IX.
A/N: Time for a sidebar. I lost a reader because of the "threesome" nature of the relationship that seems to be developing, which is unfortunate.
The idea occurred after a viewing of Ghost, when Sam possessed Oda Mae to spend time with his wife one last time. Oda Mae seemed to have little control of what was going on while Sam was inhabiting her, and I wanted to explore what would happen if both minds were active at once. Especially if those individuals had a history of antipathy, as Shizuru and Nao do. Also, as Mai has pointed out, a relationship between Natsuki and Nao is rife for trouble.
Traditionally, from the very first My-HiME series, Natsuki has been somewhat body shy. I decided to explore that as well as give it a genesis in something that would be suitably traumatizing for a child, discovering that one parent had thoroughly betrayed the other, without giving Natsuki any more baggage than she already had in the original series.
Let us not forget, either, what Midori said about Shizuru. Ghosts have motives, to try to pass on, to try and exact revenge, or to try to avoid passing on because they have a grim fate ahead. What's Shizuru's motivation? We have yet to learn, but trust me, that's coming.
Just to make things really clear:
1.I am not advocating a threesome relationship. Shizuru, Nao, and Natsuki have all had misgivings but people sometimes have to learn the hard way.
2.My longtime readers know that I don't do graphic descriptions of sex scenes. I allude to them. I suggest. I do not give graphic displays. The relationship, for good or ill, is not about giving the reader titillation.
3.Natsuki still has her own issues to work through before she's even ready to try anything.
That said, let's move on. I hope that those of you still reading are willing to stick around until the ride is over.
After the bath, Natsuki suggested that everyone stay in her room that night.
"I think we'd all feel more comfortable with company while that storm is going on out there," she pointed out.
"We're going to be packed in," Mai noted, "You okay with that?"
"I'll be fine," Natsuki insisted, "Remember the night when we all saw Shizuru. We all packed in that night, too."
"I do have to say," Shizuru's disembodied voice came from the corner of the room, "that did not do any favors for my self-confidence. I mean, I show my beautiful face, and you all go scrambling for cover? Ikezu."
"Well, I got a crick in my neck from that," Nao rubbed her shoulder at the memory, "So let's not do the whole back to back thing again."
"It's a king sized bed," Natsuki pointed out, "If we all sleep on our sides, it should accommodate all four of us with bodies."
"Mikoto and I will take the floor, thanks," Mai sighed, "I'll just grab some blankets and pillows from another room. You two can take the bed."
"Hey, Pup?" Nao looked over her shoulder at Natsuki as Mai went to retrieve extra bedding, "Would you hold me, tonight?"
Natsuki blushed, "Nao, what are you saying?"
"I'm not asking you to get frisky or anything," Nao actually managed a blush of her own, "I just…I don't like storms, okay. After those creeps busted up our home and beat Momma into a coma, I had to spend a bit of time in the orphanage. I was alone my first night there, and there was a storm like this one. I just…I don't like being alone during storms. It's too much of a reminder."
Natsuki nodded, "Sure."
She got into bed, and allowed Nao to slide in next to her, "You face the door."
Nao did as she was told, and Natsuki pulled a blanket over her, then laid on top of the edge, and pulled another blanket over herself, draping her arm over Nao. The warmth and the weight were gentle and reassuring, and the both of them were asleep in no time.
Shizuru watched from the shadows, frowning.
~~*~~
Morning came, and with it, dawn and sunlight.
Mai set to work making breakfast.
"Hey, where's our resident ghost?" Nao asked as she folded her blanket, "I have something I want to try out."
"I'm here," Shizuru appeared directly in front of her, her placid smile lodged firmly in place, "What is it you wish to discuss?"
"Well, it occurs to me that if we're going to be involved with Natsuki, it's not just about the sex, right?"
"I would say so," Shizuru agreed, "But what is your point."
"Well, we need to do stuff with her to show her that. Hell, it might even put her more at ease with the whole thing."
"There is logic to what you say," Shizuru agreed, "Save for one issue with your assessment. You are proposing we take Natsuki out on a date. However, I cannot leave the Estate. For whatever reason, I seem bound to this place."
~ Which just gives me more reason to suspect that you're not telling us something ~ Nao thought, but did not say aloud.
"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," Nao smirked.
"Ara, are you asking my permission to date Natsuki by yourself? It is not as though I could stop you."
"No," Nao agreed with a grin, "You couldn't. But then…you probably wouldn't' be willing to aid me either. And there's just something intoxicating about the things I experience while we're sharing my body. So, I was going to ask you if you'd like to try to leave the grounds by using me as a carrier."
Shizuru's eyes were wide, and then she looked thoughtful, "In other words, if I possess you while you walk off the grounds, I may be able to leave with you?"
"It's worth a test, at any rate," Nao said.
"Then, let us test it, now. The opening of the gate. I have never been able to cross the threshold. If I can do so while possessing you, then it should work."
Shizuru entered Nao's body. The process was not a pleasant one, Shizuru had concluded. Oh, she enjoyed the benefits that came with it. The ability to touch, to feel, to taste, those were welcome and glorious sensations to her. But before she could enjoy them, she first had to wade past the gossamer threads of Nao's own consciousness. In the time it would take a regular person to snap their fingers, Shizuru felt every emotion, every thought, conscious or not, every memory of Nao Yuuki flowing into her own consciousness. She felt, unreserved and unfiltered, Nao's suspicions on her, her hatred, her envy. It was suffocating, and that was saying something since Shizuru hadn't needed to breath in the last decade since her death. However, there was an aspect that made the experience tolerable. She also felt Nao's devotion, affection, and love for Natsuki. These feelings came with a glowing warmth.
Plus, she had to admit with a smile of her own, the process was reciprocal. Yuuki felt every bit of Shizuru's envy for Nao's ability to make contact with Natsuki whenever she wanted, her hatred for Nao's more vulgar displays of taste and language, and her loathing of Nao's suspicious nature. But similarly, Nao also felt Shizuru's feelings for Natsuki.
"You really do love her," Each would say to the other as they merged.
And then it was done. Shizuru could feel herself drawing breath in nostrils not her own, and feeling the warm summer air on skin that belonged to someone else.
"Well, then, let us see if this works," Shizuru's voice came out of Nao's mouth. She walked out of the house and towards the gate. She inhaled deeply, and then prepared to step across.
"This was your idea," Shizuru said to Nao, "so I give you the option to stop now, before I attempt to cross this threshold. It may well feel like walking into a brick wall if this doesn't work."
"Do it," Nao said.
Together, they put out one foot…
And together, they passed outside of the gate into the world beyond the Fujino Esstate.
"A resounding success, I would say," Shizuru was elated.
"There's just one more thing to test," Nao said, "Can you exit my body out here?"
A moment of hesitation, and Shizuru attempted to pull herself out of Nao's body.
The process, in many ways, reminded her of the day she died. Nerve endings ceased to communicate to her any sense of touch. Lungs ceased to draw breath. The neural impulses she felt from Nao were gone, her thoughts her own again. The warmth of a body was leaving her. All in all, a truly horrific sensation. In many ways, the heat of Nao's scorn and hatred were preferable to this spreading cold darkness.
And then she was outside of Nao's body. Only for something to happen that she had not expected. There was a feeling like elastic being pulled back, and she was flung back across the threshold of the gate with violent force, feeling as though she had, indeed, crashed violently against a brick wall. She fell to her knees, all of her strength momentarily gone from her.
"It would seem," Shizuru managed after a moment, "That I am able to leave this place if you accommodate me. However, if I attempt to leave you, I am violently returned here."
Nao, to her credit, looked appropriately concerned, "Are you alright? Can you move?"
"I can," Shizuru righted herself, "That was most unfortunate. What of you? Were there any adverse affects for you?"
Nao shook her head, "When you leave, it feels cold for a second, like stepping out into the snow without a coat. But then it's over. I'm fine."
"Then," Shizuru smiled, "We can proceed with your suggestion, and ask our dear Natsuki out on a date. But not today. I believe I must take a bit to recover after that unexpected snap."
"Alright," Nao agreed.
"What's going on?" Natsuki came running up to the gate, "Nao, Shizuru? What are you…?
"I asked Nao to help me test something," Shizuru smiled at Natsuki, "And we learned that I may leave these grounds if I am possessing someone."
"And ONLY if she's possessing someone," Nao added, "The minute she tried to exit, she got thrown back here like a slingshot."
Natsuki looked at them, shaking her head, "The two of you are going to give me a heart attack. Seriously."
"Fujino," Nao's eyes narrowed as she looked at the gate, "You might want to make yourself scarce. There's a car coming."
Natsuki also heard the engine of a car, "Who would be coming up here? Mr. Sakomizu has the day off."
A long black car pulled up to the front gate. The driver was a strange, pale woman with silvery blue hair, red eyes, and a rather unreadable expression. She walked to the rear door, opening it. A girl, about twelve years of age, with striking blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, stepped out of the vehicle. She looked at Natsuki and Nao, and gave a curtsey, smiling, "Pleased to meet you. My name is Alyssa Searrs."
~~*~~
"And so," Alyssa sat across from Natsuki at the table, "Mother asked me to come to you and deliver the message she has always wanted to over the years. That she is sorry for the role she played in your family's misfortune, that she wishes she could have adopted you, rather than leave you to the neglect of our mutual father, and that she stands ready to welcome you into our family."
The woman who had accompanied Alyssa kept looking around the room, seeming to stare at something.
Natsuki sighed, "Listen…I knew your Mom wasn't trying to be a homewrecker from that one time I saw her. She tore into Dad pretty hard about making her a party to an affair. I never blamed her for what happened. And I can appreciate that you and I are both the children of Genichiro Kuga, which means, from a biological sense, you're my half-sister. I just…I'm not really sure what I want to do, okay?"
"That's fine, though," Alyssa said, "No one is asking you to make a decision overnight. I just want the chance to get to know you. As a sister."
"That's fair," Natsuki said evenly, "We're neither of us responsible for the circumstances of our birth. So we shouldn't necessarily be enemies. And I'd rather make friends."
"You're a sensible young woman, anyway," Alyssa smiled. There was a dark shadow that passed across her face, and she sighed.
"What's wrong?"
"It's just…If I knew something that was very important, but would upset you, would you want me to tell you?"
"If we have another half sibling out there somewhere…"
"No. This pertains to you, directly. And to your mother. Specifically, her research. And I fear it's very important that you know these things, because they may have a direct impact on you, but I also fear that being the messenger, you will hate me for it."
"What are you talking about? Mom was doing research on cellular regeneration, to treat injuries, right?"
"That was one of the applications of her studies, yes," Alyssa sighed deeply. The woman with her put a hand on her shoulder.
"It is best to simply tell her, Miss Alyssa. I brought the documents to verify what you have to say."
Alyssa nodded, then pressed forward with a claim that would forever change things.
"Natsuki…you actually died, that night, when you went off the cliff."
Natsuki blinked, then sighed, "What, you mean, like my heart stopped and I was brought back by CPR?"
Alyssa shook her head, "No. I mean, you literally died. Your mother was partnered with two organizations, at the time, working both in tandem and at cross purposes. First District, which is a clandestine government agency here in Japan, and my adoptive father's company, The Searrs Foundation.
"The man I call Father is a humanitarian. When you and your mother were recovered from the wreckage, he made arrangements. Using the methods pioneered by Dr. Saeko Kuga, they were able to recreate your body.
"Your spirit, fortunately, was able to be harvested just as your body died, and returned to your new form. Think of it as moving house. Your soul, everything that makes you Natsuki Kuga, is original. But your body is a recreation. And…as I said, First District was working at cross purposes with my Father's group."
Natsuki opened her mouth to say something, but the other woman produced a thick manila folder. She opened it. There were hundreds of pages of documents, but there were also hundreds of photographs. Natsuki saw a picture of herself, laying on a table, the pallor of death plain on her face, and a golden orb contained in some sort of clear cylinder just above the corpse. She saw pictures of a human form in a vat of liquid, developing from embryo, to her age of eight years old at the time. There was a clamp on her left shoulder, where the scar on her back was.
"Your body is a clone, but your spirit is your own," Alyssa said, "But what we didn't know until recently is that the First District made…modifications."
Natsuki was flipping through the documents and the pictures, looking green. It didn't seem like she was listening, so it was Mai who asked the obvious question.
"What kinds of modifications?"
"They wanted to create a super soldier. Natsuki has enhanced reflexes, heightened levels of strength, and a rapid healing ability."
"I remember the Pup pretty banged up and bandaged after a fight with five men," Nao retorted.
"Yes, but who was on the worst end of that fight?" Alyssa asked, "I read that police report. Natsuki walked away from that fight with a sprained wrist and a bruised cheek. You had two broken ribs, a severe black eye, and bruises all over your body. And those men? What happened to them?"
Nao looked away. Mai shot a questioning look at her and Natsuki.
"I broke one man's nose, another man's leg, and pretty much left the other three in a heap on the pavement," Natsuki said quietly, "And I was out of bandages in two days."
"You were ten years old at the time. Those thugs were sixteen and seventeen. Realistically, at best, a normal girl would have come out of that situation with a serious beating, at worst, she would have been killed. You dominated the fight."
"First District has been monitoring you since then," Alyssa said, "You are proof of concept to them that their research worked. But…as we learned, there might be a trade-off."
Natsuki laughed, "No, let me guess. This is right up my alley with the sorts of thrillers I write. My enhancements come with a diminished lifespan."
"Possibly. We're not sure, because you're the first one. And we're not sure how diminished. It could well be, healthy as you appear, that maybe you drop at fifty instead of seventy. Or sixty. Or, for all we know, you could live to be a hundred with proper care."
"Wait," Nao blinked, "Why would they allow her out in public like that if they made her a living weapon?"
"To avoid tipping their hand to my Father," Alyssa said, "He brought you back, Natsuki, out of a sense of duty to your Mother. She, unfortunately, was already gone when they got to you."
"So…I'm me, but…not me?"
"Your heart is the same one it has always been," Alyssa reassured her, "To use an analogy that you might appreciate, think of it as putting a driver in a new car. You were upgraded from a sedan to a muscle car."
"What are my limits? Does anyone know?" Natsuki asked.
"Aunt Miyu?" Alyssa looked at her.
"A trained power lifter can do up to three hundred sixty pounds," Miyu said, "We believe, provided you were properly warmed up, that your current frame and weight would allow you to lift approximately eight hundred pounds."
"That's under extreme circumstances, though," Alyssa quickly added, "Having lived a normal lifestyle, I suspect you'd find five hundred pounds more in your range."
"Great, so on top of everything else in my life, I'm a superhuman freak," Natsuki muttered.
"You're not a freak!" Alyssa protested, "Natsuki, I'm sorry that they did that, but I'm grateful that you're still here. I only wish that there was something more I could do!"
Nao suddenly looked thoughtful, "Hey, how long would it take to clone a human body?"
Alyssa shot her a sour look, "If you're wondering if we can enhance you…"
"I think, Miss Alyssa," Miyu said, "That she's asking for the sake of the apparition that has been watching us throughout our conversation."