The Commencement Ball
Chapter 7
That night the dance continued. Natsuki walked back into ball hand in hand with Shizuru. Her dress was wrinkled and dirtied. She cleaned what she could, but in the end, she knew people would stare.
Heck let them stare.
"Natsuki, are you sure about this?"
"Yes, I will dance with you tonight. I will talk with everyone tomorrow. I can afford this for myself and for you."
"What about dinner?"
"Afterwards." She smiled.
--
Dinner was indeed started soon and the dance floor was getting less and less populated. Shizuru knew this and it was what had her concerned. Soon only the people who remained were the cleaning crew.
"Principle-san!" Arika shouted. Yayoi and the others clapped. Nao smirked and shook her head.
"Natsuki, so many people can see us."
Natsuki just smiled and took her shoulder. They danced even with the music fading out.
"Natsuki." Shizuru was beside herself. Natsuki is so out of her way tonight. She thought.
A green haired girl in a tux walked over to the DJ and smiled. The music was turned up a bit. Natsuki looked away from them and back to her dance partner. "I have one more thing to ask of you."
"You may ask me as you wish."
Tomoe took Miya's hand and danced along side them. Natsuki was not alarmed by this. Shizuru was alarmed since she noticed no concern in her friend's eyes. Something was happening here.
Akito stood up. He didn't know what to think of the sight. Yukito ran over to him. "You just going to gawk at them?"
"I shouldn't intrude anymore." Akito tried to resign himself.
"Let me intrude, you woo her!" He dragged him onto the dance floor.
Tomoe danced around Natsuki and Shizuru and placed herself almost between them and the tables.
Natsuki and Shizuru saw the approaching idiots, "Sorry." Natsuki whispered.
"Hmm?" Shizuru blinked.
"Natsuki, if you may be so willing to dance. I'd like to share the floor with you." He was bumped into by Tomoe. "Hey, watch it."
"Watch?" Tomoe turned to him. "I believe you are interfering with our dance."
Yukito studied her closely; the tuxedo was throwing his observational skills off. She was very effeminate. Very dangerous. Yet, she was a student here.
"I would like it if you would not do so." Tomoe smiled.
"Natsuki." He looked to her.
Natsuki ignored him. Tomoe grinned, "I don't care if you are some powerful diplomat; you will not interfere with our dance." She stepped on his foot. "Now please dance with your boyfriend or leave." She smirked more. Miya had to laugh.
"Why you." He pushed her away to get her off his foot. Miya promptly popped a vein and slugged him one.
Natsuki blinked. Shizuru also blinked. Tomoe was blinking for some time.
"Damn it!" Yukito limped away holding his face. Akito bowed and left with him.
--
After the dance, Natsuki and Shizuru sat at a table together. They had finished dinner without any major interruptions. Some students had managed to share their joy seeing them dance together. In the end, they were wondering what absurdity awaited them. Natsuki had wanted Tomoe to scare them off, but this was well… not what she had in mind. She wanted to shrug it off, but she'd never hear the end of it.
She also had to explain it to everyone later. She bowed her head above her plate in defeat.
"Natsuki?" Shizuru thought to help, but what could be done.
Tomoe and Miya walked by. Miya had a bandage on her hand and was blushing out of embarrassment. Natsuki looked over and smiled weakly. Tomoe watched Shizuru for a bit, but Miya prodded her side. Tomoe politely excused herself. She helped Miya to a seat at a nearby table. Seems everything was more or less in order, but it never was.
Yukito walked over and took a seat next to them without a word. He had a bandage on his nose and a sour look on his face. He took a moment to compose himself. "I am deeply sorry for the scene I made over there."
"You went through enough for that, forget about it." Natsuki shook it off.
"Thank you, dear sister. Shizuru-san, I also wish to apologize to you for imposing myself as I have."
Shizuru kept her calm, "It's nothing. It is what you do." She thought about it after she said it. If people would fall head over heals for him, he wouldn't have imposed as much. Seems she was the stud and he was the fan boy this time. She much preferred the little fan girls.
"If I may offer you dinner tomorrow night to make up for it, maybe, somewhere in the city away from here?"
"Dinner?" Shizuru looked to Natsuki whom had her eyelids half closed in return.
"Natsuki, you ignored Akito-san once again. Father will not like to hear how you have been obstinate once again."
"So you wish I do something about that?" Natsuki gave him the same look.
"For father, I wish you to have a good time, even if it should not work out. We will be here one more day. At least try."
"Look, tomorrow is tomorrow. Leave 'us' be and 'alone' for tonight." She swore the man was dense.
"I understand."
--
The next day, Natsuki and Shizuru were in their formal school attire. They had gotten up early and were ready to see everyone. They had separate tours from classroom to classroom; hundreds of students and even more parents to meet and talk to. To think the day before was hectic.
Natsuki took it with a smile. This was what she was more accustomed to. All the paper work, all the talks, all the meetings. She had her job because she could do these things and was able to do them as well as she could. It was the intimacy that she hated. Not all intimacy was bad, but she swore when she got the job so long ago that she'd put work first. As long as she felt her role was needed more. Shizuru had agreed and waited for so long. Natsuki knew this, but in the end it was a silent pact made without much talk or planning.
She had changed her plans just a bit. Yet, she had patience and confidence. She knew what she had to do and not even her career mattered now.
Frankly, she liked that motorcycle she acquired during the war.
--
"Akito-kun." Yukito grabbed him by the arm and pulled him off to the side. "This is your last chance to win Natsuki over. We should be able to get dinner tonight arranged. I'm just waiting on their call or maybe one will call you about it. I gave them our information."
"I understand, but I still don't think we should."
"Nonsense, girls dance with each other all the time. They are good friends. Now let's get ready for the dinner. I've a few restaurants in mind and some food groups to recommend." He winked.
"I see."
--
Hours later in the courtyard, they found some time to be together. "Shizuru." Natsuki stopped walking and turned to her. The air was crisp and pleasant. Soft chatter of people in the distance mixed with the birds and the sound of the trees.
"Yes?" Shizuru smiled as she did when she was truly happy. Not that smile she gave to everyone else. She had been through much, but the follies of men meant nothing when she could see Natsuki blush or stutter.
"I'm sorry for all this, it wasn't as romantic or pleasant as I'd of liked."
"Natsuki isn't romantic?" Shizuru shifted her smile a bit and Natsuki tried to shake the annoyed feeling off.
"I'm sorry I don't have trumpets."
"Ara, did you plan on bringing them?" she smiled.
Natsuki knew she was happy; she was messing with her again. Fine, "Would you have liked them?"
"Yes."
Natsuki blinked. "No you wouldn't."
"Fu fu," Shizuru laughed in her dainty yet devious way. Natsuki had often wondered if she enjoyed the laughter or not, but she loved her good and bad sides. It's what made her who she was.
"Shizuru, I'll do it right. No pageantry, nothing special about it. It's not as important." She took the box from her purse and opened it, "I wish for your hand."
Even if she suspected it, tears fell. Shizuru held her right hand out. "You may."
--
That evening, "Where is she?" Yukito sighed. He had gotten no phone calls. No messages. Nothing. "Will she dine with me or not?" He cursed her vagueness and silence. He walked across the hall to the reception area and grabbed a phone. "There must be a good explanation for this."
--
In a bedroom, "What?" Natsuki tried to catch her breath. "Whose the prick calling us now?" she smirked.
"Natsuki's not done yet, I'll answer."
"No, you shouldn't, this is my room. Sorry." She licked her lips and grabbed the ringing phone. "Yes?"
"Ah Natsuki, you're there. I was wondering where I may find Shizuru-san?" Yukito smiled.
"Ah, she's busy." Natsuki's eyes went wide as she was rolled over on the bed. "Ah!"
"Eh?" Yukito's eyebrow rose. He could hear the giggling and breathing, "My, you seem busy yourself. I'll have a look around. Good night." He hung up.
"Shizuru!" Natsuki laughed and jammed the phone on the receiver.
"Did I do something wrong?" She feigned guilt.
"No, never mind, come here."
--
"Heh, some how my sister and sex seems like a foreign concept." He shrugged. "Wait, who? She's not even married!" Anger grew and he had to get to the bottom of this. He prided himself on knowing her so well. He'd often speak of her, but now it seemed he knew nothing and he didn't know to hate himself or her more for this discrepancy. "There's no way it could be Akito." he made a run for the room. "If that guy is forcing himself for my sake, I'm going to kill him!"
--
Not far away, "Stood up." Akito sighed. "Maybe I should call." He walked to the reception area.
He dialed.
--
"Hey, not so fast!" Natsuki grabbed at her hand.
"Maybe this then?" Shizuru smirked.
The phone rang again. "Damn it!" Natsuki laughed.
"I'll answer this time."
"No, don't leave me like this!"
"Ara, Natsuki is breathing far too erratically for phone call."
"Whose fault is that?" she rolled on her side.
Shizuru picked up the phone on the third ring. "Hello."
"Viola-san, I understood this to be Natsuki's phone?"
"Yes, we share a building together."
"Ah, that's right. I was hoping to see what was keeping her. We sort of made dinner plans. Ok, Yukito-san did."
"Oh, whatever could be keeping her?" Shizuru licked her finger.
"Heh, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" he had to laugh a bit at her coyness. It seemed a rare treat.
"Oh, interrupting? Hmm, I wonder."
Natsuki almost looked like she was in pain. She glared at her and decided to take things into her own hands. She got up and pulled her down on the bed.
"Ah!" Shizuru laughed.
Akito blinked, "I'll call another time. Good night." He hung up. He walked over and fell onto a chair. "Yukito, could he?" He put a fist to his cheek and tapped his foot. "That bastard better not be." He got up and headed for the exit.
--
"Natsuki." Shizuru smiled.
"Who was that?"
"Your fiancée."
"That can't be good."
--
"If that guy is in there…" Yukito made his way through the building to the bedroom door. He found it locked. "Damn it!"
He heard moaning and laughing inside. "Damn… it!" He banged his shoulder into the door. The sounds stopped.
Akito ran up to him. "You're not in there?"
"Why would I be in there?" He took it as an offence.
"I called and heard…"
"For crying out loud, I thought you were in there!"
"Why would I be in there?" Now Akito was mad.
"Damn it!" he kicked the door and broke the hinge. The door fell to the floor.
"…."
"…."
Shizuru grabbed onto her tightly, covering her body. Shizuru's glare made them both cringe from head to toe.
"Yuki, I'm going to kick your ass!" Natsuki shouted.