Meeting The Parents

By DrummondType2

I.The Letters

Shizuru had a strange sense of unease as she woke to the pale morning light. She hadn't felt this uneasy in a very long time, not since the night when Natsuki had heard of her myriad sins.

And then the source of her unease became more readily apparent. There was no one else in the bed with her. Natsuki was gone.

Now, it wasn't that Natsuki wasn't prone to sleeping in, but she was more of a night owl and invariably, Shizuru would wake before her. For her to not be in the bed was highly unusual. Shizuru might have suspected that Natsuki was sick, and occupying the bathroom, except that there was a feel to the apartment that told Shizuru that she was alone.

She rose quickly from the bed and looked out of the window, which overlooked the apartment complex's parking lot, and confirmed what she already suspected. Natsuki's motorcycle was missing. She was running her fingers through her hair, trying to focus, when she saw the white envelope on the table.

Shizuru was an intelligent young woman, and she highly doubted that Natsuki had left her an equivalent of a "Dear John" letter. But she couldn't guess what it might be, and there was something about it that filled her heart with icy cold dread. She felt her heart pounding in her chest as she reached out to pick up the envelope. It wasn't sealed, and Shizuru found a paper inside written in Natsuki's distinctive scrawl. Reading the letter, Shizuru felt herself fall to her knees as all the strength left her legs.

"Dear Shizuru,

Did you know that you talk in your sleep? You told me all about the letter you wrote to your parents. I can guess what was going through your head. You're still trying to punish yourself, aren't you? Idiot.

I'm going to talk to your parents. In person. I'll see you by the end of the day.

Love,

Natsuki."

That girl! That beautiful, infuriating, frustrating, wonderful, forgiving, kind, meddling girl!

A quick search on her laptop reaffirmed what she already knew. A drive from Fuuka to Kyoto was about two hours and forty minutes. That was if one obeyed speed limits. Natsuki wasn't necessarily one to do so, though Shizuru expected that on such a serious mission, she would actually try to do so. And another search on the net informed Shizuru that Natsuki's Ducati, with a full tank, could make the distance with just a smidge to spare.

Shizuru found herself worrying about Natsuki confronting her parents. She could imagine Natsuki showing up in her riding leathers, her parents calling their security team to deal with her, shouting and angry words…

She considered calling her parents, pleading with them to be gentle with Natsuki, but then she would have to face the wrath of her parents for the contents of her letter, wherein she laid all of her sins bare. She wasn't prepared for that.

Even now, she could remember the letter she'd written and sent some days ago.

"Dear Mother and Father, for however long I may still call you that,

I must write this letter to you now to make a full confession.

As I'm sure you know, I was one of several young maidens known as HiME. I know our family had connections to First District, and that you were aware of the significance of my birthmark.

During my time at Fuuka Academy, I met and befriended another HiME, a young woman named Natsuki Kuga. Natsuki had lost her mother due to the machinations of First District, and was on a mission to learn who gave the order and why.

I fell in love with Natsuki. I make no apology for this and offer no excuse.

Lest you should think ill of her, I must state that my feelings for her were entirely one-sided. She knew nothing of my desires. And I preferred it that way for I thought myself deviant and wicked for harboring such feelings. I even tried to direct an earnest young man from my class in her direction in the hopes that finding her in a relationship would dissuade me, but it was not to be. Nothing could silence the yearnings of my heart, and Natsuki was uninterested in the young man who I put in her path. Her quest was her only goal.

In the end, the fate of the HiME was to fight one another until only one remained, and when Natsuki was ambushed by another young woman, I came to her rescue, and tended to her injuries. And then, when she was asleep, exhausted, her heart hurting from revelations made to her about her mother's role at First District, her body injured from the ambush, I took advantage and forced myself on her while she slept.

And for that action, I will apologize, though I offer no excuse, for nothing can excuse it. She was horrified to learn of my crimes, and I, in a mad effort to prove myself worthy of her, slew all of First District. I left no survivors, and none stood in my way.

And then Natsuki confronted me, and in our confrontation, we both perished.

I know the depths of my sins, of my unforgivable crimes.

And yet, somehow, Natsuki saw fit to forgive me, in the end. A young woman named Mai Tokiha broke the cursed yoke of the HiME, and freed us from our fate. And though Natsuki and I had died, we were restored. My feelings for her laid bare, my sins uncovered, she forgave me. And indeed, she came to return my feelings.

I have been in a physical relationship with Natsuki for several months now, and indeed, I share her apartment with her.

I know this relationship is at odds with everything you taught me as a Fujino, and my sinful actions during the HiME Festival are unbecoming of our family name and a stain on my soul.

If you wish nothing to do with me again, I will understand, and can only beg your forgiveness, though I do not expect it.

Sincerely,

Shizuru Fujino."

Shizuru was wringing her hands in frustration and worry, when the phone rang.

~~*~~

II.Kyoto

Natsuki found a place to park her Ducati, then grabbed a package from her saddle bag. She checked into an hourly motel, where she opened the bag and changed her clothes. From riding leathers, Natsuki changed into a clean white blouse, a charcoal grey blazer and skirt, black nylons, and a pair of formal black heels. She tucked her leathers into the back, then left the motel and returned the bag to the saddle bag of her motorcycle. Then she hailed a cab. She gave the cabbie an address as she tied her hair back in a simple ponytail.

Natsuki didn't dress like this often, and preferred a much more comfortable, casual style. But these were Shizuru's parents, and from what she'd gathered from Shizuru's sleep talk, the letter she'd sent was damning. Natsuki wanted to put her absolute best foot forward when meeting them. She was on a mission to preserve Shizuru's family relations, if she could, and that meant she had to be on her best behavior.

She was dropped off in front of a very large estate. There was a huge iron gate, and an intercom switch by the entrance. Natsuki pressed the button, licking her dry lips and swallowing to wet her throat.

A screen on the pad lit up, and Natsuki saw a man in a butler uniform, "I am Katsuhito, speaking for the Fujino family. May I ask who is calling? And do you have an appointment?"

Natsuki bowed, "My name is Natsuki Kuga. I am here on urgent business regarding Shizuru Fujino. I do not have an appointment, but…"

The gate swung open.

"The Master and Mistress bid you enter, Kuga-han," Katsuhito bowed slightly.

The walk up the drive to the front door seemed infinitely longer than it actually was, and Natsuki was aware of the clacking of her heels on the pavement as she approached the house.

She was met at the door by Katsuhito, "Greetings, Kuga-han. Please, follow me."

Natsuki was led to a sitting room, where a stern looking older man with greying hair and a woman who looked, for all intents and purposes like a middle aged Shizuru were sitting together. The woman had a neutral smile on her face.

"Please, Kuga-han," the older man said in a deep but even voice, "be seated."

He gestured to a chair across from them. Natsuki sat as gracefully as she knew how, hoping she wasn't making a fool of herself.

"I am Shinosuke Fujino," the man said, "This is my wife, Mayuri."

"And you are, of course, Natsuki Kuga," Mayuri Fujino said in the same sort of neutral tones as Shizuru herself would use during her days as Student Council President, "We received a letter from Shizuru this morning. You feature prominently in that letter."

Natsuki drew a deep breath, exhaled softly, then spoke in her softest tone, "It is because of that letter that I have come."

"And for what purpose?" Shinosuke's face was stonelike, save for a raised eyebrow. His tone remained neutral.

"Purpose?" Natsuki wasn't sure what he meant.

"Shizuru makes certain claims in this letter," Mayuri held up the paper, folded in thirds, "Including that she wronged you in a most egregious way. Have you come to us, then, to beg compensation for Shizuru's wrongs?"

Natsuki scoffed before she could catch herself, "Hardly."

"Shizuru has also stated," Shinosuke said in a rumbling voice, "That you and she are in a relationship. Have you then come to ask our blessing?"

Natsuki suddenly understood. This was a test. If she had never spent any time around Shizuru, she might not have been prepared for it, but this was the crucible in which Shizuru was forged. This was the source of the steel which she carefully concealed beneath a layer of silk. She smiled.

"Pardon my saying, Fujino-sama," Natsuki met his eyes, "But whether you blessed the relationship or not, I would stay by Shizuru's side. No, I do not ask your blessing."

There was a subtle shift of Mayuri's smile, "Indeed. One must wonder, then, Kuga-han, why you bothered to come here at all?"

Natsuki rose from her chair and walked to the nearby door looking out into the back garden, "Because, I know Shizuru. I haven't read the letter, but I can guess what she said in it. She made a confession about her guilt, her shame, and she told you she would understand if you disowned her. Am I wrong?"

"You are not mistaken," Shinosuke said.

Natsuki nodded, sighing and lowering her head, "That girl. I love her. I really do. But there are days I could just throttle her. Probably not the best thing to say to her parents."

Mayuri's smile grew, "We are married. We understand the sentiment."

"I didn't come to ask you to pay me back for what happened between Shizuru and me, which I'm guessing she made sound a lot worse than it was. And I didn't come to ask for your blessing, 'cause I've never really cared about things like that. I came because Shizuru is trying to punish herself for things that, for all intents and purposes, were a lifetime ago. She's trying to make you hate her. I came to ask you…to beg you, don't let her succeed in driving her own family away."

"Why should it matter to you?" Shinosuke asked, meeting her eyes, "You already said it did not matter to you if you had our blessing, so would it not suit you if Shizuru were free of her family ties?"

Natsuki shook her head, "When I was eight years old, my Mom was killed by the First District. I spent a year in the hospital, and my Dad ran off with another woman, leaving me all alone. I know what it's like not to have any family. I don't want Shizuru to have to go through that. Listen, I'm not the formal sort. I don't dress like this normally, and I'm not anything like a Yamato Nadeshiko. I need you to understand that, because," Natsuki lowered herself to her knees, then prostrated herself before Shizuru's parents, "I'm begging you, don't forsake Shizuru."

Shinosuke's stony face softened, and he walked over to Natsuki, and leaned down, offering a hand, "Kuga-han, please stand. I can see that you're sincere in your plea. You really do love Shizuru, don't you?"

~~*~~

III.Summoned

"This is Shizuru Fujino," she answered the phone.

"Shizuru," the voice was all to familiar, "This is your mother. I need to speak to you."

"M-Mother, of course," Shizuru felt her stomach doing flip flops even as she maintained a calm exterior.

"Today was a day for surprises," Mayuri Fujino said, "First we received a rather alarming letter from you, Shizuru. It was shocking, to say the least. And then, we received a visit from a delightful young woman, whom I believe you are familiar with."

"Is Natsuki alright?" Shizuru could no longer maintain her composure, and allowed her full concern to flow into her voice.

"She's perfectly fine, Shizuru. My blushes, what you must think of your father and I to ask such a question. Or perhaps you expected Kuga-han to behave in an uncouth manner?"

"It is the nature of love to worry, Mother," Shizuru sighed.

Mayuri Fujino laughed a moment, "Indeed. But you may rest assured. Kuga was perfectly polite, and she was treated in kind. She did turn a most alarming shade of red when your father asked her if she was truly in love with you. I feared we might have to call an ambulance for her. But she did answer in the affirmative, if that pleases you."

Shizuru sighed with relief, "May I speak to her?"

"I'm afraid she's not here at the moment. She seemed very tired, and she confessed to us that she had driven here on her own rather than take a train. We put her up in a hotel to get some much needed rest. We also asked her to stay, as we told her we would have you join us for dinner."

"I will be on the next train," Shizuru said.

"I expect so. You will find a ticket waiting for you at the kiosk at the train station. We look forward to your arrival, Shizuru."

Shizuru raced to the train station, where there were, indeed, tickets waiting for her. The train ride was nearly three hours, and Shizuru could do nothing but think, fret, and worry the whole while.

She found Katsuhito waiting for her at the train station in Kyoto.

"I have been instructed to take you to Kuga-han's hotel," he said simply. As with any well-trained butler, his face was unreadable. He escorted Shizuru to the family car, and she took the seat directly behind him.

She dared to breach protocol and ask him, "Tell me, Katsuhito, what do my parents think of Natsuki?"

Katsuhito's reply was perfectly predictable, "They did not share their opinion with me, Ojou-sama."

"I see," Shizuru sighed, staring out of the window.

"However, I found her to be rather charming," Katsuhito surprised her with those words, and added, "I might add that after coming to see them, they put her up in the hotel at their own expense. I doubt they'd do that for someone they disliked, Ojou-sama."

They arrived at the hotel, and Katsuhito opened Shizuru's car door for her, "You will find her in room 604, Ojou-sama. I will return in due time."

"Thank you, Katsuhito," Shizuru graced him with a smile. She went into the hotel, and made straight for the elevator. She hesitated, once the doors were closed, to press the button for the sixth floor. But only for a moment. She felt the elevator rise, as well as the contents of her stomach, and she fought to keep herself calm.

She quickly found the room in question, and after a brief pause, knocked on the door. A moment later the door swung open.

"I didn't order any…room…service," Natsuki stammered upon seeing Shizuru. Then she felt Shizuru embrace her tightly, her face buried in her shoulder.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru half-sobbed the name.

"Shizuru…" Natsuki reached up and stroked Shizuru's hair a moment, then gently pulled her into the room and shut the door, "I see your parents called you to join us."

Shizuru stared at her a moment, a torrent of conflicting emotions raging through her mind. Joy. Elation. Frustration. Grief. Shame. Relief.

"So," Natsuki smiled gently and patted the bed, motioning for Shizuru to sit beside her, "That's what I look like when I'm speechless."

"Natsuki, you…! My parents! You visited my parents?!" Shizuru found her voice.

"I didn't want them to hate you," Natsuki said softly, "The stuff you said in your sleep…I couldn't wait, anymore."

Shizuru exhaled breathily, "Oh, you wonderful, amazing, vexing creature."

"They weren't…harsh with you? Were they?" Shizuru ventured.

Natsuki smiled, putting her arms around Shizuru's shoulders, "They were perfectly generous hosts, Shizuru. There were no raised voices. No shouting. No accusations or namecalling. You sent them a letter that alarmed them, and I came to set the record straight."

"They said you were tired?"

"Well, I woke up at 3am to listen to your sleep talk," Natsuki said, "And when I realized what you did I had to get going. I left around 4am and it's almost a three hour drive, not to mention the time to change my clothes and find their house. So I didn't have a full night's sleep under my belt."

"And you drove that in the dark…on that…that contraption?"

"Careful, lovergirl," Natsuki smiled thinly, "It was all for your sake."

Shizuru hugged Natsuki tightly again, "I don't deserve you. I really don't."

Natsuki shrugged, "Deserve? No, what we didn't deserve was to be put in a shooting war with eleven other girls. We didn't deserve the secrets, the misunderstandings, the lies…This? This is our compensation for our suffering. We get to be together."

Shizuru was quiet for a moment before she nodded, "I suppose I just can't see myself as worthy after everything I did."

"Everything you did, you did in a past life," Natsuki reminded her, "We died. And then we came back. We died for our sins, Shizuru. Whatever we did prior to that, it's gone. Okay? So no more talk about being worthy or deserving, or sending your parents cryptic notes and then talking about it in your sleep. Seriously, you owe me dishes for two weeks for this one."

Shizuru giggled at last, "Ikezu? You would invite me to have dishpan hands with which to caress you?"

"Oh, no," Natsuki said firmly, "You're not getting out of it that easy. You had us all worrying, so you're just going to have to take your penance. And we still have one last hurdle to clear."

"What is that?" Shizuru asked.

"Well, I'm going to have dinner with your parents, Shizuru."

"Oh," Shizuru looked apprehensive again, "The dreaded first dinner with the parents."

"I hope they take us someplace that uses chopsticks," Natsuki said, "Because if there multiple knives, forks, or spoons, my etiquette is a bit rusty. I haven't crashed a fancy shindig in a year and a half, now."

"I fear I will be the topic of conversation, not Natsuki's dining room etiquette," Shizuru sighed.

Natsuki lay back on the bed, "Well, dinner is still a little ways off, and I'm sleepy. Care to join me? I set an alarm on my phone."

Shizuru nestled into Natsuki's arms, "I'm sorry…for making you worry."

"See," Natsuki smiled gently, "Was that so hard? Now you just need to tell your folks that at dinner tonight."

"As easy, and as hard, as all of that."

"You got me to love you," Natsuki opined, before yawning tiredly, "You can do that, you can do anything."

"Except, perhaps, keep Natsuki from snoring," Shizuru grinned.

"You knew the job was dangerous when you took it," Natsuki shrugged with a grin. She held Shizuru close to her. In a few hours her alarm would go off, and they would go to meet Shizuru's parents for dinner. But at the moment, with Natsuki in her arms, Shizuru suddenly didn't feel that was all that terrifying, anymore. She closed her eyes, and felt peaceful sleep claim her in the warmth of Natsuki's embrace.