Disclaimer: Author owns nothing. Mai-Hime belongs to Sunrise.
CHAPTER 29
NEW YORK CITY
At Natsuki's apartment on the same evening.
Natsuki decided to end their bath knowing that it won't do both of them any good if they were to stay longer. She was advised to keep her wound from having contact with water while it was still in the process of healing. She also knew that Shizuru needed to get out of there sooner else, she might catch a cold which she still did.
"It can't be helped. She stayed too long in there." Natsuki sighed, looking at the woman's reflection in the mirror. She was still in the bathroom but since the door was opened, she was able to see some parts of her bedroom. The mirror was installed directly facing the door.
Shizuru was already in her bedroom, dressing herself up with the clothes that Natsuki prepared.
"I'll dry your clothes, Shizuru. This won't take a while." Natsuki said while retrieving Shizuru's drenched clothes from the counter. She didn't wait for the woman's response but instead proceeded to the laundry area which was adjacent to her bathroom.
She checked for items on the woman's coat pockets before putting them in the washing machine. "Phone. Good thing it's not damaged by the rain." She said, removing the item from the pocket and placing it near the counter. She checked the other pocket and found another item.
"Passport. Still dry? At that rate, her things should have been drenched. Just what's with this coat?" She mused before checking the coat's tag which had a small "Gucci" printed on it. "exclusively for S. Viola." She read the small phrase written below the brand name. "A personalized coat? Why am I still surprised?" She placed the item near the phone and continued with the other pockets to empty them of anything valuable. After a thorough search, she found nothing else in them.
"Huh? How did she come here from the airport if she didn't have any bills with her?" Natsuki wondered before a thought crossed her. "Don't tell me she walked from the airport to here. But that's too far." She shook her head as if that would cross out the possibility of it happening. She placed the other articles of clothing inside the washing machine before joining Shizuru.
"Ahmn. Shizuru?" Natsuki asked tentatively to catch the woman's attention. "Are these the only things you brought with you?" She placed the passport and phone on the bed.
"Ara, yes Natsuki." Shizuru answered, looking at the items on the bed before looking back at the confused Natsuki.
"Eh? How did you come here, then?" Natsuki asked, her emerald orbs were squinting to take a better look at Shizuru's feet for any sign of damage done due to walking.
"Ara, I halted a cab and instructed the kind driver to bring me to your address, Natsuki." Shizuru answered as she started closing the distance between them. "
"Did you pay the driver?" Natsuki asked, looking Shizuru in the eyes.
"Ara?" Shizuru uttered, confused with the question. "Of course, Natsuki. I did pay the driver. It is not good to deprive anyone of what is due to him." She said, pondering where Natsuki's questions were coming from. "Ara, did Natsuki think that I did not pay my dues to the hardworking driver? I never knew that Natsuki thinks so low of me." She said with feigned hurt in her voice.
"You don't have a single dollar in your pocket, woman! How am I supposed to know that you did not run away from the driver without paying?" Natsuki defended herself.
"Ara, Natsuki is not even denying that she is accusing me of doing something that horrible to the cab driver?" Shizuru turned around, allowing her back to face Natsuki instead. She sat on the bed and started gathering her items. "So, Natsuki does not trust my words anymore." She said, looking up at Natsuki. "I should probably go, then." She started getting up and walking towards the door's direction.
"Shizuru, wait." Natsuki said, running after the woman. She held Shizuru's wrist with her left hand out of reflex since it was closer but Shizuru abruptly withdrew her wrist from Natsuki. Straining the latter's left arm and causing her to feel an excruciating pain in her left chest.
"Ugh." Natsuki groaned in pain as she nursed her wound with her hand. Luckily, the bed was there to catch her. She closed her eyes waiting for the pain to ebb away as she tried breathing in and out to calm herself down.
Crimson orbs bulged upon seeing Natsuki's white long-sleeved shirt started to be stained with blood. "Natsuki, I am sorry. Are you alright? Your wound is bleeding." Shizuru hurried to Natsuki's side. Setting aside the items that she was carrying earlier.
"Just give me a minute, Shizuru." Natsuki said as she continued to take deep breaths.
"We need to attend to your wound. Where is your first aid kit?" Shizuru asked, holding Natsuki's right hand and removing it from her bleeding wound to assess the damage.
"I need to see your wound, Natsuki." Shizuru said, unfastening the buttons of Natsuki's shirt. She looked at the patch which was no longer white but instead covered in red. "Your first aid kit, Natsuki. Can you tell me where it is?" Shizuru asked, holding Natsuki's face.
"Kitchen. Behind the mirror. There's a button on the left side. Press it." Natsuki instructed as she slowly calmed down.
"I will not take long. Hold on a little longer, Natsuki." Shizuru said before hastily getting up to retrieve the said kit.
A few minutes later, she was back with a glass of water on hand and a white rectangular box with a red cross sign on it.
"Take these, Natsuki. These are pain relievers." Shizuru handed the medicine to Natsuki who gladly took them in one go. "Water. Let me help you." She guided the glass towards Natsuki before setting it aside.
"Thanks, Shizuru." Natsuki said as she leant on the headboard. "Just give me a second." She said, closing her eyes.
"We need to clean your wound, Natsuki. I will replace the bandage." Shizuru announced before fumbling with the first aid kit. She gathered all the needed medical paraphernalia and looked at Natsuki who was still leaning on the headboard with her eyes closed. "Natsuki, we need to replace your cloth as well." Shizuru said as she started discarding the old bandage and replacing it with a fresh one.
"It's not that I don't trust you, Shizuru. It's just that you could have put your life in danger if you really did it. Who knows what the driver could have done to you if you refused them their pay." Natsuki said out of nowhere as she slowly opened her eyes and looked at crimson orbs which current focus was her wound. "Plus, I thought you just walked your way from the airport to my place. That would be more dangerous."
A few moment of silence passed by as Shizuru continued with changing Natsuki's bandage. She stood up without saying a word and retrieved another button-up long sleeve shirt from Natsuki's closet. "Let me help you change your clothes." She started working on removing the stained clothe without looking Natsuki in the eyes.
"Shizuru, I'm sorry." Natsuki wrapped Shizuru's left hand, which was working on removing her shirt, with hers.
"Why is Natsuki apologizing?" Shizuru looked up to meet the apologetic gaze of Natsuki.
"I upset you. I'm sorry." Natsuki clarified.
"Natsuki is at no fault at all. I was just messing around with her. If there is someone who should apologize, it should be me and not Natsuki. I brought her to this situation." Shizuru gestured towards Natsuki's stained cloth, implying the need to remove it. "Sometimes, I think that Natsuki is too kind for her own good. She keeps saying that I should take care of myself but does not do the same to herself. Using her left arm like that."
"I thought you were mad." Natsuki whispered to herself, avoiding Shizuru's gaze.
"A little. But not too upset as to want any harm on Natsuki. I was not expecting Natsuki to use her left arm given that she is not a leftist." Shizuru got up to set aside the stained shirt and to get her phone. "To answer Natsuki's curiosity, I took an Uber cab and paid electronically. Here is my e-receipt as evidence. As long I have my phone with me, cold cash or credit card will not be a necessity for my purchases." She showed her phone to Natsuki. "Is Natsuki satisfied now?"
"Shizuru, I'm sorry. Really." Natsuki said apologetically.
"Like what I said, Natsuki does not have to apolo- *sneeze*." Shizuru said but was halted by a sneeze which was followed by another series of sneezes.
"Shizuru, are you okay?" Natsuki asked worriedly.
"Ye- sneeze*". Shizuru attempted to reply.
"I don't think so." Natsuki said, handing Shizuru the tissue box from the nearby bedside table.
The two women were enjoying the warm repose provided by the fireplace while Sakomizu was busy attending to the Siberian husky.
Natsuki was holding the plate, where the bowl of warm soup was placed, in her right hand. Her right leg was folded to support Shizuru who was partially leaning on her right shoulder. Given the short distance between their bodies, she could clearly feel the woman shivering as the latter pulled the blanket closer to her body. A bin was placed near her for used tissue disposal. She got runny nose not to mention the occasional coughing.
Shizuru was snuggling closer to Natsuki for more warmth. Because despite the thick clothes that she was wearing, she still felt cold. The blanket seemed to be not helping at all. She was starting to feel the outcome of her thoughtless act earlier that afternoon. The weather was already bad as it was that no one would dare to even step a foot outside.
"Shizuru, you need to eat more." Natsuki said, bringing the soup near Shizuru's mouth.
"I am full, Natsuki." Shizuru replied, pushing the bowl away.
"It's getting worse." Natsuki said while looking at the cocooned Shizuru. "I think we should go to the hospital." She glanced at the heavy downpour outside and immediately realized their situation. "Damn."
"I will be fine, Natsuki." Shizuru said before she went into another series of coughs.
Suddenly Shizuru's phone rang. Natsuki set aside the half-finished soup bowl to retrieve the device. She glanced at the caller's name flashed on the screen. "It's Suzushiro."
"Just ignore it, Natsuki." Shizuru said, throwing another used tissue inside the bin.
"They're worried about you, Shizuru. I'll take this call." Natsuki said before swiping the phone to answer.
"Natsuki, do-" Shizuru started but was halted by the loud voice on the other line.
"Viola! Where in the world are you right now?! Get your sass here this instant! It's already six in the morning. Tell me which bar are you in?! I'm going to fetch you myself." Suzushiro yelled on the other line.
"Jesus Christ! Good thing I put it on speaker." Natsuki mumbled to herself which earned her a giggle from Shizuru. Her words didn't escape the latter's hearing.
"Good morning, Suzushiro-san. It's Kruger." Natsuki answered the phone, glaring at Shizuru who was trying her hard to stifle her laughter but was obviously failing miserably.
"Kruger, you disappearing bumble! Where's Viola? Why is her phone with you? Where are you?" Suzushiro breathed her questions in one go.
"Calm down, Suzushiro-san. Shizuru is with me. We're in New York. She caught-" Natsuki explained but was soon interrupted.
"New York! Are you fooling me?! Viola can't ride an airplane without being seduced to sleep. Viola has a phobia with airplanes. There's no way in hell both of you are in New York right now. So, where in Japan are you, Kruger?" Suzushiro said impatiently.
"We are really in New York." Natsuki whispered, looking at Shizuru who suddenly found the tissue more interesting than her conversation with Haruka.
Natsuki, knowing what the woman's behavior meant, pulled Shizuru by the waist closer and gently rubbed her back in an attempt to tell her that she wasn't mad but was worried instead.
"I said stop fooling around, Kruger! Tell me where you are right now or I will sue you for abduction." Suzushiro hissed on the other line.
"Haruka-san, Natsuki is telling the truth. I am really in New York. I came here on my own volition." Shizuru intervened before coughing.
"Viola! How in the world..." Suzushiro mumbled. "Are you sick?"
"She caught a cold, Suzushiro-san. I will accompany her back to Japan once she's fit to travel back. There's no need for you to worry." Natsuki answered on behalf of Shizuru.
"There's no need, Kruger. Yukino is in New York as we speak. She knows better how to handle Viola's flight back to Japan. Just send me your address and Yukino will be there to fetch her." Suzushiro said in a calmed manner.
"I'll send it to you once I find Shizuru fit to travel again, Suzushiro." Natsuki said before ending the call.
"I am sorry. I made Natsuki worry again." Shizuru said sincerely, looking at Natsuki who released a sigh.
"Don't be. Stop apologizing." Natsuki gathered the woman in her arms and placed a lingering kiss on the side of her head. She engulfed her in a protective and comforting hug.
Suddenly they noticed Duran got up with its tail wagging behind. It barked eagerly at the door's direction.
"Miss Alyssa you can't…" Sakomizu tried but halted when Alyssa abruptly stopped in her track.
Duran eagerly welcomed their guest by nuzzling the doctor's legs. However, the other three occupants of the apartment had a completely different reaction.
Shizuru visibly stiffened while Natsuki just looked at Alyssa's glistening eyes. It was obvious that the woman was holding back her tears.
"Good to see you too, Duran. I brought your food since, Mrs. Madison can't attend to you at the moment." Alyssa bent down to pet the animal.
"Miss Alyssa, I'll take the dog food." Sakomizu said, wanting to disappear from the scene as soon as possible. "Come, boy. Your food is here."
But the dog was not having it. It continued to nuzzle Alyssa's face.
"Go now, Duran." Alyssa said, ruffling the dog's head like it was a child.
The dog complied reluctantly. Casting a longing glance at Alyssa before following Sakomizu.
Alyssa straightened herself and looked at the women who seemed frozen in an embrace. Her eyes squinted at Shizuru before she hastily approached Shizuru with a look of seriousness in her face.
"Alyssa, wait! Don't hurt her." Natsuki said as she hugged Shizuru like she wanted to shield her from Alyssa's attack. "I will explain everything but please calm down first." She continued hugging Shizuru protectively. She knew how an angelic Alyssa can turn into an unforgiving demon when she was at her limit. The woman was an epitome of calmness and rarely went berserk.
"Natsuki, you need to let go of Shizuru." Alyssa said too calmly for Natsuki's liking.
"No. Please don't." Natsuki insisted while closing her eyes and not letting go of the cocooned Shizuru.
"Natsuki!" Alyssa yelled causing Natsuki to look in her direction. "Shizuru's nose is bleeding and she's already unconscious. You need to let her go and allow me to take a look at her." She explained as she lowered down herself.
"What? You are not mad?" Natsuki blinked a few times. "Wait, what did you say? Shizuru is…" She said before following Alyssa's instruction to let go of Shizuru. "Shit. Shizuru!"
"I am mad, Natsuki." Alyssa said truthfully. "But I need to attend to Shizuru first. Now stop suffocating her. Remove this blanket. Let her lean on you for a while." She said as they adjusted Shizuru's position. She held the woman's head and examined her with her naked eye. She grabbed a tissue from nearby and tried cleaning Shizuru's nose. "Hold this." She gestured to the tissue before getting a feel of Shizuru's forehead. "She's burning. Keep her head tilted down a little bit, Natsuki. I'll just get something."
Alyssa fumbled with the button near the mirror found in Natsuki's kitchen. She had stored medical supplies behind it for emergency situations herself and never failed to instruct Mrs. Madison to check on them once in while in case some medicines needed replacement.
She got what she needed and went back to the two women who were still on the floor.
"Sakomizu, please come over here and lay Shizuru on the sofa." Alyssa instructed which was immediately obeyed by the man who hurriedly went to the living area.
"Excuse me, Natsuki." Sakomizu lifted Shizuru up.
"Natsuki, put some pillows behind her and keep her elevated." Alyssa instructed Natsuki who sprang into action right away.
"On it." Natsuki uttered and did as instructed.
"I'll just make a quick examination on her." Alyssa said retrieving a thermometer and placing it on Shizuru's armpit. She took her pulse rate before using her stethoscope to do another further examination.
"Let's bring her to the hospital, Natsuki. Both of you will be safe there." Alyssa said cryptically after retrieving the thermometer from Shizuru's armpit.
Both Sakomizu and Natsuki just nodded in agreement.
"Ahm. Alyssa, is Duran allowed in the hospital?" Natsuki asked, glancing at the canine which was hiding beneath the pile of blankets on the backseat, whimpering. The weather was too bad for the poor canine's liking. The striking of lightning and the booming thunder were frightening it.
Sakomizu was driving and Alyssa was occupying the passenger seat beside him. Natsuki, on the other hand, was cradling the head of the semi-conscious Shizuru on her lap.
"Drive us to Saeko's address, Sakomizu." Alyssa instructed while her hands were tapping on her mobile phone.
"Wait. Why are we going to Mom's place? Shizuru needs to be in the hospital. You said it yourself." Natsuki protested from the backseat.
"Shizuru will be fine, Natsuki. It's just a simple flu. Cough, cold, exhaustion, stress and probably too much exposure to this weather. I requested a trustworthy friend to bring all the medical supplies that we will need for Shizuru. I will explain further when we get there." Alyssa explained, looking at Natsuki via the car's mirror. She can't help but feel a piercing pain in her heart at seeing the two women.
"But she was coughing and her nose was bleeding and…" Natsuki protested but was halted by Alyssa.
"Enough, Natsuki! I said I will explain further later." Alyssa blurted out in anger, turning her attention to the two women at the back.
Sakomizu flinched and gripped the stirring wheel while Natsuki just gulped the lump in her throat. "I know you're concern about her but you have to listen to me. Just shut up for now." She said in a voice laced with frustration and hurt.
The ride continued in a very awkward silence among the passengers. Nothing can be heard except the loud thunder outside, the heavy pour of rain and Shizuru's whimpering which came every now and then.
They finally reached their destination and alighted from the vehicle. Sakomizu carried Shizuru while Natsuki took charge of Duran.
"Miss Alyssa, everything that you asked is already in NK's room." Masashi said, rushing towards Alyssa.
"Thank you, Masashi." Alyssa said simply which earned her a nod from Masashi. "I'll attend to Shizuru first, Natsuki. I believe there's someone who wishes to talk to you." She said, gesturing Sakomizu to follow her.
Natsuki got more confused when she saw Masashi and another person that she seldom saw. The person's presence always meant that something serious was going on.
"NK, the General is here." Masashi announced before guiding Natsuki to where a man in his military uniform was standing with his back turned towards them. He seemed to be preoccupied with speaking to someone over the phone. With the look of it, he seemed to be not pleased at all.
"Good evening, Sir!" Natsuki straightened up and gave a firm salute towards the man who was finally done speaking over the phone.
Her grandfather was a tough and authoritative man. Although he didn't force Natsuki to be in the military, he treated her like one of his subordinates and put her through rough trainings just like any other soldiers. Sometimes Natsuki's trainings were more stringent than those given to ordinary soldiers. He didn't want his granddaughter to be defenseless again just like what happened when Alex was shot right in front of her. He never wished her to be that fragile and hopeless again. It was no wonder that Natsuki's knees weakened whenever she was in the presence of her grandfather. The memories of her deathly trainings always made her cringe.
"At ease, soldier." General Kruger said, looking straight at his granddaughter with those calculating and hawk-like eyes. "You must be wondering why I am here."
"Yes, Sir." Natsuki answered back without hesitation.
"Enlighten her, Captain." General Kruger gestured towards Masashi who immediately turned on a small black box and pictures appeared on the hologram.
"It appeared that you were not shot accidentally in India, NK." Masashi began as the picture of Natsuki's shooter appeared on the hologram. "We found three pictures carried by this man with him after a thorough body inspection." Three pictures appeared and Natsuki's eyes squinted in disbelief. "He had your picture, Miss Alyssa and Miss Viola but yours got an X marked on the forehead. It seemed that someone wanted you down."
"I interrogated him myself." General Kruger interjected and both Natsuki and Masashi gulped because they knew what could have transpired if it was the General himself who did the interrogation. "But that bastard only spewed nonsense. The instruction came to him via an envelope loaded with cash and a threat to kill his family if he will not do it."
"Good thing that the mastermind behind this wasn't very much careful. We took the envelope and found some strands of hair inside it. No fingerprints, though. That person might have used hand gloves. All we need is a line of suspects to do the DNA testing. By the look of it, it could be a woman since the hair strands were long." Masashi continued when he saw the General's instruction to proceed.
"Now tell me who you messed up with this time, soldier." The General said through gritted teeth as he held Natsuki's collar in a tight grip.
"I don't have any idea who could do this, Sir." Natsuki answered back without flinching.
"You don't have any idea because you've been screwing up with a lot of socialite women! Is that right, soldier? You have Alyssa as your wife and you still went on fucking with them like a horny teenager. I never expected you to be this low." General Kruger fumed with his blazing gray orbs.
"How did—" Natsuki started but was interrupted.
"How did I know? I instructed you to protect your mother, soldier. I did not train you for nothing. I thought training you will be enough to keep both of you safe. Little did I know that you yourself will bring her so much pain without even touching a single strand of her hair. I should have trained you to protect her from yourself. Did you seriously think that your mother will keep the threats that you have been receiving a secret from me? Get your shit together and know your priorities, soldier." General Kruger said through gritted teeth.
"I am sorry, Sir." Natsuki said, not really knowing what more to say.
"You're sorry? If you are really sorry, you will stop seeing other women including Viola. You could put her life in danger as well. I think we both know that another casualty is unacceptable at this point, right soldier?" Director Kruger looked Natsuki in the eyes with his intimidating ones. "Do you understand me, soldier? Answer!"
"Yes, Sir!" Natsuki blurted out. She knew that there was truth behind the General's words. She can't afford to compromise Shizuru's safety. Not when the woman had gone through a lot.
"Good. Continue, Captain." The General said as he loosened his grip on Natsuki's collar and stood beside her instead.
Masashi straightened up and cleared his throat before continuing. "These files were also sent to Alyssa. Your apartment's security system has been hacked and all recorded footages are being sent to another server. We are still working on tracing the person responsible for this. The recipient server should lead us to our suspect."
Natsuki just stood there dumbfounded upon looking at the footages. It was basically everything that happened between her and Shizuru. "Alyssa…"
"You will be staying here, soldier. I'll take care of this house's security as well as Alyssa's. Send back Viola to where she needs to be. I believe you need to talk with your wife regarding the footages. Stop making immature decisions." General Kruger gestured upstairs where Alyssa went.
"She will be fine, Natsuki. Her temperature is going down. Just let her rest for some time." Alyssa said, getting up from the bed.
"Thank you, Alyssa." Natsuki glanced at the sleeping Shizuru and released a sigh. "Can we talk in the other room?" She said gesturing towards her right before starting to proceed there.
Natsuki locked the door once they were in. "I'm sorry, Alyssa. I should have told you sooner."
Alyssa stared at the window where the heavy pouring of rain and the lightning can be seen. She was quiet for some time before speaking again. "I told you to give me a good reason for leaving me. I also said that you being guilty for my father's death is not an acceptable reason for me to let go of you." She said while approaching Natsuki and holding the woman's left cheek before caressing it tenderly with a look of longing in her eyes.
"I'm really sorry, Alyssa." Natsuki said, looking down.
"Kiss me." Alyssa said in almost a whisper before tilting Natsuki's head up a little and urged her to look her in the eyes.
"Alyssa…" Natsuki said, searching Alyssa's face for something that she didn't have any idea of what.
"Kiss me, Natsuki." Alyssa whispered. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.
Natsuki gave in and gently pulled Alyssa by the waist. She kissed her tenderly, wanting to properly convey her apology. Alyssa lowered down her hands and allowed Natsuki to lead the kiss. It was still as magical as she remembered even when the kiss was deepened. Natsuki was giving her what she wanted. As much as she wanted to be rational, the kiss wasn't helping her at all. Not when Natsuki was kissing her like she was everything to her. Not when there was a slight tug in her heart telling her that maybe this time she would really lose her for good and there was nothing that she can do about it. She allowed herself to be selfish for once and reciprocated the kiss. Things got heated but both had to let go for the much needed oxygen.
"You still kiss me the same." Alyssa said, leaning unto Natsuki's right shoulder. "You still kiss me like you are still in love with me." She continued in a whisper as she buried her forehead on Natsuki's shoulder.
Natsuki just held her as she gazed at the harsh weather outside.
"Until you are sure of what you want, I will not let go of you. If she's not just a fling for you and if she's really the one who owns your heart right now, I will let you go. Until then, you are still mine. And if she is no good for you, I will not think twice of snatching you back from her." Alyssa said before holding unto Natsuki's shirt with a grip. Soon her tears started to flow out of their own volition.
Natsuki just stood there in silence as she comforted the woman in her arms.
Readers! I'm really sorry. I got caught up in things and wasn't able to write the next chapters. I hope everyone's not after my head yet.