Chapter 16: Headache
Tomoe woke up to two sky blue pools hanging over her face. "Kyaa!" She screamed and jerked backward in surprise, almost hitting her head in the process.
"Oh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle you." Arika gave the girl a sheepish smile.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Tomoe demanded, she scanned her surrounding cautiously while sizing up the brown-haired young girl before her.
"Relax, you are in an infirmary. I picked you up a while ago. I am Yumemia Arika, you can call me Arika-chan. What's your name?"
Tomoe instinctively raised her hand to touch her left ear. My GEM... Her stormy eyes darkened by the memory of the battle. Viola...
"Kannin na." My graceful goddess said in that sweet melodic voice of hers before she swung down her blade. 'Ahh... So I am going to die by her hands' was what I thought at that moment. It's not so bad, maybe I will be engraved into her memory forever, as a girl she murdered. But she didn't kill me. Why didn't she kill me? Her blade only grazed my neck, it barely drew any blood. What's the point of defeating an opponent if one doesn't claim the ultimate prize?
"Are you alright?" Arika observed the girl's odd behaviour and thought the girl was concerned about her jadded haircut. "Sorry about your hair. I found you like that. It should grow back in no time. If you like I can give you a new haircut and even it out. I may not look like it, but I'm quite good with a pair of scissers."
"No. My hair is fine." Tomoe denied quickly. If there were anything she was happy about, that would be her hair. Viola cut it, so I will keep it that way. It's her mark.
"Alright. How are you feeling right now? You were pretty beaten up when I found you. Are you hungry? I almost forgot. You haven't told me your name yet."
Tomoe felt like hitting the talkative girl in the nose. That ought to shut her up. She thought, but then decided against it. I can use this stupid girl. She mustered her most innocent expression and smiled apologetically at Arika. "Arika-chan, right? I'm terribly sorry, but I can't seem to remember my name. I must have hit my head."
"This is like a vacation in a remote Tropical island." Kurger raised the glass of pineapple juice in her hand and took a small sip. The sun was almost completely swallowed by the horizon, dyeing the sky and ocean with the colours of dancing flames. "They have been awfully quiet for a while. Have they given up?" She was referring to the mob and the girl on the tree.
Viola took a look at them and laughed softly. "The girl with orange hair hasn't left yet, and of course the cat girl is still up on that tree. They are persistant, like you."
Kruger frowned. "I'm not persistent."
"No, you are not persistent. You are stubborn."
The young Otome puffed up her cheeks and pouted. "I'm not stubborn either."
Viola giggled and poked her girl's cheek with her finger.
"Maybe... maybe we should... stop." Shizuru somehow managed to complete the sentence between moans.
"Um huh." Natsuki groaned something that sounded like a positive response, but she didn't even pause. Her tongue glided up slowly along the valley of her girlfriend's creamy breasts, leaving a path of gleaming sweat and saliva. She reached up and let out a long-supressed growl as her teeth grazed the other girl's throat, her movement uncannily resembled that of a hungry wolf feasting upon a defenceless lamb.
It began as an innocent kiss. Natsuki was only trying to make Shizuru stop with her merciless teasing, but it soon turned into something entirely different. Kiss turned into kisses, and hands started to wander. Natsuki had no experience controling her libido, she didn't even know she had a libido before this day. As for Shizuru, she had been supressing her desire for the raven-haired girl since the day they met, she could not resist any advance Natsuki made.
That's why they were in this predicament. Shizuru knew that the responsible thing to do was to stop what they were doing. Natsuki was still recovering from multiple rib fractures and a broken arm, she was in no condition to be involoved in any strenuous physical activity. But at the rate they were going, strenuous physical activity was bound to ensue.
"Natsu... ki. You're... injured."
"Um huh." Lick, lick, lick. Her tongue drew across the Kyoto beauty's delicate jaw line and reached her smooth earlobe. Flick.
Shizuru let out a ragged breath and tossed her head back, her chestnut hair spilled across the pillow. The pleasant weight on top of her shifted, and she found herself being straddled by a very flushed, almost out of breath Natsuki. The girl was nibbling her ear, and her none broken hand had sneaked inside her blouse, groping her naked skin with fervent urgency. She could tell by the tiny gurgling whimpers Natsuki made that her young girlfriend was losing control. This is so not helping. She thought, but her mind soon went blank when the stray hand underneath her blouse shoved open the front clasp of her bra with a firm tuck.
Hot.
Hothothothothot. It's burning. Natsuki huffed heavilly while nuzzling her face against the other girl's collarbone. The heat inside her chest was almost unbearable. Shizuru's exposed skin was far from cold, however, it felt oddly calming when she pressed her feverish cheeks (and lips, and tongue) against it. She vaguely understood that she wanted 'something' from the Kyoto girl, but couldn't quite figure out what exactly she wanted. Meanwhile, she found the lacy fabric seperating her mouth from her girlfriend's torso to be plain unforgivable, so she shoved it aside. That's better. She thought giddily, and leaned down to claim her prize.
Shizuru's fingers dug into those silken midnight tress and held the girl's head in place. She should push her away, it's the responsible thing to do, it's the right thing to do. But she didn't. She arched her back and tightened her hold, offering herself to the beast instead. Fujino Shizuru was never the responsible one, and she never cared much about doing what's right, that was, until she heard a painful yelp from the girl in her arms. "Natsuki?" She sat up straight with some difficulties and examined her girl's face with great concern.
"It's nothing." Natsuki said, but the knot between her brows and her sagged shoulders were telling a different story.
Shizuru felt like slapping herself. I grabbed her too hard, I must have hurt her. She carefully placed her palm over the injured girl's side and was not suprised to see the girl winced to the lightest touch. "Kannin na, Natsuki, I should have been more careful. Does it hurt much?"
"Not really."
Liar. "Maybe we should get out of this room." Natsuki, me, alone in a room with a comfy bed. Bad idea.
Natsuki nodded. Maybe some fresh air will clear my head. I feel like a hormon-raging teenager... Wait, I AM a hormon-raging teenager. She was deeply disturbed by the thought. If I turned into another sex-crazed redhead bimbo... No, I'll kill myself first.
Nao sneezed downstairs.
"Is my Natsuki alright? Why the pouting?" Shizuru brought her hand up to cup the raven-haired girl's face. "Is my baby girl disappointed? We can always pick up where we left off some other time, if you like."
Natsuki cringed and her cheeks turned beet red in embarrassment. "I'm not pouting, and I'm not disappointed either. And would you stop calling me by some weird nickname?"
Shizuru tilted her head in faigned puzzlement. "Weird nickname? Like what, 'baby girl'? It's not weird, is it?"
"It's totally weird! I'm not a baby!"
The older girl smirked. It was the classic 'Shizuru smirk' the young biker had become so painfully familiar with. Natsuki suddenly realized that she had dug herself into a deep deep hole.
"You certainly were acting like one, Na-tsu-ki-chan. I clearly recall that you were quite enjoying yourself when you..."
Natsuki covered Shizuru's mouth before the girl could finish her sentence. "DON'T SAY IT!" She could feel all the blood rushing into her head. This woman will never let me live this one down! Her gaze fell on her girlfriend's exposed front, and the redness on her cheeks turned a purplish hue. What perverted demon possessed me to do... 'this' and... 'that' to Shizuru? She bowed her head down in immense mortification, and she saw herself still sitting (straddling) on Shizuru's lap. "Eek!" She pushed herself off the other girl and almost fell off the bed, but of course her protective girlfriend didn't let her fall.
"Natsuki should be more careful, otherwise down will come baby, cradle, and all."
"Would you stop with the baby reference?" Natsuki almost popped a vein. "And PLEASE button up your shirt." She fixed her gaze somewhere on the floor, finding the simple white carpet to be absolutely fascinating.
There was no way Shizuru could pass up this golden oppertunity to tease her easily embarrassed ice hime. With a slightly trembling voice, she said to her girl: "Take responsibility."
Natsuki snapped her head up and stared at the older girl in shock. Why the fuck did she say it like I just knocked her up? "NO!" She yelled. "Do it yourself!"
Shizuru sighed, her burgendy eyes darkened with (fake) sorrow. "I understand. Natsuki had all the fun, but she doesn't want to deal with the responsibility that comes with it. There is no other way, I will clean up the mess all by myself. How lonely..."
"AAAAARGH! GAH! ALRIGHT! Enough with the guilt trip! I'll do it!" She grunted impatiently. "Now hold still!"
Natsuki is so much fun to tease. The devious Kyoto fox grinned at Natsuki's unsteady hand as the bashful girl tried to reclasp Shizuru's lacy white bra. She could see beads of sweats beginning to form on the edge of the girl's hairline.
Damn it! Stop shaking you stupid hand! Natsuki cursed under her breath as she struggled to pull the two parts of the clasp together but without much success. "Don't just sit there, at least give me a hand, will ya?" This damn thing is so tight, I can't do this with only one hand. Why did it come off so easily when it's a fucking chore to put it back? Total crappy design... She glared angrily at the uncooperative bra, but was distracted by its contents. She has really nice breasts...
"Dum dum dum-dum... Dum dum dum-dum..."
What the fuck? "Dum dum dum..." What the hell is this? This music... Don't tell me... NOOOOOOOO! Natsuki froze, her eyes widened in horror.
"Chi-chi-chi-chi OPPAI boin boin. Chi-chi-chi-chi OPPAI boin boin. Moge moge moge. Moge moge-moge chichi wo moge! Moge-puirin poyon-moge moge-pororon puyon-moge..."
Natsuki jumped up from the bed and banged her head against the nearest wall.
"Natsuki!"
Haruka woke up from a very pleasant dream and found herself lying on a sofa. How the hell did I end up here? She frowned.
"Ah, Haruka-chan. Are you feeling alright?"
Yukino. The blond blinked and looked at her friend's concerned face. "I'm alright." She said, and blinked again. Something is not right. The memory of the stolen kisses came rushing back into her mind. "KILL!" She jumped up from the sofa but was quickly held back by the glass-wearing girl.
"Haruka-chan, please don't. It's not right to act so rashly. Please calm down." Yukino held her friend's sleeve tightly, afraid that if she let go, Haruka would really murder Mikoto in blind rage.
"But that pervert..." kissed you.
Yukino shook her head solemly. "Mikoto-chan didn't mean any harm. Maybe her action was wrong, but her intention was pure. You can't fault her for being innocent."
"Innocent my ass..."
"Haruka-chan! Please!"
The blond sighed loudly. She couldn't argue with her friend when the usually timid girl was in one of her rare righteous plus stubborn mode. "Alright, alright! Sheesh, Yukino. You are way too nice for your own good. But I'll tell you right now, if she ever tries anything like that again, I swear I will flea her alive..."
"You meant 'flay'..."
"That's what I said."
"..."
"Ah!" Haruka suddenly remembered something really important. "Yukino, what time is it?"
The young girl checked her watch and answered. "Five to seven. Why?"
The blond gave her a toothy grin and grabbed her hand. "I'll show you something really cool. Follow me."
Always. She thought, and squeezed her friend's hand just a little tighter than necessary. Always, Haruka-chan.
Natsuki woke up with a headache, which was to be expected for someone who had her second head trauma on top of the first one. She groaned and touched her re-bandaged head. Aw... This really hurts. She winced.
"Natsuki?" Shizuru asked in a half-choked voice.
The raven-haired girl frowned in confusion. Why does Shizuru sound like she has been crying? She sat up from the bed and touched the older girl's face. "Are you alright?" She asked.
"Kannin na, Natsuki. Kannin na. It's my fault. I won't make you do anything you don't want to again, I promise."
"Shizuru... What's going on?" Natsuki was completly baffled by the situation. One minute they were kissing on the bed, and the next she woke up to a splitting headache and a very upset Shizuru. "Shhh... Don't cry. There, there." She held her girlfriend in her arms and kissed the girl's forehead. "Now try to calm down and tell me what happened."
Shizuru bit her bottom lip. "You really scared me, Natsuki. Don't do that to me again."
Natsuki's frown deepened. "Shizuru, I really have no idea what you are talking about. The last thing I remember was... we were... Ahmm... you know..." She lowered her voice to a bare whisper. "Kissing." She coughed and continued. "And then I woke up."
Shizuru stared at the girl as if she suddenly sprouted a second head. "You have no memory of what happened in between?"
"Nope. What happened?"
"You deliberately banged your head against the wall so hard, you knocked yourself out, literally. See that?" She pointed at a huge dent in the wall. "You did that."
Natsuki's jaw dropped. "Why would I do that?"
Shizuru sighed. "I wish I knew."
"So, how long did I pass out?"
"About two hours."
"That long, eh." Natsuki looked out the window and saw the night sky, but she couldn't see the moon from this angle.
"You coming down yet?" Mai asked for the millionth time.
"Nope." Mikoto answered for the millionth time.
Mai sighed.
Mikoto's stomach growled.
TBC
Author's Notes:
1. Yes, I was catering, so sue me.
2. I use "HiME" when I want to emphasize the ability or identity, but I use "hime" as the Japanese word for "princess." Oh, and please read and review.
3. The song Natsuki heard inside her head was "Chichi wo Moge" (Groping Breasts) from "Konjiki no Gash Bell" (Zatch Bell). I absolutely love the original Japanese version of the song. Go to my PROFILE and click on the link to watch the clip.
4. Answer for the previous pop quiz: Black tea flavoured chiffon cake was Mashiro's favourite food.
(Beta's Notes: Wooo...very hot chapter –splashes some water on her face-)