"Please speak slowly. My heart is learning."
Disclaimer: I don't own Mai Otome or Mai HiME just the plot for the story.
Chapter 6 – Days on end
The white mansion at the end of the street lay in perfect silence, and although it was brightened by hundreds of lights it looked empty and cold. Tomoe didn't even notice that the house gave away somewhat of a sterile atmosphere and neither did Shizuru, who was used to living in some sort of palace. Only Natsuki was standing in awe in front of the entrance to take in the enormous size of the building. She never understood why people needed so much space to live especially with only one daughter. Wait, does she have siblings? I don't know anything about her.
"Do you have siblings?" Natsuki asked bluntly as ever while she stepped inside the hallway. Tomoe and Shizuru both gave her an incredulous look before glancing at each other with mischief.
"Is Natsuki probably looking for a possible fiancé?" Shizuru teased the now confused girl.
"We have yet to figure out if my brother would fit her needs though." Tomoe added in a sarcastic tone.
"Huh?" What, are they ganging up against me now? The great Kuga can't be outdone! She sighed dramatically, which was not only unusual, but also absolutely weird for the famous ice-queen. "And here I was hoping for a sister." Natsuki countered calmly. It was completely new to Natsuki to make her husky voice sound so daring, but judging by the reaction of her predators she did quite well. Tomoe's jaw hung open, while Shizuru's gaze mirrored complete confusion. Don't mess with me! Natsuki thought as she felt utterly cool, though not only in a good way, but also in a kind of chilly way. Her biker suit was still soaked and the night air hadn't helped much either. She was freezing, and she needed to get out of that stuff as soon as possible. Tomoe sneezed in agreement before embracing herself to stop shivering.
"Ara, the two of you better get changed right away." The Kyoto-beauty stated as she walked over to Natsuki in attempts of warming the girl by rubbing up and down the slender arms. Natsuki slightly blushed under the touch, and Tomoe felt as if she was interrupting some kind of intimate moment. That's just because Natsuki is so damn innocent when it comes to such things. I bet even a handshake would make that girl blush. It's not that the rubbing would help anyone anyways…
"Shizuru-san!" The loud and jolly shout made Natsuki jump. Not only that it seemed to come from right behind her, but also the fact that it was a low male voice confused her deeply. When she looked past the Kyoto-girl, she saw a rather embarrassed looking Tomoe who smiled friendly over Natsuki's shoulder. Shizuru stopped the rubbing, and flashed one of her polite smiles behind the raven-haired girl as well.
"Good evening Marguerite-sama, what a pleasure to see you." The Kyoto-ben passed Natsuki's ear and floated through the room; the usual mask of perfection right in place.
"Didn't I tell you to drop the formalities? I'll let it slip this time though since you look absolutely stunning as ever."
"Ara, you're flattering me, Hideo-san." Both, Natsuki and Tomoe could tell that Shizuru's overjoyed voice was faked, but neither of them said anything against it. It was Shizuru after all.
"And I fear I'll never stop to. My daughter sure has the best taste in women." The man was now standing next to Natsuki. Before the raven-haired girl turned to take a closer look, she caught sight of Tomoe slightly blushing under the man's comment. The man had short brown hair and the same gray eyes as the jade-haired girl. He looked fairly young, and Natsuki wasn't sure if he really was Tomoe's father or not, but then the girl was still young herself. So it might not be too farfetched.
Becoming aware that he was being looked up and down by the stranger, Hideo tore his gaze off of Shizuru, to take a closer look at the other guest.
"See something you like?" He said with a flashing smile that caught the biker girl completely off-guard along with the words.
"Err…" She stuttered before turning bright red.
"Adorable aren't you?" He said as he took in the unusual outfit of the raven-haired girl.
Tomoe had always been slightly annoyed with her flirtatious father, but today it was even worse. Not only was he complimenting Shizuru as always, but now he also started to hit on Natsuki. It bugged her, and she was in no mood to let the play go on for long.
"Father, this is Natsuki Kuga. A very good friend of mine." Tomoe proclaimed a little too happy for Shizuru's likings.
"As I said the best taste in women…" Father just doesn't know when to stop…
"Alright, that's enough for tonight. Natsuki and I need to get changed as you can see we're soaking wet." The jade-haired girl did her best too hide the annoyance in her voice, but her glaring berated her.
"Right, now that you mention it." Not very threatened by his daughter's look, Mr. Marguerite gave both girls and interesting glance. Tomoe snorted lightly, and finally he let it go. "Alright, alright. Go change then. I will kidnap Shizuru for the time being." He smiled and turned his attention back to the Kyoto-born with an intense tone. "If she doesn't mind of course." Shizuru's eyes spoke volumes of displeasure about the idea, but her good manners stopped her from denying.
Natsuki had seen the discontentment in her friend's eyes, and was a bit worried to leave her like that, but then it was Shizuru's decision to go along with it just because she felt obligated to do so. The raven-haired girl had never understood why someone would bother to do things if they don't want to. When the young jade-haired girl turned around to check on her, Natsuki finally tore her eyes away from the room where Shizuru had just disappeared into, and started walking upstairs. The silence between them was a bit awkward, and somehow the raven-haired girl felt the need to fill it.
"Nice house."
"I personally think it's a bit too big, but thanks nonetheless." came the nonchalant respond.
"Yeah, nobody needs this much space."
"Apparently the ego of my dad does." Tomoe made a goofy face, bringing out a smile on Natsuki's usual stern expression. "This is my room." She gestured, towards the door in front of them.
"So this is where the princess lives, huh?" The raven-haired girl didn't mean to tease the middle schooler, but apparently the words provoked a light blush.
"At least my palace isn't carved out of ice." Tomoe snapped as she hurried through the door.
"Oi!..." When Natsuki entered the room, she had to admit that palace wasn't too far fetched. It was big and she instantly felt lost. A canopy bed occupied most of the opposite wall, leaving only a small spot for a nightstand. There were a lot of candles scattered over the room, and Natsuki couldn't help but think that Tomoe probably had a maid who would light them in the evening. Otherwise the girl would be pretty busy every day. A massive ebony wardrobe on the right wall was a notable contrast to the window front at the other side of the room.
"Fancy…" Natsuki said, her tone a bit sarcastic as she found the whole house way over the top. Tomoe only snorted, and walked over to the wardrobe. She doubted she had anything that would fit the biker girl, but she couldn't let Natsuki run around naked, could she? Especially not with Shizuru Onee-sama around… Who knows what her blood pressure would do to her? Fumbling through her clothes she finally found a shirt that looked somewhat adequate for her guest along with a pair of jeans that should somehow fit as they always had been a bit too long for the jade-haired girl.
"There you go." She handed the clothes over to a skeptical looking Natsuki and turned around to find some for herself. When she didn't hear a sound behind her back she turned back to make sure the biker hadn't suddenly disappeared into thin air. But there she was, standing in the same spot with the clothes in her hand, giving her an incredulous look.
"Don't give me that look. I don't have anything that would match your taste. If you can call it that." The sarcasm was so clear that even Natsuki got it instantly.
"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" The girl barked with her arms akimbo.
"Nothing, I just don't have a leather fetish." Tomoe couldn't hide the light chuckle that had forced its way out.
"What…" Natsuki was about to jump on the little brat, but something told her not to.
"Are you going to change now or what?"
"In the same room?"
"Excuse me?" At first Tomoe had no idea what Natsuki meant, but after she looked at the defensive position the girl was in she finally got what the older girl was referring to. She didn't quite know how to respond though. Was she really supposed to leave the room just because Natsuki had issues? No, somebody should teach the girl not to act so shyly. "Ahem, we're both girls so where's the problem?"
"Ri… right." A light blush rose to her cheeks and Tomoe really didn't know if she found it ridiculous or rather cute. It makes no sense that someone rough like her can be so cute, damn it!
"You really are way too innocent." The middle schooler said, finally giving in to the discomfort of her opposite. After all they needed to get changed, and she felt no desire to torture the girl any longer than necessary… or at all… anymore.
"Thanks…" Natsuki mumbled before placing the clothes on the desk to unzip her leather suit, revealing a black bra with matching panties. As she reached out for the shirt, her gaze suddenly drifted over the wall above the desk. At first she didn't really know what to make of it, but after a few seconds she realized what it was, and she wasn't sure if she found it hilarious or creepy. The wall was practically wallpapered with pictures, news articles and all imaginable stuff concerning Shizuru. She is obsessed… or maybe possessed. Who knows… Poor girl.
The silence behind her made Tomoe a bit nervous, and she thought about the possibility of taking a peek and getting her ass kicked or to just waiting for the other girl to say something. She decided it couldn't hurt too much, and slowly turned around a bit. Her first reflex was to snap her head back in a slight blush, when she was greeted with bare skin of her upper-upperclassmen that was only covered with underwear. But after another second she realized why Natsuki was standing there so completely distracted. Crap! How could I forget about that?!
"Stop looking at that! It's called privacy!"
"It's called being nuts, and… Oi! How do you know I was looking at…" She hastily tried to cover as much as she could as she turned around with a flushed face to meet furious gray eyes. "Don't you start about privacy with me you perv!"
"Perv?! You were not supposed to see that!"
"Same to you!"
"Oh come on, you're not the first girl I've see in underwear." Although the first that looks so stunning…
"Still, you weren't supposed to turn around." The raven-haired girl barked in embarrassment.
"And you weren't supposed to look at my private things."
"It's not very discrete to have your wall papered with Shizuru, is it?"
"You're right…" Natsuki could see the rage burning in Tomoe's eyes, and as the younger girl started stamping over to her, she was a bit afraid that she was about to get physically harmed this time. But Tomoe didn't even bother to give her another look as she rushed to the desk, starting to rip the stuff off the wall that Natsuki had bemused a minute ago.
"Wait! What are you crazy now?" She couldn't believe her eyes as she watched Tomoe going nuts. And so she threw herself on the younger girl in order to prevent her from doing something she might regret later.
"Get off of me!" Tomoe struggled and fought against Natsuki the best she could, but the biker was strong.
"No, not until you stop this madness!"
Tomoe turned around with tears in her eyes. "It must be really funny to see me this pathetic. It sure is easy for someone like you… for the one person, who Shizuru Onee-sama always has her eyes on. But don't you dare laugh about people who were trying to fight for the person they love. Even if it was all in vain!" The middle schooler desperately tried to free her hands from Natsuki's firm grip, but the biker didn't intend to let go before the girl calmed down. Tomoe was stronger than she had thought, and so she had real trouble keeping control over the situation. It was a mere battle of wills fought with their hands, and just when she thought she had won, Tomoe shoved her backwards. Her back crashed against the desk, while the younger one practically landed on top of her. They were somehow leaning against the wooden piece of furniture while Natsuki still held onto Tomoe's wrists. Tomoe's face was a little flushed from the tears, and the sight somehow really got to the black-haired girl. She felt sorry for making fun of her about something that seemed to hurt the younger one so deeply.
"I'm sorry, Tomoe. I didn't mean to make fun of you. You are right. I don't know how it feels to fight for someone you love that way. But sometimes you have to let go of a dream if it turns out to be a nightmare."
The middle schooler was rendered speechless. Her gray eyes felt hypnotized by the warm gaze, and the sincerity of the words. I wonder if this ribbon-thing is somehow bewitching me… or maybe it really is her… That can't be. She's is Natsuki Kuga, the famous ice-queen, the enemy… she is… beautiful…
Natsuki looked straight into the gray eyes and was glad to see the tension lift. It was replaced by something she hadn't seen before. At least not while Tomoe had been looking at her.
Not really aware of her movements it took the jade-haired girl awhile to realize that her head was inwardly inching closer to Natsuki's. She had no idea why this was happening but some kind of invisible force seemed to push her closer. She couldn't think, she couldn't fight, all she could do was wait for what was coming next. Their heads were now fairly close. So close that Natsuki's eyes widened in slight shock. The biker had no idea what she should do. Or what her opposite was about to do. She felt helpless, and although she was the one who had a hold on the younger girl, she somehow couldn't bring herself to stop her. Their closeness felt awkward, but not in a bad way. She didn't feel forced to do anything. This had always been her greatest fear around Shizuru. The knowing that the older girl expected something of her she didn't know if she was ever able to give. Natsuki had always been threatened after the Kyoto-girl had forced these things on her during the carnival, and she had always felt trapped in guilt, but this was different. She was the one in control. She could stop this, but somehow she didn't feel the need to push away. It was as if she wanted to see what was about to happen. And just when she felt the warm and unsteady breath of the jade-haired girl, the silence was torn apart by an icy and devastating voice.
"I didn't know you'd become that close to my fanclub-leader, Natsuki. It seems I must have missed some things…" Both heads snapped around in unison under the Kyoto-ben that sounded anything but soft and alluring right now.
"Shizuru…" Natsuki didn't know why her voice sounded so weak, but seeing that deadly look in the red eyes reminded her of the carnival, and of the monster the chestnut-haired girl had been.
"You don't have to apologize, Natsuki. You didn't do anything wrong." Tomoe's voice was steady and strong as she peered into the menacing rubies. "It's not very polite to come into a room without knocking."
"It's not very polite to molest my most precious person either." The accent made everything so smooth but still the words somehow sliced through the air.
"I wasn't molesting her." Tomoe jumped away from Natsuki with clenched fists.
"It sure looks like that though." Shizuru let her eyes wander over the barely dressed form of Natsuki, making the girl blush before she put on the shirt and the jeans.
"Shizuru, she wasn't molesting me." Natsuki explained after she was fully dressed again.
"There's no need to defend her, my dear Natsuki. You really are too good of a person so I can't blame you for falling for her cheap tricks." A smile formed at the corner of her lips as she gave the biker-girl a light nod.
"Like what?!" The jade-haired girl instantly snapped over the insult.
"Cheap tricks?" Natsuki's gaze was puzzled. She had no idea what to make of Shizuru's words. Had she been tricked by the younger one?
"Tomoe, did you really think I would allow you to toy around with my Natsuki just to get closer to me. I know that you used her in order to receive my attention. What a sad person you are. Did you really think this would work?" Shizuru's voice was so hurtful that Tomoe instantly felt like a toddler who had been done something reckless. The chestnut-haired woman sure knew how to threaten people.
"I… I wasn't…" Tomoe stuttered, her hands now merely shaking instead of being clenched into fists. Natsuki could see the change in the younger girl's behavior and felt the need to stop this bullying.
"Shizuru, stop it. It's not her fault. It's mine. I tied that stupid ribbon thing around the railing in the glass hall. I didn't know that stuff would actually work." It was the only reasonable explanation she could think of by now. Why else would Tomoe suddenly act that way around her? It was her fault. Although she had to admit she didn't mind the closeness from before. It felt weird, but not particularly in a bad way. At least she didn't feel threatened or cornered. Something she felt a lot around the ever teasing Kyoto-girl.
"Ara, Natsuki. You do not seriously believe it has something to do with that? Didn't you see that she was just acting? She was fooling you. Isn't that right, Tomoe?" The piercing red eyes wandered back to the middle schooler, trying to break the last fighting spirit.
Tomoe looked at Natsuki with a pained expression while the biker was just looking utterly confused. "I… It's not like that. I mean she's right. The ribbon-thing was just a farce and originally I wanted to get to know my enemy better, but…" She averted her gaze, and started to stare insecurely at the floor instead. "Things have changed. I don't consider you as my enemy anymore. You're much more than that now…"
"What? Your super-enemy?" The raven-haired girl didn't really know what to make of the news. Was she really so easy to be fooled? She honestly had believed that Tomoe did like her somehow.
"No! I really… I do like you… like… ahem… a lot… Maybe the ribbon did work somehow." A small blush formed the cheeks of the still insecure girl. The whole scenario made Shizuru sick, and she felt the urgent need to step in once more.
"Don't be ridiculous." Shizuru said way louder than everyone would have expected the famous Kaichou to speak before she turned to the emerald-eyed girl. "Natsuki, don't be fooled by her. We all know she's obsessed with me. Just look behind you." She was pointing at the former shrine that now looked like Tomoe felt.
"Not anymore…" Tomoe's voice sounded as if she was about to crack as whispered her words twice. "Not anymore."
"Ara, you're obsessed with Natsuki now, then?" The voice of the Kyoto was full of disdain.
"I am not obsessed. I like her. She's very kind." Tomoe said, meaning every single word of it, but Shizuru was quick to shoot back.
"She is. Not very fitting for you, don't you think?"
"And neither for you." Tomoe said, her voice still sounding weak.
"Would you two just stop it? Where's the sense in this kind of conversation?" Natsuki hated to see the two girls fighting each other over… her? Whatever the real reason behind this was, she wouldn't allow breaking the middle schooler anymore. She knew Tomoe had suffered enough because of Shizuru, and having the chestnut-haired girl talk to her like this would only make things way worse.
"I am just trying to make you see that she is using you." Shizuru said, her voice now almost apologetic.
"I told you I am not." Even if Tomoe was afraid of the Kaichou, she wouldn't let her spill lies about her intentions with Natsuki.
"Enough already." Geez, these two just don't know when to stop.
"I really do like you, Natsuki…" Tomoe's words stopped Natsuki's trail of thoughts instantly, and let her eyes wander back to the shorter girl to find two gray orbs that were looking directly into hers. Right now, she couldn't help but believe what the girl had just said. Maybe she was a fool, or maybe Tomoe really meant what she said.
"Don't you dare…" Shizuru's voice, now dangerously low, once more tore the moment apart.
"Don't I dare what?" Tomoe asked, her voice now a lot calmer and stronger than before.
"Take her from me." It was odd to hear such honesty coming from the always reserved girl, but when it came to Natsuki there was no need to beat around the bush.
"You don't own her. You never have…" The jade-haired girl wasn't sure if that was true, but after everything Natsuki had told her, and what she herself had seen, she was fairly sure that at least half of it was true.
"Shizuru! Stop it, please."
"But Natsuki… she's trying to cheat you away from me."
The raven-haired girl knew that she was probably the only one who could put an end to this conversation. "She is right… you don't own me."
"Natsuki…you do belong to me…" Now it was Shizuru's voice that was cracking.
"I don't… I can't." It pained Natsuki to say these words directly into her friends face, but she felt it was about time to have a clear stand.
"But this is Tomoe…" Shizuru couldn't believe what she heard.
"I know." Natsuki averted her gaze, not able to look in the hurt eyes any longer than necessary, but Shizuru searched hers. The older girl had cleared her throat a little for finding the strength to say the next words.
"So you chose her, someone you barely know, over me?" Natsuki knew it was her chance to free herself and also Shizuru from the dark cloud that had been hovering over her relationship ever since the carnival. She turned around to search Tomoe's gaze and found it. The gray eyes looked at her with curiosity, but also with a kind of reassurance that she had been looking for. After what seemed like an eternity, Natsuki finally brought her gaze back to Shizuru. She gave her an apologetic smile before stating her last apology.
"I'm sorry."
A/N: And this is it. I am sorry it took me like forever to finish the story. I was busy with my other story and also very busy my real life.
To my readers: Things are messy but I am trying to update "She came at dawn" as soon as possible. I have already written half of the new chapter. So, don't worry the update will come soon.