DISCLAIMER:Unfortunately, I do not own Fujino-san, Kuga-san, Harada-san, Senoh-san, and Tokiha-san, Sunrise does. If I did, I would buy an island and start a harem. Fortunately, Sunrise owns Takeda and they can keep him.
A/N: ManiazAzn gave me the ShizNat chapter to write, so enjoy.
The Power of Goodbye
Natsuki stared into the space previously occupied by Aoi and her captive tomboy. The angry young woman's last words left Natsuki chilled to the bone. It wasn't so much the words themselves, but the look in Aoi's eyes.
"Natsuki…?"
Hearing her name startled Natsuki and brought her back. The sound of Shizuru's voice set Natsuki's skin aflame. The younger woman sluggishly turned and looked at Shizuru standing inside their residence with her arms crossed around her waist. Natsuki walked back in the residence and softly closed the front door.
"Shizuru?" Natsuki began.
Shizuru tilted her head slightly, acknowledging she heard Natsuki, but remained silent. With her mask firmly in place, Natsuki had no idea of the fierce battle being waged inside Shizuru. Pain and love were fighting for supremacy. Pain was currently winning.
Natsuki stared at the carpeted floor desperately trying to think of just the right thing to say to Shizuru. The importance of her next few words weighed heavily on her. For the first time in all their years of friendship, Natsuki now knew she could no longer take Shizuru for granted.
'I wonder if Shizuru is capable of pulling what Aoi just did with Chie,' Natsuki thought to herself.
A small smile graced Natsuki's lips as she pictured Shizuru dragging her out of someone's residence and back into theirs. She unconsciously blushed and chuckled, causing Shizuru to raise a curious eyebrow.
The raven-haired young woman was lost in her reverie and oblivious to Shizuru. The Kyoto beauty stared at Natsuki in stunned silence, as her companion continued to stare at the carpet. After a few minutes, Shizuru turned and left.
'Oh yeah, Shizuru is capable and probably would too,' Natsuki concluded to herself and chuckled softly again.
Out of the corner of her good eye, Natsuki noticed something being waved under her down-turned face. She slightly raised her face to see a cold pack being offered. When she looked up further, Natsuki found herself mere inches from Shizuru's face. The familiar comfortable feelings returned with a vengeance for both young women. Crimson eyes searched Natsuki's face for answers, but of course there were none to find, since Natsuki didn't have any to offer.
"Natsuki, please put this on your eye. It is beginning to swell," Shizuru said evenly.
Natsuki smiled and took the offered cold pack. She placed it gingerly on her now swollen eye and let out a little yelp.
"Itai?" Shizuru asked genuinely concerned, but also took guilty pleasure in Natsuki's physical pain.
"No. I'm just wincing in pain for the hell of it," Natsuki replied sarcastically.
"Ara, I did not know Natsuki was a masochistic?" Shizuru countered.
Natsuki instantly turned a deep red and began sputtering. Shizuru smiled wickedly, as her desire began to surface. She wanted to wrap her arms around Natsuki and hold her, but her common sense refused to abandon her. Shizuru searched Natsuki's face for some sign, but as usual, there wasn't any. She sighed deeply, turned, and began to walk away.
"Shizuru?" Natsuki said and gently grabbed the older woman's wrist.
Shizuru stopped, but didn't turn around. She didn't want Natsuki to see the tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Nani?" Shizuru asked softly through the lump in her throat.
"Please don't leave. I-I-I…we…need to talk," Natsuki muttered.
"Why?" Shizuru asked.
"I need to get some things straight between us. We can't keep on like this," Natsuki said firmly.
The tone of Natsuki's voice and what she said sent a sharp pain soaring through Shizuru's entire body. She was terrified of losing Natsuki, but at the same time, she was even more terrified of a life with Natsuki as they are now. The raven-haired young woman gently pulled Shizuru towards their couch. The Kyoto beauty quickly wiped away her tears before turning to face Natsuki.
Shizuru sat on one end of the couch and Natsuki on the other. The space between them was a mere few feet, but seemed like a giant chasm to both young women. The awkward silence only increased the distance.
'What the hell is happening? My life was fine. Shizuru was content with our friendship just the way it WAS! This is ridiculous! She's my best friend. I like her as such, nothing more. Aoi doesn't know what she's talking about. I don't l-l-love Shizuru…well, not that way. But why did I get so mad when she and that womanizer Chie hooked up? I just didn't want to see Shizuru hurt by that playgirl…nothing more than that! WHY can't she be happy with things the way they are? WHY? Doesn't she realize women are nothing but heartache! They get close and devastate you when your guard is down!' Natsuki's internal debate raged as Shizuru stared at her with curious crimson eyes.
"Natsuki? Are you feeling ill?" Shizuru asked, concerned with the purple color of Natsuki's face.
Shizuru's voice jolted Natsuki out of her internal debate. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and looked into Shizuru's eyes.
'Aoi said Shizuru wants me and not some random guy. Does this mean she l-l-loves me? Yes. Does this mean I devastated her by hooking up with Takeda? Probably…DAMN…yes, I did,' Natsuki's revelation hit her with the force of a tsunami and tears began to roll down her cheeks.
"Natsuki…," Shizuru said as she quickly slid to Natsuki's side after seeing the tears.
"Shi-zu-ru…," Natsuki sobbed and hugged the stunned older woman.
They sat together in this position for several minutes before Natsuki's crying subsided. Natsuki was the first to speak.
"Shizuru, I'm SO sorry for…"
Natsuki's mobile phone began to ring and vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and looked at the display.
'Takeda,' both young women silently read.
Shizuru searched Natsuki's face, as if trying to read the younger woman's thoughts. Natsuki just stared at the mobile phone in her hand as it rang and rang. She looked up from the mobile display and saw Shizuru staring at her intently, as if silently asking her, 'Are you going to answer that?' Natsuki looked from Shizuru to her mobile phone, back to Shizuru, and back to her mobile phone.
After a few more rings, the mobile phone fell silent and the familiar voicemail message chime sounded. Natsuki shoved the mobile phone back in her pocket. When she looked back at Shizuru, she saw something she never saw before. Shizuru's mask had fallen. She stared at Natsuki with real fear and pain on her face. This startled Natsuki, so it took her a bit to find her voice.
"Shizuru? I'm sorry. He…," Natsuki began, but was cut off by the text message chime coming from her pocket.
Without thinking, she pulled out her mobile phone and flipped it open. She and inadvertently, Shizuru, read the text message:
Babe. Sorry bout last nite. ILU. Tak
This was the last straw for Shizuru. She couldn't take anymore. The distraught young woman stood quickly and ran in her bedroom. Shizuru moved so swiftly, Natsuki didn't have time to react, and failed to stop her best friend from leaving.
"DAMMIT!" Natsuki yelled at the top of her lungs.
In Shizuru's bedroom, the Kyoto beauty had her face buried in her pillow, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Ikezu Natsuki, why? After everything that has happened, why do you continue to do this to me? To us?" Shizuru cried out into her pillow.
Back on the couch, Natsuki stared at Shizuru's closed bedroom door, wondering what she should do next. As she sat there wondering, her mobile phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked the display.
"Yeah, what do you want?"
"Is that any way to answer your phone?"
"What…do…you…want?"
"We need to talk…right now."
"No, I'm busy right now."
"With what…or should I ask who?"
"It's none of your business."
"Come over RIGHT NOW, I mean it!"
"Like I'm scared of you."
"Maybe not me, but I know who…"
"I'm not scared of her."
"Really?"
There was dead silence for a few minutes.
"Fine. I'll be right over. DAMMIT!"
Natsuki ran in her bedroom and changed. She grabbed her jacket and keys on her way out the front door.
The slamming of the front door broke through Shizuru's sobbing. She quickly lifted herself off her bed, wiped her eyes, and opened her bedroom door.
"Natsuki?" Shizuru called out.
'She left? She left! Where could she have gone in such a hurry? Oh…Takeda.'
Shizuru softly closed her bedroom door and locked it. She slowly sat down on her bed and thought about what she was going to do next. As if in a trance, she slid open her mobile phone, sent a text message, and waited.
In the Harada/Senoh residence, Chie's mobile phone chimed the arrival of a new text message.
"What's that?" Aoi snuggled deeper in Chie's arms.
"I have a new text message," Chie answered and kissed the top of Aoi's head.
"Aren't you going to check it?" Aoi asked.
"Why? I'm busy," Chie answered and tightened her arms around her new girlfriend.
"It might be important or an emergency," Aoi said.
Chie sighed deeply, extricated herself from Aoi, leaned over the side of the bed, rummaged through her clothes on the floor, and pulled out her mobile phone. She plopped back down on the bed and Aoi immediately resumed her place in Chie's arms.
"Happy now? That made all the blood rush to my head," Chie teased and flipped open her mobile phone.
"I'm sure I can fix that," Aoi cooed and slipped her hand between Chie's thighs, eliciting a deep moan from the tomboy.
Chie closed her eyes.
"The message?" Aoi asked as she stilled her hand.
Chie's eyes flew open and she stared incredulously at Aoi.
"Tease," Chie pouted and accessed her text message.
Aoi giggled and positioned herself so she could see the text message. Chie playfully pushed Aoi away.
"Hey, this might be private," Chie half-teased.
"Okay…," Aoi said reluctantly and moved away.
After Chie read the brief text message, she quickly snapped her mobile phone closed.
"Who was it from and what do they want?" Aoi asked.
"You were right. It's an emergency. I gotta go," Chie answered as she quickly got out of bed and dressed.
"Is someone hurt?" Aoi asked concerned.
"You could say that. I'll call you once things are settled," Chie said as she leaned down and kissed Aoi on the lips.
Chie pulled on her jacket as she bolted out the front door.
Natsuki angrily pounded on the wooden door, announcing her arrival. A few seconds later, the door was opened and Natsuki stormed inside.
"WHAT was SO important I had to leave Shizuru?" Natsuki yelled.
"You were with Fujino-san? Not Takeda?" Mai asked stunned.
"YEAH!" Natsuki yelled.
Mai staggered back a bit, reeling from the news.
"Mai?" Natsuki asked.
After coming to her senses, Mai noticed Natsuki's swollen eye.
"Natsuki, how did that happen?" Mai asked.
"Senoh-san hit me," Natsuki grumbled.
"AOI? Hit…YOU?" Mai yelped.
"By accident…accident," Natsuki added quickly.
"Does it hurt?" Mai asked.
Natsuki sighed deeply and rolled her eyes.
"As I told Shizuru, when she asked me the very same idiotic question…no, I'm just wincing in pain for the hell of it," Natsuki growled sarcastically.
"WHY did you leave Fujino-san?" Mai asked upon hearing Shizuru's name and bringing her back to the matter at hand.
"Because YOU threatened to send that wild child of yours after me if I didn't," Natsuki answered smugly.
"Then Aoi is…," Mai began when a knock on her door cut her off.
Mai walked over to her front door and opened it.
"Senoh-san is with…Harada-san?" Natsuki said as she saw Chie standing in the open doorway.
"I got your message. What's the emergency?" Chie asked.
Natsuki shook her head.
"Kuga-san? Why aren't you with Shizuru?" Chie asked after entering and finally noticing Natsuki.
Chie's lack of honorific attached to Shizuru's name made Natsuki bristle.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Natsuki grumbled.
"Apparently the same thing you're doing here," Chie answered flippantly and pointed at Mai.
"Mai! Now that you've got BOTH of us here…," Natsuki said.
"Hai, hai. I called you both here to make sure you two thick-headed bakas didn't mess things up with your girlfriends," Mai responded.
"Well…Mai. YOU interrupted me and Aoi, so I guess that would make YOU the thick-headed baka this time," Chie laughed and added, "But you probably didn't interrupt anything between Shizuru and…," Chie hooked her thumb at Natsuki.
Natsuki walked over to Chie and got in the tomboy's face.
"NANI? What the hell are you insinuating?" Natsuki growled through clenched teeth.
Chie got in Natsuki's face.
"I'm not insinuating anything. I'm saying it out right. You're thicker than me! Shizuru is a beautiful young woman who unfortunately loves YOU and only YOU!" Chie spat back.
"Well, apparently she has room enough for TWO, since you two…," Natsuki said and sadly looked down at the carpet.
"NANI? You think…she and I?" Chie laughed and consider whether or not to tell Natsuki anything.
"What the hell is SO damn funny?" Natsuki demanded, getting back in Chie's face.
"Kuga-san…calm down. Nothing happened," Chie said reassuringly and placed a hand on Natsuki's shoulder.
"Then what the hell were you doing in her bedroom this morning?" Natsuki accused and shook off Chie's hand.
"Sleeping," Chie answered.
"Yeah! Exactly!" Natsuki said with bravado.
"No, not "Yeah! Exactly!" I was just comforting Shizuru while you were with that missing link boyfriend of yours," Chie said and added in disgust, "doing whatever."
Natsuki knew Chie was right.
"I just don't get it. You have one of the most beautiful young women on campus completely in love with you and you choose that Neanderthal," Chie shook her head and added, "BAKA! Yeah, I would have LOVED to have bedded Shizuru, but her heart belongs to YOU!"
Chie lightly smacked Natsuki on the back of her head.
Mai prepared herself, in case she had to break up a fist fight between her two friends. Natsuki stared at Chie for a few minutes and then extended her hand out to the tomboy. They shook hands and smiled at each other.
"Mai, if you don't need me any further, I'd like to get back to my beautiful new girlfriend," Chie said.
"Give Aoi my best and tell her I'm sorry for calling you away," Mai said.
"Kuga-san, don't be a baka," Chie said and left.
"I guess that leaves YOU," Mai said.
"Oi, I know, but I STILL don't know how I feel about Shizuru," Natsuki said.
Mai closed her eyes and shook her head.
Chie opened the front door and called out to Aoi.
"Aoi? I'm back."
The tomboy didn't get a response, so she went searching for her new girlfriend throughout their residence. Aoi was gone. Chie noticed her own mobile phone sitting on the table, flipped open. She picked it up and looked at the display, revealing a text message from Shizuru:
Kuga-san went back to Takeda.
Chie pondered the situation for a second and dashed out the front door.
She sprinted across campus and made it to her destination in record time. The tomboy was about to pound on the door when she heard a very familiar scream come from inside.
"AOI?" Chie yelled through the door.
"CHIE!" Aoi yelled back from inside.
Chie, using her martial arts training, kicked the door in and found Takeda on the couch with Aoi pinned underneath him. The tomboy grabbed Takeda by the back of his collar, pulled him off Aoi, and punched him square in the face. He staggered backwards from the blow and landed on his backside.
Chie stormed towards him with blood in her eyes. Before he could regain his bearings, she delivered another punch to his face, landing him on his back. The tomboy straddled the stunned young man and started using his face as a speed bag. The adrenaline surged through Chie's body, so she didn't feel the pain as her knuckles grew bruised and bloody with each blow to Takeda's face.
She probably would have killed Takeda if Aoi didn't stop her.
"Chie…please stop…you'll kill him," Aoi pleaded as she tugged on Chie's collar.
After several more punches, Chie finally came to her senses and stopped her assault. She stood up and looked at Aoi. The young woman wrapped her arms around Chie. When the tomboy saw Aoi's torn blouse, she clenched her jaw, trying desperately to control the new wave of anger washing over her. Takeda moved and looked at the two women standing above him, embracing.
"You're a damn dyke!" Takeda spat at Aoi.
Chie lost control of her anger and kicked Takeda hard in the ribs. She smiled as she felt several of the ribs break against her foot. Chie held Aoi tight and led the young woman out of Takeda's residence and back to theirs.
Once they were safely in their residence, Chie tended to her new girlfriend. The tomboy helped Aoi get dressed for bed and tucked the young woman in, before disappearing in the bathroom. After cleaning and dressing her wounds, she dressed for bed and slipped in next to Aoi.
The young woman immediately wrapped herself around Chie and cried into the front of the tomboy's nightshirt. Chie held Aoi while she cried.
"Did he hurt you?" Chie asked.
"He was about to, but you arrived," Aoi answered.
Chie tightened her arms around Aoi and the two young women fell into a fitful night's sleep.