Ok, this is not my original plan but I'm quite enjoying this chapter. Hope you also like this one.
WARNING: not beta'd.. be warned and proceed at your own risk.
This is a short chapter because I run out of English words. I hope you understand.
Thanks for all those who read this story and for the reviews….
DISCLAIMER: I do not own My Hime. Sunrise did.
Chapter 7: First Encounter
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Shizuru and Reito are silently drinking their tea in a famous tea shop. Shizuru asked Reito if he can accompany her today to kill the time.
Reito watched carefully the girl sitting opposite to him. He was curious why the sudden invitation of going out from her. He was not bother though to go out with this girl but somehow he was thinking that there is something going on.
He don't want to ask personal questions to Shizuru even though they known for ages. Their relationships have boundary and they know where to put themselves and that's what they respect from each other. They don't need to be nosy with their personal issues. What he learned through the years he's with Shizuru, he thinks something is bothering with the girl.
He remember one time, out of nowhere, Shizuru asked her to watch movies and he doubt if he should indulged her that time. In the end, he went with her to watch movies where in the middle of the story, he feel that Shizuru was miserable and not focus in the movies. He just let her be. He knows Shizuru will not talk about what's happening to her. She just needed to accompany her. She sat there quietly and thinking deep. Commenting something and smiling politely through out in their conversation. And after a while, she just told him that she was fallen in love with someone.
I found someone and I think I'm in love. I can think straight being with this person. She just said it. Two sentences. Without follow up and nothing more. He wants to ask more but he knows that there is something wrong about it. And after a month, he found out who is this person. The person who makes Shizuru changed her life.
He learned why Shizuru did not tell him everything. Shizuru fall in love with a girl. She gives everything to this girl. Everything. Shizuru even told her parents about her love. She fought for her love to gain freedom from her family. But in the end, the girl betrayed Shizuru.
Harumi Izumi.
Harumi befriended Shizuru. It's not friendship she got but also the heart of the carefree rich girl. But Harumi run away and leaving Shizuru fallen and crushed. Harumi run away with Shizuru's feeling. For two years, Shizuru lived in a dictated life. In the years, Shizuru managed get up slowly. People never knew how Shizuru's true feelings. Even him, can't see all emotions through the façade Shizuru wear for everyone.
"It's a nice day." Reito said after thinking.
Shizuru just nodded and watched the people passing by through the window.
"What's the occasion? You seldom invite me to go out."
She just shrugged her shoulders.
Reito cleared his throat before asking her. He wants to know what's happening. If not now, when? I don't want her to feel miserable again. I want to see her true smile again. "Shizuru, is there something bothering you? You seem lost today."
Shizuru turned her gaze to him. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I care for you. Tell me what's bothering you. Maybe I can help you."
"If don't know what's bothering me, then maybe you should not know too." Shizuru said.
"Trying to avoid the real question, again. You seems happy these past few weeks, if I may say. You are back teasing girls, if I may say."
"You think so? Then, thank you for noticing." Shizuru said and switched gear. "Reito-san, have you fallen in love?"
Reito was slightly rattled of the sudden question. "To be honest, yes. Once." He said with meaning.
Shizuru nodded. "Is this person closed to you?"
"Yes, she is someone I considered my friend."
Shizuru sighed. "Then what did you do?"
"Nothing at all. I just stayed besides with her. I chose friendship than love. Loving her means being friends with her."
"Friend." Shizuru whisper. "Are you expecting that it will lead into something when you chose to be friend with her?"
"No because I know she will not accept my love for her."
Shizuru nodded.
Reito know what's bothering Shizuru but not pressed further.
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Natsuki and Arika were sitting in a table eating their dinner in a restaurant. They have fun strolling in the mall. They really don't have a plan how to spend their day so they opted to go in a mall. Somehow, the atmosphere between them is less hostility and a little bit of comfortable. Natsuki, of course, delayed to speak Arika about their misunderstanding. She is still mustering all her courage to tell her the truth.
"Where is your family, Arika?" She asked changing the train of her thoughts.
"My family is living in Tokyo. When I received the scholarship, they let me take it and so I moved here in Fuuka." Arika said.
"Hmm. What do you do in your free time?" Natsuki continue her interrogation with the girl. Nevertheless, knowing about the girl will help in her mission.
"I go out when Erstin or Nina is free. But sometimes I always spend my time in our room. Watching movies. How about you Natsuki-san?"
"Playing my PS3."
"Natsuki-san is so cool. Ei, what's the feel of being a roommate of kaichou-sama?" Arika asked excitedly.
"Eh? Shizuru? It's ok, I guess. I don't have any complains." Natsuki answered. "How about you? How's Erstin and Nina as a roommate?"
They chatted for a while after they finished eating. Asking questions and knowing more from each other. To Natsuki, it's her first time doing like this. Knowing someone about their life, of course Shizuru is different. They have something like a mutual understanding. Unlike Arika, she is not comfortable first but she is relaxing and sometimes lowering her guard down. She is still in the process of accepting people in her life after many years of seclusion in her own world.
"Do you want to walk for a while?" Natsuki asked the younger girl.
Arika head nodded excitedly. They paid their bill and went out in the restaurant. Arika cling to Natsuki instantly as it is a natural thing to do. Natsuki shivered with the contact. She is not really comfortable of someone's touching with her except of course to Shizuru.
What the heck? Why I am thinking of her?
Natsuki mentally kicked herself to regain control of her thoughts. She wants her focus in this so called date with Arika and she want to end her problem instantly. But her plan was slowly getting out of her hand.
"Natsuki-san, let's go the children's park. It's been a while since I've been there." Arika asked with her voice singing excitedly.
Natsuki nodded. The first thing she learned this day is that she can't say no to this cheerful girl. And that is bad. "Lead the way."
They walked while Arika keep talking and trying the other girl to talk about herself.
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Unknown to the two girls, someone is following them silently not far from them. The hooded person watched them with burning hatred in her eyes. She must eliminate that person.
I must erase her in this world. No one needs her. And she is very suspicious and her sudden arrival should not left behind. I must be careful though, she is with the girl. I must not harm her or master will definitely punish me.
She stealthy walked in a distance not to bother the two girls. She spotted a secluded place not far from the metal swing. She positioned herself behind the bushes and listened to the conversation of the two girls.
She watched the younger girl went to ride the swing and the older girl positioned not far from the other one.
"You're like a child." Natsuki huffed.
Arika giggled. "Natsuki-san looks so grumpy. Why don't you join me?"
Natsuki looked away in the merry girl. Somehow Natsuki felt a twinge in her heart. She also wants to be carefree but she was not given a chance at all. She was bounded with the contract her parents signed.
Maybe Natsuki is till hanging out with Arika because of the younger girl's cheerfulness attitude that attracts the loneliness of the older girl.
She is not really bad at all. Natsuki thought.
"Er, I'll get us a drink. Wait for me here." Natsuki volunteered.
Before Natsuki gets farther, she heard something whispering in an unknown language in her ear.
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The hooded girl unclasped the pentacle necklace she's wearing and put it in the ground. Then she gripped the dagger designed to use for her ritual. She grip with it and place her left ring finger in the tip of the dagger. She slowly pressed harder the dagger and her blood drips. She put her injured finger in the pentacle lying in the ground and chanted the verse she was trained since her childhood.
EGO voco thee , meus fidelis curator. Servo meus vita per vestri vox. Eliminate causa of perturbo. Suscitatio meus fidelis curator.
The pentacle illuminated in the night and flash of light surrounded the girl appeared forming a big pentacle. Slowly, a black hooded human wearing a cloak like a monk materialize in the thin air. He drop down to his knees and kneel before the hooded girl.
Iuguolo puteulanus saeta puella. Incedo. She commanded.
The summoned human bowed and walked to the target person. Walking without noise. Walking like a dead human. Without life.
The target was watching intently behind the bushes. She was alarmed and put on a fighting stance instantly she heard the chant. She doesn't know exactly what that is for but her danger alarm is firing off in her system. She gave signal to Arika not to move.
As far as her concern, she doesn't want Arika to involve in any incident that will harm the younger girl or jeopardize their plan. But in this kind of situation, just in case she can't avoid fighting, she doesn't have a choice but to let Arika knows who she is.
A cloaked human emerged in the bushes and slowly coming to Natsuki. Without signal, the cloaked man unsheathed the sword he was wearing inside in his cloak. He holds his long sword directing to Natsuki. The double edged sword glimmered in the night challenging the girl to accept the faith he will give to her.
Natsuki was shocked showing the hooded man and knowing that his target is her not Arika. She saw the man initialize the battle. He thrust his sword directly to her and dodged to the left. Before she can think what just happened, another sliced was coming to her. She dodged backward and she was caught slightly by the blade. Her right t-shirt sleeve was slightly cut. And aware that Arika gasped.
I can't just let Arika go, I will watched Arika and the same time fight this damn man. I know there is some one lurking behind that bush. And I don't have a choice. And the hooded man attacked once again thrusting toward her. And once again Natsuki dodged. She can't forever dodge all his attack.
Natsuki is one of the recipients of the Otome Project of Leibe Corporation. And today is one of the times she should used of the power of Otome.
Natsuki raised her hand and whispered in to her right hand ring. "Connect to Otome: Materialize."
After five seconds of waiting, Natsuki feels that her body adapts the changes she needed. She once again dodges the attacks of the hooded man. She is still testing the adaptability her body makes.
She run away to the man and also watching the distressed Arika in a corner of her eyes. She stood in her fighting stance and out of nowhere, a quarterstaff materialize in her hands. She went to attack mode and attacked the hooded man.
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Commercial Break:
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Shocks, it's already 4am and still not yet finished..got to go..
Back to the story.
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She is in an advantage using her quarterstaff and take exploit of it. She throws rapid thrust of her staff and the hooded man deflects some of her attacks and some were received.
Natsuki was bothered somehow because she did not get any reactions from her opponent. She knows how painful the quarterstaff when received a blow by it. But her opponent did not show or grunted any response even though receiving a lot of blows.
She is targeting the grasp of the hooded man in his sword when he circled his sword along the quarterstaff that let Natsuki lessen her grip. With the unannounced changed of attack by the man, she was momentarily unbalanced that give the man an opening. He swings his sword to her quarterstaff near the edge that let her slip to her balance. She lost her grip and her quarterstaff was thrown.
Another blow was coming to her and she dive to her side to evade it. Before she can get away again, she was kicked by the man in her leg and pain travels in her system. She let out a scream.
She saw the man swinging his sword toward her and before she can think, she materialize another weapon, her gun and fire successive firing towards the man.
"Get that, bitch" Natsuki shouted. And rolled to her side before standing up.
The hooded man staggered backward and another blast from Natsuki's gun makes the man disappear from nowhere.
Natsuki eyes bulged to what she witnessed. She can't believe that the hooded man instantly disappears.
EGO voco thee , meus fidelis curator. Servo meus vita per vestri vox. Eliminate causa of perturbo. Suscitatio meus fidelis curator.
Before she can go to Arika, she heard that whisper again.
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Arika saw everything what transpired. She saw Natsuki battled the unknown man and did it gracefully too.
She can't move watching Natsuki and the man exchanges attack. Her heart almost went out when she thought the hooded man will hit Natsuki after he kick her. And she was almost faint when she saw another weapon materialize out of nowhere in Natsuki's hands.
But something telling her that she should not be shocked with it. Something tugging in her heart that long ago, she saw some incidents can't explained by anyone.
And then she saw, another hooded man appeared from the bush. She did not have time to give warning to Natsuki because the man started attacking her. Natsuki was caught off guard and was struck by his sword to her left side abdomen.
Blood spurt out in Natsuki's wound. Before the man can struck another blow, Arika dashed towards them.
In Arika's frantic state, she did not know what happened. She just felt fear crept towards her heart knowing Natsuki will die if she will not do anything. And then, warmth feeling enveloping her body. It seems like it is emitting everywhere. Before she knew it, she was extending her arm towards the enemy and the hooded man burst into flame.
She was astounded and can't explain what happened. She looked at her arms and it is engulfing in fire. She is in flame. Instead of panic claim her, she was comforted. Deep inside her heart, she knows that this thing will happen.
She went down to her knees and looked at Natsuki. She was glad that the girl is still breathing.
"Natsuki-san" Arika said.
"A-arika" pant " h-help me to get back to m-my r-room." That was the last words of Natsuki before she went unconscious.
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In the secret floor of the Leibe Corp building, red alert signal was started.
Blue eyes went to their computers and learning what happened.
"Sir, Otome 005 connects to the Otome System. She'd materialize her weapon, sir."
Blue Eyes eyed intently the monitor beeping the location where the signal was emitting. Natsuki Kuga, what happened? "Contact Midori and alert her that 005 materialized. She may be in danger or the elemental is in danger."
The men in the secret laboratory busied themselves and trying to contact Midori. "Sir, we can't get to Midori. Her cell phone was off sir."
Blue Eyes brows furrowed in what he heard. He can't send the other girls. They are already in the dorm and he can't risk them to blow their identity. "Dispatch the ER team and give the exact location of 005 and clean all the mess if needed."
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The hooded girl was shocked to what she'd witnessed. She saw Arika summoned her elemental and used it to he mage child. She can't believe that in this situation Arika will awaken her power.
Her absurdity and jealousness result her positive outcome. She can see clearly that Kuga girl is still breathing and alive.
She walked silently to get out in that place. She almost lost her energy to summon the second child. Until now, she can't summon up to three child because it consume her energy.
She needed rest and of course help to make it to her room. She doesn't want anyone to notice that she was gone today and she don't want to explain her fatigue to anyone.
Before she can't get any further, a man in his early thirties stood in front of the girl.
"Master, I – I " she started.
"You did a good job tonight. Do not worry about your hasty decision. You need rest."
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Arika wrapped her jacket to Natsuki so the wound will concealed by it. She put Natsuki's arm to her shoulder and tried dragging the body to a nearby post. When she saw a taxi, she immediately called it tell the driver their destination.
After a long while, Arika managed to stand in front of Natsuki's room. She can see clearly that Natsuki's blood was also smeared in her clothes. She was glad that the driver did not notice the blood and nobody is around that time in the dormitory.
She impatiently knocked at Natsuki's door. She hoped that kaichou is there to help her. She only trust the kaichou at this moment. She can't just show up with her roommates in this state. She knows that they will ask a lot of questions.
When the door opened, a calmed kaichou emerged but her mouth opened wide when she saw the appearance of the two girls soaked in blood.
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Author's note:
For the protection readers, if you are thinking where are the others character went, I also don't know. (just kidding).
I am planning to make another story entitled:
Protection: the earth elemental user.
In this book (nice..another book) it's about Mai's story and (cough) her love story evolving between Tate and Reito. And how Reito will decide to his life and about his involvement in the war between the giants corporation. And find out about Tate's true identity and how he will use Mai to lure the elemental user-Mikoto.
Protection: the water elemental user.
In this book (and another book. I am dreaming..wake me up!!!) it's about Nao's life. How she struggled protecting Nina, the water elemental user and she still figuring out why the hell she is also protecting Arika. And that is thanks to Natsuki who's eye is fixed only to Shizuru. Nao ventured to her life without knowing where to go until she met someone heartbroken girl-Tomoe(yay! Spoiler!!). Nao befriended her and helped her to move on until she finds out that they need to fight one another because of their destiny. The protector and Mage.
Protection: the air elemental user
In this book (and another one..woot woot..) it's about Haruka and Yukino's friendship. They struggled to remain friends because of their position and embracing the destiny. When Haruka return to Japan and resumed as the protector of Yukino, will she be able to remain protector of Yukino's life or protector of her heart? She went berserk when Yukino was held hostage by Weis to let Leibe surrender in to their domain. What will Haruka do? Find out what will happen next.
So.. I think I've given away some of the plot in this story.. how I wish I will be able to write that story..sigh..anyways.. thanks for reading…
By the way..this story is about Natsuki and Shizuru…