Me: As I know, you are probably confused about Natsuki and Nao's relationship
Mai: How do you know?
Me: …cause I am too!!
Natsuki: What the hell?!
Me: I don't think this shit through!! I don't even know the first word of this chapter, let alone how this is gonna end!!
Mai: And you keep writing?!
Me: …I get bored
Natsuki and Mai: -go off to discuss firing me-
Me: I need to start thinking these through..
Chapter 7 – Tripped
Just to start off, the weather was now starting to take a turn for the better. It was starting feel like spring again. Most of the snow had melted over the course of a week with the new found heat, the plants were blooming like crazy. The outside garden was a safe haven for bugs and small animals that fed off the flowers and fruit trees. The moods of all the house mates also seemed lighter as they got to know each other more and more each day. It was now a week since Nao had showed up. Her and Natsuki continue to grow close and Natsuki is ever the more clueless as the what the hell is going on. Idiot... Today's date: Sunday, March 21.
"Here ya go, Spider." Natsuki said, placing a plate off eggs and hash browns next in front of the girl and smiling at her.
Nao smiled back and quickly dug into the food, washing it down with a glass of this American Sunny D. Paper work done, sizes figured out, pay check sent; and she was a working girl. She had the uniform on and had taken a long, long bath last night and slept more than 14 hours in her new bed. She couldn't have been happier to get the job, and it was pretty damn fun too. "Thank, Mutt."
"Ara, is there a reason for the lovey dovey nick names?" Shizuru asked, watching the two girls. Natsuki rolled her eyes as Nao turned the slightest shade of pink. Glowering a bit at the red head, she raised her brows as if expecting an answer. Now.
Mai came between them and shook her head, "I heard this story this morning from Natsuki, Shizuru, so no need to worry. Apparently before bed a few days ago when Nao first got here, they talked a bunch. Natsuki's favorite animal is a dog, Nao's is a spider. Mutt and Spider are their names to tease each other." she said, placing a place in front of the only other person there.
Reito wasn't present. He hadn't come home that night since he discovered he was past due on his latest deadline for a drawing of a Panda. Mr. Fujino loves pandas and had demanded a chibi drawing by the end of the week (...shrugs...). Although, his relationship with Nao wasn't as strained as his and Natsuki's. They were in the early forms of friendship.
Shizuru nodded at the explanation and grinned slightly in victory. She already knew that Natsuki's favorite animal as a dog. And her favorite dog was a husky. And if she ever got one she would name it Duran because that's the one word she remembered about her parents. 'I wonder when her birthday is,,,' Shizuru thought to herself, already picturing her and Natsuki kissing with a puppy on their laps, rings on their fingers and a fireplace in the background. Yea... a fireplace would be nice...
"Oh, Fujino." Nao started. But she stopped to gulp down the rest of her drink and swallow the food in her mouth before speaking to her boss, "I talked about it with Mai and Natsuki and we think it would be best if I was a gardener instead of a regular maid."
"She's good, 'Zuru." Natsuki said, pointing to the small growing plant back at the window sill that never got any light. "Mai tried for months to get that thing to grow. Nao's been here a week and it's already gone from yellow and blah to green and nice. She's really smart with that stuff." she said, shooting a grin over to Nao before turning her attention to Shizuru again.
Catching the grin and the slight blush it caused on the red head's cheeks, Shizuru nodded and stared at Nao long and hard. "Well since my Natsuki speaks so highly of you, Yuuki-san, I think we can make a deal. We shall have a trial. One week cleaning the unused rooms of this house as a regular maid and one week being a gardener. Which ever you do a better job at is what your job will permanently be as long as you stay here."
"I'll be the judge!" Natsuki said quickly, grinning at the Fujino with a grin in place.
Mai rolled her eyes in response and put her hands on her hip, "I'll be the judge! You'd just do whatever would make Nao happy."
"Nu uh!" Natsuki whined, glaring back at her friend, "I can be a fair judge! I can be honest!"
"Actually, I'd rather Mai be the judge, Natsuki-kun." Shizuru said, nibbling on her eggs. She giggled when Natsuki gave her an exasperated look and looked down at her plate and pouting.
Nao just nodded in agreement and went back to eating her food. Over the last week, she couldn't help but notice something. That Shizuru was hopelessly in love with her girlfriend! Okay well... it was a bit early for titles and they never talked about it and had only shared a bed once and never actually did anything couple-like and only kissed a couple times and only acted as friends and...... they weren't together. Yet! Nao was working on changing that. Soon.
"Well, I should be getting to work in my office." Shizuru said, finishing her food and standing up. Mai quickly took her plates and glass away to the sink to be washed. Nao watched as Natsuki gave the woman a look of longing and Shizuru giving her stronger one right back, "I'll be back down for lunch as soon as possible."
Natsuki nodded and bit her bottom lip. She glanced at Nao and for a split second, their eyes met. It looked as if she was fighting a battle with herself and was trying to make up her mind. Making the face of someone that had had an epiphany, Natsuki released her lip and walked up to the Fujino, standing very close to her, "Get your work done early, okay, babe?"
Glancing at the red head that was watching her intently, Shizuru looked at the bluenette with wide eyes, "Natsuki, I don't we should b-" she started, but was cut off when one of the other woman's hands wound its way into her hair and pulled her down for a kiss.
Nao straightened in shock and stared as her crush and her boss made out in front of her. Her entire face dropped, her shoulders slouched and she fell further into her seat. Why was the girl she liked... totally ignoring her? Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Nao looked up to see Mai giving her a sad smile, "They say they're in love, you know..."
Nao just nodded and got up from her seat, walking past the couple and out of the room. She was pretty much dead to the world now...
Pulling away from the bitter sweet kiss, Shizuru looked at Natsuki in shock, "Why would you kiss me in front of Nao?! You know she likes you, and you have to take her shopping today!"
"She likes me?" Natsuki asked, looking between her love and Mai.
The two woman both face palmed. Mai moved forward and smacked Natsuki upside the head, "You didn't know?! Are you some sort of new mutated idiot?!"
"Ara, are you telling me you didn't notice how she looked at you, how she touched you, or how she always wanted to be around you?" Shizuru tried to reason. Did Natsuki really not know that she was leading the poor girl on? 'I even knew that they had kissed a few times over the last week, which bothered me but I held it in, and yet Natsuki couldn't tell the other girl's feelings?'
"..." Natsuki opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She didn't know! She didn't know how to be friends with people and not like them... the only person she was that close with was Mai, and was used to messing around like that. She thought it was normal for friends to do that. She was so socially challenged... "So wait... she does like me?" she asked again.
"Holy shit!" Mai exclaimed, throwing her hands up and exiting the room. Shizuru rolled her eyes and kissed the confused woman's cheek before smiling at her sadly, "Natsuki, be gentle when you let her down. She's young, so don't break her heart." she said, patting the girls shoulder and also leaving the room after Mai.
'Wait... I have to break her heart?! No, 'Zuru said not to break her heart, but does that mean that I have to break up with her?! We're not even going out! ...Are we? Are me and Shizuru going out? ...' Natsuki stopped her train of thought there. She kissed both Nao and Shizuru. She likes them. Well no, she was pretty sure she loved Shizuru and only liked Nao as a friend. But... they had... And 'Zuru was hotter... but Nao was younger... brain fart.
--
About 2 or 3 hours later, Natsuki sat on the couch watching TV. Her work for the day was done, she was wearing her favorite jeans and a black shirt with her white jacket, and she was waiting for Nao to come down. After everything that had happened, she still had to take the newest of them shopping for clothes and essentials.
Hearing foot steps coming down the hall, she jumped up in time to see Nao coming down the stairs in borrowed jeans and a red shirt, "Hey, Nao! The car is ready if you want to -"
"Let's just get this over with, womanizer." Nao spat, shoving past her and out the front door.
"I'm not a womanizer..." Natsuki muttered, exiting the door and closing it behind her. She followed the girl to the car to see Johnson sitting in the front seat already. They got in the back and left for a very awkward ride to the strip mall. On the way, Natsuki was positive that if was nice enough, Nao could forgive her, "So, Reito being an ass?"
"Nope." Nao answered, her attention out the window.
No? The hell... "No? He's been trying to sleep with Mai for months. What are you..."
"I don't fuck my boss." Nao said, crossing her legs and her arms.
'...That one I deserved.' Natsuki thought. This wasn't going any where... not soon it wasn't. "So, do you think you'll do better as a maid or a gardener?"
"Gardener."
"Is it fun?"
"Yup."
"You like Shizuru?"
"Yup."
"Mai?"
"Even more yup."
"Reito?"
"Awesome."
Fuck this. Natsuki crossed her arms and slouched down in her chair until she felt her shoulders hitting the back of the seat. Johnson chuckled at his place in the front seat and slowed the car, pulling to a stop in a reserved stop. "We're here, ladies."
Nao scoffed and got out of the car as fast as she could, walking through the crowd. Natsuki sighed and got out after her, looking back to Johnson, "We'll be back in a few hours. You don't have to stay if you don't want to."
Johnson winked at her and turned off the car, pulling out a small iPod and a magazine, "You'll be dragging her back into the car to figure it out in less than an hour, or so I'm guessing."
Natsuki grinned and nodded, "Is that a bet?" she asked, raising her brows. Johnson raised his back. "...2000 yen"
"Double it and it's a deal." Johnson said, smirking back.
--
43 minutes later
--
"In the car now!" Natsuki yelled, pointing to the car. Inside, Johnson sat chuckling. Nao shook her head at the woman and crossed her arms, shifting her weight onto one foot. Natsuki opened the door to her and pointed to the interior, "Get in the fucking car, girl, or you won't wake up tomorrow."
Nao stood there for a moment, wondering if Natsuki was serious. She wasn't serious, was dead serious. Nao's resolve wavered until she finally gave up and ducked down, sliding onto the seat. Natsuki grinned and glanced to her left for a brief second. Taking a double take, she saw a Mom with her two kids. Twins. They were staring at her forcing an under aged girl into a black car with blacked out windows. She smiled at them and got in the car quickly, shutting the door. "Johnson, drive around the parking lot." she said, rolling up the windows to aviod the awkward stares the family was giving her.
"Sure, I'll just collect my 4000 yen later." he said smugly, rolling up the sound proof glass and driving away from the curb.
Growling at him under her breath, Natsuki turned to the pissed off girl next to her and took a deep breath, which was enough to get the girls attention. Nao looked to her with sad, angry eyes and a glare. Natsuki glared right back, "What did I do?! I know I did something and I'm sorry, Nao, I just want us to be friends again!"
Nao paused and turned to look out the window, her leg shaking in anxiety, "I never even wanted us to be friends. I want to be your girlfriend." she said, ending in a near whispered.
Choking on her own breath, Natsuki's eyes widened. What... she did like her? Shizuru and Mai were right... "I-I didn't know..."
"Obviously! Why... W-Why would you say all those compliments and teases? And we cuddled that night and we always seemed to kiss, and I thought you liked me back! Than I find out your fucking Fujino!" Nao yelled, turning her head and glaring at the girl with tear filled eyes.
Natsuki sank back into her chair with an expressionless face, "I'm sorry. And I just want you to know I'm still a virgin." she said, narrowing her eyes. "It's the rules. We're allowed to love each other, and can't have sex. I can never love her like I want to."
This time, it was Nao's eyes that widened. She got up and moved to sit next to Natsuki, looking at the girl pleadingly, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't- I didn't know, I just thought that you would have. I was so mad I actually thought you were sleeping with her to get a higher pay or something; I'm so sorry. Look... I'm tired of this, too. It's hard to be mad at you when you've really done nothing wrong. Let's just stop the – whatever we were doing and get back to being friends. Please?"
"Thanks Nao." Natsuki grinned, pulling the girl into a hug.
--
"No."
"Yes."
"We just became friends again, and you want to test it with this?"
"But it's my favorite thing to do..."
"You have a lot of fetishes, huh?"
"Shut up, and get in that store."
Nao groaned and followed the order, walking into Victoria's Secret with a frown planted firmly on her face. Natsuki grinned and followed the girl inside, stopping her at the door, "So how much underwear do you have?"
"...The pair in wearing and another." Nao said, blushing and looking around. Girls were going through the racks and piles of panties and bras, and a few guys were there either with their girls and just looking around. For girls, of course. Oh no wait... there were two with hot pink shirts and popped collars. What were the- oooooh...
Natsuki followed her line of sight and grinned at the guys, "Thongs." she said simply. Nao blushed harder and buried her face in the girls arm. Natsuki laughed loudly and started to pat the girls back, "I'll go get us some water from that pretzel shop, and you pick out some stuff. I'll be back in five minutes." she said, worming her way out of the girl's grasp and leaving the pink colored store.
'Don't leave me alone...' Nao whimpered in her head, pouting and watching the woman walk away.
Natsuki chuckled to herself and caught the familiar smell of Wetzel's Pretzels, turning to head in that direction. After standing in a small line, she the sight of small spunky and sorta shocked looking blonde, "Natsuki?"
"Hey! Alyssa!" Natsuki exclaimed, grinning widely at the girl. Thought the girl worked at the food store, huh? Yea, she seems to be every where these days when it comes to an easy job with great pay. And yes, Wetzel's Pretzels and great pay!!
Alyssa grinned back and repressed the urge to go around the counter and hug the girl, "Hey how've you been, you've never called me." she asked, remembering that she had given her number to the woman in the hopes of a date.
"Sorry about that... You know. Didn't write down the number, took a shower, bye Alyssa." Natsuki said, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "Actually I uh... sorta have a girlfriend now." she nodded.
Alyssa bit her lip and nodded, "Who?"
"...Oh you know. Uhhh, S-Shizuru Fujino." Natsuki said. Would it be bad if people found out about them? Again, another question popped into her head. Where her and Shizuru even going out? "Um, no. I take that back, we're not together."
Alyssa sighed and nodded happily. At least she wasn't dating the woman she liked wasn't dating the most beautiful and most powerful coman in the whole city, "Well there are a few guys behind you kind of glaring the hell out of me, so what'll it be?"
"Oh yea, I came here for food and not to talk to a pretty girl." Natsuki joked. Her and Alyssa laughed for a bit until a throat was cleared behind them. "Ummm right.. Two waters."
"Two? Here with that sorta girlfriend?" Alyssa asked, grabbing two waters and ringing them up.
Natsuki paid and shook her head. "Just a friend, I'll introduce her to you after we're done, okay?"
"Yea sure." Alyssa nodded. Natsuki nodded back and took off in the direction of Victoria's secret again. When she got there, she saw Nao holding a small pile of random stuff in her hands. Nao came over to her, blush still in place, and held out the stuff. "Kay, let's pay and go."
"No." Natsuki deadpanned. She handed Nao the bottles and took the clothes, looking over each and every one with a trained eye. "None of the bras and panties match. I'll help then we can guess your size. These American stores and everywhere now, and their sizes make no fucking sense."
Nao could only nod and follow Natsuki around as the woman led her though the racks and piles, picking out a single item at a time and telling the girl how to tell if they've been tried on before, how frilly a single pair should be, and how possible it would be to find a match in this store. They went through the entire store a total of 5 times, ending up with 10 pairs (a starting number to Natsuki, until next week), and a few people even thought Natsuki was a worker there and asks for the same help Nao was getting.
At least two hours later, they were done and paid for and ready. They called Johnson and sat on a bench waiting for him to come around and pick them up. Apparently he went for a burger... Nao looked down at the pink bag at her feet and grinned slightly before looking to the other bags that were a clutter around them. They went on a shopping spree pretty much. "Johnson's here." Natsuki muttered beside her.
They stood as the black car approached them. "Hey, Natsuki? Umm... thanks for everything." Nao said, looking up at the older woman.
Natsuki grinned and wrapped am arm around the girl, pulling her in for a brief hug before Johnson pulled up, "Anytime, Nao. And thanks for letting us be friends again."
Nao nodded and picked up a few of the bags, "No problem. Let's go home."
The whole way home, the girls talked and laughed and acted as friends should. Because at his point, they were soul friends. Driving up to the house, Johnson stopped a bit away from the house due to some set backs. He rolled down the screen and turned back towards the girls, "Ladies, there seems to be a problem."
Natsuki stopped chuckling long enough to look at him with a grin, "What, something happen to the car?"
Johnson shook his head and took a deep breath, "Miss Kuga, there's an ambulance blocking the drive way."
The car fell into a dead silence for a few seconds. Nao sat in shock before opening the door and moving out of the way so that Natsuki could rush by her. The bluenette jumped out of the car and ran up the rest of the way, sprinting across the lawn and into the house. She burst into the kitchen to see Reito on his knees, a rag in hand and a bucket of red water next to him. Reito looked up and paused, looking down at the blood around him. "Natsuki.. I-"
"Where's Mai?" Natsuki demanded, venom dripping from every word. She stood there, shaking in her shoes, trying to keep her anger in check and wondering where her best friend was. Reito only stayed silent. "You fucker, where is she?!" the woman yelled, tears falling from her eyes.
"She's upstairs with Shizuru, my uncle and the doctor." Reito said, getting back to cleaning up the blood stained floor around him.
Natsuki wasted no time in running out the door, by passing Nao and going up the stairs. She stopped at the top to see two paramedics talking outside her bedroom. Running down the hall and bursting into the room, Natsuki felt her heart beak at what she saw.
A deathly pale Mai was lying on the bed, an oxygen mask over her mouth with a portable tank beside the bed. A doctor stood there staring at her, as were Shizuru and Mr. Fujino. "What the fuck happened?!" she screamed, storming over to the doctor and jabbing a finger in his chest, "What are you doing to her?!"
Placing a hand on her loved one's shoulder, Shizuru tried to reason with the out of control woman, "Natsuki, please cal-"
"Don't fucking touch me!" Natsuki screamed, slapping the offending hand away. Shizuru recoiled and held her hand to her chest at the harshness in the woman's voice and the force behind the slap. Where was her Natsuki puppy? Where was the woman she fell for? Who was this..?
"Restrain her!" the doctor yelled. The two paramedics stormed into the room and grabbed her arms from behind, trying to hold the woman down as she thrashed about. Natsuki tried to get away and begged them to stop, but they held her tight and forced her down to her knees. At that, she lost her will. Natsuki let her shoulders slump and hung her head in defeat.
What was going on? Why was Reito cleaning up blood? What happened to Mai? Had Tate showed up? That must have been it. Tate showed up angry and drunk and decided to come over and stab her best friend. The baby... shit. If she lost that baby, someone was going to die. Natsuki got her will power back at that. That baby better be safe!
She jumped up and lifted her leg, kneeing one of the men in the stomach. Mr. Fujino turned to the doctor and nodded, "Subdue her." he said with no emotion at all.
Shizuru watched in horror as Natsuki had her face pushed into the ground. The doctor pulled out a syringe with a clear liquid and jammed it into Natsuki's neck roughly, draining it into her blood stream. They held her there only for a few seconds before her thrashing stopped and she was knocked unconscious. Mr. Fujino sighed deeply and nodded to the two men, "Take her to my daughter's room."
The men nodded and picked her up, exiting the room.
Turning to her father, Shizuru glared at the man with as much hate as she could muster at the time. The woman she loved was just beaten and subdued, and he didn't do a damn thing! He gave them the order, even! "How could you let them do that?!"
"Don't yell and me, Shizuru. Know your place." her father replied, not even looking at his only child.
Feeling her anger flare, Shizuru stood her ground and moved in front of the man, "I love her! How could you let them do that to her you old bag?!"
"I said control yourself!" the old man yelled, his face turning a bright red. Shizuru cringed back at the sight. Her father was never this angry. He was usually so calm and collected, this was another side of him. She'd only seen him this angry when... her mother left. That was a dark time in her childhood. He was a monster back then.
Mai, Nao, and her Natsuki. What was gonna happen?
--
Downstairs, Reito had cleaned up the mess and had explained everything to Nao. They didn't have the details or why it happened, but Mai collapsed in a pool of blood coming from an unknown source. Nao broke down at the news, and for once in a long time, Reito was a complete gentleman when he comforted her. He held her and rubbed her back, being strong for the both of them as the woman they had both grown so close to was near death upstairs.
Pregnancy Compications. That's what the doctor called it. The secret was out. Everything was on the table, everyone was on edge, and Mai's baby was in trouble.
All: -gaping at me-
Me: ...
Mai: WHAT THE FUCK?!
Natsuki: YEA!!
Nao: FUCK YEA!
Shizuru: ...
Me: ...Ummmmm I don't know?
Natsuki: You start this not know what's gonna happen and you end up with a cliff hanger like that?!
Me: I guess?
Nao: -locks me in the closer- YOU ARE SO FIRED!!
Me: -pounds on door- No! I'll be good!! I swear! No more blood! Okay well... actaully...
Mai: NO! No more!!
Me: ...SUBDUE THEM!!
All: o.o
Doctor: -grins-
The Poll for "Who Mai should be with at the end of this" in CLOSED!!! According to the results you should expect our winner, MIKOTO, to be added to the staff in chapter 10. 9 If you beg.
Results:
Mikoto: 26 voters. 68%
Reito: 7 voters. 18%
Alyssa: 3 voters. 7%
Chie: 2 voters. 5%
Tate: 0 voters. 0%
38 voters total