Two in the Morning

By

DrummondType2

I have to face facts. I can't sleep. It's two in the morning and I am wide awake. I can't sleep.

Shizuru is sleeping soundly beside me. I consider trying to cuddle up to her to soothe myself to sleep, but that's not fair to her. She's got things to do in the morning. I mean, I do, too. But it's not Shizuru's fault that I can't sleep, and I can't wake her just 'cause I'm too wired to sleep.

I had a close call on my motorcycle, today. I was driving along the coast road, when I hit that same blind curve that keeps popping up in my life. If there were another road that would let me avoid that place…

Anyway, it's between my apartment and the campus, so I had to take the road. Now, with District One out of the picture, and Nao ostensibly on the side of the Angels now, I didn't have any concerns about ambushes on that blind curve. What I hadn't expected was a delivery truck jackknifed on the road. I'd rounded that turn at 80 KPH, and saw the truck in my path. Reaction time on a dry road takes up thirty-three meters of distance, and by the time you stop, you've gone another thirty-six meters, for a total of sixty-nine meters from when you first notice the problem. And, well, frankly, there just wasn't that much space between that blind curve and the truck.

Now, HiME…even former HiME without their ability to summon an Element or Child, have heightened reflexes. I couldn't cheat the laws of physics. There was no time to stop my motorcycle. But there was room for me to leap off of it, and do a combat roll while I watched my poor baby slam into the side of the shipping container on the back of the truck. Thankfully, no one was hurt by the bike, and I wear leathers for a reason, so I only picked up a little road rash.

For a moment, and only a moment, I considered not telling Shizuru. Look, I'm not proud, alright. Besides, it took me all of one second to realize that there was no way I could hide it from her. Even if I could make up some excuse to avoid physical intimacy for however long it took the scrapes to heal, there was no way I was going to be able to hide that my bike was in the shop. And while I can do covert and discreet, I'm not really down with the lying. Besides, trying to duck intimacy to hide the scrapes and bruises would make Shizuru think I was avoiding her. That's the last thing I wanted her to think.

So, I called her on the phone as soon as the people in the ambulance were done checking me out and bandaging me. I also realized that there was another reason I couldn't hide the situation from her. I had to call her for a ride.

I was afraid she was going to harp on me about the dangers of motorcycle riding. But, Shizuru loves me. Warts and all. She even noted that if I'd been in a car, I still would have hit the truck.

But now, I couldn't sleep. It's be a year and a half since the Festival, and I haven't had anything threaten me in a very long time. And this wasn't even crazy conspiracy stuff, or otherworldly magical hijinks. This was mundane, run of the mill, anyone could have had that happen to them kind of stuff. My adrenals were fired up and so I was sitting awake, at two in the morning, not sleeping.

It's funny how some injuries take awhile to be felt after your adrenaline kicks in. Like bruised knees and shoulders. I achingly pulled myself out of the bed, trying very hard not to make a sound. On most days, that would be a piece of cake for me. At the moment, it was taking every ounce of willpower not to gasp or cry out as I shifted muscles and bruised flesh that ached with each move. The doctor at the hospital, which of course Shizuru insisted I go to, had tried to prescribe painkillers, but I turned him down. They affect how I move, how I think. They're bad news, as far as I'm concerned. He told me nothing was damaged that wouldn't heal, but that I would be in pain for a week or two.

I creaked my way out of bed and out into the living room. I was not going to risk waking Shizuru with my tossing and turning. Shizuru had even offered me some wine to help me sleep. But that was little better than prescription drugs for me. I'd politely declined. I even explained my reasons to her.

"I just don't want you to hurt, Natsuki," she'd said.

I'd given her my best smile, the one that was filled with all of my love for her, "I get that, Shizuru. But pain is just the body's way of saying 'Don't do that again.' Besides, it makes me happy knowing you care."

And it actually did. But I was still on edge after my accident, and I was jittery and I just could not take the edge off.

I limped gingerly to the kitchen and put a pot on the stove. I then took some milk out of the fridge and poured a bit in the pot. While that started heating slowly, I found some cocoa powder and sugar in the cabinet. I'd heard warm milk could help someone sleep, and a little drinking chocolate could probably help soothe me.

I nearly jumped a foot in the air when I felt a pair of hands embrace me from behind, which of course, made every inflamed muscle fiber scream fresh songs of pain to me.

"Oh, Natsuki!" Shizuru squeaked in alarm, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you!"

I gave a soft laugh, "I'm the one who should apologize, Shizuru. I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," she said, "It was your absence that woke me. The weight on your side of the bed, your body heat, and your scent, they were absent. It made me worry. What are you doing?"

"Hot cocoa," I offered by way of explanation.

She chuckled sleepily at me, "Then Natsuki will need a pinch of salt a some vanilla extract."

"I know I'm going to pay for asking this," I resigned myself, "But how does a tea aficionado such as yourself know the first thing about cocoa?"

"Ara, ara," Shizuru grinned in the darkness, "Does Natsuki imagine that tea is the only thing I drink? Besides, my Father was actually an insomniac who liked the occasional cup of drinking chocolate."

"You really should get some sleep, Shizuru," I insisted, "You've got that thing for your Dad's company in the morning."

"One sleepless night won't affect me," Shizuru reached out and flicked a lock of hair behind my shoulder, "Do you know how many nights I went without sleep while I was a HiME? You weren't the only one responsible for property damage around the school, you know."

I laughed a moment, but that hurt, "So that's why you were always dumping extra work on Suzushiro."

Shizuru shrugged, and in her sweetest voice she said, "Well, I assumed she could handle it. She did volunteer for most of it, after all."

"You mean you manipulated and cajoled her into volunteering," I had to grin, then winced from the aches.

"See what happens when you poke fun," Shizuru sighed, "Seriously, though, Natsuki, you really should reconsider those pain killers. Seeing you in pain hurts me, too, you know."

I sighed, "I'm just not a fan of stuff that slows me down, Shizuru. Besides, Mom was a workaholic and Dad? Dad drank too much and chased skirts. Addictive behavior runs in my family, and the easiest way to avoid addiction is to not start in the first place."

Shizuru looked at me with tender concern in her eyes, "I suppose your stubborn persistence is one of the things I fell in love with. Still, let me do something for you."

The pleading tone in her voice hurt more than the bruises did. Because I'd made her feel powerless and helpless, and that was on me.

"Just…be gentle, Shizuru," I said softly.

"Lift your arms," she instructed. I did so, and she took my t-shirt by the hem and gently rolled it upward. I braced myself for the inevitable teasing grope as she reached my bustline, only to be pleasantly surprised to find that she'd resisted.

She let out a soft hiss as she saw the bruising around the bandages, "Oh, Natsuki, I had no idea it was this bad…"

"You didn't do it, Shizuru, and if I'd hit the truck, bruises would have been the least of my worries," I hoped my tone was reassuring, but I was feeling the cold night air on my bare, bruised flesh. Then I felt her hands, warm, gentle, tender. And something else.

"I used to practice naginatajustsuu with my father," Shizuru informed me, "I got bruised terribly during some of my practice sessions. I use this vitamin E lotion to help speed the healing process."

She ran her hands gingerly over the bruised tissue, working the lotion into my skin. I'm not going to lie…it was very…stimulating. And, well, I'm actually pretty sensitive. And imaginative. Shizuru's ministrations had my head swimming before long.

"I'm sorry…" I said at last, "I…I know you enjoy…our special time together. And we can't do that while I'm hurt."

Shizuru chuckled, "Silly, Natsuki. I won't deny I enjoy those things, but that's not all our relationship is, no? And it's not as if you were pulling away from me. You're hurt. You have to heal. I get that. I can be patient, Natsuki."

"Thanks, Shizuru," I sighed contentedly.

"I think you'll find it less of a challenge to use button up pajamas and blouses until your shoulders heal a bit," She handed me a pair of pjs, "You can borrow some of mine. They'll be a little big on you, but that's actually kind of adorable."

We made cocoa, and then she led me back to bed, where she then build a little pillow nest for me, "There. That should make you a bit more comfy."

"You always look out for me, Shizuru," I yawned as sleep began to creep over me.

"Just remember, Natsuki, what hurts you…hurts me, too. I love you."

We both slept soundly for the rest of the night.