DISCLAIMER: I got to thinking of the characters and relationships in my fic in the context of elements... I like to think of my Natsuki as something of a carbon atom. Capable of simultaneously forming several covalent bonds, but still amiable to changing them when presented with an alternative. She prefers not to be alone and likes to have friends, but under the right circumstances of heat and pressure she can turn into a hard and unbreakable substance, solid and yet still beautiful. Shizuru is probably more like something in the oxygen family... she really wants a certain thing and gods help anything that gets in her way. Once you've experienced life with her, it's hard to imagine going back to the way things were before, despite how dangerous she can be. -.o Certainly we should put Haruka on the other side with the things that explode in water...maybe potassium or sodium. ^.^ And Mai... I dunno... maybe she's more like one of those metals in the middle that you can never quite predict exactly which way they're going to go with something. Perhaps iron, since it seems like a perfectly reliable and helpful metal under normal circumstances, but yet it's the metal that if a large star has percentagewise too much of it, causes supernovae... and Mai just seems like that kindof girl. ^.^
-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-
Tokyo, Japan; late Sunday April 29, 2000
When Natsuki woke again she was feeling a bit less sore all over but there were still some sharp pains in her sides when she breathed, presumably from a broken rib or three that hadn't healed yet. She didn't want to imagine how severely they might have been broken to begin with if they still hurt so much, she was probably lucky none of them had punctured a lung or something else important. There was also the question of how the injuries could have happened in the first place when she knew it took an incredible amount of force to break her bones. She had no sense of how much time had passed since the last time she was awake, but the lights in her room were off and outside her window it was clearly night time. Still, light streaming in under the door from the hallway offered more than enough for the Slayer to see by as she surveyed her room with a slightly elevated heart rate. Thanks to the First District she never felt comfortable in hospitals but until now she'd been fortunate enough to avoid been injured enough to have to stay in one overnight.
An affectionate smile came to her lips when she noticed her Watcher asleep in the chair next to her bed, her arms across her chest and head fallen forward. Long bright red hair fell loose around her face instead of tied back in her trademark ponytail and she was dressed casually in faded jeans and a light brown Indiana Jones t-shirt. Natsuki giggled at the sight, wondering if any of Midori's other students besides perhaps Mai and Shizuru would even recognize their teacher if they saw her now. Actually she was a little relieved that it was just her Watcher there and not either of them, since even though part of her always wanted to see the two girls she was infatuated with, she felt uncomfortable to have them see her weak like this. Midori though wasn't someone she was trying to impress so her presence was merely comforting. Natsuki felt her initial fear at waking up in a strange location fading away as she gazed at the one constant in her life she could always count on.
Glancing at the bedside table she noticed a heavily bound book held open to a certain page with Midori's reading glasses resting on it. She could barely make out the hand written inked lines of text on the thick age-yellowed pages, but all that allowed her to determine was that while she recognized some of the letters used, the language wasn't English. No doubt Midori had only stopped to take a nap because she had found what she was looking for in the text, otherwise Natsuki was sure that no matter how insanely late it must be she would have woken to find her Watcher still reading. She reached out to turn on the bedside table lamp before laying a gentle hand on Midori's arm and saying her name softly, trying to wake the woman without startling her too badly.
Hazel eyes slowly opened, a wide charming grin forming as Midori took in the sight of Natsuki awake and mostly healthy again. "Hey, it's so good to see you awake." She spoke roughly even as her gold flecked green eyes carefully studied her Slayer's face for any sign that she was still in pain. "I've never been so worried..."
Smiling back at the redhead, Natsuki found herself wondering how she could look at Midori's beauty so objectively compared to how she saw Shizuru or Mai. It was strange because she definitely thought that Midori was a very attractive woman, but noticing or even appreciating that didn't give her the tense feeling that made her feel like she had to do something about it. Not that she was complaining since her life was certainly complicated enough without adding that particular dilemma into the mix, but maybe it was something she should think about to better understand the subtly different feelings her crushes invoked in her.
"Sorry to have worried you." Natsuki replied, wondering how many more times she would have to say those words to her Watcher.
Midori shook her head smirking faintly, also remembering all the times in the past that Natsuki had uttered that phrase only to go out and again do something to leave her Watcher an emotional worried mess. "As long as you're okay it's all worth it." Her eyes drifted to study the plastic tube still slowly dripping pain killers into her Slayer's vein on the back of a hand still covered in fading bruises before shifting up to study Natsuki's bright green ones. "I'll admit though that this time it was worse than usual. What happened exactly? Mai-chan told me that it didn't look like you'd even been attacked by anything."
Natsuki shrugged, "I know it's completely unhelpful, but I can't remember many details. There are a few memories clear enough to recall some specific details, but most of them don't make much sense at all. I know there were demons in my Slayer dream and there was some sort of warning about needing to get Alyssa out of her coma or else something apocalypsey will happen... but other than that everything is fragmented or out of focus. Almost like the things that happened there can't really be reconstructed clearly by my conscious mind at all. It's frustrating because in a way it was like waking up from a dream where you know you had some really life changing revelation, but the memory of exactly what you learned is just out of reach. And I know that there was something that I learned there too..." she trailed off, gripping the thin ugly brownish-green hospital blanket tightly in her fists with frustration. "How the dream managed to affect my physical body like that is a complete mystery too, obviously it was more than a dream in some ways but I can't really explain how."
Midori looked thoughtfully at Natsuki, "Well... I guess it's good that you were at least able to recall the most immediately pressing issue. It's always possible that the rest will return to you in time, and if not there are things we can try after we deal with the more time sensitive issues. I know a few meditation techniques that are often useful for sorting out fuzzy memories."
"Thanks Midori." She replied with a faint smile, "And you're right, we should focus on trying to stop Alyssa from accidentally killing all of us before worrying about anything else, it's just frustrating to me that I can't remember." Natsuki sighed, resting her face in her hands and rubbing her forehead to try and ease the insistent throbbing pain behind her eyes that had been building since she turned the light on. Dropping her hands she noticed Midori studying her with a worried expression, so she nodded to the book on the bedside table, hoping to distract her Watcher from worrying over a problem that she wouldn't be able to help fix by pointing out something she'd already solved. "I take it that's your research into how we can go about waking Alyssa?"
"Yeah..." Midori confirmed reaching out to grab the book and her glasses from the table. Placing her glasses on her face she studied the page the book was open to, letting out a long breath before continuing, "I found something anyway. It won't help us I don't think, though admittedly this is a translated version of the spell so I could be missing some detail... but the original is likely lost to history so this will have to do. It's a Latin translation of a Greek explorer's account of a Minoan spirit walker trial." Midori explained, before clearing her throat slightly and launching into her rough Japanese translation of the account. "A great oracle was caught in the land between life and death, her body was being slowly consumed by the dark magicks while she slept for seemingly endless days, helpless. Her younger sister, unable to watch the oracle dying in such a horrific way, pleaded with the head of their city council for permission to undergo the spirit walker trial. Performing this dangerous sacred right would admit her spirit to the lands between so that she could appeal to the gods for a chance to save her sister. She was required to offer a sacrifice of blood over the sacred temple fire and offer her soul to the goddess for judgement. As soon as she finished her chant, her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed onto the stone floor. Hours later both the brave young woman and the oracle died without regaining consciousness. The Greek explorer mentions overhearing someone lamenting that the sister didn't have a spiritual anchor to guide her back to her body, but someone replied that she simply must not have been strong enough to complete the trial and was unable to face that all her efforts weren't enough to save her sister." Midori shrugged, "He included a transcription of the chant in the original language spoken by the woman as she offered her sacrifice as well, though I don't know if the exact words are as important as the sacrifice itself and the intent. Also the fact that she was a close blood relative of the person whose soul was in limbo is said to be a strict requirement for the spirit walker trial."
"Huh." Natsuki commented, fascinated despite herself about such a detailed account of the spiritual practices of a civilization wiped out long ago. "I guess that doesn't help us ... Alyssa is adopted and she's been experimented on heavily besides. It's still a fascinating story though."
"Yeah. I'm sorry Natsuki... I thought this one might have an option for us, but even aside from the problems you mentioned, a trial like this would be far too dangerous to ask anyone to undertake. The person doing the spirit walk could end up being trapped in a hell dimension if anything went wrong." Midori added shaking her head at the myriad of problems associated with this particular solution. "I was planning on starting a new line of research when I went home."
Natsuki glanced around the room, peering out the window at the brightly lit city night for a moment wishing she could be out there killing vampires instead of stuck inside, or better yet back in her dorm room with Mai. "What time is it anyway? It's got to be awfully late."
"Um... I don't know actually, it wasn't late when I last checked..." The redhead said as she checked the black digital watch on her wrist, "It's only about eleven. I was just sitting with you until Yohko was done with her shift for the night." Midori explained reasonably, but Natsuki noticed the dark circles under her eyes that told a different story. She suspected that her Watcher had been sitting in that uncomfortable chair all night every night since Natsuki was brought in, not wanting to allow her Slayer to wake up in a strange environment alone. It wasn't something Natsuki liked to talk about, but the months immediately after Midori had taken the Slayer out of the First District's facility, she had regularly woken up in the middle of the night crying, afraid that meeting Midori had been nothing more than a dream. The Watcher had simply moved her futon into Natsuki's room so that she would be close by, her easily visible presence comforting the young girl enough that she could sleep through the night. Once they moved to Tokyo and Natsuki got to know Shizuru and other children her age the incidents had grown much less frequent, but Midori clearly knew that Natsuki would never be completely over her fear of being alone.
Natsuki gave her Watcher a thankful look, letting her know that she knew how much Midori cared about her, and that she appreciated her not bringing up a weakness that Natsuki would rather forget. Deciding that words wouldn't be able to express her thanks she held open her arms, grinning when Midori hugged her just a bit too tightly for her still sore ribs, ignoring the physical pain so that she could soak up the emotional comfort. She sighed contentedly as she breathed in the faint scent of old parchment, leather and shampoo. "Thanks." She murmured simply, knowing that Midori would understand what she meant.
Some minutes later the door to Natsuki's room eased open to allow a tired looking Yohko to enter, the clipboard holding the Slayer's charts in her hands. The doctor strictly prohibited anyone on her staff from uploading any part of the Slayer's medical records into the computer system or making photocopies, and only senior members of her staff were even allowed to work with Natsuki directly; since even someone with a basic knowledge of medicine would be able to see that Natsuki's rate of recovery from her extensive internal injuries was far from normal. Despite her fatigue the ER doctor couldn't contain her amused laughter at the sight that greeted her. "Aaw, you two are so cute. I swear you both act so tough but you're the most sentimental females I know."
Midori laughed as well pulling back from Natsuki, she smiled at the light blush she saw as she ruffled the teenager's long dark hair affectionately, "Whatever Yohko, I've never heard you complain."
The doctor smirked, crossing the room to give Midori a short hug before flopping down onto the chair her lover had been using earlier. "Nope, no complaints from me." She teased back, looking over Natsuki's charts for a few moments, nodding approvingly at what she saw before looking back at Midori, "So, do you feel better now that you've seen your brat's smiling face again?" She rolled her eyes when Midori gave her a 'who me?' expression of innocence. "Your Watcher hasn't been to her apartment since Wednesday for anything other than basic hygiene or books." The doctor explained, finally addressing Natsuki directly.
Natsuki blushed under the doctor's regard, feeling simultaneously warmed and guilty as she heard someone else confirming how much she meant to Midori. After all she knew without a doubt that for as long as Midori cared for someone like a Slayer, she would be constantly worrying. But she needed her Watcher's support and affection like she needed air. The mere thought of facing her endless fight alone was too much to bear, so no matter how much she tried to protect the people she cared about from the dangers that lurked in the night, she could never push them far enough away to protect them from worrying. "I'm sorry." She replied finally in a soft voice, unable to summon her bravado for a snarky return comment.
It seemed that even Yohko's well buried maternal side wasn't immune to the effects of a sincerely forlorn and guilty Slayer, as the doctor immediately dropped her teasing. "Hey it's okay. I'm just glad you're finally healing up. Midori's caring about you so much is one of the things I respect most about her... I think you're a good kid and more than worth her time and effort." The doctor sighed quietly, "In any other case I might ask you to try and be more careful, but I know that's a useless request."
Natsuki blushed shyly, softly thanking Yohko for her reluctantly given kind words. "I wish I could be more careful too." She added wistfully, studying her hands thoughtfully. "You two can head home if you want, it's getting pretty late and I know you must be tired."
"Are you sure you'll be okay here tonight?" Midori asked ignoring Yohko's slightly confused look at that question.
Natsuki nodded making sure she wasn't thinking about her plans for the night, hoping her face wouldn't give her away as she replied, "I'll be fine Midori, I promise. You two go home and get some sleep."
Luckily for Natsuki, Midori was too tired to pick up on her minor deception and although Yohko worked with people all day, the doctor wasn't one to read into people's motives for things. Midori merely nodded, looking a bit guilty for doubting Natsuki, "Okay, if you're sure. Your cellphone is in your pack of stuff in the corner if you need to call me for anything, and the Game Boy and some books are in there too if you're tired of sleeping." She leaned in to give Natsuki another hug before she left, "I'm so glad you're okay Natsuki."
"Thanks. I'll talk to you tomorrow?" The Slayer confirmed, hoping that Midori wouldn't be too upset when she realized why Natsuki really wanted her to head home tonight.
"Count on it." Midori assured her, turning back to Yohko who had already gathered the redhead's own backpack full of research materials, barely containing her eagerness to leave the hospital to a polite level in Natsuki's presence. The Slayer couldn't fault the doctor though, since her plans for tonight didn't involve staying in this hospital room either. She waved goodbye to her Watcher, and waited only a few moments after the door closed behind the two adult women before she began putting her plan into action.
Without hesitation she ripped off the tape holding her IV in, allowing the thin plastic tube to slip from her vein which barely had time to bleed before it started healing. She hadn't turned up the drip rate since she woke up, so she was hoping that the effects of the pain killers would wear off within a few more minutes. Even though she trusted Yohko more than any other doctor, she still hadn't told the woman how much less those affected her compared with a normal human since she wasn't sure that the doctor would understand her fear of them. And even if she would understand, explaining it would require disclosing her weakness, something Natsuki just wasn't comfortable with around many people.
Crossing the small room she opened the backpack Midori had left for her, smiling at the change of normal street clothes inside. Really it was almost as though her Watcher knew exactly what she would want to do as soon as she was healthy enough. Natsuki quickly stripped out of her flimsy hospital gown, washing up as well as she could in the small sink in her room before quickly putting on her jeans, boots, blue t-shirt and soft black hoodie; wincing slightly when she had to raise her arms over her head, pulling at what felt like several rows of stitches in her sides. Moments later she had her backpack thrown over one shoulder as she casually walked out of her room, strolling down the busy hallways toward the exit with no sign of pain, even waving to a few nurses she recognized from the ER who didn't seem to remember that Natsuki was supposed to be a patient tonight instead of just passing through on patrol.
The Slayer breathed a sigh of relief when she finally stepped out into the cool humid night air, taking in the sounds of cars, trucks and buses and busy humans hurrying towards one destination or another even so late at night. It maybe wasn't an idyllic little town where everyone knew each other, but this was her city; with its brightly lit skyline, crowded streets and more people than she could possibly hope to protect. But for as long as she'd lived here she'd spent countless nights roaming the backstreets and alleyways; taking out the more dangerous vampires and demons, trying her best to save as many of these precious strangers as she could. For a moment she pondered whether or not she should do a quick patrol before going to catch the bus back to the school, sure she was injured enough that most people in her position would still be back in the hospital, but she had an important destiny after all. Glancing across the street she checked the time on the large digital clock outside of a bank. Noticing that she had another thirty minutes before she could catch a bus on the route that went to her campus, Natsuki grinned to herself as she headed into the alley running between the line of cheap apartment buildings surrounding the hospital.
She walked a few blocks into the quiet alley, enjoying the gentle night breeze that brought the smell of exhaust fumes and garbage from overflowing dumpsters behind the low rent buildings to her sensitive nose, even those normally unpleasant smells a welcome change from the overly sterile hospital room. The Slayer couldn't help notice how quiet the night was and she was getting ready to turn circle back when her search, in an area of town that she knew to be a popular vamp hunting area, turned up nothing. Then she finally spotted the first sign of movement. But the pale cloaked figure leaning with obviously forced casualness against a brick wall, a floppy wide-brimmed hat pulled down to shield her eyes, was instantly recognizable by Natsuki and clearly neither vampire or demon. "Miyu?" She squeaked incredulously, wondering why on Earth she would be finding the android lurking in dark alleys late at night when prior to her injury she hadn't seen the pale female in days. Still, the sight of Alyssa's loyal protector eased the worry that had been haunting her for a week. Although the android seemed very powerful, it didn't seem out of the question that her creators had punished her or even reprogrammed her for allowing Alyssa out of their direct control.
Even a block away Miyu immediately turned at the sound of Natsuki's voice, her body language indicating surprise at hearing her name. Seeing Natsuki the android quickly turned, walking stiffly in the Slayer's direction, her pale lips curled into an awkward and forced-seeming polite smile; but by now Natsuki knew Miyu well enough to know that she might be genuinely pleased and simply unable to recreate the human expression naturally because she was thinking about it too hard. "Natsuki." She greeted briefly, echoing the Slayer's casual way of addressing people "...How did you recognize me?"
"Um... well you're a pretty recognizable person Miyu." Natsuki explained hesitantly, worried about potentially offending the android even though she had never shown any hint of vanity. "I've never seen anyone else with that hair colour who was younger than their sixties, and you have a very distinctive posture."
"...I see. Then my disguise was not effective." Miyu said, removing her oversized black hat and eyeing it with a disappointed frown.
"It does look good on you though, even if it doesn't hide your identity." Natsuki added, hoping to reassure her tentative new friend, noting with curiosity how Miyu's hair seemed totally unaffected by its time under the quirky hat, when her own would have become hopelessly frizzy. She didn't even used to care about her hair, but the last couple of years Natsuki found herself spending more time making sure it looked nice, realizing how lucky she was to be blessed with hair that was relatively low maintenance.
"Thanks Natsuki." Miyu replied, blushing slightly as she shoved the hat back onto her head, a much more natural shy smile appearing in reaction to the compliment. "I'm pleased to see you functional again."
The Slayer shrugged, awkwardly putting her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt, not sure how she felt about her injuries being common knowledge. "Yeah, I seem to be getting my ass kicked by all sorts of things lately." She lamented, not feeling too good about her slaying prowess when the last fight she could remember winning outright was against a bunch of bugs. Movement in her peripheral vision drew her attention, her claws almost extending as she itched for a chance to prove herself... but it turned out to be just a small tortoiseshell cat watching the two humans suspiciously as she jealously guarded a bit of food pilfered from a nearby dumpster. "Why were you trying to disguise yourself anyway?" Natsuki asked to draw the attention away from her own issues.
"I told the board of directors that Alyssa had been kidnapped and that I am looking for her. I don't want anyone to be able to report seeing me near the hospital and raise suspicions. Fortunately our client in California seems unconcerned, since he says he has plenty of backup plans in case we can't deliver." The android explained, not realizing that her words would lead to Natsuki worrying that even if she managed to stop Alyssa that this mysterious California man had other ideas up his sleeve to turn Earth back into a hell dimension. "Still the board of directors is understandably worried about such an 'expensive investment' going missing." Miyu added her clinched fists and tense tones making her disgust at the company referring to her precious angel as a mere investment abundantly clear.
"Were you at least able to find out any information that we could use to help her get better?" Natsuki asked hopefully even as she let out a frustrated sigh, "We haven't found anything usable yet with our research. All I've been able to find so far is a second opinion telling me how important it is to wake her up."
"No." Miyu's voice was sad as she replied, carefully studying Natsuki with an unreadable expression on her face. "I learned nothing about that problem."
"...Miyu please don't tell me that there's something else we have to worry about." Natsuki pleaded, bringing a hand up to rub her forehead that was still throbbing slightly and not being at all helped by the prospect of yet another impossible issue requiring her attention.
"I do not think that it is a problem exactly... I just discovered some information that has required an extensive amount of processing time to evaluate. And the implications of it still elude me." But Miyu still looked troubled when she replied, so her words were less reassuring than they might have been.
"It must be at least somewhat problematic if it's making you all introspective like that." Natsuki prodded, walking over to lean against a nearby brick wall since the pain from her injuries was starting to become stronger now that the last of her pain killers were wearing off completely, placing her backpack on the ground leaning against her feet. She wondered just how crazy she was to think that it would be a good idea to go on patrol when she could barely stand in this condition, but hunting at night was an urge that she just couldn't deny herself.
"You are not actually completely repaired are you?" Miyu asked suspiciously, observing Natsuki's behaviour much more carefully than the Slayer would have thought she would bother with.
Natsuki shrugged defensively, "It's an ongoing process. I can self-repair faster than a normal human at least... I was just tired of being in that building. I needed to be somewhere else."
"...That is most inefficient." Miyu complained.
"I'm sure if you associate with more humans you'll learn that we are rarely motivated only by efficiency. Actually if you want to learn something about humans and efficiency you should visit a lingerie store." Natsuki replied with a faint smirk, enjoying the look of confusion on the android's face. She seems so much more emotive tonight; I wonder what she found out? "Miyu, tell me what you learned. You don't have to worry about me; I won't push things any more than this tonight." Natsuki added, wanting to reassure the surprisingly concerned Miyu. She wasn't sure what to make of it; before she remembered the android viewing her as an unfortunately necessary ally at best.
Miyu sighed, again taking off her hat and crushing the brim of it in her hands, her loose pale hair falling in her sad eyes making her seem like just a normal girl. "It... the information I learned... it gave me so many conflicting feelings. I'm not sure what to make of it." The android admitted, for once not offering a direct response to a request for pure information.
Natsuki found herself feeling a great deal of empathy for Miyu as she realized that the android didn't have much experience with how complicated human emotions could become. Even her own brain that was the product of millions of years of evolutionary refinement had trouble making sense of them, how much more difficult would it be for whatever substitute could be engineered using even the most advanced of current technology? "Hey... it's alright. That happens to everyone sometimes. You find out something you didn't know and it throws you for a loop." She said, thinking about her own recent recognition of her more than friendly thoughts about two of her closest friends and all the trouble that was causing her as she tried to figure out what to do about it. And there was something else too, some bit of information floating on the edge of her consciousness, just out of grasp that had been giving her a vague sense of disjointedness ever since she woke up earlier in the day. "Why don't you tell me what you found out? Sometimes a more objective opinion can help."
"I will tell you, but I am not at all certain if you will be able to view this anymore objectively than I have been able to." Miyu paused, seeming to have an almost physical difficulty in continuing her explanation. Finally she began speaking again, her words coming out haltingly and in a flat tone, as though the android had turned off her emotional capability for a moment so that she could relay the information at all. "I hypothesized that in order to discover a method of curing Alyssa's condition, I needed to better understand exactly how the magicks were fused to her physical body to make her so powerful. I was able to get a copy of the original document used by the other company that we bought the technique from... the company was called the First District." Miyu stopped speaking, mechanically raising her eyes to see Natsuki's reaction. Clearly her search had also turned up enough about the Slayer's past to know that she would react badly to hearing that name. The First District, the people who had treated her like something less than even an animal.
She was right. Natsuki's breath caught in her throat and her heart rate skyrocketed, suddenly even the act of leaning in a standing position against the wall seemed too much and she carefully lowered herself so that she was sitting on the dirty cement, concentrating on trying to remember to breathe normally. She hated herself for her reaction. Why should those people so far in her past still have enough power over her to turn her into a weak and frightened wreck? She was able to talk about her time there if she prepared herself emotionally beforehand... but to hear them brought up unexpectedly like this... "The... the First District." She said softly, her voice trembling, "They... are not good people." Natsuki wrapped her arms tightly around her legs, her weakened physical state allowing the painful memories of her time in isolation to come back with vivid clarity.
Even though she seemed worried by Natsuki's reaction to her information Miyu seemed frozen, at a complete loss as to how she should proceed, unsure how she could reduce the intensity of the human's emotional response. In the end a plaintive meow was the first thing that managed to pull Natsuki out of the past. The scrawny tortoiseshell cat was apparently equally moved by the Slayer's distress and was now rubbing her head comfortingly against Natsuki's side and purring softly, greenish yellow eyes that reminded the Slayer vaguely of Midori staring up at her face inquisitively. Natsuki had a soft spot for animals of all kinds, and she smiled at the small cat, reaching out cautiously to pet the kitty's head, smiling as her affectionate touch caused the wide round eyes to drift shut and the volume of the purring to increase. "Although I guess if nothing else my tragic past seems to get girls to pay attention to me." Natsuki quipped, wondering if the little cat had a home.
Miyu watched her eyes wide with amazement, "I was not aware that animals had a better understanding of how to deal with complicated human emotions than I do. My programming is clearly faultier than I knew."
Natsuki smiled, her equilibrium almost completely restored, "Don't worry Miyu, it's not just you. Animals are sometimes better at this sort of thing than even other humans. Most other mammals as well as birds have very strongly developed emotions, and no matter what your programmers told you, humans are just animals with unusually large brains. Sometimes I think that their smaller brains are actually an advantage for dealing with them too, since it seems like the more you try to analyze emotions intellectually, the more confused you're likely to become since our emotions have a tendency to bypass logic altogether."
"I see... I've always been fascinated by birds because they can fly and they are pretty, but I never realized they were emotional."
"If you're really interested you should look around on the internet for short videos people have posted up about their pet birds, some of them are pretty amazing." Natsuki offered, happy to help Miyu in her quest to understand humans better. There was just something about the android's outsider perspective on the issue that was fascinating to her, especially since in some ways she often felt like an outsider herself. She sighed, reluctantly acknowledging the need to get back to their more disturbing topic of conversation. "Your mention of the First District is very troubling to me. I assume your research already covered up my link to them?"
Miyu nodded, "I am so sorry they did that to you. I can't imagine what sort of humans would treat one of their own so cruelly. You were younger than my Ojou-sama, but they left you completely alone. ...She at least has me, though I wonder if I am adequate..." The android's voice cracked metallically as she spoke, "I promise you, I have committed their names and faces to memory. If I ever see any of them I will be certain to avenge you with my cannon."
Natsuki blushed slightly, but still clenched her fists aggressively wanting to remind the android that even if she appreciated the sentiment, the Slayer was far from helpless. "Not if I see them first." She growled... and then giggled when the cat meowed inquisitively, clearly wondering why this conversation was important enough to interrupt the petting. "Sorry kitty." Natsuki apologized, obediently resuming the action, smiling as the cat crawled into her lap and flopped down purring contentedly. "...So is that why you've been extra nice to me tonight Miyu? Not that I don't appreciate it, but most of the time I can deal with what happened to me." Natsuki assured her, though she didn't mention that her method of 'dealing' had mainly been to simply try her best to avoid thinking about the First District at all.
"...I admit that is part of the reason. I had never thought about a Champion like you being a small child... since I am a protector too but I was never a child." Miyu shrugged, "When I thought about you being so small and defenceless like my Ojou-sama I guess I started to see you differently."
Natsuki smiled, wondering again at how a machine could've somehow become more emotionally sensitive than her programmers. "What else did you learn?" She prodded softly, even though she knew the answer would likely be some unpleasant information that she never wanted to hear.
Miyu let out slow breath sitting down stiffly next to Natsuki. She blinked in surprise when the small cat climbed out of Natsuki's lap and wandered over to greet the strange new person, placing her paws on Miyu's arm and stretching out her body so that she could sniff the pale girl's face curiously. "Um... Hi kitty." The android replied uncertainly, tentatively scratching the friendly animal under the chin with one finger as though she were extremely worried about accidentally injuring such a small creature. "It's strange, but I do feel better now." Miyu looked at Natsuki thoughtfully for a little while before continuing her voice once again more mechanical sounding, "In the records I learned that the method for imbuing magicks into a human was not the only thing they obtained from the First District. Apparently you can't perform this kind of ritual on just any human, and the First District had hypothesized that the genetic makeup of some humans made them more suitable subjects for this experimentation..." Miyu searched Natsuki's eyes carefully, "My programming and knowledge base don't really allow me to understand the magickal implications but Natsuki, aside from a few superficial modifications to change inconsequential aspects of her appearance, genetically my Ojou-sama is your twin sister."
When Miyu spoke those words Natsuki felt her brain's thoughts grind to a screeching halt. Not even in her wildest imagination would she have thought something like this. My sister? How? Natsuki shook her head, trying to get her mind to do more than repeat Miyu's last phrase over and over. "I never would have guessed..."
The android nodded, her expression clearly showing that she hadn't gotten over the shock of this new information either, even if she had been in possession of it longer than Natsuki, "I found out the same day that you got hurt so badly and had to go to the hospital. I didn't know what to think... a week ago I thought you were someone who would stop at nothing to kill my Ojou-sama, and then that day I learned that you were more her sister than I am... I went to visit you in the hospital when you were still hooked up to all of those machines. You looked so fragile... and the thought that you might die hit me nearly as hard as thinking of losing my Ojou-sama, perhaps since I had just learned how much alike the two of you are."
Natsuki took a deep breath as she listened to the words but also the way the android spoke them, and the pale girl's nervous distress at all the conflicting emotions painfully obvious though it was, helped Natsuki pull herself together a bit. After all, even if the information was pretty Earth-shattering for Natsuki as well, she at least had a bit more experience with the complicated nature of human relationships. Admittedly she was still confused herself from time to time, but she felt that she could offer Miyu come reassurance on at least one issue, "Miyu... it doesn't matter how closely related I am to Alyssa. You're still her sister."
"But genetic similarity determines how closely related two people are. I'm not even human, how could I claim to be closely related to my Ojou-sama?" Miyu pleaded, all but begging Natsuki to point out the flaw in her reasoning so that her world would make some sort of sense again.
The Slayer smiled, easily calling to mind how comforting it felt to be in her Watcher's embrace earlier, "I don't know if this will make sense to you, but just believe me okay? Genetic similarity does indicate how related two people are, but that isn't how you know if someone is your family or not. Sometimes you get lucky and those two things overlap... but in some ways it's even more amazing when someone is your family even though you aren't related to them at all." She explained taking in Miyu's confused but hopeful expression, "You remember when I told you the other night that Midori is my only family now? Well she's not related to me at all. She adopted me when she found me at the First District." Natsuki put an awkward hand on Miyu's shoulder to comfort her, noting curiously how the android didn't seem to give off much body heat, "You're the most important person in the world to Alyssa. Even if you tell her that thanks to some immoral scientists and businessmen she's related to me, I know for a fact that won't change how she feels about you. You're Alyssa's real sister."
Natsuki smiled when Miyu blushed again at her kind words, "I... thank you Natsuki. But... it is possible to have more than one sister isn't it?" She asked waiting for Natsuki's confused but affirmative nod before continuing, "Well... if that's the case, could that make you my sister as well?" This question was asked tentatively, as though the android knew that she didn't completely understand the subtle difference between relation and family and was afraid of offending Natsuki in some way by being presumptuous.
Still Miyu's worries about offending Natsuki were needless, even if she hadn't yet fully come to terms with the implications of having a younger sister that she hadn't known about until now. "I'd like that." Suddenly Natsuki had a thought, and she excitedly unzipped her backpack, smiling when she found her old copy of the first book in the Neverending Story series. Reverently she held the old favourite in her hands, running her fingers over the well-worn hardcover for a moment before handing it to Miyu, who followed Natsuki's example in treating the fragile old book with care.
"What...?" She questioned, not certain what to make of the book.
"A gift." Natsuki explained, "It's my favourite book, I thought reading it might let you get to know me better since we're sisters."
"I see... I regret that I have never read a book other than technical manuals, so I have nothing similar to offer."
"It's okay. I've watched you listen to Alyssa sing; I think that has given me some insight into the things that you care about." Natsuki replied, trying to reassure Miyu that even if she was different, Natsuki knew that the android had many admirable traits. Suddenly a thought occurred to Natsuki, If Alyssa is my sister, then I could undergo that Minoan spirit walker trial to save her. This new knowledge strengthened Natsuki's resolve to help the young girl, but also seemed to amplify the fatigue that she already felt from her injuries and pushing herself too hard too soon. She let out a loud yawn, raising her hand to cover her mouth.
"You should not be awake. Your body is still damaged; unless you rest it won't be able to repair itself." Miyu stated firmly, scolding her like she often scolded Midori for her poor sleeping habits.
Natsuki smiled, contriving to look apologetic though she didn't feel at all sorry for sneaking out of the hospital, "I was actually just passing time so that I could catch the bus back to campus. ...Because of what happened at the First District, sleeping in a hospital when I'm not in a coma would probably be impossible for me." She struggled to see if she had any notion of how much time had passed since the beginning of their conversation and found that she really had no idea, "I probably missed the bus now though."
Miyu looked at Natsuki sympathetically, "I have a vehicle nearby. I can take you back to the school." Miyu then shifted her red eyes to the small cat who was now sleeping soundly in her lap, poking the cat in the side to wake her, "What about you? Should I be taking you with me too, or do you live here?" She asked the cat, as though she assumed it would be able to perfectly understand the content of her questions. To Natsuki's mild surprise the cat meowed indignantly at Miyu's suggestion and darted off down the alley, out of sight.
"Huh. I guess she does live here?"
"So it would seem." Miyu agreed her voice heavy with disappointment. "That is unfortunate, I found myself growing most intrigued with the idea of having a pet animal." The android shrugged, seeming to dismiss the notion for now. "My vehicle is only a block away. Are you feeling okay to walk that far?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Natsuki assured her, not wanting to look that weak. And besides, it was only a block. Miyu still studied Natsuki carefully for a few moments before nodding in agreement. "...Why were you here tonight anyway?"
"I was on my way to see Ojou-sama and yourself at the hospital." Miyu explained with a blush, standing swiftly and pushing her hat back on her head as though to hide her embarrassment. "I was just taking a few minutes to reduce the hostile nonhuman population first."
"Oh. Well I guess that's why I didn't see any vamps." The Slayer quipped, her voice still laced with disappointment despite her pain and fatigue. The two of them headed down the alley away from the hospital; turning down a branch that would intersect with a major street.
"You really do have a lot in common with my Ojou-sama. She always wants to keep fighting no matter how tired she is." Miyu said with a shake of her head, indicating a large black pickup truck that was blocking the entire alleyway a little ways ahead. "That's it."
Natsuki whistled, "Wow, that's so much nicer than Midori's car."
Miyu snorted with amusement, "I have seen Sugiura-sensei's vehicle. Your statement is no great compliment for my truck." Natsuki giggled as she climbed into the passenger side, wincing slightly as the action pulled at her stitches, though they felt a bit less painful than they had earlier despite her pain killers wearing off. Slamming the door shut she leaned heavily against the cool window as Miyu climbed in, the vehicle growling loudly to life as she turned her key in the ignition. "Go ahead and sleep until we get to the school, I will wake you when we reach our destination."
"Thanks Miyu." Natsuki said with a smile, surprised at how comfortable she felt around the android now. She still tried not to allow herself to fall asleep, gazing out the window at the city lights and all the small cars that they passed on their way, even this time of night the streets were still so busy. After ten minutes of driving however, her eyes finally started to close despite her best efforts. She wondered briefly as she drifted off whether Miyu would be her older or younger sister?
-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-
Natsuki sighed in relief as the elevator doors finally slid shut, leaning against the wall as the lift made its journey upwards, the pain in her sides and behind her eyes still throbbing uncomfortably. Even though she had only been awake for less than five hours in the past four days, somehow it felt like indeterminate eons had passed since the last time she had been in this dorm building, as if she were somehow out of sync with rate at which time passed here on Earth. The clock in Miyu's truck said it was nearly 1am when the android gently awoke her to let her know they had arrived. It was disorienting because although Natsuki was still exhausted, in some ways she felt like she had just woken up so she didn't really want to go back to sleep right away, especially since her mind just wouldn't let go of the dangerous notion of attempting the spirit walker trial as soon as she was healed a bit more. It seemed to be a mostly spiritual ceremony, but her recent experience with a mere dream capable of putting her in the hospital was enough to make even the normally impulsive and reckless Slayer a little cautious.
Natsuki wondered why she was so willing to risk everything for Alyssa. Really unless Midori's research was wrong, which in Natsuki's experience it rarely if ever was, she would be putting more than her life on the line to undergo this trial. She was risking her immortal soul being trapped in a hell dimension for all eternity, a fate so horrible that even with all of her experience fighting demons Natsuki was unable to truly grasp the implications. So perhaps it was naiveté, her inability to understand the true costs involved that made her think she could still save Alyssa, indeed the notion of not attempting to save the young girl was enough to make her feel nearly overcome with despair. But did she only feel this way now because Miyu told her that Alyssa was her sister, or would she undergo this challenge for anyone no matter the circumstances?
The elevator door dinged open, startling her out of her contemplation. Now that the end of her journey home from the hospital was in sight, Natsuki felt her fatigue falling away. She barely restrained herself from jogging down the long carpeted hallway, the lights cut to half brightness based on the perhaps overly optimistic assumption by the administration that at this time of night most students would be sleeping, lights shining out from under many of the doors she passed, and music drifting into the hallway was proof of just how wrong this reasoning was. When she reached her room however the lights were off and no sounds could be heard inside. Even though she knew that Mai went to bed earlier than most of the girls on their floor since her roommate had work in the afternoons and couldn't catch a nap then, she still was overwhelmed with panic in the moments before she opened the door as she worried that her witch had decided to sleep somewhere else tonight.
She entered her room cautiously, easing the door closed silently behind her. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the dark as she removed her boots, and she made no effort to suppress a joyful smile when she saw that her insecure fears had been unfounded. The orange haired witch was in Natsuki's bed, stretched out on her back on top of the covers and hugging the cuddly form of the plushie Duran close to her chest in a way that made Natsuki feel extremely jealous of her beloved stuffed animal. She stood there in the doorway watching her witch sleep for long moments; until her tenderness and genuine affection for Mai were able to balance out the nearly overwhelming lust and possessiveness she felt when she saw the witch in her bed. It was as though the primitive part of her saw Mai's actions and felt like they meant the witch belonged to her, that the witch must exist for no other reason than to please and comfort the Slayer.
Mai was sleeping fitfully, her hands twitching slightly and soft frightened whimpers escaping her lips. Again she was overcome with a combination of guilt and warmth, knowing without a doubt that Mai's frightful dreams were surely her fault. She couldn't help wondering if the people who cared about her might be better off in the long run if they didn't have Natsuki in their lives to cause them so much distress. But neither her guilt nor anger with herself for causing Mai's fear was strong enough to stop her from silently crossing the room and allowing the warmth and comfort of being close to someone who cared for her to chase away all of her own dark feelings.
After quickly changing into her pyjamas, she cautiously climbed onto the bed next to Mai, careful not to move too quickly and startle the witch awake. Instead she lay down next to the delightfully curvy girl, extracting Duran from her embrace and tossing him across the room onto Mai's bed. Her territory reclaimed from the impudent interloper, Natsuki gently wrapped her arms around the witch, effortlessly moving her so that her back was pressed tightly against Natsuki's front, a position that managed to both comfort the Slayer and make her feel powerful and in control of what belonged to her. Without thought her hands roamed, one caressing the girl's ribs just under the swell of a generous breast, growling softly at the feeling of the soft firm flesh and silky pyjamas resting on top of the still hyper sensitive bruised skin. Her other hand trailed down Mai's side, stroking over the soft curve of her hip and gripping tightly to pull the girl's perfectly rounded butt closer against her. Natsuki's eyes drifted closed as she took in the overwhelming sensation of Mai's soft body pressed up against her, nuzzling her face against the smooth warm skin of her witch's neck biting down gently on the muscle that sloped down toward her shoulder. A wicked grin came to her lips as the tone of Mai's whimpers quickly changed from frightened to pleasured, growing louder with each firmly possessive touch. Hmm, mine. She thought happily as the witch squirmed slightly against her teasing.
"Uuh... Natsuki...? Am I... dreaming?" Mai asked slowly, her voice slurred by sleepiness and the intense arousal that Natsuki's touches were stirring in her. Natsuki growled happily at how much power she had over this beautiful female that she reacted so passionately to her slightest touch, biting down more firmly on Mai's neck, causing the witch to cry out loudly in mixed pleasure and pain. "Grrr... Natsuki." She gasped, "I don't know... if I'm awake... having a wonderful dream... or a horrible nightmare that is about to leave me unspeakably frustrated... why are you... teasing me?"
Natsuki chuckled lowly as she loosened her grip on Mai, smiling appreciatively as the witch rolled over on her back to face her. The way her chest was heaving desperately for enough oxygen, and how flushed her skin was all from Natsuki's touch was enough to make her forget all of the pain she had been feeling earlier as well as her fears about the future. "You were in my bed weren't you? I thought that meant you wanted me to touch you."
Mai let out a noise that was somewhere between a tortured groan and an approving concurrence with Natsuki's statement. "How are you here though?" She insisted as she became more awake and coherent. "When I saw you this afternoon you could barely keep your eyes open for twenty minutes. Did you get checked out early or something?" She asked her pale eyebrows furrowed together in her confusion.
"Hmm... not exactly." Natsuki replied with a smirk, even as she ran a placating hand over Mai's stomach, "I just couldn't sleep any more until I touched you."
"Oh." Mai purred her eyes sliding half closed at Natsuki's soothing touch. "So you snuck out? Midori is going to be so pissed at you."
"Probably. You going to turn me in?" Natsuki asked as she again nuzzled her face into Mai's neck, placing a soft kiss on the artery she could see throbbing rhythmically just under the skin.
"No..." Mai whimpered.
"Mmm, that's what I thought. It seems you can be taught to obey me after all." Natsuki teased.
Mai laughed, "No, I just figure if you're well enough to be teasing me so much, you're probably okay to be out of the hospital... At least if you're just going to cuddle in bed with me and not be running all over the city beating up defenceless vampires."
"Hmm... well I was going to earlier, but it turns out that Miyu took over my job for me while I was unconscious." Natsuki half joked, hoping Mai wouldn't realize that she had actually planned to go slaying with who knows how many internal injuries.
"Grr. Remind me to thank Miyu the next time I see her, and to ask Shizuru to spank you for me as soon as you heal up a bit more." Mai said absently, her voice trailing off slightly as she drifted closer to sleep before shaking herself awake again, "Wait you saw Miyu? That's great that she's okay. I was so worried about her."
"Yeah, it turns out she's fine. She just had to try and throw the trolls she works for off her trail." Natsuki reassured her witch, running her fingers through Mai's soft orange hair, "...wait... did you say you would get Shizuru to... um..." Natsuki blushed hotly, unable to even say the words aloud at that humiliating yet strangely erotic notion. "Uh... what exactly did you two talk about while I was sleeping anyway?" Natsuki squeaked out, her voice suddenly much higher pitched than usual.
Mai just smirked though, "Wouldn't Natsuki like to know?" She teased, doing a scarily good impression of the older girl's lilting speech.
"...Oh God." Natsuki whimpered, wondering if she even wanted to know. If her brain could handle the information, even as a darker part of her got its hopes up at the possibilities, none of which were probably the case.
Mai giggled, obviously pleased with herself for turning the tables on Natsuki like that even if she had needed to invoke Shizuru to get the desired effect. She yawned broadly pouting as she fished for pity, "Ugh... Natsuki I'm so tired. I haven't been able to sleep without waking up constantly from nightmares since Wednesday."
Natsuki hugged the witch close in sympathy, "Even though I've done nothing but sleep the past few days, I'm pretty exhausted too. I'm only awake because I wanted to touch you." She smirked, wondering why she just couldn't seem to stop teasing Mai. "Go ahead and sleep. I'll keep your nightmares away." Natsuki promised, not mentioning that she was here to chase away her own bad dreams and memories. She still needed to tell Mai about the things Miyu told her and try and convince her witch to help her with the potentially deadly spirit walker trial, but she decided she would allow her girl at least one night of undisturbed rest. "I love you Mai, thanks for letting me stay."
"I love you too Natsuki." Mai replied sleepily but sincerely as she drifted back off to sleep, nightmares no longer haunting her.
Despite her own exhaustion, Natsuki lay awake for long hours watching her witch sleeping peacefully, her thoughts too crowded and disturbing to allow her any rest of her own. Still Mai's calm sleeping face, and the slight smile playing across her full lips as she dreamed of pleasant and happy things made Natsuki feel stronger; as though Mai's love for her was a physical thing slowly warming her and healing her wounds so that she would be strong enough to fight another day.