Chapter 27: Changes

"Natsuki."

"Woof!"

"Natsuki-chan."

Where... am I?

Natsuki gave a start when she found herself standing in the middle of a familiar living room along with three other people who should not have been here.

"Smile for the camera." Said a handsome man in his early thirties. Dad... "Wait, you have icing on your face, Natsuki." The man chuckled lightly and put down the camera in his hands. He walked passed a stunned Natsuki and kneeled down before a four-year-old girl, wiping the child's messy face with a napkin.

That's... me.

"Mayo!" Young Natsuki squealed and stuck her fingers into her birthday cake to scoop up as much icing as possible with her tiny hands. Before she could put the sugary treat into her mouth, a chubby, brown puppy wobbled forward and started licking enthusiastically at her fingers. The birthday girl let out a series of high-pitched giggles as she stumbled backward and landed on a young woman's lap.

Okaa-san.

"Natsuki-chan, what name would you like to give to your birthday present?" The woman paused for a second before she added hastily. "Don't call him Mayo or Mayonnaise, though."

Young Natsuki looked a bit crestfallen. "Why not?"

Her mother rolled her eyes. "Because your tricycle and all your stuffed animals are called Mayo already. You want to give your new puppy a special name, don't you?"

"Can we call him 'Puppy'?" The little girl asked hopefully.

"Well..." Her mother's head turned toward the older Natsuki. "What do you think?" She asked. Natsuki's father and her younger self both turned their heads and set their intent gazes on her as they waited for her reply.

Natsuki took a step back. "I think..." Her throat felt dry, and her chest tight. "I think you've changed," she said to her father, and then to her mother. "You are dead, and..." Her eyes fell on the young child. "You... No. I have grown up."

Young Natsuki pouted and held the puppy in her arms. "Don't go." The girl pleaded and handed the puppy to Natsuki. "Stay and play with us."

"I can't." Natsuki replied with a soft sigh. "Someone is waiting for me."

"Is 'she' more important than us?" Young Natsuki demanded.

"Yes." Natsuki surprised even herself when the answer came so easily. "You are my past, of course you are important to me, but I have her with me now. She is my future, I can't abandon her." How weird. I know I'm dreaming, but I can still feel the heat on my face. "It's not fair to make her wait for me again. She had shed enough tears."

"I see." Said the girl with an understanding smile on her young face. "You love her very much, don't you?"

Why do I have to get teased by my younger self in my dream? "Yes, I love her very much, brat." Natsuki said and passed the puppy back to the child. "I must go now. Take good care of Duran for me."

"I still think 'Mayo' is a better name." Young Natsuki said with a light frown.

Natsuki laughed.

"Having a good dream? You are smiling."

Natsuki's eyes slowly fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was Shizuru's face hanging inches above hers. Before she had the chance to answer the older girl's question, her lips were captured in a tender but searing kiss.

"Hey, take it easy. Don't gag her with your forked tongue."

Natsuki almost bit Shizuru when she heard Nao's comment. "What the fuck? Nao! What the hell are you doing here?" She struggled to sit up from the bed, but her body felt like it's filled with lead.

"Don't push yourself. Your body is still weak." Completely ignoring Nao's insult, Shizuru cooed and gently pushed Natsuki back down.

"How long have I been sleeping?" Natsuki asked. She could tell she was in a hospital, but she had lost track of time. She knew she must have been unconscious for a while since she was so famish, her head felt light.

Nao snorted at her question. "Too long. You lazy ass."

Natsuki couldn't help but frowned at Nao's obvious display of hostility. Have I done anything to provoke her? I just woke up for crying out loud!

Shizuru gave the redhead a cold stare before she answered Natsuki's question. "You have been sleeping for two days, Natsuki. How are you feeling now?"

"Hungry." Natsuki answered with a light blush. She could hear her stomach gurgling.

Shizuru brushed Natsuki's faintly coloured cheeks with her fingers and smiled contently as the pink blushes on her girlfriend's face deepened into a shade of rosy red. "Ara, ara. I am disappointed. Is food the only think you can think of when you see me?"

"Shi... Shizuru."

Nao put a finger into her mouth and made a loud, obnoxious vomiting sound, which earned her a death glare from Natsuki and a raised eyebrow from Shizuru. "Get a room. You two are so disgusting."

"Go away!" Natsuki snapped at the redhead.

"Hmph. I wouldn't want to stay and watch you two shoving your tongues down each other's throat even if you bribe me." Nao put her hands on her neck in a mock choke while making a few more gagging sounds. She only cackled harder when she easily dodged the pillow Natsuki threw at her as she left the room. "Don't start humping yet, horndog." She yelled from the hallway. "Wait another ten minutes so I can get away. I don't want to hear you two yiffing!"

"Jerk!" Natsuki plopped down on the bed from a half-sitting position, panting lightly from suddenly sitting up and throwing that pillow. An unexpected burning sensation erupted on her back and made her winced visibly just when she leaned on her left side.

Shizuru did not miss that. "Where does it hurt? Is it your back? Let me see."

"You don't have to..."

Not waiting to hear out Natsuki's protest, Shizuru gently rolled the girl to her right side and untied the knots on the hospital gown. After a whole minute of silence, she finally said with a small sigh. "I see. So it's here."

What is she talking about? Natsuki tried to turn her head and check what Shizuru saw, but her movement was interrupted when she felt a finger caressing a particular spot on her back, the simple movement sent jolts of electrifying pulses down her spine. She was not aware of the ragged gasps she let out that could only be described as erotic when Shizuru insistently stroke the same place.

"Natsuki is so sensitive here." With an impish grin on her face, Shizuru lightly scraped Natsuki's back with her fingernails, making the girl to squirm and claw at the bed sheet underneath her.

"S... stop." Natsuki's voice was bordering to a moan. "Wha... what do you think you are doing?" She asked breathlessly while wiggling away from Shizuru's touch.

"Molesting your friend again, Fujino?"

Haruka's booming voice halted the former kaichou's trademarked 'Magical Finger Assult'. Slightly annoyed, Shizuru sat back in her chair and shot the blond a side-way glance, wondering if some unknown evil forces were at work solely to disturb her alone time with her Natsuki. "Try not to make a habit of walking in on us, would you? One might mistake you for a voyeur, a sexually frustrated one at that."

"I'm not a voyager!" Haruka emphasized her argument by flailing her arms around. If she were not confined in a wheelchair, she would have stomped the floor to create a more dramatic effect.

"You meant 'voyeur', not 'voyager'..." Yukino said. "Well, unless you are a space ship lost in the Delta Quadrum..."

Naturally, Yukino's soft mumbling was completely ignored by her blond friend. "Right, whatever that is, I'm not one!" Haruka said dismissively before she continued with what she came here for. "Nao said your sex poodle woke up, I just wanted to see it for myself. How rare. That delinquent was telling the truth."

"Hey! What the hell?!" The said sex poodle looked ready to explode with rage. Her alleged owner, to the love pet's horror, took an immediate liking of that awful nickname. "Shizuru. Nah uh! Not a word from you." Natsuki issued a stern warning even before the older girl had a chance to open her mouth.

Feigning a hurt expression that could fool almost everyone, Shizuru pouted but kept her silence.

Despite knowing perfectly well that her Kyoto girlfriend was only faking it, Natsuki couldn't help but feel like she was acting like a bully by snapping at Shizuru. "You don't have to shut up entirely though." She added quickly, unaware she was contradicting herself.

Turning to Haruka, Natsuki spat at the foul-mouthed blond with venom in her voice. "As for you, if you dare call me that again, I'll rip your tongue out and shove it up your ass."

Haruka put her hands up defensively and explained to the furious girl. "I'm only repeating what Nao said. Don't kill the passenger."

"You meant 'messenger'." Yukino corrected her friend again.

"That's what I said." Haruka said with her arms crossed.

Nao again. Natsuki was getting more and more irritated by that insolent redhead. "Whatever. Just stop calling me that, will you?"

"Ok, ok. Sheesh. This is all the thanks I get for being nice?" Haruka was not pleased by Natsuki's unfriendly attitude. "I should have stayed with Tokiha instead of visiting you."

"Mai?" The blond's tone made Natsuki feel uneasy. "What's this has to do with her?"

Yukino and Haruka exchanged a weird look, but they did not answer Natsuki's question.

Shizuru took Natsuki's hand in her own and gave it a squeeze. "I will tell you everything, but you have to promise me to stay calm."

Natsuki felt her stomach sank.

Although Shizuru had explained to her exactly what happened to Mai, Natsuki still had difficulties grasping the situation. The whole thing felt unreal.

Coma? Isn't that a cheap plot twist that's been infamously overused in daytime television? People in the real world don't get in coma... do they? This is not right. Focus, Natsuki. Focus!

Natsuki shook her head and massaged the bridge of her nose, but the overwhelming feeling of mental exhaustion was not going away.

"Are you sure you want to see her now?" Shizuru asked carefully. "I know you are concerned about your friend, but there is really nothing you can do now. Besides, you still need to rest..."

"I want to see her." Natsuki stressed again. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Let me just take a quick look at her. I'm worried about Mikoto too. So please?"

Shizuru couldn't say no.

Nao was impressed when Shiho found her in her hiding place, which was a small patch of grass underneath a tall sakura tree in a secluded corner of Fuuka Hospital's courtyard. The pink-haired brat had been blatantly stalking her for the last two days. No matter where she hid, Shiho was always able to find her. Nao was starting to understand what it was like to be Tate.

"Mikoto is upset again." Shiho said and sat down next to the older redhead, staring at her with a disapproving pout.

Nao gave the girl a bored look. "What's that has to do with me?"

"I thought you two were friends." Shiho said, twisting a small lock of pink hair idly with a finger. "She always listens to you."

"So?"

"So you should go comfort her like a good friend should do. You know why she's upset, Mai-san..."

Bad move.

By mentioning Mai's name in front of Nao, Shiho instantly pissed the redhead off. "You are annoying. Get lost." Nao spat. Shiho flinched but did not back away.

"But Mikoto needs..."

"I said 'get lost'!" The redhead jumped up and grabbed the front of Shiho's shirt, glaring at the frightened girl with obvious disgust on her face. "Do not ever come near me again, you crazy stalker. Leave me the fuck alone! If I see you following me around again, I swear I'll shave your head and strangle you with your own hair. Is that clear?"

Shiho held her breath and hesitantly nodded her head, her brown puppy eyes filled with tears. She didn't understand why Nao would be so mad at her. Maybe I just caught her in a bad time. Maybe I just caught her in a bad mood. Maybe I should come back later and try again. She can't be serious about shaving my head...

Just when they were still locked in a staring match, something exploded over their heads. As pieces of frozen debris raining down from above, Shiho found herself being tackled to the ground...

And kissed on the lips.

TBC

Author's Notes:

1. Sorry about the late update. I just started a new job so I couldn't spend as much time writing. (Karen said I was married to my job... ;-;) The massive writer's block didn't help either. My beta Hannah told me she hasn't got time to beta this chapter, so I decided to post this unbeta'd. Don't be shy to point out any mistakes, I will go back and fix them.

2. Special thanks to chatterbox-hikaru13 for medical advices. Also I thank you all for your patience. :D Please read and review.