In the Darkness
A Mai Otome ShizNat Story
Chapter 7
"Deadly beautiful" The young man whispered while intently looking at footage from a little over two years ago.
He was looking at the tapes of when they first had captured the brunette. He was mesmerized by her, by her swift movements, her decisions, her logic.
He must've seen the footage over a hundred times already, had memorized every action she had made. It just never got old, he never got bored of seeing it. He just loved seeing her in action. She was amazing, so fascinating to watch.
When they had first captured the mysterious brunette, he could tell just by looking at her that she was special. Very special.
When he had found her trying to escape the dungeon where they were holding her prisioner, the moment her eyes settled on his, with that calm and stoic expression, he knew he was done for. Her face didn't give away anything, but he saw fury in her eyes. Felt the fury inside her.
But luckily for him she had already breathed in too much of their toxic air and had passed out just in time. If he would've gotten there a minute earlier, he wouldn't have been alive right now to tell the tale.
How she managed to escape from the cell they kept her was beyond him though. He didn't have a camera there, so he wasn't able to see.
After that happened, they decided not to leave her out of their sight. They decided to keep her in the lab with them at all times. It was the only way they could keep a close eye on her, could keep her safe. If she left the premises again, she would surely die, and it would have totally ruined their plans.
~ Flashback ~
27 Months Ago…
Ruby eyes were softly closed, pretending to be asleep.
She was listening, listening to the guard's retreating, heavy steps. Waiting for those steps to be a little further away, just a little further so that she could continue working on loosening one of the iron bars of her prison cell.
She had woken up a few hours ago in this godforsaken place. She didn't know where she was yet, or who was keeping her captive. They had yet to come forward, had yet to introduce themselves. …Such bad manners… But she also didn't want to stick around to find out. She wanted to be out of there as soon as possible. She had a bad feeling about this place.
So, she wasted no time. The instant she woke up she tried to contact Youko by using her Gem, but it didn't work. She tried to Materialize as well and found out that she couldn't, something was preventing her from doing so, she wasn't sure what that something was yet.
Ruby eyes then carefully searched the tight, small cell. She noticed there were no windows and no furniture in the cell. The air she was breathing lacked oxygen. She could breathe but not enough was getting in. And by the texture of the walls, by how moist the muddy wall was when she touched it, how muggy the atmosphere felt, she could tell she was underground.
She then quickly kneeled by the entrance of the cell, near the door. Not a sound could be heard left or right. It was too quiet, eerily quiet. Either she was the only prisoner on this floor, or they kept everyone far apart.
She touched the iron bars one by one, wriggling each one a little to see which one she could work on, which one was the loosest one. This place was very outdated, it looked like it had seen better days, getting out of there would be no problem for her.
When she found the loosest bar, she started to wiggle and twist, wiggle and twist, wiggle and twist, only stopping when she felt the guards approaching again.
Every time she heard the guard approach, she would immediately stop, then quietly crawl back to the opposite side of the wall where they had left her, and she would sit. She would sit there in the same position as before, would close her eyes again, and then would wait until the guard was gone. He would stop there for a long moment and stare at her, and then he would move on.
She knew approximately how long it would take him to head back around. Every ten to fifteen minutes he would show up from the same direction, show up from the left side, so she guessed he was walking around in a circle.
When she had finally managed to loosen one of the bars, she left it in place and quickly worked on the next one. She only needed to remove two, she'd have enough space to wriggle her way out then.
It took some time, but she was finally free to make her next move. She waited for the guard to come by again. And when he did, she waited approximately ten seconds for him to be a little far ahead, that way, she could remove the bars and move undetected.
When she left the cell, she took one of the bars with her for protection. She had plenty of training fighting with a metal stick during her Coral years, so this one would do a lot of damage, would work perfectly fine.
She carefully walked around the dungeon, trying to keep hidden from the cameras for as long as she could.
The guard that kept checking up on her was her first casualty. She hit him hard on the back of his head, searched him, and found that he had no weapons.
…Ara, coincidence?... She couldn't help and think. Perhaps her captor knew she'd try to break out and didn't want her to get her hands on anything that could potentially kill him. So her captor must've kept this guard unarmed.
She hid the guard on a corner and then kept quietly walking. This place was big, felt like a maze. A badly lit maze. It was too dark for her to see, and the further from her cell she walked, the colder it got, and the harder it became to breathe.
About twenty minutes in from the moment she had broken out of her cell, she heard the alarm. She moved with a little more haste then, wanting to find cover.
"Stop right there!"
Someone had spotted her and ran towards her direction. She stood there and smiled at him with both hands behind her back, completely hiding the bar. When he got close enough,
BAM!
Down he went. She had quickly spun around and swung the iron bar, hitting him hard and fast across the cheek, and then quickly spun and swung again, ducking and hitting his leg,
"Ugh!"
Making him fall to the ground.
"Kannin na" She apologized as she stood and then quickly left.
There was no time to search her second casualty, she could hear a lot more steps approaching.
She quickly yet silently ran, and when she found the nearest wall, she hid behind it, instantly kneeling. She closed her eyes to be able to focus, to listen better, it was too dark to see anyway.
She also tried to calm her breathing. She couldn't understand why the guards seemed to have no difficulties breathing and she did. …Perhaps they're trained to breathe down here… She reasoned. …I need to head to the surface, I will eventually suffocate and pass out… The way things were going, she wasn't going to last long.
She heard hasty steps nearing again. She prepared. By the steps, it sounded like she needed to fight two guards this time, perhaps three.
She gripped the iron bar, this thing was a lot more useful than she thought. She got ready to swing hard and at least knock one of them out by surprise,
POW!
"Ah!" Down went the third guard.
"N-No... W-Wait!..."
BAM!
"Ugh~" Down went the fourth one.
"Don't move!"
Shouted the remaining one.
"Drop the stick, sweetheart"
She quickly eyed him, analyzed his weak stance. Noticed his shaky hand. "Ara~ Sweetheart?" But instead of dropping the stick, "As you wish" She slowly tossed it towards him, totally surprising him.
His immediate instinct was to catch it. When he lost focus, that's when she lunged at him and quickly disarmed him.
"Not a single movement from you" Kyoto-ben calmly let out. She had disarmed him and was now pointing his own gun at him, "I would like that back" Then grabbed the bar from his shaky hand. "Would you be so kind as to direct me towards the exit?" She'd been in this place far too long. She'd like to go home now. Go home to Natsuki.
When he said nothing, "Slowly point the way" She asked again, pleasantness gone this time. And when she saw him raise his hand, "I must warn you" She softly menaced, "If you lie to me, I will come back for you. I'm afraid our next meeting won't be so pleasant"
The guard gulped and then pointed to a different direction, pointed south.
"Ookini" Shizuru smiled and took a step back. She slowly tossed the gun at him and quickly shifted her stick to her right hand, then swung at his face, definitely leaving a scar. "Sweetheart" It was lights out for guard number five.
She took the gun back and headed towards the direction he had pointed. She walked carefully, kneeling and ducking every few turns, avoiding as many guards as possible.
She confronted three more guards along the way but she didn't use the gun on them. She didn't know how loud it would be, she'd never seen this kind of weapon before, and she didn't want any more attention coming her direction. Especially since she was starting to become a little disoriented, not enough oxygen getting to her lungs.
When she finally found the exit, or at least one possible exit, there was a guard standing right in front of it.
She took a deep breath and quickly ran his direction, startling him.
She quickly swung the iron bar against his hand, disarming him, and instantly pressed the bar with force against his neck, now using both of her hands, pinning him to the door. It didn't take long for him to run out of air and pass out. Guard number nine was down.
Once the door was free, she had to think about it twice before opening it. It was an Airlock type of door. And it was labelled in bold, yellow letters, 'Caution – Surface' and below it, 'Do Not Open'
Shizuru went ahead and turned the lock until it clicked.
- Click -
Then, she pulled it open. On the other side, she found stairs.
She looked up. It was a long way up to the surface, so she said goodbye to her stick, leaving it there on the floor, and went ahead and started climbing.
…If I make it out of this alive, I will ask Natsuki to marry me once and for all… Shizuru dizzily thought as she climbed the stairs, she was running out of air. Was having a hard time breathing. …If she says no, then she says no. At least I'll know…
She had bought the engagement ring six months ago, but decided to wait since things started to become a little complicated between them. She thought that by now, by their third year together as a couple, Natsuki would've made their relationship public. Or at least would say the three words. But neither has happened yet. And as time passed, she was getting quite disillusioned with her. She loved her, and she wouldn't leave her, but she did want more from her. Expected more out of their relationship.
When Shizuru finally made it to the top, tired and faintly breathing, needing air, she had another Airlock door left to open. She felt like she had no strength left to rotate the lock, but she did. Somehow, through her dizziness, she did.
She pushed it open, and when she finished climbing the extra steps and made it outside, her right hand instantly covered her nose and mouth. It was very windy, very cold, and there was a lot of sand.
She daren't breathe. She couldn't breathe. Wherever she was, there was no oxygen. And now she understood why she couldn't reach Youko, now she understood why she couldn't Materialize. Why she couldn't breathe. This world wasn't Earl. She was no longer in Earl, and this world had no breathable air.
Shizuru held her breath and looked up. …If only you could see this, Natsuki… It was beautiful, sad, and tragic at the same time. This world had three moons, but one of them was shattered in pieces. It was totally destroyed. She felt like she had woken up in some sort of twisted, fairytale world.
Shizuru looked at her surroundings one more time before heading down. Miles and miles and miles of sand anywhere the eye could reach. There was no way she would survive out here. She wouldn't make it far, it was too windy, too cold, it was night time, and she couldn't even breathe.
She went ahead and entered the hole she came out of again, closing the Airlock on top of her. She couldn't help and cough as she rapidly went down. The air outside, Shizuru was beginning to think, was poisonous.
When she reached the ground, she went to grab the bar but it was not where she had left it.
"Looking for this?"
A soft voice said. It startled her, but she didn't show it, she didn't flinch.
"You took out nine of my men with this silly thing"
She turned around and looked at the young man. He was pointing a gun at her.
"You're amazing… Deadly beautiful I must say" And then, "What is your name?"
Shizuru said nothing. She was mute. Everything was starting to spin around her yet she showed no sign of discomfort. She didn't waiver for a second.
She waited for him to come closer, maybe then she could disarm him.
"Who, may I ask, is Natsuki?"
Shizuru's hand slightly twitched when the blunette's name left his lips.
"You called the name many times while unconscious. The person must be important to you"
Not a word from the brunette. Not a single word. Only a stare.
"Could she be family? Could he be a lover?" The name was unisex so he had to be vague.
Shizuru felt herself leaving, her chest was now hurting. The pain was too much to bare, to mask.
She took a shaky step forward and he took a step back. And before she knew it, she had hit the ground and everything around her went dark.
~ End Flashback ~
"Looking at those tapes again, son?" The father said once he had entered the lab.
"It's only for research" The young man replied and quickly turned the apparatus off.
The man looked at him suspiciously. He was beginning to think his son was becoming obsessed with the brunette. He was showing too much interest in her. "How are you feeling today?"
"Unfortunately, still weak"
The blunette had startled him last time he was in the dark, so he had disconnected, un-linked improperly, which drained most of his energy. It was dangerous to disconnect that way, to disconnect so suddenly. The mind could get lost in there and never return to ones body again. "I hope this companion of hers doesn't start to become a problem"
"Perhaps it's a one-time thing" The older of the two suggested. He looked up at the screen, looking at the brunette's brain activity. Her memories were now at fifteen percent. "She's recovering faster than we thought" He noticed, "But we still have plenty of time... Rest for a few days, son. If her companion is still with her, we don't want her to become suspicious"
"Okay" The son answered. He was holding onto the iron bar the brunette had fought with that day they captured her. A memento he kept of the day they met.
Same Time, Planet Earl
Garderobe
"Okay, Shizuru-san, this is how this machine works…" Youko explained to the brunette who stood next to her wearing a silky, short, white robe.
Youko, Shizuru, and Natsuki were in the lab, standing in front of a metal, bulky, chrome colored bed. To Shizuru, it looked like a capsule of some sort. Looked like a silver egg. A silver egg with a fluffy bed inside of it.
"First, you will remove your robe and lay down on the bed" The woman softly explained, patting down on the mattress, "Then, once you're settled, I will press a few buttons and this glass will move towards you and will completely cover the bed. You'll be completely sealed inside"
When Shizuru warily nodded, her right hand slowly rubbing her chest, she kept on:
"You will see white smoke" She then chose another word, smoke sounded a little dangerous, "You'll see vapor, white vapor coming out of the vent, those little holes you see there…" She pointed to mentioned holes, "It will completely surround you, and you will be able to hear what's going on outside, but you won't be able to see us"
Shizuru nodded again, "Do I have to do anything?"
The woman smiled and shook her head. "No. All you have to do is lay there. You don't have to do anything else, just lay back and relax"
Shizuru thought for a few seconds, her hand now resting on her chest, totally still, "How long will I be in there?"
"You'll be in there for about twenty minutes" Youko answered, then added, "The vapor you'll inhale will enter your bloodstream through your lungs and will work on healing your wounds. When you come out, you'll be brand new, not a scar, not a scratch on that pretty skin of yours. And it will also take care of that fever you developed overnight, along with any bacteria that might've entered your body through the cuts"
"Hai… I see" Shizuru softly nodded in understanding again.
She was glad that Natsuki had talked to Youko regarding her uneasiness about taking more tests and being around lab equipment. Especially needles. She really didn't like needles.
Youko was going to inject antibiotics into her veins to instantly cure her, but since she had a choice, had a say in what could or could not be done to her, she had said no and had asked for an alternative. An alternative that didn't include needles. That is why they were standing in front of this machine right now, because she had profusely said 'ie' to the needles.
And at least now Youko was being more considerate and explained everything to her so that she knew exactly what was going on, understand what was being done to her. Before, she didn't. She just did as she pleased without muttering a single word.
"Whenever you're ready we'll get started, okay?"
Shizuru softly smiled at Youko, "Ookini" her cheeks tinted pink because of the high fever, "Can I have a few minutes alone with this machine?"
"O… Okay" Youko said, slightly surprised by the request. "We'll be over there, call us when you're ready" And before she started to walk away, "Ahem" She cleared her throat, motioning for the blunette to follow her as well. Shizuru wanted to be left alone. Completely alone.
"Oh, right" Natsuki then took a step closer to Shizuru, a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Shizuru, it's perfectly safe, okay?"
When Shizuru nodded, they walked away, walked towards the other side of the room. That's where the control panels to the machine were.
They stared at Shizuru from afar. Stared as she cautiously walked around the machine, stared as she touched the surfaces. Watched as she bent on her knees and saw what was underneath it. Watched as she touched the inside of the bed, as she pushed down on the mattress, then walked around it and tapped on the thick glass.
"What are you thinking right now?" Youko whispered to the pensive blunette. Natsuki was standing next to her, an arm folded below her chest, the other hand lightly touching her chin, her usual thinking pose.
"Honestly, I don't know what to think… I'm not thinking at all right now" Was all Natsuki could say.
She stared at Shizuru in silence for a few moments, and then continued, "Are you sure the tests are right, that there were no signs of…" She couldn't even finish the sentence, say the word. Couldn't even think about it.
She had stayed up all night with the sleeping brunette in her arms, hoping for the best yet thinking the worst. She would normally pace, standing still in situations like this didn't help her think, but she didn't want to leave the brunette's side, not for a second.
As soon as she saw the sunrise, as soon as she noticed the hint of light peaking in through Shizuru's window, she left the sleeping woman and headed for Youko's bedroom to wake her up. It was still very early, not even six a.m. yet, but she needed to know what Youko had found out very thoroughly. Needed to know in detail. Wanted her to tell her everything all over again, to start from the very beginning again.
Youko recapped everything to Natsuki one more time. She had sat her down and told her that she had conducted all the necessary tests the night Natsuki had brought Shizuru in from the desert. Her blood tests showed that she still had the nanomachines in her system. And when she conducted the physical exam, her body showed no signs of abuse, there was not a scratch, not a scar, not a bruise on the brunette.
Because of this, Youko didn't think of conducting a nanomachine count, that's the only test she didn't perform that night. The brunette seemed perfectly unharmed.
And luckily, she still had blood samples from that night, so she was able to run further tests on Shizuru's blood this very morning. When the results came back, it was alarming what she had found.
She found that ninety five percent of the nanomachines weren't there, Shizuru had lost them somehow. They weren't in her blood, they were missing. That was the reason she wasn't properly healing.
Youko came to the conclusion that either Shizuru was badly injured at some point and had lost a lot of blood, or worse, someone had tampered with her blood.
And since there was absolutely no information on Shizuru's whereabouts, Youko didn't know herself what to think, what to believe. All she could hope for was that Shizuru would remember soon, would be able to tell them something soon. This mystery was making her lose sleep.
And when she analyzed Shizuru's clothing, she didn't find anything out of the ordinary, not a single speck of dust, not a single foreign or unknown particle, nothing besides sand. Besides sand, her clothes were squeaky clean. Too clean. And it didn't have a single tare, it didn't look like she had been wearing it for the past two years.
And the more the time passes, the less explanations she finds. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder, going from bad to worse.
"Don't worry, Natsuki, Shizuru-san is alright. She wasn't harmed in that way" Youko reassured the Headmistress for the hundredth time that day.
"She might not remember it at the moment, but being an Otome was important to her, Youko... She lost two years of her life, she lost her memories, she lost a part of her identity, she can't lose that as well. She can't lose being an Otome"
"I understand" Was all Youko could respond.
"Youko-san?" Shizuru called out, gaining both women's attention. "I'm ready to begin"
"Great!" Youko shouted, then asked the blunette, "I'll get things started here, can you set her up?"
Natsuki nodded, then headed towards her lover. Once she got there she smiled at her, letting her know not to worry, that she'll be okay. That she won't leave her side throughout the whole process.
"Shizuru, I need to remove your robe" Natsuki softly told her, looking her in the eyes while untying the silky strap around her waist for her. When she untied it, she went ahead and gently removed the robe for her, leaving her in her undergarments.
Natsuki couldn't help and swallow, unable to stop her stare. Shizuru was wearing sexy underwear at the moment, very sexy underwear. A white, matching panty and bra set that she had bought for her when she had gone back to visit her family a few years ago. A souvenir from her homeland. They had the finest cotton in the planet.
The more Natsuki thought about it, the more she thought she had a lingerie problem. All she ever bought Shizuru since they became a couple was lingerie.
Always lingerie.
Lingerie with a sexy, matching robe.
"Does Natsuki like?" Shizuru couldn't help and smirk because of Natsuki's reaction, an eyebrow raised.
"Natsuki loves..." The blushing blunette whispered. "Natsuki really, really loves" She had to remind herself that they weren't in neither of their bedrooms, and that Youko was standing not too far away, staring at them. So, before Shizuru could reach out and hold her hand, she reluctantly took a step back, placing some distance between them.
"N-Not here, Shizuru... Please" Natsuki muttered, a rush of more blood going straight to her cheeks, and also hoping that Shizuru didn't take it the wrong way. Didn't take the wrong way the fact that she didn't hold her hand. She hadn't talked to her about the issues she had displaying public affection yet. Or the fact that their relationship was not public, not yet.
They had been at the cabin the whole weekend, where no one could see them, where she could be herself. Now they were at Garderobe, things in Garderobe were a little different. Shizuru didn't know that though.
But Natsuki was trying to change. She really was. It was just taking her a lot of time. More time than she thought.
"Can, um… Can you please lay on the bed?" Natsuki softly asked, unable to stare at the brunette in the eyes.
"Hai" Shizuru slightly frowned and did as told, unsure why the blunette was being distant. She gently lay on the bed, "No sheets?" Then asked, feeling a little exposed.
"Ie, the vapor needs contact with the skin as well, it'll heal you faster" Natsuki answered.
"Are you ready, Shizuru-san?" Youko shouted from a distance.
Shizuru bit her lip, feeling a little nervous. She nodded to Natsuki nevertheless, letting her know that she was ready.
"She's ready!" Natsuki then shouted, giving her attention to Youko.
Youko then went ahead and pressed a few buttons here and there, turning on the machine and starting the healing process.
"I'm not moving from this spot, okay?" Natsuki reassured the brunette.
And Shizuru, she stared at Natsuki the whole time. Being around her usually calmed her, soothed her, but for some reason she was feeling anything but those things right now.
She then heard a small, robotic noise, and Ruby eyes averted to curiously search where the noise was coming from. It was the glass that was starting to move in, just like Youko had explained earlier.
Shizuru slightly opened her mouth, now using it to slowly breathe in and out, trying to calm her nerves. She didn't' know why she felt so nervous, so anxious. And as she watched the glass coming near her, as she watched it totally surround her, as she watched it entrap her, she swallowed, tightly shutting her eyes closed.
And she could somehow feel it again, feel the coldness, hear the whispers, see the darkness.
"Deadly beautiful"
Natsuki, on the other hand, watched as Shizuru's body language totally changed in a matter of seconds.
"Cho… Chotto matte, Youko" She muttered as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but it wasn't loud enough for Youko to hear, to stop the machine.
Emerald eyes watched as Shizuru's lips and hands started to lightly tremble, as she took deep breaths in and deep breaths out, and then she saw as a tear escaped her eye, as the tear caressed her cheek.
Was Shizuru... crying?
Why was Shizuru crying?
Shizuru was a strong woman, a physically and mentally strong woman. The strongest woman Natsuki had ever met. She had seen this woman's vulnerable side before, she had, but only as much as Shizuru had let her see. She had never seen her like this, though. Never like this. Shizuru seemed the total opposite of the poised, confident woman she normally was. She seemed so small, so weak, so frightened. She seemed broken, torn apart.
"Stop… Stop, stop, stop! Youko, open this damn thing!" Natsuki hastily shouted this time. And in ten seconds tops the thick glass had fully opened again and she had full access to the trembling brunette.
Natsuki wasted no time and sat on the bed, sat by Shizuru's side. "What's wrong, Shizuru?" She quickly asked her as she desperately caressed her feverish face, wiping her tears away. "Talk to me"
"I-I don't know" Shizuru replied through trembling lips, not daring to open her eyes. She couldn't exactly explain it, explain how she felt, "I… I think they're watching"
"W… Who? Who's watching?" Came the wary question, the wary whisper.
"I don't know" Was the honest answer. "I-I'm scared, Natsuki"
And although she didn't show it, Natsuki was scared as well.
"W-What's wrong with me? W-Why can't I remember anything?"
But Natsuki didn't have an answer to that.
And after a short moment of silence, "Nothing's wrong with you, you're perfectly fine" Natsuki then tried to calm the anxious woman. "Don't be scared, Shizuru. Look at me, I'm right here. You're not alone" She grabbed the brunette's right hand and brought it to her chest.
Ruby, teary eyes then opened to stare at worried Emeralds ones. She slowly brought her other hand up, and with her fingers she caressed the bridge of Natsuki's nose, her way of telling her not worry.
And after a long moment of staring she once again closed her eyes, for Natsuki had leaned downwards and had given her a soft, lingering kiss on the lips, soon after, whispering:
"Shizuru, you don't have to do this-"
"I-I want to" Shizuru quickly interrupted, weakly smiling. "I'd like to get better sooner and go back to class" If they took the traditional route, the taking pills route, it would take too long. She didn't want to be stuck in her room, in her bed, all day long for who knows how long. And her fever wasn't helping, it made her feel worse. She needed to do this. Needed to heal.
"Okay" Natsuki gave Shizuru another long kiss on the lips. She didn't care who was watching anymore or what they thought, all she cared about was that Shizuru felt safe, that she felt secure.
"I'll be right back, okay? I'll only be gone for a second" And when she felt Shizuru's head nodding against hers, she reluctantly detached herself from her.
"Is everything okay, Natsuki?" Youko softly asked the approaching woman after watching the whole exchange. It was heartbreaking to see Shizuru that way.
Natsuki frowned, then asked, "Would it be okay if I went in the chamber with her?" And added, "It wouldn't interrupt her treatment, would it?"
"No, it wouldn't" Youko smiled at this, at Natsuki's attentiveness, her determination to do her best to comfort the woman she loves. "But you have to strip down, we don't want your clothes to absorb all the good stuff"
Natsuki blushed because of this, "Okay" And then walked back the twenty steps, walked back to where the brunette lay.
Once Natsuki arrived there, she removed her long, blue jacket and neatly placed it on the table next to the bed. Then, removed her navy, flat shoes.
"What is Natsuki doing?" Shizuru asked with a frown, propping herself up by her elbows. It seemed like the woman was stripping down.
But why?
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm coming in with you" After she had removed her flats and neatly set them aside, she proceeded to remove her pants.
"Fufu, if that's the case, I want to help Natsuki get rid of some of her clothes" Shizuru raised to a sitting position and helped Natsuki with her white top, and finally, her tie. Leaving Natsuki in her sexy undergarments as well.
"Okay, move over" When Shizuru did, Natsuki lay next to her, facing her. "And please behave. Keep your hands where I can see them at all times" She couldn't help and add with suspicious, narrowed eyes.
Shizuru giggled, laying on her side as well. "Ara~ I always behave" Her index finger then touched the blunette's side, tickling her waist.
"S-Shizuru!" Natsuki scolded her. "What did I just say to you?! Hands off!"
"Any time today, girls. I have work to do!" Youko shouted from a distance.
Natsuki sighed, "Are you ready, Shizuru?"
Shizuru softly smiled, then nodded. When Natsuki gave Youko the signal to start, she added, "Ookini, Natsuki. You didn't have to do this"
"I do, Shizuru. I'd do anything for you" Natsuki smiled back, her thumb lightly caressing the woman's warm lips. They looked even redder, even plumper, even more desirable because of her fever. She really wanted to kiss her but held on a little longer. Just a little longer. Soon the vapor would start and they wouldn't be seen. She could kiss her all she wanted then.
Shizuru then closed her eyes again, hearing the noise of the glass closing again.
She let out a deep breath. She wasn't sure if it was her anxiety that was making her hear things, hear things that weren't there. Hear sounds and voices of people that weren't presently in the room, that she couldn't recognize, that she had never met before.
"In the darkness, find the source"
"Shizuru, open your eyes"
And Shizuru reluctantly did.
"Look at me, I'm right here" She continued to softly caress her face, "You're safe, you're with me"
"I'm safe" Shizuru repeated letting out a deep breath, "I'm with Natsuki" Then rested her forehead against the blunette's.
"Okay, the vapor will start now, you will hear a sound so don't get scared"
And as if on cue, there the sound was. It sounded like buzzing, perhaps a fan.
Shizuru could see the vapor surrounding them now, she could see the vapor obstructing her view. Natsuki's face, Natsuki's green eyes, even though she was right there in front of her, she couldn't see her anymore. She was fuzzy, almost disappearing. Disappearing.
Disappearing…
"Youko… Please take care of Natsuki"
"Don't be scared, Shizuru, it's only air" Natsuki said, feeling the tremor on the brunette's cheek. "It won't hurt you, just slowly breathe it in" She took a deep breath in, then out, showing her, "See? Try it"
Shizuru could barely see her, but she could hear her, feel her. She could feel her warm hand caressing her cheek. Could feel her slowly moving, shifting, now laying on top of her. Could feel her weight on her, and it felt good. The pressure, the touch, the constriction, it felt good. It kept her centered, kept her calm.
"Mmm… Now what?" Shizuru then whispered, arousal slowly taking over now. She felt Natsuki's lips so close to hers, her breath tickling her lips, she felt her hand on her hip, squeezing her there.
"Now I have twenty minutes to keep you distracted… I-I mean, calm. Keep you calm"
Shizuru giggled as she wrapped her arms around Natsuki's neck, pulling her face down a little closer. Totally loving the sound of what she had just said.
"But you have to keep very quiet" Came the husky whisper. "I don't want Youko to hear us"
"Ara~ And you acuse me of misbehaving?"
"Don't be a pervert, Shizuru!" But she had said it too loud. Too loud. She cleared her throat and then whispered, "No funny business, I'm only going to kiss you. So keep your hands right where they are"
And then she felt Natsuki's nose touching hers, and then her lips on hers, softly kissing her. "I love you…" She heard her huskily say when their lips parted,
"I know..."
And then Natsuki dived in again. Kissing her again, but with a little more passion, more feeling this time.
They were in this bubble, this happy bubble, and they couldn't be seen, but they could be heard. They had forgotten that they could be heard.
Meanwhile, Youko left the lab to give the two women some privacy. Whatever was happening in there, it sounded like a little more than Natsuki had said. Sounded like a little more than kissing to her.
And fifteen minutes later, Nao and Arika walked in. And since they didn't find Youko, Natsuki or Shizuru there, they were about to take their leave.
- Beep - Beep – Beeeeeep -
"Oh, the healing chamber is on" But Nao stopped on her tracks, for she had heard the chamber suddenly beep three times, which meant the machine was about to turn off, the healing process was done.
She walked over to the chamber to see who was in there, the white vapor was starting to disappear.
"H-Holy ShizNat?!" And had to take a few quick steps back, totally not expecting what she had seen inside.
Natsuki and Shizuru, they were in the middle of a make out session, a sexy and very heavy make out session, and it looked like Shizuru was the one in control, the one on top.
And it didn't look like she was wearing a bra.
"Is that Shizuru Onee-sama?"
"A-Arika, turn around!" Nao quickly hissed at her, instructed, and quickly jogged to her side.
"Why is the Gaukenchou in there? Is she helping Shizuru Onee-sama heal?"
...Yea, something like that... Nao thought with narrowed eyes, ...Sexual healing... Unable to unsee what she had just seen. That image will forever be engraved in her head.
Arika was probably the only person in Garderobe who was oblivious, totally deaf and blind to the rumors of her beloved Onee-sama and the Gakuenchou being a couple. She had been oblivious for years. She thought that they were best friends. The bestest friends in the whole wide universe.
She's such a sweet and innocent girl.
"It's an adult mood, Arika... Let's go before they see us" Nao quickly walked out of the room, pushing a curious Arika in front of her who kept looking back.
"You can ask the Headmistress about what you saw here later, but don't do it without me... I want to be there, deal?" Nao smirked, she was going to have a lot of fun with this, she would tease the Headmistress about it for days to come.
- 0 -
Thanks for Reading!
And Thanks for the Reviews/Comments
I think this is one of my favorite chapters. I love Shizuru in action... POW!
Let me know what you guys think, thanks!
"For the love of ShizNat"