For disclaimers, please see part I.
Author's Notes:
Update – yay.
A Million Reasons; part VIII
On a Sunday
"So." Natsuki closed the car door with a satisfying clunk and regarded her companion across the vehicle's roof. "Where to first, Captain?"
A small chirp sounded as Shizuru locked the doors, and only then did the red gaze rise to meet her own.
"Captain?" the executive repeated bemusedly.
"Well, yeah." Natsuki pushed away from the Toyota and fell into step next to the older woman as the two of them started the trek across one of the vast parking lots in downtown Tsukomori. "You run things at the office, you're my boss, you just drove us here," she ticked off on her fingers, and didn't even look up as she nimbly dodged around a couple of running children. "So... Captain."
A rattle off to one side caught their attention, and they both watched a somewhat harried-looking man as he wrestled with a stubborn shopping cart.
"You don't like it?" the younger woman then wondered.
"Ah." Shizuru glanced up at the expanse of clear sky above them. "No, it's nothing like that," she explained. "That form of address just makes me think of myself as... somewhat of a pirate, I suppose."
"Heh." Natsuki smirked and hooked her thumbs in her belt loops. "Arr," she growled in an appropriately quasi-piratical manner. "Thar be gold in them there hills."
The older woman chuckled. "I wonder..." She tapped a single finger against her chin in thought. "Would that make Natsuki my cabin boy?"
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," came the dry answer as the woman in question patted her own back pocket. "You could at least give me the position of first mate."
Her boss smiled and tugged her purse up a little higher on her shoulder, then stopped short as they reached the sidewalk. A variety of stores lined the street in front of them, and a fair eyebrow quirked as she settled her gaze on one in particular.
"How about navigator?"
Natsuki followed her line of sight, and was quick to recognize the name and logo of one of the bigger electronics retailers in Japan.
"My stuff first, then?" she hazarded.
"Yes." Shizuru brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes as they crossed the street. "I believe a video game will weather a warm car better than groceries would."
"Mm." The younger woman conceded the point with a soft grunt, and extended her arm behind her to hold the glass door open for her boss as they entered the store. The scent of electricity and cool, climate controlled air greeted them, and Natsuki took a quick second to take in the new surroundings before setting off.
"Aha." She grinned as they soon found themselves surrounded by brightly decorated covers and chirping stands where they could try out an array of different games and consoles. "Land ho and plenty o' treasure."
A decidedly amused sound right next to her ear made her blink, and she turned her head to see a set of glinting, crimson eyes very close to her own as Shizuru peered over her shoulder.
"I think," the brunette noted quietly, "that Kaguya-chin might be a far larger influence on you than you are on her."
"Huh?" She did her best to ignore the sudden flutter in her stomach. "How do you mean?"
"Merely that Natsuki is very... playful, shall we say?" was the lilting reply. The executive added a small smile to the end of it, and stepped over to a nearby shelf to examine its contents with a nonchalant air. "It really is terribly cute to watch."
"Oh, shut up." Natsuki folded her arms and sent the older woman a squinty-eyed glare. "Pirates aren't cute."
"Perhaps not," her companion agreed mildly, and glanced up from her perusal. "But college students doing pirate impersonations certainly are."
"Pfft." She rolled her eyes and ambled closer as she saw Shizuru pick up a game and study it. "What's... ah." The dark head shook as she recognized the title of one of the more popular, romantic adventure games. "Figures you'd go for that type of mush."
"There is nothing wrong with romanticism," the older woman calmly informed her, and tapped a corner of the casing gently against her forehead. "Neither one of us would even be here if it wasn't for 'mush', as you call it."
One hand lightly batted the plastic cover away. "And here I thought it was the slaking of carnal desires that resulted in baby-making."
"Well… that too," Shizuru admitted. "But I don't see any games of that nature here."
"Nah." Natsuki sniffed and leafed through the available selection. "You usually have a better chance of ordering those onli--" She audibly clicked her jaw shut, and – very slowly– turned her head to see a set of highly amused red eyes peering at her.
Arh, crap.
"Ara." Shizuru smiled proudly and clapped her hands together against one cheek. "Natsuki is all grown up!"
"Oh, my God…" The younger woman's blush made the green of her eyes stand out in vivid contrast – at least until she clapped a hand over said eyes. "You did not hear that."
"Oh, there's no need to worry," the executive told her in an entirely too cheerful tone of voice. "I wouldn't dream of telling anyone that Natsuki happens to be a connoisseur of the more, ah… esoteric types of video games."
"Quiet," her assistant growled, and proceeded to study the back of a game cover so intently that the plastic almost seemed to shrivel. "It wasn't even for me."
"Really?" Shizuru set the game she'd been examining back into place. "Why on earth would you be buying games like that for someone else?"
"Because Nao wasn't old enough to buy her-oooh, forget it!" Natsuki threw up her hands and stalked off towards one of the test consoles. "I'm just digging myself in deeper. Where's that damn bundle?"
Shizuru chuckled and left her assistant to search for the item in question while she herself wandered off to a different section of the store. "And here I thought I had the monopoly on corrupting innocent minds," she mused quietly, and took no notice of the startled look that drew from a passing employee.
Then again, she wasn't entirely sure that Yuuki Nao could really be considered an 'innocent mind'. The one she remembered hadn't been much of an innocent in any aspect, although if she and Natsuki spent time together voluntarily now, perhaps that was another thing that had changed in her absence.
Life had gotten quite a bit more interesting in recent weeks – that was for certain.
She paused in front of a display that literally advertised 'Nerd Pocketknives', and felt a light tickle of memory at the back of her mind.
The latest conference call between the board members of the company had included a small discussion about the next Kinro Kansha no Hi; a holiday that centered on thanking workers for ensuring the prosperity of the nation, and as such, one on which Fujino Inc. traditionally presented its employees with a gift of some kind. Granted, that particular day didn't roll around until late November, but it was always good to start gathering ideas in advance.
Shizuru claimed one of the small boxes from the stand, and turned it over in order to scan the writing on the back of the package. Since she couldn't exactly classify herself as someone who truly understood the nuts-and-bolts aspect of the technology that kept their offices running, there were a few functions of the tool that she wasn't certain of. Regardless of her own ignorance, one of these boxes would probably make a far more useful gift to their Operations employees than a gift certificate. She'd have to ask one of their Ops managers to take a look at the product and verify it for her.
The box was put back into place, and she tugged a small notebook from her purse and copied down the product name and ID while silently lamenting the fact that she had left her PDA charging on her desk at home. True, her laptop was safely stored beneath the front seat of her car and could be used to send a mail to Nitora-han later, but it would have been more efficient if she simply could have done so right now without having to lug around an extra bag.
PDA's were very useful little things in that respect, she decided. Even if her own model was slightly out of date.
That reminded her of something else, and she shot a quick glance over her shoulder; easily spotting the dark hair she was looking for. Natsuki was standing almost at the opposite end of the store and seemed to be conversing with one of the employees; her arms folded loosely and her posture projecting a very no-nonsense air.
Much like how she looked whenever she accompanied the executive to a meeting, Shizuru noted. At least for the first five minutes.
One thing she'd quickly learned about her assistant was that Natsuki was the owner of a very restless mind, and with that, a sometimes incredibly short attention span. If you wanted her input on something, you presented the problem to her in short, concise terms, and she could provide you with her answer sometimes in a matter of minutes. Give her a presentation to watch or place her in a drawn-out discussion, however, and her mind would invariably wander off to greener pastures as it grew bored with the monotony of it.
Recently, Shizuru had started to schedule the lengthier meetings for Mondays and Tuesdays – when Natsuki was attending her classes and wouldn't end up distracting her own attention to the proceedings by fidgeting. Thus far, it was working like a charm. She hadn't heard the younger woman agitatedly curse about 'wasting time and resources' for several days, which was a feat in itself.
She did, however, miss having the familiar presence at her side during those meetings. And that was a distraction all on its own.
So she'd have to find a way to kill two birds with one stone, as it were. Something that would enable Natsuki to sit through long conferences without twitching every two minutes. And a small, handheld device that could be synched with not only her assistant's work computer but her home system as well... that might just be the solution to that little problem.
If Natsuki had a PDA of her own, she considered as she ambled over to a glass-encased display as tall as she was and studied the models set up within, she'd be able to actually do something aside from impatiently waiting for the meeting to end. So...
"May I help you, ojou-san?"
"Ah." Shizuru gave a smile to the hopeful-looking young man who had approached her. "I'm looking to purchase one of these." She indicated the case with one hand. "Preferably one from the higher end of the spectrum that supports a variety of file types and has a fairly large storage capacity."
"Of course." He inclined his head in agreement. "We have quite a few models that fit those requirements, so if you don't mind, can I ask a few questions to narrow the selection down?"
"Certainly."
"Let's start from the top, then." He ran his eyes over the case. "Color display?"
"Yes."
"That scratches off quite a few," he noted with a smile. "Games?"
"Provided it has an option to disable the sound, absolutely." Even if a sudden, loud noise would undoubtedly liven the conference room up by quite a bit.
"Wi-Fi?"
"Definitely."
"GPS?"
Here, she shook her head. "Not necessarily."
"Touchscreen?"
"Preferably."
"Alright." He tugged a set of keys from his belt and unlocked the door to the display, then paused as he made to pull it open. "Oh, I'm sorry. Price range?"
She smiled. "No object."
That earned her a wholehearted grin. "You're the ideal customer so far, ojou-san," he informed her cheerfully.
Shizuru chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"Exactly how it was intended," he noted. "Now..." He reached inside the case and removed a sleek, black device, which he handed over to her. "I'd recommend this model. It's capable of high-speed Wi-Fi and comes with the most recent edition of both Windows Mobile and Office. You can open, transfer and create Word and Excel-compatible files, and it supports PDF, ZIP, PowerPoint and several other types."
"I see." She removed the attached stylus and tapped her way through the menu. "And on the less serious side?"
He cocked his head. "As I recall, it has three games already installed and more available for purchase at the developer's website." A pause. "It has GPS, a messaging system similar to the one used in cell phones, and comes with... ah, a sixteen gigabyte memory card, I think. Larger ones are available, though."
The executive nodded, and was honestly quite tempted to buy one for herself, as well. But as it was, there was nothing wrong with her current model, and while she was far cry indeed from having to worry about her finances, she was still loath to spend money on things she didn't truly need.
She snapped the stylus back into place with a click. "I'll take it."
"Wonderful." He reclaimed the demonstration model with a smile and put it back, then locked the display once more. "If you'll wait by the register over here, I'll get one from our store room and get you processed right away."
"Please take your time," she told him, and waited for him to wander off. Once he had, the sound of a familiar pattern of footfalls caught her attention, and she turned her head to see Natsuki plodding closer; one hand closed around the collar of the jacket she'd slung over her shoulder.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked.
"Yup." The younger woman leaned against the counter next to her. "These guys even offer free delivery once you spend a certain amount, so it looks like we won't have to lug the box around." The green eyes shifted to take in the nearby merchandise, and a dark eyebrow cocked. "What about you? Giving in to the lure of consumerism already?"
Shizuru felt her lips quirk. "You could say that," she admitted, and turned as her new friend rejoined them.
"Huh." Natsuki peered at the narrow box the young man put down. "I thought you already had one of those."
"I do." The executive passed a credit card to the clerk with a smile. "But Natsuki doesn't."
"Wh--" A sound that was a cross between a choke and a cough, and she caught her assistant's eyes widening to an almost comical degree from the corner of her own. "Shi-- are you nuts?!" Natsuki pointed incredulously at the packaging while the clerk blithely worked his way through the transaction. "That thing costs a small fortune!"
"Considering the fact that I haven't bought Christmas or birthday presents for you in several years, it isn't that large an amount," Shizuru commented as she signed the paper presented by the young man, then passed it back over in return for her card and the box itself, the latter of which she held out to her friend. "And it is very rude to refuse a gift, isn't it?"
"Ye... bu..." Natsuki was staring at her almost helplessly, and looked oddly like a fish out of water. "God," she finally muttered, and covered her eyes. "You're impossible."
"So you seem fond of telling me." She bumped the end of the package against the younger woman's stomach and tilted her head; idly aware of the clerk's amused regard. "Well?"
"Mrf." Her assistant accepted the box with a mild, reproachful glare. "Thanks." A pause, as she turned it over in her hand. "And I'll get you for this."
"I look forward to it." Shizuru bowed lightly to the clerk, who really was doing an admirable job of keeping a lid on his mirth. "Thank you for your assistance."
"Not at all, ojou-san." He sketched a return bow. "Enjoy your day."
The two of them left the store again in companionable silence, and this time Shizuru was the one who held the door for her assistant, whose attention was so firmly focused on the box in her hands that she seemed liable to plow right into the glass surface otherwise.
Well. The executive paused as they emerged back into the sunshine and watched with an idle sort of amusement as Natsuki leaned against the side of the building and proceeded to intently study the manual for the new device.
"That took less time than anticipated," she noted.
"Yeah." Natsuki glanced at her watch. "We're gonna have to figure out something to do until lunchtime."
"I meant in regards to how long it took for you to actually open the box."
"Oh, shut up." The younger woman blushed. "You gave me the damn thing – don't poke fun at me for trying to figure out how to use it."
"Ara." Shizuru clasped a hand to her chest. "Would I really do that?"
Her response was a narrow, green glare that conveyed the answer more clearly than words ever could.
She had to laugh. "Natsuki knows me too well, I think."
"Well enough to know that you'll take any chance to tease me, anyway," her assistant muttered as she slipped the manual back inside the box.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say any chance," the executive demurred as she glanced around in hopes of finding something for the two of them to spend their time on. An opening café a bit down the street caught her eye, and she spent a few seconds watching the workers set up a collection of outdoor tables.
"Natsuki." A smile as she turned back to her companion and watched the dark head tilt in question. "Would you perhaps want to sit down for a while?" She gestured towards the café, and the green eyes flicked over the set-up. "If you wish, you can borrow my laptop in the meantime and connect to your office account."
"I've been there before," Natsuki noted with a quirk of an eyebrow. "They don't have a hotspot, and even if they did, wouldn't be a little iffy to sign in to our intranet through an open connection?"
"Tsk." Shizuru shook her head and gave the younger woman's sleeve a light tug. "Ye of little faith. Weren't you the one who convinced me to get a cellular card just a few days ago?"
"Oh." Her assistant fell into step next to her as the two of them headed back towards the parking lot.
The card in question, when inserted into a compatible computer, provided high-speed, wireless Internet access in and of itself and – thanks to a little clever finagling by the Ops department – also very high encryption levels. The fact that the CEO's card would come with more protection than you could shake a stick at was obvious, since Shizuru's position meant that she had access to pretty much everything within the firm's huge, internal network.
So far, she hadn't even bothered with ordering a cellular card, but as Natsuki had pointedly told her:
"It doesn't matter how well-prepared you are, or how much you print out, transfer or whatever. At some point, your PDA's gonna die, your laptop's gonna crash, or you're gonna miss one single document that you really need and have no way of getting your hands on it in time, because that's how life works. And once you're knee-deep in shit, you're gonna be wishing like hell that you'd brought a shovel to dig your way out of it. Better safe than sunk."
And that, the CEO had admitted, was certainly true.
"Yeah, I did, but..." A pause as they both ducked around a hurrying pedestrian heading in the opposite direction. "You got that already?"
"And here I thought you were a quick study," the older woman teased, and felt her face crease into a slight grin when Natsuki huffed. "Haven't you learned by now that one of the perks of being a CEO is almost instant access to all the best toys?"
"Uh huh." A sideways glance. "Apart from the ones that are actual handheld devices, apparently."
Shizuru gave her a look as she unlocked the car. "There is nothing wrong with my current model," she noted, and leaned in through the open front door to retrieve the narrow bag containing her laptop.
"Maybe not," Natsuki agreed as she slung her jacket onto the passenger seat, then stepped back to let the older woman do likewise. "But it's not exactly one of the 'best toys' anymore, is it?"
"Well..." Shizuru handed the case over and pulled a clip from her purse, then bent her neck and regarded the younger woman from below her eyelashes as she put her hair up in deference to the warm weather. "Perhaps not," she admitted. "But it is perfectly capable of doing its job."
"So was the guy who got caught doing naked aerobics in his office."
The executive chuckled and locked the Toyota back up. "True." She accepted the box her assistant held out; slipping it into her purse so Natsuki could have at least one hand free. "But I daresay that my PDA is quite a bit less likely to start jumping around the building with male genitalia out for all and sundry to see."
Natsuki cringed visibly. "God..." she groaned. "What a mental image."
"Isn't it, though?"
"Ew."
Silence fell between them, and Shizuru was hard pressed to contain her amusement as she noticed how Natsuki kept giving her head short, abrupt shakes at odd intervals, almost as if she was trying to dislodge something.
"Still stuck, is it?" she asked a few minutes later as they took their respective seats at one of the outdoor tables.
The younger woman looked as if she'd smelled something remarkably unpleasant, and set the case down on the table with a grunt. "Damn you," she growled. "And stop laughing."
"Kanin na," the executive giggled, and glanced up when a waitress approached them.
"Tamaryokucha?" Shizuru inquired and – on seeing the girl nod in agreement – turned to her assistant. "Natsuki?"
"Iced coffee," the woman in question replied, and waited for the waitress to wander off again before she unzipped the case.
"Seriously," she then went on as the machine booted. "You could drink hot tea during a firestorm. How can you stand it?"
"Habit, I suppose." Shizuru leaned back and settled one knee over the other. She watched one slender finger trace over the empty slot on the side of the computer, and smiled when Natsuki looked up in question. "There's a pocket in the top lining."
"Ah." Another zipper was undone, and she heard the sound of the dust-proof, protective cover being opened before Natsuki slid the card itself into the laptop with a soft shhk. "C'mon, c'mon..." Her fingers moved over the keyboard with a clatter. "Log in, you stupid..."
The executive smothered a smile at the impatient display, and wordlessly set the box containing her assistant's new gadget down on the table next to the computer. She spent another few moments watching Natsuki type and mutter to herself; the dark head only lifting briefly when the waitress returned with their drinks.
And speaking of heads... there was a remarkably familiar-looking one weaving its way closer to the table they were seated at. Or – more specifically – closer to the back of Natsuki's chair.
Once the figure realized that she was watching, one hand quickly lifted in a silencing motion, and while Shizuru felt one of her eyebrows arch in curiosity, she remained impassive otherwise. Natsuki, she noted, was too engrossed in switching from the laptop to the PDA and back again to notice anything herself, and so the executive calmly folded her hands around her cup and waited.
"Hyaah!" Long, navy hair went flying as Natsuki jumped to her feet and twirled, and Shizuru had to close her teeth firmly on the rim of the cup to keep from bursting into helpless laughter. "What the hell was that for?!"
Tokiha Mai sniffed and unfurled the magazine she'd used to whack her friend in the back of the head with. "That," she noted. "Was for dropping off the face of the earth and not returning any calls or texts for the past two weeks."
Natsuki grunted and set her hands against her hips. "Last time you did that, I'd only been out of reach for two days," she growled.
"You know something?" Mai rolled the glossy paper back up and whapped her again - this time on the shoulder. "You're absolutely right."
"Hey!" Natsuki held up her hands and did her best to block the next whack. "Stop it!"
"Four, five, six..." the redhead blithely counted off as she continued to discipline her friend. "And..." She ducked a rapidly outstretched arm and landed another light blow on Natsuki's backside just as she sank into a vacant chair. "Seven. Hello, Fujino-san."
"Mai-han." Shizuru dipped her head bemusedly. "A pleasure to see you again."
"Likewise." Mai settled her lower arms on the table and made no motion to acknowledge the red-faced, scowling young woman standing next to her. "How have you been?"
"I can't complain," she noted, and took a small sip of her tea to cover the twitch at the corner of her mouth. "I trust the same goes for you?"
"Oh, absolutely." One hand lifted, then dropped once more. "I have no problems that couldn't be fixed by having a social circle made up of reasonable human beings."
"That can be quite troublesome," Shizuru agreed gravely, and watched from out of the corner of her eye as Natsuki crossed her arms with a huff. "Some of my more immediate coworkers seem to have taken on that particular trait, as well."
"Really?" Mai rested her chin in one hand and studied her intently, her head turned in what was presumably an effort to hide the glint in her eyes from the last member of their little group. "Whatever do you do to deal with it?"
"Oh, this and that," she replied with a smirk, then swiftly schooled her face into a bland expression as she turned to regard her now deeply blushing assistant. "Ara, Natsuki, your coffee must be getting warm," she remarked innocently. "Perhaps you'd better drink it."
"Bah." The younger woman flopped into her chair with an annoyed grunt. "You suck," she pronounced. "Both of you."
Mai finally gave up and laughed, and reached one hand out to pat the frowning woman on the shoulder. "Sorry, Natsuki," she chuckled. "You just make it so easy."
"Feh." Natsuki gave them both a dark look over the edge of her glass, then rolled her eyes and went back to the electronics in front of her.
Shizuru held back a giggle and turned her attention to the redhead. "Mai-han." She waited until the violet eyes settled on her. "May I ask if you're still in school as well?"
"Oh, no." Mai waved one hand dismissively. "I finished a while back and didn't see a need to go any further than an undergraduate degree," she explained. "So my hobby of part time jobs is officially over – I work full-time now." A pause. "I was actually on my way to work when I spotted the two of you."
"Really?" The executive settled her cup on the table and regarded the younger woman. "I do hope we're not making you late."
The redhead chuckled. "Not at all," she assured her with a slight grin. "It's very close by."
"Don't you start talking in layers, too," Natsuki interjected without looking up from the device in her hand. "Shizuru's bad enough," she added, and quickly ducked another swing of the magazine.
Shizuru watched the two of them continue to horse around in that manner for a while, then cleared her throat politely.
"Would one of you care to explain exactly what it is that I seem to be missing out on?" she wondered.
"Ah... ow!" Natsuki had paused at the question, and thus ended up not dodging a whap. "Quit it!" She yanked the magazine out of Mai's hand and tossed it onto the table with a growl. "Or I'm telling Mikoto where you keep your eggs."
"Now, there's no need to make threats," Mai protested.
Natsuki stuck her tongue out, then turned back to the executive. "Long story short, Mai works here." She tapped the tabletop with one finger. "Or, more specifically; she owns the place."
"Half of it, anyway," the redhead explained. "I still have a bit to go in paying off the loan, so technically, the bank owns the rest."
"Is that so?" Shizuru looked around, and watched how the available tables were quickly being claimed by hungry patrons. "From what I can see, you shouldn't have that problem for much longer."
"Here's to hoping," Mai replied wryly.
"Oi, Kuga!"
The call made all three of them look up, and it didn't take long for any of them to spot yet another familiar redhead across the street. Natsuki half-turned in her seat and raised her hands in the universal gesture for 'what the hell do you want?', then rolled her eyes as she was waved over.
"Be right back," she muttered, and made her way between the tables.
Shizuru settled her gaze on Nao, who was leaning against a fence in a typically arrogant pose while she waited for Natsuki to reach her.
"So they are friends now," the executive mused. "How peculiar."
"Ah, I wouldn't go so far as to call them friends," Mai noted from beside her as she too watched the proceedings. "They're too similar to really stay enemies they way they were back in school, but still too competitive for that kind of closeness." A pause. "Watch."
"Hm?" Shizuru gave the redhead a glance, then did as she was asked; blinking as she watched Nao and Natsuki greet each other by clasping forearms.
"A compromise," Mai remarked with a small touch of amusement in her voice. "Bowing made it too easy for them to 'accidentally' headbutt each other, and clasping hands?" She shook her head. "Forget it. That just leads to gripping and eventual fighting. Not a pretty sight."
"I see." She folded her hands over her raised knee and studied the young woman next to her. "What would you call them, then – if not friends or enemies?"
"Troublemakers."
Shizuru chuckled at the deadpan reply. "Well, that was always the case, wasn't it?"
"It's extremely rude to talk about people behind their backs," Natsuki commented as she returned to the table, Nao trailing a little ways behind her. "Especially when they're actually in earshot."
"We didn't know that you were in earshot, though," Mai pointed out. "Hi, Nao-chan."
"Tokiha." Nao raised a hand and let it drop. "Fujino."
The executive watched the lime-green eyes grow shuttered when they settled on her, and sighed inwardly. Apparently she still had some reparations to make in that area.
"Yuuki-han," she greeted politely. "I trust that your mother is well?"
Nao's eyes narrowed so slightly that it was almost impossible to see. "She's fine," she replied shortly. "Almost done with rehabilitation."
"I'm pleased to hear that."
"I bet."
"Shizuru." Natsuki leaned against the back of an empty chair. "Can I borrow your car keys for a minute? I left my cell phone in my jacket."
"I thought you said you wanted to hit the game store?" Nao commented.
"I did." Natsuki shoved a hand in her pocket. "But I need to call Akiko and make sure she can have Junior out of the way when the delivery guy shows up."
The executive fished the keys out of her purse and held them out. "Changed your mind?" she wondered as Natsuki claimed the jingling items.
"Sort of." A half-grin. "They've got more hiding spots at their house than I do in my apartment."
"You're so wrapped up in that kid it's pathetic."
"Go suck on a muffler, Yuuki."
"Oo, kinky." Nao smirked. "Didn't know you had it in ya, Kuga."
"Whatever." Natsuki turned on her heel and grabbed the redhead by the elbow. "C'mon."
"Jeez, chill." Nao reclaimed her arm with a jerk. "I don't need your ass guiding me around."
"Screw you."
"Bite me."
"You wish."
"Dream on."
"They have an interesting relationship, don't they?" Mai spoke up after the bickering duo had vanished in the crowd.
"That's one way of putting it," Shizuru agreed. "Birds of a feather flock together."
"And bristle and caw at each other over territory." The redhead glanced down as a short series of beeps issued from her pocket, then got to her feet. "Please excuse me for a moment, Fujino-san. I really should head inside and at least check on everything."
"Of course, Mai-han. Take your time."
The executive waited until the other woman had entered the small café before she tugged the laptop over and – as an afterthought – slipped Natsuki's PDA back into her purse for safekeeping. A few clicks and a clatter of keystrokes was all it took for her to log out of her assistant's desktop and into her own, and she opened her e-mail program to compose a quick message to Nitora Miki.
The chatter of the lunchtime crowd flowed over her head, and she reread what she had typed out as she lifted the cup to her lips once more.
"Ah." Another few lines made it clear that if the pocket knives would indeed make suitable presents, then the manager should be sure to acquire a few extra dozen of them to account for any additional hires over the next six months, and Shizuru nodded her head in satisfaction as she BCC'ed her direct supervisor; then sent the missive off with swift key combination.
The computer dinged at her after less than a minute, and she smiled as she opened the reply from her father.
Excellent idea, Shi-chin. Now stop working – it's Sunday.
Short, but sweet, she considered as she studied the message. But... Shizuru drummed her fingers against the table top. Two could play at that game.
I suppose that the apple doesn't fall very far from the proverbial tree in my case, she sent back – only after having emphasized her father's work address and the date and time of his reply in boldface.
"You work too hard."
She almost jumped at the familiar voice, but managed to merely raise an eyebrow as she looked up to meet Natsuki's even gaze across the table. "And you are channeling my father," she noted, and smiled at the baffled expression she got in reply. "Did you get everything taken care of?"
"Yup." Natsuki leaned back and patted the cell phone she now had clipped to her belt. "All systems go – along with Nao, by the way. I think she had to meet her mother somewhere." A pause. "Where'd Mai run off to?"
"I believe that Mai-han had some managerial duties to attend to," the executive commented, and shot a glance at the door to the café from over her shoulder. "But she did infer that she would be back later."
"Ah." The younger woman crossed her arms and nodded; her eyes surveying their immediate surroundings with idle curiosity. "Well, it is just about lunch time, so I guess they'd need her now," she remarked. "Speaking of which... you hungry yet?"
"I'm sure I will be by the time the food actually gets to us," Shizuru replied, and flagged down a passing waiter to secure a set of menus. "And if what I remember about Mai-han's cooking is correct..." She held one menu out to her assistant, and trailed off.
"... then the food is pretty much guaranteed to be good," Natsuki finished dryly as she studied the available selection. "Yeah, it usually is. Mai doesn't do all the cooking herself, but as far as I know, most of the recipes are hers."
They each settled on a dish in quick succession, and it wasn't long before a polite server had walked off with the order.
"They're running a hell of a brisk business here," Natsuki muttered, and flicked her hair over her shoulder before giving the table a searching look. "Did you grab the PDA?"
"Yes." Shizuru lifted her purse onto the lacquered wood and pushed it over with one hand, while her other hand tapped a few more keys on the laptop. "Could you put the car keys back in there, please?"
"Oh, shoot." Natsuki shifted as she dug the items in question out of her pocket. "Almost forgot about those. Sure."
"Hm." The executive gave her a look over the edge of the monitor. "And here I thought that perhaps Natsuki simply wanted to drive us back later."
"Well..."
Shizuru chuckled. "I suppose you might as well hold on to the keys, in that case."
She got a broad grin in response. "You got it, boss."
The fair head shook as Shizuru watched her assistant attack her new gadget with renewed enthusiasm, and she gave in to the tugging at the corner of her mouth as she heard a low fanfare issue from the device.
"Some things never change," she mused out loud.
Natsuki glanced up. "You're one to talk, Tea Woman."
"I believe I liked 'Captain' better."
The younger woman snorted and shook her head, and they shared a smile before immersing themselves in their respective electronics.
Games with a touchscreen was an adjustment, Natsuki thought to herself as she tapped the stylus against an enemy and watched the muzzle at the bottom of the display spew bullets at him. When she used a console or her computer, she generally didn't have to worry all that much about pressing too hard, while doing such a thing here might actually break the screen itself.
So she settled on getting the excess energy out of her system by jiggling her leg instead.
A soft humming mingled with the chatter from the surrounding tables and caught her attention, and she glanced at her boss. Shizuru seemed completely unaware that she was even making the noise to begin with – focused as she obviously was on whatever was displayed on her own screen. There was the faintest of furrows in the older woman's brow as her eyes flicked from side to side, and Natsuki got the sudden urge to smooth it out with her finger.
She frowned and settled her gaze back on the small display; taking out a few more heavily armed soldiers as she puzzled over the notion.
"Order up?"
"Hn?" Natsuki raised her head and caught the motion of Shizuru doing likewise, and smirked. "Since when does the owner serve the customers?"
"Since the customers happen to be friends of said owner." Mai waited for the executive to close the laptop and move it aside before setting one of the plates she was carrying down in front of her. "And since I thought that I might join the two of you for lunch, if you don't mind?"
"Not at all," was Shizuru's reply. "Natsuki?"
"Fine by me." She saved her game and set the PDA down. "Just give me my food." She got a look instead of a meal, and sighed. "Please."
"Good girl." The redhead set another plate down before patting her on the head, and she batted the hand away with a growl.
"Don't you start again," she warned, and flicked her gaze to the side when she heard a chuckle. "That goes for you too."
"Of course." Shizuru smiled agreeably while Mai settled herself. "I wouldn't dream of teasing Natsuki."
Natsuki almost choked on the sip of coffee she'd been taking, and coughed. "Bwuh." She wiped her lips with a napkin and stared incredulously at her boss. "I can't believe you actually managed to say that with a straight face."
"I can't either," Mai interjected with a laugh. "No offense, Fujino-san, but that has to have been the biggest lie I've heard all year."
"Ara, we are barely in June yet, Mai-han. I'm sure you'll hear far better than that before the year is out," the executive demurred. "And please, Shizuru is perfectly fine."
The redhead gave her a smile, and the three of them claimed their utensils just as a series of low chimes sounded.
"Oh, dear." Shizuru pulled the phone from her belt and rose. "It seems that today will be one of interruptions," she noted as she peered at the display, then bowed lightly. "Please excuse me for a moment."
Business or personal? Natsuki watched her go, and traced her eyes carefully over the older woman's face as she answered the call. Shizuru was a hard person to read at the best of times, but she had a certain amount of personal insight into the mental machinations of the executive that she liked to believe gave her an advantage over others.
Of course, when the damn woman turned her back she had to go on her body language instead.
A dark eyebrow cocked as she took in the loose set of Shizuru's shoulders, and the lack of tension in her exposed arms. Her boss' jaw was fairly relaxed as well, and from what she could see of her face, the executive appeared to be smiling slightly.
Personal, she eventually deduced. They wouldn't call her about company matters on a Sunday unless something big exploded.
"Does Shizuru-san know?"
"Huh?" She turned back around, and felt her brow furrow in confusion. "Know what?"
Mai said nothing, but did bend her neck to give her a very pointed look.
"Ah." Natsuki was quick to catch on. "No." She shook her head. "No, she doesn't."
"Honestly..." The redhead sighed.
"Oh, give me a break, will you? I haven't even told Akiko." She gave her friend a sour look. "It's not like I can just walk up to either of them and go 'Hey, guess what?'."
"No." Mai rested her chin in one hand and studied her; violet eyes glinting with amusement. "I should hope that by now, even you have more tact than that."
A lightly closed fist thumped against her shoulder in reproach, and she grinned.
"Well, that aside..." The redhead cleared her throat and amiably changed the subject. "How's the new job working out for you?"
"Pretty well, actually." Natsuki stretched her legs out in front of her and crossed her ankles. "I've gotten absolutely no practical experience in actual bioinformatics, but..." She waggled one hand and gave her friend a crooked grin. "I got to visit my sister in the labs downstairs a few times, and given what I've seen of the stuff she has to deal with, well... I think I prefer the 28th floor." A pause. "Fewer headaches, amazing as that sounds."
"My, my..." Mai laughed lightly. "Aiming for a position in management now, are we?" The flame-tinted head shook bemusedly. "I'm having enough trouble picturing you in a powersuit now – let alone for the rest of your life."
"Shut it, Tokiha. I'll have you know that I'm perfectly capable of pulling off that look."
"And donning such a suit during the week makes it all the more enjoyable to dress casually during your time off," came the lightly accented comment from behind them as Shizuru rejoined their little group; the elder of them apparently having overheard the last part of the conversation.
Natsuki quirked an eyebrow at her boss as Shizuru reclaimed her seat, then turned a dry glance to Mai. "This from the woman who works out in honest to God hakama," she remarked.
"Working out is still a form of work," the executive pointed out as they all dug into their individual meals.
"I've yet to see you show up at the office wearing a gi." Natsuki waggled a chopstick at her boss. "Even if the company does allow people to-- Aw, man." She clapped a hand over her eyes as the visuals from earlier now returned with a vengeance, and groaned. "Gah! Bad mental images!" Her free hand batted at the air in front of her face. ""Out, out, out!"
Shizuru chuckled while Mai made a noise of utter confusion.
"Would you like to explain this to Mai-han, Natsuki?" The executive sounded far too amused for her liking. "Or should I?"
Natsuki glared at her boss from between two fingers. "You tell her," she growled. "If you need me, I'll be over here covering my ears and thinking of fluffy things."
And Shizuru proceeded to do just that. Or at least it seemed that way, Natsuki considered, judging by the glint in the crimson eyes and the increasingly slack-jawed look on Mai's face as the executive's lips moved. She rolled her own eyes when they both sent a smirk her way; instinctively knowing that her boss had taken it upon herself to inform the redhead of exactly what it was that had caused her earlier outburst.
Maybe it'd be wise to keep her ears covered for a little while longer.
Then again... Natsuki studied the gently steaming plate in front of her and sighed. Mai had added extra mayo to her karaage, and it did taste a lot better hot than it did cold.
Damn it. She gave both of her companions a wary look, and lowered her hands to resume eating.
"... get every kind there is here, too," Mai was saying between bites. "Most are fairly normal, but every once in a while, we get a customer that just raises the bar for odd to a new level." She paused to chew, and glanced upwards in thought for a few seconds. "I think it was... well, a month or two ago, this one man started coming in once a week. He always orders the spiciest thing on the menu and one small glass of milk, and then seems surprised when he has to order more after just a couple of mouthfuls."
"Mm?" Natsuki dipped another piece of chicken into the bowl of mayo. "Every week? Talk about being a creature of habit."
"Or very forgetful," Mai pointed out.
"Or simply one who enjoys testing himself," Shizuru remarked calmly while selecting a piece of meat from her own dish. "It could be that he's merely trying to get to the point where he can make it through the entire meal without needing more than that single glass."
"Maybe," the redhead allowed thoughtfully. "No matter what, he provides some amusement in an otherwise pretty bland day, so..." She shrugged one shoulder. "It's not like we mind him, even if he does flirt with some of the girls."
"Oh, come on, Mai." Natsuki chuckled softly. "From what you tell me, he sure isn't the only one. How many times have you been hit on this week?"
"I've lost count," Mai muttered, much to the amusement of her tablemates.
"Thought so." Natsuki drowned another bit of chicken. "What's the name of your imaginary boyfriend right now, anyway?"
Shizuru quirked an eyebrow at that. "Imaginary boyfriend?"
"Hm." Mai chewed a bit of vegetable reflectively. "Tate and I went our separate ways a while back, but while I'm technically single, I don't really want to go out with someone who hits on me while I'm working."
The executive had her mouth full, and so merely nodded.
"So I talk to my staff about a boyfriend I supposedly have – they're in on it, of course," the redhead went on. "And it helps keep most of the would-be romantics at bay." She kept her smile turned to Shizuru as she reached out a hand to pat their remaining companion on the shoulder. "Natsuki even helps me out by picking me up from work every now and then."
"And you still owe me for the last few times," the woman in question piped up, and gave her friend a light kick under the table. "I wouldn't be just anyone's pretend biker-boy, y'know."
"You wouldn't think so from how good a job you do of it," Mai remarked playfully.
"Bleh." Natsuki made a face and shot a warning glance at her amusedly smirking boss. "I don't see why you don't just go out with Kanzaki already. You know he still likes you, and God knows Mikoto would be over the moon to hear those news."
"This is payback for earlier, isn't it?"
"Bet your ass it is."
"I'll think about it," Mai offered diplomatically, and then swiftly changed the subject. "But for now– Midori-chan mentioned recently that she might be coming to Fuuka some time this summer."
"Sugiura-sensei is?" Shizuru's eyebrows rose slightly. "Ara, those are fairly big news," she noted thoughtfully. "She left before I did."
"Exactly." The redhead nodded. "So we'll need to welcome her back in style."
"Mai?" Natsuki set down her drink and eyed her friend warily. "Don't tell me you wanna throw another--"
"Karaoke party?" The violet eyes twinkled. "Of course I do. We can welcome Shizuru-san back at the same time, and it's practically tradition!"
A loud thud jarred the assembled plates and glasses on the table, and while the executive swiftly hid a smile behind one hand, Mai scoffed.
"Oh, sit up, Natsuki. One more won't kill you."
-----
"That ended up being a longer day than expected," came the remark from the driver's seat several hours later.
"Indeed," Shizuru agreed, and watched the yellowish light from the street lamps flicker over the hood of the car. What had initially only been supposed to be a few hours spent in Tsukomori had turned into a full day of it, and while the executive couldn't even remember most of what they'd actually spent the time on, it had been sunset by the time they'd eventually settled themselves inside the Toyota and started the drive back towards Fuuka.
"I do hope that you won't have to stay up too late in order to finish your homework," she then offered somewhat apologetically, and turned her head to study the dimly lit outline of the younger woman.
Natsuki chuckled and flicked the turn signal on. "Nah. Don't worry about it," she appeased calmly and sent her a glance. "I read pretty fast, and like I said, I don't have too much left, anyway."
"Still..."
"Shizuru." The car slowed as it turned down a specific residential street, and while her assistant carefully kept her eyes on the road in front of them, a hand still managed to settle against her arm with pinpoint accuracy. "It's fine; I promise. Okay?"
She nodded and watched the hand return to its place on the steering wheel, then reached out to press a small button. "If you're certain"
"I am." Natsuki deftly guided the car into the now open garage and checked the mirrors before pulling the handbrake and turning off the ignition. The two of them both undid their respective seatbelts, and the executive was about to open her own door when a hand on her shoulder made her pause.
"Ah-ah." Her assistant shook her head decisively. "Stay."
Shizuru gave her an amused look, but agreeably settled back into her seat while Natsuki left her own, and waited for the younger woman to get out, walk around the car and open the door for her.
"Why, thank you, Natsuki." She gracefully got to her feet and chuckled. "How very gallant of you."
"Eh." The younger woman shrugged. "You conned me out of paying for dinner, too. Least I can do is open a door, right?" She quirked an eyebrow and closed the door again, while Shizuru leaned in through the back door and collected the items they'd stashed there previously.
"I suppose so," the executive agreed, shouldering her purse before holding up Natsuki's jacket and helping the younger woman into it. She wasn't sure exactly what made her slip her hands under the soft, dark hair and tug it out from beneath the collar while Natsuki shrugged into the garment, but the blush that greeted her when her assistant turned back around was a more than acceptable reward for her efforts.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
The dark head bent when Natsuki settled a few locks of hair behind her ear, and they spent a few seconds regarding each other under the fluorescent lights while a bird chirped softly somewhere in the distance.
"So... uh." Natsuki turned and crossed over to the Ducati parked a few feet away, deftly righting the bike without raising the kickstand and proceeding to push it outside. "I guess I'd better hit the road."
"Yes." Shizuru paused to flick a couple of switches, and ducked her head in order to clear the door as it began lowering with an electronic hum. "Perhaps you should."
The younger woman grunted in apparent agreement, and the dusk wrapped around them as she let the motorcycle settle back on its kickstand and picked up her helmet. She studied the glossy surface of it for a couple of seconds, then glanced over her shoulder towards the gardens before turning back around.
"The path."
"Hm?" The executive cocked her head curiously.
"It's still not nearly as dark as it should be," Natsuki noted. "Why is that, anyway?"
"Ah." Shizuru folded her hands in front of her and smiled as she recalled the younger woman's earlier curiosity about that subject. "Mirrors."
Natsuki closed one hand around the chin guard of her helmet and rested the other one on her hip. "Mirrors?"
A solemn nod. "Mirrors."
"... right. Mirrors." The younger woman shook her head and gave her a look. "You'll have to explain that further at some point."
"If you wish." Shizuru chuckled as the watched the green eyes roll, then sobered slightly. "Ookini, Natsuki." A questioning look made her clarify. "For your company today. I enjoyed myself very much."
"Ah." Her assistant nodded and leaned lightly against the side of the bike. "Well, you're welcome. I had fun, too. And..." She pulled out the case containing her PDA and waggled it while her lips quirked in a crooked smile. "Thanks again for this."
"Not at all." Shizuru dipped her head briefly and smiled herself. "I trust you'll make good use of it, at any rate."
"I'll try," the younger woman promised wryly. "Oh, and before I forget – here." Natsuki pulled something from the inside pocket of her jacket. "Fair's fair. Catch."
The small box almost managed to thump against her chest before her hands closed around its edges. Shizuru studied the paper the box had been wrapped in, and recognized the logo from the electronics store they'd visited that morning.
"And what could this be?" she wondered aloud, peering at her assistant as Natsuki settled herself on the motorcycle and bumped the kickstand up with her foot.
"Payback," was the smug reply before the younger woman pulled her helmet on and turned the key. "I missed a lot of birthdays, too!" she called over the roar of the engine, and raised one hand to wave. "See you Wednesday!"
The executive felt decidedly bemused as she waved back and watched the red taillight rumble out of her driveway and around the corner, then turned and wandered back towards the front door to her house.
The sound of footsteps reached the wooden porch, and paused under a lamp.
There was a soft ripping of paper, followed by a chuckle.
"Ara." Shizuru shook her head, but didn't try to reign in her smile. "Well... I suppose fair is fair."
-----
End Notes:
Hihi! Quick plea from yours truly:
In planning out the chapters ahead, I'm leaning in several different directions as to whether or not Shizuru and Natsuki have any sexual experience in this universe. Has one of them danced the Horizontal Hula? Have they both? Have neither? What do you think is more likely given the two of them as they are here?
I can easily write scenes based on all of the above, but I'm not quite sure which one I should go with. For that reason, opinions are appreciated and warmly welcomed, so please select your choice in the poll in my profile if you haven't done so already, and feel free to PM me about the subject if you wish. Thanks in advance. :)