Treasured

Chapter III: Together We Ride

Disclaimer: Don't you wish I did own it now? Joking D:

A/N: Big apology for the hold-up. Not abandoning this fic 'cause I like the idea too much as well as the couple. I've been getting a lot of work these past few weeks and I just came back from my trip to China.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year you guys!

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Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.

- Dorothy Thompson

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Natsuki couldn't believe it. Here she was, being carried like some bride across town in the arms of a graceful adventurer she met moments ago.

The stinging wind forced Natsuki to turn her head away from the fierce winds that blew. Unfortunately for Natsuki, her burning face happened to be mere inches from a voluptuous chest. The girl nervously gulped and tried to find any kind of distraction to stop her eyes from casting a glimpse at the contour of the woman's body.

Perhaps if she look up then…

It was no use, just as Natsuki glanced at the woman's face to avert her eyes from the bouncing mass, crimson eyes immediately met her own emerald orbs consequently allowing the awkwardness to seep into the everlasting wind that blew viciously around them. Though much to the shorter girl's relief the brief staring contest broke off as she felt them slow to a halt at the edge of a particular low roof of an old warehouse. The bricks under the chestnut haired woman clicked and slid noisily alerting them of the unstable material below them that could possibly give in at any given time.

Natsuki didn't realize that her eyes were still ogling at the woman's face until she looked down again followed by a teasing grin. A mixed feeling of embarrassment, and admiration surged through Natsuki's spine as her cheeks burned intensely despite her desperate attempt to remain calm. It felt strange and foreign. The dark haired girl was never used to feeling this way. She had always been showered with compliments ever puberty and none of it affected her like until now- let alone the woman didn't even utter a word of praise. How the hell did this woman easily penetrate the cold mask that had taken so long to built ever since Mashiro-hime had broken it. What did she do to… to…

"We're here." Came the exotic purr-like voice of the chestnut haired woman. To Natsuki's surprise, they were no longer on the roof.

They were back at the docks.

This had brought a wave of nostalgia to Natsuki replacing the uncomfortable warmth of the other woman's body with serenity. Waves crashed against the sturdy wooden dock and the moaning and lurching of the ocean brought a sense of euphoria to its listeners. Much to the girl's profound relief her legs had finally touched ground as well.

"You haven't told me your name yet."

Once again, the lulling voice broke the everlasting silence, thus making Natsuki snap back to reality. It took whatever was left of her pride to compose herself back to normal and think of something quick.

The shorter woman made sure not to make eye contact with her, but instead, her eyes trailed along her body which was no better. The white blouse that nicely hugged every curve of her upper torso proved to be quite revealing. Matching loose pants, a brown leather belt, and leather boots that the woman wore were also in style this month. It was the "pirate look" as some named it. Natsuki was pretty sure that this "monthly" style would last a lot longer than a month.

Though this concluded that the woman had taste… even the two long boxes that hung on her back with the help of a strap looked good. If it weren't for this lady, then she would have ended up as mayonnaise cheesecake.

A raindrop had splattered onto the cold rocks of the docking ground, followed by a light drizzle. The fog was starting to dissipate as its watery contents combined itself with the rain.

A new instrument had joined the symphony.

'Right, she wants my name.' Ignoring the amused look on the other female's face, Natsuki fumbled for names in her head. She had to find one and quick. There was no way she'd let this woman know who she really was, or else her pride would completely shatter. 'Nat?- No. Kruger?- Nope. Shiznat?- What the hell kind of name was that? Then what about Mashiro?- Nah, too famous. Damn it I can't think of one…'

"M-muh-nayme. I-it's Shizuru…" Pause. "Uhh… Shizuru Kuga."

Natsuki patiently awaited for the other woman's introduction as formal conversations went, however the chestnut haired beauty had broken into a pleasant laughter. Her pride had disappeared after all. "What's so funny?" Natsuki demanded in her usual cold tone, impatience apparent in her voice.

The laughter died down gradually as the woman regained her composure, though Natsuki knew that she was still inwardly laughing, and ridiculizing her. "Ah…" Her eyes, full of amusement blinked back Natsuki's flustered reflection. "Is that so?" she asked, a small, barely visible blush appeared on her cheeks. "Then it is a coincidence Shizuru-san. My name happens to also be Shizuru. Shizuru Viola Fujino." She smiled as Natsuki's eyes widened.

Shizuru Viola Fujino… was her name?

The pirate that had… she was…

Or maybe it was just pure coincidence that this woman had the same name as that famous pirate.

"I have come to take you away Natsuki-kun." Shizuru stated. The rumors were all true- she had come. The one pirate that had injured Mashiro-sama, was here to get her. To top it all off, she knew all along that she was the soon-to-be queen of Artai.

Natsuki couldn't think clearly anymore. She was able to hear her blood pulse through her ears. What was she feeling right now? The need to avenge? Anger? The information that had reached her brain did not process quite well. How could a famous pirate like her just appear out of nowhere, save her from the Wanderer, and reveal her true intentions?

Now that Natsuki thought about it, this pirate did fit all descriptions that Shizuru Viola Fujino possessed. Beautiful, elegant, spectacular…

During the little time they got to know each other, it was hard to believe that a woman such as her would be blamed of ungraceful acts upon Mashiro-hime.

"Mashiro…" Natsuki whispered to herself, unaware that the woman in front of her had clearly heard her as well. Her fists clenched as anger started to boil up into her thoughts. The girl knew what she had to do. There was no way she'd be able to outrun this Shizuru, and so the only option left was to fight. "How dare you taint Mashiro-hime." Natsuki growled. Her guns were already raised towards the woman's face as its clinking mechanism alerted Shizuru of its hostility.

It seemed Shizuru was slightly taken aback by Natsuki's sudden accusation. Her eyes widened a little, but the solemn expression returned to her features as quickly as the sorrowful glint in her eyes had disappeared. "I am assuming that you will not cooperate?"

"You're damn right." Natsuki snarled as she pulled onto the trigger who successively fired a bullet. Though despite the close distance, the pirate had moved just in time right before the gun had even went off, thus allowing her to narrowly escape her death.

"So I've heard." Started Shizuru who now wielded two, thin, and golden swords that gleamed brightly. The boxes that previously hung on her shoulders were ripped open as its remnants were left to scatter away on the ground. "That you happened to be skilled at gunmanship." She gracefully took a step back, giving both of them some distance.

Small droplets of water splashed onto the deck as loud rumbles and roars reverberated across the sky. The storm had arrived.

The drizzle had soon turned into a downpour, quickly forming puddles across the wide deck. A big mirror soon glazed over the wooden dock as ripples contorted the image projected above. It was Mother Nature's way of witnessing the conflicts that humans inflicted upon each other… Like a huge flat-screen TV with bad reception if you will.

"Oh yeah?" Natsuki replied, eyes menacingly narrowed. "Well I've heard that you're one nasty lesbian rapist." A bluff. Hopefully Shizuru's mask would crack under this assumption…

But it didn't. Instead the woman chuckled once again and smiled. "That's not entirely true." Her blouse had now almost become fully transparent. Its fabric stuck to Shizuru's skin outlining her bra.

The black haired girl scowled. She won't lose to this woman.

Her guns could only load four bullets each at a time. It was the latest model, but it did have more disadvantages over advantages. Now, only two bullets remained in each, which could prove to be a difficult handicap to cope with.

The puddles splashed.

Natsuki fired once at the pirate who had narrowly dodged it by dashing in a zig-zag-like fashion.

Two bullet left, and three seconds to react.

Another shot was fired.

PING!-

-KLING! –KLING!

Natsuki's bullet had in fact reached Shizuru, but with a graceful flick of her swords, both the bullet, and the guns had dropped onto the distorting mirror.

Although having lost both her weapons, the girl did not lose her determination. The anger that boiled within her was enough to remind her of how hard she could punch, like that time she beat the pompous leader of the navy single-handedly and weaponless. This was no different, and Natsuki knew what she had to do.

The tip of the first golden sword had come lunging for her shoulder, but the shorter girl quickly ducked and caught the wrist of the attacker like that woman had previously done to her. Crimson eyes glinted in amusement, but it only added to the anger that Natsuki felt. Just as the other sword came to cut her in two, with the speed and accuracy fit of a high ranked officer, its blade stopped mid-way as the arm of its wielder was binded by another.

Natsuki took the opportunity at her open opponent as she kicked Shizuru in the ribs as hard as she could. The impact had caused her leg to protest in pain, but it was worth it. Shizuru had been knocked down into the watery wooden boards of the dock as one of her swords spun in the air and landed dully a couple of meters further.

Now was her chance- she had to retrieve the right gun and end this fight with the dealing blow… but which held the last bullet? Natsuki never liked relying on luck for the simple fact that she never seemed to have any but she didn't have enough time to contemplate. It was all or nothing.

The girl quickly dived for the gun that lay closest to her while the pirate took her time to stand up. Without further ado Natsuki held up her gun, aimed for Shizuru's heart and-

A blur of gold had caught the gunner off guard. The ribbon-like movement was too fast for Natsuki to follow. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, her arms, and legs suddenly clasped themselves against her binded body while metallic-like clumps painfully dug into her clothes and skin.

It took the girl a whole minute to intake what had just happened. The previously long sword had been decomposed into several fragmented blades connected by wires forming a whip-like weapon. This had to be something the South developed- unseen by Artai's greedy technologic knowledge.

Something had stopped the midnight-haired girl from spinning, and flying towards her enemy whom appeared to be but a blur just about now. Whatever it was, it was soft, and strong, yet wet. But as soon as her head snapped up to see where she was, Shizuru's face was now very clear, and mere inches away from hers.

The gunner now lay in the arms of her enemy soaked to the bone and speechless from the attack. Her gun was still readily poised in her hand, but Natsuki couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger and send Shizuru to hell. Both of them were at each other's mercy. They could end each other's life at their will- but no one moved.

Natsuki grinded her teeth together for the millionth time that day. Her fingers twitched. "I have to do this…" She thought to herself, fully aware that her life could end within the next seconds.

"What are you waiting for? Shoot me." Whispered Shizuru, a small smile forming on her full lips.

"Don't tell me what to do." Natsuki snapped-

--and pulled the trigger.

A satisfying bang was what Natsuki anticipated, but instead, the monotonous click of the ignition signaled the lack of a bullet. The girl gasped inwardly to herself, she was doomed. It was over, she lost- and now her head would be sliced off like how her guns had previously been stripped from her hands with one single and graceful flick of a sword.

Everything felt like time had slowed. Perhaps it was a little demonstration from Death whose objective was to show Natsuki how the pain of getting her neck sliced in two by the hands of a pirate truly felt like. It could be some sort of punishment to marry the king that had taken away so many lives, and namely those of pirates.

Ironically, despite the oath to save her country, Natsuki couldn't help but ask herself, how she would be greeted in the afterlife.

How did it feel to die?

It was as if time had never returned to normal. The hot blade that had been fated to slit her pale throat never came. Instead, Natsuki could feel soft lips brush against hers. Arms had snaked around her waist and pulled her closer, against the now wet, but familiar body that had once pressed against her before. She was too shocked to react. If death felt like what Natsuki was feeling right now, then she'd gladly die, over, and over again.

After what seemed like an eternity, Shizuru pulled away from the kiss but her face remained relatively close to Natsuki's. Her expression was impossible to read yet it was familiar.

Familiar and very similar to someone Natsuki considered as a very dear friend.

"Nat-su-ki." Came the hushed purr of a accent from the south. "We promised." The grief was audible much to Natsuki's confusion. The shorter girl wanted to run away, push this person as far as possible or even load a bullet and pull the trigger but it proved futile. Their eyes were locked to each other. "We promised to sail together and overcome our fear of the ocean." Shizuru whispered again as Natsuki's thoughts revolved around her brain. The imaginary hole that had been dug by the claws of guilt had started to bleed from her shell heart as this woman spoke nonsense... How and why did this person know of this promise?

Overhead, a low rumble within the clouded sky accompanied by the pitter-patter of the harmonic rain had broken the ambience of the symphony replacing it with an intense beat. "You remembered my name… My real name…" A streak of light had illuminated the dark sky and Shizuru's face as it struck land further away. The deafening roar that echoed throughout the great sky had almost been but a little buzz through the ears of the woman that stood above the mirror deck. Natsuki felt a dull throb at her head, confusion digging into her brain. "Nat-su-ki. I have come for you."

The realization hit Natsuki like a slap across the face. If it was really who she thought this woman was, then how come… Why a pirate? What about those rumours? What about the princess? Was she lying? Her emerald eyes refused to budge from those crimson orbs. "Ma-shiro?" Came her barely audible, and unintended whisper. The question was more of a statement, but the midnight-haired girl feared the truth. "B-but… that's impossible- she… you…"

"There is much to explain…" The woman sighed as a small smile had returned to her lips- to Natsuki's odd relief. Chestnut curls that once bounced voluminously against the wind had become beautifully sleek from the rain as her attention-seeking semi-transparent blouse became soaked. Natsuki had become finally aware that their wet bodies were almost entangled into each other- and the fact that Shizuru almost seemed completely naked added to the terrible heat that overwhelmed her face with a deep shade of crimson. Natsuki was drenched herself from foot to toe, but her dark garments prevented her from revealing any skin.

Eyes quickly averted from Shizuru to the large puddles below their feet, as her flushed cheeks burned feverishly despite the cold rain that continued to softly drum against her. Neither of them made a move to distance themselves. With a small puff of irritation, the dark haired woman pulled her coat off and wrapped it around the taller girl who's smile turned into the one of an amused teenager.

"Ara? Is Natsuki concerned about me?" She asked teasingly. The tension between the two had been released a little.

"Women aren't supposed to expose so much as their faces here in Artai." Natsuki replied sternly, her expression still looking as if it was in between skeptism, and relief. As the golden silence settled in once more, Natsuki took this opportunity to process the information that had just been announced. If this pirate- as most would assume- was lying, then Natsuki would surely make sure that she would be dead by sunset. No one mocked the leader of the Marksman Division, and especially not a pirate. Natsuki wasn't a gullible moron who saw the good in every crook… but somehow, she felt the sincerity, and the truth behind those crimson eyes. It was hard to explain, and even harder to admit.

The fog had now completely disappeared from town, leaving its watery contents in its wake as it reflected the world above from a different perspective. Droplets of rain had considerably slowed, but peace did not return to the storming ocean.

Natsuki's features had considerably softened but her eyes refused to meet the ones of the woman who revealed herself as a pirate, her best friend's violator, and her best friend herself.

Shizuru wrapped Natsuki's coat a little more tightly around her shoulders before lowering her head. The soft, and lulling voice held a small hint of sadness, "If you do not believe me, then please take your time to reflect on the possibilities."

The pirate had read her mind.

A finger brushed against Natsuki's lower jaw, and with a slight tug, it had brought her to face Shizuru once more… and for the millionth time that day, her lush, green eyes met the fiery red once again. "I'll be waiting for your answer."

As if on cue, loud footfalls stampeded across each side of the harbor, guns and swords pointed at the taller woman. Collective gasps of the Artailka, and excited remarks from the students that had decided to tag along had now destroyed the beautiful harmony that nature had replayed over and over.

Shizuru was outnumbered, and no matter how good she was- it would be impossible to wipe out all the soldiers at once. Gunmen were even present, and while the woman would be too busy battling off the close-ranged, a bullet would surely wound or possibly kill her.

But that was when Natsuki understood… she knew that if they went back to the harbor soldiers would find them quickly…

Shizuru had planned this all along.

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A/N: Ho crap, Shizuru's ebil. She's making Natsuki choose to go with her or not- or else she dies. Plus, now Natsuki's torn between believing she's her best friend or some scamming pirate. Le gasp-ers.

Now you know what to do to make Thriced work thrice as hard. Review!

Here comes the next preview.

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Short extract of Chapter IV: Condemned

The sound of clicking boots against the cold stone of the staircase that led to a dungeon below the large castle had alarmed Shizuru of a new arrival. Her eyes slowly glimpsed at the battered door which screeched while being pushed open as a figure stood in its wake, eager eyes scanning the dimly lit dungeon. Only when they reached the outline of the chestnut-haired victim whom was pinned against the wall with chains, had they stopped swivelling about from cell to cell.

Cold, and rough metal rubbed against Shizuru's delicate skin as her body hung a few inches off from the stone floor. The shackles that binded her to this cell lightly jingled as the pirate slowly turned to meet the greedy stare that approached her.

The soft flickering of the few torches hooked on the walls had finally revealed to the pinned woman who had come to visit her.

Black, and red garnished the clothing of the shorter lady's clothing, as a particular symbol waved onto the bosom of her vest. The symbol had the national Artai emblem carved in the middle, but what had caught Shizuru's attention, was that broken circle that encircled the emblem. The wearer of that symbol had been particularly known to pirates as their reputation had them marked for life. They were known as the official pirate torturers and executors.

"My name is Tomoe Marguerite. I am honoured to finally meet you Fujino-sama." She approached Shizuru, a shy smile appearing on her lips as a whip, now fully visible was tightly clutched in her hand. "Please allow me to perform my duty. I will make sure that you get the most out of it before your execution tomorrow."

Psst. As most of you should have noticed that the preview given in the last chapter did not exactly match with the chapter itself.

Time to make you guys piss yourselves from excitement. I think…

I need your opinion on a new Mai Hime/Otome fanfic. Both ideas will eventually turn into a fic, but which would you rather read first?

The first idea will take place in older times where vampires used to roam the land…

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Summary of idea 1:

As a cold-blooded vampire-slaughterer, Natsuki had learned how to become fearless in the eyes of a bloodsucker. Though upon meeting one of the few vampires that remained on the continent, her life had taken an abrupt when she is forced to assassinate one of the most powerful vampires of their era; Shizuru Fujino. Shiznat

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The second one will take place once again in the medieval time period where kings and queens ruled.

Summary of idea 2:

Natsuki finds herself as a prisoner of war during the North's invasion in the South. Though just before her execution, the highest ranked knight of the elite South Division intervenes and frees her under particular conditions. Shiznat