Chapter 17: Luminescence
Haruka had been planning this trip for a while. In her perfect plan, she and Yukino would arrive at the summer cottage and began their vacation with a morning worth of sun bath and fruit punch. Then they would go to a country club nearby and enjoy their quiet lunch in their reserved table. In the afternoon they would take a dip in the seawater, maybe even build a sand castle or split some watermelons on the private beach. When the sun set, they would watch it together and wait for the moon to rise. It's fullmoon tonight, she triple checked. She planned to surprise her best friend with the coolest gift she could think of.
Today was their fourteenth anniversary.
Her meticulously laid out plan was completely trashed. She didn't plan to have her home invaded, she didn't plan to see two Fujino suck face, hell, she didn't plan to have Yukino's and her own face sucked by some cat girl, and she most definitely didn't plan to be darted like a zoo escapee. It was supposed to be a relaxing vacation just for the two of them.
But Suzushiro Haruka was not someone who gave up when things did not work out the way she wanted, no no. Suzushiro Haruka was a woman with an iron will and perhaps an infinite amount of guts. Her plan for the day might have been ruined, but she would not allow her surprise gift to be spoiled.
Haruka held Yukino's hand tightly and led her toward the back yard. She merely scoffed at the tied up Nao and glared at the 'tree-hugger' Mikoto when she passed by them. She was a woman on a mission, and nothing could stop her.
The living room was empty when Natsuki and Shizuru got downstairs. Well, almost empty.
"Nao? What happened to you?" Natsuki stared at the tied up redhead with an amused grin on her face.
"Natsuki, Yuuki-san cannot answer your question. Perhaps you should take off that duck tape on her mouth first." Shizuru politely 'reminded' her girlfriend.
Nao was shooting daggers from her enraged green eyes.
The biker nodded in agreement. "Oh, I see. My bad, I didn't notice you can't talk. How inconsiderate of me."
Ha, ha, ha. Very funny. Nao glared at the raven-haired girl. Untie me, bitch. She had been tied up for five hours, as one could imagine, she was in a very foul mood.
"This is such an ironic situation, I must say. Yuuki Nao the bondage queen, all tied up like her usual male victims. It must be divine retribution. Now I'm really curious, who tied you up? Oops, I forgot again. You can't talk now." Natsuki giggled.
"Ara, Natsuki is so forgetful." Shizuru put her arms around her girlfriend's waist from behind and felt the bashful girl stiffened at the contact. Before Natsuki could protest, the Kyoto beauty spoke to the bound and gagged redhead. "Glaring at my most important person with those eyes, Yuuki-san, you are very forgetful too."
Nao's eyes widened in horror.
"S... Shizuru..." Natsuki turned her head to look up at the older girl's calm face, and a sudden revelation struck her: Shizuru was feeling insecure. The public display of affection, the outward threat, they were only Shizuru's indirect (but not so subtle) way of telling her that something was not right. Baka... Natsuki relaxed into the chestnut-haired girl's embrace and smiled. "Say, how would you suggest to take this off?" She points at the piece of tape on Nao's mouth.
Shizuru blinked and rested her chin on the shorter girl's shoulder.
Natsuki's cheeks reddened, but she didn't try to wiggle away, even with Nao gawking at them. I can do this, I can't control those damn blushes, but I can at least stay still. "It's going to be either fast and very painful, or slow and a little bit less painful. Which one do you prefer?" She asked.
"Can I have both?" Shizuru was in the mood to be spoiled, and her young girlfriend didn't let her down.
"Of course." Natsuki held on the edge of the tape and slowly peeling it off the redhead's mouth.
"Yo muda faka I'm gonna ki..." Nao's muffled curse died down in her throat when she saw the mischievous glint in her tormentor's eyes. No!
Natsuki ripped off the rest of the tape with one swift motion.
Outside on the private beach, Chie, Aoi, Viola, Kruger, Miyu, Alyssa, and Youko were sitting in a circle and sharing ghost stories. Youko passed a lit candle to Viola. It's the Otome's turn.
"My turn?" Viola smiled serenely. The dim candle light flickered, making the smile on the Otome's face seem ethereal. "Ghost stories... I'm afraid the only ghost stories I know are from personal experiences. If you don't mind..."
Youko gulped, Aoi grabbed her girlfriend's hand, Alyssa snuggled up to her android guardian, but Kruger crossed her arms and faked a brave face.
"It happened a month ago, at the same fullmoon night, that's when I was first told about the legend of the howling banshee..."
"What are you all doing here?" A stern voice came from behind Chie and Aoi, making the couple jump and scream.
"Holy shit!" Chie turned to glare at the person behind her. "Suzushiro-san? What the hell did you do that for? My life span just decreased by ten years."
"My heart almost leapt out my throat..." Aoi took in a long breath.
Yukino chuckled. "Sorry about that, Haruka-chan didn't mean to do that."
"We are sharing ghost stories. Would you care to join?" Viola offered.
Haruka snorted. "Ha! We don't have time for this stupid game. Now put that candle off, it's too bright."
"Too bright? This?" Kruger frowned at the blond. "Too bright for what? Is there something wrong with your eyes? It's a candle, not a torch."
"I say it's too bright, then it's too bright, damn it." Haruka rudely snatched the candle from Viola's hand and blew it off.
"Kyaaaaaaa..." A long, nerve-wrecking shriek suddenly came from nowhere.
"What the fuck!" Haruka jumped and squeaked. "Who the fuck made that sound?"
"Ara, maybe it's the howling banshee." Viola grinned as a few faces turned green under the pale moonlight.
"Stupid bitch!" Nao screamed.
"Isn't that nice, Nao. I took the tape off your mouth, now you can talk all you want. How would you like to thank me?" Natsuki laughed at the red rectangular tape mark around the redhead's mouth. Nao looked quite comical with those clownish swollen lips.
"Fuck you!"
"Ara, I can't allow you to do that."
Nao rolled her eyes at the former kaichou. "Right, right. Kuga is your Highness's possession, only you are allowed to screw the bike dyke..."
"I can stick this right back if you don't shut up." Natsuki warned. "Now, if you ask nicely, I might consider to untie you."
The redhead snorted. Yuuki Nao didn't know how to ask anything nicely.
"My, my. How long has it been? Hours, I suppose. When was the last time you went to the washroom? Not like it's my business to know, really. But I think you might appreciate some hot tea, I wouldn't mind fetching you a cup..."
Nao fidgeted in her seat.
Natsuki's lips curled up into a sadistic lopsided grin. Nice, Shizuru. So that's how you like to play it... "Coffee would be nice, don't you think? Or maybe you would like some watermelon? The weather is awfully hot today." Explode, Nao. Explode.
"You two are horrible, sadistic, spiteful..."
"Are you sure you want to finish that sentence?" The Kyoto girl asked with a raised eyebrow.
The redhead bit on her tongue.
"What was that? Did you say something? I can't hear you so well." Natsuki asked innocently.
"... Untie me."
"What's the magic word?"
NOW, BITCH. "... Please."
"Good girl. Now that's not so hard, is it?" Natsuki went over behind the chair and undid the knots.
The moment the redhead was free, she dashed toward the washroom as if there were fire up her ass.
"Wow, she can really run." Natsuki mused.
Shizuru stared at her girlfriend with a concerned expression on her face. "Why did Natsuki do that? You were being unnecessarily mean."
"You tell me." The younger girl brought her hand up and brushed Shizuru's face with her thumb. "You were angry at her. I thought you would feel better if I tease her a little. Did it work?"
Shizuru closed her eyes and leaned into the hand on her face. "Natsuki is so sweet."
"Baka." Natsuki blushed. "So tell me, why were you angry at her?"
"Secret." The Kyoto girl chirped.
Natsuki narrowed her eyes. "Don't get smart with me. Just tell me already."
"Make me." Shizuru taunted.
Natsuki took the bait. "Bring it on." She said, and attacked the other girl's waist with deadly tickles. Shizuru let out a series of very uncharacteristic girly giggles and ran for the back door. Natsuki followed her out.
"Crazy bubuzuke bitch." Nao was planning to make some more new wounds on the already injured girl's body, but she overheard the conversation when she came back from the washroom, and all her anger dissipated. I don't need YOU saving me, Kuga, as if I were afraid of your psychopathic girlfriend... She sat down on the sofa and bit her nail. Fuck it.
"There is no such thing as a howling banshee." Haruka scoffed at the smiling girl who had the same face as the former kaichou. "Now you people stand back and be quiet." She ordered. "Take off your shoes, Yukino. We are going into the water." Then she proceeded to take off her own shoes.
Yukino had no idea what her friend was trying to achieve, but she obeyed nonetheless.
"You are not trying to drown yourself, right?" Kruger eyed them suspiciously. "You don't strike me as the suicidal type."
"Will ya shut up?" Haruka snapped. "Let's go, Yukino." She held out her hand to her friend.
The shy brown-haired girl blushed slightly and took the outstretched hand into her own. She followed the blond toward the ocean, and the moment their bare feet touched the water, the most amazing thing happened.
The water glowed.
"This is so beautiful..." Yukino dragged her feet in the ankle deep water, sending numerous tiny blue sparkles swirled and glittered in the wakes. "Haruka-chan, do you know what these light are?"
Haruka furrowed her brows together and tried hard to pronounce the unfamiliar word. "Dino... dingo... flag... later... I think."
"Dingo? Later?"
"Dinoflagellate." Miyu's cool voice made those two turn to stare at her. The android was holding Alyssa's hand and gazing gently at her ojou-sama's smiling face. "Microscopic algae of Phylum Dinophyta, commonly known as dinoflagellates."
"You mean, those blue sparkles are tiny algae?" Yukino was impressed. "Wow, that's interesting."
Alyssa drew her hand carelessly across the surface of the water. "Like Miyu." She said, and raised her head to give her guardian a loving smile. "Beautiful blue light. Deadly too. Let's go deeper." She asked, and Miyu hoisted the child up in her arms.
Haruka blinked. "What do you mean, 'deadly'?"
Miyu and Alyssa both ignored the blond and went on their way.
"You don't know?" Youko also got in the water. "Dinoflaggelates are poisonous. They kill a lot of fish and other marine invertebrates every year."
Haruka squeaked. "Poisonous? Poisonous! No one told me that! Wait... If it's poisonous, then why are you in the water too?" She eyed the school nurse suspiciously. "You are not trying to scare me, are you?"
Youko looked amused. "As long as you refrain from eating it, they won't do any harm to the human body, that is, at this level of concentration. But when the water turns red, then try to stay away from it. It could cause irritation to your upper respiratory system when you breathe in the airborne particles."
"What about those idiots?" The blond pointed at Chie and Aoi, who were having a splash fight a short distance away.
"Well, as long as they take a shower afterward, I wouldn't be too worried." Youko chuckled. "I better go tell them."
Mikoto stood up from the high branch and stared at the glowing sea with open mouth. "Mai! Look!" She pointed at the bright blue light excitedly. "It's glowing!"
The busty girl gasped at the astonishing view. "It really is..."
A giggling Shizuru came out the back door and stopped at the porch when she saw the orange-haired girl and her pet. She didn't expect to see anyone here. A few seconds later, Natsuki emerged from the back door as well. Both of them froze at the sight of the ghastly cobalt light in the sea.
"Shizuru..." Natsuki took the chestnut-haired girl's trembling hand and gave it a firm squeeze. The light... They look so much like the green sparks surrounding us when we... "Let's go." She said, and led her girlfriend toward the glowing sea. "It's beautiful."
Shizuru followed without any resistance.
"Mai, let's go see that pretty light too." Mai squealed while bouncing around on the tree.
Mai frowned at the feral girl's potentially dangerous behaviour. "Settle down, Mikoto. Get down or sit still. Don't jump around, you'll get yourself hur... Kyaa!"
The petite girl lost her footing and slipped. However, her inhuman feline reflex saved her from a painful fall. She dangled upside down on the branch with bent knees. Such feat could only be pulled off by her and perhaps professional gymnasts.
"I told you to be more careful! You could have broken your neck!" Mai put her hands up to hold onto the feral girl's torso. The loose T-shirt Mikoto wore flipped down and revealed too much of her naked skin underneath. Fortunately the young girl was wearing a short, not a skirt, so at least her underwear was safe from public view.
"Mai."
"Yes?" Mai blinked and found herself staring into two golden orbs. Then she felt two small hands behind her head.
Mikoto pulled.
Mai closed her eyes.
TBC
Author's Notes:
1. Yay for Spiderman kiss! (Beta: Hell yeah!)
2. I got the idea of glowing sea from my phycology class when a guest lecturer showed the class photos of bioluminescent dinoflagellates. It's really pretty. Check my PROFILE to see the picture.