Our Story

By Kitara Lira

Chapter Six: It's Okay to be Alone

Stepping into the shop, Natsuki knew better than to expect a simple greeting. A shadowy figure from behind the door came into view, pulling her into a bear hug as if in a hopes to crush her, "Takishi… you… can let… go of me…" gasped the woman. Normally such a thing would not bother her, however, normally it was not Takishi and the individual who would dared to try and encircle her would be thrown headlong into the nearest brick wall.

"Gomen gomen," The smaller man said, trying to hide his inner delight, as he released Natsuki, straightening the few creases he had caused. Even if it wasn't her uniform, even if she in just her scrubs, even if it was Natsuki… she needed to look tip top shape now. She was going to be a star student, at a star school, "So tell me about your first day?" began the middle aged man as he motioned for Natsuki to follow him towards the office in the back.

"The day was fine enough I suppose," the bluenette mumbled. All she really wanted to do was forget her first day, not be constantly reminded of it. Things may have gone smoothly in class, but not out of class. Shoving her fists deep within the confines of her pocket Natsuki sighed.

"Natsuki… what happened?" by the way she had sighed Takishi could tell; something was bothering her. He had known her for long enough to be able to tell when the bluenette was troubled, a clear indication being the heavy sigh and rubbing of her temples, both of which she was doing at present. Motioning to the seat before the desk, Takishi ushered Natsuki to sit then reached into the small refrigerator behind the door and withdrew a cold beverage. Even though she didn't seem like the type, Natsuki had found a preference in cold tea. For some reason it was just soothing.

With the cold drink between her clammy digits, Natsuki leaned back into the chair allowing the built up air to spew forth before taking a gulp of the drink, "Nothing," she lied, "I just didn't think that there would be such a large gap between the classes." Not an entire lie, after all, one can always imagine the stretches of being rich, but until you're standing and breathing right next to them, inhaling their Imperial Majesty perfume that cost more than Natsuki had spent in her entire time in Kyoto, one cannot appreciate the whole scope.

"Are those rich kids giving you a hard time already?" Takishi inquired as he took his own seat, squirming for several moments until he found a comfortable seating. He had hoped that Natsuki could just blend in, simply attend school. However he knew it to be too far fetched. The girl had no background, any documentation papers she possessed said little. Aside from just appearing in Kyoto a few years ago, Natsuki was a mystery. He had tried to pry, tried to ask Natsuki of her past but any time he did she would shut him down and more often than not revert to the Natsuki he had first known: distant, cold and isolate. In time he learned to stop asking. Stopped asking about the late nights; the days occasionally spent sleeping with a monkey wrench in hand when she should be working; the pendant she always wore tucked under her layers. Takishi and all the others at the shop learned asking… was fruitless. Natsuki only told what she wanted to tell – nothing more, nothing less.

"Eh," Slender shoulder rose and fell. Natsuki drained the remainder of the cans contents before tossing it flawlessly in the plastic bin on the opposite side of the room, "I suppose it went well enough. For a good duration of the day I had a constant contingent following my every move and they made no attempt to hide the fact that they were stalking me." Just thinking back on the number of individuals who had been stalking her was enough to rile the young woman's feathers, "I mean don't they have anything better to do then stalk me!"

Takishi laughed softly, rising from his seat and clasping Natsuki on the shoulder, "Ah that just means you're popular. You should really be honoured, even if they are technically stalking you. Regardless, did you make any friends today?"

For a moment Natsuki sat in silence. There were two options, tell him a half lie, or tell him a half truth. One consisted of being scolded, while the other consisted of being death hugged. Weighting both, Natsuki came to the conclusion, scolding was better than strange awkward contact that for some reason still made her cringe inside. It shouldn't, Takishi had been nothing but kind to her, but for some reason… Natsuki couldn't help but cringe any time his gentle touch came into contact with her. She never had truly been able to overcome the fears of her past. "No, not really." Again Natsuki shrugged, "I'm not going to some high up placed school to win the hearts of the rich. We discussed this already; I am only attending to receive my credentials. In two years they will hand me a sheet of paper and I can forget about everything and everyone I ever met their and focus on my life." Friends were never something Natsuki had. When you live your life by the ideals of "trust no one, love no one" friends just become a nuisance.

"Natsuki," He began in his fatherly scolding tone. He would have said more, given the lecture, and told her that friends were an important part of life and that she should enjoy things while she was still young. But he never got the chance. Something inside her snapped. Maybe it was the fight she had had earlier with Nao, or perhaps it was the fact that her father had abandoned her and she could never truly overcome that feeling within the pit of her stomach; the feeling of abandonment. If Papa hadn't left, Mama wouldn't have been beat. Mama wouldn't have been raped. Mama wouldn't have died.

Emerald orbs burned with underlying fury and the bluenette stood up in such haste the chair she had been seated upon was sent to the ground, "Natsuki what?! You think you can just say a few words here and there, scold me when you feel like it and think that it will all be alright?" Fists clenched at her side, Natsuki felt herself slipping, drowning. Help me. Someone.

"Natsuki I… that's not…" Takishi began reaching his hand up in an attempted to sooth the upset youth only to have it knocked back down and the individual turn and storm out of the office.

As her figure stood under the frame of the door, Natsuki paused for a moment, gazing over her shoulder, "I'm taking the night off. Don't bother dropping by my apartment or calling my cell, I wouldn't pick up." She said with one final heavy glare before turning and leaving the garage. All the other workers in the garage watched as she marched by, it was hard not to hear everything that had just transpired in the office – Kuga never had a soft voice.

In defeat, Takishi flopped back into his chair, dark eyes falling upon the ceiling, "All I wanted to say is life can't be lived alone… why can she not accept that? She can't always be alone…"

Author Note: I didn't end up doing any remodelling to the chapter that I've done so your first meeting between Shizuru and Natsuki will happen in the next chapter. Of course, seeing as this isn't a normal Mai-HiME fanfiction I'm warning you, don't expect a normal meeting.

This is my last week of official lab classes which means that next week I will be having Organic, Biology and Chemistry lab finals. Therefore that means I am going to dedicate less time to writing and more time to studying. As it stands I have to chapter nine complete, so if I spread them out one post every two days and no posts on the weekends... well hopefully I'll be able to keep up with my writing as well as studies.

Hope you are enjoying things thus far, review, tell me what you think and who knows what you suggest just might show up in the plot.