In the Darkness
A Mai Otome ShizNat Story
The Final Chapter
"Ichiro, what is the meaning of this?!" The father yelled at his son in rage, in pure anger, hastily removing the helmet from his head and tossing it on the ground. "I ordered you not to go anywhere near that woman! I told you to keep feelings out of this! Why didn't you listen to me?!"
He then quickly turned his head, faced away from his son who was now quietly, slowly raising to a sitting position on the bed.
His hazel eyes looked up, they went for the large screen, making sure the brunette's vitals were intact, that she was fine, "What have you done, Ichiro…" but the screen told him otherwise. The screen, it told him that the brunette was dead, her vitals had gone blank, had all formed a straight line.
"Son, what have you done?! You have ruined our plans!"
And when he faced Ichiro's direction again, when he looked at his son in the eyes, his own hazel ones widened in horror.
"Y-You…" He was in shock, had become paralyzed by what he saw.
That color.
Those eyes.
Those intense, Ruby eyes, unfortunately, he recognized them anywhere. Those Ruby eyes haunted his dreams for months and months.
"H-How?!" He took a wary step back, his body trembling in confusion, in fear.
"S-Son…" And then he gasped, for that's when he felt Ichiro's hand on his neck.
"S-stop, son" He could barely say the words, could barely let them out, feeling him squeeze his neck, squeeze hard there. Hard enough to weaken him, to make him feel lightheaded and delay his movements, but not kill him.
…This is all because of you… Were Shizuru's angry thoughts, …You brought me here, you erased my past... squeezing harder, …You stole two years of my life that I will never get back… And this man's son, the body she was in right now, tried to kill Natsuki, tried to kill her wife!
Today, her worst nightmares had almost come to light, had almost come true. Natsuki, the love of her life, the bravest, sweetest, most loyal person that she knew, had almost died by her own hand.
Almost.
She put Natsuki at risk, she'll never forgive herself for this.
Never.
This was her own fault.
She had been so happy that she had momentarily let her guard down. The magic, the love, was in the air, it was all around. Today, from the very beginning, it truly felt like a fairytale. She had let herself be in the moment, feel the happiness, the joy, momentarily forgetting about everything else.
But this will never happen again, never. Tonight she would end this for sure, even if it costs her her own life. …You will pay for this, both of you will…
Shizuru then let go of him, threw him hard on the floor. And as she heard him cough and gasp for air, she calmly walked over to his desk and grabbed a large, unused syringe from one of the drawers.
"How are you doing this?!" The man shouted between coughs, "How… How is this possible?!" he was feeling a little dizzy from the fall, and had also hurt his shoulder because of the roughness of his landing, "What have you done to my son?!" and then, he started to slowly crawl backwards, placing some distance between them, or at least trying to.
Shizuru silently made her way over to the panicky man. It's not like she could talk anyway, she couldn't give him any answers, couldn't respond.
And she didn't want to delay his death any longer, she wanted him silent, couldn't stand his voice any longer. His presence, his existence, the fact that he was still breathing, greatly bothered her.
"N-No… No… Please don't… P-Please"
Once she was next to him, her right foot went for his chest. She pressed him hard against the ground, keeping him there.
"P-Please don't hurt me" He begged, he could sense his end was near.
He had a feeling they would meet again someday, that he would die by her hand somehow.
When she was their captive, her Ruby eyes told him that. Everyday he tortured her, every time he looked at her, her eyes told him that. They told him that he was hers. That he was her kill. And that she won't have mercy on him. Not even a little bit.
And Shizuru, she slowly kneeled, and then, straddled him. She wanted her face close to his.
Why?
Because she wanted to see his fear from up close.
And she wanted him to look into her eyes.
She wanted her Ruby eyes to be the only thing, the last thing he saw before he died.
"P-Please…" He begged again, watching in fear as the possessed, young man pulled at the end of the syringe.
He knew what Deadly Beautiful was going to do to him, he had no doubt about it now. The large syringe was empty, there was no liquid, nothing inside it, it was empty yet full of air.
There were only two things she could possibly do, either stab him on the neck, on the artery, or stab him in his heart and fill his veins with air. Either way, it was painful, would cause his blood to clot, and the death was certain.
…This is for all those months you tortured me… Her palm went for his forehead, keeping his head still against the ground. …For all those months you kept me from the woman I love… And she stabbed the side of his neck with the syringe. …For using her memory to break me… And then, slowly, very, very slowly, she pushed the air into his veins. …For all those nights you possessed my body, controlled my mind… And she took the syringe out and tossed it to the side. …For all the tears that left Natsuki's eyes…
She brought the other hand to his face, grabbing him, keeping him still, making sure they met eye to eye as the air traveled into his brain.
…Scream for me… And soon after, he did. He was hyperventilating, shaking and screaming in pain, in agony.
…I want to see your fear, hear your pain… His head was moving side to side, his body shaking, his eyes wide.
And when he closed his eyes tightly, …Look at me… she opened them for him again. …See me… He wasn't allowed to look away. Not for a second.
"D-Deadly Beautiful…" He somehow let out once his body had stopped with the violent spasms. "You truly are…" And after those words were said, it didn't take him long to pass away.
Meanwhile,
Garderobe
Meanwhile, back on planet Earl, Youko anxiously waited outside the building where the infirmary was located. Her indigo eyes searched the dark sky, knowing Natsuki should be arriving the premises any minute now.
She thought it would be a quiet night, an easy night, and now it seemed like it was going to be anything but.
It had been two in the morning when she received the urgent telephone call from Natsuki, telling her that she and Shizuru were on their way back to Garderobe. When she had asked why, had asked what had happened, the blunette quickly told her that she would explain once she had arrived.
It's been almost twenty minutes since that telephone call, and she could only wonder what went wrong. The way Natsuki had sounded on the phone, it was worrisome, disconcerting.
"Shizuru!" The moment she spotted the incoming blunette, she rushed towards her direction. Shizuru was in her arms, and she seemed to be unresponsive, unconscious, clad in a bloody bathrobe.
"What happened to her, Natsuki?" She asked as she quickly examined the woman in her arms, as she opened the woman's eyes.
"What… What on Earl is this?" Her indigo eyes widened when she saw they were completely black. "What caused this?"
"That's what we need to figure out" Was the worried response. "D-Do something, Youko. Bring her back"
Back on Planet Earth…
Once that man was dead, Shizuru felt more at ease, more at peace. A calmness reigned over her, it was hard for her to explain.
One man down, but she still had one to go. The one whose body she was occupying right now.
Shizuru slowly stood, eyeing the dead man on the floor. Then, her Ruby eyes scanned her surroundings, the place she was in. Nothing in this place had changed, she noticed. Everything looked exactly like in her dreams, like in her memories.
She slowly walked over to the portal and stood in front of it. And even though she couldn't feel, she went ahead and touched its cool surface.
The portal, it looked like a large, metal square to her. It looked like an open door. And it looked like the control panel was on the side, looked like she didn't need to touch the computer to use it at all.
She then walked away from the large machine, walked to the opposite direction, towards the exit. That's when she noticed a man hiding, taking cover underneath a table.
When she got closer, she recognized the man, recognized the face. It was the same one from before, the friendly one from the hallway. …Miracle's father… She was actually about to head out and look for him, try to talk to him and see what she could get out of him. Make some sense of this place.
She raised both of her arms, letting him know that she wasn't armed and that she meant him no harm. And then, she took a few steps back, and watched as he got out from underneath the table with the little girl behind him.
…A-Ara. I hope she didn't see what I did to that man… Shizuru thought, knowing it must've been a scary sight for the little girl to have witnessed what had just happened here.
But then, she saw as Miracle giggled and waved 'hello', so Shizuru did so as well, she waved back at the little girl.
"You're not Ichiro-kun, are you?" Ryo cautiously asked, for not too long ago the young man's eyes were bright blue, blue as the sky. And also, because his daughter seemed to have relaxed, seemed open to him again, like that time when they met in the hallway about a week ago. That time, his eyes were also red. Red as the precious Ruby stone.
When Shizuru shook her head no, Ryo continued, "You're that woman, the one they held captive for a long time, aren't you" And then, he sincerely apologized, "I'm very sorry this happened to you"
And Shizuru didn't respond to that.
She couldn't say it was okay, because it wasn't okay. She couldn't say that she was over it, because she wasn't over it. This place, that time, what they did to her, how they had used the blunette's memory to break her, it scarred her deep within. She didn't know if she would ever truly heal from this.
"The General had it coming…" Ryo then said when his eyes fell upon the dead man, "He was a very horrible, greedy man, just like the rest of our colony. They all deserve to die here"
Shizuru had so many questions to ask, that sentence the man said alone instantly creating a few of them. But she didn't know enough sign language, enough vocabulary to communicate with him. She had only started learning it a week ago, and she thought she had more time. She wasn't expecting to be here today, be here right now, she was not prepared for this.
Just then, …A-Ara?... she felt the earth move, …Earthquake?... felt the ground shake. She remained unmoving, looking up at the ceiling. She was on alert for any incoming objects and waited for the shaking to subside.
This was a very old facility and had many large lights dangling on the ceiling. They didn't look very stable at all.
"Another piece of the moon probably fell…"
Upon hearing this, her eyes settled on the man again.
"It won't be long until the planet is destroyed"
And then, in sign language, she slowly said one of the words she had memorized, "Earth?"
She knew she was on Earth, she had to be. But she wanted to make sure, wanted to confirm it, to hear it from someone else.
"Yes, this is Earth… Or well, what's left of it" Was the sincere reply. "The pieces of the shattered moon are coming down more frequently now, it's only a matter of time"
And before Shizuru could process this, before she could think of another question to form, the man asked,
"Can you take my little girl to the other world?"
Shizuru looked at the man in the eyes, ...What?...
"Can you find someone who'll take good care of her? Find her a good family?"
The next word Shizuru formed in sign language was, "You", meaning, 'You can cross over and take care of her. You are her family'
"Me?" Ryo had a puzzled expression, "Oh, I see. You don't know…" And then he chuckled once he had figured it out, "No, I can't. I'm afraid we don't last too long once we cross over"
…What does he mean?... And then, in sign language, Shizuru asked, "Why?"
"Our bodies are too frail and too polluted with radiation…" Came the reply, "I'm not a scientist and I don't understand it too well, but that's the short version the General gave us" And then, he added, "We have sent people to your world in the past, they died within an hours' time"
…I see… Shizuru's eyes fell on the little girl. ...But won't she die as well?...
And Ryo, as if sensing what she was thinking, whispered, "The special particles worked on her… It didn't work on the others, but it worked on her"
He walked over to the screen that displayed the little girl's vitals, asking her to follow him there. And once he was there, "See? Here is before the injection and here is the after" he said, pointing to the screen, "She's cured, she can talk… She could cross over to your world unharmed"
…This is truly impressive… Shizuru thought as she viewed the information on the screen, the comparison. It was truly a miracle this girl was alive with such high levels of radiation, along with everything else that was wrong with her body. She had damaged lungs and a bad heart.
Shizuru then faced him, and asked, "Others?"
"Others?" Ryo scratched the back of his head, puzzled by what she meant by it.
And then and there, the earth started to move again, to shake a little harder than before, causing the lights to flicker off and on this time.
"Two times in a row…" Ryo subconsciously let out, "I guess the end is really near" He couldn't help and swallow.
And Shizuru, she waved at his face, trying to catch his attention again, "Others?" She wanted to know if there were other women in the colony, other women or children who could possibly cross over to Earl. Who they could help.
"I'm sorry but I don't understand"
Shizuru then pointed to the little girl.
"Oh… No, Miracle is the only child in the colony… I think the second youngest is you, I mean, Ichiro-kun" And then, he thoughtfully added, "I believe Ichiro-kun was looking for female virgins before he approached me and asked if he could use the particles on her"
…I see, so he must've found none… She finally got the answer she was looking for.
"I'm glad the particles didn't work on the others" Ryo then honestly let out, "To tell the truth, these people aren't very good people. They are greedy and miserable, just like the General. They want to go to the new world to take it over, to rule it. They only want revenge for being stuck in this dying planet" then, he let out a small chuckle, "But they're fools. They don't see that it is not those people's fault that we're stuck here. They didn't leave us behind, it was our own ancestors who decided to stay in this dying planet"
Shizuru listened, she carefully took in every word the man said.
And then, once again, the earth started to shake. It shook harder and longer this time, causing some items that were on the tables to fall on the ground, breaking upon impact.
"You should probably go" Ryo quickly suggested as he carried his scared, little girl, "Use the portal before it's too late…" He then hastily made his way over to the portal, walked over to it.
Once he was there, he pressed a few buttons and turned it on. He knew it would take some time for it to warm up, to power up. He was an engineer, he was the one who helped the General make the machine work.
"Take Miracle with you, find her a family who'll take good care of her… She doesn't deserve to die here, her life is just beginning" And when Shizuru did nothing, when she didn't move, "Please, there's nothing to think about! There's nothing you can do for us here! You're only wasting time!" He yelled, and then the earth started to shake violently again.
Shizuru nodded in understanding and walked over to their side, joining them near the portal. She looked at the portal, saw how the empty space had become bright blue and then had darkened a few seconds later. She could now see, see very clearly the other side. Could see the desert and could see that it was night.
That's when she asked, "Why the desert?" This was one of the sentences she had memorized. She really wanted to know why the portal led them there, why it opened in that desert of all places.
"Why the desert?" Ryo repeated, scratching his head, "I'm not sure… It could be that's the place where the migrating ships first landed, where the signal was lost"
Ryo was right.
The migrating ships had a tracking device in them, and it sent out a signal for those who stayed on Earth and wanted to follow later. They had left a spaceship for those who stayed behind, in case they changed their minds later. The General had somehow figured out how to use the tracking device of the remaining spaceship to get to the new world using the portal. They couldn't use the spaceship, it had no power, they couldn't turn it on. Their ancestors had used the spaceships energy to survive in this dying world.
"You really should go" Ryo then quickly added, "People are going to start coming here soon looking for the General" And then, he kneeled, giving his little girl a long, tight hug.
"Be a good girl, okay?" He kissed his daughter on the forehead. "I love you, Miracle" She was so young, too young, she was about to be four years old in a couple of moths. Still young enough to forget this miserable, cold, dark place ever existed. To start a new life, a happy life somewhere else.
And before Shizuru could do anything, before she could ask anymore questions, the man had pushed them both inside the portal. ...A-Ara!...
"Goodbye, my sweet little girl" He said with tears in his eyes, as he watched them fall on the sand, "Don't forget your Papa" And then he wiped the tears away and quickly left the lab. He was going to tell everyone in the colony that the General had sent him to tell them that everything was fine.
He didn't want them looking in the lab. If they found out that the General was dead, it would turn into complete chaos.
Meanwhile
Garderobe
"You should've told us, Shizuru" Youko softly let out as she watched the woman intently from afar. She was waiting for something to happen, for her to make some sort of movement, for her to wake up. "We could've helped"
It's been almost an hour since they had arrived at Garderobe. And as soon as they had reached the lab, she had administered the Nanomachines into Shizuru's bloodstream. The IV bag with the Nanomachine solution was nearly empty now, most of the liquid was already in Shizuru's body, coursing through her veins. Shizuru was, once again, an Otome. She could now transform into her Robe, had full access to its power.
She had also made Natsuki get into the Healing Chamber asap, ignoring all her cries and protests, for when the woman had Dematerialized, she noticed she had a deep wound on her neck.
The Nanomachines would take care of this. But a wound this deep, and in that delicate area, would take some time to heal. She just preferred not to risk it.
...Why isn't this working?... She should've seen something by now, a change in her vitals, in her brain activity, but nothing had changed. The woman seemed to be worse than when she had been in the coma a week prior. She seemed completely braindead.
She was going over and over in her head what Natsuki had told her. That someone was using Shizuru, that they were controlling her somehow, possibly while she was asleep. ...But how?... There was nothing in her body that would indicate this. No known technology that could do this, at least not to her knowledge.
- Beep Beep -
And then, she walked over to the computer screen, for she had heard it suddenly beep. Once she got there, she pressed a few buttons, and then, her eyes widened by what she saw.
It was the readings, the strange readings from before.
They were back!
"Natsuki!" Youko called out to the woman, "The readings, they're back!"
And Natsuki, her hands trembled upon hearing this. She watched Shizuru's calm face with pursed lips, thinking. Thinking if the readings were back, it could only mean that the portal was open. It could only mean she could avenge Shizuru somehow, cross over and wreak havoc on those bastards. Make them pay for what they've done to her, and make them bring her back.
"I'll be right back" Natsuki whispered to her unresponsive wife, "Don't go anywhere, don't you dare die on me" placing a tender kiss on her hand. And then, she quickly ran. She ran out of the room, out of the building, screaming, "MATERIALIZE!" the moment she saw the dark, open sky.
And Youko, as she watched the woman run towards the door, she yelled her name, "Natsuki!" called out to her, telling her not to go alone. Not to cross that portal alone. That it wasn't safe.
"Damn it, why are they so thickheaded" Youko then quickly got in touch with Nao through the Gemstone and told her to meet Natsuki at the desert, at the usual spot. And told her to keep her eyes open and to be very careful.
After she was in the sky, it took Natsuki about fifteen minutes to arrive at that desert. That damn desert she can't seem to get away from.
She hastily looked around in aerial view once she got there, looking for it, for the black hole that Shizuru had described to her.
"There it is"
And she had found the portal, but not only that, there were some people there, some people near it, there was someone lying on the ground.
"Civilians?" She thought aloud as she neared them, but she knew it was impossible. At this time of night, and being in this place, it was impossible.
If they were near the portal, it could only mean one thing. Those people had crossed over, those people were from the other side.
Once her feet had touched the ground she quickly ran towards the man's side. There was little girl next to him, kneeling next to him. It looked like she was shaking him, telling him to get up.
Natsuki quickly kneeled next to the young man, wanting to see what was wrong with him. The way he was breathing, the way he desperately gasped for air, it seemed like he was dying. It didn't look like he had much time left.
"Is this your father?" Natsuki quickly asked the little girl. She seemed like she was three, no more than four years old.
And when the girl quickly shook her head no, Natsuki asked, "Where did you come from?" She just had to make sure.
And Miracle, she quickly stood and ran towards the black hole, pointing at it from a close distance.
"I see…" Natsuki watched the little girl closely, and then told her, "Stay here, you'll be safe here. I will be right back" and when she was about to stand, the man tightly held onto her arm. And when she looked at him, at his emotionless face, she saw as he slowly shook his head no.
No.
To not go into that portal.
To not go.
Natsuki's eyebrows furrowed when she took a better look at him, when her Emerald eyes fell upon those rare eyes of his.
Those eyes, those weren't his eyes. Only one person in the world had those Ruby irises.
...Could it be?...
And then, the young man did something she didn't expect him to do. A movement so intimate, something only Shizuru would do.
His trembling hand slowly reached upwards and softly tapped in between her furrowed brows before falling once again on the ground.
And Natsuki's Emerald eyes widened, letting out a shuddering gasp. "S-Shizuru? It is you"
…Yes, it's me… Shizuru nodded her head once. …See me, I am right here with you, I am by your side… And she brought a hand to her own chest, clumsily padding it twice, …Kannin na, Natsuki… letting her know how deeply sorry she was. How sorry she was that things had turned out like this.
"B-But, how?"
And before Natsuki could utter another word, Shizuru slowly pointed to the approaching, little girl.
She felt like she didn't have much time. This body was weak, she could barely move anymore, couldn't even stand, and she guessed it was because he was dying, just as Ryo had said.
"What? What about her?" Natsuki whispered, seeing as the little girl took a seat next to the man.
And Shizuru wished she had a voice, wished she could thoroughly explain with words. All she could do was hug herself, wrap her arms around herself and hope that Natsuki would understand.
"Protect?" Natsuki let out, swallowing, "You want me to take care of her?"
…Yes… And Shizuru slowly nodded her head again. …Yes…
"Shizuru" Natsuki quickly said, her heart pounding so fast. "What can we do to help" And she whispered, "How can we bring you back?"
But unfortunately, Shizuru didn't have an answer to that. …I do not know, love… She slowly shook her head no.
She had no control over this for she had taken over Ichiro's possession. The connection had already been established, he had established it. She didn't know how to go back, how to leave this body, not under these circumstances.
BOOM!
Just then, an explosion was heard. It also came with some harsh wind.
BOOM!
BOOM!
And another, and another.
So Natsuki, she quickly grabbed the little girl and then used her body to protect her and Shizuru, to shield them from the blasts. And when she looked back at the direction of the sound, when she looked over at the portal, she saw a ray of light. She could see bright yellows and oranges and a little bit of red as well. The portal was no longer black, it had come alive with bright colors.
The explosions, it had come from inside.
And Shizuru, she felt herself leaving, felt herself weakening. The explosions probably destroyed whatever was keeping her mind in this body.
She reached out for Natsuki's face and she touched it one last time, the touch that caused her Emerald eyes to now be on her Ruby ones.
...I love you... She couldn't feel her, couldn't feel her softness, her warmth, but she was imagining that she could. …I love you with all my heart, Natsuki… Her shaky fingers formed a straight line. ...May we meet again, my love, in this life or the next... She touched Natsuki's forehead, her nose, her lips her chin. …Kannin na… And then, she completely lost her sight. The darkness had consumed her. Everything around her went dark.
"Shizuru?" Natsuki cautiously asked, "Shi- Shizuru?"
But Natsuki knew that Shizuru was no longer with her, she knew that Shizuru was gone. She knew this because the man was now starting to cough, was emitting sound. And his eyes, his eyes were no longer the color of the brunette's.
It was those eyes, those bright, blue ones she had seen on Shizuru when she was stabbing her neck. When she was being controlled.
"YOU!" She screamed at the man in rage, her hand quickly going for his neck, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SHIZURU! ANSWER ME!"
"AAAHHH!" But Ichiro could only scream in agony. "AAAHHH!" Scream in pain over and over again once he had gained control of his body. Not because Natsuki had a tight hold of his neck, no, not at all, but because he felt as if his whole body was on fire on the inside, he felt like he was burning up. He felt as if there were insects crawling on his body, feasting on his skin. And he couldn't breathe, he could barely catch his breath. He was slowly suffocating.
And Natsuki, she quickly let go of his neck only to touch her Gem, "Youko" She called the woman, "How is Shizuru, has she regained consciousness yet?"
"No, not yet, Natsuki, what's going-"
And before Youko could say another word, Natsuki closed the connection.
"Listen to me, you bastard" Natsuki slapped the frantic man's cheek with force, "Listen to me!" wanting to gain his undivided attention. "Shizuru is not waking up, how do I wake her up?!" She yelled at him, grabbing him by the collar.
But Ichiro was hysterical. He couldn't see nor hear past the feeling, past the pain. Not until the woman slapped him again and then held onto his head with both hands, keeping him focused.
"Listen to me!"
Ichiro looked at her in the eyes, his head and body shaking from the pain.
"Shizuru is not waking up" She said again, repeated.
"D-Deadly Beautiful…" He could barely let out.
And Natsuki, she had no idea what the hell that meant. "What have you done to Shizuru?" Instead, she asked again, "What did you do to her? How do I bring her back? She's not waking up"
"I-I don't know how to bring her back" He answered between shuddering breaths. "S-She didn't disconnect, I don't think she knew how… A-And- and the equipment was destroyed" He looked at the direction of the portal, noticed it was now gone. His planet was probably destroyed now, what was left of his people, dead. And then,
"Her mind is lost" he said, "T-The… The darkness has her now"
And Natsuki's hands and lips trembled. She wished she could crush his skull flat with her bare hands. That answer that he had given her just now, it was not acceptable.
It was not acceptable!
"You are Natsuki, right?" He said between gasps. He felt so numb now, so cold now, so void of pain now. Perhaps his life was coming to an end. "She called your name many times when she was unconscious… when she was in pain"
And Natsuki let go of his head and grabbed him by the collar again. One trembling hand went up in the air, turned to a tight fist. Her Emerald eyes blurry, her lips trembling with emotion.
"She loves you, her heart is connected to you, I know it" He then said to her, looking her direction, but not at her.
He was looking past her, looking at the sky, at the starry night. This was a desert, but it was so beautiful here. So calm unlike his world. In his world, the desert was always alive. Always alive with harsh, howling winds, with sound. With the sound of death.
"Don't leave her in there… If you love her, make her feel the connection, make her feel your… your love" He really hated this blunette, hated her with all of his being. She stole Deadly Beautiful from him. But although it was wicked, he loved the brunette even more.
"In the darkness, be her eyes…" He said to her, advised her, "In the darkness, be her light" Whispered to her, brought some consolation to her, "In the darkness, be her source" after a short moment, "Guide her, she needs you now more than ever" And then he said to her, this time looking into her teary Emerald eyes, "She's far too precious, we should've never let her go"
And one more time, he repeated his last, dying words,
"She's far too precious... Deadly Beautiful she will always be to me" And after that, Ichiro was gone.
And the last remaining survivor of Planet Earth after the migration occurred, was the pink eyed little girl. The one now tightly holding onto Natsuki's arm, staring at her with those hopeful, innocent eyes.
- o -
- o -
- o -
A Few Months Later…
Natsuki watched with folded arms and a tender smile as Miracle ran around the Moon Garden with Arika, giggling and chasing after the butterflies.
The little girl was very loving, extremely energetic, happy and curious and sweet. Sweet in a very mischievous way, however. In many ways, she reminded her of Shizuru.
"Miracle" Natsuki called out to her, "Have you picked the flowers that you want to bring to Shizuru today?" She softly asked.
That's what they were here for, to pick out flowers, flowers to set next to Shizuru's bed.
They did this every couple of days. They would pick out fresh flowers to gift to Shizuru, to decorate her room with. Flowers grown from all over the Academy.
Sometimes, the little girl wanted to bring her colorful flowers, colorful roses from the Rose Garden. And sometimes, they would pick out white Jasmines from the Moon Garden. It all depended on the little girl's mood that day.
Four months have passed since that day, since that night. And there was not a day that went by that Natsuki didn't stop by her wife's room during the day to spend time with her.
To bathe her and take care of her.
To talk to her.
To hold her hand.
To whisper in her ear that she loved her, that she missed her.
Begged her to please come back to her.
She'd sit there on the couch and slept next to her bed every night, holding her hand, trying not to cry and be strong for her. She never left her side at night. Never. She never wanted her to feel alone.
She always did this, was always present, even when she was upset at her, angry at her after she had found all the books the brunette had in her old room, after she had found all the research and all the notes she had made. Shizuru had kept a lot to herself, a lot more than Natsuki had thought, had imagined. Shizuru didn't share anything with her.
They were supposed to trust one another, confide in one another, they were supposed to protect one another, tell these important things to one another, and Shizuru didn't. She had kept it all to herself, and it took Natsuki a very long time to come to terms with her for this, to forgive her for this.
But she was there nevertheless. Even when she was upset. Because she loved her, truly loved her, she would never stop being there for her.
And even though she had nothing to say she still talked to her, read to her, told her about her day, said anything so that she could hear her voice. So that she could feel that she wasn't alone. So that she knew that she was safe, that she was with her. That she would always be.
After a month of being monitored and cooped up in the lab, Natsuki decided it was probably best for Shizuru to be in a new scenery, in a different environment. That it would be good for her, perhaps even lift her spirits to change location. So, she went up to her old room and cleaned it up for her to move her there along with all the medical equipment, that's how she had found the books and the research. That's when Natsuki broke down in tears, in anger, in disbelief, in wonder.
What was Shizuru thinking?
How long had she been planning and plotting?
What exactly was she planning to do?
How far was she willing to go?
She won't know the answers to these questions until Shizuru awoke.
Since she knew that Shizuru loved sitting by her window to admire the night sky, she decided to make some adjustments to the bedroom, to move the bed there. That way, she could hear the songs of the birds, she could feel the breeze hit her skin, feel the sun caress her face, feel the moonlight embrace her in the night.
She also framed a few pictures she had found in a white box in her closet and placed them next to her bed. She had framed a picture of Shizuru and her parents, and also a picture of her and the brunette taken when they were younger.
She tried to surround her with beautiful things, the things she loved and cared about. Tried to surround her with the people she loved. So, anyone who wanted to come in and see her, come in and talk to her, could. Her door was always open.
Even her parents came to visit a few times. Her father, who had never step foot out of Duran in his whole life, had come. And even her own mother had joined him in every one of his visits.
Her mother had told her that she was sorry, to please forgive her, and that she sees, that she acknowledges her anguish, her pain. That she acknowledges that she was hurting, and that she acknowledges her relationship with the brunette, acknowledges their marriage.
She also told her that she will try to change her ways. And she had even called Shizuru by her first name, no malice or hate in it. She had her loving mother again.
She wasn't sure how long she would be allowed to keep Shizuru like this, keep her alive in this state. But as long as Shizuru wasn't hurting, she was willing to wait as long as she could, because she knew that Shizuru would come back to her one day. She had to believe that she would, she had to. That belief was the only thing keeping her alive right now.
"I want these ones for mommy!" Miracle happily replied, pointing to a large bunch on a bush.
Mommy.
That's what Miracle called her and Shizuru these days. Mommy. She has been doing that for two months now.
She didn't know if to correct the little girl when she says it or not.
When Shizuru had said to take care of Miracle, to what extent did she mean? Was she supposed to adopt her? Or was she supposed to find good parents who'll take care of her? What was she supposed to do?
She'd hope to figure it out soon, that Shizuru would wake up soon. The more the time passed, the more attached she was becoming to this little girl. The more the time passed, the harder it will be for her to let her go. Her presence, her happiness, her innocence, made these painful, dark, lonely days a little better.
"Those are a great choice" Natsuki smiled at the little girl and then walked over to the white bush. She bent on one knee, placing the vase with water on the floor next to her, and cut the flowers just the right length, adding them neatly one by one into the vase.
Once she had enough flowers, she closed her eyes and brought the flowers to her face, to her nose, softly inhaling its wonderful scent.
"S-Shizuru…" She let out in a desperate whisper, her heart always aching for the woman she loved.
She felt as the bright sun warmed her skin, warmed her lips, the way Shizuru's lips warmed her when she kissed her.
Felt as the wind caressed her face, caress her softly, so softly, just the way Shizuru would had she been awake.
"Natsuki…"
And then she looked up and slowly opened her Emerald eyes. Opened her Emerald eyes to see the blue sky above.
"Shizuru" It was strange, this inexplicable feeling that had taken over her, this feeling as if someone was calling her, pulling at her heart. This feeling of restlessness, of uneasiness. She just couldn't stay still, she was finding it hard to do so.
"Natsuki"
"Shizuru" She had this inexplicable urge to go to her, to be by her side right this instant. She had to see her, see the love of her life.
"Arika, keep an eye on Miracle for me!" She quickly told the teenager as she stood, and then ran. Ran as fast as she could, as fast as her feet would allow, leaving the vase with white flowers behind.
She swiftly maneuvered through the long, familiar, white halls leading to the quarters. She could feel her rapid heart, could hear it beating wildly in her ears.
And when she reached that door, her door, when she reached for the knob, she could feel her body shaking, totally shaking as she tried to catch her breath.
She breathed deeply one more time and twisted the knob. And when she slowly opened the door, there Shizuru was. She was sitting on the bed, looking at the pictures she had set for her on the nightstand. She couldn't see well because of the morning sunlight blaring in through the window, but it looked like Shizuru had just woken up.
Natsuki couldn't believe it.
Shizuru was conscious.
Shizuru was awake!
"Shi… Shizuru" She called out to her, still unable to believe her Emerald eyes, unable to move from her current spot.
She was hypnotized, completely mesmerized by the sight.
And when Shizuru looked up, when she faced the blunette's direction, when she saw her, "Natsuki" she hoarsely let out, her heart accelerating, pounding, beating like never before. She softly smiled at her and then slowly raised from the bed, feeling a little frail, a little weak from all those months lying there.
"You… Y-You have a lot of explaining to do" Was the huskily spoken sentence, Emerald eyes never leaving the brunette's form.
She dared not blink, dared not to, for if she did, perhaps she would find that this was all an illusion. That this was not real. And she really needed this vision to be real.
"I know I do…" Kyoto-ben softly answered, her words broken because she hasn't used her voice in many months. "I will explain everything, I won't leave a single detail behind" She said while slowly making her way to the blunette.
"You…" Natsuki swallowed again, taking a wary step forward, her vision starting to blur, "You left me on our wedding night" still unable to believe her eyes. Shizuru was so close now, just a few steps in front of her now. "You're a very bad wife, Shizuru" These last words were so soft.
"Indeed I am" Shizuru whispered to her, her trembling hands reaching for the blunette's now teary face, finally being able to touch her, to feel her softness, to feel her warmth. "I'm sorry that I left, that I worried you, but I'm here now" And she caressed her tenderly there, "I promise you, I'm never leaving you again"
And Natsuki closed her eyes, for Shizuru had leaned forward, for Shizuru's lips were now touching her own. A kiss so tender, a kiss so sweet her lips could've been covered with honey for all she knew.
And when their lips parted, "I heard you…" Shizuru told her, whispered to her, tears now running down her cheeks as well. Tears of joy, tears of ache.
"I heard you… I heard every word you said, I felt every sentiment" Yes, she did. In her voice, she heard her joy, heard her sadness. Heard her anger, her helplessness and despair. She heard her love. Yes, she heard it all. She felt it all. She remembers every word.
And through the tears, Shizuru smiled at her, she said to her,
"In the darkness, I felt your kindness. In the darkness, I felt your warmth" her fingers caressed the blunette's moist yet reddened cheeks, her thumbs caressed her slightly parted, trembling lips, "In the darkness, I felt your love"
And finally, "Ookini, Natsuki" She smiled at her again, closing her eyes and pressing their foreheads together, her hands now touching Natsuki's upper arms, "For loving me despite of what I did. It was your love that was my light, it was your love that showed me the way back"
And all Natsuki could say was, "Welcome home, Shizuru" sobbing, embracing her tightly, reality finally sinking in. Shizuru was here, really here. Shizuru had really awoken from her long sleep. "W-Welcome home, my love"
And Shizuru embraced her just as tightly, just as desperately, just as needfully, "I'm home"
~ Fin ~
Thanks for Reading!
And Thanks for the Reviews/ PMs/ Comments
I hope you enjoyed this story, and this ending :) If not feel free to complaint, I'm all ears.
Next will be the Epilogue. It will be short, and probably very sweet :)
A few things I thought you should know:
1. I didn't want ShizNat to be separated in this story, except for the first few chapters. They had a lot going on individually already (Natsuki with her issues, Shizuru with her disappearance and memory loss. This is what the story is really about, them as a couple dealing with these things)
2. It was my intention for Youko and Natsuki to not get anywhere close to finding out what happened to Shizuru or where she had been.
3. It was also my intention for the Earthlings to never find the source (Fumi)
4. This was why I created such a complicated technology (for reasons 2 and 3)
5. And finally, from the beginning, I wanted this to be Shizuru's battle. I didn't want Natsuki to get involved.
As always, let me know what you think of the chapter/ Ending/ or Story in general.
And if there are any questions, or something that might've left you puzzled, leave it with the review and I will answer it in the Epilogue, or PM me.
THANK YOU all very much for the support!
May we meet again in another ShizNat story someday.
Writing "For the love of ShizNat"