VI.
"Nao? Shizuru?" Natsuki was wandering the halls of the house, and appreciating for the first time just how big it really was, and how little she'd actually mapped of it in her head.
"And that's assuming that they're still in the main building," Natsuki huffed to Duran. The puppy cocked his head quizzically at her, giving a sharp yip.
"Come on, guys! I'm not mad!" Natsuki called. Then she sighed. She should be mad, she reflected. She should be livid. She could guess with certainty that the sensation of being kissed that she'd had a few times over the last few days when she awoke were the result of Shizuru stealing kisses in the night. Being kisses without permission was definitely on her list of reasons she might ordinarily beat wholesale ass. But she couldn't bring herself to feel angry at either of the women involved in this incident.
"It's not like I tried to stop them when I knew what they were going to do," Natsuki knelt beside Duran, patting the puppy, "And…It wasn't horrible, to be honest."
She rose to her feet, and then leaned against the wall crossing her arms and closing her eyes, trying to focus her thoughts. Where could she look to find them?
Duran started tugging at her socks. Natsuki got an idea.
"Hey, Duran, can you find Shizuru and Nao?"
Duran hopped eagerly, wagging his tail.
"Find 'em, boy! Find the boneheads!"
Duran ran tearing down the halls, Natsuki hot on his heels. His claws made a skittering noise on the hardwood floors, and he nearly failed to round a corner, slipping on the smooth surface a bit, but then he reached a door at the back of the house.
"Good job, Duran," Natsuki grinned, picking up the pup and kissing him on his head, "Nao? Shizuru? Come on, we need to talk."
Natsuki tested the door and found it unlocked. She went in and found Nao kneeling beside a bed, crying into the mattress.
Natsuki sighed, and reached over, patting Nao gently on the back, "Nao? Is it just you, or…"
"I am over here, Natsuki," Shizuru was in the far corner of the room, her head bowed.
Natsuki sat on the bed, pulling the whole of her body onto the bed and sitting cross-legged. She set Duran just in front of her, then patted the mattress in front of her, motioning for Nao and Shizuru to join her on the bed.
They both did so. Reluctantly, Natsuki noted.
"Natsuki, I'm s…"
"Shhh." Natsuki shook her head, "It's my turn to talk."
Nao and Shizuru exchanged a glance, then looked at Natsuki and nodded silently.
"Alright, before you both get all weepy and there's blubbering and runny noses and other gross stuff, let me tell you both now to skip the apologies."
"natsuki," Shizuru squeaked, clearly horrified.
"Let me finish," Natsuki held up her hand, "I let it happen. You both telegraphed that kiss from a mile off, and I did nothing to stop you. I let it happen. That means you don't have to apologize for it. Alright? I could have pushed you away or gotten up or any number of other things, but I didn't. I allowed you to kiss me. This time. And I'll overlook the stolen kisses in my sleep," she gave Shizuru a meaningful look, "so, don't go on about those, either."
There was a moment of silence, and then Nao spoke, "So…what happens now?"
"Now? I don't know. Look, the whole idea of romance, of dating, of doing big flashy stuff declaring, 'Look at me, I'm in a relationship!', none of that stuff ever appealed to me. But it's not like I'm asexual. I mean, I thought Mai's boyfriend was a bit of alright. And I was flattered when you asked me out, last year, Nao. But I turned you down then because…well, there were a few reasons. Part of it was that I just thought of it the same way I thought of all dating and romance issues, a whole lot of bother. And part of it was, you and me, we've been friends for a long time, and I hear too many stories about romance messing that up. I didn't want to take that risk."
Nao gave a weak smile, "Yeah, I get that."
"And you," Natsuki turned to look at Shizuru, and then exhaled, "I haven't known you as long as I've known Nao, but you're pretty transparent…pardon the pun."
Shizuru blinked, then actually started laughing, wiping at her eyes, "Oh, that was very clever, Natsuki."
Natsuki gave her a rueful smile, "Hey, I'm not just a pretty face."
"Although you definitely have that going for you," Nao remarked.
Natsuki cleared her throat, "As I was saying, Shizuru, you're pretty blatant about what you were feeling, even if you thought you were being clever and subtle. It's not like I didn't notice. I just…didn't want to acknowledge what I'd noticed."
"Natsuki…the answer is obvious," Shizuru sighed, "You and Miss Yuuki should…"
"Hey, don't just go deciding stuff!" Nao protested.
"Hey, still my turn!" Natsuki chided them, then sighed, "As I was saying, I didn't hold with notions of romance and dating, because, well…I hate you both for making me admit this…I'm shy, okay! I don't…Being out in public with someone, all the hand holding, the open displays of affection! That stuff makes me super-nervous! But…"
She trailed off, and her voice became softer, "But I don't hate the idea of being loved by someone. And I don't hate the idea of loving someone. I just don't know where to go from here. You're both my friends. And I do care about both of you. But…"
"Natsuki, I am incapable of doing anything about my romantic inclinations unless I'm possessing someone. Certainly, I can mount enough energy to offer a brief moment of contact, such as a kiss, or a gentle caress. But it's never more than a few seconds, perhaps half a minute, and then I'm unable to do that for the rest of the day, and must recharge. Certainly, I cannot be an adequate lover in those circumstances," Shizuru spoke calmly.
"Yeah, but the Pup already turned me down for dating because she didn't want to mess up our friendship," Nao pointed out, "I don't…It would really bum me out if we didn't work out as a couple, and then couldn't go back to being friends, either. Besides, when you were in here," Nao tapped her chest, "everything felt more…intense…than it does with other girls I've dated. It's like all of my feelings were doubled."
"What are you suggesting?" Shizuru asked Nao.
Nao sighed, then shifted her position so that she could look both Natsuki and Shizuru in the eye.
"Natsuki's take on love and romance is a little unconventional, but why can't our relationship be a bit unconventional?"
"You mean beyond the mere fact that two women dating is considered bizarre in this nation?" Shizuru arched an eyebrow.
"Or that you're dead?" Nao countered, then continued, "What I'm suggesting is that…the three of us try together. To be in a relationship. You can't touch Natsuki for any length of time without being in my body. And when you are in here, I feel things more intensely than I've ever felt them. So…rather than force Natsuki to try and choose between us…we cooperate with each other and allow her to share our affection for her," she turned hopeful eyes to Natsuki, "If and only if you're willing, of course."
Natsuki lowered her eyes, and her face was concealed by her hair, but there was a scarlet flush around her face, before she nodded, "I think…I think we could make it work. But I'm…I'm not entirely sure yet. Let me have a couple of days…to mull it over."
"Natsuki," Shizuru looked at her, "May I suggest one thing?"
"Sure."
"Since we know now that I can possess someone and exit them without harm, may I borrow your body for a moment. I will do nothing untoward, I promise."
Natsuki nodded once, "Okay."
Shizuru then entered Natsuki's body, and she could feel the young woman's uncertainties and hesitations and embarrassments. But she spoke in her mind in a calming voice, "I'm merely going to borrow your arms for a moment."
She then leaned forward in Natsuki's form, wrapping her arms around Nao, "I wanted to thank you…for allowing me the opportunity to express myself to Natsuki. Even if she decides against this notion of ours, you deserve that much, at least."
And then, with that, she was out again, though she left Natsuki in the position of embracing Nao. Natsuki seemed oblivious of the fact until she felt Duran, now between then, prop himself up by his front paws on her knees and lick her chin. She blinked, and let go of Nao.
"Sorry," she muttered.
"No need to be," Nao shrugged, "I let a ghost woman use my lips to kiss you. If the punishment I get for that is that you hug me, I'd say I'm getting off pretty light. Listen, I'm going to head out, it's late and…"
"And it's late," Natsuki said, "meaning that there's probably not going to be a cab willing to come out here at this hour. I'll grab some linens and blankets, and you can sleep in this room tonight."
"You're not afraid I'm going to try anything funny?" Nao blinked.
"C'mon, Nao, I know you. You've got a mouth that doesn't know when to shut, and you've got something of a vicious sense of humor, sometimes, but I don't think you're a creeper. The only reason that I'm not asking you to sleep in my room is that I haven't made a decision yet, and I don't want to give you false hope if I decide not to go for this idea of yours."
Nao laughed, "You're such a softy."
"Oh, shut up and go to sleep, brat," Natsuki smacked her in the face with a pillow.
"Night, Pup," Nao said as Natsuki gave her the linens and blankets to make the bed.
"Yeah, see you in the morning."
"Hey, Kuga?"
"Yeah."
"Whatever you decide, I do love you."
Natsuki blinked, then smiled, "Yeah, me too. And you, Shizuru."
"I suppose, in the interests of fairness," Shizuru materialized again, "I will share the room with Nao."
Natsuki nodded, then closed the door and returned to her own bedroom, Duran in tow. He hopped up on the bed, and made himself at home next to her head on the pillow.
"I guess I've got a lot to think about, Duran," She said, scratching behind his ear. He opened his mouth, yawning, and then closed blurry puppy eyes. One of his ears, now reaching the stage where it would stand upright on its own, twitched a moment, and then he was asleep.
"Must be nice not to have things to worry about," Natsuki envied him.
But eventually sleep claimed her, and she embraced the darkness of a dreamless slumber.
Natsuki woke to the smell of cooking eggs. She rose from her bed, draping a robe over herself, and found Nao in the kitchen, at the stove, with the faint image of Shizuru beside her.
"…need to allow it to cook over low heat," Shizuru was saying, "That way the eggs have a chance to cook evenly without…Oh, Good Morning, Natsuki. I was just teaching Nao how to cook. I wasn't aware that her Mother had passed before she could teach her these things."
"Yeah, something Nao and I have in common," Natsuki nodded, "Smells good, though."
"So, Pup, just why did the Cook serve notice, anyway?" Nao was using a pair of chopsticks to roll the omelet she was making.
"I think my 'unsophisticated palette' offended her," Natsuki admitted sheepishly, "I told her the dishes she was making for me were too fancy for me, and asked her to make more simple fare and stow the leftovers."
"Leftovers?" Shizuru wrinkled her nose, "No wonder she served notice. Natsuki, a Cook like her is accustomed to making fresh meals daily. Leftovers are not a word a woman like her would care to hear. It would mean she would have no reason to be here, most days."
"Rich people make everything so complicated," Natsuki sighed.
"She does have a point, though, Kuga," Nao said, "If you're going to pay to have a cook, she expects to have work to do on a daily basis. And I doubt that 'reheat last nights leftovers' would give a professional cook any sort of job satisfaction."
"You're probably right," Natsuki sighed, "But what can I say? I'm an instant ramen and take out burger kind of girl."
Shizuru looked at the jars of mayonnaise in the fridge when Nao opened it to retrieve the soy sauce, "Ara, I fear that with a diet such as that, it won't be long before Natsuki joins me as a spirit roaming these hallowed halls."
"Mai makes sure she eats healthy at least once a week," Nao informed Shizuru, "That girl is such a Mom."
There was a knock at the door, "Hello?"
"Speak of the devil," Nao grinned.
"You called Mai up here?" Natsuki blinked.
"Like I said," Nao grinned, "That girl is such a Mom. And you were going to go to her and ask her what she thinks you should do. So, I asked her to swing by. Didn't tell her anything. You can do that. Meanwhile, I have to get ready for work. Enjoy your breakfast."
And like that, Nao was out the door. A very confused looking Mai came in.
"Nao said you wanted to ask me something?"
Natsuki walked over to Mai and surprised her by hugging her.
"Whoa. You're hugging people, now? This is serious."