Hay guys, it's been a while, but here it is! I must apologize for not getting these chapters out as quickly as I used to. Don't wanna sacrifice quality for quantity!
As always, I would appreciate comments, concerns, criticisms, and ideas! I pm'd a couple of you but it seems like you have not checked your inboxes lately ._. tl;dr R&R!
Chapter 7 - A Proposition
"Hey Natsume, are you done yet?", said Natsuru. He was waiting by the front door with some luggage by his feet. It was the start of their summer vacation, and wouldn't you know it, they were heading out on a trip to the beach for a couple days. Hopefully this time around, it'll go without a hitch, or any intrusion for that matter.
"Sorry for the wait!", said Natsume as she came running down the stairs. She wore a bright white summer dress along with a tan summer hat with a blue ribbon tied on it. Natsuru stood for a moment, smiled, and nodded. "You like it?", she asked.
"Ehh, it's okay", he teased.
"Oh yeah?", she laughed. "Your thoughts say otherwise", she said as she flicked his forehead.
"Why do you even need to ask!", Natsuru said as he recoiled. Natsume laughed, "Don't be such a baby!"
"Whatever", he chuckled. They exited the house, luggage in hand, into the warm summer sun.
"Race you to the train station!", said Natsume as she bursted into a sprint at an inhuman speed.
"Ah- Wait!", said Natsuru, but it was too late. He sighed and followed behind her, matching her speed, and catching the eyes of anyone they passed. "Why are we running?", Natsuru shouted. "Just for the hell of it!", replied Natsume. 'This girl is crazy!', thought Natsuru. He noticed that he was running at such high speeds without even breaking a sweat, and moving even faster than before in his original Kampfer form. Maybe this was one of the perks of being a Black Kampfer. He shrugged off this idea and any thought of Kampfers or whatnot, this was supposed to be his trip of rest and relaxation. Getting away from it all and spending time alone with the blue haired girl in front of him. He smiled to himself, maybe this will turn out to be a lot of fun after all.
"Where exactly are we going anyways?", asked Natsume as she took her seat next to the window of the train.
Natsuru stood up from stuffing the luggage underneath their seats, "To a nice waterfront hotel. My parents used to take me there all the time, I haven't been there in a while actually", he said taking his seat. He turned to Natsume, who was looking around like a kid in a zoo. "This is your first time on a train, isn't it?", he asked.
She nodded and continued about her own business, eyeing out every detail of the train.
"Wait 'till you see the beach", said Natsuru.
"Is it anything like the pool we went to? I mean…you?", asked Natsume.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that, but nothing really beats the beach." With that, Natsume's eyes lit up in excitement. The conductor announced their departure and the train groaned to life, slowly inching forward. Fascinated, Natsume practically glues her face to the window, catching the attention of some people standing outside. Natsuru laughed and took in a deep breath before getting comfortable in his seat.
"Wow~ Natsuru! Natsuru! Come look!", exclaimed Natsume. After the long train ride, they had finally made it to their hotel room, which overlooked the glistening ocean in front of them. The sun was setting, its glow filled the room with a warm orange glow with its round silhouette bouncing off of the water on the horizon. "It's so beautiful!"
"Why don't you help me with the stuff first?", said Natsuru from the doorway.
"Ah- Sorry!" Natsume ran over to help Natsuru with the luggage, and as they settled themselves nicely in their incredibly spacious room, Natsume walked out onto the balcony through the sliding glass door with Natsuru following behind her. Natsuru sat down on the patio chair facing the ocean. He looked to the ocean, and then to Natsume, who seemed to be soaking in the breathtaking view. The calm wind playing with her gentle blue hair, the sun's orange rays bouncing off of her skin, the soothing roar of the tides below, and her calm expression. It was all too surreal for Natsuru, who would've thought he'd be in this situation? Then, Natsume turned to face Natsuru, with a serious tone in her expression.
"What's up?", he asked.
She stood silent for a moment before shaking her head and smiling, "It's nothing."
Natsuru cocked an eyebrow," Are you feeling okay?", he asked.
"I'm fine. Something just…crossed my mind", she said as she looked at the black bracelet. "It's nothing really!"
"Well okay", said Natsuru as he got up. "Let's go for a walk shall we? The boulevard's pretty nice during this time."
"Alright!"
The touristy section of the beach boulevard was naturally bustling with people during this time. The sun had set, the lights of the streetlamps, stores, restaurants, and assorted décor lights lit up the area as if it were some sort of parade. The heat from the blazing sun had still lingered about, but still comfortable and bearable enough to walk around without seeking a cooler place. Natsuru had frequented this place many times with his parents, even now, his father 'knows' the people around here, despite being several years since his last visit. Natsume, on the other hand, was having a hard time keeping up with all the bright lights and glamor of the stores they pass. The night life was very beautiful, but at the same time gave Natsume a bit of a headache.
"Hey, you okay?", asked Natsuru.
"Yeah, I'm fine!", said Natsume as she collected herself.
"Let's go find someplace to relax", said Natsuru. He looked around and spotted a familiar restaurant he and his parents often ate at. "Ah, over there!", said Natsuru as he slowly guided Natsume over. They walked in through the glass double doors into the bustling restaurant, crowded with people. It had a clean, modern theme to it, but also kept a fairly casual atmosphere. Natsuru walked over to the waiter standing behind a counter, tapping away at a keyboard. "Excuse me", said Natsuru, "Can I get a table for two please?"
"Do you have a reservation?", asked the waiter without looking up from the monitor in front of him.
"Uhhh no, I didn't realize you needed one now."
"Then get out of here, we don't take walk in's", said the waiter as he looked up to see Natsuru. His face turned from an indifferent look to an expression of 'Oh Shit'. "B-Boss! Please forgive me, I did not realize it was you!", said the waiter as he bowed behind the counter.
"Ah no! It's me, Senou, Natsuru! Stop bowing please!", said Natsuru frantically.
"Young Master?", said the waiter as he looked up again. "Forgive me!", he said bowing again.
"P-Please, it's okay…", said Natsuru who was a little embarrassed. People were starting to look their way.
Natsume and Natsuru ended up at the sushi bar, after having resolved the commotion. The restaurant was being managed by his father's 'company' with one of his father's close friends as the co-owner.
"I didn't know your dad had that much influence", said Natsume as she laughed.
Natsuru groaned and brought his head down, whenever his dad's associates would see him, they would assume that Natsuru was his father. They closely resemble each other after all.
"Young Master! Long time no see!", said a man behind the sushi bar.
"Keita-san!", said Natsuru as he got up to shake his hand. Keita is a burly, well-built middle aged man, the owner of this establishment and a Senou family friend. He's like one of your typical cool uncles, just with a shaved head and a passion for serving dead fish.
"Didn't know you were dropping by!"
"Yeah, sorry about that."
"Don't be sorry! This place is pretty much yours!", said Keita. He looked over at the blue haired girl next to Natsuru. "Uhh…did you always have a sister?", asked Keita.
"No no no! She's…"
"Hi! I'm Senou, Natsume, nice to meet you!", interjected Natsume as she shook Keita's rugged hand.
"Senou huh? Good job Natsuru! You sure know how to pick 'em", said Keita winking at Natsuru.
"It's not like that!", said Natsuru with a sigh. "Just get anything you want, I'll be right back, gotta go to the restroom", said Natsuru.
Natsume nodded in compliance as Natsuru got up and left for the restroom. "All right Natsume-chan, try this", said Keita as he handed a plate of sashimi. "Thank you", she said as she took the plate.
"So, how did you two meet?", asked Keita.
"Uhh school! I uh, transferred in and ended up sitting near him in class."
"And you guys are married now or something?", said Keita cackling.
"No, it's quite a long story", said Natsume blushing.
"I see, I shall respect a lady's privacy. But are you two going out? At least give me that."
"I…I'm not sure exactly. I mean…"
Keita chuckled, "That boy, he's got a lot to learn. Don't fret over it, he may be slow and indecisive, but he wouldn't have brought you all the way out here for no reason. And when he does come around, make sure you take good care of him."
Keita's words were just what Natsume needed, looking up with a bright smile, she replied to Keita saying, "Yeah!"
"That's the spirit. Now, I got something that might help you with that."
"What is it?"
"It's called a sake bomb."
"Hey…Natsume, are you okay?", asked Natsuru. They were now back in their hotel room and now Natsume was feeling a bit under the weather. She was lying down in bed with her arm over her eyes.
"Y-eah I'm fun", replied Natsume.
"…You're fun?"
"Yes."
"…Come here." Natsume lazily sat up from the bed like a pissed off teenager waking up for school. Natsuru bent over to her level and pulled her close to his face. "Were you drinking?"
Natsume made an annoyed face and started to go off on a gibberish rant, lecturing Natsuru with her slurred words. When she was satisfied, she dropped her arms to her lap and fell back onto the bed, as if inviting Natsuru to join her. Natsuru looked at her half closed eyes and felt his face turn hot red. He stood frozen at the edge of the bed, his heart beating at an alarming rate. Does he have the balls to go for it? This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. He slowly climbed the bed and moved next to Natsume so that they were looking face to face.
"Hey…Natsuru…", said Natsume.
"What is it?"
"What am I?", she asked.
Natsuru didn't know what to say, but he could tell that this question weighed heavily on her, with her sullen expression peering into his eyes. "You are Senou, Natsume, an individual with her own thoughts, free will, and emotions. You are my girlfriend." That sounded a lot better in his head, but Natsume didn't seem to mind. She took comfort in his words, closing her eyes and forming a small smile.
"Then it's official now…huh?", she said sleepily.
Guess so…" said Natsuru, a little embarrassed. This all felt very strange, but right at the same time. He had only met this girl a couple weeks ago, and yet, they were already in this situation. Spending time alone with each other on a beachfront hotel. A lot of guys would kill to be in Natsuru's position.
"Go for it", a voice said. Natsuru shot up from the bed and looked around quickly to see where it came from. It was Endangered Panda along with Disemboweled Tiger, both standing on top of the nightstand.
"What the-how'd you guys get here!"
"We snuck into your bag", said Endangered Panda quite proudly. Disemboweled Tiger shrugged.
"Ugh, okay whatever. But I'd at least appreciate it if you guys would just, keep out of sight. Preferably in the bag", said Natsuru.
"Hey I'm just trying to help out", said Endangered Panda, "seems like someone is rather lacking experience in a certain subject."
Natsuru gave him the stinky eye, "And a stuffed animal would know more about that than me, right?", he said with sarcasm. "What do you know anyway?"
"Enough", retorted Endangered Panda. "Now, what will you do? You're a teenage boy alone in a hotel room with his new teenage girlfriend. What. Will. You. Do?", teased Endangered Panda.
"…I'm going to sleep."
"Wha wha wai-What the hell is wrong with you?", EP stuttered.
"I will not take advantage of an inebriated woman!"
"Hah, if that's what you're worried about, then I know for a fact she wouldn't mind."
"W-Whatever!" He picked up both of the stuffed animals and shoved them back into his luggage, zipping it tightly afterwards. Natsuru returned to Natsume to tuck her in. He quickly hopped in his own bed that was parallel to hers, before getting any funny ideas. He turned off the lights to the room and got comfy in his bed. The light of the full moon lit up the room through the glass door to the balcony, leaving a calm blue aura that was painted soft across the walls. Natsuru looked to the ceiling, thinking about all the things that have happened to him in these past months. Fighting, girls, crazy girls, more crazy girls, talking dolls, more fighting, and now this. He laughed to himself at how ridiculous his situation was.
"Wow!", exclaimed Natsume. "So this is the ocean!"
"Yep, beautiful isn't it?", said Natsuru opening the parasol and sticking it into the sand. The beach was radiant, with the sun shining down upon the yellow sand and blue ocean, and with people sprawled all over.
"But, why do I have to wear this? It's hot!", complained Natsuru. She was wearing what looked like jogging attire, grey sweatshirt and sweatpants.
"It's for a reason!", said Natsuru. "You can take it off now though."
"Yay!", said Natsume in excitement. She undressed so fast that it'd make Gray look like an amateur. She was wearing the same swimsuit back from when they went to the pool with everyone, she looked stunning to say the least. "What do you think?", she said cracking a large grin with a peace sign.
"Do I have to answer?", asked Natsuru.
"It's nice for a girl to hear it from their boyfriend once in a while", she said with a smile.
Natsuru blushed, there's no beating that logic. "Y-You look good in that", he said timidly.
"Why thank you!"
Natsuru chuckled nervously, "Ah, you want something to drink?"
"Yeah! Sweet iced tea please!"
Natsuru made his way over to a small beachside café and waited in line. "That'll be 1100 yen please", said the cashier. Natsuru looked up to see the man in front of him handing over the money to the cashier, but something caught his eye. On the man's right wrist was a black bracelet, very much like Natsuru's. He panicked and cupped his hand over his own bracelet as the man turned around to leave. He noticed Natsuru's stare and stopped, "Ummm, can I help you?", he asked.
"Oh! Uhh, I was just thinking how cool your bracelet is!", spat Natsuru.
"Ah this thing? I guess it's cool", said the man. He noticed Natsuru's arms, one hand holding the other wrist as if he was in church or something. Natsuru could feel the man's stare, making his wrist feel tingly. The man let out an amused 'Hmph' before walking past Natsuru with his drink in hand. Natsuru continued to stare at him as he walked down the sandy beach, his blonde hair was long and unkempt. He was probably somewhere in his mid-thirties, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, and sandals.
"Ummm, excuse me sir? You're holding up the line", said the cashier.
"Ah! Sorry! I'll have one sweet iced tea and a canned coffee please", said Natsuru. He turned his head back to look for the man, but was already lost among the people passing by.
Natsuru walked back to where he left Natsume, the drinks in a plastic bag hanging by his side. He was deep in thought. 'Who was that guy? There was no doubt he knew about my bracelet. What were the chances of seeing another Black Kampfer here?' Then he remembered what Shizuku said, something about Kampfers gathering in the same area by chance or something. He brushed these thoughts aside, he was here to enjoy himself, not to get into another fight. But things aren't that easy, as he came into view of his parasol, he spotted two guys standing by Natsuru, who was sitting down looking up at them. 'Oh god', thought Natsuru. He hustled back, drawing the attention of the two guys.
"Who the hell're you?", said one of the guys. They looked like the typical overconfident beach douches. There was one with blonde hair while the other one had black.
'These guys are so cliché', thought Natsuru. "Umm, I'm sorry but I'm with her", he said politely.
"Huhhh? Don't mess around, get out of here punk."
"Okay, that's enough", said Natsume as she got up. "You two are so annoying, so do me a favor and leave already."
"Oho, this one's got a mouth on her", said the blonde. He wrapped his arm around Natsume's waist, forcing her hip next to his. Before Natsuru could react, the blonde was sent flying a good ten feet into the air. He looked over at Natsume, who seemed to be wearing a wicked smile. She looked over to the black haired guy, who then promptly ran off terrified for his life.
Natsuru couldn't help but laugh. She looked over at him, "How can you laugh when your girlfriend just got assaulted?", she said with a pouty face.
"You know I was a bit worried, but it looks like you can handle yourself", he said still laughing.
"Yeah yeah whatever!", she said as she laid down face first on a beach towel. "Just come help me with this."
"Help you with wha-" he stopped talking as Natsume undid her top. "What are you doing!", he shouted, dropping the bag of drinks as he ran to her.
"What? Isn't this what you do to get a good tan?", she asked.
"Well yeah, but you don't even need a tan!"
"I'm curious!"
Natsuru sighed, "Alright, what do you need help with?"
She pointed to the sun tan lotion near their bag under the parasol. "Ah, right." Natsuru grabbed it, poured some on his palm, and spread it out evenly on both of his palms. He was hesitant, as this was his first time doing something like this. He nervously put his hands on her bare back, making her shriek. "Wh-What's wrong!"
"It's frickin' cold!", she shouted.
"Ugh, just calm down.", said Natsuru. He began to disperse the lotion across her back, her skin was softer than anything he'd ever felt. He started to blush as he moved his hands up through her shoulders and down through her legs. Then he remembered, "Oh, Natsume…"
"Hmmm?", she responded, resting her chin on her forearms.
"I saw…a Black Kampfer", he said uneasily.
"I know. So, what should we do?"
"I don't know…", said Natsuru. He rubbed the leftover lotion on his arms and sat down next to Natsume. "I thought by coming here I could avoid conflict. But it seems as if it's always following me wherever I go."
Natsume took on an expression of guilt. 'It's my fault that he's in this situation', she thought. As she was about to say something, she noticed a shadow casting over her. She looked up to see a silhouette of a man standing before her, with the sun's rays enveloping him.
"Yo, I guess Kampfers really do tend to gather in one place", said the man.
Natsuru quickly stood himself up, "Y-You!"
Natsume looked confused, "You know him?", she asked.
"I wouldn't say he does", said the man. "Don't be so alarmed, I'm not here to fight you." He lifted his right arm, presenting his black bracelet to the two. I'm just here to talk, that okay with you guys?"
The blue haired duo looked at each other, then looked back at the man. "Sure", said Natsuru.
The man sat himself down in front of the two, "The name's Shousuke. Tachibana, Shousuke. And I take it that this young lady here is your partner in crime?", he asked looking at Natsume.
She smiled, "Senou, Natsume! Nice to meet you!"
"I'm Senou, Natsuru. Nice to meet you."
Shousuke laughed, "If I hadn't known any better, I'd figure you two to be siblings!"
Natsuru chuckled nervously, "So uhh, Tachibana-san, what did you want to talk to us about?"
"Right, back to business", he paused for a good five seconds. "I want you two to join us."
"Uhhh that's a little vague, Tachibana-san. I'm not quite sure I understand", said Natsuru.
"Sorry, sorry, I always get ahead of myself. As you can see, I too am a Black Kampfer. I didn't expect to find another Black in such short time given our 'unique' situation. But now that I found a fellow Black Kampfer, wouldn't it be best for us to team up?", said Shousuke making a fist.
"And by 'us' do you mean…"
"Yep! My partner should be around here somewhere…she usually wanders around. Which is kind of a bad thing now that I think about it…"
"Sho, there you are, I was looking all over for you", said a woman walking up from behind Shousuke. She had long, straight blonde hair, with a figure that rivaled Natsume's. "Hitting on younger girls now are we?"
"No, no! These kids were the ones I was telling you about. See?", he said pointing at Natsume's black bracelet.
"Uh-huh", said the woman as she looked at Natsume. "Tachibana, Nanami. Nice to meet you", she said with composure. "Sorry if this guy's been bothering you, he's kind of troublesome."
"Not at all!", said Natsume.
Nanami nodded, "So, what do you say to our proposition?"
There was silence for a moment, Natsume looked over to Natsuru, leaving it up to him to answer. "Well…I'm not sure right now", said Natsuru. He looked down in uncertainty and stared at the tiny grains of sand that sifted through his toes. He thought of all the fighting he's been through and thought of all the possible future ones to come.
Shousuke looked at Natsuru with understanding. "Look kid, I know all of this might be hard to take in, turning into a girl and fighting to the death. I've been in this crazy game since high school. You don't have to give me an answer now, but just think about it. Give me your phone for a sec."
Natsuru handed him his phone. After pressing a series of buttons, Shousuke tossed it back to him and stood himself up.
"Call me up when you decide", said Shousuke.
"Wait! I have a lot of questions I need to ask you!", shouted Natsuru.
He and his partner were already up and walking, but Shousuke stopped and turned around, "We'll talk only when we hear a favorable answer. And just so you know, they'll just keep coming at you, the Whites." And with that, they disappeared into the crowd of people.
Natsuru stared at his phone with Shousuke's new contact information on the screen. He knew that the Whites would come for them once again, but he didn't know there were more out there. He didn't have a lot of options, either way, they would definitely encounter more Whites in the future.
"We can deal with that later", said Natsume. She was still lying down while resting the side of her temple on her arms to look at Natsuru. "Let's enjoy ourselves for now, please?"
Natsuru hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, "Yeah, you're right." He got back on his feet and shot his arms straight into the air, grunting as he stretched them as far as he could. He let out a satisfied exhale and placed his hands on his hips, looking past the parasols scattered about to the blue ocean that glistened under the sun. Natsume tied the strands of her top behind her back and then outstretched her limbs on the ground.
"Let's go!", she said with excitement. She grabbed his hand with a running start and took off, kicking up the sand behind her. Natsuru clumsily followed her lead, tripping over himself and the small mounds of sand that caught his feet.
"Wait! What are we doing?"
"What do you think? Going for a swim of course!"
"Hey, do you really think they'll join us?", asked Nanami.
"Don't see why not. The boy doesn't have a lot of options", said Shousuke. "Besides, the more people we have on our side, the better." The two were taking a stroll down the dark and empty streets at the far end of the beach. The sun had set several hours ago, and there was not a single person out at this time of night.
"That's true. But don't you think they're a bit too young?"
"Technically speaking, you're about as old as the girl."
"But I've watched over you ever since you first became a Kampfer back in high school", retorted Nanami. "I'm just saying that they may not have enough experience."
"Then they'll learn as we go", said Shousuke. "At this point, we don't have the luxury of being picky." Shousuke clenched his fists, creating streams of lightning that rotated about his hands. "Talk later, they're here."
Two figures suddenly appeared before them, both presumably White Kampfers, and females of course. Shousuke lifted his fists in the air, which were now enveloped by ferocious lightning that screamed and snapped, and slammed them into the ground creating a large wave of lightning. The two quickly jumped out of the way, barely dodging the attack. One pulled out a pistol and started firing rapidly at Shousuke, the other drew a katana and came slicing down at Nanami. Shousuke sidestepped to dodge the bullets and summoned his great sword to use as a shield. Nanami quickly summoned her swords as well, dual-wielding two one-handed swords and parrying the White's attacks.
Shousuke lifted his foot off of the ground and smashed it back, creating a shockwave that made the two opponents jump back, giving them some breathing room.
"You Black Kampfers are no match for us. You are so few in numbers while we are so many, and you're weak", said the White with cockiness.
"Wouldn't be so sure about that", said Shousuke with a smile. He held out his great sword in front of him, clutching it tightly with one hand, while Nanami rested her blades at her sides, clutching them as well. Shousuke swung his great sword in the air, and what seemed to be lightning, was flowing out of the metal, creating a blade-like shroud over the sword. His sword screamed and crackled, as whips of lightning shot out in random directions, it glowed a bright blue. As was the same with Nanami's blades, both trembling with the sheer force of imbued lightning.
"Isn't this a bit overkill?", asked Nanami casually.
"Maybe, but you can never be too sure", said Shousuke. He cracked a smile and blasted off the ground at a ridiculous speed towards the Gewehr type. She panicked and fired towards Shousuke as fast as she could, but her bullets seemed to lose velocity when they got close to him. She tried to jump away but was too late, as Shousuke great sword pierced through her stomach, blood came spilling out of her mouth. Shousuke slowly pulled his bloodied sword out, leaving the impaled girl standing for a moment before falling into a small pool of her own blood.
The Schwert type looked at her dead comrade, then returned her focus to Nanami, who was already in front of her hacking away. Her attacks felt stronger, the White's katakana trembled after each strike, and with two swords, her attack speed outmatched the White's single katana. Nanami backed off, leaving the Schwert gasping for air. She stabbed her swords into the ground, clasped her hands together, and shot a stream of lightning right at her opponent. The lightning struck her and paralyzed her. She grunted as she tried to move her body in vain, dropping her katana. Nanami slowly walked up to her disabled opponent and quickly stabbed her through the chest with her swords. The girl let out a short cry before falling into Nanami's arms, after which she slowly placed her limp less body on the floor, closing the girl's eyes.
"I never really liked doing this", said Nanami as she got up to face Shousuke who was squatting next to his dead opponent. Shousuke had placed her hands over each other on her stomach and closed her eyes. A small act of respect for the defeated.
"Neither do I. But one thing's for certain", said Shousuke, unsummoning his weapon. "All this meaningless fighting won't stop until we destroy her, the Rogue Moderator."
"…Then what? What will happen to everyone? When the Proxy War is stopped, they'll just keep fighting. Is what we're doing right?", asked Nanami.
"I…I don't know Nanami", said Shousuke looking at the ground. The two stood in silence, which was broken by a light emanating from the body of the Whites. Their bodies were evaporating into the air, like snowflakes that were ascending up into the sky. They continued to watch until the last snowflake withered away into the air, leaving no evidence of death, not even the blood that was spilled.
"I wonder why that happens", asked Nanami to herself.
Shousuke chuckled, "Just another one among hundreds of questions to ask those damn Moderators."
Natsuru opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He looked to the digital clock on his nightstand, it was the middle of the night. He sat up in his bed, rubbed his eyes, and yawned. He noticed that the sliding glass door was open, with the curtains floating with the breeze that came into the room. He got out of bed and walked over, where he noticed Natsume standing by the balcony, arms rested atop the guard rails.
"Hey", said Natsuru, walking up to her side.
"Ah, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?", she asked softly.
"No, I just couldn't sleep"
"Oh…I see." They stood there, both waiting for the other to speak or to say something, anything.
"Something's bothering you", said Natsuru finally. "Please, you can tell me anything."
"…Well, something's been bothering me. Ever since we arrived here, I just felt something…weird."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. But, I really didn't want to bring it up because I was looking forward to spending time…with you", she said looking at him. "Do you think there are White Kampfers nearby?", she asked with worry.
"Who knows?", he said. Natsuru stood behind her, slipping his arms around her waist, and held her tightly. He could feel the warmth of her body, the warmth of her soft hands in his, and the sweet smell of her hair. "And if there are", he continued, "I'll definitely keep you safe."
"Keep me safe?", laughed Natsume. She leaned her head to the side, turning to face Natsuru who was leaning forward closer to her face. "Who's the one that got beaten up last time?"
"Hmph." He leaned in, closed his eyes, and pressed his lips against hers.
'That's right', he thought, 'what would I do without her?'
Writing a Romance intertwined with Action/Adventure is quite challenging. (IMO) So I hope I have not gone astray! While I too feel that their relationship is a bit rushed, I wasn't too sure on how to exactly go about it. But hey, love is spontaneous...or something.
Thanks for reading! Just know that I'll be updating regularly (unknown time frames though).