"Shh, Nagisa. It'll be okay, I promise. Everything's going to be okay." She cooed, brushing stray hairs out of her face and placing a small kiss on the red head's cheek.
Tears continued to stream down her face as the red head tried to process everything she'd been told, about Shizuma, about her situation, about the… baby.
Was she ready to look after a child? Especially a child that wasn't her own? Her thoughts began to drift to separate possibilities; how could she support a child? Her life was unstable as it was, not the life a child deserved; she didn't have a job, and if she didn't acquire one soon, wouldn't have an apartment. The last thought struck a nerve as she shifted uncomfortably; 'What if I don't love it?'
Her thoughts swiftly flittered to the silver haired woman who sat observing her silent contemplation. 'I can't expect Shizuma to take care of a baby and me – not that I'd want her to anyway; I need to find a job and quick.'
She sighed; unaware that subconsciously she'd started to soften to the idea. 'A baby? I'm going to have to be around a baby…' She racked her brain, trying to recall the last time she'd been within the same room as an infant, falling short when she couldn't find any such memory. 'I don't know what to do with a baby, what if I drop it?'
Sighing once again, she noticed that Shizuma had yet to push for an answer regarding the child for which she was extremely grateful; 'I need to do some serious thinking.'
Gazing up at Shizuma she couldn't bring herself to ask the other woman to leave despite her reluctance to let her back in, she consciously craved the woman in front of her.
"Will you stay with me?"
"Nagisa?"
The utterance pulled the red head back from her musing of that particular hospital discussion. With a weighing sense of guilt she realised she'd still failed to give the older woman an answer. Yet despite her hesitance, the silver haired goddess continued to stand by her.
Deciding it was high time she gave her response, the red head steeled herself to discuss the matter soon. Feeling somewhat satisfied with her decision she finally turned to face the voice which had called out to her.
"Yes?"
"You okay? You seemed a little… distant…"
The corners of Nagisa's mouth quirked upwards slightly as she observed the worried profile of her lover, who kept quickly stealing glances before returning her vision to the road. "I'm fine, just thinking."
"Are you sure you're up to this? I can re-schedule?"
"Shizuma, I'm fine stop worrying."
"Well… if you're sure-"The silver haired woman stole a last glance before muttering slightly "- that's good, because I have a feeling Tsubomi might kill me if I try to reschedule."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing…"
"So, are you going to tell me where we're going?"
Shizuma smirked at the question she'd heard multiple times already that evening; one she'd fervently refused to answer despite subsistent amounts of pouting and whining. Deciding to take a different route this time she began to address the suspicious red head. "Well that depends."
"Depends on what?"
"On how bad you want to know…"
Nagisa looked puzzled. "You know that I want to know, I wouldn't have asked otherwise."
"Yes, but how much do you want to know…"
"Very much so, will you tell me now?" Continuing to furrow her brow, the red head couldn't shake the feeling that there was a hidden meaning in Shizuma's words, or the unmistakable pang of inquisition threatening to overwhelm her senses.
"Very much, huh?"
"Shizuma!"
"Okay, Okay… How far would you go to know…?"
Nagisa's eyes suddenly widened in realisation as a familiar blush began to stain her cheeks, before she quickly narrowed her eyes at her lover in a glare.
For her part, Shizuma couldn't contain the urge to giggle at the expression or remove the smirk from her own face; she never intended to force the red head into anything especially in her current condition, yet couldn't resist the opportunity to tease the younger woman. The fact it also knocked her persistent questioning was just an added bonus.
Noticing the reaction and realising once again that she was being teased caused Nagisa to blush once more before turning and looking out the window. Not before she quickly muttered an 'I hate you' under her breath.
"I love you too Nagisa."
"They are on their way here!"
Yaya cautiously looked over to her girlfriend, searching her face for any alert to an impending panic and freak out she was not so subtly expecting to occur.
The Pinkette just sat there, continually wringing her hands together before dropping them into her lap.
Leaning over to the dark haired woman she ghosted her lips over her ear before gently muttering; "It'll be good to see Nagisa again…"
Nodding emphatically, Yaya beamed at her girlfriend as she draped an arm over her shoulder.
"That it will, that it will."
The car slowed to a halt and before Nagisa had the chance to properly process her surroundings; her door was pulled open with a slender hand hovering in front of her face, waiting to offer assistance.
With a slight blush, the red head grasped hold of the offered hand and allowed herself to be pulled away from the car towards the direction of a building she didn't quite recognise. "Shizuma where are we?" she whispered, anxiously scanning the surroundings.
Shizuma for her part just smirked, continuing to lead the other woman to her desired destination without uttering a sound, which in turn earned her a pout and huff of annoyance.
"They're outside! Quick hide!"
Yaya couldn't decipher who the voice belonged to, but in an urge to appeal to the brash tone rose quickly, all the while keeping a grasp on her girlfriend, intertwining their fingers she gently tugged.
Suddenly they were perched precariously on the balls of their feet, crouched down behind one of the many tables.
"This is ridiculous, what are we? Five years old?" A crass and abrupt voice called out, silenced almost immediately by a chorus of 'shh' and 'be quiet' quickly followed by someone tugging the indignant and horrified face of Kaname under a table.
Turning back to her girlfriend the brunette couldn't keep the smirk off her face at the slight retribution her former tormentor received, a feeling of satisfaction momentarily washing over her.
"This is it."
The smirk instantly vanished, unable to supress the sudden mix of emotions now rushing through her, similar to the ones she could hear and see mirrored in her girlfriends' expression and tone of voice. Happiness, worry, confusion, anger, regret before finally settling on anticipation her eyes straining in the dark, seeking out the familiar red hair she hadn't seen in years. She knew that Nagisa hadn't entered the room, she knew this and yet still she searched; anything to try and ground her to the reality of the situation.
A gentle squeeze of her hand brought her out of her thoughts and back to the worried eyes of Tsubomi. Her lips curled into a brief smile before she heard the creak of the door.
"…Shizuma, will you just tell me where we are?"
*Click*
"Surprise!"
Nagisa shrunk back into Shizuma's side at the sudden onslaught of noise and light. Her eyes tried to adjust to the room but as her senses jolted suddenly she pitched forward, only to be grasped and steadied by the woman beside her.
"Breathe Nagisa, it's okay." The calming tone soothed her nerves somewhat, yet still she clutched to the silver haired woman who had yet to let her go. She tried to blend into the woman's side to avoid the gazes she now felt burning into her.
"W-What's this?" the unavoidable stutter was back as she licked her lips, trying to nervously bring moisture to her suddenly dry mouth, trying to avoid further embarrassment. Emerald eyes were staring at her intently, signalling their awareness of her nerves. However before anything else could be said arms were wrapped around and others crowded forward.
Then she was gone. She was dragged further into the crowd, a crowd of faces and limbs flailing around her, noise encasing her from all direction, to say she was overwhelmed was an understatement. Panic began to bubble in the pit of her stomach as a metallic tasting liquid filled her mouth. As she gradually realised the taste was in fact blood, she recognised the sharp ache in her lip, and clamped her eyes shut to try and repress at least one of her senses.
"Alright give her space to breathe – back off!" The imperative came out as a sharp bark somewhere to her left as a hand landed reassuringly on her shoulder. Although she'd still refused to open her eyes yet, she could feel the swarm of people back away, as her heat beat began to slow to a dull pace.
"Nagisa are you okay?" A cool pair of hands cupped her face; tilting it upwards as she cracked open her eyes staring back into concerned emerald orbs.
"I-I'm f-fine." Was all she could muster herself to reply feeling a wave of exhaustion attack her body threatening to buckle her legs and blur her memory.
Somewhere through the blur she was tugged over to an empty seat and handed a glass of water which she tentatively raised to her lips. The cool liquid trickled down her parched throat, moistening her mouth before she gave a weak smile to the concerned faces around her.
"I'm alright now."
They didn't look convinced. It was only then that she registered the familiarity of the faces surrounding her and a faint itch of recognition regarding the voice from earlier assaulted her.
"Shion? Chikaru?"
Faint smiles crossed their faces as they slightly nodded their heads in sync, then her attention was once again drawn towards other faces.
"Yaya? Tsubomi?"
"Who else?" The brunette scoffed before wrapping an arm around the red head's shoulder. "About time we saw each other again; was thinking I'd have to send out a search party-"
"Yaya-Chan!"
Turning her curious gaze upon her fuming girlfriend, Yaya suddenly realised that her joking tone hadn't been taken the exact way she'd expected, and judging by the reprimanding looks she was receiving and the ashamed face of her friend, she'd have to back pedal her comment, and fast.
"Nagisa… you know I wasn't trying to make you feel bad. I just missed you is all." Then as if to reinforce her statement she gave her friends shoulders a gentle squeeze before standing up and stretching. "Alright you slow-pokes, let's get this party started shall we?"
With that she danced off into the crowd, leaving behind a baffled pinkette who couldn't help but gape incredulously at her audacity. "Nagisa, please don't listen to her. She's just missed you, but you know what she's like with emotions. She's such a child. I'm glad you're okay though." With a small smile she then began to weave into the crowd muttering under her breath as she searched for her girlfriend.
"I – I don't really understand what's happening." Nagisa couldn't help but furrow her brow in confusion at the entire event so far; she had so many questions about what was going on- the main being 'why is everyone here?'
"I contacted everyone when I found you… So many people were worried about you, and well, I wanted to show you how special you are and how many people love you; I was planning to do this anyway, but then we had that argument so I sped up the process but then you had that accident and-" Shizuma internally cringed at her rambling yet couldn't seem to stop herself, so taking a deep breath she tried to salvage her explanation. "- Look, I wanted to woo you and make you feel special, but one thing led to another and I had to rely on others to help me, I'm sorry."
Observing her girlfriends crest-fallen expression, Nagisa couldn't help but feel confused at the outcome so slowly she leant up and brushed her lips across the uncharacteristically reddening cheeks. "Thank you so much Shizuma, and I've made my decision."
Emerald eyes suddenly locked onto chestnut curiosity and confusion swirling amongst them, until a gentle admission was breathed into her ear. It was barely audible, unnoticeable by the many people surrounding the couple, but to Shizuma it was as clear as day; it made her heart flutter and eyes well with the onset of tears she quickly brushed away.
"I'd be honoured to share my life with you and the baby."
Before either had fully registered what happened, they were in each other's arms, claiming each other's lips in a frenzied attempt to be closer, ignoring the stares and cat calls being shot in their direction. "I love you Nagisa, I know I've told you this so many times before but I do. I can't imagine my life without you – not any more. I love you."
They kissed chastely once more before Shizuma jumped up, offering the red head her hand with a smirk. "Would you do me the honours of dancing with me?" Then without waiting for an answer, she tugged the other woman towards a sectioned off area, twirling her around so that their bodies were flush against one another before Nagisa even had a chance to protest.
As the flittered and twirled around the dance floor, neither woman could keep the content smiles from their faces as they basked in the moment and each other's presence.
"I've got to admit Nagisa, your dancing has definitely improved…" Their faces were a breath apart as the continued to dance through their ministrations.
"What can I say? I had an exceptionally talented teacher." The adoration and love swirling within the chocolate eyes caused Shizuma to gasp, as she tentatively bridged the gap, gently brushing their lips together.
"I love you."
The chill, bitter winter air swirled around the figure suspiciously lurking across the street from a dimly lit building. The drab exterior merely a façade as the cheerful, noises from within floated throughout the night, accompanied by a dull thrum of music and un-decipherable conversations.
The man's mood seriously contrasted the mood in the opposite building as he sat there, glaring, over turning his thoughts and waiting for the perfect moment to approach.
He huffed out a shuddered breath, setting his jaw in an angry, determined posture before marching over to the building – unadulterated hate and rage flowing through him.
Yanking at the door he mistook his strength, causing the resounding slam to be slightly louder than anticipated – regardless it was still drowned out by the jovial atmosphere within.
A rush of warmth surrounded him as he stepped inside, surveying the surrounding activities, searching for something in particular.
"You know Nagisa, there's something I've wanted to ask you for a while now…"
Brown eyes observed her intently as she breathed in deeply, preparing herself for what was about to come.
"Nagisa, I-"
Catching something out of the corner of her eye Shizuma paused, turning round completely until she was face to face with what she suspected yet hoped wouldn't be there.
However before she could react quickly enough the man's outstretched arms had a tight hold on her beloveds' wrists, dragging her towards him.
An evil smirk spread across his face as he held onto the now struggling red head gripping her wrists tightly and leering at her.
"Get off her!"
Note:
Hey! (:
I hope you all had a good Christmas/week – New Year's Eve is tomorrow; so happy New Year for Sunday. I hope you all had a great year and that the up-coming one is amazing for you all.
I also want to take this moment to say thank you so much for reading 'Looking Towards Tomorrow' /reviewing, etc. This will probably sound really sappy but there have been times this past year when things – well haven't been great, and honestly reading the reviews which have been posted really, truly made my day and cheered me up.
Again this might be a bit depressing but I'd just like to say R.I.P to one of the most inspirational and brave women I've ever met. I wasn't able to attend the funeral today and wanted to do something to honour her memory. (I know, fanfiction might not be much, but she was one of my old English teachers) She was only young, and it has only re-enforced my knowledge that life is short and shouldn't be wasted.
I don't own Strawberry Panic.
Becky. xx
Ps. I know this chapter was a bit… sappier than previous ones (apart from at the end.) but I've been reading quite a bit of FanFiction myself recently and I start reading them thinking; 'Oh this is good' then I get to the end and it's depressing. (Not every one of them; just a few :P - also that's not to say they aren't good FanFictions either, because they are.) so I didn't really want to write anything too serious, though… I kind of needed to (hence the end) for the plot to carry on the way I intended.
Any guesses as to who the stranger is this time?
Also – I'm sure there are probably loads of mistakes in this chapter. x_x I've not been able to proof read it as of yet; I did however promise to upload this chapter before New Year. So I shall make alterations eventually. (:
Okay I'm actually going to go now… :P
xx