18.
Reminisce
"I'm sorry I didn't discuss this with you before I volunteered," Nao said to Reito as he gently massaged her feet.
He gave her a gentle smile, "Now, now, Nao, I understand your reasons for volunteering, and even agree with them. So don't worry about it."
She practically purred, "Mmm. You're very good with your hands. Did Tokiha teach you how to do decent footrubs?"
Reito laughed, "Believe it or not, it was Shizuru."
Nao looked at him, confused, "Fujino? I thought you two only fake-dated."
"Well, fake-dating to cover for your closeted friend does sometimes require a few overt displays to keep people from being suspicious. We both agreed that kissing on the lips would be too awkward. She was afraid that it would lead me on, and I was afraid it would make her horribly uncomfortable. But we needed something more overt than holding hands, or people would become suspicious.
"So, once in awhile, we'd arrange for Haruka to 'catch' us in the act of me massaging Shizuru's feet, with the excuse that what else was I to do after my poor lady love had spent the whole day touring the campus, talking to people about the various needs they had," Reito grinned, "If you think Kuga can blush, you should see the absolutely apoplectic shades of purple that Haruka can turn when she's embarrassed."
"You're so bad," Nao grinned, and then she had an idea, "Wait, if you were in the Student Council Room with Shizuru all that time…You probably were a witness to some of her teasing of Kuga, right?"
"Oh-ho. You want those stories," he smiled, "Well, let me see. Should I tell you?"
He was hit in the head with a pillow, "You can't hold out something that juicy on me!"
"Yes, yes," He mock sighed, "For someone who was trying to both stay closeted, and trying to avoid letting her crush know that she was crushing on her, she was particularly brazen."
He pulled out his wallet, and found a picture, "This was something Chie caught by 'accident'. She was visiting the Student Council Room to drop off some forms. I think Chie suspected about Shizuru, but she kept it to herself. Probably because of her own feelings for Senou-san. She liked sharing gossip, but she wasn't malicious about it, so she kept her suspicions about Shizuru to herself. But it's a picture that captures them very well, don't you think?"
Nao looked at the image, and she couldn't help but smile. Shizuru and Natsuki were in the Student Council Room. Shizuru's arms were wrapped around Natsuki's trunk, and her face was very close to Natsuki's neck. The general flow of the picture looked like Shizuru had gently pulled Natsuki back as she had been walking away. Natsuki's emerald eyes were wide in surprise, and her mouth was open in a tiny little "o". Chie had caught the image before even a trace of blush had formed on Natsuki's cheeks. Shizuru's eyes were dancing with amusement, and she was wearing that enigmatic smile she'd worn so often in those days.
"Shizuru was the only person who could have done that to her, in those days, and not gotten a black eye in return," Reito said, "Natsuki was not what anyone would describe as a 'cuddle bug'."
"That," Nao concluded after examining it, "Is utterly adorable. You know…I think we ought to see if we can blow this up and give it to them as an anniversary present."
"Not a bad idea," he mused, "In any event, you were asking about ShizNat stories…"
"ShizNat?"
Reito grinned, "Oh, there's this trend these days to make a portmanteau of a couple's names. Those American actors, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, for example, became known as 'Beniffer'. But I digress…
"Now, I do know that Shizuru was frequently suggesting to Natsuki that she help her change clothes from her school uniform to her rider suit."
"She was that brazen and Kuga didn't figure her out?" Nao blinked.
"Actually," Reito laughed, "There was a reason for her offers. Do you remember when Natsuki was in her third year of middle school? Shizuru had already started working on softening Natsuki's demeanor, which is probably why Takeda didn't get killed when he showed up out of the blue one day and suddenly offered her a bouquet of flowers."
"I had other interests in those days," Nao looked at her hand, remembering the look and feel of her Element, "But what does that have to do with Shizuru basically wanting to strip Natsuki in the woods?"
"Well, it's never that simple with Shizuru. She's always got more than one angle. Always. At the time, no one knew where Takeda's interest in Natsuki came from. Most people still don't. He was second year High School. She was Third Year Middle School. They had no classes together, he never had occasion to watch her during the few athletic events she bothered showing up for. Where had his interest come from? Shizuru figured it out.
"See, it was well known that Natsuki rode her motorcycle from that year. But student rules said she couldn't ride it on campus. And Haruka had already developed a strong dislike for Natsuki's delinquent behavior. So, Natsuki found a loophole. She parked just outside of school property in the woods, and would change clothes there, as well. She figured it was safe, because most students avoided the area."
Nao grinned, beginning to see the picture, "But not Masashi Takeda."
"No," Reito agreed, "Not Masashi Takeda. He was known to take walks in the woods to clear his head and meditate. And Shizuru realized that he'd been walking in the woods the day before he gave Natsuki that bouquet. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Takeda had seen Natsuki changing her clothes in the woods, out of her school uniform and into her riding clothes, then go tearing off through the woods."
Nao rolled her eyes, "You're telling me that we had all that time of Takeda trying to woo Kuga because he saw her undressing in the woods and mistook hormones for love?"
Reito chuckled, "Knowing Takeda, there was also her refreshingly frank attitude and her strong personality. After all, none of the other girls in class had so much as a learner's permit to drive a car, much less a full Motorcycle license. Her bold independence and habit of saying just what it was she was thinking probably appealed to him, too.
"But Shizuru wouldn't stand for Takeda ogling 'her' Natsuki, so she made frequent suggestions that she assist Natsuki in changing so that she could ward off Takeda from trying to get a second glance."
"Delicious," Nao stretched a bit, "Anything else?"
"Well, as I'm sure you know, Natsuki was actually somewhat cordial to Akane Higurashi. One time, she was helping Akane carry some boxes to the Student Council Room as a favor, and Shizuru came in and said something like, 'Ara, I have given Natsuki too many liberties, if she thinks she can use the Student Council Room for her romantic rendezvous. I must ask that you not bring your dates here for your secret trysts, Natsuki.'"
Nao grinned, "How red was she?"
"Tomato. Akane, of course, laughed it off. Shizuru's tone was such that Akane considered it a joke, and besides, everyone knew that she was very interested in Kazuya Kurauchi. But again, you see Shizuru's subtle hand. She gets to tease Natsuki, while at the same time, planting the subtle suggestion in Natsuki's head. She alludes to her sexuality without ever saying how she actually felt, and also subtly plants the suggestion to Natsuki that she didn't like the thought of her being involved with another girl that wasn't her."
"And how many knots was Shizuru tangled in by the time the dam burst?" Nao blinked.
"You could have played Cat's Cradle with her emotions at that point," Reito acknowledged, "That stolen kiss in the dark…And then when Yukino and Haruka accused her…She felt her crimes really rose to the levels of the accusations. That's how tormented she was."
"Tsk," Nao sighed, "She's a master at torturing herself, isn't she."
"Well, all twelve of you had your issues. I think you were chosen for them. The Festival was about taking twelve girls with different personalities, then telling them that they had to fight one another to save what was most precious to them, or the world would end. I got to see it all, when I was the unwitting and unwilling host to the Obsidian Prince, you know. Not just the events of the last Festival. All of them. Aside from the inclusion of Alyssa, they played out fairly similarly each time. There were girls who had found their true loves, like Higurashi with Kurauchi. There were girls who were split between two men, like Tokiha was. And there were even girls like Shizuru, who hid secret affections for other girls, almost always another HiME, though one time it wasn't. All that tragedy, over and over again. The Obsidian Prince hit me with it all at once. It does a real number on one's ability to fight from within."
"Well, it's been wonderful, having dinner with you and hearing the…ShizNat? Yes? Yes, the ShizNat theater. But I have an ultrasound in the morning, and you have work. So, let's turn in."
It was well into the hours of the darkness, and Reito and Nao both fast asleep, when the clock face opened. There was a sparkling green sphere being held between a tiny Mashiro and Nagi.
"Well, let's get you where you're supposed to go," Nagi patted the green light, "That last time was a close one."
"Really, Naomi, you gave us quite a scare. But Doctor Kuga really came through with recreating your body. So, let's get your spirit back where it belongs."
The carried the sphere over to the bed, and it passed into Nao's growing belly without any effort whatsoever.
"She's good," Nagi said, listening to Nao's belly for a moment.
"I was scared, when Shizuru started to miscarry," Mashiro sighed, "This uncertain world is certainly being very cruel to our girls."
"The certain world of the Festivals wouldn't have been any kinder," Nagi reminded her, "But Saiyuri, and Naomi. And of course, Mai's child, too. They all have a good deal of work ahead of them."
"We'll have to keep a tighter watch," Mashiro said as they reentered the clock face, "Naomi's spirit was almost lost to us."
"Well, we've done what we can, here. And there are still other planes that need attention. I still have to deal with that Mayo Kagura girl. Scary…"
The clock closed behind them without a sound, or even any trace that they'd ever been there.
