Given a second chance to relive her life, Shizuru is more than determined to live her life and protects Natsuki in the world where there is no order and where the undead roamed. "Natsuki, if your love is all I had in this life, that would be enough till the end of time."
There was a frown as Shizuru exited the Earth.
She saw Natsuki seated in front of the computer but this time checking on the prices of food and ruote to these places. They had limited budget so it would be best to do some research beforehand and plan their routes to find the cheapest items. They needed to know where to find the cheapest food, livestock, farming material and other daily necessities. They will go to places that offered the lowest prices. And if those places they planned to go were near, all the better. They could save on their cost and use the least cost to buy all the stuff.
And it was lucky that they have the Earth. All they need was to buy one ticket for their trips and they would not even require a place to stay in! They could save much money.
As if sensing Shizuru's presence, Natsuki turned and saw the frown on Shizuru's face. "Did something happen Shizuru?" Concerned, Natsuki stood up and walked towards Shizuru. "You look worried. Something's wrong with the Earth?"
Shizuru told Natsuki what she saw while she was in the Earth. "There is no living things in the Earth. Without living things like birds, bees and butterflies, there would be no pollination and trees would not bear fruits. If it is vegetables like potatoes and cabbages that do not require any pollination, we are still fine. But fruits? It would not be possible without those animals and insects. If we can't grow things inside the Earth then we have to store more food."
"But how much do we need to store to last a lifetime? It would be unrealistic to store food for a lifetime. Food will expire or rot." Natsuki raised her concerns.
Shizuru nodded her head. She had the same concern as well.
"But in this weather now, it is not possible to find bees hives and relocate them into Earth. If we wait until Spring, would we have enough time to prepare for apocalypse?"
"I am not sure." Shizuru sighed. It was rare for Shizuru to sigh.
"We shall not worry about. We can just focus our attention on plants that do not require pollination. It is not that bad! At least we will still have food to eat!" Natsuki proposed, hoping it could lessen Shizuru's worries.
"But it is winter now. I doubt we could find seeds or plants at cheap prices." Shizuru pointed out.
And then there was silence. It seemed that there were a lot more obstacles to overcome in order to survive the apocalypse.
Sense of defeat set in.
Natsuki's shoulder slumped as she sighed too. "Who would guess apocalypse would arrive and the world would end. Look at that," Natsuki pointed outside at the busy streets. "Everyone is going on with their daily lives. Who would know that apocalypse would arrive in half a year?" Just from Shizuru's descriptions, Natsuki could just imagine how the world would look like when apocalypse set in. Death and chaos. Just by thinking about it would simply be a nightmare.
"There is very little things we can do Natsuki." Or rather there wasn't anything they can do at all when apocalypse set in. End of the world where there was no law and order. Moral standards collapsed and anything and everything can happen. It would not pay to be a good guy. Good guy dies first. It was survival of the fittest. And what Shizuru could do now was to ensure that both of them could survive the apocalypse. Anything else, she was not obliged to be help or to concern herself with.
Shizuru sighed again, feeling the pressure of impending apocalypse.
Natsuki looked at Shizuru. Shizuru had indeed changed.
Regardless of the challenges ahead, the old Shizuru will move ahead with a confident and serene smile on her face, as if there was no challenges too great for her. Even when they left the orphanage and had to learn to fend for themselves in the adult world at the age of sixteen, Shizuru had been confident of being able to make a living for the two of them. And true to her words, Shizuru had made things work for the two of them. But that was in the past. Now Shizuru seemed hesitant about herself and feared for the future.
And seeing this side of Shizuru made Natsuki's heart ache. She did not want Shizuru to feel this way. She hoped she could help shouldered the burden.
Natsuki got up from her chair and moved to hug Shizuru who was up until now, contemplating about the future.
"Ara! What's with this sudden affection?" The gloom lifted from Shizuru and she smiled and returned the hug, tightening the grip on Natsuki.
Shizuru took a deep breath and allowed herself to indulge in this brief moment of comfort. It was rare for Natsuki to take the initiative for physical contact.
"Nothing… Just feel like hugging." Natsuki muttered.
This elicited a giggle from Shizuru as she nuzzled against Natsuki's neck. "Ara, Natsuki must keep up with this good habit ne!"
"Ba...baka!"
Shizuru didn't have to look to know that Natsuki's face was red. She smiled and laid her head on Natsuki's shoulder, letting Natsuki's scent surrounded her.
And there was peace… At least for a while and Shizuru allowed herself to rest and not worry about the apocalypse.
After a while, Shizuru lifted her head from Natsuki's shoulder and said, "Ne Natsuki, why don't we go out? We can withdraw the twenty thousands that Tomoe gave use and use it to buy some spices and salt. Even if we can't grow fruits, we still need to prepare other things." And lucky for them, prices of these items were not too expensive in the area they lived in, otherwise given the money they had, they may not be able to buy much.
As they moved to the door, Duran ran and leaped towards Natsuki and licked her face, wanting the two of them to bring him out for a walk. Shizuru patted Duran's head, and thought of what happened to Duran in the previous life. "Why don't we put Duran in Earth? I don't feel safe leaving him at home."
Natsuki agreed as well but worries if there will be any restrictions on the things that Shizuru brought in. "But is it possible to put him in?"
"Of course! You went in there before so it would be fine for him too." The space that she had was just a piece of Earth that entered her body by chance and was part of her. At long as she allowed it, anything and anyone could enter it.
Shizuru took Duran from Natsuki and tapped Duran's nose with her finger. "Alright Duran, I am going to put you into my Earth. It is safe there and there is large space for you to run around. But don't run too far. We will pick you put in a while alright?"
Duran rolled his tongue and woof twice as if he understood what Shizuru talking about. Shizuru took Duran from Natsuki and teleported him into the Earth.
The soon after, the two of them set out to the bank and withdrew the money. It was impossible to withdraw thirty thousand via the ATM and so the two of them waited for a while while the clerk processed their request. And immediately after they received the cash, the two of them went to a secluded corner and teleported twenty thousands into the Earth and put the remaining cash into their bags. They did not want to attract too much attention and twenty thousand was too much to carry with them.
Natsuki had already done her research before leaving the house and had decided where to go to get the cheapest items in town. They were going to where the wholesalers were located to buy some daily necessities like cooking oil, spices, sugar and salt. The items that those wholesalers sell were definitely cheaper than the ones they saw in the supermarket. But the catch was, buyers had to buy in large quantities to enjoy the lower price, something which suited Shizuru and Natsuki's needs too.
And after rounds of bargaining and checking out of prices. Natsuki and Shizuru had settled on two hundred tin of cooking oil at a very reasonable price and requested the wholesaler to deliver them to a warehouse near the city. This warehouse belonged to a friend of Shizuru's and her friend was generous enough to loan it to them for free and without asking much questions.
After the purchase, the two of them detoured to the nearby shops to buy spices and true to what was mentioned on the internet, the prices were definitely lower than what was in the supermarket. They bought spices, salt and more varieties of vegetable seeds as well. Though Shizuru was not sure if they could successfully grow the vegetables in Earth but it was better than not trying at all. After some negotiations, the seller gave a price that both parties were happy with.
And Shizuru and Natsuki did not give up the chance to ask the seller for more information on how to plant the seeds, grow the plants and other things to take note off when growing the plants. And the seller was kind enough to give them advice and in addition a free book on how to grow vegetables and asked them to go back and follow the advice in the book.
It was past noontime when the two of them finished buying all the products and the two of them went to a nearby to have a quick lunch. "We spent about five thousand on cooking oil and about one thousand dollar on spices, salt, sugar and seeds today." Natsuki paused in the middle of eating and said, "We are closed to finish using all the cash on our hand."
"We still have about four thousand on our hand. We will see if we can buy some rice and store them. Even though we may be able to grow rice in Earth but we don't know how long it will take for the rice to grow and ripen. So we may need to store up some rice." Shizuru added. "And clothes too. We need cooking utensils, stoves, medication and tentage too. Even though we don't have much money now, we still can buy some. It need not be in large quantities."
Shizuru thought about her previous life. They were clueless about the impending apocalypse but had rushed to stock up food items when they sensed the rising tension and unrest in the country. This had helped them survived for a while then. But now that they had more time, there were so many things they needed to prepare that they did not know where and what to start with. What were the most important things to buy first and what were the least important ones.
"I think food would be the most important, including the spices, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and salt. Now that we have the Earth, we need seeds, clothes and medication. We can store them inside it. We also need to buy a stove that allows us to cook using wood and charcoal. So that means we need to prepare some charcoal too. As for bed, utensils, woks and pans, we can just take from home so we don't have to spend additional cash on it."
Natsuki nodded her head. The things Shizuru mentioned was quite comprehensive. There was nothing she needs to add in.
The two of them finished their food and together, side by side, they exited the place. But halfway through, Shizuru paused and grabbed Natsuki by the shoulder as her face paled.
Panic, Natsuki asked, "What happen Shizuru?"
Shizuru only shook head as she sought to move to somewhere secluded. And the moment they turned into a secluded corner, Shizuru teleported the two of them in Earth.
Natsuki stared at her surrounding in shock. "What happen here?"
Things seemed to have changed tremendously in Earth. It seemed as if Earth had finally come alive!
The original small streams that flowed through the green pasture had widen, some larger than others, flowing into the other end shrouded in mist. Even though there was still mist surrounding the land, the mist seemed to have retreated exposing greater land space and more trees.
And the vegetables Shizuru planted had grown and ripen! There were cabbages growing on the ground, the carrots and turnips and even tomatoes. They grow and ripen even though it wasn't the season for it and within a matter of hours! And what also surprised them was the existence of other living things!
Butterfly was fluttering around and the bees were buzzing around the flowers. They could even hear birds chirping happily nearby in the forests. And not just the birds in the forest, the streams too were filled with fishes, swimming along the clear streams, their scales reflecting the bright sunlight.
Shizuru stood in the middle of all these and closed her eyes, keeping her mind open, taking in all the information about the changes to this Earth.
A flood of information forced its way into her brain and her face marred by a slight frown. The current Earth that was part of Shizuru was an incomplete fragment of the original Earth and because it entered Shizuru's body, it was unable to develop or evolve fully. And by right there should not be any high order living things in this Earth but because Shizuru planted seeds in this Earth and subconsciously information of what Shizuru knew about the original Earth was transmitted into this Earth and accepted by it and slowly it morphed to perfect the ecosystem. And with that, Shizuru's Earth to some extent was a mini replica of the original Earth, though not a perfect replica.
Shizuru was elated beyond words. Shizuru had panic initially when she felt ripples coming from her Earth and had thought that something bad had happened to it. But unexpectedly, it turned out to be a surprise for her. A space that by right should not have any form of animals in it had morphed to allow the plants she planted to grow and bear fruits.
And from the information gathered, the plants planted in Earth will have a shorter gestation period and will not follow the law of the nature in the original Earth. So plants here will take a shorter time to grow and if Shizuru and Natsuki did not pluck the fruits, the fruits will fall to the ground and grow on its own, propagating the next generation of fruits.
So in other words, any seeds they scattered onto the ground will grow and need not follow the seasons. As long as the two of them left some seeds for the plants to propagate, the plants will grow on their own without much attention from them and this was good news for the two of them given that they has near zero knowledge of farming.
"Natsuki! We don't have to worry about food anymore! We can grow our vegetables and fruits here!" Shizuru griped Natsuki's hand tightly. They did not have to worry about food during apocalypse anymore! "We will have a higher chance of surviving this time round!"
This time round? Puzzled, Natsuki wondered about the choice of words.
There were some similarities between this Earth and the original Earth except that there will not be any human or large scale animals in Shizuru's Earth. And this place only belonged to the two of them.
And thinking about living things, Shizuru remembered Duran. They had put him inside Earth earlier on. She looked around and saw a white colour spot on the green pastures. Duran was laying on the ground sleeping, his white fur a huge contrast with the grass.
Natsuki was definitely happy beyond words. Especially when the most pressing issue had been resolved. "But why the sudden change?" Natsuki was curious about this sudden curiosity was immediately replaced by concern. "Will this sudden change harm you? Are you feeling ok?"
"I am perfectly fine!" Shizuru replied and held Natsuki's hand and pulled her along towards the woods where it was still shrouded in thick mist. "The Earth was trying to perfect its ecological system after we planted the seeds. It has the ability to morph and find ways to perfect itself. Our actions have an impact on the Earth. When we planted the seeds, it gave the Earth the chance to change and modify itself, which explains why we see butterflies and birds. As such morphesis will bring us good and not harm." Shizuru said as she stopped at the edge of the thick mist and stretched out her hands into the mist. She moved her hand around as if she was searching for some stuff in the mist. And then she stopped and smiled and pull her her hand, now clasped in a fist.
Natsuki couldn't quite fully comprehend everything Shizuru said but she was glad that such changes was not going to hurt Shizuru. But curiosity raised its head when she saw Shizuru searching for something in the mist before coming out with her fist closed. "Are you searching for something?"
Shizuru smiled and explained, "This mist is the pure essence of the Earth." Shizuru cocked her head sideway as if contemplating how to explain it to Natsuki. "It is the crystallization of the Earth's pure essence. You can think of it as the goodness of the Earth but in a crystallize state. This essence crystal is formed within the mist and will be helpful to our body. This is the message I received from the Earth."
Shizuru was the owner of this Earth and as long as she became stronger and better, she could grow many different things here and even reconstructed the order of this world, so that it would be identical to the actual Earth. In other words, she can be considered to be the creator, the God, of this Earth. But to reconstruct the Earth, it would take amazing mental strength and capabilities, something which Shizuru doubted she could achieve in this lifetime.
"Crystallization of the Earth's essence?" This was definitely a foreign terms to her. She had never heard it before.
Shizuru intertwined her fingers with Natsuki and pulled her for a walk around the grass field. "Let me explain this. This Earth would gather all the positive elements of the Earth and form it into a crystal, a compressed form of all the positive elements. Just like vitamin piles with all the different types of vitamins contained into a single pile. Our original Earth has it too. The positive elements are found in our air, rivers and streams. I guess that's why some people feel that the air is fresher and the water is better at the mountaintop where most of the positive elements are congregated. But because of the heavy pollution, all the positive elements are destroyed and it is impossible for our Earth to crystallize any essence. But my Earth could and this crystal is good for our body." Shizuru stopped midway in her track to face Natsuki and slowly opened her hands to reveal a beautiful clear crystal, sparkling brightly under the sun.
Natsuki stared at it, captivated by the small little crystal. "This is the crystal you were talking about? It's so sparkly and beautiful. I have never seen such things before." Natsuki reached out a finger, wanting to touch the crystal but stopped halfway and looked up at Shizuru, wondering if it was alright for her to touch the crystal.
Shizuru smiled and reached out to grabbed Natsuki's hand, turned it over and opened her hland and placed the crystal onto Natsuki's palm. "This is the crystal. Beautiful isn't it?"
But the moment Shizuru finished her sentence, the crystal melted, rapidly turning into a clear sparkling liquid before quickly shrinking in size and disappearing on Natsuki's hand.
"Oh my god! What… what just happened? Shizuru?" Natsuki turned her shocked green eyes to Shizuru. "I don't know what happened Shizuru! It just melted on its own." Natsuki explained.
"Don't worry. It just melted and dissolved into your body." Shizuru closed Natsuki's palm and patted her hand. "The crystal will help strengthen your body. So don't be afraid."
Natsuki shook her head and frown. "But if i took this crystal, what about you?"
"Ara… Natsuki is so kind ne." Shizuru reached out and patted her head.
"I am serious. Stop treating me like a child." Natsuki rolled her eyes and reached out to grabbed Shizuru's wrist. "You are just a few months older than me."
"A few months would still mean I am older than you." Shizuru chuckled. Natsuki was always upset about being treated like a younger sibling. "And not to worry about the crystal. The Earth produces one crystal a day. So we will have ample of it in the future. I will search for mine tomorrow." Shizuru paused as she cocked her head sideway and then continued. "This crystal is a concentration of the positive essence of the Earth and currently our body is too weak to absorb more than one crystal per week. Our body cannot take the sudden influx of the essence. This is what I gathered from the information given by my Earth. We can wait until we are stronger before we can increase the intake of crystal every week. And in the meantime, we can store the crystal we collected and use it later when we are stronger."
Being the owner of this space had allowed Shizuru vast power to manipulate and change the order in this Earth to suit her needs. But that could happen only if Shizuru became stronger. Only when she has stronger mental capabilities, stronger willpower can she be able to use it to shape her Earth. And by then, their lives would be secured.
Shizuru took a deep breath and grabbed Natsuki's hand. "Natsuki, we will survive the apocalypse. Both you and I." Shizuru vowed as she tightened her grip. "This Earth is filled with all the positive elements and it would improve and strengthen our body. So we should try to stay here whenever we can to strengthen our body before apocalypse arrived."
Natsuki nodded in agreement. "And in the meantime, we can grow all the seeds we bought earlier on. It will grow and soon we can harvest them." Natsuki said as they walked towards where they left all their seeds.
The change in Earth had given them much confidence and hope as they renewed their effort to plant the seed. And this time round, they were more structured in their planting of seeds. Wheat would require more water and so they would plant it near the water source. And plants that require lesser water, further away. And because of Shizuru's Earth, the plants will take shorter time to mature and harvest. They will have ample of food soon. Just thinking about it made her so happy. And what they need now was to prepare a place for them to store the items like cooking oil, rice and clothes. They would need to buy something to store their items.
The two of them tolled under the sun but it wasn't long before the two of them were perspiring from the hard work.
Shizuru paused in her work and straightened her aching back only to see Natsuki standing a few feet away, gulping down a bottle of water. Her back slightly arch and head tilted back as she drank the water. It seemed that Natsuki was not drinking fast enough as water dripped down from the side of lips and rolled down her smooth throat. Shizuru's eyes followed the path of the water as it slowly disappeared beneath her collar and her eyes darkened. Shizuru bit down on her lips, hard. She tightened her fist, stopping herself, when all she wanted to do was to go forward and cover Natsuki's lips with her own and then slowly trailed her lips down smooth neck before burying her head in her chest. Shizuru's eyes narrowed as she took a slow perusal from Natsuki's luscious lips and slowly make her way down to her chest. Her breathing deepened as her fist tightened. Her grey colour top was wet with sweat and plastered to her body like second skin. Shizuru's eyes darkened beneath her heavy eyelids.
"Ne Natsuki, it looks like we are about to be done. Shall we just stop for now and continue tomorrow?" Shizuru suggested as she slowly walked towards Natsuki.
"Hmm… What?" Natsuki stopped in the middle of her action to turn to look at Shizuru, completely oblivious to how sexy she looked in this state.
"Shall we stop for now? And take a shower too before we exist from this place and head home?"
"Shower? Here?" Natsuki looked around. "But there is no showering facility here. We might have to build one soon."
Shizuru smiled. "Shall we try showering in the stream?"
"In the stre… stre…. Stream!?" Shizuru stammered, shaking her head vigorously. There was no way she was going to shower in the open space!
Shizuru smile widened. "Come on Natsuki!" Shizuru cajoled, trying to entice Natsuki. "It is going to be refreshing. And there is nothing to be shy about. We showered together when we were young. Remember?"
"Nope! Hell no! And that was so long ago when we were 6 or 7 years old!" Natsuki took a step back and shook her head. But Shizuru advanced towards her. "Nope, don't come any further!" Shizuru continued to advance while Natsuki retreated. And finally, Natsuki turned and gave a shriek of laughter and ran! And of course not to disappoint, Shizuru gave chase!
There was laughter in the Earth as the two of them ran round the green pasture. And the chase finally came to a stop when Natsuki collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
"Stop Shizuru!" Natsuki choked out the words in the midst of her laughters. "I can't run anymore."
And the next moment Shizuru collapsed onto the grass patch next to Natsuki, panting. "I told you not to run! Didn't I? You ran and so I have to chase after you!"
"Me? I ran because you were chasing after me!"
There was momentary silence before the two of them broke into fits if giggle.
Gosh… How long has it been since she gets to laugh so freely? Shizuru thought as the laughters subsided. She hoped this new ability she has now would save both their lives when the apocalypse arrived.
"Ne Natsuki, do you think we will be safe when the apocalypse strikes?" Shizuru asked as she searched Natsuki's face, deep in thoughts. She touched her fingers to Natsuki's face, gently stroking over her skin. Will I be able to protect you?
"We are now more prepared because of your Earth."
But Shizuru only shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know if what we have now is able to protect us from the danger." Protect you Natsuki!
The statement had Natsuki cocking her head studying Shizuru. "Why this sudden lack of confidence and fear Shizuru?"
"There are so many uncertainties and I am not sure what we are doing now is enough to…"
"Shhh…" Natsuki put her finger on Shizuru's lips. "It is better than having nothing when apocalypse arrives. Answer me this Shizuru, will we go hungry during apocalypse?"
"Not likely. We have some food here."
"If we are attacked, do we have somewhere safe to go to?"
"Well yes." Shizuru chewed her lips as she replied. "If we are together, I could teleport you in here."
"That's right! See! We have unlimited food and a perfectly safe place to stay in. Why worry so much? We are more fortunate than others who do not have such added benefit!"
"But what if we were attacked by the Undead?"
"Then we will strengthen our body and learn how to fight it off! And still have a few more months and we can learn it!"
Shizuru chuckled and laid her her on Natsuki's shoulder. "You make it sound so easy."
"It is!" Natsuki drew Shizuru closer. "It is easy!" Natsuki reiterated. "We can face the apocalypse together. Things will be easier when there are two of us. So please don't worry too much over it yar?"
Shizuru tightened her grip as she buried her head in Natsuki's shoulder. "Thank you." A muffled replied. "Thank you Natsuki."
Shizuru laid her head on Natsuki's shoulder for a while more, breathing in her scent. The two of them laid on the green pasture for a while, enjoying the cool breeze in the air.
Shizuru's eyes were half closed as she enjoyed the moment. She really wished time could stop now. She had not felt this contented for a very long time. Their limbs interwoven and the cool breeze blowing across their skin, lifting their hairs. Yet they were not cold because the sunlight kept them warm.
Despite this contented feeling, Shizuru's mind was active. Thoughts went through her mind as she weighed her decisions.
After a while, Shizuru slowly lifted her head to look at Natsuki's face, but this time round, there was a determined look on her face. She had come to a decision.
Shizuru pushed Natsuki away and sat up. Puzzled by Shizuru's action, Natsuki cocked her head sideway.
"Ne Natsuki..what if…" There was a pause. "What if I don't want you to stay by my side as a friend?"
The question got Natsuki's attention as her eyes widen in shock. Shizuru's last statement echoed in her mind.
I don't want you to stay by my side as a friend.
I don't want you to stay by my side as a friend.
There was a frown on her face and then suddenly her face paled.
Her first thought was: Shizuru doesn't want to stay as friends anymore? Why?
And then her next trend of thoughts frightened her.
Is it because she knew I am in love with her? Is she disgusted by me? Oh my god. Oh my god. What am I going to do.
She panicked as her thoughts jumbled up.
Natsuki forced out a laughter as she fought for calm. Her eyes look everywhere but not Shizuru. "What are you saying Shizuru? You must be joking."
"I am not joking. I am serious." Shizuru replied as she placed her hands on both side of Natsuki's face and forced her to look at her. "I have no intention of remain friends with you Natsuki. Gomen-nei."
Natsuki eyes widened. Her lips trembled.
Shizuru could see the panic and evasive look on her face. The look on Natsuki's face caught Shizuru off guard. Why would Natsuki be panicking? And why was she being so evasive?
There was a slight frown on Shizuru's face as she tried to identify reasons for what Natsuki was feeling.
But the frown on Shizuru only made Natsuki panic more.
Shizuru must be disgusted with me now!
Natsuki gave out a shaking laugh as she combed her fingers through her hair. "Did I erm… do anything wrong Shizuru?" Natsuki forced the words out of her mouth, her throat were dry from nervousness. "I mean we have been friends for a very long time and I wish we could remain friends for a long time. If I did anything wrong, could you forgive me Shizuru?" Natsuki said, enunciated on the word 'friend'.
But the frown on Shizuru's face deepened. Natsuki's heart sank.
Natsuki's reply made Shizuru doubted her earlier decision. She wanted to take their relationship further. She wasn't going to wait any longer. In her previous life, she had waited, worrying over if her love for Natsuki will push Natsuki away only to realize that Natsuki too felt the same way as her. But everything was too late by the time she realized it. By then apocalypse arrived and subsequently she was infected and died, leaving Natsuki in Takeda's care. That was what happened in the previous life. She had no intention of letting it happen again this life. She was going to cement her relationship with Natsuki first, leaving no chance for Takeda to step in between the two of them. She was going to be Natsuki's lover.
Did Natsuki really wants to remain friends?
Could I have misunderstood Natsuki in my previous life?
Shizuru searched her memory.
No! It couldn't be.
Shizuru was sure that Natsuki had feeling for her!
With that firm belief, Shizuru recalled their earlier conversation and that was when she realized when their conversation had taken the wrong turn. If possible, Shizuru would have facepalmed herself if not for the situation now.
How silly could she be!?
Shizuru opened her mouth to speak but her attempt was cut short by Natsuki's laughter.
Natsuki let a another bitter laugh. "I guess I must have done something very wrong for you to want to end your friendship with me. I can leave now. Don't worry, I am not the type that would cling on to you." Natsuki rambled on. "You don't have to worry about your secret too. I will..."
The alarm bell within Shizuru sounded! She wasn't going to let Natsuki go anywhere.
"Shiiiiii..." Shizuru laid her finger over Natsuki's lips. "Natsuki, hear me out please before you jump to any conclusion."
She knew Natsuki must have misunderstood her words. She was sorry for the pain she caused Natsuki and she needed to clarify her earlier statement.
"I don't want to be your friend because I wanted to be your lover. Kuga Natsuki, I love you."
And with that declaration, the finger on Natsuki's lips was replaced by Shizuru's lips.
Shizuru eyes darkened as she slowly inched towards Natsuki. Slowly…ample of time for Natsuki to move away if she wanted to.
And finally Shizuru's lips touched Natsuki's. Natsuki's lips were so soft. Shizuru thought.
It was meant to be a peck. But it was enough for Shizuru to want to want more. Shizuru tilted her head and deepened the kiss, prying Natsuki's lips open and thrust her tongue inside, tangling her tongue with Natsuki's. And Shizuru moaned. God… It's so good!
Both was breathless by the time the kiss ended.
Shizuru ended the kiss only to miss the taste of Natsuki. She ran her tongue across her lower lip, savouring the taste. No. Not enough. Not yet. And with that thought, Shizuru dipped her head towards Natsuki. The tip of her tongue explored the sweetness of Natsuki's mouth.
In the midst of the frenzy, Shizuru heard a moan and Shizuru couldn't tell if it belonged to her or Natsuki's.
Shizuru finally broke the kiss and the two of them was gasping for air.
Natsuki panted and rested her head against Shizuru's shoulder.
The red haze surrounding her mind slowly clear as Shizuru took in a deep breathe. Her mind started to work once again.
Shizuru nuzzled against Natsuki's head for a while more before rising her head to look at Natsuki.
Her emerald colour eyes were clouded and there was a slightly dazed and confused look on her face.
Shizuru raised her thumb to rub against Natsuki's slightly bruised lips and a smile tugged at Shizuru's lips.
"Ara ne… I thought Natsuki has so much to say just now. And now?"
Natsuki's eyes slowly cleared only to have a eyes widened in shock. She immediately pulled back. Her face turning a bright red as she clasped her hands over her tingling lips.
"Shiiii…. Shiiii… Shizure? What just… did you… kiii…kisses?" Natsuki stammered.
Shizuru chuckled and pulled Natsuki towards her again and gave Natsuki a gentle peck on her forehead.
"I love you too Natsuki." Shizuru whispered into Natsuki's ear.
Natsuki's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You… you...love me? Not the love between friends and family members?"
"Hai…I don't want to be your friend. I want to be your lover."
"I… I… can't… think now."
Joy and relief came too fast and too sudden that Natsuki could only gape at Shizuru. She really couldn't believe her ears. The relief and joy she felt was overwhelming.
Shizuru chuckled and hugged Natsuki again. "Take all the time you need."
The timing outside and the timing in Shizuru's Earth ran parallel. An eight hour spent in the Earth equal to an eight hour time spent outside. And it was night time by the time Natsuki and Shizuru decided to exit the Earth. But the moment they exited the Earth, they heard footsteps walking towards their direction. The two of them tense up as they heard the footsteps getting louder and louder before slowly fading away and the two of them glanced at each other before heaving sighs of relief.
The footsteps gave them a fright. They won't want to be caught appearing out of thin air. They would have to be careful where they enter and exit the Earth. Otherwise it would be impossible for them to explain.
The two of them hurriedly returned home to shower. Natsuki didn't want to shower in the open despite much cajoling from Shizuru.
Shizuru let Duran out from the Earth and he quickly disappeared somewhere else after giving a few barks.
Natsuki and Shizuru took turns to shower. But when Natsuki came out of the shower, she was surprised to see Shizuru seated on the sofa watching TV program. Normally, Shizuru would go back to her room after her shower. But this time round, she had stayed in the living room.
Shizuru saw Natsuki exiting the shower and smiled at her. "Ne Natsuki, shall we sleep together?"
The questions had Natsuki's face turning red immediately. "Sleee...slee...sleep to...to..together? Don't...don't you think it is a bit..erm too fast?"
Natsuki's reply had Shizuru burst out laughing. "Ara… I didn't know Natsuki has such dirty mind! I meant just purely sleeping together." Shizuru stood up and walked towards Natsuki and hugged her arms. "Ne… Natsuki accompany me tonight please..."
Natsuki's face reddened as her breath caught. She could totally feel Shizuru's chest pressing against her arm. And she knew very well there was nothing else beneath her sleepwear.
"Come on Natsuki..." Shizuru begged as Shizuru led her into her own room and closed the door.
First step was a success!
Shizuru had been thinking of ways to deepen their relationship. It could take months if she was going to wait for Natsuki to take the first step towards deepening their relationship. Natsuki could be slow as a snail at times.
Even though they had cemented their relationship, Shizuru was still feeling insecure.
The sound of door shutting made Natsuki jumped. Forgave her for being skittish. They have only cemented their relationship today and Natsuki still felt about too surreal. And most importantly, she was still feeling self-conscious around Shizuru.
But before she could dwell much further, Shizuru led Natsuki to a chair. "Come, I will help you dry your hair." Shizuru said as she pulled out a hairdryer from the drawer and started drying Natsuki's hair, making herself at home in Natsuki's room.
And the next moment Natsuki realized, the two of them were squeezed into a single bed and Shizuru's arms were around her with the lights were off.
"Good night Natsuki." There was a peck on Natsuki's cheek and then there was silence and Natsuki could sense Shizuru drifting off to sleep.
For some reasons, Natsuki felt rather anti-climatic. Well, she wasn't expecting Shizuru to do anything. Natsuki thought.
But slowly, Natsuki too drifted off to sleep. Guess today's hard labour has taken a toll on them.
Shizuru knew that she was dreaming. But she couldn't get herself out of the nightmare. In the dream there was blood all over Natsuki's body and the Undead was gnawing on her body and all the while Natsuki was calling out to her asking for Shizuru to save her. But Shizuru wasn't able to move and stop the attack. All she could do was to watch how Natsuki struggled and her breathe slowed to a stop.
Shizuru jerked up from her bed, breathing furiously as her heart thumping furiously in her chest. Quickly Shizuru turned to her left.
Thank God Natsuki is still safe!
She could see Natsuki sleeping soundly next to her, her breath light and her body still warm despite the cold winter night. Her warmth gave much comfort to Shizuru in the cold night.
Shizuru laid down and draw Natsuki into her arms and held her tight.
Her movement woke Natsuki up as she opened her eyes. "What happened?"
"Nothing. Just woke up from a nightmare."
Groggily, Natsuki reached out her hands and drew Shizuru closer. "Dreams will always be opposite of reality. Don't worry too much." Natsuki said as she patted Shizuru on the back. "Everything will be fine."
Shizuru rubbed her head against Natsuki's, soaking herself in Natsuki's warmth as she closed her eyes. "Natsuki, shall we leave the city tomorrow?" Shizuru could remember the nightmare clearly. In the nightmare, Natsuki was attack by the Undead in Tokyo city. She needed to get Natsuki out of the city.
Even though she has the Earth now. But she was still worried. Anything could still happen. They need to leave Tokyo soon!
The question had Natsuki opening her eyes again. "Well, if you want to we can leave tomorrow." It was not as if they had anything in Tokyo that will hold them back.
Next day.
It was a cold morning and snowflakes were dancing in the air, covering the whole city in white.
Shizuru sat on the chair, staring out the window pensively, her legs curled beneath her.
Duran ran to her and struggled to stand on its hind leg and licked Shizuru's toes, trying to get Shizuru's attention.
Shizuru bent down and scoped Duran up and gathered him into her arms.
The smell of food permeated the air .
"Shizuru, the food is ready." Natsuki called out from the kitchen but only to see Shizuru staring out of the window, deep in thoughts, a frown on her face. It seemed that the nightmare yesterday night had shakened Shizuru. Shizuru had woke up this morning looking stressed and worried. Even Natsuki's offer to cook breakfast for her did nothing to cheer Shizuru up.
"Shizuru?"
"Coming!" Shizuru put Duran down and walked to the kitchen.
Even as Natuki placed the breakfast in front of Shizuru, there was still a frown on her face. Realizing it, Natsuki walked towards her and bent to hug Shizuru from the back.
"It is just a nightmare. Don't worry too much over it ok?" Natsuki comforted.
"I'm fine." Shizuru patted Natsuki's arms.
"Why don't we start packing our bags after breakfast and leave in the night if you are very worried." Natsuki offered. "Will this help to ease your worry?"
There was a moment of silence before Shizuru nodded her head. "It would be safer for us if we leave today."
A/N:
Hope you like this chapter...