Disclaimer: Author owns nothing. Mai-Hime belong to Sunrise.
CHAPTER 27
RAJASTHAN INDIA
Day 3
It was dinner time and everyone gathered in the improvised mess hall, refilling their energy after another long and exhausting day.
Natsuki was sitting with the group of soldiers who were loudly talking among themselves, as usual. She scanned her surrounding and found almost everyone was in except for a certain woman who was keen on avoiding her the past three days. She looked at the group of medical team and the ambassadresses but still no sign of her. She searched for Alyssa because the woman seemed to be glued to her for reasons that Natsuki did not know, but still no luck.
"Maybe she's just late." Natsuki mumbled before releasing a sigh and stuffing her mouth with the meat on her plate.
After a good thirty more minutes, Natsuki discreetly tried searching for the woman but it seemed like she did not come at all. "Where is she?" she thought. She looked to her left where Masashi was sitting and the man did not look concerned at all. She elbowed him before whispering but with the loud conversation around them, that was really unnecessary. "Where is she, Masashi?"
"What?" Masashi asked, not really hearing what Natsuki said.
"Shizuru." Natsuki said simply.
"She retired early. I brought her food to her quarter earlier, though." Masashi said, shrugging. "Where are you going?" He asked when Natsuki abruptly stood up.
"I'm done." Natsuki simply said before getting up and carrying her eating utensils to the designated table.
Natsuki walked towards the shared sleeping quarters of the ambassadresses but found no one inside. Her eyes caught the sight of an untouched packed salad on the table. "Why am I not surprised?" She sighed before gathering the food and letting herself out.
She searched for the woman outside instead. Few minutes had passed but Natsuki still didn't find her. Frustration and annoyance were starting to get the better of her. "Damn." She said, kicking an innocent stone on the ground. She looked up at the clear sky illuminated by thousands of stars but what caught her attention was the moon which was brighter than usual. She inhaled deeply and released it before resuming on her search. She froze when she finally saw what she was looking for.
Shizuru was sitting under a large tree with her head tilted up. The moon was illuminating her face, giving it a glow and her eyes a glistening effect. Earphones were plugged on her ears as she hummed to the tunes. Her legs were neatly folded to the side. She was still in her denim and white shirt sponsored by the United Nations.
Shizuru noticed something in her peripheral vision and tilted her head to the side. For the first time in days, she met emerald orbs which seemed to be in tranced. Crimson orbs dilated before turning her attention away from the woman's enchanting eyes and looked into the distance instead. It did not help that the moon was giving Natsuki's feature an effect that caused butterflies in her stomach.
As if Natsuki's feet had a mind of their own, she was brought near the woman before she knew it. She hovered to her side for a few more seconds but Shizuru continued to disregard her presence. Realizing that she won't be getting any reaction from her, she settled herself. She sat beside her, making sure a good distance was kept else the woman might scurry off. She placed the food between them before gently removing the earphones from Shizuru's ears and taking the iPhone away from her as well.
"Does Ms. Kruger ever hear of the words manners and personal space?" Shizuru snapped her head to Natsuki's direction, crimson orbs glaring at the woman.
"Didn't Shizuru-ojousama hear about the word starvation?" Natsuki fired back, feigning curiosity. "Don't you think it's ironic that we're out here helping people not to starve themselves while you yourself do the opposite?" she mocked with a raised eyebrow.
"I am not hungry, Ms. Kruger. I will highly appreciate if you will stop wasting your time caring for my well-being. That is absolutely unnecessary." Shizuru said, looking Natsuki in the eyes.
"And I would highly appreciate if you will stop making things hard for us and just eat these." Natsuki said, not perturbed by the woman's coldness towards her.
Shizuru was about to fired back when suddenly her phone's screen lighted up indicating an incoming video call. "Hand me the phone please."
Natsuki looked at the screen of the vibrating gadget only to see a younger and chubby version of Shizuru on the screen. She looked at Shizuru who was waiting for her phone with obvious impatience.
"The phone please." Shizuru extended her hand, awaiting her phone.
Without thinking, Natsuki answered the call and adjusted the device so that both of them will be on the screen. The call connected and out came a voice of a child.
"Mama!" A child's face came into view. She was already in her pink pajama with puppies prints on it. She was obviously using a laptop since almost one side of her bedroom was visible to Natsuki. She was lying on her stomach with her feet raised behind her. "Mama, it's too dark. I can't see you." She complained as her chubby face came closer to the screen like that will help the lighting problem.
"Ah sorry." Natsuki mumbled, retrieving her own phone and turning its flashlight on before settling it between her and Shizuru.
"Mama?" The child blinked at her screen and Natsuki didn't even bother to stifle her laugh at the child's confusion. "You are not Mama." She said frowning.
"I'm not your mom, Shi-chan." Natsuki said before adjusting Shizuru's phone which focused on her when she retrieved her own, leaving Shizuru out of view.
The child's face lit up after a few seconds. "Nat-chan!"
"You remember." Natsuki smiled at the child.
"Of course, I do!" The child said proudly before her attention focused on something else. "Mama!" she said bouncing.
"Shizuki-chan, good evening." Shizuru greeted, thankful that her right hand was not on the camera's angle. Just to take extra measure, she hid it further to the side which Natsuki obviously noticed. "Why are you still awake? It is past your bed time."
"I can't sleep, Mama." The child whined which Natsuki found so adorable. "I miss you." She said before panic crossed her feature. "Good evening, too, Mama. Good evening, Nat-chan."
"Evening, Shi-chan." Natsuki waved.
"Why are you with Mama?" The child asked curiously.
Natsuki smirked at Shizuru's direction before smiling at the child. "You see, Shi-chan your mom—" Natsuki started but was halted by the child.
"Not mom. Mama! She's my Mama not mom." The child corrected her.
"Sorry." Natsuki gave in, not really making sense of what the child was talking about because for her they meant the same. "Your Mama hasn't eaten yet so, I was convincing her to eat these healthy food." She lifted the packed salad to the screen. "Will you help me convince her please?" She said with her puppy doe eyes, obviously taking advantage of the situation.
"But Mama always say never to skip a meal. It's bad for my health." The child said with her eyebrows scrunched in confusion and her crimson orbs blinking at the screen.
"Did she?" Natsuki asked, glancing at Shizuru whose discomfort was getting apparent.
"Yes, she said that. All the time." The child nodded her head with certainty.
"Then why is she not-" Natsuki started, turning her attention to Shizuru who was now throwing daggers at her.
"I was just about to eat before you called, Shizuki-chan." Shizuru interjected, smiling at the child.
"Were you, Shizuru? Because you just said that you were not hung-" Natsuki's words were drowned as Shizuru's right hand quickly covered her mouth. Natsuki immediately turned the camera away to hide Shizuru's bandaged arm.
In her haste to stop Natsuki from further speaking, Shizuru didn't anticipate the position that she will end up with. Apparently she was now all over Natsuki who was quick enough to wrap her arms around her waist securely before she was completely pressed to the tree behind her.
Natsuki raised an eyebrow and Shizuru immediately withdrew her hand and started distancing herself from Natsuki.
"You could have just said you missed me instead of avoiding me these days." Natsuki whispered as she held the woman closer to her instead, causing Shizuru's hands to fall on her shoulders. "You weigh too light for your own good."
"You think too high of yourself." Shizuru said, avoiding Natsuki's piercing emerald orbs and ignoring her last comment.
"I think too much of you." Natsuki confessed before she can stop herself. Her eyes were on Shizuru's side feature. She saw the surprise crossed therein but was masked right away.
"You should not." Shizuru whispered, shaking her head. "This is wrong." She tried pushing Natsuki away but the woman held her closer.
"Let me fix this." Natsuki said in her low voice.
"There is nothing to be fixed, Natsuki." Shizuru said, finally looking Natsuki in the eye.
"There is, Shizuru. There is." Natsuki said, holding Shizuru's warm cheek in her hand as her thumb caressed it, the phone completely forgotten. "I should have told you about Alyssa."
"This is not fair for her." Shizuru said, halting Natsuki's hand and removing it from her face.
"And how is this fair for you?" Natsuki asked, holding Shizuru's neck to urge the woman to look her in the eyes.
"It is of little relevance now." Shizuru once again removed Natsuki's hand. "Please stay away from me."
Before Natsuki could answer, a persistent voice of a child was once again heard. "Mama! Mama! Stars! Stars! Mama, where are you? I can't see you."
Natsuki hesitantly released her hold on Shizuru and retrieve the phone. When the woman was already settled once again on her previous position, she adjusted the camera's angle to capture both of them.
"Your Mama is here Shi-chan." Natsuki said, smiling at the child. "So, will you help me convince her to eat?" She continued.
"Mama, please eat already." The child begged with her puppy eyes.
"I will eat if Shizuki-chan will retire to bed already." Shizuru said, smiling at the child.
"I will. After you eat, Mama." The child persisted.
"I will eat then." Shizuru said as she retrieve the food brought by Natsuki.
"Say Shi-chan, would you like to know some trivia about the stars?" Natsuki asked, staring up at the sky.
"Hmn." The child nodded as she hugged a pillow closer to her.
"How many stars do you think are there in the sky, Shi-chan?" Natsuki asked but her attention was still on the sky above her.
"Many. Many stars." The child answered, looking at her screen.
"Many that we lose count of them. Just like the number of people we met. Some of them stay but others left. But not really left."Natsuki said as if lost in thought.
"I don't understand." The child said, frowning.
"My dad used to tell me that when we die, we turn into stars." Natsuki said, looking at the vast amount of stars sprinkled on the clear sky.
"Why do we turn into stars?" The child asked.
"To remind people that we love that we did not leave them at all. That we will always be watching them. That we are in a better position to guide them than if we are on earth." Natsuki's eyes were focused on the lone star away from the others.
"But they are very far, Nat-chan." The child stated as a matter-of-fact. "They also leave during the day."
"That's why they twinkle at night. For us to notice them and be reminded that they are still there when we feel lonely and sad." Natsuki said, glancing at Shizuru whose focus was partly on her food and partly on the sky above her. "They hide during the day because they want us to focus our attention on the people around us. They want us to live our life to the fullest without being held by them. They want us to meet new people and create happy memories with them so that when the night comes and we are still alone, we can talk to them in our heart and they will always listen. Always." She said, nodding.
"How do you know that they listen, Nat-chan?" The child interjected.
"Because people who love you always listen to you, Shi-chan. They just do." Natsuki said, smiling at the child.
"Right! I love Mama that's why I listen to her. All the time." The child announced.
"I love you too, Shizuki-chan." Shizuru smiled at the child.
"Mama, I'm sleepy." The child rubbed her eyes as a yawn escaped her.
"Go to sleep, baby." Natsuki chuckled at the child's adorable face as it got closer to the screen.
"Goodnight, Shizuki-chan." Shizuru bid her farewell.
"Goodnight, too, Mama. Goodnight, Nat-chan. Take care of Mama." The child said before ending the call.
Natsuki placed the phone between her and Shizuru. She grabbed the bottled water and opened it before offering it to Shizuru who took it with a nod. The woman had already eaten three-fourths of her food.
They both sat in silence for a few more minutes with Natsuki just leaning on the tree and looking at the sky.
"Sometimes they also hide during the night even when we are alone and have no one to talk to." Shizuru said, playing with the remaining salad on the plastic container.
"Because they can see more than we can. They are in a higher platform than us. Sometimes we feel like we are alone even if in reality we are not. There are people around us who care and keep knocking on our door but we choose to shut them down and don't let them in." Natsuki said, looking at Shizuru. "They always hide during the day to prepare us for the nights when they will not be around. When we will no longer need to hold on to them because there are people whom they think can be trusted around us during their permanent absence. They don't want us to keep holding on to them too much that we might forget how to live."
A comfortable silence fell between them until Natsuki's phone rang and Alyssa's name flashed on the screen. Shizuru stood up to leave Natsuki to her privacy but Natsuki was not allowing it. She grabbed the phone with her right hand while grabbing Shizuru's left wrist with her left hand.
"Natsuki speaking." Natsuki said shortly.
"Natsuki, where are you? It's past eleven already. I dropped by your quarter to leave the parcel from your mom but you were not there. It's not safe to roam around at this hour." Alyssa said with a hint of disapproval.
"I'm with Shizuru. I'll be there shortly. Thanks for dropping the parcel, Alyssa." Natsuki said as she tried to maintain her hold on Shizuru's wrist.
"Natsuki, I highly recommend that you bring Shizuru back to her quarter. She needs more rest." Alyssa said more of a command than a recommendation. "And you're welcome."
"I will. I'm hanging up now. Bye, Alyssa." Natsuki said before ending the call and placing the phone in her jeans pocket.
She sighed before abruptly pulling Shizuru's body towards her and wrapping her left arm around her lithe waist while her right hand held the woman's head as she pulled her closer. "You have to let me in, Shizuru." She pleaded in her low voice next to Shizuru's ear.
"I can't do that." Shizuru murmured in Natsuki's shoulder as her hands were hanging limply beside her. Unsure of where to put them just like how unsure she was of their current relationship. If she can even call it one. Their height difference was giving Natsuki the advantage to take control of the situation.
Natsuki pulled away and put some distance between them. She held Shizuru's face with both hands and looked deeply into glistening crimson orbs. "Then, I will break in." She said before capturing the woman's mouth.
Shizuru held onto Natsuki's wrists in an attempt to pry the woman's hands away but to no avail. The woman was persistent and held her face in place before deepening the kiss.
Natsuki felt the unresponsive mouth and the woman's protest but she ignored them just like how she ignored the probable negative consequences of her action. She just didn't care at all and was now doing what she wanted from the first day she saw the fragile-looking woman in India. Soon enough, she felt Shizuru's protest died down and the woman's mouth danced in sync with hers. Natsuki wrapped her left arm around Shizuru's waist and pulled her closer, knowing that it was safe to do so. She felt Shizuru's hands clung unto both sides of her jeans. The need for air arose and Natsuki had to pull away but not before planting a lingering kiss on Shizuru's forehead.
"It's not going to be easy but I will fix this." She promised both to herself and to the woman whom she once again pulled into a warm hug.
Shizuru just allowed herself the comfort of Natsuki's body. She buried her face on her shoulder without uttering a single word while her hands stayed limped beside her.
Day 5
True to what Alyssa had told her, Shizuru found herself always near the woman during breakfast, lunch, dinner and even break time. The woman was dead serious with keeping her eating habit in check.
"You look better than the first day you came, Shizuru." Alyssa offered her a packed salad and an apple before getting her own set of breakfast.
It was a few minutes past six in the morning and only few people were in the breakfast tent. The rest were probably still cocooned in the comfort of their beds. Each day was always long and required energy from them so, it was no wonder that the tent only got packed at around eight.
The two women settled near the tent's entrance where they had a full view of the starting day. The sun had not completely risen up. From the distance they can see group of five men jogging in sync with the addition of Natsuki who never missed her morning routine.
A few more minutes passed by before the group came to the breakfast tent. Noise filled the silent tent upon their entrance. Each was busy checking the available breakfast options. Natsuki was the last one to enter and she was about to open her mouth to acknowledge the women's presence when suddenly she heard a voice calling her.
"NK, catch!" Masashi said before throwing an apple in a baseball-like pass towards her.
Natsuki only saw a blur of flying object approaching her. Thankfully, her reflex was fast enough to catch the apple with her left hand while the other was preoccupied with a towel.
"Nice catch, Kruger!" Another soldier cheered.
"Watch it, asshole!" Natsuki yelled back when she realized where the fruit could have potentially landed. Her left hand was only a closed centimeters away from Shizuru's head.
"Natsuki, it's too early for that language." Alyssa reprimanded while handing her a cup of steaming coffee.
"Morning. Sorry." Natsuki said after throwing back the apple to a smirking Masashi who caught it with ease. "Thanks for the coffee. I'll just grab some solid there." She said gesturing to the table.
"You're welcome and good morning, too." Alyssa said before once again joining Shizuru. "You may join us if you want."
"Nah. I'll be with those idiots." Natsuki said, gesturing to the group of loud men. "And enjoy your healthy breakfast."She cringed at the sight of salad in front of them. The women had been eating nothing but along those line of dish and Natsuki still didn't understand how they were able to survive each day with that alone in their system. "I'll get going." She said without waiting for Alyssa's reply because she knew that an early morning health lecture ensued.
It was almost nine in the morning and Alyssa was giving instructions to her crew when she saw a wobbling figure approached Shizuru in the distance. "I'll be right back." She said before going out of the tent.
"Is everything alright here, Shizuru?" Alyssa asked upon getting closer.
"I don't think so, Doc." Shizuru said calmly, gesturing towards the wounded man who was clutching his bleeding side.
"Just my luck. I need some fix, Doc." The thug-looking man smirked before producing a revolver and pointing it at Alyssa. "Fast."
"Sir, please calm down." Alyssa said before getting herself in front of Shizuru, acting as shield for the younger woman.
"Put your gun down, Sir!" Masashi yelled as he pointed a gun to the injured man, his troop came after him and did the same surrounding the man.
Natsuki felt like she was experiencing a deja vu but instead of some New York thugs, it was only a lone man. There were soldiers instead of police and she was standing as a spectator instead of being in Shizuru's place. The scene was very much familiar to Natsuki that she almost knew what was about to happen.
"Put your hands in the air and gun on the floor, Sir!" Masashi once again demanded but the man only laughed at him like he had lost it. Maybe he did lost it after the blood loss.
As if in slow motion, Natsuki saw the man smirked before wobbly turned his attention to Alyssa and started pulling the trigger.
"Not again." Natsuki mumbled before dashing towards Alyssa and pushing the woman away.
Two gunshots were heard and everything happened in a blur.
Shizuru found herself beneath Masashi's body. The man was quick enough to jump into action the moment he saw the injured man started to pull the trigger. "Are you alright, Miss Viola?" Masashi said, checking the woman quickly before abruptly rolling over and yelling. "Hold him down!"
It took a few more seconds for the event to register in Alyssa's mind. "Jesus Christ, Natsuki!" She exclaimed before hurriedly going to Natsuki's side who was lying on the ground and bleeding heavily.
"You alright?" Natsuki said between coughs. Blood started to spew out of her mouth.
"I'm fine. I'm fine. Don't talk, baby." Alyssa said as she put pressure on Natsuki's left chest. Judging from where the blood was oozing, Alyssa can only pray that the bullet did not hit the vital organ therein.
"Good." Natsuki whispered as she started to get dizzy and tired. Her eyes were closing out of their own volition.
Immediately, two men from the medical team came with a stretcher and Natsuki was immediately lifted off the ground.
"Stay awake, baby." Alyssa said, slapping Natsuki's face with her blood stained left hand while the other kept applying pressure on her chest. "I need one of you to attend to the man. The rests, join me in the clinic. We'll do the surgery there. "
"I will do it, Doc." One man volunteered and immediately proceeded to the thug who was already handcuffed, subdued.
"Just a little more. Please stay with me." Alyssa pleaded as she kept slapping Natsuki awake. The clinic's door was within their reach.
Natsuki just groaned in response as she began another fits of coughs. Tired emerald orbs kept peeping out as she forced herself to stay awake.
Shizuru just stood there, overwhelmed by the event. She just watched as they carried Natsuki out of her sight. She just watched when the man was dragged to the tent by the soldiers with the young doctor trailing behind them. She just watched as Masashi yelled some orders to his subordinates. There was nothing that she can do but watched. She felt useless again.
"Inform the local authority. We'll hand the bastard to them after his treatment." Takeda said through clenched teeth. If it was only him who will decide the man's fate, he would have been in his funeral the following day.
"Copy that, Sir. We'll radio them immediately." The soldier saluted before fumbling with his communication device.
"Miss Viola, please follow me." Masashi said to the unmoving woman.
"Will she be alright?" Shizuru said with a heavy heart. As much as she wanted to go after Natsuki, there was not much that she can do to help her at the moment.
"They will do their best to save her." Masashi ushered the woman towards the quarters' direction. "I will inform you once they're done fixing her." He said positively to convince both himself and the woman beside her.
Author's Notes: Pardon the medical inaccuracy of this fanfic. Please keep in mind that this is only a fiction and nothing is intended to discriminate any race. Grammatical and spelling errors are expected due to lack of proofreading.
PS: I read ALL your comments and I will answer SOME queries through chapters, if possible. Otherwise, I might answer them directly via comments section if a chapter has been posted already but things are not yet clear. By the way, it's good to know that I have amazingly interactive readers. Sometimes you guys just have no chill at all. Please try not to leave demeaning comments in response to others' thoughts. I don't want this page to be an avenue for hatred. I appreciate the private messages and comments though, I might not be able to answer all of them. I hope to finish this story before the year ends. *crossed fingers. Thanks for reading. 'Til next chapter! :D