CAIE: Hey, dagomir. Thanks for the review! That's a first for my first ever post. Squee!
I got all giddy that I stayed up late for this chapter to be finished. Hehehe
Disclaimer: I do not own Mai HIME.
She was alone in the music room practicing late for her piece for the musical play she got invited in. She was so busy that she did not notice the person who covered her eyes. She need not guess who it was.
"Hmp. Ever since you joined that play you rarely have time with me," the girl said with a sulky voice then hugged her from behind.
She placed the four-stringed instrument on the stand. "You're also part of the play and we actually meet almost every day," she replied.
"But I hate it! We never get to be alone!" the girl snarled, tightening her hold on her.
She reached for the other girl's cheek. "I can't breathe…"
Her friend loosened her hold and took out a comb. "Sit still," her friend commanded. She just sighed and just sat there.
The purple wooden comb passing through her hair was replaced by gentle strokes from her friend's hand. She shivered as the other girl held stands of hair to bask from the scent of lilies ever purest. She tried to remain calm when the girl's warm breath touched the lobe of her ear making her shut her eyes tightly.
She stood and walked slowly away from her friend, keeping a safe distance.
"I have matters at hand. I'm sorry but I have to decline," she spoke with neutrality, not wanting to show repulse from another weird request from the other girl.
The last time she complied with the request, she almost got herself too drunk to resist the aggressive touch of her friend. Her thoughts drifted to what happened when she agreed to go drinking with her friend. She thought it's going to be a group date but she found out later that it was not.
"You're mine!"
The possessive tone gave her nightmares for how many nights. She was grateful that her neighbor was there that time and saw her. He was just in time before her friend could take full advantage of her.
"How 'bout you, miss? Need a ride home?" her neighbor asked after securing her on the back seat of his car.
Her friend didn't answer. She just walked away.
"H-Hey!" the man called but the other girl just kept on walking. He just scratched his head.
"Damn. When will I ever have a hot woman like that?" he muttered then faced her. He chuckled at the sight.
"Geez, kid. You're so drunk. Tomorrow's a sore head, a queasy stomach, and a sore butt for ya."
He slightly winced at the memory of how her brother spanked her for trying alcohol when she was in high school.
"Thatshh… mush bett'r… zhan what could've happened…" she managed to reply in disheveled words before she dozed off.
"What do you—well, good luck kid."
Her neighbor never suspected anything about what he saw before he took her home.
Tate smiled at the sleeping girl admiring the elegant beauty before his eyes. He often wondered why he didn't even dare try hitting on the girl. Maybe it was because she was never interested on him or maybe it was the fact that her brother can be a very scary adversary.
He sighed and lowered the window from his right.
A loud bark startled him before he could press the button of the doorbell at the side of the gate. ' Oh crap. It's the mutt.'
"H-Hey, boy! Hungry? I have some M & M's-"
The wolf growled dangerously; ready to shred him to pieces if not for the gate between them.
"At ease, Duran," a calm whole voice commanded.
The wolf stopped growling and sat, wagging its tail for its master.
"Tate," came the greeting.
"R-Reito," he uttered nervously not matching the calm voice of the man on the other side of the barred gate. He secretly scolded himself for feeling that way without any reason at all.
"What brings you here?" the man asked.
He scratched his head. He knows that the tall dark haired man knew better.
"Uh… I- well… I saw her when I… with my buddies passed by after having a couple of drinks," he stuttered.
The man just nodded and opened the gate, expression unreadable. He opened the door of the backseat for Reito to have a full view of the sleeping girl. The man sighed finally getting rid of his worry. Tate would only see his friend at such state when his sister is in some sort of trouble.
The wolf yelped and jumped inside the car. It licked the face of its other master as if asking for its master to wake up.
The girl just groaned. Reito reached for his sister and carried her out of the car.
The man bowed at Tate before their short exchange of goodbye. He went back to his car and drove towards the next gate.
He was relieved nothing life threatening happened.
He lay on his bed, recalling what happened that night. He felt his temperature rise when he remembered her neighbor's friend slowly undressing the drunken girl.
He smacked his face with his hands. 'Damn it! They're just innocent girls!'
He got up and went to the bathroom for a cold shower.
The music room felt cramped when her friend eyed her with resentment. Her friend was disappointed from her answer. But later on, it was replaced by a wicked smile. "We'll always find time, my sweet."
She got nervous. She can feel that her friend has planned something bigger this time.
The other girl kissed her cheek before leaving her.
She grabbed her precious violin and smashed it on the floor; the boilirageinside her finally surfacing. 'Great. Now I have to buy another one.'
"NOOOOO! You little bi- ahhh!"
Natsuki's scream echoed on that part of the island. All the screaming, shouting, cursing, clawing and struggling made it all hard for the ship to depart. The other passengers were already begging the captain to stir the ship away and throw out the freaky lady.
"NATSUKI! Stop acting like a cat being mated! Get in that ship right now before I make you feel sorry!"
Mai took the cased instrument quickly and threatened to smash it on the ground.
Mikoto hid behind the captain, who was letting everyone settle down. She never saw her employer this angry before. It scared her. "I didn't mean to eat all the shrimp tempura...!" she uttered whimpering.
Mai's action only fueled Natsuki's rage. She tried so hard to calm Natsuki while two of the captain's men stops gripped on her shoulders.
The old middle aged man tapped Mikoto's head. "Everything will be alright, young one. I just need to use that thing to make her settle down."
He went towards his cabin to get his gun.
The two muscular guys holding back Natsuki started to wear out. One of the passengers who were witnessing the commotion helped up. He grabbed Natsuki from behind, unintentionally holding her boobs. Mai's anger went to greater heights. "Get your hands off my friend you perv!"She knocked off the guy with one punch.
"What's wrong with you lady? He was just trying to help!" one of the guys holding Natsuki rumbled. He tried to help the poor man leaving his companion meet his fall. The blue haired lady elbowed the only guy holding her right to his stomach. Mai lunged at her friend before she could escape but her friend eventually overturned her.
A silenced sound from an air gun shot echoed. There were some horrified screams and gasps from the passengers. Natsuki stopped clawing at Mai; her limp body lay still against the orange haired girl.
"Mai!"
Mikoto rushed towards her friend and pushed aside Natsuki's body. "Did you get hit?" the younger girl asked full of worry. She grabbed Mai by shoulder and searched for any gun shot.
The captain approached them. "Phew! That'll let her sleep for a while. Just as I've thought, this will come in handy. Are you okay Miss Tokiha?"
Mai gave him a terrified look. The younger girl supporting her snarled at the captain.
"She'll be fine. I just tranquilized her, that's all," the captain assured the two of them. She sighed after the words registered in her mind. She kneeled before Natsuki. "Can we put her in a place where she can lie down peacefully?"
"The three of you can stay in my cabin," the man answered warmly. He called one of his men to carry the unconscious girl.
She gave the captain a courteous bow. Mikoto mimicked her. "Thank you for bearing with us, sir. Natsuki was fine when we entered the ship. We didn't expect this to happen."
The captain rubbed his forehead. "I told you, you can call me Sakomizu ojii-chan. Your father and I are best buddies after all and you are my godchild."
"Goumen, ojii-chan. It's just that we've done too much trouble for you already," Mai answered feeling ashamed.
" Daijoubu. When I'm around, you'll be out of trouble in no time. We'll I have to go. Just call one of my men if you need anything."
He waved to them and left. "She sure takes a lot from her mother," he muttered, smiling to himself.
Black.
Her awareness of everything in darkness horrified her soul. The fear started to skin her wits leaving nothing but trapped screams stuck in her throat. The suffering never ending as it repeated itself fulfilling eternity of anguish.
"Natsuki…"
The chime of that voice gave her reason to bear the monstrosity.
But the voice changed into something vile. "You deserve to be punished for what you've done!"
"Shizuru!"
Echoes of wicked laughter shattered her hope.
The glass table went to a crash as a middle- aged man wearing a gray suit matching his hair toppled it. He threw whatever he could grab. His pen holder, name plate, and organizers crashed against the wall.
"You fool! Are you telling me that you can't even find a single girl?"
His face creased making him look more like a beast. He grabbed one of his men by the shirt. "Find her again and find her fast before the company faces a huge humiliation!"
The poor man bowed and swiftly took his leave. Nobody wants to mess with the head of the Fujino Industries.
Shizuru blended with the people whom her father addresses as filthy commoners. Her guise matched perfection; truly masking her real identity.
She mindlessly wandered to nowhere. Nobody would take in the daughter of the powerful and fearsome Akihiro Fujino except for one person whom she had pained.
To be continued…