Chapter 15: The Otome Ceremony P2
"W-wh-" What the hell?! Cupping her face, Natsuki groaned loudly. "You could've warned me you'd do that!" Her voice strained as it muffled into her palms. Ugh, she could feel her face burning up.
The Meister laughed heartily, remaining in her kneeling position. "I take it that you're surprised?" She teased. Natsuki's reaction is adorable.
"Obviously I am?!" Sweet hells, maybe this woman's the devil? Unthreading her fingers, Natsuki leaned into her useless legs. A sigh slipped from her lips as she gazed down at her Meister. "I… do." Her brow furrowed at the wording. Well, no time to change that now, she grimaced as she looked towards Saeko. "Mother?" She questioned in a deadpan tone.
"N-Na-Natsuki's getting her own M-Meister! I'm so pro-oud!"
"You're overreacting." Natsuki could only grumble, blinking as the President blew her nose with a handkerchief. Where had she…—Feeling warm skin brush against her hand, Natsuki's attention drew back to Shizuru. The Meister studied her before a soft smile crossed her features. Awkwardly, Natsuki exchanged the look, scratching her cheek afterwards. "What now?"
"Your hand."
Extending her left, Natsuki stared in confusion as the Meister chuckled softly.
"Your right."
"Oh." Natsuki blushed hotly. Agh! That mistake, as innocent as it was would probably make Natsuki wince in the future. Wasn't this silly? She was behaving like a teen on her first date. This is Shizuru, her Meister. But as much as Natsuki insisted on this explanation, it didn't settle her. She wished she would calm down already.
Sliding the ring onto Natsuki's right index finger, Shizuru was satisfied when it slipped on flawlessly. Pulling away, she watched her briefly before exchanging a look with Saeko. The President's antics amused her so. "Next is the nanomachines. This may take a while as I require to purify the blood before it is injected."
"Purify?" Natsuki's interest piqued. She had never heard of this procedure before. Natsuki unconsciously stole a peek at her Master ring, twisting her hand to study it momentarily.
"Mh. I must use an agent that neutralises my blood, else the nanomachines may malfunction and attack your insides. Without this agent, there would be the risk of complications such as disease." From the case, Shizuru took the syringe kit which included the agent. "Are you nervous?"
Was she, Natsuki wondered? She took to watching the Meister assemble the syringe. Were all Otome trained to use them? It was true that she was anxious, but fortunately she had calmed—least somewhat. "A little."
A silence loomed over them as Shizuru finished preparing the needle. Placing the tiny agent bottle between her teeth, she pulled her sleeve to her elbow. Though she had practiced this a dozen times beforehand at Garderobe, it didn't calm her nerves. If she botched this agent even slightly there could potentially be dire consequences—for Natsuki, not herself. Once ready, the Meister released a small sigh and steeled herself. Here goes nothing. Feeling along the crook of her elbow, Shizuru searched for her vein. This had always been the trickiest part. Thankfully though, she did find it.
Prising the needle through skin, the action stung slightly as she filled the syringe. Even though injections were part of an Otome's everyday life, Shizuru didn't think she'd get used to it. The sensation was brittle and the crawling of her nanomachines was thoroughly uncomfortable. But nevertheless, this section was completed.
"The nanomachines might sting on entrance." Shizuru murmured in warning, unscrewing the needle cap to administer the liquid. Placing the used needle into the case carefully, she retrieved a new one. "How are you with needles?"
"Fine, I guess." Natsuki shrugged. She had received her fair share of them in the past. The present was no different.
"Alright. Tell me if you feel uncomfortable." Shizuru prompted her, tapping bubbles from out of the cylinder. "It will take a moment to neutralise." Adding the fresh needle, she gently shook the mixture together.
Thinking about it, Natsuki did find it odd that the Otome would prepare the nanomachines. She would've figured that a medical professional would do this. 'Tradition's sake?' That had to be it. "How long does it take for them to start up?"
"Usually instantly—sometimes it takes a while. It depends on the Master. It is recommended to allow the nanomachines to settle before using them. So around twelve hours."
That seemed rather long? But Natsuki supposed the nanomachines did need time to figure out its new host. Wouldn't swapping bodies also cause complications? Surely? She was getting trapped in her head again.
"Saeko, do you have any cotton wool?"
"Ah, there should be some in the hospital. I'll call the staff." The President miraculously sobered on the spot, seemingly desiring to be useful. Picking herself up, she headed for the hall's backstage. "Is there a phone back here?" She called towards some staff who must be around there.
Left to their own devices, Natsuki fiddled with her ring's silver band. She was officially a Master now. Honestly she couldn't quite believe it. Her, an Otome's Master, and a disabled one at that? Mildly she wondered if a Master could retain their role if fully paralysed. When Shizuru gets injured, she will feel this pain: Did it work vice versa too? If that's the case, wouldn't her Meister experience paralysis? The thought niggled inside the corner of Natsuki's mind, frustrating her. Of course that wouldn't happen. Why would Shizuru pointlessly become her Meister, then? She may as well chop her legs off if it were true.
"Natsuki seems rather reflective."
Shizuru's remark derailed her train of thought. Lifting her pensive gaze upwards, Natsuki rolled her ring around her index finger. "Hm. Just overthinking things." She should feel more comfortable sharing her experiences with Shizuru now. Given last night, she… ah. "I'm worried something might happen." It was only natural, right? Natsuki's mind always leapt to the worst case scenario. It infuriated her to no end. But, today she felt better for the first time in months. Had speaking with Shizuru been more relieving than she had first expected? Maybe; today was certainly unique as well.
"Here is the cotton wool." Saeko said once returning. Handing a plastic box to Shizuru, she plonked herself back onto her seat.
Her mother would never change, would she…? Natsuki eyed her warily.
"Thank you." With this, Shizuru eased the box into Natsuki's lap. "Are you ready, Natsuki?" She asked, making a finalising checkover of her filled syringe. She would deal with her own injection-site afterwards.
"Yeah." Pulling her own sleeve up, Natsuki paused. "Ah. Would it be better to inject it in the upper-arm?"
"No. The nanomachines require a direct vein." It would be useless if they were inserted into fat or muscle, no? Gently clasping Natsuki's upper arm, she felt along the crook. "It may sting." She repeated her warning, slipping the needle into the discovered vein.
Natsuki stilled upon the advancing sensation. It felt cold briefly before an overwhelming unease entered the pit of her stomach. A crawling rush dispersed from the injection-site, spreading to her fingertips. Each individual digit tingled unpleasantly as nanomachines soured through her veins. Her medical nanomachines never felt like this. It was almost as if insects slithered beneath her skin. This was awful. Lowering her head into her palm, Natsuki leaned into her armrest. Covering her eyes, a groan slipped from her lips. Otome dealt with this? Like, every moment of their conscious existence? The nanomachines continued to swarm her inner-workings. Then, they arrived at her heart. An inexplicable wave flooded across her entire body within milliseconds. Her blood itself freezing over as though no heat belonged within it. Even though her entire being was ice-cold, she didn't shiver. It was an extremely unnatural sensation; an experience she wished would quickly vanish.
"Looks like it is proceeding well." Shizuru murmured, soothing a hand along Natsuki's shoulder. Landing her gaze upon Saeko, she gestured her over with a flick of her fingertips. As the President approached curiously, she spoke quietly: "She will feel unwell for quite a time. The symptoms usually include sensory overload, chill and increased anxiety."
"You didn't explain that to her."
"I did not want to worry her." Shizuru smiled.
N/A: Next chapter is the final part of the ceremony! I might be taking a short break from Empyrean as I would like to work on some stories I've been neglecting recently. As always, check my profile for frequent updates.
LDLC: I know what you're talking about. I have an MA and it was always easier writing up my projects, research, experiments and documentation. Thing is though, I already have in-depth timelines and bullet point my chapters beforehand. Whenever I get writer's block for my stories, there's just a gap there that doesn't go away. It remains there even when I know exactly how the story plays out, it's infuriating. Best method I've figured out how to deal with it is getting inspiration from my friends who have similar ideals. Of course, communication from readers is also great too.
Una pregunta para mis lectores Españoles: ¿Por qué leen mis historias?
¿No es la comunidad Española todavía grande?