most."
"You would do well to keep this harlot's mouth shut, Shizuru," Saori growled.
Shizuru slapped Saori. The sound resonated through the room.
"You be silent. You have a truly impressive collection of synonyms for whores, Grandmother. And if you use one more of them to describe Natsuki, I will cut your hateful tongue from your mouth! If anyone in this room is a whore, it is you, who sold your family to District One for wealth and prestige!"
Saori turned hate-filled eyes at Shizuru, but Shizuru's crimson gaze was calm and steady.
"So, that is your decision," Saori growled, standing, "Very well. But when the world turns on you, do not turn to me for refuge, for this will be a calamity of your own making."
"The destruction of District One was a calamity of your making," Shizuru replied evenly, "Had they never caused the death of Natsuki's mother, had you never taught me to hate myself so thoroughly, had you not sent me out to be a sacrifice for a dark being pretending at Godhood, their deaths would not have been possible or even inevitable. You parlayed with them for the continued fortunes of our family, and in the process, you have bound their defeat to your own decline. Were you not such a hateful creature, I might even find it in myself to pity you."
"Spare the pity for yourselves. The uncertainty you girls have unleashed on the world will soon be the doom of you all. I am only thankful that I am old enough that I won't live long enough to see the final decline."
"You know, the only reason you're still alive is because Mai Tokiha broke the fate of the HiME," Natsuki replied, "The Obsidian Prince had decided that the current world was no good, and it was his intent to wipe the board and start over."
"Cruel mercy, then," Saori opened the door, "However, you will not hear from me again. You've made your fate. Do not turn to me when you realize that it was an empty one."
And with that, Saori Tatsunoko, maternal grandmother of Shizuru Fujino, parted, and indeed, was not heard from by either Shizuru or Natsuki again.