Disclaimer: I don't own mai-hime..
Hey guys!
For those people reviewed the first chapter, thank you so much.
Of course, I already expect that some of you would disapprove the idea of Shizuru being a guy instead of Natsuki (because obviously she really fits the role) but then I thought, "Why not let Natsuki-chan play the girly role (a little bit) instead, just for a change".
So yeah, that's basically what convinced me to let Shizuru be the guy.
Anyways, here's Chapter 2!
Previous chapter:
"Well, just like what I told you before. I am Shizuru Fujino, 16 years of age, your childhood friend since preschool . .or should I say rival?" He pause to take a sip on his tea then continued "And as for my gender, I am now a male".
*thud*
"…"
"Oh my! Natsuki-chan!" Shizuma run towards Natsuki who is now lying on the floor, unconscious due to massive mental shock.
Continuation…
"Ow! Dammit ..my head hurts" Natsuki said as she slowly rise from what seems to be a hospital bed. She touches her forehead with her right arm and winced a little when she felt pang of pain. She opens her emerald eyes and looked at her surroundings. At first she wondered why and where is she until a thick Kyoto-ben snaps her out of her thoughts.
"Ara, I'm glad you're awake Natsuki-chan. I was starting to get really worried, you hit your head quite hard when you lose consciousness."
"I..I lose consciousness? Wait? Does that mean I'm just dreaming things, Shizuma-sama?" Natsuki started to get out from the bed when her head started to hurt again. She has no choice to remain on the bed for now so she just remove the blanket that covers half of her body, just below the waist, and face the older Fujino.
"I'm afraid it is not a dream" Shizuma turn her gaze away from the bluenette and looked at the clock hanging on the wall that show 6:11.
"Shizuma-sama, where is sh-..he? Shizuru, I mean" Natsuki asked.
"Well, Shizuru just went outside to talk to greet her doctor a goodbye. She wanted to stay at home instead of staying here for a night and since all her vital signs seems normal, they agreed." Shizuma just noticed that she just called her 'now-guy' daughter a "she". She chuckled hard that was notice by the girl sitting on the bed.
"A-are you okay, Shizuma-sama?"
"Ara, oh yes. I'm definitely fine. I was just remembering the day that Shizuru was born. Honestly, we're expecting to have a baby boy but when my due date came and I gave birth, doctor said 'Congratulations, it's a healthy baby girl'. My husband and I was dumbfounded for a couple of minutes but got over it when we saw how beautiful our daughter is." Shizuma explained. She took a moment to look outside the window beside the bed where a setting sun can be seen.
"How is this possible Shizuma-sama. I mean how can one change gender?"
"*sigh* The doctors said that it's called "Transgender syndrome". Apparently, my child is not the only one who have this situation, there we're hundreds of case out there just like this. In Shizuru's case, her hormones change. I can't really the term the doctor used but she said that Shizuru's body lacks an enzyme needed by her adrenal gland to make a hormone called cortisol and aldosterone. Without these hormones, the body produces more androgens. This causes male sex characteristics to appear early but Shizuru was different, the change happens at her adolescent stage."
"Is this a permanent change? Can she go back to being a girl?" Natsuki asked with a high hopes on her voice.
"The doctors said that since this is a rare case, so there's still a possibility that Shizuru return being a girl. She have to undergo series of test to examine if there will be changes in her body." Shizuma explain, observing the girl in front of her.
As Natsuki holds a hope that Shizuru might return being a girl again, she heard a light clicking from the hospital door. She heard a familiar Kyoto-ben accented voice from the other side of room calling for his mother.
Shizuma got up from the chair she sat on and flash a smile to Natsuki. "Well it's getting a little late and we still haven't eat anything. Are you okay to get up now, Natsuki-chan?" She asked
Natsuki nodded in response and slowly rose from the bed. She fixed her crumpled school skirt and folds the white hospital blanket and places it on a pillow.
"Ara, I'm glad you're awake now Natsuki. Do you feeling better?" Shizuru slowly walks towards Natsuki but have to stop at his track when he noticed that the bluenette stiffened as soon as he was about a feet away from her. "Natsuki" She called in her mind. "Does me being a 'guy' bother you this much? It hurts just to think that I won't be able to close to you. No, I won't let this change get between us."
Shizuma clear her throat to get the attention of her 'son' who's obviously looking at the bluenette with a hurt on his face while the said bluenette has her left hand holding her shaking right hand, face tinted with a mixture of doubts and anxiousness.
"We should get going. Nat-chan you can come and eat dinner with us" Shizuma place a hand on Natsuki's shoulder and smile lightly at the girl.
"Ara, that's right. You love my mom's cooking right or would you prefer if I cook for you, my Natsuki" Shizuru said with a wink to the bluenette and to her surprise, Natsuki blushed but immediately looked away. Shizuru can't contain the cuteness of her bestfriend and decided to hug the blushing girl. "Natsuki's too cute when she blush like that!" He screams in delight while hugging the poor girl tighter.
"H-hey let me go! Baka! Baka! Let ..go" Natsuki thought that if she was facing a mirror now, she was one hundred percent sure that her face is even redder than a ripe tomato.
But somehow, Natsuki felt comfortable in that tight hug considering that it is a guy that's hugging her. *thump thump* "Weird, right about now I should have shoved away any guy who dare to lay a hand on me but.. *thump thump*.. I guess it's because I know he used to be a girl..no .. *thump thump* it's because it's Shizuru *thump thump*." She slowly moved her hand up, ready to return the hug when another clearing of the throat was heard. She put her hands on the tawny-haired guy's shoulders and looked straight to those the same beautiful crimson pools. *thump thump* "Stupid heart why are you pumping so hard.. urusai!"
"Well, I hate to interrupt your loving gaze at each other but we better get going. It's almost 7 and we still haven't eaten anything for dinner"
"Yes, mother." Shizuru replied to his mother politely who is currently gathering her shoulder bag and coat that hangs at the back of the door. "Come Natsuki" he said holding Natsuki's hands on his shoulders and tugged the still dumfounded girl out of the hospital room.
"I can't believe it! I hold a guy! A guy! Does this mean..my phobia .. no maybe .. but then ..ARGHH! Damn it!" Natsuki battles and screams in her mind. She didn't notice that she had unconsciously put pressure to a hand that holding her own.
Looking at the blunette beside him, Shizuru is started to feel something deep within him. He never really fully considered it before but maybe, just maybe, even when he's still a girl, Natsuki holds a special place in her heart that nobody can occupy aside from the bluenette.
-24 hours after-
"Uhmm so. You see as of now, Fujino-san became a male. So uhm" Yuka Yamada, their homeroom stood in front of the classroom with a tawny haired guy beside her. She's having difficulty explaining to her students the situation when a hand touched her shoulder and came face to face to the said guy.
"I'll take it from here sensei." Shizuru averted his stare from his homeroom teacher to his classmates. "Well, as Yamada-sensei said I'm now a male but I'm still the Shizuru you all came to know. So please take care of me" She finish her statement with a bow.
For a moment, the whole classroom was silent until a busty orange-haired girl stood up from her chair and engulfs the startled guy with a fierce hug.
"Is it really you Shizuru-chan? How can did you became a male all of a sudden" Mai asked as she release Shizuru from the hug.
"Wow, Fujino-san is even more attractive when she .. oh.. he's like this" a random student shouted which earned a ton of 'Yes!' from other students in the room.
"Fujino-sama is so cool. Right?" a random girl said. She's obviously one of 'Fujino-sama FanClub'.
"And so handsome too!" Another fan girl screams.
All of the sudden, they toss more random question at the student council president. Questions like 'is this permanent?' Or 'how long will stay like this?', 'Are you going to wear men's clothes from now on?', 'If you're going to the restroom, which are you going to come in, boys or girls?' and 'Do you now have the 'thing' that boys have?'
That last question put the whole classroom fall into an endless of uncomfortable silence. For seems like an hour, nobody said a word but they're just silently waiting an answer from Shizuru's.
"Tsk! would you all stop this non-sense questions you have!" an obviously irritated bluenette exclaimed. She rose up from her chair and glared at her classmates then to a certain guy standing on front of the class, staring back at her with a amused face. "What? Are you just going to stand there and answer their questions" she then averted her line of sight to her teacher and said "or are we going to start the homeroom lessons?"
"R-right. Kuga-san is right we should start the homeroom now. You can ask Fujino-san you're questions later after the class" Yamada-sensei said.
The class resumes into their regular routines though there are still some persistent ones and continue to whisper their questions to Shizuru as he seated in his chair.
Time pass by in the classroom and it is already lunch time and though it is expected, Shizuru is surrounded again with his now new and old fan girls. He
"Ne, Natsuki do you want to eat lunch at the roof?" Mai asked the blunette as she gets her bento under her desk.
"Hmm, sure. We don't have track and field assembly or student council meeting today its fine"
"Ara, can I join you in your lunch?" Shizuru said as he faces Mai and Natsuki.
"Of course Shizuru! I have many questions for you too. Now come one, let's go" Mai stood up excitedly from her chair and strangely look at the bluenette who still remained seated in her chair not moving. "Natsuki come on"
"A-ah, sorry Mai, I forgot we have a practice for track and field today at lunch. You have to eat without me."
"But you said you don't have practice?" Mai asked.
"O-oh? D-did I .. ha ..ha. I must have forgot, anyway I need to go.. enjoy your lunch" Natsuki quickly grab her bag with her bento then bolted out of the room.
"What's up with her, she's obviously lying." Mai looked at Shizuru who's still looking at the door that his bluenette friend passed through.
"She's avoiding me" Shizuru whispered under his breath
"Why would she do that?" Mai asked with a questioning face to Shizuru. She thinks for a moment for the reasons why her friend would avoid Shizuru until realization hit her. "Ah!" She shouted earning looks from her classmates. "Ne, is it because you're a guy now" She whispered to Shizuru.
Shizuru just face her friend and smile.
Now, it has been two days since Shizuru got back from the class and just like that day, Natsuki is still avoiding tawny haired guy. This doesn't just happen during their lunches, even class activities and student council meetings. Natsuki always have an excuse to get at least feet away from Shizuru.
"Ne, Natsuki can we talk?" Shizuru said to the blunette who's lost in her own world while looking outside the window.
"Huh.. umm sorry .. I-I have a .. practice today for track and field .. yeah practice and I need to go" Natsuki gathered her things and ready to leave the room when a strong hand grab her left wrist and almost drag her out of the classroom to the roof of the school.
"Hey, let go!" Natsuki struggled to remove the strong hand that's slowly hurting her wrist. Unfortunately for her, Shizuru has no plan to let her go just yet.
After a couple of seconds, they arrived on the rooftop.
Shizuru let go the blunette's wrist only to trap her in a hug.
"Natsuki, please. Don't avoid me like this. Please" Shizuru said while embracing the stiffened blunette.
"Le-let me go! I won't runaway, just let me go!" Natsuki tries to wiggle out from the hug until she heard a sobs coming from the tawny haired guy. "Seriously, you're a guy now Shizuru and as far as I know guy's don't cry on front of somebody."
Minutes had passed and Shizuru slowly remove his self to the bluenette, whispering 'sorry' as he held his head low.
"N-no. I'm the one that should I apologize. I should have not avoided you."
"No, I'm the one who should apologize. I already know why you're acting this way and.. I'm being a bother. Am I?"
"Don't say that, you're not a bother. It's just that .." Natsuki paused for a second and look if there are other people on the roof besides them. When she's convince that there is no one she continues "I really can't stand men being too close to me. I guess my childhood fear always hunts me down"
"You know, you never really tell me why you have this 'fear'"
Natsuki sigh and decided to tell her longtime friend the story on how this 'fear' started.
"Well .. you know that I only live with mom right?" Shizuru just nod to answer the question. "When I was just 2 years old my real father left us for another woman and that nearly destroyed my mom." Natsuki paused she look at the sky and silently admire the beauty of it. "After 2 years, mom got back to her feet again. She got promoted from her work, bought a new car and house for us to live then .. she started to date again. Don't get me wrong, I like to see my mom happy but the guy she's dating .. is not what he's used to be. He changed just like my stupid father." Natsuki decided to take a seat near the fence of the roof and lean her back. She then closed her eyes for a moment.
Shizuru copy what the bluenette did and seated close to the girl.
When Natsuki saw that Shizuru is already comfortably seated, she continues her story. "After almost two years, my mom got promoted again but this time, she was asked to be transferred to America. At first, mom don't like the idea since I can't be with her but her boss said that it will just be a temporary transfer, then she agreed. She left me with the guy she's dating at that time. Every morning my mom would call us to check if we are okay, but the calls went from days to weeks to months and that guy..just lose it."
Talking about this out loud is something new to Natsuki, she never let anyone know her back story but when she heard Shizuru cried and show true concern to her, she felt that the wall that she build around her instantly breaks down. Though she considers Shizuru as her greatest rival, she can't deny the fact that she is also her friend. No matter what gender she now has.
"Four months had passed and we haven't heard a call from mom. Not a single call or letter. After that I noticed that my supposed-to-be guardian is acting strange. He would come home late, sometimes drunken that he can't even climb to his room. One night, I woke up with a loud noise coming from our living room so I decide to look what it is. Then I saw it."
"What did you saw?" Shizuru asked with concern on his voice.
"Uhmm. He.. h-He's doing 'it' with a woman .. on our sofa." Natsuki instantly felt her cheeks went hot and she know that if she saw her face in a mirror right now, her whole face must have been so red.
"O-oh" Shizuru went silent, trying to think what could he possibly say in this kind of situation, with this kind of topic. She heard a soft giggle that turn into a laughter coming from the bluenette so she asked why is she laughing.
"Ha ha.. I just remember what I asked them when I stand close to them" Natsuki said as she wipe a tear formed in the corner of her eye. She saw Shizuru with a questing face so she decided to continue "I asked them why are they playing 'horsie' when it's already late at night. Oh men that really startled the hell out of them"
While Natsuki is slowly calming herself from laughing, Shizuru on the other hand started to feel a familiar feeling again. When the blunette stops laughing, Shizuru notice that his friend suddenly changes a mood.
"You see that doesn't end there. Almost every night, he would come home with different woman but what angers me the most is that they have the audacity to do 'it' in our home. Our home that my mom bought for us. For me." Natsuki said with anger in her voice.
Shizuru notice that the blunette balled her fists tightly that her hand is starting to get redder that the usual creamy white.
"Unfortunately for him, after almost a year of staying abroad, my mom decided to surprise us by coming home late at night. She saw her supposed to be loyal boyfriend having sex with a blond woman then throw them out. Naked. After that my mom removes all the furniture in the house, except my room, then replace with a new one. Then the rest is history. To be honest, I really don't know when does this phobia came to me. But every time I think of a guy being close to me, I-i just keep remembering.. what I ..uhmm .. see that night .." Natsuki finish her statement with full blown red-faced. She tried to looked the other way to avoid Shizuru noticing it but she's already too late.
"*giggles* Ara, Natsuki's really cute when she blushes" Shizuru said as she hug again the bluenette who's starting to get used to it.
Natsuki wondered why she allows Shizuru to hug her when he's supposed to be a guy. If it was other people, they would immediately end up in the infirmary. "But then again she used to be a girl, I guess it's fine"
They stay in in a comfortable silent while Shizuru embrace the blunette. "This feels nice. Why didn't I notice this before. Maybe because we considered ourselves rivals since childhood. Maybe because I'm just too stupid to notice that .. I .. I like this girl .. I like Natsuki.."
"Ne, Natsuki?" Shizuru called while she tries his hardest to remove his hands around the bluenette. "Do you remember your challenge? The one that we're supposed to have next week for the exam"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"You said that the loser would have to do 'anything' that the winner wants right." Natsuki nod to answer "If I win I want you to be my .. urghh!" Shizuru wasn't able to finish what he's trying to say as a electricity-like pain goes through his whole body. It's happening again. He put his hand just above his chest that feels like it is about to explode any seconds now.
"Sh-Shizuru! Are you okay?!" Natsuki immediately catch Shizuru's head as it was about to hit the floor just like last time.
"It hurts! Please make it stop!" Is what Shizuru could say. His body is starting to feel hot while his head is starting to experience a massive headache much worse than last time.
"Shizuru! Come on, let's go to infirmary" Natsuki tried to pull up Shizuru's body but she can't get it all up. Shizuru is just too heavy for her now that she is boy. She took a two long breathes and tried it again. This time she was able to lift her bestfriend's body. She holds both hands of Shizuru then lean his body next to her back, carrying him in a piggy back ride. It was uncomfortable for the bluenette "dammit…get a grip .. this is not the time to be conscious about it" She battled in her mind as she carry a heavy tawny-haired boy on her back down to the infirmary.
Lucky for her, she saw two boys goofing around while seated on the staircase to the roof. She asked for help then the two immediately got to their feet and aid the student council officers.
When they arrived in the infirmary, the boys put Shizuru's body on one of the bed while Natsuki is explaining what happens to their school doctor. One of the boy said he'd call a teacher and run outside while the other one just follow his friend.
Natsuki still observing the person lying on a bed in front of her "It's happening again.. why does this have to happen to Shizuru ..why her?!" She walks towards the bed and holds one of Shizuru's hands with her own. "I'm here Shizuru. Be strong. I'm here and I won't leave your side."
Shizuru tried his best to open his crimson eyes just in time to see the emerald that she always admired release bids of tears. "Nat..su..ki" He said slowly as he smile to the bluenette.
"Kuga-san I already called an ambulance and they're on their way. If you have your mobile with you, can you call Fujino-san's parent and inform them?" The school doctor said.
Natsuki hesitantly release Shizuru's hands then get her phone in her pocket.
Fifteen minutes had passed and the ambulance arrived with the paramedics. They put Shizuru in a stretcher just like last time and drove out the school. This time Natsuki was inside the vehicle, holding her bestfriend's hands, never letting it go.
Okay, that's chapter two guys!
So I kinda forgot to tell you that this is just a three-shot fic so the next chapter would be the last.
I hope you support this till the end.
Kindly put a review / feedback / comment.
Also, my other fic (Difficult Decisions) is on hold as of the moment. I have things I need to do and I can't really focused on it.
So until next time, Ciao!