A/N: updated again.. ^-^ thanks to everyone who revirewed my story... still i'm surprised at how many reviews i got..
shiznat19: yeps i'm filipino ^-^ salamat sa pagbbsa^-^
SpringWaltz_101,kikyo4ever,chum-sa: thanks for all of your long reviews and nice insights about it ^-^
all of my reviewers: i'll do everything to make this story more interesting for all of you ^-^
1 question and a very silly one... what's OOC?? 0_0 cause i don't know what it is.. ehehehe sorry for being a little stupid ^o^
Chapter 8: confusion to realization
'Kanade kissed Natsuki? WHAT?!' Shizuru thought in shock.
Shizuru's insides practically heated up upon seeing her best friend kissed by someone. Ofcourse it was okay if your best friend will be kissed, but not in the lips. She felt her brows twitch and her heart pound in anger as she gaze on Natsuki's blushing face and Kanade chuckling. 'Why am I feeling like this? It's okay if they kiss, they're friends… right?' she debated in her head. She shook her head and put up a façade to face Natsuki. "How are you feeling Natsuki?"
Natsuki couldn't help but blush again at the sight of Shizuru. She averted her eyes from Shizuru's crimson orbs and tried to hide her tears that dared to fall from her eyes. "F-fine…" she answered nervously.
"What happened to you Natsuki? First you ran off from Fuuka, now you're back just to be in a hospital again. Mind you, Yohko-sensei will be here later." Mai said in a motherly tone. She was very worried on her friend.
Natsuki touched her bandaged forehead and sighed with a small smile. 'I remember now… I waited, but she didn't come so I rode my bike to the dojo in top speed.' she cleared her throat and faked a small laugh. "I guess I rode my bike too fast when I left Miyagami. Ehehehe." She half lied making Kanade look at her with a confused look while Shizuru looked at her with surprise.
Mai sighed and placed a hand over her forehead. "You're always full of trouble Natsuki. Well atleast we know you're fine so that's that, right Fujino-san?" Mai said, trying not to lecture Natsuki.
"Ara, Natsuki's safe and I think it's what that matters now." Shizuru answered with a deadpan voice. She was still feeling angry at what she saw and somehow guilty that somehow she's to blame at what happened to Natsuki.
Mai could only take a deep breath and smile at Natsuki. She then look at the troubled Shizuru and noticed the Fuuka kaichou's behavior. "Fujino-san, can you come with me please?" she requested, motioning her hand to come with her. With a puzzled look on Shziuru's face, she nodded her head and left the room with Mai and Mikoto on tow.
"They sure are interesting Natsuki." Kanade said with a smile.
"tch! They just keep on lecturing me." Nastuki grumbled in response. She lay back to her bed and tried to raise her injured arm. But the pain of her injury struck her and she had let her arm fall back to the bed. "I guess I won't be guarding you from that suitor of yours kaichou." Natsuki said flatly. She turned her head to the side and heaves a deep sigh.
Kanade chuckled and sat beside Natsuki. She gently reached out to Natsuki's midnight locks and slowly stroked it. "Why did you lie Natsuki? You know it's not good to lie to your friends." Kanade asked in a sweet voice. She then heard soft whimper from the blunette as she continue to stroke her hair.
Natsuki quickly turned around and hugged Kanade with her left arm. She buried her head at Kanade's chest and began to cry. "I can't… why can't I be mad at her?!" Natsuki cried out softly.
Kanade smiled and gave Natsuki a comforting hug. She stroked Natsuki's midnight hair again as Natsuki poured her sadness out. "shh… everything will be alright Natsuki…" Kanade said softly, comforting Natsuki.
Outside, Mai lead Shizuru to the visitor's waiting area where there are only few people loitering around. They sat at the three empty seats near the beverage vendo machine. Mikoto bent down her head and rested it at Mai's lap that made Mai smile.
"Is there something wrong Tokiha-san?" Shizuru asked.
Mai scratched Mikoto's ear and looked at Shizuru seriously. "Natsuki's lying when she answered about the accident." Mai said with a heavy sigh. "Is there something I should know Fujino-san?"
Shizuru shrugged and just looked down to the floor. Her façade disappeared and sadness covered her face. She couldn't dare to smile at what she's about to say to Mai. She took a deep breath and wiped her forehead. She told Mai what had happened and explained that she was really tired at that time.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Mai said in disbelief. She shook her head a little and gently massages her temples. She couldn't believe that Shizuru forgot an appointment especially to Natsuki. Her mental disbelief was cut short when she heard low muffling sounds from Shizuru. She glaces at the tanned haired kaichou and saw her crying.
Shizuru has her hands covering her face as she whimpered. "I didn't mean to stood her up. I thought it was a dream. I was so caught up in thinking that Reito was 'K' that I almost forgot Natsuki." Shizuru cried out.
"Kaichou…" Mikoto said, raising her head and looking at Shizuru with her concerned golden eyes. She bent down her head again when she felt Mai's soft hands rubbed her head sweetly.
Mai took out her handkerchief and gave it to Shizuru. The brunette took Mai's handkerchief and wiped her tears away and faces the busty female with sadness in her face. 'Wow, it's the first time I saw Fujino-san sad.' Mai thought as she gazed on Shizuru's sad face. "Ne Fujino-san, you're not implying that you like Natsuki?" she asked with a curious look on her face.
Shizuru froze on her seat when she heard Mai's question. Then it struck her, does she like Natsuki? It's a question that lingered in her mind since the time she saw Kanade kissed her best friend. Kiss… Remembering what happened made a hole on her heart. Why does she felt hurt when she saw it? Does it imply she's jealous?
"Fujino-san!" Mai called out, making Shizuru snapped back to her senses.
"Ara! i'm sorry for spacing out Tokiha-san. I still don't know about your question, since Reito-kun's expecting me to be her girlfriend." Shizuru said, putting up her façade.
Mai hit her forehead that made Mikoto worriedly raise her head and look at Mai's head with concern. "Mai! Don't hurt yourself." The feral-girl said worriedly. Mai just smiled and scrunched Mikoto's hair. "Don't worry Mikoto, I'm just fine." Mai assured to the feral-girl. She turns her sight on Shizuru which was looking at them with curiosity. "Funny huh? This cat loves me so much that she worries about me even for the smallest things. That's why I love her back; she's very innocent and nice. Fujino-san it's not bad to love the same sex, as long as you love them it'll be fine." Mai explained with a soft look on her eyes as she tickles Mikoto on her ears.
Shizuru felt her heart screaming as Mai spoke of love on the same sex. She never thought of having relationship on the same sex. She always thought that al girls that admire her only like her outside appearance, so it made her think that loving the same sex such as one of her fangirls would be a complete mistake.
"Natsuki likes, no, LOVES you Fujino-san. But in what I told you would make you love Natsuki, please think twice. Love is not to be thought of but to be felt. Now you know that 'K' is Natsuki and not that , don't go rushing into things." Mai explained with a motherly manner. She knew that Shizuru was going into a mental debate and she doesn't want the fuuka kaichou to have a wrong move on love.
"I-I don't know… maybe the reason why I've gone out with Reito-kun is because he lied about being 'K'… but I told Natsuki that if 'K' was a girl, I cannot return her feelings. It must've hurt Natsuki." Shizuru honestly said, trying hard to conceal her tears.
"It did… pretty badly… Especially today, since its Natsuki's birthday." Mai said coldly.
It struck Shizuru's heart like lightning. She forgot that it was August 15th, Natsuki's birthday and she doesn't have any gift. "Ara, Ara, I forgot. I guess being with Reito-kun made me forget the most important date in the calendar, other than my birthday ofcourse." Shizuru jested.
Mai looked at Shizuru with her left brow arched up. "Don't go saying Natsuki you love her, it would make her think you pity her Fujino-san." Mai said knowingly.
Shizuru giggled and waved her hands sideways. "ara, I guess Tokiha-san knew what I was about to do." She jested with a giggle.
A sweat dropped from Mai's forehead and she just let out a weird laugh. 'I wonder what did Natsuki liked in Fujino-san… such mood swings.' Mai thought as she watches Shizuru giggle. A loud growl emitted from Mikoto's stomach that made Mai smile. "Mou Fujino-san, Mikoto and I have to go. Mikoto here would die if she couldn't have her food." Mai said, tapping Mikoto's head that slowly rose up. "MAI!! Food…" Mokoto whined, clutching her stomach.
"Ara, then I mustn't be a hindrance on Mikoto's appetite. I assume you'll be back tomorrow tokiha-san?" "Well yeah, since I know today is not a good day to celebrate that wolf's birthday. I'll come by at lunch." Mai said, standing up and grabbing Mikoto's hand. Another growl from Mikoto's stomach sounded and made the two girls laugh. "C'mon Mikoto, I'll feed that lion in your stomach." Mai said happily as they walk towards the elevator.
Shizuru smiled as she looked at how happy both Mai and Mikoto at each other. "They're very funny, but…" she looked back at Natsuki's room. 'Can I give you a smile like Mikoto's and return what you feel?' she thought as she started to pace back to the room.
When Shizuru opened the door to Natsuki's room, she found an empty bed and Kanade looking outside the window. "Where's Natsuki?" she asked.
Kanade simply turned her head and look at Shizuru with a soft smile. She was looking at the now clear sky since the rain has stop. "Natsuki's hiding from a woman named Yohko. It seems she's rather scared of that particular doctor." Kanade said with her index finger over her chin.
Shizuru chuckled and made her way to an empty seat beside Natsuki's bed. "Oh, Yohko-sensei's the one who holds Natsuki's medical records. She's rather harsh when it comes to Natsuki's 'daily' accident." She stated with a teasing tone.
"Is she gone?" a soft whisper sounded from the hospital closet that slightly opened to reveal an emerald eye looking at the two girls. When she saw the two girls nod, she slowly slid out from the cabinet and tried to stand up and looked around. 'Ha! Take that you creepy doctor!' she triumphantly said in her mind. She still stood beside the closet to make sure that if Yohko was in the room, she would run back to the closet. But her vision suddenly blurred and she lost her balance.
Shizuru caught sight of Natsuki's movement and hastily ran to the blunette and caught her before falling to the cold floor. "Ara, if Natsuki's falling for me then she made it clear right now." She teased. Natsuki weakly opened her left eye only to look at Shizuru's crimson orbs. A blush crept on her face as she stared into those crimson pools. "I-idiot" she weakly retorted before falling unconscious in Shizuru's arms.
"She's really a handful." Kanade commented. She was watching at how Shizuru carried Natsuki bridal style and laid the blunette back to the bed.
"I'm used to it, after all Natsuki's very cute when she blushes." Shizuru said teasingly. She traced her hand over Natsuki's cheek to her forehead which made the blunette winch a little. "I'm sorry Natsuki…" she whispered to the unconscious Natsuki.
"You do know she forgave you already." A soft assuring tone came from Kanade whose looking at her with assurance.
"It's my fault why she's here."
"Doesn't matter… she forgave you and that's all that matters to her. But…" Kanade looked at Natsuki from where she was sitting. "Please if you're just going to break her heart, please just say it to her as soon as she's awake. I can't stand to see her suffer." Kanade pleaded with her eyes still looking at Natsuki.
Shizuru knew what Kaande was implying. Taking a deep breath, she smiled at Kanade that emitted confidence and seriousness. "Kanade should not worry. I know what I'm going to do." she then looked at Nastuki with fire in her eyes. 'I'll figure it out… I don't want you to be hurt again Natsuki…' She took a quick glance at Kanade who's smiling sweetly over Natsuki. 'And I'll definitely figure it out before that girl gives you another kiss!'
next chapter's dialouge cut:
'is that's how it is then it's war!'