DISCLAIMER DISCLAIMER: Zomg this chapter is huge! But like the giant nucleus of a plutonium atom inside a nuclear bomb, it promised me great and terrible consequences if I attempted to split it. So here it is in its entirety. Enjoy. Also: I'm so glad that the Mai/Nat is finally getting me a bit of righteous indignation ^_^ It's always fun to see how much enthusiasm people have in this fandom, cheers to you. (Even though you are probably yunno... not reading this now. tch.) If you have constructive critique, please log in so I can ask for details, otherwise how will I be able to fix it? To anyone still reading this fic despite the controversial not-quite-relationship and the glaring problems as far as characterization go, I hope you enjoy. -.o (Oh and roses-r-red? This MaiNat is for you.)
AN: It gets a bit more crossovery here than normal, but I hope that my dear readers will bear with me and accept my decision to not move the posting to the crossover section. I still feel like its ratio of HiME/Buffy would leave any pure Buffy fans much too confused. The main episodes referenced are Hush, Who Are You and New Moon Rising for any readers wanting to see them. And since you're all here and enjoy yuri, I know that if you somehow haven't seen them before you'll want to. ^^
-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-
Student Council Room, Friday April 20, 2000
Natsuki walked into the Student Council Room without knocking, this time feeling less nervous about her presence here since she knew for certain that Shizuru wasn't angry with her. She did still feel a little unwelcome; since Reito practically living here still made this definitely enemy territory. Her feelings of discomfort amplified when she noticed that Tate was here; apparently he had decided to run for class representative since he wasn't going to be doing kendo competitions this year. She couldn't believe that she was actually feeling uncomfortable around one of her oldest friends, but since she knew how he felt about Mai, she couldn't help but worry that he must have noticed her strange behaviour yesterday.
Also, she might not be worried about Shizuru being angry with her, but she was nervous about being around her long time crush when she knew Mai liked her. And she definitely returned Mai's affections despite the fact that her feelings for Shizuru hadn't changed either... it was all enough to leave Natsuki feeling very confused. But it had been Mai who had insisted that Natsuki should go spend time with Shizuru this afternoon. Her roommate had said that she didn't want to allow her own potential jealousy to stop Natsuki from seeing her best friend, and that Natsuki shouldn't worry about Mai but instead have fun since this weekend they'd have plenty enough to worry about when they performed the Ritual of Separation to locate the hostile spellcaster. Natsuki had reluctantly taken her friend's word for it, though she still had her doubts that Mai would be as unaffected by this situation as she let on.
"What are you doing here in the Student Council room Kuga-san?" Reito asked his polite tones thick with an undercurrent of disgust at the sight of the dark haired girl. "We are trying to take care of important business here."
Natsuki smirked at him, happy to be able to annoy the older boy. "I'm here to see if I can't talk Shizuru into shirking her duties."
Now Reito didn't even try to hide his disgust, a scowl on his handsome face as he turned to fully look at Natsuki, "I'm quite sure that Shizuru-chan doesn't need to be spending time with someone like you."
Natsuki was surprised when Tate was the one who came to her defence, "Dude Reito-kun, don't you think it's Shizuru-san's call if she wants to spend time with her friend? Besides, we aren't doing anything that we specifically need her input on. Shouldn't she have some fun for once? She's been working on these forms for which clubs get to use the different activities rooms harder than the rest of us have."
Haruka also scowled from her chair at Shizuru's right, "Still though, she shouldn't be allowing irresponsible people like Kuga to talk her into not keeping her responsibilities."
Natsuki turned her eyes to Haruka, studying Shizuru's loyal friend carefully. The Slayer might not have been as good at politics as most of the Student Council, but still she knew strategy; and 'divide and conquer' was an oldie but a goodie. "You can come with us if you want Haruka-san." She offered, for once using the polite honorific on the other girl's name. "We were planning on going to the arcade. If you wanted we could even stop by the school paper's office and kidnap Yukino-chan. She was just telling me the other day how much she misses seeing you." Natsuki bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing when Haruka blushed at the mention of her quiet mousey haired friend.
"Well... I've just been so busy with beginning of the year school admonistations... I miss her too though." Natsuki was impressed with how quickly Haruka gave into her suggestion. Perhaps for all her talk of responsibility, the blonde girl was secretly waiting for someone to talk her into cutting loose a bit. "That is a good idea, let's go Shizuru-chan." Haruka said enthusiastically.
Shizuru's lips turned up slightly in a hint of a smile as she stood gracefully from her chair at the head of the table and walked over to give Natsuki a hug. "Thank you for inviting Haruka-chan to come with us." Shizuru murmured in Natsuki's ear, "I really appreciate you making the effort to include her. My Natsuki is such a sweet girl." The tawny brunette giggled as Natsuki blushed as she always did when complimented by her.
"So you're both just skipping out on your responsibilities to spend time with that freak?" Reito asked Shizuru, dropping all pretence of even civility.
"Reito-kun, just give it a rest." Tate admonished his friend, looking at Natsuki apologetically. Natsuki clenched her fists nervously, a bit uncomfortable with him sticking up for her, since she was beginning to think that he definitely didn't realize that there was anything up with Mai.
"Thanks Tate." She said softly.
"Hey, no problem." Tate gave her a good-natured grin, "Unlike Mr. Stick-up-his-butt there, I know that Shizuru-san would cover for any of us if we wanted to take an afternoon off to go have some fun. You just help Shizuru-san to relax a little." He rubbed the goatee he was sporting these days thoughtfully and smirked as he added, "And maybe even teach Haruka-chan the meaning of the word."
"Oh shut up Shaggy." Haruka complained, standing now that she had finally finished packing all of the folders and writing utensils she had brought to the meeting in her backpack. "Kuga-san, you don't mind if me and Shizuru-chan drop our stuff off in our room first? I have to get my cellphone if we're going into the city, and I really don't want to wear my school uniform if we aren't going to be on campus."
Natsuki who was already wearing slightly ratty looking dark jeans and a long-sleeved Spiderman t-shirt smiled, "That's alright with me, I can understand not wanting to be groped on the bus. Lead the way Haruka-san."
Shizuru and Natsuki stood outside in the hall waiting for Haruka. Shizuru was leaning gracefully against the wall across from Natsuki, who was enjoying watching the play of the afternoon sun over her friend's face and the way it seemed to turn her hair to liquid gold. "Are you sure you didn't want to get changed out of your school uniform too?" Natsuki asked.
Shizuru smirked, "You know I don't really share Natsuki's aversion to skirts. And I trust my Natsuki to protect me from any perverted old men on the bus."
"Damn right I will." Natsuki growled as Shizuru giggled.
"Has Natsuki done something in particular to upset Reito-san recently?" Shizuru questioned, referring to Reito's uncharacteristic openly rude behaviour in the Student Council room.
"You noticed that huh?"
Shizuru smiled faintly, "Indeed. I would have to be a much more oblivious person to have missed it. I don't recall ever having seen Reito-san speak quite so directly about something that was bothering him."
Natsuki sighed glancing at the door, wondering when Haruka would be back out. "Well... let's just say he saw me practicing my um... hobby."
"Your hobby?" Shizuru questioned, then when she saw Natsuki's significant look her eyes widened. "Oh. That." Her light brows furrowed with considerable puzzlement, "I don't really see why that would cause him to act rudely to my Natsuki though. If anything one would think he would act more politely around her now that he knows."
Natsuki shrugged, "Yeah, I don't know. It was odd. I mean different people have different reactions to seeing something like that, but his was still strange. Like he wasn't really surprised to see that there were dangerous supernatural beings, he just seemed to think that I was one of them I guess?" She shook her head, not really sure how to describe just how strange his reaction was, "I guess his biggest concern was that you would be in danger by associating with me." Natsuki looked away from Shizuru, her green eyes full of sadness and guilt. That was the other reason she'd almost skipped out on her and Shizuru's date to spend time together this week. Midori being attacked made her really reluctant to allow anyone to see her and Shizuru together. She still wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing by seeing Shizuru today.
She looked back, startled when she felt warm fingers on her cheek brushing a stray lock of hair behind a small suddenly blushing ear. "I think he's wrong about that. Everyone is in danger all the time." Shizuru gave her one of the smiles that seemed reserved only for the Slayer, "And besides, even if he were right, I would risk many dangers to be Natsuki's friend."
"Shizuru..."
Suddenly the door to the room opened and Haruka was standing in the doorway blushing slightly and staring at them awkwardly, "Uh... I'm not interrupting anything am I?" She asked, taking in how close the two friends were standing, and Shizuru's hand caressing Natsuki's cheek.
Shizuru just gave Haruka a mysterious smile, "Not at all Haruka-chan. I was just getting a leaf out of Natsuki's hair." She smiled as she produced a green oak leaf in her hand, seemingly by magick. Natsuki blinked, startled by its sudden appearance even with her sharp reflexes, though she had indeed felt Shizuru pull something out of her hair.
Haruka shrugged, apparently more than happy to accept that explanation over the more awkward option that she had, in fact, interrupted something. "Oh, right then. Um... did you two want to go pick up Yukino-chan?" She asked, her cheeks colouring pink again.
Shizuru smiled sweetly at her friend as she grabbed Natsuki's hand. "Sure, I know that Yukino-san will be thrilled to see her Haruka-chan." Both Natsuki and Shizuru laughed when Haruka blushed redder and mumbled something under her breath, turning to head down the hall without a second glance at the other two girls.
"I can see why you said she's such a good friend for you Shizuru." Natsuki said softly to her best friend as they followed Haruka down the hallway to the stairwell, hand in hand. "She's even easier for you to tease than I am."
Shizuru giggled, "Natsuki has noticed that teasing is a vice of mine? My Natsuki knows me so well."
Natsuki snorted rudely, "Shizuru, I noticed that about you practically the first day I met you." They hurried down the stairs to where Haruka was waiting for them, holding the door to outside open politely.
"This was a good idea Kuga-san. It's a really nice day." Haruka said slowly as she walked beside the two friends, Shizuru walking between them.
Natsuki glanced around Shizuru at the strongly built blonde, noticing the way curls framed her surprisingly feminine face. It was the height of hypocrisy, but most of the time Haruka acted so tough that Natsuki forgot she was even a girl. Natsuki shrugged, "You need to get out and have fun more often."
"You know Kuga-san," Haruka added thoughtfully, "I used to think that you were just a lazy freeloader with no sense of responsibility. But I asked Shizuru-chan about it, and she told me how you were disadvantaged when you were younger, so maybe I've been a little too hard on you."
Natsuki glanced at Shizuru, "Disadvantaged?" she mouthed. Shizuru winced, her rusty eyes trying to quietly convey her apology. Natsuki sighed, really if Shizuru was in politics now, shouldn't she be better at lying? "Um... thanks Haruka-san. It's alright though; I appreciate how you're always looking out for Shizuru. It means a lot to me to know that she has such a good friend that she can count on. ...And please, just call me Natsuki. We've known each other for ages."
Haruka beamed widely, puffing out her wide chest proudly even as she blushed slightly, "Thank you Natsuki-san. And you better believe I won't let anyone try to take advantage of Shizuru-chan's kind nature!"
When they reached the office of the school paper, Natsuki entered what was basically a small copyroom with a few computers as though she lived there. "Hey Yukino! Look who's here to see you!" She called loudly, laughing when she could see the small spiky-haired girl wince even though she was across the room with her back turned. When the petite girl turned around and saw who Natsuki was referring to however, all of her embarrassment at being called out immediately faded.
"Haruka-chan!" She squeaked gleefully, running across the room to give the brightly blushing blonde an enthusiastic hug. Yukino had also changed out of her school uniform, and was wearing what Natsuki thought was a fairly adorable outfit consisting of overalls and a green and blue horizontal striped shirt. And Haruka clearly agrees with me. Natsuki observed with amusement.
"Hey Yukino-chan." Haruka said in what for her was a soft tone of voice as she carefully returned Yukino's hug, as though she were afraid she could crush her small friend. "Um... Shizuru-chan and her crazy friend there were wondering if you wanted to go to the city with us this afternoon? I think the plan was to go to the arcade."
Yukino grinned at hearing why Haruka had come to visit, but then winced slightly as she remembered that she was here in her club room for a reason. She glanced across the room at Kenji and Chie who weren't even pretending to not watch the amusing exchange. She grinned broader when both of her fellow newspaper volunteers just gave her thumbs up signs. "Just have some interesting gossip to tell me when you get back." Chie teased.
They all laughed when Yukino actually stuck her tongue out rudely at the tomboy, but then she smiled sweetly and responded politely, "Thanks you guys, I haven't gotten to see Haruka-chan much at all since school started."
Kenji smirked, "That's fine, it just means that Chie will have to actually do some work today instead of just goofing off on her cellphone."
Chie feigned a look of shocked hurt, "Who me?"
Shizuru giggled softly at their interactions, "Thank you again for sparing Yukino-san. I'll make sure to give the newspaper priority when we are looking at funding for special projects on the Student Council."
Natsuki's eyes widened, "They actually let the Student Council decide things about money?"
Shizuru gave one of her half-smiles, "Well, the administration double checks us to make sure we aren't using school resources irresponsibly, but yes we are the ones who determine that sort of thing."
Natsuki smirked, "Huh. Student Council is unexpectedly serious business."
Haruka glanced over at Natsuki "I'm surprised you would notice something like that."
"Eh, just because I'm apparently lazy doesn't mean I'm stupid yunno."
Several minutes later the four friends were standing out in front of the school administrative office at the bus stop on campus. Even though most of the students at their school were from well off families, the public bus was still the main mode of transportation for students looking to get into the city. After all, not all of them had guardians who were willing to go through the legal hoops required to get their children fake IDs. While they were waiting, Natsuki noticed Miyu walking along the sidewalk across the small street. Remembering that she hadn't seen the pale girl in class either yesterday or today, she leaned over to Shizuru and told her that she was going to go over and say hello, since she wanted to find out if Alyssa was feeling better.
Jogging across the street, dodging the vehicle of a disapproving faculty member, she approached the pale girl from behind, "Miyu-san!"
Hearing her name being called the pale haired girl stopped abruptly and stiffly turned to face Natsuki, "Kuga-san." She greeted flatly, with a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"Um... Hey Miyu-san... I was just wondering if your little sister, Alyssa-chan, was feeling alright? You said that she was needing medical treatment, and then you weren't in class the last couple of days. I was worried about her." Natsuki rambled, running a nervous hand through her long dark hair. She still couldn't place what exactly it was about Miyu that put her off guard. It wasn't that she found the girl attractive, though she wasn't unattractive. It wasn't even that she was slightly rude, since Reito was openly rude to her and didn't make her nervous at all, just annoyed. The Slayer concluded that it was something about those red eyes that she could tell were analyzing her minutely, but seemed to give nothing away of the pale girl's own emotions. Even Shizuru, who most people considered to be difficult to read, was an open book to Natsuki if she was studying her friend's eyes, but Miyu... there was something missing. Natsuki just wished she could figure out what exactly.
"Ojou-sama is fine." Miyu replied in clipped tones, seeming almost defensive. "And what business is it of Kuga-san's how my Ojou-sama's health is?"
Natsuki was taken aback by how hostile the other girl was being at what seemed to her a polite inquiry into the health of a younger sibling. But then Miyu is a very private person, perhaps she thinks I'm being too nosy. "I'm sorry Miyu-san; I guess it really isn't my business at all. I was just worried about her since you said she was sick, that's all. ...I guess it's a flaw of mine. I worry about people, even when I don't know them very well and it's not any of my business." Natsuki shrugged helplessly, hoping to convey to Miyu that she really hadn't meant any offence.
Miyu cocked her head to the side as she studied Natsuki for a moment, before speaking again slowly, her voice conveying some degree of confusion though her eyes remained the same impenetrable pools of red, "Then... Kuga-san is inquiring about my Ojou-sama's health because she wishes for her to recover?"
"Well of course." Natsuki replied, wondering what Miyu's upbringing was that she wouldn't assume that anyone, even a total stranger, would worry about the health of an innocent young girl like Alyssa. "I think most anyone would want to know that she was getting better Miyu-san, no one likes to think that someone's little sister is sick you know?"
"...So Kuga-san would be willing to help my Ojou-sama?" Miyu questioned.
Natsuki nodded slowly as she held the pale girl's unsettling gaze, attempting to convey her own sincerity, "If there was anything at all that I could do to help her, I would do it. Obviously there are some things that I just can't do under any circumstances, but if it was within my power, I would do what I could to help her."
Natsuki was startled when Miyu suddenly grabbed her hand in her own, cold smooth fingers around her wrist, "And why? Why would you be willing to help? What is my Ojou-sama to you?"
The Slayer clamped down on her first urge, which was to place some distance between herself and this strange girl who she felt rather uncomfortable being touched by. Obviously she has a difficult time trusting people; I need to answer honestly and clearly. "She's human Miyu-san. That's all... but sometimes that's all that someone needs to be for me to care about them a lot. I've heard her singing and seen how happy she makes you... I want her to be safe." Miyu seemed to listen very carefully to each word as Natsuki spoke them, her red eyes widening subtly in surprise as Natsuki reached the end of her statement.
"I... see." Miyu slowly released Natsuki's wrist, "I did not understand before."
Natsuki tried to smile reassuringly, even as she rubbed her wrist where Miyu had touched her. It tingled as though it had been exposed to a large amount of static electricity. "It's alright Miyu-san. I guess I just wanted to let you know that I was worried... and that I care..."
"I... Thank you Kuga-san." Miyu spoke the words slowly, almost as though saying them for the first time.
Natsuki glanced across the small street, noticing that the bus had arrived, "Um anyway, the bus is here so I should go." She gave the pale girl a small wave before quickly heading across the street, trying to make sure it only looked like she was rushing to catch the bus and not rushing to get further away from the uncanny girl with the cold red eyes.
Miyu watched the Champion go, with a strange stirring in her programming as her processors churned hard, trying to make sense of this new information. Her sensors indicated that the Champion was telling the truth: she did not want Alyssa to be hurt. But was that only because the Champion did not know what Alyssa was doing? Would the Champion be willing to help her Ojou-sama even if she knew? Miyu found herself momentarily frozen in place as her processors were overwhelmed with attempting to solve an equation with an ever increasing number of variables. The only thing the protector knew for certain was that her angel's future might depend on finding out the answer to this seemingly unsolvable question.
-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-
Apartment Complex, Tokyo; Same time
Yohko gave a sigh of relief as she finally pulled her small blue economy car into the badly maintained car park behind Midori's apartment building. She had stayed late after her already inhumanely long shift, grabbing a nap in the employee breakroom so she could finish up some paperwork. Normally she would have saved it for the next day, but she needed to do it sooner so that she would be able to help Midori with the Ritual of Separation tomorrow night. Now she wasn't sure what was even keeping her eyes open she was so exhausted. She wondered if she was getting old or if pulling shifts like this made her just as tired as a young resident and she simply didn't remember. Though to be fair to herself when she was a resident she didn't have a side hobby of helping out a couple of demon hunters in her off hours.
Grabbing her purse and slowly getting out of the car, she blinked in surprise at the sight that assaulted her vision. Then she blinked a few more times, hoping against hope that her eyes would tell her tired brain that it wasn't really seeing what it thought it was seeing. Growling quietly when she came to the conclusion that her brain wasn't deceiving her, the weary emergency room doctor half-heartedly made her way across the parking lot's cracked asphalt towards the source of her vexation.
"Midori, what the hell is that?"
At first the redhead didn't pick up on the annoyance in her lover's voice as she proudly showed off her new toy. "This is an all-terrain vehicle." She grinned, indicating the monstrosity that she was sitting on top of. The gleaming fire engine red, black tiger-striped vehicle looked something like a cross between a jeep, a monster truck and a four-wheeled motorcycle. Yohko thought that she wouldn't be shocked to learn that the mechanical beast was also a Transformer.
"Why do you have a recreational vehicle that is larger than your car?"
Midori blinked, finally realizing that maybe Yohko wasn't quite as thrilled about this fetching machine as she was. Running a soothing hand over the smooth red paint to reassure her new friend she tried to calmly explain to the doctor her reasons. Which were perfectly reasonable. "Well sweetie, Natsuki explained to me that the location we have to get to tomorrow evening is down a dirt road that my normal vehicle definitely would not survive. And we can't very well put four of us on her motorcycle can we?"
"I still can't believe you're letting an underage kid ride around this city full of crazy drivers on such a dangerous machine." Yohko glared, crossing her arms over her blue scrub-top clad chest, "Do you know how many mangled young people I have to try and put back together in my ER because of accidents they have on those things?"
Midori winced when she realized her attempt to get out of this argument may have inadvertently brought up an old one. The Watcher knew that even her made up reasons about having gotten Natsuki the motorcycle to help out with her slaying weren't going to fly with Yohko. Let alone her real reasons for getting Natsuki the little blue Kawasaki: she just couldn't stand seeing her Slayer so sad, and she had known that the motorcycle would cheer her up. Realizing that there was no way that she was winning this debate, the tall Englishwoman changed tactics. She jumped down off of the large vehicle, her worn brown boots landing soundlessly on the pavement. Slowly she approached the still annoyed doctor, her hazel eyes downcast, noticing how Yohko was now pointedly not looking at her at all.
Yohko felt herself screaming inwardly, wondering just how gullible Midori thought she was. Even though she knew exactly what the younger redhead was up to, she still refused to look her in the eyes, trying not to allow her the chance to work her charms. She shivered slightly when she felt a warm rough hand on her arm, caressing her soft skin lightly before trailing down to intertwine their fingers. She sighed slightly as Midori spoke in a hesitant, husky voice. She was lost. "Yohko... are you mad at me?"
The doctor finally turned annoyed, but affectionate blue eyes to her lover, "Yes actually. And yet for some reason I still love you. No matter how irresponsible and reckless I think you are." She felt her heart flutter a bit when instead of being amused at her giving in so easily, Midori simply caressed the hand she was holding and gazed at Yohko with concern. The doctor allowed her tired mind to be distracted by the way the late afternoon sun brought out gold flecks in her lover's eyes, making the redhead look a bit like the large feline that was her favourite animal. Some of her bright red hair had come loose from her always haphazard ponytail to frame her barely lined eyes and it would be easy for someone to mistake her for a woman fifteen years younger.
After a moment she noticed something, bringing her other hand up to gently brush the skin just over a red eyebrow that was smudged darker with what seemed to be motor oil. "How did that happen?" She asked, indicating the large cut that hadn't been there when she'd left for work yesterday. The thing probably should have butterfly stitches on it too, left the way it was it was going to scar.
"What?" Midori asked her voice puzzled for a moment as she leaned into the doctor's gentle touch. "...oh right the cut. You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you." She grinned as she tugged Yohko's hand in hers, leading her towards the building, eager to spend some time with her lover without giving her neighbours a free show.
Yohko let out an unlady-like snort of amusement, "I wouldn't believe you? You've told me some pretty crazy stories over the years."
Midori smirked, "Alright... well I got hit by a burst of energy released by my Natsuki and her witch exchanging enough magicks to amount to them accidentally having underage sex in my living room."
"..." Wide blue eyes shifted to look at Midori with disbelief.
Kicking open the door to her apartment Midori pulled the still somewhat shocked Yohko in after her. "You know, it occurs to me that I'm very lucky that you're a doctor and not a cop. And sometimes I still can't believe you're with me."
"Well, maybe you should stop talking and kiss me before I change my mind." Yohko teased, recovered a bit from Midori's insane statement, which after everything else the Watcher had told her over the years, hardly surprised her at all. Well beyond the slight shock factor of learning that magick had more erm, side effects than she had been aware of until now.
Midori obediently leaned in to briefly kiss smiling lips before pulling back to gaze into weary blue eyes. "You look so tired babe." She said sympathetically, bringing a hand up to run through her lover's shoulder length dark hair, gently massaging her scalp, smiling as blue eyes closed and the smaller woman made a noise that might have been a purr. "Why don't you go ahead and take a bath while I start dinner hmm?"
Yohko smiled wider at Midori's thoughtful suggestion and opened her eyes to look up into her lover's affectionate gaze, smirking faintly as she had an even better idea. She gripped the well worn cotton of Midori's faded black Depeche Mode concert t-shirt and pulled her into a more passionate kiss, loving the way the younger woman responded so enthusiastically to her touch. When she felt rough hands sliding up under her scrub top to caress warm skin, she pulled back from the kiss slightly, "Don't you think that you should join me in the bath? I know you got all dirty playing with that ridiculous new machine of yours."
"Um... But I thought you were mad at me." Midori said her voice husky and surprisingly shy sounding.
Yohko just smirked, "I am. But I'm only mad at you, not myself. I see no reason to deny myself some pleasure after an insanely long day at work just because my lover is an idiot."
Midori grinned and teased slightly, "Lead the way Yohko-sensei." She whimpered as Yohko gave her another searing kiss before grabbing her hand to pull her down the hall towards the bath. Maybe I'll just order pizza later... Was her last coherent thought for a good while.
-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-
Natsuki's small sharp canines were bared in a feral grin, her green eyes narrowed dangerously as she gazed at the screen in front of her through damp sweaty locks of dark hair that had fallen in her face. Even with her supernaturally enhanced reflexes, the muscles in her legs burned as she put the talents of being one of the Chosen to work, trying to follow the seemingly completely random pattern of little blinky pointy arrows scrolling upward at an insane speed on the brightly flashing screen. Her heavy booted feet hit the four glowing arrows of what was basically a giant gamepad under them with force, and the once loose blue and red Spiderman t-shirt now clung to the Slayer's sweat soaked skin.
Now, Natsuki was honest enough with herself to admit that she liked showing off. But she would never do something like this under normal circumstances. Despite the fact that this game was surprisingly difficult, and clearly not aimed at normal humans, she was certain that at this very moment she looked like a complete idiot. For now though, any thoughts of her dignity were miles away as she studiously ignored the trio of small boys who were standing off to her right gawking at her like she was some sort of freak. All because out of the corner of her left eye she could see Shizuru watching her with a child-like grin on her face, and occasionally hear her musical laughter when Natsuki managed to pull off a particularly impressive move.
After a perfect completion of two more insanely difficult but ridiculous dance numbers, Natsuki finally surrendered the Dance Dance Revolution machine to the next person waiting to play, bowing comically to the small crowd of nerds who had gathered to watch her skills when they applauded her enthusiastically. Shizuru let out a happy noise and ran over to hug the slightly shaky Natsuki, ignoring how sweaty her friend was. "My Natsuki is so amazing!" Shizuru exclaimed softly in Natsuki's ear, for once not sounding like a mature young woman and instead sounding more like a squealing fangirl who had seen her favourite idol.
"Hmm..." Natsuki purred, nuzzling her face into Shizuru's soft hair as she enjoyed being held. "Well you know what they say, with great power comes great responsibility to show off for pretty girls." She quipped quietly.
"Hey Natsuki?" Shizuru said, reluctantly pulling away from her friend despite the fact that merely hugging the sweaty dark haired girl was making her dirty. "Who's that man over there talking to Yukino-san?"
Natsuki followed Shizuru's gaze and easily located their small spiky-haired friend even in the crowded arcade. She was standing near the drink bar being chatted up by what seemed to be an older university student, one possibly old enough to even be a graduate student. Yukino's pale eyes shifted around behind her round glasses nervously, as though looking for someone. At first Natsuki wondered what Haruka could have been thinking leaving their small friend alone in this crowded place. Then she noticed the suspiciously pale skin of the man, a glance outside confirmed that the sun had set. She was suddenly glad the blonde girl was nowhere to be seen. What Natsuki was about to do might be enough to destroy their tentative truce.
"I know him." Natsuki growled out, "From my 'hobby'." She explained when Shizuru looked at her with surprise, rusty eyes widened further when she realized what Natsuki was saying about the man across the room. "Sorry Shizuru, but I have to go take care of this."
"Of course." Shizuru replied, though her red eyes were worried as she watched Natsuki head across the room. She noticed the subtle change in the Slayer's movements as she approached the man, vampire, her every step seemed to radiate confidence and danger. Anyone who was standing in her way quickly moved, even if they hadn't seen the Slayer, as though they knew instinctively to not come between the hunter and her prey.
"Hey Yukino." Natsuki said soothingly when she reached her friend's side, placing herself between the quiet girl and the attractive male vampire who had been trying to seduce her into being his meal. The Slayer felt her anger flare when Yukino seemed to cling to her, obviously frightened by the aggressive attentions of the older man even though she didn't know just how dangerous he really was. "You're okay now." She reassured her friend, and then slowly turned to glare at the vampire. "You. Leave. Now."
"Why should I? I'm sure your young friend would rather spend time with a successful man like myself than some schoolgirl friend of hers." The vampire spoke in a warm deep baritone voice. Natsuki could see how someone less perceptive than Yukino might fall for his act. Unlike a lot of vampires he was dressed nicely in a business suit and tie, his black hair conservatively cut and styled. "You must just be jealous."
Natsuki scoffed openly, "Even if I didn't know what you are I would object to a man your age hitting on underage girls." The Slayer sneered at him, "What about you is so lacking that women your own age wouldn't be interested?"
"You know what I am?" The apparently young man asked, his confused tone indicated that he had no idea Natsuki was referring to him being a vampire.
"Yeah, what you are." Natsuki said, smirking as she pulled her cross necklace out of her shirt, displaying the polished silver crucifix at him. The vampire flinched involuntarily at the sight of the holy symbol, taking a step back. He kept his human face though. Natsuki was somewhat impressed; a less disciplined vampire might have accidentally displayed his demonic nature already. "So do you want to take our business outside so we won't dirty up this fine establishment with your dust?"
Natsuki felt a bit of pride that the vampire actually looked scared. "Hey... I'm sorry Slayer; I didn't know that this human was yours."
The Slayer rolled her eyes a bit, "Yeah well, if you're going to be killing them, they're all mine. You understand? Unless you've got a receipt on you proving that you buy blood at the butcher shop regularly or something... But you know... since you were hitting on my friend I would probably just not believe you." She growled, stalking in closer to the vampire and shoving him hard in the chest, causing him to stagger back a few steps.
"What's going on here?" The voice of Haruka easily cut through the excited murmur of the crowd that had assembled to watch what they all hoped would be an awesome fight. "Kuga? What the hell are you doing?" Natsuki thought that Haruka managed to sound exactly like a disappointed teacher watching a favourite troubled student lighting up a cigarette behind the school building.
"This pervert was trying to pick up Yukino." Natsuki explained, never taking her eyes off of the vampire, knowing that at this point if she turned away for even a second he would try and make a run for it.
"Oh." Haruka's own voice turned dangerous as she put a protective arm around Yukino's shoulders, "Well in that case, have at him."
Natsuki smirked, Haruka certainly operated with a completely different set of rules when it came to Yukino. "Of course. We were going to take our dispute out back. It won't take long." Natsuki quipped, grabbing the hapless vampire's arm and twisting it painfully behind his back before shoving him towards the rear door of the arcade that opened into a narrow alley. As soon as the door closed behind them, Natsuki shifted her hold on the vampire so that her hands were on either side of his head. In one move she kicked his feet out from under him and twisted his head hard, instantly snapping his neck before he could even try and fight back. After a brief glance up and down the small alley, she was heading back into the arcade alone, casually brushing a bit of dust from her shirt she paused for a moment as a thought occurred to her. There really hadn't been much vampire activity at all closer to her school's campus since the first night she stayed there. She shrugged; maybe the vamps were finally getting the message. She wondered idly if her friends would want to go for pizza before heading back to the dorms.
-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-
UC Sunnydale, Sunnydale California; same time
A curvy blonde girl sat in her darkened dorm room staring out the window at a campus devoid of lights. The power was out, but the full moon still bathed the grounds with pure silver light. It gave the whole town the appearance of newness and the possibility of magick while at the same time casting eerie shadows, making one not quite certain if the object they were seeing in the distance was just a small tree, or maybe some dangerous creature of the night. And that was a question that in Sunnydale, California it was vitally important to know the answer to.
Tara had known when she moved here to go to school a year and a half ago that there was an active Hellmouth in Sunnydale. But still, UC Sunnydale was the only university that would give her a good enough scholarship so that she could afford to attend, and her need to get out of her father's house was far too great to be worried about taking risks. The abuse he had put her through after her mother had passed away from breast cancer had been horrible. She had known even before she lost her mother that he was a bad man, but her mother had protected her from him all she could. She also taught Tara about her magick when he wasn't around, even though her father forbade its practice. Tara often wondered why her mother never left him when she had the chance, but she didn't blame her mother. The fear of the unknown could be a difficult thing to overcome, and her mother had Tara and Donnie, her older brother to think of. And even if her mother had never had the means to leave him herself, in her will she had left Tara enough money to help her get out of her small town and afford to go to college as a last gift for her daughter.
And I even met the love of my life here mom. I wish you could have met her... She shivered slightly, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging her arms around them, hoping to find some comfort. "Willow." She murmured into the dark, caressing the name of her loved one with her voice. She had met the quirky redhead at a Wiccan Circle group meeting on campus. Although the two of them were witches, rest of the group consisted mostly of new agers and feminists, no actual witches among them. Tara had joined them when she'd first come to the school last year. She had never really fit in, but she had wanted a group of people to celebrate Halloween and Solstices with, things like that... and they did have a lot of bake sales, so even if the other girls thought Tara was a little odd, they appreciated how awesome she was at making brownies. So she'd continued to go to the meetings because just having some people to talk to, even if they didn't understand her, helped her feel a little bit less alone in the world.
But then earlier this year Willow had started attending the meetings. Willow hadn't noticed the shy blonde Wiccan at first, as Tara was never one to speak up in a crowd, but even from a distance Tara found herself completely intrigued by the slender girl with brilliant red chin length hair, sharply intelligent green eyes and a quirky smile. That was until one fateful day when Willow had finally broached the subject of their Wicca group actually practicing casting magicks. When the other girls in the group had ridiculed the redhead, Tara had attempted to speak up and defend the idea but had quickly quieted when suddenly everyone in the room was looking at her. She had reflexively tried to hide her face behind her hair, a shy response ingrained in her by her family and the other people in her small rural hometown who had treated the young witch like a pariah. But just as she was trying to hide within herself, she glanced up and saw the red haired witch looking at her, a contemplative look in her kind green eyes. When their eyes met for the first time, Tara felt her heart stop. And when it started beating again, Tara knew that it would only ever beat for Willow. They hadn't even spoken, but Tara felt their magicks calling to one another.
A day later, everyone in Sunnydale suddenly lost their voices and the town was overrun with demons that still gave Tara nightmares. Tara had decided to brave the dark campus to search for Willow. She had hoped that together they might be able to cast a spell to return everyone's voices. That had been her hope. But what she found was so much more.
When she was walking across the campus she had drawn the attention of the demons. Running into Willow's dorm building, she immediately started pounding on doors, hoping that someone would let her in so that she could try and hide from the ruthless demons that were cutting peoples' hearts out. But she couldn't say she was really surprised when no one answered their doors. One had opened only to reveal the monstrous smile of one of the demons. So she continued running, even though she was beginning to think that she wouldn't be getting out of this situation alive. But then she found out that Willow was even more special than she knew. While everyone else was hiding safe in their locked rooms, when Willow heard Tara's frantic knocking, the gallant redhead had headed out of her room to see what was wrong, running into Tara in the process. The two witches then fled together down the halls, looking for somewhere, anywhere to hide, until they were trapped in the laundry room. She could hear the shuffling feet of the demons' minions coming down the hallway towards them. They had attempted to move the soda machine to barricade the door, but neither of them was strong enough.
Willow sat heavily on the hard tile floor and narrowed her eyes determinedly at the soda machine. If she had her voice, Tara would have let out a cry of surprise at the amount of pure power she felt stirring in the small room when Willow began to try and move the soda machine with the force of her magicks. Tara had practiced casting simple spells with her mother, so she knew what it felt like when another witch was casting nearby. Still, with the amount of power Willow had, Tara wouldn't have been surprised to learn that the slender redhead was actually a goddess in disguise. But for all her power, the soda machine would barely budge. Tara could tell that the redhead was trying to move the heavy object through brute strength and will. She wasn't relaxing and letting her magick focus and flow properly.
Tara didn't hesitate. She knelt down next to the heavily breathing redhead and reached out for a pale slender hand, trying to suppress the pleasant feeling of their fingers intertwining so perfectly, as though their hands were always meant to be touching. Willow had turned to look at her when she felt Tara's touch, her big green eyes widening at the feeling of the blonde's magick touching hers, focusing it. And there was something else in those forest green eyes as they searched her own, a question that even if they had their voices, Tara knew that Willow wouldn't be able to ask her. But still, she nodded. Yes, I'm yours. Always and forever, only yours. Together they returned their focus to the soda machine, and they were both surprised at the force with which it flew across the room to the door, making them safe from the frightening demons outside.
After that night they had slowly started to get to know one another. Over the next couple months, Tara had felt all of her dreams slowly coming true. This beautiful redhead who Tara would have been afraid to even speak to before for fear of being ridiculed, had turned out to be an amazingly brave and kind young woman. Their friendship had started out slowly, tentatively. At first their meetings were mainly just the two of them getting together to practice their magick. But with the way their magicks felt when they joined them to one another to cast together... it was like they were two streams that were always meant to merge into one river. And the way Willow's power felt; washing over her, thrusting into her, pulling her very essence into Willow's own... well it felt just like sex. Tara blushed even now as she thought of it. It just seemed inevitable that their new friendship would grow into something more.
It was difficult though. Unlike Tara who had always known that she was a lesbian, for the last couple of years Willow had had a boyfriend. Willow had assured her that just because she had dated a boy before, that didn't at all mean that she didn't find Tara attractive. Willow had spent hours and hours these last few weeks using the most enjoyable methods to try and show Tara just how attractive she thought the blonde Wiccan was. But sill Tara had lived in fear of what would happen if Oz, the werewolf, Willow's first love, ever came back.
Willow had finally introduced her to her other friends a couple of weeks ago. And Willow's friends had been so kind to her. The Slayer, Buffy, was Willow's best friend, and had warmly accepted Tara into the small circle of people that she protected more fiercely than any others from the creatures that lurked in the night. Xander, Willow's first friend, was a kind young man with a wonderful sense of humour whom Tara had felt herself warming to immediately. And Mr. Giles, Buffy's Watcher, seemed to be something of a mentor to her Willow and had been nothing but polite and friendly to her, offering her tea and praising her magickal skills when she had helped their group out when Buffy had somehow switched bodies with the other Slayer, Faith. But the redhead had still been afraid to come out as gay to them, so as far as they knew she and Tara were just friends.
And Tara understood better than anyone Willow's fear. The fear that just maybe... if those closest to you knew everything about you, they wouldn't want to be friends with you anymore. And then you would be left alone. So even as all of Tara's hopes and dreams had come crashing into reality yesterday morning when Oz had appeared in Mr. Giles' living room, Tara couldn't bring herself to either be angry at Willow or to try and convince Willow that she should be with herself instead of Oz. When a scared and confused Willow had appeared at her door earlier this morning, she had reassured the tearful redhead that no matter what her choice was, the two of them would remain friends. And that all she really wanted was for Willow to follow her heart and be happy. She had still held onto some stubborn hope that Willow might choose her; after all their love might be new, but it was so powerful, surely Willow would think twice before letting go of it.
But then this afternoon, an encounter with the young werewolf had ended with his emotions getting the better of him. He had changed into his feral form and gotten himself captured by the Initiative. A US military group operating on campus, that as far as Tara could tell, was performing experiments on demons that she would have to call inexcusably cruel, even if most of the demons were creatures who would kill humans without a second thought. She had immediately gone to Willow to tell her about Oz's predicament. Even though Tara was sure that her actions were pushing the two estranged lovers back together, she couldn't allow her concerns for her own happiness to factor into this. Oz needed Willow's help.
And so now here she sat, alone in her room. Her deep blue eyes still scratchy from all the tears she had cried earlier, gazing out across the dark campus which was currently experiencing a blackout so that Willow could rescue the man who had been the love of her young life. Suddenly there was a knock at her door, and she felt her heart skip in her chest as she rose from her chair to answer it. Willow. She felt her magick reaching out to the redhead almost before she opened the door to see her love, standing in her doorway holding a large candle in her hands. The bravely flickering flame, so like the girl holding it, made Willow seem much like the benevolent goddess Tara sometimes pictured her as. There was a mysterious little smile on those lips that Tara longed to kiss again. Even if only one more time.
"No candles? Well I brought one... It's extra flamey." When the slender redhead spoke, her voice was slightly hesitant, as though she knew she had done something wrong. But it was also laced with a hint of the playfulness she often displayed when they were just spending time together. Despite knowing that Willow was probably here to try and break her heart gently, Tara felt her lips turning up in a hint of a smile as she stepped aside to allow Willow into the sanctuary of her room. "Tara, I have to tell you-"
"No, I understand..." Tara interrupted her, not wanting to actually hear Willow speak the words she knew were coming. She breathed in deeply, trying to force the tears that were threatening to overwhelm her down long enough to get the words out. "You have to be with the person you l-l..l-love."
The redhead's smile only widened a bit at Tara's bravely spoken words, knowing as she heard them that she had made the right choice. "I am."
Tara felt her heart stop beating again for a moment, and she could feel her magick reaching out again to Willow's, the warm feeling of them intertwining enough to reassure her that this moment was real. That she hadn't just fallen asleep on the chair and begun dreaming. "You mean?"
Willow nodded, her forest green eyes shining brightly in the flickering candlelight, "I mean. Okay?"
"Oh yes!" Tara felt like her heart was going to explode with joy as she allowed herself to finally believe what Willow was telling her. This goddess wants to be with me! I'm just some shy, clumsy awkward girl, and this goddess says she loves me. The curvy blonde suddenly felt herself smiling so hard it hurt as her deep blue eyes tried to memorize the sight of her Willow in this moment that she knew she would remember for as long as she lived.
"I feel horrible about everything I put you through." Willow apologized, stepping closer to the blonde hesitantly, as though she still thought it was possible that Tara was going to turn her down. "A-and I'm gonna make it up too. Starting right now."
"Right now?" Tara asked, now smirking slightly as she took in the implications of what this 'making up' might involve. Willow just smiled broader, her forest green eyes mirroring the desire burning in Tara's. Even as the blonde leaned forward to blow out the candle's flame she could feel familiar powerful magick wrapping around her, and she grinned knowing that soon Willow's body would be wrapped around her as well. Setting the candle down on her dresser, she took Willow's hands in hers, their fingers sliding together sensuously as she lead her love enthusiastically towards the bed. Her only thought as they made love for many hours was that she hoped that this was at long last the start of their happily ever after.
-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-
St. Peter's High School Tokyo, Japan; same time
A day that was just beginning in California, with all the hopes of what a new day might bring, was drawing to a close here in Tokyo. Night had fallen only a couple hours ago, but Mai was already dressed in her pyjamas. She was alone in the dorm room she shared with Natsuki, trying to distract herself from her unwarranted feelings of jealousy by folding laundry. She could hardly believe how much her life had changed in the last few weeks. The Mai of a month ago would hardly recognize the girl that she had turned into.
Mai had always prided herself on being a rational girl who didn't take things too seriously. If there was one thing that she had learned from her mother's death and to a degree her brother's illness, it was that life was much too short to spend any of it miserable. Sure, she took some things seriously like taking care of Takumi and trying to do reasonably well in school. But relationships? Mai was smart enough to know that at her age, trying to take something like that seriously was just asking to be miserable. Sure, Mai had dated a few boys in junior high, but she had always made sure that they knew it was nothing serious. Just because she was willing to go to the movies with them or make out with them, that didn't mean that she was going to have sex with them. And if she had wanted to have sex with one of them? Well, she would have made certain that he knew that it was just sex, and that it didn't mean that she wanted to marry him or something. Mai had never been sure if she hated or pitied those girls who after going on one date with a boy, or as was more often the case an older man, already started talking about him like they were going to get married in the summer and then live happily ever after, cooking dinner for him every night and having his babies. No, Mai was more realistic than that; she didn't let herself get caught up in a haze of unrealistic romantic fantasies.
Or at least that's what she had always thought to be true. In the past Mai had always been very careful when it came to picking the kinds of boys that she might pursue a romantic relationship with. She went after the kind of guys that most girls would avoid, ones who she could tell weren't ready to settle down. Tate was just that sort of guy; he was fun and kind and had a great sense of humour. And Mai could tell from just a few conversations with him that he was probably in love with his young friend Shiho, but just wasn't ready to admit it to himself. Hardly the stuff of fairy tales, but it was all she wanted. It meant that their relationship would be just a short-term, nothing serious little fling to keep her entertained for a few months or a year, with minimal drama to deal with when it came to its inevitable end. It fit into her plans for her first year of senior high perfectly.
But we all know the fate of the best-laid plans of mice and men... Mai sighed to herself as she began sorting her socks into pairs, And none go sideways more often than ones involving matters of the heart. I can't believe I ever thought myself above all that now. Her mind had been so focused on setting up a fun, stress free school year, that at first she hadn't noticed when her heart started to stray from her plan. And it hadn't even happened completely without warning, she just was either too preoccupied, or indeed for all her over-confidence in such matters, too inexperienced to recognize the signs. But they were there nonetheless. In the warmth inside when Natsuki did little things like carrying something heavy for her or pulling up a chair next to her at their lunch table. It was there in how her heart fluttered wildly when she witnessed Natsuki's displays of bravery or her feelings of complete security whenever the Slayer was around. The way one smile from Natsuki had her immediately thinking of what she could to do to see another. In the way her skin would tingle at the slightest touch from the other girl. And all of those feelings just intensified the more she learned about Natsuki, the Slayer.
Mai was hardly shocked that she was finding a girl attractive, so that in itself wasn't a warning bell for her. Indeed, she had always needed to hide her eagerness at sleepovers when someone suggested that they should practice kissing on each other. After all it was supposed to be just practice; you weren't supposed to enjoy kissing your friends too much. But Mai had always figured that kissing was fun, so obviously if you were kissing someone, especially if they were attractive, you would inevitably enjoy yourself. And Mai could recognize and appreciate an attractive girl, and even if she were looking at things in an objective way she would say that she'd never seen a more attractive girl than Natsuki. So when a couple of nights ago Natsuki had indicated that she thought that Mai was attractive too... well Mai certainly wasn't going to say no to a chance to have some fun with someone so gorgeous. And that was when the rules of Mai's carefully lived romantic life had changed forever. Though looking back on it and seeing how her feelings had been slowly getting stronger every day, it seemed unavoidable that sooner or later her heart was going to let her know how it felt about Natsuki.
And now... well now she was that girl that she had always ridiculed in the past as being just some naive romantic who should know better. She and Natsuki certainly hadn't given each other any promises of forever, indeed there weren't even any promises of right now. But ever since their heated exchange a couple of nights ago, Natsuki was the only thing that Mai could think about. She suspected that if someone asked her about Natsuki, she would be able to go on and on infinitum about how wonderful the dark haired girl was until the person asking the question went screaming off into the night in horror at the level of her obsession. Despite how carefully she had guarded her heart in the past, she knew that she could very easily lose herself to Natsuki, such that the Slayer could destroy her with a few words. And she was already so enamoured that she couldn't even bring herself to fight against what seemed inevitable heartbreak.
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud knock at the door, and even though she tried not to, Mai found herself hoping that it was Natsuki on the other side. Perhaps the Slayer had left her keys behind. When she opened the door to reveal Sakura from down the hall, Mai hoped that her disappointment didn't show on her face. At the concerned look she got from a girl who was a mere acquaintance, Mai knew she hadn't succeeded.
"Um... Hey Mai-san. I was hoping that I could borrow some of your fabric softener." The slightly chubby girl said awkwardly, pushing her thick framed square glasses up a large lightly acne-scarred nose.
Mai quickly recovered her manners, "Of course, please come in."
"Thanks." Sakura mumbled, as she hesitantly entered the corner room. "Um... If you don't mind me saying... I'm a little surprised that you're in your room on a Friday night."
Mai shrugged, not one to care if someone was interested in her business... though she might not be willing to share the exact details of her situation with them. "I don't mind if you speculate. You're not wrong actually, I'm not usually one to stay in. ...I guess I just had a long week, so I just wanted to take tonight to relax a little you know?" She gestured to the mostly folded clothes on her bed, "And get a chance to use the laundry room when it wasn't so busy that I might find my clothes still wet and on the floor when I went to check on them because some entitled rich twit stole my machine..."
"That's what I do too." Sakura smirked before raising a hand to rub the back of her neck sheepishly, "Well... and I was already staying in, cause on Friday nights me and my older brother meet up on Battlenet to play Diablo..."
Mai smiled at Sakura as she walked over to hand her the box of fabric softener sheets, "Hey no need to be ashamed. My roommate likes the videogames too."
Sakura looked around the room hesitantly, "But not on a Friday night it seems?"
Mai shrugged, "Yeah, she went out with a group of friends of hers that I don't know that well. But like I said, I'm really tired so I told her I'd rather stay in tonight." She blushed slightly when she could see Sakura studying her closely from behind thick glasses. Apparently that excuse sounded just as lame aloud as it had in her head.
She was most grateful when Sakura just nodded slightly and didn't pry as she pulled a few sheets out of the brightly coloured box before handing it back to Mai. "Well Mai-san, try to do something fun tonight since it is Friday after all, it wouldn't do to waste it all on folding laundry. At the very least just go to bed early and get an unhealthy amount of sleep." The chubby girl gave Mai a wave as she headed for the door, "Anyway thanks so much for letting me have these, if you ever need laundry supplies or anything like that, you know which room is mine."
"Thanks Sakura-san. Tell your brother I said hi." Mai called as the door closed quietly behind the other girl, sighing when she found herself again alone in her room. Even if she and Sakura were hardly close friends, at least the other girl had proved to be a nice distraction from her overly introspective thoughts. She glanced at the clock and saw that it would still likely be a while before Natsuki got home. She looked back at the small bit of laundry that still needed folding, but then she decided to take Sakura's advice and relax a little. After returning the pink plastic laundry basket to its normal place in the small closet and turning off all the lights, Mai sat down cross-legged on her bed to practice the meditation techniques that Midori had started teaching her last night.
Closing her eyes Mai slowed her breathing as she methodically tried to empty her mind of stray thoughts, narrowing her awareness down to just the burn of her magick inside. With each breath she let go of a worry about the future or the past, an emotion troubling or joyful, thoughts of friends, family and especially persistent ones about a certain Slayer. Until all that she was coalesced into the simple act of being. Existing in the now, with no thought of even her own individuality beyond the existence of her breathing and her magicks, as air and energy slowly flowed through her and around her. But then at the edge of her consciousness, a familiar sensation intruded on her peace, and even if the sound of the door opening hadn't alerted her, her magicks were already telling her that the Slayer had returned home.
Still, Mai made no move to rise from her place on the bed, and kept trying to work on her relaxation exercise, pretending as though she hadn't heard Natsuki come in. She heard the Slayer take a few hesitant steps towards her before sighing quietly as she instead grabbed some clothes out of her dresser and then headed down the hall to the bathroom. Moments later she could hear the sound of water as Natsuki apparently started the shower. While Natsuki showered, Mai managed to mostly get back into the state of detached existence that she had been in before Natsuki returned home, though whereas before she had been able to momentarily forget even her own name, she was now unable to forget that the Slayer was nearby.
Some amount of time later, though in her current state Mai couldn't be certain exactly how much time had passed, she heard the water being turned off and the door to the bathroom opening again. This time Natsuki didn't hesitate in approaching Mai, and after a brief pause to put her dirty clothes in her laundry basket, Natsuki climbed onto the bed behind Mai wrapping strong arms around the witch and resting her chin on a slim shoulder as she hugged Mai close. Mai still didn't acknowledge her presence, wanting to see if she could keep better control over her magicks around the Slayer. She could feel Natsuki's contented exhale of breath on her neck as she snuggled closer, apparently perfectly happy just to be near Mai even if the witch wasn't paying any attention to her.
Mai carefully focused on the magicks emanating from the Slayer, wanting to try recharging her magick again, but this time without the destructive loss of control that happened during her first attempt. Midori had said that the best way to do this safely was to completely let go of one's emotions, but since that seemed entirely impossible with Natsuki nearby, Mai decided to try a slightly different approach. This time instead of trying to clear her mind of all her emotions, something that seemed to inevitably bring her body's intense desire for Natsuki to the surface to fill the void, she instead focused on the feelings of peace and safety that she felt whenever the Slayer was nearby. As her perception shifted, this time she made certain to keep her astral self separate from Natsuki's. For a while it seemed to work, and she could feel her magic slowly burning a bit brighter- at least until she felt Natsuki's breath hot against her ear, and calloused palms sliding up under her shirt to caress the soft skin of her belly.
Mai quickly brought her awareness completely back into her body to prevent any accidental destruction, letting out a small sound that was a cross between an annoyed sigh and a pleased whimper. "Natsuki... what are you doing?"
At first Natsuki's only reply was a low rumbling of her voice in Mai's ear like a purr. Finally after another minute of what to the witch was sweet pleasurable torture of light caresses on her stomach that hinted at wanting to go either higher or lower but did neither, Natsuki spoke. Her voice was rough and low, but with a bit of a plaintive quality, "Touching you."
"Gaah, Natsuki!" Mai exclaimed, annoyed with the dark haired girl answering the question in the most literal way possible. She tried to move away, but the Slayer simply shifted her arms slightly and easily held her in place.
"Don't go." Natsuki pleaded quietly, as she held Mai gently but firmly in her grasp, "I missed you." At first Mai stubbornly tried to get up anyway, but after a few moments of feeling the muscles in the Slayer's arms tensing slightly under her hands contrasted with Natsuki's long silky dark hair falling against her neck and the soft swell of her breasts pressed against her back, she forgot what she was trying to do, and instead she allowed herself to simply melt into the pleasant snuggling.
Still her mind remained frantically at work trying to make sense of Natsuki's actions, even if her touch was making it extremely difficult for Mai to put a sentence together. Finally though, there was one question clear in her mind that she had to know the answer to, "Why are you here, touching me like this? When you were out with Shizuru-san all afternoon?"
"Hmm?" Natsuki mumbled, seemingly unwilling to stop her nuzzling against Mai's neck long enough for a proper reply until the witch slapped her thigh lightly. Finally she answered, "I like you."
"Natsuki, please don't do this to me." Mai begged, and instantly the Slayer released her grip and put small amount of distance between them. When Mai turned to face her, Natsuki's bright green eyes visible to Mai even in the darkened room, were shining slightly with concern and perhaps a bit of hurt.
"Do you not want me to touch you?" She asked softly, her voice trembling a bit, as though she might actually start crying if Mai told her that she didn't want Natsuki's affection.
Mai took a slow steadying breath, but her voice was still rough with desire as she replied, "Natsuki, all I want is for you to touch me."
Dark brows furrowed together in confusion, "...Then... why did you tell me to stop?"
Mai looked down at her hands, picking nervously at her short unpolished nails. A sudden lump in her throat made speaking difficult, but she forced the words out anyway. Even if her heart was begging her not to speak them, Mai knew that things would only be worse if they weren't said, "Because... I know you love Shizuru." She spoke softly, her voice cracking over the words, her eyes burning painfully with tears that she stubbornly refused to let fall.
For long moments Natsuki didn't speak, she simply reached out and took one of Mai's hands in her own caressing the back of it slowly with her thumb. Finally she replied, "I do love her." She admitted, but then she raised Mai's hand to her lips and placed a lingering kiss on the knuckles before continuing in a soft but certain voice, "But I love you too."
Hesitant blue eyes looked up into green, and for a moment Mai simply allowed herself to feel the warmth in her heart at those words, despite the fact that Natsuki had a breath before admitted that she also loved someone else. "But Natsuki... eventually you're going to have to choose." Mai insisted, when her brain finally convinced her to stop ignoring reality.
"Why?" Natsuki asked simply, her voice calm and neutral as she waited for Mai's reasons.
Mai found herself becoming slightly annoyed with Natsuki's continued denial of what she considered to be the obvious, "Because, in five or ten years you're going to want to settle down that's why. And I can hardly see Shizuru-san being willing to share you with me."
Natsuki simply gazed into blue eyes sadly as she heard Mai's emotional plea, "Mai... I'm not someone who can be planning her life five or ten years in advance." She looked down at their intertwined hands, "I'm a Slayer. You talk about the inevitability of my choosing someone to settle down with... but I can't promise either of you a future like that." She sighed, gazing at Mai through locks of still damp dark hair that had fallen in her face, "I know we said we weren't deciding anything right away, but Mai... even if we do decide something, you have to understand that. I can't promise you a future. All I can promise is to give you everything that I can of myself for right now. Do you understand?" At Mai's shaky nod Natsuki smiled slightly, "But we don't have to dwell on the inevitable right now do we? And you like me too right?" She leaned forward and kissed Mai's cheek, reaching up to lightly brush her thumb over full lips, blushing as Mai kissed the calloused skin. "And anyway... wouldn't you feel better if we just snuggled for a bit more?"
"Okay." Mai answered softly, her heart speeding up when Natsuki gave her a grin before again wrapping warm arms tightly around her and pulling her close, situating both of them so that they were laying together on top of the covers. Natsuki sighed contentedly as she again snuggled up against Mai's back, keeping one arm securely around the other girl's middle to make sure she stayed close. She murmured a soft thank you into Mai's ear and then quickly drifted off to sleep, as though she were completely undisturbed by what they had just discussed.
Mai let out a shaky breath, her emotions all over the place even as her body felt warm and safe with Natsuki so close. Absently she gently caressed Natsuki's hand that was resting on her stomach, smiling despite her inner turmoil when her touch caused the Slayer to hold her a bit tighter. Carefully so that she wouldn't wake Natsuki, who could sometimes be a light sleeper, Mai pushed up the sleeve of her sweatshirt so that she could run her fingers over the slightly raised dark scars that ran almost the entire length of the Slayer's forearm. The moment she had seen the extent of the scarring on Natsuki's body, Mai had known that the other girl lead a dangerous life; and since then she had only seen more evidence of just how dangerous it was. But until Natsuki had come right out and said it, Mai hadn't realized that the Slayer didn't think she had much chance at a normal future or even any future at all.
As she really allowed it to sink in, Mai felt a silent sob escape her throat and the tears that had threatened earlier at the thought of Natsuki choosing Shizuru over her now began to fall unchecked. Though the pain she was feeling now was so much worse than that, because at least in that scenario she could imagine that Natsuki was happy. Then it was as though the sleeping Slayer sensed her distress, her hand caressing Mai's stomach in a comforting way through the thin fabric of her shirt, while her soft lips brushed lightly over the sensitive skin on the back of Mai's neck, causing her to shiver and press herself into the touch. Gods Natsuki, even if you say that I shouldn't be planning on a future with you in it, I already can't imagine my life without you. But tomorrow night they were doing the Ritual of Separation, and Mai knew if that went wrong, then Natsuki's fears might be proved completely founded much sooner than either of them anticipated. You did warn me that if I let you touch me I'd be only yours. Though I don't think you knew just how true your words were. I'm sorry Natsuki, but even if you can't offer me forever, I'll always be yours. Even as Mai worried that her troubled thoughts would keep her awake all night, it wasn't long before the comforting feeling of strong arms wrapped securely around her and the soft, warm caress of Natsuki's breath on her neck lulled her into a deep and dreamless sleep.