LIES AND PRETENCES

Chp. 5: Going Home And Deciphering Truths From Lies

"I hope your mother isn't to angry at us for being late Shi-chan" says the blonde woman to the crimson eyed beauty.

"I'm sure she's happy that you are with me right now Sandra and I know that she wouldn't be upset about us returning to the hotel late" replied Shizuru.

"Yeah I guess that you are right Shi-chan" she said with a smile.

"Oh by the way Shi-chan do you remember anything about people other than Akemi-san and myself" asks the blonde haired woman.

"Mmmm... No Sandra I don't remember anyone else at all so why did you ask me that question all of a sudden."

"Well no reason in particular Shi-chan it's just that the doctor said that you might start to remember other things and I was wondering if you had started to remember anything or anyone that's all" said the other woman.

"Oh okay I see well I haven't recalled anything so I guess there's nothing that important in my past that I should be focusing on or remembering then" she said with a smile directed at her friend.

"I think that is a good way to look at things Shi-chan so just focus on the future and we won't dwell on the past unless you start to remember ok" she said while taking her friends hand and gently squeezing it.

"You are a great friend Sandra and I don't know what I would do without you being here for me as well as my mother."

They finally reach their destination and they pull to a stop in front of a five star hotel. They got out of the car and made their way inside with the bottle of champagne in hand. Once they enter the hotel they ask the receptionist if they had any messages left for them at the front desk and the woman nodded and handed a note to the tall blonde woman. The note was from Akemi Fujino and it let the two young women know that Shizuru's mother would be waiting for them at the pool so they decided to take the champagne up to their room and then meet Akemi at the pool. Once they reached their room they entered and found a shopping bag on one of the beds in the room so the brunette haired woman walked over to where the bag was and opened it up to find two beautiful bathing suits inside the bag. They were both two piece bathing suits in different colors with one being a light purple and the other one a beautiful red and black combination.

"I guess your mother wants us to relax a little more before we leave later on today" stated the blonde to the brunette.

"Ara I believe that you are right my dear friend" said Shizuru.

"Well shall we change then" asks the blonde woman smiling devilishly at the brunette.

Both women take turns using the bathroom to change into their respective bathing suits and once Shizuru emerged from the bathroom Sandra stood stock still in a trance watching the most beautifulest creature she had ever seen coming towards her. She didn't realize that she had been drooling until she felt liquid running down her chin and she also realized that her nose was bleeding as well when she felt liquid coming from her nose. She cleaned her face and stopped immediately when she heard giggles coming from the brunette standing before her.

"Oi Shi-chan don't stand there laughing at me because it's your fault that I'm in this state in the first place" the blonde exclaimed.

"Sorry Sandra but I didn't do anything to you so why are you blaming your predicament on me" asked the brunette who was still giggling behind her hand.

"Oh shut up and let's go to the pool and meet up with Akemi-san" she said before heading to the door to leave.

They reached the pool area only to see that Akemi Fujino was flirting with a very handsome young man around their age. As they made their way towards the older woman many eyes were on them but most of the eyes were upon one Shizuru Fujino in her purple two piece. Once they were standing in front of the older woman she glanced up two see the young women and she smiled brightly at them. The young man also noticing the presence of the others looked up as well and once he did he almost fainted at the sight before him. He noted that the blonde was a good looking woman but the brunette was the one that made him blush intensely after seeing her in her bathing suit.

"Mou Shi-chan you are taking away my admirer" said Akemi with a fake pout to her daughter.

"Sorry but I hadn't really noticed mother" Shizuru said to her with a slight smirk.

"Well I must admit that it was a pleasure talking to you Hiroshi-san but I must spend time with my daughter and her friend so have a good day" she said to the young man as she waved him away.

"Mother you could've been more polite to him instead of just waving him off like that" stated Shizuru.

"Well anyway did you enjoy your date together ladies" Akemi inquired as she stared at the two young women in front of her.

"Ara yes we did mother and it seems like you had a wonderful time without us as well" commented Shizuru as she pointed to the young man that had been with her mother when they arrived at the pool.

"Why yes my dear kitsune I did" said Akemi Fujino with a lopsided grin plastered on her face.

"We have about three hours until our plane leaves for Kyoto so let's just hang out here for awhile and socialize with new people cause I think it would be good for you my dear daughter" she said with a smile.

"Yes I think that is a very good idea" replied the blonde as she glanced at the brunette standing beside her.

Nodding in confirmation the brunette decided to go for a swim so she placed her towel on the empty lounge chair beside her mother and then headed to the pool jumping in once she was at the edge.

They spent their time time swimming and goofing off in the pool with each other as well as the other people they had gotten to know before they had to head off to the airport.

-ABOUT 15 HOURS LATER-

"Damn that was one hell of a long flight from Fuuka to Kyoto" exclaimed a fatigued blonde.

"Language Sandra you know that was in bad taste" said an irritated brunette as they exited the airport and headed to their awaiting vehicle which was a black BMW with tinted windows that had the Fujino Conglomerate logo on the license plate.

"S-s-sorry Sh-Shi-chan i-i-it sl-sl-sliped o-o-out" stuttered a red faced Sandra as she stared at her friend.

A three hour drive ended with them at a beautiful white and gold mansion that was surrounded with numerous trees and lovely flowers. They got out of the car and entered the mansion and once inside Akemi Fujino stopped and turned to her daughter and said "Welcome Home my dear kitsune" and then she enveloped her in a loving embrace with the blonde woman joining in as well.

-THREE DAYS LATER BACK IN FUUKA-

A black Ducati made its way down the streets of Fuuka weaving in and out of traffic. The driver had so many thoughts running through her mind but she was still able to focus on her steering. She had decided not to wear her helmet cause she welcomed the cool breeze upon her face as she rode her bike.

What should I do now? Was the question that was running through her mind as well as the face of a certain brunette with beautiful red eyes flashing in and out of her mind.

"I love Nao but I still love Shizuru even though I know that she is gone" she said to no one in particular as she came to stop at the Flaming Phoenix restaurant.

As she entered the restaurant she was greeted by two familiar faces. The first was a tall tomboyish woman with blackish gray hair and spectacles. The other woman had long brown hair and she had a wide smile on her face as she made her way towards the biker.

"Hey Nat-chan/Natsuki-san welcome" they said to her in unison.

"Hi Chie and Aoi" she said to them in return.

"What brings you by here so early Nat-chan" inquired a curious Chie to her friend.

"Oh uh n-n-nothing really just needed some fresh air that's all" replied a sheepish looking Natsuki.

"Uh huh and I'm a monkeys uncle" stated the tall tomboy with her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at her friend.

"I know something is bothering you Nat-chan so spit it out already will ya."

"No Chie there's nothing wrong I just wanted to go out for a-a ride and then I decided to pay you guys a visit that's all" she said as she stared down at the floor.

"Nat-chan you can't fool me so spill it right now" Chie said in a demanding tone that didn't come off as harsh as it could have.

"Ok you got me Chie, it's just that things aren't going that good between me and Nao right now" she said in a low voice hoping her friends didn't hear a word she had said.

"I see, so tell us what happened between the two of you ok and maybe we can help you out Nat-chan" Chie said as she motioned for her friend to take a seat at an empty table locatedoff to the side away from the other customers.

"I messed up big time and it has a lot to do with you know who" she said as she stared blankly out the nearest window.

"Oh Natsuki-san are you still thinking about Her" asked a concerned Aoi.

"Y-Yeah I mean I know that she is gone but she was my first love no she was my first everything and I can't seem to let her go for the life of me" said the biker with tears in her eyes.

Seeing their friend like that broke the hearts of the two women and they got up and went to bring the bluenette into a loving embrace. They started soothing her by rubbing her back and telling her that everything will be alright.

"Nat-chan there is something I want to tell you but I think that maybe I shouldn't after all" said Chie as she hugged her friend tighter.

"Chie we don't know anything for sure about who that woman was so please let's leave that conversation for another time dear" Aoi said looking sternly at her girlfriend.

"W-w-what are y-y-you guys t-t-talking about" asked a flushed Natsuki as she broke away from her friends loving embrace.

"I think Aoi is right I shouldn't have brought it up so forget about it ok Nat-chan" said a nervous looking Chie as sat back in her seat.

"Oh no you don't Harada" said Natsuki in a demanding tone. "You started this so you're going to finish it by telling me about this woman right here and right now."

"Okay well you see about three days ago there was a reservation made here in the name of Mrs. Akemi Fujino-san" Chie said with a nervous laugh.

"What the hell why would she be here in Fuuka of all places!" the biker shouted out loud

"Ummm Natsuki-san isn't there a Fujino Conglomerate here in Fuuka?" asked a skittish Aoi.

"Oh yeah sorry you're right Aoi" she said bowing her head for forgiveness for the sudden out burst.

"No no it's okay Natsuki-san I don't blame you for reacting like that towards that woman's name" replied Aoi.

"Wait what does she have to do with the woman that you saw Chie?" asked a curious Natsuki.

"Well the thing is that two women came here for that reservation under Fujino-san's name and one of the women looked very very familiar Nat-chan" Chie said as she rubbed the back of neck in a nervous manner.

"Ok how so and did you know who the women were Chie" questioned a very curious bluenette.

"All I can say is that one looked exactly like someone I knew very well actually she looked like someone that we all know very well Nat-chan" said the tomboy.

"So describe the two women to me then Chie, and stop leaving me dangling here" she said.

"You want believe a word I say cause it's really hard to think about it being true but if you think about it there is a possibility that it could be true if it was done to hide a persons true identity from others," she said looking her friend straight in the eyes.

"Go on Chie tell me so I can fully understand what the hell you are talking about" exclaimed the bluenette.

"Well one of the women was a very tall and attractive woman with blonde hair and crystal blue eyes" Chie said. "A-a-and t-t-the o-other...she began to stutter...She was tall but not as tall as the blonde woman though, well she had brunette hair and very beautiful red ehm (cough) eyes (cough)" said Chie as she searched for a reaction from her friend.

"What I don't understand Chie are you telling me that you saw someone who looked just like Sh-Shi..-HER" Natsuki asked with a disbelieving as well as a shocked expression written all over her face.

"Yeah that's exactly what I said Nat-chan she looked just like her and she carried herself like her as well in the way she talked, walked and even her mannerisms were like hers oh and she even liked to drink tea as well cause she drank three cups of the stuff before they left Nat-chan" she said leaning back in her chair.

"I don't know what to think because there was a funeral and everything for her but if that woman still hated me like she said then anything could be possible Chie" Natsuki said this as she stood up from the table clenching her chest.

"You know something a couple days ago Mai was acting like she had seen a ghost and when I asked her what the person looked like she brushed it off as mistaken identity" Natsuki stated and then she sat back down.

"Chie did you talk to the two women by any chance" asked Natsuki.

"No not both of them but I got to talk to the blonde woman really good, but I heard the other woman as she spoke to her friend about the food and the tea that we serve here and she had a Kyoto-ben accent Nat-chan" she said while looking into watery emerald green orbs.

"What did the two of you talk about when you spoke to the blonde Chie please tell me.

"I asked her about her friend because she had told her to go wait in the car cause she didn't want her to push herself to hard. She had told me that her friend had just been released from the hospital that morning after waking up from a coma" replied the tomboy.

After hearing what the woman had told her friend Natsuki fell back into her chair and everything started to running through her mind a mile a minute. And she finally understood why she could never get a concrete answer about how and where Akemi Fujino was when she had called to see how the woman was doing since the incident last year. She knew that whenever she called they told her that she was gone on business trips and they didn't know when she would actually return so they told her to call back again in a few weeks time. But when she would call back it would be the same old story about her being on business trips.

"FUCK I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT FUCKING WOMAN WOULD DO SOME SHIT LIKE THIS" yelled a furious looking bluenette.

"Natsuki-san what's wrong and please calm down" said a very worried Aoi.

"Oh ah sorry guys but I just figured out that the person that you saw must've been Her after all, because I would call Fujion-san to see how she was doing after everything that had happened and the staff at her mansion and place of work would say that she was gone on business trips and that I should call back another time."

"Did you call back to see if you could talk to her again after you were told that Nat-chan" asked Chie.

"Yeah and every time that I did it was the same old story that she was gone on trips for business so I finally stopped trying after about a month or so without knowing where she really was" stated Natsuki with a very angry look on her face.

"Do you really think that she would lie to everyone about what happened Nat-chan especially knowing how devastated you were when you found out about what had happened and the funeral was held as well" questioned Chie as she thought on what Natsuki had told them.

"Yes that woman would because it was my fault that the incident happened in the first place, because I lied to her daughter about my true feelings for her" said the biker as tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Oh Nat-chan I am so sorry but you should stop blaming yourself for what happened to Shizuru-san, umm I'm sorry it just slipped out Nat-chan I didn't mean to say that name please forgive me" pleaded Chie as she bowed to her friend for forgiveness of her slip of tongue.

"No it's ok Chie that name should be spoken and I should be the one to say it over and over again" replied the biker.

"Don't push yourself Natsuki-san we know how hard it is for you to say the name of the person that meant so much to you" Aoi said in a caring tone.

"I'm not pushing myself guys I should be able to say it" she said taking a deep breath before continuing on "Sh-Sh-Shizuru, Shizuru, Shizuru, Shizuru, Shiizzzrrruuu" she said as more tears flowed down her face.

"Nat-chan are you going to be okay" asked a worried Chie.

"I will once I find out the truth from that conniving woman once and for all" she said with a look of intense hatred on her face.

"Hey Nat-chan I don't mean to bring this up right now but what will you tell Nao" inquired Chie.

"Shit I haven't even thought about that guys I mean I do love her and I chose to be with her instead of Shizuru back then" she said looking like a wounded animal.

"Do you think that you made the right decision back then Natsuki-san" Aoi asked with a serious look on her face.

"At the time I think so cause there were problems between me and Shizuru and I ended up being in a lot of pain because what had happened between her and her friend Sandra when she was in Germany going to University over there."

"So did something happen with her friend" asked a curious Chie.

"Well she told me that she didn't mean to cheat on me and that she loved only" Natsuki with a frown on her face.

"Did she sleep with her Nat-chan" Chie asked.

"She told me that she didn't mean for the kiss to happen and that Sandra kissed her" replied Natsuki.

"But Nat-chan did she sleep with her" Chie asked again.

"Well she never said that she slept with her but that was enough to piss me off and it hurt like hell" she said.

"So was that the reason that you chose to be with Nao instead of Shizuru-san, because she had kissed someone else" inquired Chie.

"Yeah and she hurt me by doing that but me and Nao had gotten closer when she stayed with me when she had nowhere else to stay and things happened between us" she said with a blush on her face.

"You were replacing the love that you thought you had lost from Shizuru-san, and I think Nao was just there at the right place and right time Nat-chan" Chie said as she looked at her friend eye to eye.

"I resent that Chie I do love Nao very much she is apart of my life and she was there when I was suffering in that god awful hospital" Natsuki stated in an irritated manner.

"I'm not saying that you don't love Nao Nat-chan, what I'm saying is that I believe you only chose to be with her because she hadn't hurt you the way Shizuru-san had hurt you."

"No I did and do love Nao but I never stopped loving Shizuru this whole time, oh my god Chie I'm such an ass" replied the bluenette woman.

"Yeah you are and yes you most definitely were Nat-chan" said Chie as she smiled at her friend.

"Nat-chan let me ask you a question" Chie said.

"Ok Chie ask away then" replied Natsuki with confidence.

"Who meant or means the most to you right now. I mean are you worrying more about the situation between you and Nao or the fact that Akemi Fujino-san may have lied about the death of Shizuru-san to you and everyone else who knew her" asked Chie as she looked at her friend with seriousness.

"I umm I mean...Oh hell guys I fucked up and lost the one person that meant everything to me and she still does" replied a very shocked Natsuki.

"So I guess you have your answer then and that realization is going to be a hard thing to admit to Nao since you two are still a couple" said Chie.

"I know and now that I have talked with you guys about things and found out the truth behind a web of lies. I can't let this continue because if Nao really and truly meant everything to me then I wouldn't be thinking about Shizuru in the first place right guys."

"You are absolutely right you dimwitted angel and I know that you will be able to face this head on with your strong will and determination Nat-chan" said Chie as she looked in the direction of her girlfriend.

And as they both made eye contact with each other they both nodded their heads to one another both agreeing that they would help their friend get the answers to all her questions that needed to be answered as well as helping her with the situation with one Nao Yuuki.

"I have figured out your lies Akemi Fujino and I Natsuki Kuga will get the answers that I deserve to know regarding the supposed death of Shizuru" she said as she nodded goodbye to her friends and headed towards the entrance to leave the restaurant.

A/N

Well here you go guys the next chapter and I'm sorry it took so long to update. I have been doing a lot of things at home but I hope you all enjoy this chapter a lot. I know that it's pretty long but I just couldn't leave a cliff hanger cause I hate those things so much. Thanks for reading any of my stories I really appreciate it. I will try to update all of my stories that are still in progress as soon as I can and again thanks for your support and encouragement it means a lot to me.