Disclaimer: I don't own Mai Hime.
Ugh. I haven't updated this in a while and I'm sorry. Hopefully, posting this will get me motivated enough to write more of the next chapter.
This is just a flash back/dream. This isn't part of he main plot and just shows what happened in Shizuru's past.
kikyo4ever: XD I thought that would be funny. Thank you. I'm glad people found the innocence in that. Well, I'm competing with DemonicTwister's cannibalistic Shizuru. ;D Lol, just kidding! (Or am I? o.o) Hrm, yeah, now that I read back on it, I guess she does seem kinda weak. Well, I edited my last chapters and hopefully I changed that. Hopefully. XP
lindred: Well, he might. -shrugs- Lol! 'Cute'! XDD
ssjx7squall: I've never seen/played (whichever one applies here) before so I wouldn't know. XD;;
Olivia U. L.: X3 Maybe that's where I got it from.
EX-EmO: Lol! Thankyouforyourcompliments! XD I like Shizuru's character too. Of course there will be Shiznat. ;)
EleCoR: I know. XP;; Some people are put-off by Shizuru's insanity in this. But one things for certain: she likes her Natsuki. X3
DemonicTwister: -pokes- The Shiznat action is in two more chapters! I decided to take the flashback out of the next chapter and make it it's own. Hopefully, this'll make me want to continue writing the next chapter. In the mean time: you update! XP
Shazu: Well, there is a story about that called The Beauty of Madness is you wanna search it.
Shizuru sat down on the red couch next to her mother, smiling contently as the engagement party went on around her. News got around that she said yes to Reito (even if it was a company arrangement) and her parents threw a party for only the classiest of classy people to attend.
Shizuru inwardly chuckled to herself about the fact that she'd only just now gotten to sit down after being told 'Congratulations' seventy-nine times. She'd counted.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a teasing voice, "So, how's the guest of honor doing?"
Shizuru placed on a pleasant smile that mirrored her current mood. She turned towards the voice, "I'm fine, mother."
"Are you really?" Her mother smiled as she sat down. The older woman then smirked slightly, "I mean, even I would get exhausted if I was told 'congratulations' seventy-eight times."
Seventy-nine, Shizuru gently corrected in her thoughts. "They all came to wish me luck for my future, the least I could do was thank them all."
"But still," Her mother turned and distantly gazed ahead, "Maybe I sent too many invitations." Mrs. Fujino trailed off in her thoughts. "Ah!" She came back, then lightly blushed from embarrassment, "My apologies." She said bashfully.
"Nothing to be sorry about, mother," Shizuru smiled enjoyably, sincerely happy.
The mother nodded, happy that her daughter didn't tease. She then looked around, "Do you like the arrangements? I didn't know whether or not to use a live band for the party, but then I thought 'oh, what the heck, this day only comes once in one's life' and got the live one!" Her mother giggled jovially, bringing her hand to her mouth.
"It's lovely, mother," Shizuru answered, truthfully, as she looked around, basking in the ambiance.
She noticed that the theme seemed to be 'red, gold, brown'; warm and inviting colors that flowed together in a ball-like manner. Even the small, string orchestra playing soft classical in the background seemed to flow with the overall mood of the room. Shizuru sighed contently.
"When I was planning the party," Her mother started up again, pulling Shizuru from her reverie, "My instant thoughts were 'classical'." Her mother then playfully pouted, "It's a sad time when your daughter, twenty years younger than yourself, is into the same music you are in this day and age."
"Maybe it's because I grew up with this music that I like it?" Shizuru suggested, keeping the tease in her voice.
"So if I introduced you to 'music of today,' you'd be into that?" Mrs. Fujino tried.
"Perhaps," Shizuru reasoned.
"What is it?…" She trailed off, furrowing her eyebrows in deep thought. After a bit, she snapped her fingers, "Oh! That Hippity-Hop music!"
Shizuru's eyes widened a little in confusion. Hippity… Hop…? "Pfft." Her smile grew along with her giggles, before it turned into laughing. Tears started to form at the corners of Shizuru's eyes as she continued to laugh.
Her mother blinked, clearly confused, "Shizu… ru…?"
"It's 'Hip-Hop', mother," Shizuru said as she calmed down, wiping the tears of joy away.
Mrs. Fujino puffed her cheeks childishly, and looked away, "Shizuru's teasing me!" She whined,
"I-I'm sorry…" Shizuru raised her hands in her defense, even though she was still getting over it. "Whoo," She chuckled slightly, "That was priceless. If only I had a video camera."
Her mother took this opportunity to get a comeback in, "You? With a video camera? We'd get good footage of the wooden floor!"
"Mother!" Shizuru and her mom giggled at the joke, both knowing it was probably true.
Her mother stopped when she noticed something. She sighed, shaking her head, "Your father is at the food table again."
"Better get over there before he steals all the crab legs," Shizuru suggested, smirking slightly.
"Yes, that'd be for the best." Mrs. Fujino then turned to her daughter, and cupped her cheek, "My little Shizuru is growing up." Shizuru's mother gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead, "Good luck."
Shizuru lifted her hand to cup her mom's, "But I'll always be your daughter." She smiled.
Her mom smiled back as she stood up. She then smiled playfully once more, "Hurry up and have kids."
"M-Mother!" Shizuru's shock was evident on her face, her cheeks blushing from her mom's brashness.
"I want little Kanzakis running around in my home, running up to me and tugging on my shirt, 'Grandma, grandma! What did you get us this time!'" Mrs. Fujino giggled in glee at her little fantasy.
Shizuru sighed and rolled her eyes lightly, "Weren't you going to scold a certain someone?"
"Oh yes," Mrs. Fujino said, being brought back down to Earth. She then smirked, "Don't look now, by here comes your soon-to-be-hubbie!" She whispered, then started to hastily walk away toward her husband before Shizuru could comment back.
Shizuru smiled as she watched her mom walk up to her dad with a stern expression on her face:
"Mr. Fujino!" Mrs. Fujino used his last name to get across how serious she was, "What have I told you about hogging the snack table?!"
Shizuru watched in amusement as her mother scolded her father, only to be brought back by a pair of arms wrapping around her neck gently, "… Kanzaki."
"Reito, please," A smooth male voice said from behind her, "We are getting married, after all."
"Isn't it a business marriage?" Shizuru asked, turning her head so she could look into Reito's eyes.
"True, but we should at least acknowledge each other by first time, correct?"
"Alright… Reito."
"Be right back, Shizuru," Reito bent down over the couch to give Shizuru a kiss on the cheek before he started to walk towards the kitchen.
Shizuru thought she saw him give on of the men playing the cello a nod, but shook it off. She took this short reprieve to lean back and relax. 'Mrs. Kanzaki,' hm?… I wonder what his thoughts are on kids —
BANG.
Shizuru leaned forward from her casual position and looked around in alarm, along with all the other occupants in the room. She stood up, looking in all directions.
She heard a woman scream and looked over to see her mom holding her father's bleeding form. Her eyes widened, shaking her head before she tried to run over, only to be stopped by yet another shot- aimed at her mother this time.
She fell to her knees, tears welding up in her eyes as she ignored everyone else as they ran past, heading for the large double doors behind her. Her mother and father's bleeding forms went in and out of vision as she saw the orchestra people, along with some people from the kitchen, come out with guns and other weapons, trying to kill off any witnesses they could.
Mom… dad… She felt her whole world crash down around her as tears of sorrow fell down her cheeks. She felt weak and wasn't able to get up in her exhaustion.
Suddenly, she felt her arms being pinned behind her in a hold as she was forced to stay down. She turned her head to see a guy with raven hair dressed in the orchestra's attire, "Wh…" Her voice cracked and her throat was dry from tears, "What do you want from me?!" She yelled in her panic. She'd been trained to get out of holds like this, but with the current situation, martial arts were the last thing on her mind.
The guy's dark eyes glinted as he smirked perversely, "Well, if it was me personally, I'd fuck your pretty ass until all you could do was breathe, but we've gotten strict orders to only knock you out. So, this is goodbye, princess." She looked forward, causing her to look forward as well.
What she saw was another guy, this time from the kitchen, carrying a kitchen knife above his head and charging towards them. He raised the large handle of the knife up over his head and then brought it down towards Shizuru's face. It was about to connect and--
--
Red eyes shot open, "…" She slowly released her harsh grip on the pillow and looked over across the bed to the picture of her family in the picture frame, "… I will find out who planned that killing. And I will kill them." She said as a drop of sweat trickled down her face.
And that's all you're getting for her past for now. Don't wanna spoil everything right away, right?
As for the next chapter, hopefully it'll be up soon. There will be petty thieves; there will be a little more knife action; and there will be Guitar Hero!... Wait, what?