Disclaimer: I don't own Mai Hime or any of their characters. I only own the characters I made for this story.
Summery: Shizuru goes on a business trip to America, where she meets a girl strangely like Natsuki. Who is this new friend and what role will she play in the former Hime's life? Shiznat
To clarify after this chapter Natsuki will be in every chapter full force.
Shizuru's New Friend
Chapter Five: The Party
There Shizuru sat, pondering her dream as she watched the only other person in the room sleep. The teen slept happily mumbling something about ice cream as she tried to eat her hat. Crimson eyes kept watch over her until they switched to the bright green numbers of the alarm clock. Almost three in the morning and she had to wake up at seven. Shizuru laid down still thinking about her two friends who had never met before, but were sisters in that strange dream. It was official, Shizuru was confused. This was not a good sign considering she was hardly ever considering she was hardly ever confused. Closing her eyes slowly the chestnut haired woman found sleep fairly easily.
In the darkness that surrounded her mind Shizuru could hear two very familiar voices. "Give my my sword back, Natsuki!" the childish voice whined.
"Not until you get me more ammunition." came the husky reply. Natsuki... she thought as her eyes opened to her bright surroundings. In the middle of a garden on the stoned pathway a smirking Natsuki was keeping an annoyed Macey at bay with one hand on her forehead. In her other hand was a sword in a black hilt.
"Shizuru, tell her to give it back. She listens to you." the younger of the two continued to whine.
"Ara, are. I am sorry, but I have learned to not intervene when Natsuki is this way." Shizuru heard herself reply in amusement. She looked around until she spotted a chestnut haired girl that looked strangely like herself sitting on a bench not far from the other two. She brought her cup up to sip her tea slowly. Macey shot her an annoyed glance before crossing her arms with a huff, "I wasn't the one who used all your bullets. It's not my fault Shizuru can't hit a target."
"You shot my gun?" the cobalt haired young woman stared at her best friend with an accusing gaze. The kimono clad woman smiled at her innocently, "With help from your dear sister, of course."
"Macey." Natsuki hissed, but her younger sister was already at the door. Upon hearing her name she flung open the door and ran inside.
"When I get my hands on you!" the older girl promised as she ran after her.
"They can be so childish, nay?" the girl sitting on the bench quizzed. Her gaze wondered to the other girl that looked remarkably like herself. (A/N: For the sake of not confusing anyone, including myself, Shizuru is going to be the Shizuru we know and DreamShizuru is going to be the Shizuru in the dream.) Shizuru returned the gaze calmly, "Why am I having these dreams?"
"Natsuki was right, I do avoid questions." DreamShizuru observed.
"It would seem." the other agreed with a slight hint of annoyance. Catching this the dream version of the tea lover sighed, "Ara. These are not your dreams, but my memories."
"Memories?" Shizuru echoed. DreamShizuru nodded, "I believe they are called part lives. You should ask Macey about them, I'm sure she could explain them to you. She is a smart girl after all."
"I'm afraid I must leave now. Our time has run out." her dream self brought her out of her thoughts and into darkness.
"Shizuru, time to wake up." someone was shaking her gently, "Come on, wakey, wakey."
Her red eyes fluttered open to meet a pair of brown orbs staring at her. Next she was greeted with a smile, "It's seven thirty. I was about to fix breakfast, but I figured you'd want to take a bath first."
Shizuru sat up slowly, "That would be nice."
"I would've woke you up sooner but I had to call Dylan to make sure they were up and I took a bath." Macey commented as she stood up.
"Ookini." Shizuru smiled at her, standing to go to the closet to grab some clothes.
"Do itashi machite." the other girl replied. The words sounded funny with the girl's accent causing Shizuru to chuckle at her for a moment.
"What?" she asked looking away to hide her blush.
"Your accent." was the reply much to Macey's annoyance. Brown eyes were rolled to further assert her annoyance, "Whatever. Like you don't have one."
"True." Shizuru conceded as Macey walked over to the kitchen, "However mine is alluring whereas yours is cute."
"Alluring?" Macey sounded amused, "Who told you that?"
Shizuru pouted, "Ikezu."
"Yeah, yeah." she waved off the comment. She took out the frying pan and a mixing bowl. Shizuru disappeared into the bathroom; when she reentered the main suite wearing a black skirt and a tan blouse the aroma of cinnamon assaulted her. It was a sweet smell that filled the entire room. Following her nose, she saw Macey setting the table. There were two plates of scrambled eggs along with a couple of slices of toast at each an end of the table. A glass of milk by one plate and a cup of green tea beside the other.
"Come. Sit." she smiled eagerly. She was ready to eat and it was evident. She sat down in front of one plate that had an oddly familiar scent to it. As soon as Shizuru realized why that was she tried not to let her eyebrow twitch. Really had she found Natsuki's long lost sister, or maybe she was a clone of some sort.
"Itadakimasu!" the younger girl exclaimed holding up her fork, ready to stab the poor defenseless, mayo covered eggs; but stopped mid-strike when she felt the crimson eyes on her.
"What?" she asked nervously. Shizuru shook her head before sitting down to her own meal. After inspecting her own eggs she found they had a touch of cinnamon added to them.
"Something wrong?" Macey asked from across from her. Her toast had already vanished and her eggs were being mercilessly devoured. The Kyoto native brought a small portion of eggs to her mouth cautiously making the dirty blonde haired girl to roll her eyes. Upon chewing carefully she discovered they weren't that bad at all.
"The cinnamon adds a sweet flavor to the starchiness of the eggs." Macey stated with a knowing smile before finishing off her milk.
"Are you trying to become a chef?" Shizuru questioned half teasing, half serious. Macey just shook her head, "Only experimenting. Lucky for me I have a sister that'll try anything." she laughed.
"I like trying new things now and then. It keeps life interesting." she added after a moment of silence. It took a while for the older of the two to finish off her plate, so the younger girl busied herself by staring at a painting in the room. Well actually it was the only painting in the room; at least it was a nice one. The waterfall surrounded by lush forest with a lone wolf howling at the full moon gave off a serene vibe.
"You like paintings?" a certain Kyoto think voice broke through the calm of the girl's mind.
"Yeah." she nodded as if in a daze. Most of her focus was on the wolf, "Didn't you say your friend Natsuki likes wolves?"
"I did." the other confirmed, wondering where the girl was going with this. Macey nodded again, "Wolves are cool. It's kind of funny how they pretend not to need others."
Shizuru eyed the American teen curiously, what was she trying to get at? Just like that Macey was out of her daze and smiling once more, "So where is this party at?"
"I believe in Nacogdoches." she answered thoughtfully.
"What?" the dirty blonde haired girl shrieked, "That's nearly two hours from here."
When Shizuru just smiled at her pleasantly Macey sighed, "Do you know where the place is?"
"Not really." was the reply through that ever present smile. A dirty blonde eyebrow twitched from irritation. She felt like banging her head against something, namely the wall. She soon dismissed the idea; after all she didn't want to have to pay for damages done to it.
"Then we should leave now." she sighed, not even trying to hide her annoyance. What annoyed her even more was that stupid smile was still plastered on Shizuru's face.
"If Macey says so." she chirped. Man it was fun to get on the girl's nerves, maybe a little too fun.
"Note to self: Stop giving Shizuru green tea. It makes her act... loopy." Macey mumbled to herself as an overly cheerful, in Macey opinion anyway, Shizuru followed her to the Rodeo. Once inside the driver of the truck hit her head against the steering wheel, "He's almost out of gas."
"He?" the ruby eyed woman quizzed raising a single slender brow. The brown eyed girl chose to ignore her by turning on the truck. Being too preoccupied earlier with her dreams Shizuru hadn't taken notice of the girl's change of clothes, now being clad in an orange t-shirt and black shorts. This of course prompted the question, "Where did you get those clothes?"
"The trunk." she answered quit curtly as she pulled into a Shell station. In response to the funny look Shizuru was giving her she added, "I've learned to travel prepared."
Not wanting to hear a teasing remark she quickly excited the car as soon as it was stopped. Ten minutes later they were back on the road and on their way to the big party. Each female lost in their own thoughts. Shizuru thinking of Natsuki and her dreams, while Macey was planning the 'accidental' destruction of her dress. After fifteen minutes of silence Shizuru broke it, "When did you start having those dreams?"
"What are you a psychiatrist?" Macey rolled her eyes once more. Shizuru just stared at her until Macey sighed, "When I was somewhere between four and five after my uncle died. I never know when or where until they start happening. Some are days apart, for some years past before they happen."
"I see." she nodded in understanding. She cupped her chin in her hand thoughtfully, but before she could really think on it the teen decided to keep talking.
"No, you don't." Macey spoke in a slightly cold tone. The sudden change in mood caught Shizuru off guard, not that the other girl noticed as she continued to speak, "They started and now they won't stop coming and Mom doesn't want me talking about it because it makes me sound crazy. As if people don't already think I'm crazy." she scoffed before muttering to herself, "Like that's my main problem anyways."
Oh crap, did she say that out loud. "What is your main problem?" Apparently so. Stupid venting. Macey mentally slapped herself, Why is my life so messed up. Someone must really dislike me.
"It's nothing for Shizuru to worry about." she stated with a much more cheery tone. The crimson eyed beauty gave her a look that clearly said she didn't believe her causing the russet eyed girl to sigh, "I get these, um... urges, I guess you could call them."
Urges? Shizuru thought to herself. This conversation could go a number of ways. None of them were really that good. It took a few moments for Macey to answer in a whisper, "I sometimes think of hurting myself, but I can't because Dylan and Kasidy, they need me too much to do something so stupid."
Her blood red orbs filled with worry and concern for the teenager next to her. Laughter suddenly filled the car, "Gee, I just told you I'm suicidal and dream of future events. Sometimes the truth sucks."
Her laughing fit over Macey stated, "Then again I'm not the only one that knows how to wear a mask, eh Shizuru?"
That smile she's used a thousand times before spread across her visage, "I suppose."
"I'm guessing Natsuki is part of that reason, but it's none of my business." she smiled knowingly, "I was in love once, or maybe I still am. I realized it too late."
"What happened?" Shizuru sounded like a child on the edge of her seat thanks to the air that was filled with suspense.
"I moved before I could even think of telling him. I haven't seen him in five years." she answered honestly. Shizuru wasn't sure why but Macey reminded her of a little kid that was too trusting for her own good. Then before she knew it she was speaking, "It hurts to wait for her, but it hurts to leave as well."
Wait, why was she telling her this? It did feel kind of good to get it off her chest, but still she shouldn't be telling the teen these kind of private things.
"Love will do that to you." Macey stated matter of factly.
"Do you know about past lives?" the other asked quite bluntly. Macey blinked twice at the sudden question before nodding, "They're lives people have lived before the one they're currently in. This happens when the body dies, but the soul is left to be born once more into another body. All the memories of that life is suppressed by the new one. Most past lives stay because they've lost something dear to them."
The teen took a short pause to let all this sink in before she continued, "Some people have dreams about their past lives, which in turn are actually memories. They can either be living in the memory or just simply watching. Many people think that they are a part of their past lives so this life should turn out like the last one, but that isn't the case. Past lives are a part of us, not the other way around. They may look, sound, and even act like us, but we're completely different people."
"You really do read too much." Shizuru teased. The rest of the ride was spent in a comfortable silence. After taking three wrong turns they pulled up to a huge three story mansion.
"This place is huge." Macey's mouth was ajar in pure awe. Shizuru seized the moment to get in a teasing remark, "Is Macey trying to catch flies?"
As soon as the comment left her lips the teen's jaw clamped shut, her face turning a nice shade of pink. This prompting a chuckle from the ruby eyed young woman. Outside of the car Shizuru started walking towards the house, but was stopped in mid-stride by the girl still standing next to her precious car, "Shizuru."
The Kyoto native turned to face her with a smile letting the other know she could continue, "I'm sorry."
"For what?" now it was her turn to look perplexed. Macey's eyes stayed on the ground, "For telling you those things. They're not your problems to worry about."
Red orbs softened as she walked over to the girl. She looked like a puppy that had been abandoned by her master and came crawling back with her tail between her legs. Her brown eyed gaze stayed on the ground until she was pulled into a hug, "That's what friends are for."
"Yeah, friends." she mumbled into the other girl's shoulder. The moment was broken by a voice behind them, "Ahem."
Both girl's looked over Shizuru's shoulder to see Saki watching them with her arms crossed.
"Hello, Saki-san." Shizuru greeted with a polite smile, though her grip on the girl, whose blood was rushing to her face, didn't slacken in the slightest. Saki nodded, trying oh so hard not to glare at the older woman, "Hello, Shizuru-san, Macey."
"So formal already, Saki-san." Shizuru observed with a hint of annoyance.
"So possessive already, Shizuru-san." Saki snickered as they started a glaring contest. This did not look good at all from a certain third party's point of view.
"Um, excuse me." Macey drew attention to herself, "I'm still here." she waved her arms in the air frantically to prove that she hadn't disappeared during their short conversation. Finally the brunette let go of the shorter girl, who now wore an irritated expression on her face. Her brown eyed gaze darted from one girl to the other with evident annoyance before she walked pass them to the house. Her face turning red as her stomach let out a growl of hunger. The sound of the other two giggling behind her didn't help the blood rush any. It only made her face turn a darker shade.
"Come in. You can join us for lunch." Saki smiled at her. She took the dirty blonde haired girl's hand and led into the house with Shizuru close behind to keep an eye on them. More importantly on Saki. They slipped their shoes off at the door, and at Saki's request two more places were set for their guest. Macey was failing to hide her excitement when she saw she would be eating traditional Japanese food. They were served curry rice, fukujinsuke, akamiso, and sencha.
"Itadakimasu." could be heard around the table before everyone picked up their chopsticks to eat. Shizuru wasn't sure why but she was proud of the teen sitting next to her that seemed to know exactly what to do with what dish. Heck she almost forgot the russet eyed girl wasn't from Japan. Without missing a beat at the end of the meal Macey smiled happily, "Gochisoosama deshita."
"So, Macey what kimono are you going to wear for the party?" Saki asked politely.
"Kimono?" she echoed like a parrot, "Shizuru, you never-"
"Ara. Did I forget to mention that?" she smiled all too innocently for Macey's likeing. This was not a good sign for the teen; and just when she figured out a way to get out of wearing that dress. She started pouting subconsciously as she tried to remember why she had agreed to come to this party in the first place.
"Not to worry. I have one for you." Shizuru assured the teen before she took her hand in her own to lead her to one of the guest bedroom.
"What? When? I mean, what about that dress?" she frantically fumbled to form a complete question that was more than one word long.
"I had my driver deliver it here." she explained, "The dress was because Macey said she didn't own one."
"That was a waste of money." the girl being pulled along mumbled to herself. It's not like she was going to wear it anytime soon.
"What was that?" crimson eyes fell on her menacingly.
"Nothing." she squeaked with a nervous grin. Suddenly they stopped in front of a door causing Macey to shudder slightly. She didn't like where this was going. Shizuru opened the door and led her in. There was a box sitting on the bed being shot death glares at by a certain teenager with long dirty blonde hair. Opening the box she saw an orange kimono with leaves of the Japanese maples on it.
"It's beautiful." she commented, but then as Shizuru made her way back to the door she whined, "Shizuru."
"Yes?" she turned around with that overly innocent smile plastered on her face once more. The poor girl's eyes were pleading, "I don't know how to put this on."
"Really? I thought..." she trailed off in a voice that mocked innocence while an impish grin turned the corners of her mouth upward. Macey sent her that 'yeah right' look before looking back at the kimono in the box, "Don't make me say it."
"Say what?" she was trying so hard not to laugh at the frustrated teen before her. Macey's eye twitched and she was ready to pull out her hair. She took a deep breathe to calm herself for what she was about to do. She then asked in a low voice, "Could you help... I can't believe I'm doing this. Could you help put it... on?"
The face she was making suggested those words hurt her physically to say them. Shizuru had to bring her hand to her mouth as she chuckled to herself. The now blushing teen snapped, "It's not funny."
Unfortunately this only encouraged the laughter. Once the laughter died down Shizuru spoke up, "It's Macey's fault for being so cute when she pouts and blushes."
Macey puffed out her cheeks childishly, crossing her arms with a huff. That's when Shizuru came up behind her, "Forgive me." she requested as she wrapped her arms around the girl's waist almost reflexively.
"No." she answered stubbornly.
"Hai." Shizuru sighed, letting go of the teen. She turned around and started once more for the door, counting down in her head mentally. Right on cue Macey voice could be heard, "Wait." she gritted her teeth, "Fine. Just help me out."
Shizuru just turned around to answer her with an impish grin. What have I done? Macey gulped. She didn't like this smile one bit.
"Strip." she ordered quite seriously.
"What?" the younger of the two squeaked.
"You can't wear that shirt and those shorts under the kimono." the chestnut haired young woman explained. Macey nodded slowly, "Um, right."
The brown eyed girl hesitantly took off her hat followed by her shirt then her shorts to reveal her black lace undergarments, and a scar running vertically from her belly button down. Upon remembering their conversation in the car Shizuru reached out, and ran her finger along it causing the girl to jump back with a giggle, "Stop that!"
Shizuru took note that her shorter friend was ticklish, saving it in the back of her mind for later use. Now she wanted to know just exactly how she got the scar in the first place.
"How did Macey get such a scar?" her voice was laced with interest. Macey shrugged as if it were nothing and to her it was, "I had my appendix removed. No biggie."
"I see." she nodded in a relieved fashion, glad that the girl hadn't done that herself. The dirty blonde haired teen took the kimono out of the box, "So, what goes where?" she asked to change the subject. Shizuru didn't say anything about it but instead started helping the Cajun into her kimono. Once the whole process was over Macey spun around once, "How does it look?"
"It looks great. It seems to be a bit long though." the other answered thoughtfully before fixing it so it didn't seem so long on the short teen. Shizuru then handed her a pair of zori and tabi to put on. The teen did so as the crimson eyed woman went put on her own purple kimono adorned with flowers and leaves.
"I'm bored." Macey sighed from her seat on the bed, "We still have an hour to kill."
"If you didn't drive so fast to get here." Shizuru stated matter of factly. She then smiled mischievously, "Or were you in a hurry to see Saki-san?"
"No." she blushed from the accusation, "I just like speed. I don't like driving slowly."
Shizuru chuckled lightly at the girl's outburst. Though it would seem she found another similarity between her best friend and her quick friend. Part of her wished they weren't so similar, but another part of her was glad for the familiarity. Falling back onto the bed with soft thud Macey sighed. Her life had truely taken a much different path than she thought it would. She smiled happily despite her attempts to look annoyed. Even if it was only for a few days life, for once, was interesting. Unfortunately for the dirty blonde haired teen for every action there is an equal but opposite reaction; meaning where there's excitement, there's annoyance.
A moment later Saki burst through the doors all too happily. She ignored Shizuru as she made her way to the teen on the bed. Immidiately taking the russet eyed girl's hand in her own, before she could protest Saki began talking, "I want to show you around my home."
"But I-" she started voice, but was cut off by the dark eyed girl, "I insist."
She grinned back at the girl broadly as she continued walking, and dragging her hostage as Macey liked to think of herself. Shizuru followed behind them closely. The ruby eyed beauty disliked Saki and vice versa. She couldn't remember exactly why they seemed to hate each other. All she knew was that the two decided to be disgusted with the other on their first meeting. Neither of them tried to change the other's opionion, only trying to one up the other instead. Shizuru watched silently as Macey annoyance grew into interest as time pasted them by.
She seemed to like the paintings and stories of various objects around the mansion. She paid extra attention to legends, being fasinated by them so easily. Macey, though she had tried unsuccessfully to hide it, had enjoyed the tour. The only down part was when they went to the back yard where the family dogs were held. She had wanted to go play with them, but was held back by Saki saying it would damage her kimono. Closer to two Saki had to go change for the party herself, reluctantly leaving the two females alone. Once she was gone Shizuru turned her attention back to the girl, whose gaze was currently out the window watching the two labs play with each other.
"Did Macey enjoy the tour?" she asked though she knew the answer. She wanted to see what reaction she would get out of the girl.
"It was alright, I guess." Macey tried to play it off cooly even as excitement seeped into her words. She tore her gaze from the dogs outside to the other girl in the spacious room. Her happy eyes trumpted her bored smile, "It would have been better had I been able to play with the puppies."
Shizuru smiled at her in an amused fashion. The gradfather clock striking two filled the comfortable silence.
"Perhaps we should make our way to the common room?" Shizuru suggested lightly, while the only reply she got was a nod. The two made their way to room, taking only one wrong turn along the way. They walked at a slow pace thanks to the Kyoto native, though she couldn't wait to get her hands on a cup of tea. Macey was visibly getting frustrated beside her, but spoken nothing of it. Shizuru just watched with obvious amusement as the girl next to her started tapping her fingers against her legs anxiously. Finally after what felt like ages to Macey they made it to the living room, where many people were already gathered.
"I really dislike crowds." she whispered mainly to herself, though she spoke loud enough for Shizuru to hear her small complaint.
"Ara. Doesn't Macey have to deal with crowds at school?" the crimson eyed woman inquired glancing at the shorter girl. Macey nodded, then explained, "Yes, but there I can get in and out. Here I have no idea when I'll be getting out."
The strain in her voice was evident, but as they started talking to others a smile took over her visage. She spoke politely and acted like a perfect lady. It seemed so out of character for her, not that Shizuru was acting much different. She quickly took notice of how the teen knew when to speak, when to compliment, and how she knew exactly what to do to appeal to person she was speaking with. The party itself wasn't that bad. They served drinks and snacks, of course Macey was mainly getting snacks whenever she could. She had to sneak them behind Shizuru's back because of the unhealthy amount the teen wanted to consume. It was getting hard for her to do this and avoid Saki, but somehow she managed to do both things successfully.
Nearly four hours later and the party was starting to come to an end. While Macey was feeling the affects of smiling so much Shizuru was feeling the affects of drinking too much. Throughout the night she had been switching from tea to sake and back again. It had taken a while, but she was finally getting tipsy. Her speech was lightly slurred, and her face had a touch of pink to it. Her russet eyed companion had wisely stuck to water. They went back to the room from earlier to change back into their normal clothes. Thanks to her intoxicated mind Shizuru had to lean on Macey for support while they walked.
"I don't believe I've ever seen Macey smile so much." Shizuru stated as she slipped on her shirt.
"I think my face is stuck." the other responded having already been finished and was currently folding their kimonos. She massaged the sides of her face to relax the muscles and all at once her smile was gone. She let out a sigh of relief just before Shizuru made another druken observation, "Do you always look ready for Halloween?"
"Yes." came the snappish response followed by a blush, "I happen to like these colors."
Shizuru brought her hand to her mouth as she giggled, "Macey looks so cute when she blushes, just like Natsuki."
"That's nice. Why don't you keep thinking about Natsuki, and keep me out of any fantasies you might have about her." she stated as she placed the two kimonos into the box for easy transport. After Macey folded everything and brought it out to the car she had to go back for Shizuru. They told Saki and Ke-sama good evening and thanked them for the invitation to the party. The glaring contest between the two continued until Macey forcefully dragged Shizuru to the car to leave. After all she still had two hours of driving ahead of her, and with Shizuru like this it was going to be a long ride.
"I'm gonna have to stop for gas before we get back to Shreveport." Macey announced to no one in particular with minimal irritation. All this driving across Louisiana was not good for her budget.
"Are you mad?" Shizuru asked curiously eyeing the girl.
"Not really." she answered honestly, "I like traveling, so I don't mind the driving. I just wish I could get more miles to the gallon."
"Okay." she smiled childishly as she laid her head on Macey's shoulder. All Macey could wonder about was why the seatbelt wasn't holding her back. Damn things never worked when you wanted them to.
"Are you always this clingy when you drink?" she inquired taking one hand off the steering wheel to turn a curve.
"I don't know. I don't drink often." the fair haired young woman informed, "The last time I drank I was with Natsuki so I guess I was."
Halfway through the not so silent ride because of Shizuru, who knew she could talk so much when drunk, the former hime was drifting off. Macey was thankful for this development, at least until they got to the hotel. That's when Macey wanted to curse the effects of alchol when not so long ago they were her friend. After helping the older woman up to the room she dropped her on the bed, took off her shoes, and pulled the covers over her sleeping form. Once again she called home to say she'd be sleeping over at the hotel and made herself comfy on the couch. Sleep came surprisingly quick to her aching body.
Sometime during the night Shizuru stirred from her slumber to go to the bathroom. Upon coming out she found the teen curled up on the beige sofa. A smile had formed on her lips due to the pleasent dream she was having. Shizuru glided past her to return to bed, but found sleep wouldn't come. She felt cold all of a sudden, and it was a familiar cold. It was that lonely type of cold that grips at people who want so badly for someone to be next to them. She sat up slowly glancing over at the sleeping girl on the sofa. Deciding she didn't want this feeling anymore she walked over to the teen.
"Macey." she whispered as she poked the girl's arm causing her face to scrunch up in dismay for being disturbed. The dirty blonde haired girl tried to shoe the finger away but it didn't work.
"Come lay down with me." she requested in a continued whisper. She was surprised when the teen allowed her to lead her to the bed. Unbeknowst to Shizuru the request was one the girl had heard a thousand times before. So of course her fuzzy brain agreed without thinking about who it was making the request. Shizuru pulled the girl close to her and covered them with the blanket. The warmth of the other person drove the loneliness away to allow for sleep again.
A/N: But wait that's not all. Since I was gone for so long I decided to do a bit of a side story to elaborate on Shizuru's dreams. It will be through the view point of the past Shizuru, not this one. I might do this every time our favorite ex-kaichou has a dream of a memory. It depends on how you guys like this one. Hope you enjoy.
Side-story chapter one: The Meeting
I remember well the first time I laid eyes on Natsuki's younger sister. They were half sisters from what I learned from my best friend and personal bodyguard. She had told me the story of how her father had an affair with another woman that ultimately came to bare a child. My colbalt haired friend truely detested the girl for reasons I didn't understand. She had never met the young woman that resembled her a bit until she was hired by my father to be a guard. The russet eyed girl seemed nice enough when she walked into my chambers with a slight amount of hesitation in the standard green and brown uniform of the guards.
"Shizuru-sama." she bowed respectfully to me then to the younger woman standing next to me, "Natsuki-san."
"Macey-san." I greeted back with my usual calm smile from my seat with a cup of tea in my hands. I heard Natsuki grunt, but not reply. Her eyes didn't stay on me long for they had wondered to Natsuki. This intrigued me for not many people found it easy to look away from me.
"Natsuki-san, I know you don't like me," the emerald eyed woman snorted at the understatement, "but I think you should know that Father always talked about you when he visited. You should also know that I envyed how much you saw him compared to me. I always wanted to meet you even though I knew that would never happen. Now I wonder if I made the wrong decision by coming here. Unfortunately some mistakes can't be fixed so easily."
The sad tone was evident, along with a hint of an apologetic tone. She bowed once more to us before leaving the room silently. Once she was gone Natsuki walked over to bed, taking a seat and letting out a sigh.
"Perhaps you should give her a chance." I suggested before taking another sip of tea, "After all she isn't the one that committed the crime."
The blue and black clad officer waved her hand in the air, "I know."
"Then why do you blame her?" I pushed lightly. I didn't want her to get angry with me over something that seemed so trivial to me.
"I... don't know." she admitted slowly as if it pained her to do so. I took another sip of tea thoughtfully. I just may have had to intervene if Natsuki didn't take matters into her own hands. I was relieved to know that a couple of days after this event Natsuki had a proper conversation with the younger girl. When she came back from their meeting she was smiling lightly. Of course I teased her about it, but she just blushed without a word. She then began disappearing regularly to visit her sister. I began to feel lonely after some time so I started joining them in the garden.
Macey showed no sign of minding the extra company. Apparently I wasn't the only one feeling left out since Natsuki's faithful wolf, Duran, was nuzzling his master's arm for some attention. One day our meeting was disturbed by a guard running into the peaceful surroundings with news, "Patrol has spotted suspious activity near the south wall."
"Oi." Natsuki sighed as she stood up. My colbalt haired bodyguard motioned to me with her hand, "Watch her until I get back." she instructed the girl sitting on the ground next to me. The dirty blonde haired girl nodded as her half sister ran off with Duran at her heels. The sound of movement to my right caused me to turn my attention to the young woman that was now standing.
"It must be tiresome to keep that smile on after a while." she commented in a lazy tone. She stretched her arms a bit as she continued, "You know masks aren't meant to be woren all the time, no matter how pretty they are."
Did she just call me pretty or was she talking figurativly? I stared at her for a moment before smiling, "My aren't we the observant one."
"Being that way can mean the difference between life and death." she shrugged as if it were nothing. She held out her hand to help me up, so I took it. Once standing I dusted off my violet kimono. That's when we heard the twig snap. The sound of shuriken slicing through the air soon followed. I closed my crimson eyes in wait for the impact the never came.
Instead metal clashing against metal echoed in my ears. I opened my eyes slowly to see Macey standing in front of me with one of her swords drawn, and the three shuriken laying at her feet. Without warning more projectiles came, but this time from two different directions. Quickly she drew her other sword from its hilt to block the objects.
"Stay behind me and don't move." she instructed to which I obeyed. Trust me I did not feel like being used as target practice by these people. Macey switched the blade in her right hand into her left so she could pick up some of the fallen weapons. Her eyes darted everywhere until she threw the items in her hand at a clump of trees before blocking more with both her swords in one hand. Putting her sword back in her right hand, she swung her sword horizontally to return the fired projectiles. I heard a thud just before Natsuki came out through the doors with her pistols in her hands. That put a stop to the thrown objects thankfully.
Later we discovered there were two men firing at us that day. One got away, but the other was injured because of Macey. Though she suffered a small cut to the arm she laughed it off by saying she had been hit with worse. We learned the disturbance by the south wall was just a distraction for the real attack in the garden. The men hadn't known about Macey being there so it was a surprise for them. I tried to forget her words, but I couldn't. It was offical she had my full attention and interest.
I ponder for a long time what gave it away. After all it had taken Natsuki a while to realize I wasn't perfect like most believed I was, but it had only taken her a matter of days. I began stending more time with her to study her. I learned a few things by doing this. I learned she too wore a mask, though it wasn't for the same reason I did, I learned she could also shoot a gun almost as well as Natsuki, I learned she liked the piano, and I learned more things as time went on. I hadn't realized it until it was too late, what she was doing to me. You see during this time I learned that I had unexpectedly fallen in love with my best friend's little sister.
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Omake:
Macey: Natsuki was right Saki is weird.
Natsuki: Told ya.
Macey: (nodding) I should listen to you more.
Natsuki: HA! See Shizuru even the American says I should be listened to more.
Macey: (-_-) American? Was that supposed to be an insult?
Natsuki: You are an American. Why would it be an insult?
Macey: (Shrugs) It just felt like one.