When Time Runs Short

Chapter 4~Taken




Maron held her daughter's hand gently. "That's wonderful, sweetheart..." She said, her statement almost more of a question than anything else. "Why aren't you happy? You've been looking forward to going U of J as long as I can remember...You wanted to go there with everybody..."

"Shinji didn't get accepted." Natsuki blurted.

Maron's eyes widened. "Oh no..." She laid her hands on mouth. "Oh, the poor thing..." She laid her hands on Natsuki's shoulders. "Is he alright...?"

Natsuki looked down and away. "He'll be fine..." She walked towards her room, her face tired and sad. Shinji...don't think I didn't see the hurt in your eyes...don't think I don't know that you're jealous of Toki...She hugged her pillow. She'd seen curious looks in his eyes for so long now. She'd seen him watching her during homeroom, lunch, walking home. Angrily she hit her pillow. If you'd just gotten your act together, you'd be coming with us!

She sighed heavily, flopping onto her back. Her eyes roamed the ceiling as she lost herself in her own thoughts. She didn't know what, but something about Shinji caused her heart to pound. Had always stirred odd feelings in her heart. It was enough to drive a girl insane. She had developed the ability to sense when his intesne violet eyes were spearing her, feel the electricity between them when they almost touched. She hugged herself, closing her eyes.

She'd remembered her mother telling her stories about the day she was brought home, how Shinji had never left her side, how he'd proposed to her the moment he'd laid eyes on her. She sighed heavily. As time went on, though, they'd both begun to change. Shinji treated her as though she was just a precious friend, not someone he'd want to marry.

Hurriedly, she shook her head. "Who cares if he doesn't want to marry me?! He's just a stupid boy, anyways! Who cares..." She paused, looking at a picture of them, when they were older, he was about seven, she was five. One of their friends had dared him to kiss her. Of course, he had to prove he wasn't a chicken, so he'd gone up to her and gave her an innocent peck on the lips. Maron had a camera at the time.

She shook her head, remembering Miyako, Shinji's mom, having a fit about it, too. She'd seen the picture and grounded Shinji on the spot. He hadn't been able to leave the house for a week during summer break.

She giggled softly at the memory. Shinji always managed to get into trouble, either in school, or with his parents. His first curse word was shouted out in the middle of class, when he realized he hadn't done his homework...She smothered another giggle. He'd had to clean the room after school for a week as penance. He'd habitually fall asleep during classes, and have a ruler cracked down on his desk, to wake him. He'd stopped that when he'd shifted and the ruler cracked down on his head instead.

A heavy sigh escaped her. "Baka..." She nodded in agreement with her own statement. "Shinji no baka..."

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Shinji walked out of his room, one hand rubbing his shoulder, the other holding his satchel. What IS that...? He wondered, sighing heavily, walking down the hall to a large line or vending machines. It was bugging the hell out of him that he couldn't figure out what that was. He paid no notice to the young women in the hall, staring blatently at his naked chest, and dropped a coin into the machine, hitting the button for coke. He sighed heavily, picking up the drink and leaning against the machine, tapping the top with his thumb.

He heard a few younger girls giggling and looked up under his long bangs to look at them through deep violet eyes. They fluttered their eyelashes at him and toyed with their hair smiling playfully. He popped the tab and began walking back to his room, silently sipping it. Natsuki-chan...he thought, his eyes softening. She never flirts with me...maybe I'm just a friend to her after all...but...He sighed heavily.

She was so beautiful. Long, almost green hair, and bottomless green eyes. Like a picture from a dream. Something about her stirred old feelings he didn't remember, old, confusing things that made him almost tremble, things that made him wake in the dead of night, chilled with sweat. Those nights, the pains in his back were the worst. Those nights, when he kissed her in his dreams, then she was pulled away from him by the man with the black hair that haunted his waking times.

He shook his head and walked back into his apartment. He closed the door and it made a loud clicking sound as it latched. He leaned against the door, hugging himself, closing his eyes. He called her Finn in the dreams. That creep who kept on visiting his room, was obviously affecting him more than he thought.

A gentle knock sounded at the door and he opened it looking around the edge. "Natsuki..." He said softly. "It's late, you should be in bed..."

"I can't sleep..." She said softly. "I don't want to go to school without my best friend..." She didn't look at him.

He gently drew her into his room, and sat her down at the table. "I'll make ya somethin to help ya sleep, ne?" He said softly, letting his hands rest on her shoulders for awhile. When she nodded yes in agreement, he smiled a bit and disappeared into the kitchen. Silently, he makes her some warm milk, till a soft shriek pulls his mind from the empty task. He hurried out to the other room, finding Noin holding a blade to Natsuki's neck.

The glass fell and shattered on the floor.

"Natsuki-chan..." He whispered, wide eyed.

"Sh-shinji!" She whimpered, reaching towards him.

Noin smiled evilly. "I warned you to keep a close eye on your little angel. Now look what's happened..."

Shinji's eyes narrowed. "Let her go, Noin..."

"Oh, no, I think your little Natsuki is comming with me." He tossed a sheet into Shinji's line of vision and once again, did his disappearing act, taking Natsuki with him, only her echoed cry of Shinji's name echoing in the room.

"Shinji!!!"

He ran to the window. "NATSUKI! NOIN! NATSUKIIII!"

He stared out the window, shocked, then, his eyes narrowed quickly in anger. I'll save you Natsuki-chan. Zettai ni...

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Marron gently tapped on Natsuki's door the next morning and peeked inside. "Natsuki-chan, it's time for school!" She said cheerily, walking in and looked around.

It was empty.

Her eyes widened and the tray slipped from her fingers. "Natsuki...chan..."

Chiaki heard the crash from the next room and ran inside. "Marron, what is it?!"

"My daughter..." Marron whispered, trembling. She steadied herself on the bedside table and looked desperately at her husband. "Go see if she's with Shinji!" She practically commanded him. He didn't need to be told twice. He ran out of the room and into Shinji's apartment without knocking, only to find it too was empty.

A feeling of dread washed over him as he realized that a sword that had been his pseudo-son's birthday gift a few years back was missing. He walked out and saw Marron looking up at him desperately. He simply shook his head.

Marron's eyes filled with tears and she let Chiaki pull her close, holding her tightly.

"We have to let him save her, Marron. We have to trust in Access..." He said softly in her ear, stroaking her hair gently.

Marron continued to cry.