#20:
She Ain't You.
Natsuki didn't know what exactly she did wrong, but she did know one thing; Shizuru and her apparent attitude paired with her already volatile mood swings were beginning to get on her nerves. It was almost like the brunette didn't know if she was mad at her or not because literally, one minute she was running her nails teasingly up and down Natsuki's thigh, and another she was swatting her retaliating digits away.
They were currently walking home after a grueling day at school. Namiko's house was actually closer to the school than her father's had been. They could walk at a snail's pace and still be able to walk through the door within the hour. They weren't talking, which was odd enough. Usually, Natsuki would already have been on the receiving end of her girlfriend's immaculate teasing, but Shizuru wasn't even walking beside her.
She was a few steps ahead, about two arm lengths out of reach. Her purse hung loosely on her wrist. She could see her girlfriend's nude matte nails furiously tapping against the screen of her iPhone. She was probably telling whoever she was talking to how (apparently) Natsuki pissed her off.
This is stupid, Natsuki thought, rolling her eyes. What's the point of giving me the silent treatment? That really doesn't solve anything. If I did something wrong just tell me so I can fix it…
The dark-haired young woman's foot shot out slightly to kick an offending pebble out of her path. It softly nicked the left side of Shizuru's Armani heel. She threw Natsuki an agitated look over her shoulder. Natsuki just shrugged.
What could she possibly be mad about? I haven't done anything to her. Maybe its her hormones that's got her so irritated… I mean, she is pregnant. Whatever, guess it's better to just leave her alone. Don't feel like getting yelled at.
They reached the house about ten minutes after the rock incident. Her grandmother's car wasn't parked out front like it usually was; she must still be out. Nao would probably be back some time later if she planned on coming home at all. She doubted it, though. Nao usually stayed at Nina's (unbeknownst to her parents) on weekdays.
Shizuru fished her keys out of her purse and unlocked the door. Duran excitedly greeted them as soon as they set foot inside the house. Shizuru mewled affectionately and kneeled down to scratch the chipper canine behind his ears. Natsuki awkwardly stepped around her and set her backpack down by the table before plopping down on the couch. She leaned back and kicked her legs up on the coffee table.
Shizuru refused to even look at her at this point. She ignored Natsuki in favor of Duran, who seemed to toss her smug looks over his shoulder every now and then. Natsuki's eye twitched. How long was this going to drag on? She absolutely loathed the silent treatment.
She grabbed the remote from in between the couch cushions and switched on the TV. Shingeki no Kyojin was on, but it was an episode she'd already seen so she wasn't really paying any attention to it. Shizuru eventually dismissed Duran and disappeared up the steps. The husky whined at the loss, then turned to Natsuki. He gave a series of short, excited barks, and promptly leapt up on the couch beside her.
"Oh, now that she's not giving you attention you want to come over here after you just ignored my existence." Natsuki raised an eyebrow. Duran's ears drooped a little; he had the decency to look ashamed. "Nope, not going to work," she said firmly after looking at his crestfallen expression.
However, after a few adorable moments of him bumping his forehead into her uninjured shoulder, she relented and stroked his chin. "You're lucky you're cute," Natsuki muttered. Duran licked her cheek and rested his head in her lap with a content huff. They sat there for about fifteen minutes before the lack of noise began to make Natsuki uncomfortable. Even though she believed she hadn't done anything wrong, it still bothered her knowing that Shizuru was upset at her.
"Sorry boy," Natsuki lifted the dog's head out of her lap and placed a compensating pillow under his chin, "But duty calls."
He whined, but made no move to follow the dark-haired human. Natsuki slipped out of her shoes and deposited them by the side of the staircase before jogging up the wooden steps. "Shizuru?" she knocked on her bedroom door lightly. She didn't just want to just barge in; Shizuru could be naked for all she knew.
"Yes."
Yep, something's definitely up with her, Natsuki concluded after detecting the aggravated undertone in her girlfriend's voice. "Can I come in?"
"It is Natsuki's room."
The lack of Ara didn't go unnoticed by Natsuki. "Here goes nothing," she whispered to herself as she pushed the door open. "Okay, what's going on?"
"Hmm?" Shizuru didn't turn to face her. She was sitting on the edge of Natsuki's bed rubbing baby lotion on her belly. Her dress was folded neatly on a nearby chair, leaving her in just a fancy bra that her rapidly growing breasts were beginning to spill out of. Her hair was pulled up in probably the messiest, laziest bun Natsuki had ever seen on her, and positioned loosely on the side of her head.
Natsuki sheepishly scratched her neck and leaned against her dresser on the side of the room. "Are you okay? You seem agitated." Natsuki decided that was the safest way to approach the situation. She didn't want to start off on the wrong foot.
Shizuru snorted. She fucking snorted.
Natsuki's eyes widened; she'd never ever heard Shizuru utter such an unladylike noise. The look on Natsuki's face elicited a small chirp of amusement from the honey-blonde. "Does Natsuki have to make those faces?"
"Uhh," Natsuki opened and closed her mouth a few times, but nothing came out. She couldn't seem to formulate sentences.
Shizuru rolled her eyes (That's two!) and sautered over to the younger teen. Her index finger pushed firmly against Natsuki's mandible, effectively shutting her jaw for her. "Natsuki looks like a fish."
Natsuki frowned. Shizuru made a move to step away from her, but she grabbed her wrist and gently yanked her back to her former position. Shizuru's cheeks burned slightly at the sudden close proximity. They were literally nose to nose. And she realized Natsuki did grow a few inches in the last few weeks. She was now slightly taller.
Shizuru's breath warmed Natsuki's lips. Her good arm wrapped around Shizuru's waist, pulling her even closer until their bellies were pressed intimately against each other, and Shizuru's arms were trapped in between their chests. Natsuki's face was stern; her brows were furrowed and her eyes were intense. Her mouth was set into a pout that was equal parts sexy and adorable. Shizuru felt her insides melt; how quickly the tables have turned.
"What's your problem?" Natsuki's voice was deeper than usual, a result of trying to contain her frustration. "You've been acting weird ever since fourth period."
Shizuru's agitation returned full force after Natsuki's statement. She looked away. She'd been having a good day until she'd seen Natsuki talking to that girl, Aoi, or whatever her name was. (Just kidding, Shizuru knew her name, alright.) She may or may not have went through Aoi's file during a meeting with the Student Council meeting… She knew everything about her.
"Nothing." Shizuru grit out, pushing against Natsuki's shoulder. "Let me go."
"Not until you tell me what's wrong."
"I already told Natsuki nothing is wrong."
"Bullshit." Natsuki's fingers tightened slightly on her waist. "I can see it all on your face. Now tell me what the hell I did so I can fix it."
Shizuru laughed in a somewhat mocking manner; she knew she was being a bitch, but she just couldn't help it at the moment. "Natsuki did nothing. Now let me go."
"Shizuru."
"I said nothing Natsuki."
"Then why won't you talk to me?"
"Oh, Natsuki wants me to talk to her? Why don't you go talk to Aoi?" Shizuru spat, then immediately regretted it.
Natsuki's face twisted in confusion. "Who the hell is… wait. Are you jealous?" she asked incredulously.
"What do I have to be jealous of?" Shizuru countered lamely.
"I don't know, you tell me."
"I am not jealous."
"You're lying."
"Excuse me?" Shizuru's eyes narrowed.
"Come on, Shizuru," Natsuki chuckled, "I know you."
"Oh, Natsuki knows me?"
"Mhm," Natsuki's head dipped so she could place a kiss on the spot where Shizuru's neck met her shoulder. Shizuru gasped slightly, and instinctively angled her chin to the side to give Natsuki more access. "I know you. All of you."
"S-stop it." Shizuru whispered.
"You don't want me to stop."
"N-Natsuki is hurt. We mustn't."
"I don't need both hands," she replied cockily before smashing their lips together. Shizuru moaned, clawing at her girlfriend's shirt in an effort to pull her closer. Natsuki bit her lip hard enough to elicit a small gasp of pain and a tiny sliver of blood. The dark-haired teen pushed against the brunette's shoulder, effectively driving her backwards.
The back of Shizuru's knees hit the bed and she fell onto the mattress. With her heart beating faster than the speed of sound, she looked up at her girlfriend's dark, almost feral green eyes and saw her own submissive crimson orbs staring back at her. Natsuki said nothing as she began to undo the straps of her sling.
"Natsuki…" Shizuru began worriedly.
Natsuki ignored her and dropped the sling on the floor before kicking it under her bed and out of the way. She experimentally rolled her shoulder. The pain was there, but thanks to all the drugs it was very moderate. Besides, it wasn't her dominant arm anyway. Like Shizuru, she was a southpaw.
She straddled her girlfriend's hips and pressed their lips together again. Shizuru's arms wound around her neck, her legs around Natsuki's thighs, trapping her there. Leaning forward, Natsuki rested most of her weight on her left arm. Her long, dark hair fell like a veil around them, shielding their intimacy from the wandering eyes of the world.
Hot fingertips carefully explored the slightly rounded expanse of Shizuru's belly. "Take this off," Natsuki murmured, referring to her dress and tapped the brunette's ankle so she could release her.
Shizuru silently did what she was told and flung the expensive fabric into the far corner, leaving her in just her fancy (stolen) lingerie. Natsuki eyed her hungrily, reaching out to cup her breasts which were almost spilling out of her bra. She moaned, her own hand finding its place on Natsuki's groin while giving the dark-haired teen her sexiest "fuck me" eyes.
Natsuki carefully slipped out of her own shirt, exposing that yummy body that Shizuru loved so much. Her collarbone was still an array of multicolored bruises, but it didn't take away from her body's overall attraction. She loved the way the muscles in Natsuki's arms and abs flexed and constricted, it made her mouth almost as wet as the junction between her thighs.
And her tattoos. God, Shizuru loved her tattoos, especially the wolf eyes on her bicep.
She didn't break eye contact while undoing the buckle of her belt. Shizuru licked her lips as she hungrily eyed the bulge in her girlfriend's pants, so thick and long that it had to be tucked against her thigh. Now, Shizuru was a lesbian; she'd only ever found women and their genitals attractive, but there was something about Natsuki's odd anatomy that drove her crazy. Perhaps it was because she craved for something that shouldn't be there? Or was it just because it belonged to Natsuki?
Sometimes she found herself thinking about it… thinking about how thick and large it was when Natsuki was hard, how sometimes she woke up to find it pressed against her lower back or against her lips when she slept on top… How she really wanted to put it in her mouth, but she didn't think she was ready to give Natsuki "top" as they called it at school just yet. Natsuki absently stroked herself while gazing down at Shizuru's quivering form.
"Is this what you want?" she cooed, slipping a hand inside her boxers.
Like a snake poised to strike, Natsuki's hand shot out and latched onto Shizuru's ankle, dragging her the short distance to press their pelvises together. Natsuki wrapped that leg around her waist and pushed her erection as deep into Shizuru's clit as their clothing allowed. "You think I like talking to Aoi?" Natsuki inquired. "You think she turns me on like this?"
She tore off Shizuru's panties, not caring if they ripped or not. "Do you know how fucking hard I was today, because of you?"
She did the same to her bra, and immediately latched onto her nipples. The honey-haired brunette gasped and arched her back, seeking more of her woman's magic touch. "You know what I did to that stupid bathroom wall? How long it took me to clean the stall when it could've been easily disposed off… inside of you."
Natsuki leaned over her, their noses were only inches apart. "Do you have any idea what you do to me, Shizuru? No woman has ever made me feel this way. The way you walk, the way you talk, the way you rub your belly when you think no one's looking… I'm always looking, Shizuru, I can't take my eyes off of you sometimes."
The young woman took a deep breath and pulled down her boxers, finally pressing their unclothed genitals against each other. Shizuru's fluids soaked her throbbing shaft instantly, and she found herself rubbing her tip against Shizuru's labia. "I just want to make love to you all the top, worship your body…"
She silently slipped inside, marveling at the feeling of being connected to the bombshell beneath her once more. Natsuki's had pussy before Shizuru, once, twice, maybe three times, but none of them compared to her. She'd hit it from behind so she wouldn't have to look at their faces - but she always wanted to be able to see Shizuru's - and pulled out each time because she didn't want to cum inside any of them despite always wearing protection.
She'd never wanted to be a father so bad until she met Shizuru. Actually, she never wanted to be a father until she met Shizuru. Though it was unexpected and could've easily been prevented, she felt honored to sire Shizuru's children. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Natsuki admitted softly, thrusting gently. Her future wife's eyes widened, shocked and emotional. "I want you to be the one I fall asleep with and wake up next to everyday."
She gripped the headboard and picked up her speed a bit. Slightly breathless, she said, "I want you have my last name one day."
"And more children?" Shizuru's question seemed inappropriate for one so young, but neither of them cared.
Natsuki chuckled and pinned her girlfriend's wrists above her head. She nodded against the skin of Shizuru's cheek. "As many as you want."
"Three," Shizuru groaned as she felt Natsuki deep inside her tummy, "I want one to be like Natsuki."
"We'll keep trying until we get one then." Natsuki promised
"Mmh," Shizuru's eyes rolled to the back of her head, "I feel Natsuki everywhere."
"Yeah, baby? You like that?" she rotated her hips.
"Fuck," the curse seemed so foreign on Shizuru's lips. It was something she only did during sex, when she was high on ecstasy. "Harder, Natsuki, faster."
Natsuki positioned her right arm on the bed and stifled a pained yelp. It hurt like a bitch, but she didn't care. She wanted to fuck Shizuru's brains out, make her forget all about Aoi. Shizuru's nails clawed at her back, her teeth sank deep into her bottom lip. She then began to thrust harder and harder, until the bed creaked and the sound of her testicles slapping against Shizuru's womanhood filled the air. The smell of sex in the atmosphere was so thick it made her eyes water.
"Ah," Natsuki uttered after a few moments as the pain suddenly flared up until it caused her to stop altogether. She buried her face in the crook of Shizuru's flushed neck. Sweat rolled off her chin, down onto Shizuru's chest, and disappeared in the valley of her breasts. Her muscles tightened as the throbbing grew more and more unbearing. "Fuck," she said, sitting up and pressing her left hand against her collarbone.
"It hurts," Shizuru breathed.
Natsuki's frustration returned full force. "Fucking bullshit."
Shizuru gently pushed Natsuki off of her. Both groaned at the loss as the movement cost them their intimate connection. "Shizuru," Natsuki almost pleaded, pushing her sweat-soaked hair off of her face. The brunette didn't say anything, just pressed the palm of her hand against Natsuki's shoulder, wordlessly initiating for her to lay back. The green-eyed woman conceded and settled against the headboard.
She watch with rapt fascination as Shizuru untied her hair, allowing those luscious golden strands to fall around her shoulders in magnificent waves of honey and silk. She slowly crawled forward, stared straight into Natsuki's emerald windowpanes as she positioned herself right above Natsuki's rock hard flesh. Slowly, she lowered herself down, moaning gently as she was filled once more. Natsuki's hands found her hips.
At Shizuru's nod they began moving. Shizuru wrapped her arms around Natsuki's neck, pressed her lips against her damp temple, and held on for dear life as their pace increased. Warm liquids from Shizuru's core leaked down her shaft, making Natsuki's thighs slick and shiny, Natsuki knew she was close. She was too.
The dark-haired teen pressed her ear against Shizuru's breast, hugging her intimately against her torso as her release surged through her shaft and into her girlfriend's body. Shizuru came a fraction of a second after her, and slumped against her chest. They sat there for a moment, trying to catch their breaths before Shizuru gently took Natsuki's face in her hands and brought their gazes together.
"I have to tell Natsuki something." Shizuru's voice was hoarse, her throat raw from the sounds Natsuki squeezed out of her.
"What is it?" Natsuki's eyes were half-lidded. Shizuru knew sleep would claim her soon. Such activities paired with the medication she was on were bound to leave her exhausted.
She moved her lips closer to Natsuki's until they just barely grazed. Her eyes held none of the aggravation they possessed earlier, only adoration and another emotion Natsuki was only semi-familiar with.
"I love you."
The younger woman froze, and her eyes were suddenly fully alert. All previous signs of fatigue were gone just like that. Shizuru found herself cowering a bit. Had she said the wrong thing? Was it too soon? She wanted to take it back, laugh it off as nothing more than an earnest slip up but found herself unable to do so. The declaration had come straight from her heart not her lips, and those words were irreversible no matter how much the owner wished to take them back.
"You love me?" Natsuki's tone reminded her of that of a child asking their parent if fairies were real or something, awed and astonished. "Or…" the injured teen swallowed a bit, as if her next statement would make or break everything. "Are you in love with me?"
"I wish to spend the rest of my life with Natsuki as well." Shizuru replied with little hesitation, stroking her beloved's cheek. She pressed their foreheads together and said, "I am yours."
"And I am yours." Natsuki replied softly. "I love you too."
And with a sob of joy, Shizuru squeezed the life out of her human puppy as tears of joy poured down her cheeks. "I was so scared Natsuki wouldn't feel the same." She admitted.
"You?!" Natsuki was flabbergasted. "I'm still trying to figure out how you can put up with me!"
Shizuru giggled and peppered kisses on Natsuki's flushed face. "Ara, Natsuki isn't so bad. Natsuki is perfect."
"I'm nowhere near perfect, Shizuru," Natsuki looked away, dejection in her eyes.
"Natsuki is perfect," Shizuru repeated firmly, "Natsuki has given me everything."
"Everything? Shizuru, I haven't…"
"No," Shizuru wasn't having any of it. She took Natsuki's hands in hers and splayed them on her chest, right above her heart. "Natsuki has given me love." She moved their joint hands up to her cheek. "Natsuki has given happiness and joy." Finally, the intertwined appendages came to rest on Shizuru's belly. "Natsuki has given me a family. So when I say Natsuki has given me everything, please do not argue."
The soon-to-be father's lips curved into a smile as she gazed at her girlfriend's tummy. "You've given me everything too. Ever since my mother left, I've never felt whole. And now that dad is... " she exhaled roughly through her nose. "... gone, I feel like I have no one. But I know that's not true because I have you. I have you, Obaa-san, Riku, Duran, Nina, and my friends - even Nao. So, I know I'll be able to get through this."
The younger teen fondly stroked her tummy. "And when they're born, I know I'll be smiling."
Natsuki is the prettiest when she smiles, Shizuru thought as she pushed her back so she could rest on her chest. Outside, the wind toyed with her grandmother's ancestral windchimes. The sounds mixed with the gentle roar of cars as they sped by, birds sang for the first time since the storm, and pink leaves from the massive cherry blossom tree overhanging Natsuki's bedroom window poured in. Natsuki pulled the covers up kissed her girlfriend's forehead. Her arms wrapped around Shizuru's lower back.
Wherever you are right now, I hope you can hear me and my last request before I have to let you go forever. Please, watch over us. Visit Obaa-san in her dreams, talk to Riku while she sleeps, love my mother in your memories, and let your legacy live in me…
Father.
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Hiroshima Memorial
9:37 PM
Friday, December 12th.
.
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If the security guard responsible for guarding the memorial from petty thieves were to take out his earphones, he might've been able to detect the sound of sobbing coming from deep within the preserved walls of the ruined tower. A single figure, dressed in the shadiest of black that did little to hide the startling auburn crimson color of their hair, was leaning against the memorial statue, staring intently at something in their decidedly feminine hands.
It was a picture of two females, a small child around the age of nine and an older woman who looked to be in her early twenties. Both had golden skin, inky black hair, and iridescent green eyes. They were smiling happily into the camera, a drastic contrast to what the mysterious red-haired woman holding the picture was doing.
An hour passed by. An hour of reminiscing. An hour of sorrow. An hour of reluctance, heartbreak, and despair. The woman's heart pounded agonizingly in her chest as she reached for the lighter hidden in her pocket. With great effort, she produced a tiny flame and held it close to the picture. It took fifteen more minutes of dull burning of the skin of her thumb and half a brick of lighter fluid to realize that she couldn't do it.
She moaned like a wounded animal and fell to her knees like she was unable to carry the weight of agony on her shoulders any longer. The skin of her left forearm was horribly damaged, and whatever had been written on it wasn't legible anymore. However, the ink on her right arm was still flawless. However, it wouldn't be for much longer. She didn't want to do it, but it had to be done.
Slowly, she activated the lighter once more and held it against the skin of her right forearm, right above the neatly, printed lettering of the most important thing she would be leaving behind. The pain of her boiling skin couldn't compare to the injury caused to her chest. As her past melted away in the night, she closed her eyes and whispered:
"May the road rise up to meet you."
.
"May the wind always be at your back."
.
"May the sun shine warm upon your face."
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"May the rain fall softly upon your fields and until we meet again."
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"Goodbye, Natsuki." The woman whispered as the smell of burnt flesh filled her nostrils and the photograph was carried away by the wind.
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#21:
Shinobu Namikaze returns.
Natsuki searches for work to support her family.
Namiko makes a shocking revelation.
Shizuru experiences pregnancy complications.
And Saeko's search for her lost child comes to a tragic end at her ex-lover's funeral.