Okay! Long time no write people! So, this installment is an interesting one, almost like a one-shot but with my pretences ^^ I'm very happy with this piece because of the… well, you'll see! Some parts may seem scrunched. If so, I apologize (I edited it twice though I still may have missed something). Everything here just sorta flooded in at once as I was re-reading my old work and had a terrible urge to write it!
To be honest, I had a little something long before I wrote this, perhaps a year ago, but I felt it was too boring a chapter with not a great deal of plot in it, so I held off until these ideas came into my head. I'm very happy I did too! (Although I'm sure none of you are quite as happy due to my intense hiatus.)
I have another idea which I'd like to put onto paper: I want to focus on Natsuki's and Shizuru's life directly after the carnival, perhaps a couple "days in the life of" chapters in a fic. I'm hoping I can do this – meaning have enough time to do so.
ANYWAY! I do not own anything and I can promise you all these ideas were my own! (Perhaps the only idea I picked off of someone was in the form of fanart, but that is the extent of it.)
(Remember, the more you review, the more inspired I'll be to try out that new fic mentioned above! )
Thanks for stickin' with me guys!! (P.S. THIS FIC CONTAINS A RATHER HOT LEMON SO MIND YOUR EYES FOR THOSE WHO ARE A BIT FAINT OF HEART!!)
"Hiroshi!" The twenty-some year-old boy, startled, shot his head up only to slam it into the underside of the hood of the Nissan he was working on.
"Arg-What!?" He yelled back, massaging the back of his head with his hand before remembering himself and redirected his tone. "Yeah?" He turned to the woman dressed in baggy working jeans and an oil-spotted white wifebeater approaching him, her blue-black hair sticking out of her auto shop cap in a pony tail. A wrench clutched in her gloved hand stuck out of her folded arms.
"Are you finished with the Nissan's transmission yet?"
He sighed. "Getting there." He mimicked her folded arms.
Her brow quirked. "And the Toyota's tires?"
"Just finished them half an hour ago." He answered, getting impatient. "Get off my ass Kuga. You haven't gotten that promotion from Wamasaki yet so cool your jets."
Natsuki's hands went to rest onto the curve of her hips as she shifted her weight. "I'm just saying. Wamasaki likes us getting things done faster - gave me a raise for that so I'm just helping you out too you know."
"Yeah, yeah I know. Thanks." He said dully as he went to return to the transmission.
"Besides. There's gonna be another motocross race today so if we get things done faster, we'll be given more time to watch it on the tv set during our break." She smirked, knowing that would catch his attention.
"Oh, no shit? Sweet. Yeah, I'll get this done before then." He turned and eagerly went back to work.
Natsuki smiled. She had worked at Wamasaki's multi-purpose auto shop for a few years and her knowledge and vigor in her work quickly gained her favor in the eyes of her employer. Hiroshi came in perhaps six months after her, so they had become quite close despite their constant bantering. Hiroshi was sorta a charming guy in his own way; he always meant well even though he was often immature. He had sorta a punk look about him with his industrial ear piercing and semi-long, spiked blonde hair, which was being held down by his worker hat.
By now, Hiroshi had learned that Natsuki batted for the other team since he would often catch her on the phone and speaking words like "I love you" and "be home later" to some girl named Shizuru Fujino. Of course, he knew this when he snooped a look at the "dialed/received calls" and texts to find out who the secret "lover boy" was, only to be sorely mistaken and sorely beaten when Natsuki caught him. Over a great amount of time, Natsuki forgave him after being given a sincere apology from him.
Truth was, Hiroshi had a thing for Natsuki before he found out, which was what drove him to look at her messages. Luckily, he managed to talk himself around explaining that to her. Now they've simply become good mutual friends. He's never met the Shizuru Fujino though. He had always been curious, but then he always assumed she was some butchy girl like most other lesbians go for, considering that Natsuki seemed pretty feminine despite her clothes and street-like rhetoric.
"You coming?" Natsuki shouted from across the garage several minutes later, sitting lazily in one of the two employee chairs. Her legs rested next to the tv on the desk. The tv already began to roar with the revving of engines about to race.
"Yeah!" Hiroshi shouted back before tightening the last bolt and slamming the hood down. He jogged up to her and took a seat next to her, reaching into the cooler for a beer.
Several seconds passed, both as into the race as ever. Each whispered comments such as "stay inside" and "pass him" to the riders as though they could hear them. Both were equally into motorbikes as they were cars, but Hiroshi excelled in cars and quads whereas Natsuki knew motorcycles and dirt bikes.
Eventually, during a commercial break, Natsuki's gaze wandered over the half-organized garage. It was pretty clean for a motor garage, but it still reeked of oil, metal, rust, rubber and gasoline. But she didn't mind that. It was a scent that she had long been used to. Her eyes lazily landed on a Volkswagen with its hood up. Her brows furrowed in slight perplexity.
"Why is that Volkswagen's hood still up?" She asked Hiroshi suspiciously, her eyes never leaving the SUV.
He peeked over his shoulder to it. "Oh, it needs an oil change." He turned back to the semi-snowy screen of the old tv set.
She looked at him almost accusingly. "And you didn't give it one?" At Hiroshi's denying response, she then asked in a slightly irritated tone. "Why didn't you?"
"You didn't remind me when you were asking about the Nissan and Toyota."
Her eyes flared at his dull look. What a brat! She rolled her eyes as she got up and went to it, her hand reaching out for a jug of fresh oil. He turned back to the screen, his attention quickly returning to the race as a rider went down hard into the dirt. "Oh man." He chuckled and crinkled his face at the harsh replay. He didn't hear the clicking gait of heels next to him.
"Excuse me?" The low, soft-spoken voice inquired.
"Huh? Yeah?" He glanced up for only a second, only registering the business-attire of the person standing next to him.
"Would you be so kind as to tell me where Natsuki Kuga is?" The woman asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah," He pointed blindly to the person in question, who stood before the Volkswagen's hood. "Over there."
"Thank you very much." The voice came cordially.
"No prob." He just managed to fit that in as he blindly reached for the bag of popcorn left from earlier that day and brought it into his lap. When the women went by him, his eyes glanced at the woman's backside and did a double-take. Chestnut hair was half-pulled back into an ornate brown clip, her hair falling over onto her business suit which was obviously very form-fitting. Her black skirt clung to her thighs, her long legs flawless. He took a very large gulp of his beer, his eyes still hanging on her curves.
The woman strode over to the fit body that was leaning over the Volkswagen's engine, inspecting it. She waited for the girl to acknowledge her. Natsuki didn't look at her, only felt a presence. "Yeah, what can I do for you?" She asked monotonously.
"You could kindly bend over for me a little more."
Natsuki's eyes shot wide open, insulted. She sharply turned her head. "What?" Her face relaxed at the smirking pink lips above her. "Oh." She smirked at herself - She walked right into that trap. "Hey. What are you doing here?" Her voice became infinitely softer as she stood upright, keeping herself from giving her working woman a peck on the lips and thusly smudge oil on her skin or clothes.
Shizuru clutched her briefcase in both hands in front of her and shrugged, smiling. "I just wanted to come by, I'm on my break. I've never seen your shop before."
Natsuki looked at her incredulously. "Break? You're the head of Fujino Industries; can't you designate your own breaks for however long you want?" She ignored the sputtering from the boy a couple yards to her left. "And I thought I showed you the shop before?"
"Well, you did. But I've never come while you're working before. And I must say, I think I must come by more often to just simply watch you." Shizuru's lips curved into a playful grin as she looked her greasy body up and down suggestively, which earned her a light blush from the other girl. "And, yes and no: as you know, these past couple weeks have been very busy for me and I've been meeting several planning teams whose schedules aren't quite as flexible."
Natsuki only nodded, remembering Shizuru not returning home till very late in the evening, giving the house to herself and Duran. She never said it, but the nights had grown to be quite lonely this past week, not having a real person to come home to. And Shizuru had been continuing with this sort of work for a month.
"Which also leads me to tell you that I'm afraid I'll be late again tonight." Shizuru said with a saddening look on her face.
Natsuki looked at her dejectedly. "Oh… okay." She felt that that crestfallen answer came out to be a bit more obvious than she had intended. Perhaps it was that she hoped that finally tonight she would be home early and they could actually eat dinner and go to bed together. Whenever she asked what it was she was doing, it always seemed to be something different - a new task every week. She knew that Shizuru always worked hard for the company, but these past few weeks had become ridiculous in her view. The older woman always returned home perhaps an hour after Natsuki did, but lately it had gotten so that Natsuki wouldn't even remember her returning home at all. The only evidence she had of Shizuru returning to bed would be the rumpled sheets on Shizuru's side of the bed; she always awoke far earlier than Natsuki did.
Shizuru looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry; I know this must be tiresome for you. But it'll slow down soon, I promise."
"That's what you told me last week." Natsuki reminded softly with a look in her eye like a child being let down by her parents once again that she couldn't have her book read to her before going to bed.
Shizuru regarded her sadly, her heart being torn by Natsuki's look. "I know, but I plan on keeping my promise that it will. It'll just be a little longer."
"What in the world are they making you do this time?"
Shizuru's eyes seemed to glance away as she took a deep breath. "There's just been a lot of work thrown my way, you must understand?"
Natsuki regarded her with a dubious look. That evasive answer made her feel a bit unsettled, as if the femininely-dressed woman were hiding something. She never pried, always assuming it was just perhaps too complex to explain. She was about to speak when Shizuru's phone rang in her purse. She watched as Shizuru muttered her apology and answered the phone.
After a few seconds of silence, Natsuki caught her wife's brief glance in her direction before turning entirely away from her, pressing her hand against her other ear. Natsuki's eyes furrowed. 'What was that look for?' She wondered. The crimson eyes seemed to express a hint of concern at the fact that the call occurred right in her presence. She couldn't make out what the older woman was saying over the noise from the tv, and it irritated her as her curiosity got the better of her. There was a brief moment that there was no noise as the program changed to a commercial that the younger girl caught something.
"Yes… I am very sorry for my tardiness but I had to change out of my work clothes…. I couldn't very well see you in my business clothes. Otherwise I would feel out of place. And you should know how constricting they can be…" Natsuki then caught a light giggle from the girl in front of her.
Natsuki's eyed the woman before her thoroughly confused. 'She has to be somewhere where she finds business suits out of place?' A few seconds later, the business woman flipped her phone shut.
"I'm very sorry Natsuki, but I must return to the office. I have a meeting with the marketing manager. She can be impatient." Shizuru explained hastily as she shoved her phone back into her purse.
Natsuki muttered her words of understanding, her eyes falling onto the concrete floor. She heard the other woman sigh before feeling her chin gently being lifted and a pair of lips pressing onto her own.
"I will see you tonight." Shizuru whispered as she moved to depart.
Natsuki's eyes wandered on and off the other girl disappointedly. "I hope so." She muttered, knowing that the other woman wouldn't hear her.
Shizuru meant to look back onto her car but stopped and felt a smirk coming onto her lips. "Natsuki?" When the mildly curious jade eyes returned to hers, she continued. "I think your friend has lost interest in the race…"
Natsuki turned to Hiroshi and found his eyes to be the size of golf balls and shoving popcorn frantically into his mouth. Natsuki grabbed her rag and threw it in his direction, effectively landing straight in his face. Shizuru chuckled. She turning back to her and gave her another goodbye before leaving. Hiroshi made sure to whip the rag off is face to watch her pass.
Natsuki sighed, leaning her hip onto the car's grill. She turned toward the exit only to find her eyes magnetized to Hiroshi's gawking stare.
"Are you flippin' kiddin' me!?" He asked exasperatedly. "And you're lucky I'm wearing my cap, by the way. If you had gotten motor oil in my hair…" He warned, though he never seemed to frighten Natsuki with his warnings. "Where did you pick up that number!?" He glanced back in her direction, although she had been gone for a few seconds. "And by the way, Shizuru Fujino? Of Fujino Industries? You're an auto mechanic banging a foxy business woman with more money than God?? Are you serious?" He looked like his brain was going to melt from the realization.
Natsuki didn't answer. That was enough for him.
"Oh.. my god. You lucky bitch." His eyes gazed up dreamily. "Oh man, what I would do to that girl in my Beemer." His lowered voice didn't help him.
"Hey," She waved her wrench in his direction. "First of all, that's my wife you're talking about. Secondly, you don't have a Beemer and stop wishing for one. Thirdly, you're an asshole. Fourthly, get back to work." The fierce green eyes didn't seem to faze him, but he got up anyway.
When he returned to his post, he stopped for a minute and turned. "Wait, you're wife? Holy shit! Did you ever bang her on her desk?"
Natsuki blushed despite herself. "Will you shut up? You're such a guy!"
"So are you!" He called back from clear across the room.
A knot pulsed in the back of her head. Natsuki reluctantly said nothing. He had her there.
Later that evening, Natsuki reclined on the couch in Shizuru's house, Duran at her feet. She clutched the guitar close to her and practiced her notes. She had been practicing for a while now, just as a side hobby. It had proven to be most helpful during her nights without Shizuru home. The older woman knew of this too and had been quite excited about it, exclaiming that her wife would follow her everywhere if she were to go on tour. Natsuki never saw that happening and often laughed at the thought.
No, it was just something to pass the time and, maybe, play with a few bands in local bars for the extra cash, if she really wanted to and was good enough. And that was a big "if." In her view, she wasn't the best, but she was certainly better than she was and was happy that she learned in such a short amount of time. Her favorite was bass guitar, but it was a tad rougher on her fingers than the regular guitar, so she would often jump between the two but of course not learn quite as quickly on one or the other if she were to play just one.
What spurred her to take lessons was when she walked in on Shizuru playing her piano expertly, though the song was slow but sweet and somber. She remembered Shizuru telling her it was the music to a classical title, The Flower Duet. Or something close to that. She had often wondered how she and Shizuru would do if they played together. But that often felt like a corny thought to her so she never mentioned it; though she did wonder if that ever came into the older woman's mind as she glanced at her immaculate piano.
She sighed at her own thoughts of Shizuru. Her thoughts on her wife were reaching paranoid levels, as they often did if they didn't know the absolute answer to constant questions. 'It can't be something like an affair or anything like that.' She tried to convince herself, laughing inwardly. But for Shizuru to talk about not wanting to wear business clothes, which became her everyday attire and something she had long since become very accustomed to, seemed odd.
She imagined a woman from her building convincing Shizuru to come over to her place and doing… whatever. Or maybe her business is going under and is afraid to tell her so is getting money by selling herself to men. She inwardly laughed at that idea. She would think that if there were something going on at work, she would tell her.
But, still. She hated being out of the loop and didn't like crazy conclusions going to her head. 'It's been a month… does an intricate business transaction really take up so much time that she continuously comes home at close to midnight? And wouldn't the building have been long closed down for the night? I mean, obviously she would have a key, but…' She sighed.' 'I guess I'm still adjusting to her working full time at the industry now.'
Shizuru decided to take over the business when she noticed that her mother could no longer handle it on her own. Originally she didn't want to take it over. But she knew that, in her years of being a part of the industry, she knew very well how to manage it. Natsuki didn't mind so much before these busy weeks. She actually found her business suits to be quite sexy on her and Shizuru would often get home with plenty of time to chat and give each other attention. Of course because of her working so hard, finding time to be intimate had become difficult. Beforehand, sex wasn't something they did every night for reasons such as boredom or something superficial. So they didn't do it incredibly often, but when they did it was always amazing. Natsuki had gotten better at being more forward, and of course Shizuru thoroughly enjoyed that.
Jade eyes flicked down to the beat of Duran's tail against her ankle. "Want me to keep going?" She asked, indicating the guitar. At his noiseless response, she continued strumming the strings. She could see the strings in the dim light of the living room as the firelight reflected beautifully across the strings. She liked to watch the strings of light vibrate as she strummed. She jumped when her phone went off on the wooden table. Duran jumped and started barking at the intruding sound. Natsuki shushed him as she flipped the phone open.
"This is Natsuki." She answered, sitting up, making the dog climb into her lap.
"Hey." She recognized Hiroshi's voice. "The boss just wanted me to let you know, his wife is coming in tomorrow in his place."
"Great." She answered sarcastically. She had only glanced at the woman once. To size her up quickly, the woman must have been in her mid forties with a body and face that shouted 'glamorous, exercise-aholic with very little on the brain.' She and her boss were one of those couples that seemed strange together with only a love for money in common.
"Hey, you have to agree she's one hot number."
Natsuki felt like slapping her hand onto her face. "She's over forty! And as you now know I have a hot number of my own already."
"Oh right." There was a pause. "Do you think you could bring Shizuru over again some time?"
Natsuki could hear the suggestiveness in his tone. "Hey, that's Ms. Fujino to you. And don't make me use the fire-extinguisher on you, again." She reminded him warningly.
"Fine fine." He whined. "It isn't Mrs. Kuga at home?"
Natsuki smirked again despite herself at the thought. "No. We both figured it would just be easier if we stuck with our maiden names to prevent the press snooping into our business." Natsuki then gasped as the realization came to her. "Which reminds me, don't go telling Shizuru's and my relationship to everyone. It would be so bad for her business if the world knew at once she was gay, much less sharing a place with another woman."
"I'm surprised no one else has figured it out by now." He stated. Natsuki wasn't entirely sure if it was him being serious or sarcastic then.
"Well, only our friends know. And if anyone asks questions, we just say that we're longtime housemates and good friends."
"Riiiiight." He droned in an incredulous tone. "So there's no chance you'd go for another girl then huh?"
"No." Natsuki answered flatly, slightly insulted that he would ask that but knew it was just him being himself.
"Never cheated on her?"
"No! And I don't plan to!" Natsuki answered snappily, now getting annoyed.
"Huh, well, that actually doesn't surprise me, the way you talk to her." Knowing that he meant on the phone, his observation left Natsuki somewhat curious at herself but didn't really want to ask. "So then how did you two meet?"
Natsuki sighed. She thought for a minute. Better give him the short, basic summary. "Well, basically I was a rebel and she was the student council president and…" Natsuki stopped and rolled her eyes as apparently that was enough to make Hiroshi start panting. "Ok, I'll see you tomorrow, bye." Natsuki ignored his cry to not hang up and flipped her phone shut. She groaned as she lightly tossed her phone back onto the coffee table. Duran, surprised, looked up at her. She looked back at him. "I hate men." She stated flatly. At his puppy eyes, she reached out her hand. "Besides you." She roughly ruffled the fur between his ears, making him growl in delight.
She laid there for another moment before glancing at the clock. 9:45. She still wasn't home. Natsuki hummed to herself before hoisting herself off the couch, turning off the fire at its switch and heading slowly upstairs to the bedroom, Duran following close behind.
Natsuki had been in bed for perhaps over an hour before her tongue started to feel thick like sand. Annoyed, she groaned before pushing herself off of the comfortable cushion of the bed to trudge down to the kitchen for water. As she walked down the dim carpeted hallway, her drowsy eyes caught a stream of dim light filtering out of Shizuru's home office doorway which was left ajar.
She stopped and felt her brows furrow. Quietly, she tiptoed up to the door and slowly pushed it open till she could see the inside. There, she found Shizuru, her fingers threading through her bangs as her palm kept her head from colliding onto the desk. The tip of the pen in her other hand worked vigorously on scattered papers. Natsuki almost gasped. She had never seen Shizuru in such a state. It reminded her of herself when she was in college working all night on a report. Normally, Shizuru's composure was always upright no matter how much work she had. And even more, Shizuru never stayed up this late working on her business reports; such work she had become so accustomed to that completing it was usually a breeze for her.
The source of the dim light was a single desk lamp, the shade turned directly onto her scattered papers on her desk. Which was another thing: Shizuru was normally very organized about her work. Her cherry wood desk was often immaculate. The light reflected dully off of her silver pen and windows in front of her. It was from the windows that she could barely make out the reflection of Shizuru's face and fingers laced through her hair.
'That's it.' Natsuki thought to herself, straightening. She pushed the door the rest of the way open and strode purposefully up to the older woman. Shizuru didn't turn until she happened to look up and see her reflection next to her. She gasped.
"Oh! Natsuki, you startled me." Though pleasant, her voice sounded rough and dry, much like Natsuki's own mouth. Her clouded eyes couldn't make out Natuki's look of disapproval above the lap's light. "How long have you been-" Her words were halted when the younger girl took the pen from her hand and dropped it next to Shizuru's phone, turned off her lamp, turned her chair, and lifted her entire body from it and picked her up bridal-style. Shizuru gasped again. "Oh!" Her arms instinctively went around her lover's neck. "Natsuki.."
"You're coming to bed. You've done enough for tonight." Natsuki stated in a hard tone.
"But, Natsuki… Hmnn." Shizuru couldn't protest as her head fell onto Natsuki's shoulder, her body finally giving in.
Natsuki carried her to their bedroom and gently laid her on her side of the bed, making it easier for her to slip her under her already tousled covers. She heard her sigh again as her head sank into the pillow. Natsuki was happy that Shizuru at least changed into her robe and didn't have to worry about changing her out of her tight business clothes. As her body relaxed, her robe opened.
Of course Natsuki's eyes were automatically drawn to the opening – however, what she saw did not make her blush. 'What the…?' She noticed that the red lace bra she had left on had a number of tears on it – one in the strap, nearly severing it entirely, and another within the lace of one of the cups. 'Where did those come from? She's normally very careful about her lingerie.' She wondered at it for a few moments before forcing herself to close her robe and replacing the sheets. She listened to Shizuru's body shift under the covers as she turned back toward the door and headed back down to the kitchen, shrugging it off.
On her way back up, two glasses of water in hand (in case Shizuru needed a drink as well), she heard a familiar ringtone sound as she passed by Shizuru's office. She abruptly stopped again. She listened to it ring. Could it be the person she talked to before? Maybe not, she thought, but her curiosity still made her wonder. She slowly walked back to into the dark room. The light of the ringing phone helped navigate her way through the otherwise pitch-black room. She looked at the caller ID. Yamada, Mokoto. "Don't know her." She whispered aloud. By now, the phone stopped ringing. She thought to herself in the dark. "Maybe a co-worker or something, maybe that head of the marketing team she had to meet with." Then, her phone buzzed – a text message.
She blinked at the blinding light and text that read "New Text Message." She set down one of the glasses and reluctantly picked up the phone and opened it. She had never snooped on Shizuru's phone before, she always trusted her. But this time, she just had to know. She opened the text and squinted her eyes against the light.
"Last night and tonight was very fun. You exhausted me. ;) We should do it again. – M."
Natsuki felt her heart pounding. Her mind began to race. She didn't like this. 'Shizuru..?' She began to feel tears swell up in her eyes and abruptly whipped them away. 'C'mon Natsuki, maybe it was just something going on in the office today and this girl just happens to be overly friendly…' Her heart still pounded, making her feel otherwise. She slammed the phone back down, grabbed the other glass with a bit more force than she intended, water sloshing over the edge onto the carpet as she made her way back out the door.
She roughly pushed the door open, though not with so much force as to make it slam onto the opposite wall. She looked down at Shizuru's form and watched her midsection rise and fall. The streetlight and moonlight mingling on her womanly face and hair made her look so beautiful, but that didn't keep another collection of tears from gathering in her eyes. She closed her eyes hard and could hear the small drops landing on the bedroom carpet. She breathed in a quiet, ragged breath and silently put one glass on the nightstand on Shizuru's side. She then walked over to her side and took a large sip from her glass before setting down on her nightstand.
Sitting herself on the bed, she ran her hands over her face, trying her clear her mind as well as to clear her face from the wet runnels. She felt Shizuru shift again. Perhaps the disproportion of weight she just put into the bed woke her. She hoped the older girl wouldn't feel the need to climb up to her and happen to see her like this. Perhaps she was wrong. She didn't want to make herself look like a fool and accuse Shizuru of things that she wasn't absolutely sure about.
'Wait it out Natsuki. You're overreacting. You don't know the real situation..'
"Natsuki?" A faint voice whispered from behind her.
Natsuki closed her eyes hard again. "Y-yeah?" She tried to not let her voice crack. She forced herself to stare out the window.
"I want to take you out to dinner tomorrow. Someplace nice. Just the two of us." Her voice was weak from fatigue, but she continued. "There's something I have been meaning to tell you, and I hope you will understand."
It was then that the tears once again threatened to fall. She was sure of it now. Shizuru was giving herself to someone else. She tried to breathe silently and calm herself even though her tears would not keep themselves behind her eyelids. "O.. Okay." It was the only word she could muster without making her voice lose control under the tightening of her throat. She heard Shizuru flip slowly onto her other side. Her hand came softly up to her mouth, her fingers catching runnels of slow tears.
Was this a secret that she kept the whole month? She didn't mind her being gone before, and although the absence of her best friend made her a bit lonesome for her, this totally tipped her over the edge of her own strength. It now just feels so sudden. She wanted to know all at once how it happened, what she had done wrong, what the other girl did right, what she could do to make it right. She wanted to keep her, to never lose her to anything or anyone.
She took a large gulp of her water and forced herself to stop thinking as much as she could and laid her now aching head onto the soft pillow. She felt excess tears fall across the bridge of her nose. She slid herself under the covers, wiped them away, flung her long hair over her shoulders and closed her eyes. 'Shizuru…' She almost whispered in the darkness, 'I…' Her hand gripped the edge of her pillow.
Hiroshi couldn't take it anymore. He didn't know what got into her. First she was smashing the wrench against the engine of a poor Ford, and now she's rocking out rather vigorously on her guitar through the spare speaker they typically used for calling attention to employees (even though they were the only two). Finally, getting tired of hearing a series of sour notes, he waved his blotched-white rag.
"Ok! Ok I give! Just please make it stop!" He let his head fall onto his arm, which was being propped on the door of the Ford, which he took upon himself to finish when Natsuki gave up.
"Shut up, you fucking asshole!" Natsuki screamed at him harshly.
Hiroshi jumped back a bit. Even though she had told him something to that effect several times, that was the first time she had actually screamed it at him. He looked at her concernedly. "Yo, what's up with you?"
Natsuki's eyes rolled as she pulled the guitar from her and laid it back down. "Nothing." She responded bitterly, picking up the wrench and trudging back to the Volkswagen.
He turned and leaned against the Ford. "Doesn't look like nothin'." He watched her pass him silently, not looking at him.
She popped the hood and propped its stand in underneath, keeping it open. "It's nothing!" She stuck her head in, trying to concentrate with sharp eyes that were failing at staying focused. She sighed when she felt him come next to her. She slowly looked up at him, her eyes not necessarily boiling, but not necessarily inviting either. At his expectant look, she continued, "I'm just probably being paranoid about something that probably isn't happening and yet I'm getting all these signs that they are and…" She sighed again, finally leaning her hands into the edge of the hood, head falling downward, as though giving up. "I'm just afraid that I might be right."
Puzzled, Hiroshi was silent before asking, "Right about what?" He leaned his hip against the side of the car above a tire.
Natsuki looked up at him. She saw the look in his eye that she rarely saw but that she knew he had – a look of true understanding and consideration. She paused, looking away for a second as she responded, "That Shizuru's having an affair." Her voice was like that of a whisper; so low as if she believed that if she spoke it in her regular tone, it would be like claiming a wish that she didn't want to come true.
Hiroshi's looked at her incredulously, his neck jerking his head back and his brow curving upward. "An affair?" Even his voice rose in disbelief.
"Yes an affair!" She shouted, making him jump again. She ran her hand over her face, trying to sooth her rampant emotions by breathing. "Sorry." She eventually added with a soft honest voice, though didn't look at him.
"What makes you think she's having an affair?" He asked seriously, his brown eyes trying to catch any emotions from her from her side profile.
Natsuki sighed, not wanting to think of all the reasons yet again, much less speak them. "She's been coming home late every night for almost a month; she's been distant and not telling me what she's been doing; I read an overly-friendly text message on her phone last night; I found a piece of her undergarment-clothing torn when she came home; and also last night she told me that she wanted to take me somewhere and talk to me about something which she hopes I'll understand." Natsuki looked at him impatiently, as if daring him to tell her that her instincts are wrong.
Hiroshi just looked at her for a moment then shrugged. "Maybe it's all just a coincidence." At the roll of her eyes, he continued, "it's not like you really have hard proof that she's bang-" he quickly corrected himself at Natsuki's deadly, ice cold glare over her shoulder, "s-sleeping with someone else…" His eyes shifted nervously.
Natsuki was silent for a moment. She wrapped her very worn and unraveling rag around her left hand before setting it back atop the grill. "She left me a note this morning…" She didn't wait for a response, though her voice became suddenly pensive as she recollected, "she told me where to meet her and when and to 'sleep well'. That was it." She pulled the rag tighter. She sniffed. "Didn't leave me much to be hopeful about." Her voice became weak and dull, as if she had already given up in her pain and confusion.
Hiroshi folded his arms and shifted, trying to get a closer look at her face but she kept turning further away. "Shit girl, never seen you like this before." He said concernedly.
Odds are that was true. She felt like sinking into the ground, to pretend this wasn't real, to just be away from everyone. It had been a great while since she had felt depressed about anything, but this was a new level for her. The last time she felt depressed at all were at random times during high school, before the Carnival, and perhaps a couple times when she was living in her apartment during that great while when she and her to-be wife hadn't spoken due to loss of contact. Kaiji-sensei had once told her that being in love is the best-worst thing that could happen to you. See finally knew what that meant.
Her eyes opened as she felt a hand on her back, stroking her softly. A small smile formed on her face. This was the part of Hiroshi that made Natsuki become closer to him: he may be an upright asshole sometimes, but there was a sensitive side that made him a good listener and easy to talk to. Granted, they didn't often have discussions with this level of emotion. It still sometimes surprised her still that she allowed her to be this close to a guy other than Kaiji-sensei (who didn't really count, in her opinion). Perhaps it was because she knew they were more alike than she thought.
"Easy dude." He said, a smirk on his face. "Maybe it's just you being a girl for once and looking at it too hard. And besides, if I were her, I'd realize just how much competition I'd be up against when it came to snaggin' you. So, whatever happens, I wouldn't worry about being alone." His hand slowly fell from her back. His words brought a faint blush about her face in appreciation.
She pulled away from him and gave him a small smile. "Thanks, but I'm not entirely sure that'll help me." She stopped as she looked past him and saw a woman leering at her from her boss's office. She growled as she pulled away. "Why didn't you warn me she was here?" Although her emotions swung right to being annoyed now, she was happy for a distraction.
His smile fell as he looked in the direction her eyes went. He turned back to her. "I thought you knew."
"Hm, well, she musta snuck in without me knowing." Natsuki's nose crinkled. "At least she hasn't called me in yet for something stupid." She turned her eyes back to the engine.
"I've caught her lookin' over here a few times, so prepare yourself if she does." He replaced his hand on her back and smiled. "Get your mind back on that engine. It'll help the day go faster and we can get the fuck out of here with somethin' done."
Though it was weak, she smiled back at him as he returned to his side of the garage. "Yeah, thanks." Her eyes drifted downward onto the spotted concrete before drifting back up to her boss's door. The woman was still staring at her. Natsuki's eyes narrowed and starred right back into the woman's nearly black eyes until she slowly retreated back into her room.
She shivered. 'Just when I thought I had enough to worry about…' She shook herself a bit from the eerie feeling before returning to the Volkswagen. She wasn't entirely sure what it was about that woman that irked her; the woman was very quiet yet always seemed to rub her the wrong way. She often begged for random, useless things for stupid reasons. She sometimes wondered why in the world her boss thought her being in her husband's place for the day really made her any more useful. Additionally, every time that woman happened to be in the shop, never would Natsuki look up and not catch her starring at her. She would have a better indication of what the woman may have been thinking of her while gazing at her, but she often distanced herself and thusly would never get a proper look. She swore that one of these days she was going to give the woman attitude and ask her what the hell she was starring at.
In time, the hour hand of the high clock finally came close to the hour that marked the end of her shift. The anxiety Natsuki felt in her muscles never seemed to leave. She kept working though, agreeing with Hiroshi that it would make the day go by faster. Long being done with the Volkswagen, she had moved on to another midsize Nissan with a fender-bender in its back bumper. Nearly being done with the tedious repair, she heard the office door click open over the stereo and instinctively looked up. She saw Mrs. Wamasaki peering back out of the doorway. Her body seemed to slowly lean outward as she slowly ran one stocking-covered leg against the other, meeting Natsuki's expectation of being a bit narcissistic in the self-loving way.
After a second, she finally spoke. "Ms. Kuga?" Her rather high-pitched voice rang out sweetly.
Natsuki rolled her eyes and looked in the other direction as if pretending to be suddenly invisible. "Yeah?" She answered, knowing that would be too good to be true.
"Would you mind…" She gestured toward the inside of the office, "following me?" Her eyes seemed to glint briefly as she smiled (what Natsuki guessed) a warm, inviting smile.
She grumbled silently as she dropped the torch she was about to use on the bumper. "Sure." It came out gruffly, though she was sure that the older woman didn't catch that over the additional sounds of the radio and Hiroshi's air-pump in the garage.
The older woman watched the ocean blue-haired girl come to her and, when they both entered, closed the door behind her. Once in, Natsuki's gaze swept over the white walls and stacks of white, pink and yellow papers covering almost every surface. A decent amount of space was left open on the worn desk, a corner of space left for a small and very old tv set. Natsuki walked over to another chair usually meant for customers meaning to speak with the manager.
The younger girl didn't want to turn back to the older one, she just simply wanted to hear whatever it is she wanted to say and get out. She quirked a brow as she heard shallow black heels approach her slowly. The clicking sound stopped, and after a few seconds of (what may have been) pondering, the older woman lightly asked, "How long have you been working here, Ms. Kuga?"
Natsuki turned to find the older woman's head tipping to one side as she leaned against another chair close to her. Her brown medium-length hair fell over one of her shoulders, which was covered by a small, faux leopard-fur jacket. Her large loop earrings looked like they belonged on someone perhaps ten years younger than herself.
Jade eyes tried to not look at her strangely like they always did. "Um, maybe a couple years? Two? Three maybe?" Natsuki answered uncertainly, wondering why she was asked that question.
Nearly black eyes regarded her with mild intrigue. "Oh? That is impressive then."
The way she said that made an effective lure to Natsuki's curiosity. "What do you mean?"
The older woman shifted her weight on her legs, making her tight cloth skirt move with her thighs. "Oh, nothing. It's just that my husband often tells me he's impressed with your work. Says he'll give you a promotion soon. Maybe even hand this place over to you." She informed simply, her eyes casually dropping to a dusty corner as though not being as interested as she sounded.
Nonetheless, Natsuki's interest then immediately perked like a dog's ears. Her own shop? "Really?" She turned entirely towards the older woman now, wanting to hear more of what she heard.
"Oh yes," She nodded. "But to have been here only a few years won't make that happen so quickly." The glint in her eye returned. "I can help you with that though." The shoulder of the arm she was leaning on seemed to roll in an odd way as she said that.
Natsuki looked at her with creased, unconvinced eyes. "How?"
"Well," The older woman took a step closer, her eyes lowering though there was a smirk on her face that she wasn't suppressing very effectively at all. "Perhaps all you need is a little push." Just then, the older woman pushed her back into her chair, ignoring the yelp of surprise and climbing on top of her, each leg stretching under each of the chair's arms and over Natsuki's thighs. Her worker hat was flicked off and a hand fisted into her blue hair, pulling her head back. "Depending on the…" Her brows raised, her eyes became suggestive. "…'services' you deliver to me right now, I could give my husband a very good word about you and your… 'work ethic.'" Red lips smiled devilishly.
Natsuki's hands were gripping the cushion of the chair's arms as her eyes stared up at her exasperatedly. 'Are you serious?' She tried to shake the woman's hand out of her hair but her grip was too tight. "L-listen, Mrs. Wamasaki…" She tried to reason until she was interrupted.
"Call me Kikyo." The older woman breathed as the fingertips of her other hand started to fiddle with Natsuki's close-fitting working tank-top.
She ignored her, a blush fiercely covering her face and clouding her ability to think. "I-I'm not that kind of person, okay? I mean, w-why in hell are you doing this?"
Her hands continued to wander, her nails lightly scrapping Natsuki's stomach. "Well, my money-grubbing husband hasn't been very affectionate with me lately. And, knowing the way he talks about you and how far you could go, I figured we could help each other out." She grinned playfully as she pressed herself harder against the younger girl, making her struggle more forcefully.
'What the hell!?' Natsuki tried to push her off but the other woman was apparently quite strong as the older woman moved to grip the back of the chair. She panicked as she felt the apex of the woman's thin legs grind against the zipper track of her jeans.
"Mmn. You do have a very nice body too." The other woman groaned, her head tipping back as her arousal heightened.
"L-look, I-I'm married and-" Natsuki stammered frantically, trying to get any word in she could whether her marriage was recognized in Japan or not.
Mrs. Wamasaki chuckled, still continuing her motions. "So am I, but that obviously isn't stopping me, is it?"
Natsuki, now having had enough, brought forth all of her strength and, with a bit of a struggle, lifted herself out of the chair. However, she hadn't anticipated Mrs. Wamasaki wrapping her arms around her neck to keep her body on her and, as she stood, Natsuki lost her balance and fell forward onto the desk. The stacks of papers and metal baskets and pens and tv set were all shoved off the table, making the room resound with a loud clatter and breaking of glass. The older woman laughed, her arms still around Natsuki's neck.
"Oh! I like it rough!" She laughed again, wrapping her legs tightly around Natsuki's hips, locking her from moving anywhere without hurting her. Natsuki growled in frustration when the door was swung open hard.
"What the fuck is…" Came a male voice.
Both women froze as they looked up.
There was Hiroshi, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping. "Ho-ly shit…." He turned to Natsuki, who was left entirely frozen in shock and embarrassment. "Kuga! Couldn't you at least save one girl for me!?" He yelled. Due to the comical tone Natsuki recognized, the profusely-embarrassed girl knew that he would trust Natsuki's word over Mrs. Wamasaki's.
Natsuki was about to yell at him to shut his trap when she noticed a pair of eyes looking in from behind him. The sight of them now made her heart stop. 'Oh… no…'
Hiroshi, curious at Natsuki's suddenly very white face, turned around and immediately froze too. "Oh…"
Shizuru looked in, her eyes wide in shock yet her brows lined in bewilderment. "Nat… suki?" She whispered, not knowing what to think as she gazed upon the scene before her.
Hiroshi quickly collected himself and turned to Natsuki. "S-she was looking for you…" he informed her delicately. Of course, trying to be delicate certainly wasn't going to be helpful to anyone now.
At Natsuki's silence, Shizuru asked quietly to the degree that almost no sound came from her throat, almost as if she didn't wish to ask and much less know the answer. "What… What is…?"
Suddenly, Shizuru's shocked look fired something inside Natsuki which finally erupted, "NOTHING TOO DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING LATELY!" The younger girl bellowed before she could stop herself.
Shizuru jumped, as though someone had prodded her hard in the back with an iron poker. Natsuki had never seen her jump that severely before. Within a few seconds, she wished she had taken it back. Though at the same time, she was glad she said it, though her body wouldn't stop shaking from her tremendous mix of emotions now. She felt embarrassed, hurt, confused, frustrated, angry and bitter. She shook herself from Mrs. Wamasaki's grasp and stepped back. Hurt green eyes swept up to Shizuru's, now shining with the forming of tears.
Natsuki watched as she stepped back, trembling fingers moving up to lay on her quivering lips as her crimson eyes squinted slightly passed the barrier of wetness before her eyes. The younger girl, knowing she was going to run, impulsively wanted to reach out to her and catch her. To tell her that she was sorry. But she didn't. Her head fell, and she heard the other woman's fast steps receding from where she stood. She heard Hiroshi shout but her mind became too clouded to listen. She glanced up in his direction and found he had disappeared too. Perhaps he went after her, but to Natsuki she now felt it was a lost cause.
Her eyes swept over to Mrs. Wamasaki, who had sat up on the desk. It was obvious by her face that she wasn't exactly bothered by what just happened. At this, Natsuki's hands fisted and her eyes shut tightly, feeling her entire body become frigid with loath – loath towards Mrs. Wamasaki, herself, and Shizuru. And yet, she somehow felt that her bitterness toward Shizuru was ill-constructed. Perhaps on the grounds that Shizuru had held her heart for so long and vice versa. It just seemed… inconceivable for this all to happen.
"Well, that was unfortunate." Mrs. Wamasaki finally had the nerve to speak, although her tone of voice wasn't backed with a great deal of emotion.
"She was my wife. My soul mate since middle school…" Natsuki whispered, her mind trekking all the way back to when they first met. She didn't care if her employer's wife didn't understand, being Japanese. She just hoped that the word "wife" would play at least some role in her conscience.
"Oh, well, I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about the disruption in general." She waved her hand almost dismissively as her assertion came simply. Her interest went to the state of her bright red nails.
Natsuki turned to her abruptly, feeling a terrible need to slap her right off the table. "Are you kidding me?" She couldn't keep the venom from coating her words. She was pissed. This woman quite possibly blew up her marriage… not even her marriage, a wonderful relationship with a woman who she knew would love her like no one else for who she was. "I've just broken my wife's heart because of you!" The seething feeling she felt toward this woman surpassed any resentment she ever held toward people like Hiroshi and Takeda (for old reasons) and any other man soliciting her for anything sexual combined.
The older woman shrugged as she leaned back. "It's your…" She then shrugged a disinterested shrug of uncertainty. "'Marriage', not mine."
Natsuki then knew that if she were a husky, her green eyes would burn bright red. In fact, she was surprised they weren't right then. She wanted to strangle her. Her hatred towards her then reached a level far beyond her long-since-enflamed hatred towards First District long ago. This was the about the person more important to her than anything or anyone else and she destroyed it! She destroyed them! A string of curses wanted to fly from her mouth and land harshly onto the woman lazily sitting on the desk when Hiroshi knocked on the door frame. When they looked up, Hiroshi indicated Natsuki come to him. Roughly and without a word, she turned and went out the door following him.
"Ok, so, what the hell happened in there?" He asked softly.
"She came onto me and wouldn't let me go!" She shouted, swinging her forefinger to the door she just exited. "She tried to get me to have sex with her by bribing me with a 'good word' to Mr. Wamasaki! I tried to get her off me but she wouldn't listen! That woman is a lot stronger than she looks by the way, and-"
Hiroshi, waving his hands, stopped her. "Okay okay! I knew you weren't like that anyway. You're too much of a hard ass." Natsuki was about to shout at him again when Hiroshi, knowing that she would, shouted over her. "Which is what I told 'wifey'."
Natsuki, apprehensive, looked at him strangely. "What?"
Hiroshi sighed. "I grabbed her and told her that you wouldn't do that. That you weren't that kind of person and that I knew you would never cheat on her 'cause you told me so and I knew you well enough that you wouldn't anyway. And that you're head over heels for her." Hiroshi looked expectantly at her as if asking 'got it?'
Natsuki softened a little. She looked down somewhat sheepishly, feeling bad for yelling at him before. Fidgeting on her feet, she glanced up at him. "What did she say?" For a moment, she felt like she was back in high school, even though her high school life was generally nothing like this.
Hiroshi shrugged. "Nothin'. But I think she understood. But that's why I also told her about you thinking she was having an affair."
Yet again, Natsuki felt her heart stop in fear. Oh god, she never wanted her to know! "You told her! Why?"
"Because then at least she'll know why you acted that way and at the same time, whether her having an affair is true or not, she'll think it over and will have to tell you what's happening now!"
Although she could see his logic behind that, that didn't make her any less tense. Still fidgeting from her anxiousness, she ground her work-booted toe into the hard concrete. "Did she say anything then?"
Hiroshi shrugged again. "Well, she did seem a bit surprised and confused, but she still didn't say anything."
"So she basically left without a word?"
"Well, she thanked me, but yeah, nothin' else."
Natsuki, entirely clueless as to what to do, ran her hand over her face in trepidation. "Great. So, what should I do now?"
Although that question was meant more for herself than Hiroshi, the boy answered, "well, I'd give her some time. Get home. See if she's there and if she is, talk to her, if she isn't, go to the place you were going to meet her."
Natsuki thought it over for a long time, not sure if she could go through with it. Could she face her after all this? Finally, not finding any choice, she complied. "Okay." She cocked a brow at herself. "I can't believe I'm actually listening to you."
"Hey hey, you should thank me you know. At least she knows what's going on now." He backed with a wave of his finger in her face.
Natsuki crinkled her nose and pushed his hand away. "Yeah yeah, I know. I owe you a beer."
"Damn straight!" He grinned excitedly back.
"Nice pun."
"Thank you."
Thankfully, Hiroshi said he'd take care of the mess with Mrs. Wamasaki (at least for the rest of the day) so Natsuki left early to get home. (How he was going to do that she had no idea, but she cared too little to really ask before she left.)
She wasn't too surprised when she came home with only Duran to meet her. Though she was still nervous about what was to happen, she greeted Duran the way she always did when she got home and made her way to the couch. She released a sigh as she flopped onto it and remained motionless for a few minutes. A part of her was happy that Shizuru wasn't home, because she would have no idea what to say and would probably dig herself into a deeper hole.
'How am I even going to know if she's gonna show up?' She wondered to herself, her eyes staring at the ceiling. Then, it hit her. On the note Shizuru had written to her that morning, she recognized the restaurant as one they had been to before on Natsuki's birthday perhaps two years ago. It was very classy and would obviously be a restaurant that would require reservations. She grabbed her phone, called the operator, and asked to be transferred to the restaurant.
Her heart started to pound again as she heard the dial tone. If she cancelled the reservations, it definitely meant her ass was grass and Shizuru wasn't going to see her. Deep down, she knew Shizuru was far too regal and strong a person to not go through with something. Finally, the hostess picked up and greeted her.
"Yeah, I'm calling to see if tonight's reservation for Fujino had been cancelled?" She asked politely. Thanks to listening to Shizuru's business conversations so much, her verbal rhetoric had become a bit more sophisticated than when she was younger. Of course, this wasn't the best performance of eloquence, but it was a start.
"Well, let's see…" There was a pause. "No, it hasn't been cancelled. Would you like to cancel it?"
Natsuki pondered it only a few seconds out of defeat toward the whole situation, but decided to stay strong. "No, keep it."
"Very well. Will there be anything else?" The hostess asked sweetly.
"No, thanks." At the hostess's departing word, she hung up. Her phone still in hand, she dropped her fist onto her shoulder, still thoughtful. Could she do this? She wondered. Yes, she had to for Shizuru. Looking at her phone again, she noticed that the reservation time was only in a few hours. Her phone fell back onto her shoulder, her eyes falling blindly onto the coffee table in front of her. 'What have I got to lose?' She thought solemnly. She released a sigh and headed upstairs to decide what outfit to wear and take a shower…
She chose her best outfit, one she knew Shizuru liked. She didn't wear it often, only when she knew she had to be dressed up and for Shizuru's pleasure. The shirt, ruffled and loose at the cuffs, was black and was a light material, having several thin layers so it wouldn't be see-through. She buttoned the single button right below her breasts, leaving a plunging neck-line and her bellybutton visible. It was enticing but classy at the same time. Her pants were stretched, flared black leather, so they weren't too difficult to move in and the stretch marks made them look very stylish. Finally, for extra measure, she wore an inch-and-a-half-heeled black leather boots. She gave up on walking on regular heels long ago – she found that heeled boots were much easier to walk in as you didn't have to worry about the sole of your foot sliding around so much. The heels on these boots weren't extremely thin either, which made it all the more easy for balance. Like her hidden interest in pink dresses and stuffed animals, she also had a curiosity toward heeled boots such as the ones she currently had on.
Though she knew this was Shizuru's favorite outfit, her bitter side wondered why she put it on despite everything Shizuru put her through. (At least that's how she felt now.) Granted, she had cooled down a bit since leaving the shop; but the fact that she was still frustrated and confused and worried about everything made her bitter towards her still. Also the fact that she didn't say anything besides 'thank you' to Hiroshi made her angry, but her more sympathetic side tells her that perhaps she just didn't know what to say then. Whatever it may be, she sprayed her favorite perfume on her neck and wrists, grabbed her helmet, kissed Duran goodbye - knowing the woman next door would take care of him in her absence - and fired up her motorcycle.
She arrived at the restaurant right on time. It was a beautifully-decorated traditional Japanese restaurant with several levels, located right in the middle of Kyoto. It was the sort of restaurant that she knew only people with Shizuru's opulence could afford. It made her uncomfortable for her to come to places like these, let alone Shizuru spending so much money on her. But, when it was the business-woman's decision, she just went with the flow and tried to be as polite as possible. She handed her keys to the valet boy, who looked at both her and her motorcycle with envious bug-eyes. She rolled her eyes, hoping he wouldn't wreck it, otherwise she'd wreck him.
She walked up to the hostess and gave the name. Happily, the hostess had a very polite waitress show her to her seat. She became very curious when the waitress took her to a closed room on the third floor (the fourth floor typically reserved for business dinners – the higher the floor, the more prestigious the parties).
"Here you are: a room for two, as requested." She smiled, sliding the large rich mahogany door open. Natsuki's eyes widened in awe.
It was a more-than-decent sized table for two in front of a large open window, which looked out over the mountains and moving life of Kyoto. The sun was beginning to set and the view was stunning both over and beneath the trees, where people could be seen going about their way along the streets. The inside was beautiful: the room was entirely a rich dark wood and the floor had a ornate Japanese rug atop it. Here, the table was of eastern custom and not Japanese, with chairs on either side of the table. Atop the table a white linen cloth was draped and crystal-mounted elegant-white candles were lit by the waitress as Natsuki took her seat to the right. It felt as though the candles, apart from the warm orange-colored rays of the low, were the only source of light in the room at the moment.
The only thing that dampened her mood was the fact that Shizuru was nowhere to be found. Despite this, she decided to wait and hope, keeping her phone close to her.
"Will there be anything else?" The waitress asked amiably.
Natsuki, her elbows propped on the table (unfortunately, table manners never really became a habit of hers) and hands clasped in front of her, answered, "no, thank you. But, if a 'Shizuru Fujino' comes in, could you direct her up?"
The waitress bowed, "certainly" and left.
When she heard the door close, she sighed again. What if she doesn't come? She tried not to think of it, of what would happen, of how she must have hurt her, of how angry she herself was, of what Shizuru was thinking, what she was doing, and instead tried to focus her attention to all that was occurring outside.
It sometimes amazed her how much their relationship had evolved since they first met. Not to mention, how the both of them had each evolved individually. Though Shizuru hadn't changed nearly as much as she herself had, she still felt like Shizuru had grown to become a great deal more open than she once was. Until now, that is. Natsuki quirked a brow curtly at that thought.
Shizuru had always been her good friend and perhaps made the greatest impression on her. And, it's strange to think that that impression came through constant pestering. It really was something, how she had become first an unknown to her, then simply another person, then an annoyance, then a friend, then a dear friend, then, for perhaps a couple days in her rampant thoughts and concerns, almost an enemy, then someone who cared deeply for her and became simply her best friend, then, eventually, her girlfriend, then lover, then wife. Of course in Japan they weren't recognized as that, but they didn't really care at the moment. Just the rings alone were enough to feel like they were bonded in the tightest way.
Natsuki watched as the sun finally set beneath the trees, the horizon having a warm peach hue beneath a thick, dome-like plane of soft blue. The lights of streetlights, cars and buildings became brighter and brighter in the growing darkness. The candlelight maintained a cozy air within the quiet room.
She looked at her watch and found that over fifteen minutes had passed. The waitress had come in several times during this period, asking if she needed anything. The most she ordered was tea and something to tide over her stomach, which wasn't very demanding at the moment. She constantly checked her phone to see if she missed anything - if her phone had perhaps suddenly rang without notifying her or if she was too busy thinking to hear anything, both of which were highly unlikely.
Fifteen more minutes passed and she felt her heart sink. She ran a hand through her hair as she considered letting it go and leaving. She was tired of torturing herself in this place, being hopeful for something which may never be repaired. She sighed as she finally placed her napkin on the table and got up. She reached for the handle and jumped when she heard the door crack as it slid on its own. She jumped back, pulling her hand to herself as if an automatic reflex of self-protection, and stood, surprised as her eyes magnetized to equally surprised wine-red eyes staring back at her.
Shizuru stood there, slowly softening as she gazed back into emerald eyes which seemed to express a mixture of anxiousness and a hint of relief. Not realizing she had caught her breath, she exhaled silently. "I'm very sorry for my tardiness. Please, sit down." She requested softly as she stepped in and closed the door behind her.
Natsuki, now more frustrated at Shizuru for her simple yet stately apology, slowly and silently trudged back to her seat. "What took you?" Her voice was low and gruff with clear agitation. Apart of her was also afraid, however, but she wouldn't let that show now. But what she was afraid of was the stately apology, never even addressing her name. She knew well enough now that that meant that the older woman didn't see any reason to be playful now (which was rare for her in the instance of Natsuki).
"She was reluctant to me to leave early today." Shizuru answered in the same simple (though now explanatory) tone as she seated herself.
Natsuki quirked a brow, her face starting to contort in anger and hurt. "She?" She felt her fingers irately pull at the edges of her napkin upon her lap.
Shizuru pulled herself to the table and clasped her hands lightly on her lap. "My professor."
Natsuki, now completely spun in a loop, looked at her dubiously. "P… professor?" She couldn't make any sense of this, what was Shizuru doing with a professor? She looked at her entirely befuddled as Shizuru smiled a small smile at her, as though slightly amused. This look wasn't like Shizuru's other unreadable, happy look. This was a face that Natsuki had never seen before. It wasn't hurt nor was it forgiveness. At least not entirely: there was a look of understanding about her, but she also seemed a bit… disappointed. If this were the case, Natsuki already felt like sinking into the floor as she had never received a look of disappointment from the girl in front of her. Never.
"This past month, I've been attending a condensed teaching course. It's an evening course so I am to go from the office to the course site within Kyoto University."Shizuru's gaze dropped from Natsuki's as she fiddled lightly with her fingernails, something she usually did when she began to feel sheepish. "I realize now that it would have been best for me to have told you from the beginning, but I didn't want you to think that I was overworking myself. This was something I had been thinking about doing for a long while." She looked up and caught Natsuki's softening gaze. She could see that she was still quite confused, and she didn't particularly blame her since she had never mentioned her interest in teaching before. "I'm nearly done with the course, so I wanted to surprise you." She finished softly, and waited for Natsuki's response.
Of course, now, said girl was left without words. She felt like a fool. However, Shizuru's explanation didn't clear her entirely of her worries. "So, when you get home from your class, you catch up on your business work at night?" She felt afraid to ask that, since now the answer is obvious, although previously she had assumed her working late had been from other causes.
Shizuru just nodded. "And sometimes coursework, yes." Her answer was almost as soft as a whisper, identical to what her eyes portrayed now as they gazed upon the younger girl.
In the period of Natsuki's gathering of thoughts, Shizuru finally asked the question Natsuki knew had been burning inside of her. "What made you think I was having an affair, Natsuki? What made you think I would ever defile my fidelity to you?" The emotion-worn look in Shizuru's eyes made her want to wish this entire situation could be dropped and to pretend it didn't happen. But, her eyes told her that, like Natsuki ten minutes ago, she only needed an explanation and all may hopefully be forgiven.
Natsuki looked down, trying to find words as she now lightly fiddled with her napkin. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She opened it once more, "I… I dunno, I mean… the way that you talked about not wanting to wear business clothes to whoever you were talking to yesterday… and I…" Here she was afraid to say it out of guilt, but she forced herself, "I read a text message someone sent to your phone last night, saying that 'last night and tonight was fun' and 'we should do it again' and you not returning home till very late in the night and I… I became afraid and…" she looked up sheepishly "maybe I jumped to conclusions.." she blushed.
At that, Shizuru seemed to smile a small, real smile as she straightened herself slowly in her chair. Now she understood. She tried not to chuckle to herself at the other girl's misconceptions of what went on, feeling a bit guilty herself for putting her through this.
"That text was from a classmate whom I work with and likes my strategies. She's a sweet girl who struggles often, and so I help her. She didn't have as much experience with students as I did." She carried on, still wearing her smile. "That phone call was from my professor who was chiding me for my tardiness a few days last week; I was trying to explain to her that I wanted to change into something less formal for class. Because this class is so small, she contacts us specifically by phone. And I do believe I explained my reasons for working late." She smirked.
Natsuki was, once again, left speechless, now feeling like an utter fool. "Oh." She wanted to let her head fall. To let herself disappear from the woman's view for a while as she couldn't even bring herself to look at her. "But… But, what about your red bra you wore last night? It was torn – none of your bras are ever torn."
Shizuru, helping herself to Natsuki's tea, grinned. "That was your doing." Her eye sparkled.
Natsuki hesitated. "… It was?" A blush grew on her face.
"Oh yes. You were rather ravenous and impatient that night." She winked. "I didn't want to throw it out – it's a very nice memento." And the grin spread wider.
Natsuki, now flushing quite red, desperately wanted to change the subject. "What… what made you want to go into teaching?" She speedily poured herself a cup of tea for her drying throat and heated face.
Shizuru seemed to ponder for a bit as she looked off to the view. It was then that Natsuki noticed her hair made beautifully half-up in a thin, diamond hairclip. Diamond earrings gleamed in her ears from the candlelight and her black soft-cotton form-fitting blouse opened in a v-neck. If she knew her well enough now, she knew that that came accompanied with light brown pants which she always thought fit Shizuru's legs amazingly. "Well, I realized how much I missed being in a school, watching over students and guiding them. I want to see how good I could be if I could perhaps be so skillful as teach them now. That, and you teaching yourself how to play the guitar made me want to try something new of my own, something I knew I wanted to do. As I look back on it now, I rather miss being a part of the student council, but I feel that being with the students in this way would make it much more rewarding to me." She turned back to Natsuki, who originally looked at her in wonderment and now didn't seem all that surprised by this.
Natsuki smiled charmingly (something she always did absently). "I'd like to see you give it a try. I'm sure you'll do very well. What do you think you will teach?" She asked, very curious now.
The blue-haired girl could see the flash of passion in her eyes towards her new goal as she began to collect her ideas. Her hands clasped together and a small smile could be seen playing on her lips as she looked off into nothingness again thoughtfully. Her excitement almost mirrored onto Natsuki for her, like a ripple effect onto her. "I'm not certain yet. Perhaps linguistics, or piano… or literature, or business… But, whatever it may be, I do enjoy the idea of having a pupil for any of the like."
Natsuki smiled, and then recalled her current job. "What will happen to the industry when you do try this out?"
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure yet. But I will come up with something." Shizuru stated positively. Her smile grew, and so did Natsuki's. The younger girl hadn't seen her smile like that in so long and it felt like a sight for sore eyes.
However, the younger girl's smile soon began to fade as her mind seemed to force her to recall what happened earlier that day, the period of time when Shizuru had not looked so happy. She didn't want to bring it up, especially not now when the business-woman looked so happy, but she knew that she had to at some point to explain herself. Natsuki looked down solemnly. "Shizuru, what happened today…" She breathed, watching the older girl's own smile begin to fall as if she knew what was to come. "I swear nothing happened."
"I know." Shizuru nodded as she responded seriously.
Natsuki looked at her, feeling guilt-ridden already. "You do?"
"Of course." Red eyes then cast themselves down. "At first I was indeed surprised, and your outburst was quite hurtful to me at the time, only because I had no idea why you would say such a thing." Here, Natsuki wanted to cross the table and take her in her arms and tell her a thousand times how sorry she was and what an idiot she had been for hurting her like that. But, she forced herself to stay in her seat as Shizuru continued, "But, thanks to that boy telling me what it was you were thinking, I began to connect events together and understood. And, a part of me knew that you didn't mean for any of that to happen." There was a sharpness to Shizuru that made her deduction of thoughts nothing too surprising when Natsuki thought about it. Shizuru always seemed to have a keen sense of what was really going on when she found the pieces to connect.
"She came on to me Shizuru, I tried to tell her that I was married but she wouldn't get off…" Natsuki tried to break in, tried to explain herself further, but Shizuru stopped her with a wave of her hand, which then landed on Natsuki's own.
"You don't have to explain. I know you wouldn't do that. You are perhaps the most loyal person I know, and I trust you." She smiled softly.
Natsuki felt tears begin to gather in her eyes again. She felt like a grade A asshole for not trusting Shizuru when she trusted her so much. "Shizuru, I'm so sorry." Natsuki took her hand and brought it to her lips, kissing each knuckle. Her hair tickled the sides of the older woman's soft hand. She kept whispering her apologies again and again feeling as though none would suffice.
"It's okay, Natsuki." Shizuru, in turn, brought Natsuki's hand close and kissed her palm and fingers. "It was no fault of yours. I'm sure I would have done the same if I had been in your place."
"I want to make it up to you." Natsuki declared as if not having heard her, with the same old defiant look in her eye.
Shizuru smiled brightly at Natsuki's firmness with her now. "There is no reason for you to do so; I've forgiven you Natsuki, and I hope you will me." Her crimson eyes bore into Natsuki's genuinely as her thumb caressed the back of the hand she still held.
Natsuki smiled a similarly bright smile. "Of course I do." Her eyes seemed to shine in a way that made Shizuru's heart patter, not having seen something like that from Natsuki in so long. What a torturous month it had been without her.
"Good." Shizuru beamed. "Then, why don't we head home? We can sit by the fire and you can show me how much you've progressed on your guitar."
Natsuki then blushed lightly, uncertainly. "I-I doubt I've gotten much better." She looked away sheepishly.
Shizuru tilted her head cutely, giving her a playfully skeptical look. "Well, there's only one way to find out, is there not?" She dug into her purse and pulled out a wad of cash, placing it on the table. "Let's go." In her usual gracefully gentle way, she pulled Natsuki up from her seat, leading toward the door.
"Y-you um, look very pretty tonight, by the way." Natsuki stuttered bashfully, her eyes drifting over and around the small of Shizuru's back.
Shizuru fixed her with another cute look. "Why Natsuki, you act as though you've not seen me like this before."
Natsuki's face took on an almost childlike expression, something else which also made the older woman's heart beat faster. "I haven't. At least not for a while."
Shizuru's smile slowly turned sympathetic. She could tell just then just how much her blue-haired beauty missed her. She then felt the beauty must know that those feelings were not one-sided as she felt exactly the same way. Still holding her hand, Shizuru suddenly pulled the younger girl to her, wrapped her arms around her waist and took her lips with her own.
Natsuki, surprised, had stiffened in her arms but slowly relaxed as she wrapped her arms around her neck and gently pressed herself into the kiss. Though it was chaste, it held a tender passion to it which seemed to satisfy the both of them. Besides, both knew that if one were to venture further, the likeliness of them getting carried away would become very high and being walked in on would leave both of them in a very compromising situation (for Shizuru especially as a known CEO).
As they pulled away, Shizuru swept over the creases and curves of Natsuki's shirt and pants. She smiled. "I must say, you look quite pretty tonight as well." She whispered, although she felt like the word 'pretty' was an understatement. The contrast of blue against black looked stunning and made her green eyes shine.
Natsuki blushed and smiled bashfully again, her eyes flicking downward to her boots. "I knew you liked this outfit on me…" She explained.
"I like anything you wear, Natsuki – and anything you don't." She winked playfully, eliciting just the blush she wanted from the other girl – light and cute. "I did also like that outfit you wore on the night of my birthday." She added, keeping her grin composed masterfully.
Natsuki now flushed red out of embarrassment at the memory. "You said you'd never mention that again." A night of role-play was something they had only done once and Natsuki preferred to not do it again, as the suggestions Shizuru would make would make would be enough to make her choke.
Shizuru mocked guilt. "Forgive me, that promise must have escaped my memory." Natsuki could see the small smile she had tried to hide. It was always towards Natsuki that her mask would occasionally slip.
Natsuki rolled her eyes skeptically as she turned the older woman around and pushed her out the door, herself following close behind. "Sure it did."
Because Shizuru had taken a cab to the restaurant, she and Natsuki rode home on the younger girl's bike. Natsuki always kept a second helmet on her bike just in case, so Shizuru, with her helmet on, held onto Natsuki's waist just as closely as her helmet snug to her head. Now the lights from the cars, streetlights and buildings were the only things illuminating the streets as they swept into the traffic. It had been a very long time since Shizuru and Natsuki rode on her bike together - perhaps half a year or maybe even more. She felt Shizuru lay her head on her back. Natsuki, feeling as happy as ever, decided to prolong it and took the long way home through the city. Sure, it was perhaps a bit slower what with traffic and traffic lights, but she didn't mind. Every time she stopped at a light she felt Shizuru adjust her hold on Natsuki, each time being just as warm and tight as the others.
Finally, they reached their garage and Natsuki released the brake and switched off the ignition. Natsuki shook her hair as she always did after taking off her helmet before turning to Shizuru, who had already done the same. However, after laying the helmet down, Shizuru's arms wrapped themselves back around Natsuki's waist.
The way that Shizuru moved her hands around her waist, Natsuki could tell the younger girl didn't want to step off just yet. She placed her helmet on the shelf next to her. She was happy that she adjusted the bike's chassis so that it sank down lower on her weight, making it easy for her feet to stay evenly and comfortably on the ground. Now, with the addition of Shizuru's weight, it sank even further, almost bringing the pads of her feet fully onto the ground.
As Shizuru held her silently, Natsuki mused over the past month, and was rather surprised at how well Shizuru had disciplined herself to continue working as hard as she did between the classes and working at the industry. Actually, she felt a greater sense of pride for her than surprise. She knew she had always been a person devoted to getting things done, but, because she pursued this on her own knowing how strenuous it would be on her, it felt different. She felt like she deserved something for her efforts. She turned to Shizuru, who had placed her head back on her shoulder.
"Shizuru?"
The only thing Shizuru seemed to do in response is move her hands, caressing her sides. There was something about the way those hands moved that made Natsuki freeze. "Natsuki, take me on your motorcycle." Her request came softly, her hands still roaming over her abdomen.
Natsuki blinked, "I just did." It came more as a question, as though she was second-guessing them having taken the long way back home.
Shizuru giggled lightly. "No, I mean…" – Her hands then roamed hotly down her thighs – "take me…" – they slid up her sides, her fingertips pressing lightly into the sides of her breasts – "on your motorcycle."
The huskiness placed in the woman's Kyoto accent, let alone the request itself, was enough to make the younger girl stiffen severely. Natsuki couldn't find her voice for a few seconds before asking, "w-what?"
Shizuru's talented hands restarted their route, leaving the blue-haired girl without breath. "It makes me blush to even ask this, as it had been a fantasy of mine for a very long time and…" Natsuki could hear Shizuru's breath catch as well as the body behind her pressed itself harder into her back. "It's been so long since I've touched you and been touched by you. I want you now, even in the most ravenous way. I know this may seem crude but, I…" Natsuki then felt her mouth press into her neck, her hands stroking the inside of her thighs. The heat of her mouth against the slight chill of the evening air made her skin ripple. Her vision began to cloud and leaned her head to one side, feeling Shizuru's lips and tongue move up to her ear. The hands glided back up and cupped her breasts, making the younger girl release a groan. "Natsuki…" Teeth nibbled on her ear and palms pressed into her breasts. Natsuki rolled her head back onto Shizuru's shoulder as she unconsciously leaned back further into her warm embrace.
The part of her that wanted to tell Shizuru to stop was not at all effective on Natsuki's being. Her body, having been deprived from Shizuru's touch for so long, begged her to keep going. She tried to remind herself that this was her bike. How the hell could make love on a bike? Of course, the part of her that wanted to make absolutely no movement to stop told her that, if done right, she could do it and place an equally effective response to herself as well. Another part of her was curious as to how she could do it. Of course, at the moment, the question of Natsuki doing it was unnecessary as Shizuru seemed to be the one leading and quite masterfully at that.
Shizuru then assumed balancing the bike as she ran her hands back down Natsuki's trembling torso, unbuttoning the single button as she went down to her thighs then stroking her way back up, one hand gliding over the apex of her parted legs while the other continued up to give attention to her left breast. With one hand, she skillfully undid the front clasp of her black lace bra and pressed her hand into the flesh of her breast. The cool air made the girl's nipple poke into the palm of her hand.
The other hand continued to lightly tease the space between her legs through the tight leather. A low whimper came breathily from Natsuki's throat. At that, Shizuru's pace increased slightly, using the whole length of her fingers as well as adding additional pressure from her fingertips. She could feel the smaller woman's body rocking gently in sync with her rhythm. She twisted her nipple between her thumb and middle finger as she continued.
Natsuki grabbed the support bar at Shizuru's seat, leaning herself on it so she wouldn't fall totally back as her back arched and a sharp, short moan erupted from her panting chest. Shizuru held her tighter, making sure she didn't lose balance. Her lips moved to the nape of her neck, eliciting a small groan from the other girl. Of course, these ministrations weren't enough to bring the younger girl over the edge, but it was certainly enough to keep her hanging for more.
Shizuru, pushing the girl back upright with her shoulders, maneuvered her to try and stand up as she undid her pants from behind. Pulling them down as much as would be allowed (which wasn't much further than the upper part of her thighs, though that was enough), she, standing up, held the bike between her legs and brought her lips up to Natsuki's ear. Shizuru could hear her trembling breath though her slacked mouth. She exhaled her hot breath over Natsuki's earlobe before taking it between her lips again.
"Shizuru, this…" She wasn't allowed to finish as a gasp overcame her words to the touch of Shizuru's hand caressing her naked length from behind her. A shuddered moan escaped her lips as Shizuru's dainty middle finger stroked her length, her forefinger soon joining it. Natsuki, her knees nearly buckling, forced herself to lean forward and grab her handlebars for support. Luckily the released brake kept it from going anywhere.
Shizuru looked down at her stiffening yet weakening high school love and flustered even more than she already had. Here she was bending her once-called lover over her own bike, about to take her. They had been in positions similar to this before, over tables and countertops, but not in such a manner as this. Her fingers continued to lightly stroke her moistened depths, just touching her most sensitive bundle of nerves. Natsuki inhaled, her eyes just barely closing, like they have been ever since Shizuru started touching her. She felt Shizuru lean over her and slip an arm around her waist, helping to keep her stable as she adjusted her fingers. Just when Natsuki thought the ministrations were going to continue as they were, she gasped loudly and released a droned feminine moan as she felt the two fingers slide back and enter her.
"Ohh, Natsuki…" Shizuru droned breathily at the feeling of Natsuki's hot, already constricting walls around her fingers. She pressed her fingers against her front wall as she began to stroke her, her slickness providing easy penetration so as not to hurt her. She tried to go in as deep as she could as she slowly increased her speed. The parting of her legs between the bike gave power to the friction Shizuru's experienced fingers delivered. She felt and saw Natsuki trying to match the rhythm, her deep sapphire hair slowly sliding over her shoulders with every thrust. Whether she was doing it unconsciously or consciously she wasn't sure, but her throaty groans made Shizuru's own legs weaken. Under the garage light, she could see sweat just starting to glisten on the skin of her lower back beneath her shirt.
Natsuki couldn't hold back her low, inconsistent moans strangling between her clinched teeth as she continued to feel Shizuru stroke her with increasing vigor. Every time she knew Shizuru felt her tighten around her, the older woman would slip in and out faster until the wave subsided; each time this happened a high, feminine moan forced itself from her active lungs, making her hiss between her teeth as she inhaled.
Her body wouldn't stop shaking; her palms began to sweat around the rubber handles and found it increasingly difficult to keep herself from slipping, much less keep her wits about her long enough to keep herself from collapsing onto her bike altogether. She felt Shizuru's piano fingers press harder against her front wall and push deeper inside her. She released a short, gruff cry strangling from her throat, her head throwing back and her hands gripping the handles tighter. She felt her walls tighten and her muscles begin to stiffen as she felt something take over, something feral.
Suddenly, she pulled herself from Shizuru's hold around her waist and turned around on the bike. Shizuru just watched her, not moving, surprised at her sudden movement. Natsuki's cloudy, darkened green eyes stared right back at her as both girls panted and both flushed. Natsuki was still visibly trembling but her expression was defiant despite her hazed senses.
Before Shizuru could utter a word, Natsuki reached for her black blouse and, gripping the buttoned opening with both hands, tore it open, sending the buttons flying in every which direction. They could hear them lightly bounce off Shizuru's car next to them, off the walls and onto the floor. Natsuki often wasn't like this – in fact it was rare as she was usually much more careful and slow – but when she was, Shizuru found it all the more enticing because she would know then that she had taken Natsuki to a level of desire that was insatiable. When she was like this, Natsuki would either start begging for more or would send Shizuru into a frenzy that would leave her screaming. Of course, the only other time she had torn off a piece of clothing was the day that she wore the red lace bra. Many people may not believe that the younger girl could act in such a way, but on one hand she wasn't very surprised when she thought about Natsuki's naturally defiant, strong and sometimes rebellious attitude. Granted, the first time the ocher-haired girl saw her like this, it did leave her a bit surprised, but that didn't necessarily mean she disliked it; especially not after Natsuki brought her to a high that she had never achieved before.
"Natsuki!" Shizuru felt herself grin in breathless excitement as she watched the darkened green eyes bore right into her own heated ones. Natsuki's hands went to Shizuru's waist as she pulled her body to her, capturing her lips hungrily. Shizuru's hand went behind Natsuki's neck, pushing her lips harder against her own, her tongue licking the younger girl's lips until they readily parted. Shizuru released a high, feminine moan as she felt Natsuki's tongue caress her own as it entered her mouth hotly. Her breath caught and shuddered as she felt Natsuki's sweaty hands roam up her naked stomach and up to gently squeeze her breasts. She pressed herself harder into her hands as she threw her arms around the younger girl's neck, her tongue still fighting for seductive dominance.
Blindly, Natsuki quickly pulled out the kickstand with her booted foot for extra support. She then reached down and pulled Shizuru's thighs over her own. The older woman wrapped her legs around the younger girl's waist, pulling her even closer. Natsuki broke from the kiss and began to kiss down her neck. The way she was lavishing her neck, Shizuru knew that she may wake up with a painful mark the next morning. She, of course, didn't mind however as she felt the lips, tongue and teeth nibble their way down to her collarbone. She groaned as she felt Natsuki lick her at the base of her throat and continue downward. The hands moved around to the base of her back as she frantically kissed her down to her right breast, taking her nipple into her mouth. Shizuru threw her hands behind her, her long chestnut hair thrown over her shoulders as she held onto the handle at the end of the bike.
Here, Natsuki was softer, knowing that she was sensitive there. Shizuru brought up one hand and nestled it into Natsuki's soft blue tresses. Her breaths kept catching with every lick and suckle Natsuki's small mouth administered onto her. Her tongue flicked her hardened nub. "N-Natsuki." She breathed, her head falling back in abandon before rolling it forward and pressing her lips to Natsuki's hair. "You… You know what I-mnh!" She bit her lip as she felt Natsuki suck her hard into her mouth for a second. She absently began to grind herself against Natsuki's midsection. "You know what I want you to do. Please…" She threw her head back again as the girl gently bit down. She inhaled sharply. "Oh Natsuki!" She felt the younger girl turn and take herself off the bike, turning Shizuru with her.
The younger girl made her stand and removed her pants and heels. She almost let out a soft cry as Natsuki playfully pulled on the elastic of her lace panties with her teeth before removing them with her hands. Natsuki made it so the older girl would lean her body against the slightly-leaning bike as she placed herself between her legs again, her lips trailing over her stomach. She lavished attention there, making Shizuru gasp with every soft spot Natsuki hit on her abdomen. Her abdominal muscles twitched as she kissed the muscle underneath her breast and underneath her bellybutton, the girl's gifted tongue making small circles over the areas. When it came to this sort of attention, Natsuki was much more sensitive as her muscles were a bit more developed. Shizuru loved to do this to her whenever she got the chance; she was very responsive.
Shizuru felt the small tongue dip into her bellybutton. "Oh," She braced her hands on the seat of the bike as Natsuki lifted her legs over her shoulders, taking a good portion of her weight with the seat acting as an aide. "Natsuki, yes, please…" She felt her breath and lips mingle together as they finally lowered to where she greatly wanted her to be. She seemed to hover there, making Shizuru nearly whimper. She was throbbing and she knew Natsuki must see her pulsate.
"You're…" Natsuki breathed, gazing at her parted lips and knew that even though she hasn't even touched her there, she's already so close to brought over the edge.
"Natsuki please don't me mean to me." Shizuru's plea came out rushed in one quick breath. She looked down at her with shining, desperate eyes.
Natsuki looked up at her, and began to kiss her inner thigh at an agonizing speed, slowly coming closer and closer to her soft flesh. Shizuru inhaled as she gripped the hard cushion of the bike's seat. She breathed her name again just before she finally felt a soft, strong tongue caress her length. She threw her head back and moaned loudly. A few more strong strokes and she found herself almost falling off if Natsuki hadn't risen up and caught her. Shizuru threw her arms around her instinctively. They both looked at each other and chuckled.
Natsuki, after now remembering to remove her own pants, took Shizuru back in her arms and turned her so that she would sit facing the back of the bike. Natsuki climbed back on, centered the bike between her thighs and, once again, lifted Shizuru's thighs above her own. Only this time, she pressed herself between them, making Shizuru's eyes close and her breath catch. Shizuru's hands grasped her sides.
Holding onto the bike's chassis behind Shizuru and her feet planted on the ground, Natsuki began to grind herself against the apex of Shizuru's legs, pulling on the bike for extra thrust. Shizuru's legs wrapped back around her waist as Natsuki continued to grind against her.
Shizuru moaned inconsistently even though they were managing to keep their rhythm. Natsuki brought her hips high enough to feel the hood of her clitoris pressing repeatedly against the older woman's wet lips, making her soft moans match Shizuru's. All three began to rock in time. Shizuru began to whimper as Natsuki pulled harder on the bike, helping her to thrust harder against her. The older woman brought up a hand and teased the younger girl's nipple, spurring another droning moan and arching her back. Natsuki leaned down and took her left nipple into her mouth. Shizuru's breath hitched, feeling overcome as her senses overwhelmed her.
"Shizuru, I…"
She felt the other girl bite her skull. "Natsuki!" Her breath came harder and harder, her legs tightening around her more and more. The younger girl then pushed her down to lie on her bike. Now, she knew Shizuru was going to get more pleasure than herself as she had to keep balance, but she didn't care. It wasn't too painful for Shizuru, she knew, as the rise she gave her on her thighs helped her off the seat and instead press her hips into Natsuki's. The younger girl grabbed the handlebars again and, like with the chassis, pulled back on the bike to help her thrust as her body shook against Shizuru's. She faintly heard the wheels squeak back and forth.
Her hips grinded her up and down, caressing her entire center against her. She tried to ignore the beginnings of cramping in her calves as she felt the streak of wetness from beneath her bellybutton to her pelvic bone. For Shizuru, it felt like her core had become a wild furnace. The taller girl tried in vain to control her rapid breathing, letting her head fall, her hair draping over the dashboard as she released Natsuki's back and grabbed onto whatever pipes she could find. The bike still felt warm within her hands as she felt it move rhythmically with Natsuki's arms on either side of her. She could feel Natsuki's sweat of her chest against her own. The rippling of her muscles was enough to make herself want to press more sensually against the exerting girl above her. Natsuki's lips caressed whatever skin she could along her breastbone. Shizuru's body began to tremble and her hips gyrated wildly. She could tell that the coil within her was beginning to tighten to its maximum resistance. Her moans came low and heavy, steadily increasing in octave until her breath hitched, then exhaled hard then hitched again. A hand flew to the younger girl's name and pushed her harder onto her until her back finally arched and a cry came through her throat, Natsuki's name breathily following.
Shizuru's eyes closed tightly as her head turned to the side, her breaths still sporadic and her muscles tense while Natsuki prolonged her orgasm by continuing her thrusts for a few more seconds till the more athletic girl began to feel the woman beneath her slowly begin to sink onto her bike. She released a heavy sigh around her quick breaths, her grip on the woman above her as well as on the bike slowly loosening.
Natsuki looked down at her and found herself in awe. She never thought she would see her best friend and partner draped across her bike, naked, flushed and gasping for air. The garage light rolled over her slick skin as her chest rose and fell. She slipped an arm around her and slowly pulled her up and into her arms. The heat and perspiration from Shizuru's body left an outline of fog on her gas tank. Shizuru rose and wrapped both her arms around her, nuzzling her hair at her neck. She cooed, much like she did when Natsuki would pull her softly into her arms in their bed after a difficult day.
"You," Shizuru whispered hoarsely into her neck, "You never let me finish taking you." She stated with a hint of regret.
Natsuki smiled. "I told you – I wanted to make it up to you. Also, consider this your reward for working so hard." She kissed the area of her cheek just before her ear.
Shizuru chuckled around her soft sigh. "Oh Natsuki, this surpasses a simple reward. It was an amazing gift." She looked at her, her eyes still a shining, deep wine red through her recovery. "And I hope to experience it again sometime, perhaps with you being a bit more submissive." She winked. Her breath was still heavy, caressing Natsuki's lips. Her light bangs clung to her forehead.
Natsuki gave her an exasperated look. "I don't think I'd have the strength, whether I was submissive or not."
Shizuru giggled. "Was I perhaps too much for you?" The younger girl only let her head fall back as she sighed, releasing her own exhaustion from her efforts. The older woman laughed before clucking her tongue and giving her another hug. "Well then, perhaps we should retire… oh." She stiffened.
Natsuki cocked a brow. "Hm?" She looked in Shizuru's direction, her hand in her hair. Shizuru pulled back and she saw the crimson eyes glance up at her in soft amusement. The eyebrow cocked higher still as the eyes looked behind her. She turned to look over her shoulder and her eyes became saucers, her pupils contracting. She screamed. 'The-The-The garage door!!" In the throes of their passion, Natsuki completely forgot to shut their garage door, perhaps leaving all they had done for others to see. She clamored off her bike and hurriedly pressed the button by their door. Shizuru stepped off the bike leisurely as it closed – she wasn't very concerned as there was nothing across from them besides a row of tall, thick bushes.
Shizuru noticed that Natsuki had stopped breathing. She looked back to her and found her eyes still quite wide, staring onto the concrete below her, her back leaning against the cool wood of the door. The older woman's giggle was almost silent. "I doubt anyone saw, Natsuki. You shouldn't worry."
Natsuki's composure still wouldn't return. 'Oh god. What if someone drove by?? What if someone taped it?? I'll probably walk into work with that pervert Hiroshi telling me he found an online porn video entitled 'Busty Babe Bangs Blue-Haired Broad on Bike'…' Her face turned bright red. She felt herself about to sink when Shizuru caught her.
"Natsuki, come, let's go to bed." She laughed despite herself as Natsuki groaned as she turned. Shizuru grabbed the handle and turned it.
It took a few more minutes for Natsuki to regain her composure with Shizuru's help. The older woman gave her wife a glass of cold water, which Natsuki downed. She pressed the cool glass to her heated face and breathed, trying to clear her mind of her quick conclusions. "You…" She cleared her throat of its hoarseness. "You wanted me to play for you?" She breathed. She could hardly concentrate after her minor heart attack let alone all of their actions in the garage, so she wasn't even sure she could play now, but she figured she might as well ask if she still wanted her to. She was pretty certain she wasn't going to look at her bike the same way again, now that her mind and body had become more collected.
Shizuru turned to her and smiled charmingly with a touch of suggestiveness. "Are you able?"
Natsuki turned to her and shrugged, "Well, how about you go up to bed and I'll meet you there." Shizuru looked at her with the same smile and curious eyes before doing as she suggested, touching her fleetingly on the small of her back and kissing her naked shoulder as she passed.
Shizuru walked up and found Duran lying on their blue comforter. She chuckled as she slipped in, him quickly getting the hint that the bed was about to be fully occupied and hopped off. The cool sheets felt good against her still warm flesh. She relaxed into the sheets and soft cushion. Her thoughts returned to the events just moments ago on the bike and she sighed a schoolgirl sigh. She never thought Natsuki would agree to such a thing, knowing how much of her heart she placed into it. Shizuru smirked. Then again, she didn't really give her much choice, thinking how easily Natsuki had fallen into the depths of physical passion. Shizuru knew then that Natsuki's body must have longed for her touch as much as her own body did. Such a thing had been very long overdue, she felt.
Soon she heard Natsuki follow into the room. She looked at her and found her naked with her guitar in her hand. Shizuru smiled brightly. "Is Natsuki going to serenade me?" The light of the moon through their window on the girl's naked body and reflecting off the polished surface of the guitar and strings made her gaze at her almost awestruck. She looked so beautiful. Her hair falling around her shoulders and her childlike face hinted with speckles of green from her eyes made her look like a beautiful work of art. She could only image how she would look on a poster strumming her guitar wearing sexy clothing. Of course, what was presented before her was the best image she could ever get while naked in their bed.
"Maybe something like that." Natsuki seemed to smile her childlike smile as she slipped in. Shizuru instinctively came towards her and slid her hand over her stomach, laying her body against her. She rested her head deep into her shoulder. Natsuki, knowing she would do that, slipped her arm underneath her and grabbed the neck of her guitar, her other arm resting on her side, her hand lying on the body. She arranged her fingers over the strings and, after having gotten comfortable, began to strum a quiet piece.
Shizuru sighed as she smiled, wrapping her arm tighter around her. Her other arm slipped underneath the shoulder under her head. Her skin was creamy-soft and warm, and the song rang sweetly in her ears, making her eyes become heavy. Her eyes closed as she felt Natsuki kiss her hair at her forehead softly, her strumming never faltering.
"You're too good for me." Shizuru murmured into her collarbone.
Natsuki smiled ingratiatingly. "No, I just love you, that's all."
Shizuru reveled in Natsuki's simple reply.
