Notes: Well, I have (not much) to say here other than the fact that this is the promised NozoEli fluff piece I'm been alluding to forever.
Enjoy!
Chapter Title: Korekara (これから lit. From Now On) - μ's
A thick curtain of rain obscured everything beyond the fogged window of the car, turning the unfamiliar streets of Kyoto into an impressionist watercolour. When she stepped out of the car, Nozomi spotted a forest of umbrellas on the street outside the hotel grounds, some of the passerby curiously peering at the long procession of cars lined up outside the hotel entrance.
Though it was early autumn, the few drops of rain that had managed to sneak past the umbrella being held upright for her and splashed onto her skin was warm. Behind her, Eli closed the door to the car, falling in closely just behind her shoulder as they made their way to the entrance of the hotel lobby. She could sense the tense anxiety that practically radiated off Eli's skin, but with stewards and various other politicians that she knew were all within earshot, now was not the time to address it, as much as she wanted to.
The ornate double doors of the hotel lobby were held open for them as Nozomi breathed in the inevitable smell that accompanied intricately decorated buildings.
An attendant hurried up to her the moment she crossed the threshold of the lobby. "Toujou-sama," he greeted her, bowing low before straightening. "We're honoured by your presence at this ceremony." He held out a key card in one hand, offering it to her as he checked his watch on his other wrist. "There's still some time before the reception starts—may I suggest for you and your partner to take the time to get ready?"
She took the offered keycard from him as he flicked a quick glance in Eli's direction. Judging by the miniscule, nervous step he took backwards, the look that she had given him in return was her customary less-than-friendly one that she seemed to reserve for anyone of an official standing.
On any other day, Nozomi would have been amused at the impressive speed that the man scuttled away from them, suddenly intent on showing them the way to the elevators. Today, however, she knew Eli's recalcitrance had another source, and it had little to do with the politicians milling around in the lobby.
Smiling at the few familiar senators she recognized in the crowd, it wasn't long before they were alone in an elevator.
"You need to relax, you know," she quipped conversationally, intentionally keeping the tone of her voice light. "That poor attendant looked terrified of you, Elichi."
She watched Eli's reflection in the polished glass scowl at her at the use of the pet name, before Eli looked to the side. "I'm trying," came the eventual reply a few minutes later. Their eyes met in the mirror reflection of the elevator's glass walls and she read the seriousness in the blue eyes looking back at her.
"Trying is good," she acknowledged. "I can accept that."
When she opened the door to the suite a few minutes later, Nozomi noted with a wry smile that apart from the bathroom—which she could spot on her right—the rest of the spacious hotel room was contained in one single room that overlooked the landscape of downtown Kyoto.
She heard a sharp inhalation of breath behind her, and Nozomi turned around to find Eli staring at room beyond her. "What is it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the peculiar expression on her face.
Eli looked at her then, disbelief colouring her gaze. "There's one bed."
Nozomi resisted the temptation to laugh. "Yes. And?"
Eli stared back at her, a very familiar blush creeping up her cheeks as she stammered her next words, unable to complete the sentence. "You—Me—"
Unable to fight the smile twitching at the corner of her lips, Nozomi gently pressed a finger to Eli's cheek, tracing the flush of colour on her normally pale skin. "Yes, Elichi?"
Taking a step back from her, Eli buried her face in a hand. "This was a bad idea."
"What was a bad idea?" she asked, tilting her head to one side for effect, though Nozomi had a feeling that deep down, she already knew the answer. "Did you really expect them to put us in separate rooms when I informed them that you were coming with me? Or does the idea of sharing a bed with me for a few nights frighten you that much?" she inquired innocently, the smile on her face widening when the blonde dropped the hand to gape at her.
"What?" Eli spluttered, taking a step backward in a slightly defensive posture. "No—that's not what—I mean—" She made a frustrated sound at the back of her throat, throwing her hands up in indignation.
Nozomi laughed out loud at her reaction, reaching her own hand forward to take her hand. "It's so easy to get you worked up about things like this," she commented lightly. "I've forgotten how endearing it is." She took a deep breath, the weight of her next words turning her voice soft and serious. "Eli," she began, dropping the suffix at the end of her name. "Be honest with me. Does it bother you that much? I don't mean just about the bed. I mean being here with me in general."
She looked up to meet Eli's gaze, not at all surprised to find the solemnity in the blue eyes looking back at her. "Yes… and no," Eli admitted, her stiff fingers in her hand relaxing ever so slightly. "I—I guess I'm still in disbelief that you asked me to come with you. It… means a lot to me that you want me to be here with you. But… the thing that bothers me is that they're calling it at commemorative ceremony for the first anniversary of the cure for Edenra. None of the people who are here know what, exactly, they're celebrating. It's not a victory. It's a reminder of the things that we've done to even make that past possible."
Nozomi pressed her lips together, looking down at their conjoined hands. "I know," she said softly. "But you said it yourself. People will only ever understand what they have experienced themselves. To expect anyone here to understand the sacrifices that that day entailed would be wishing for a miracle."
Eli lifted her gaze by the tiniest margin. "I know," she repeated.
"Are you going to be okay?" Nozomi asked her. "You can leave the reception early if you'd like. I don't think that it's likely you'll be missed if you do." She checked the time on an ornate clock hanging from the wall. "Though it is about time we started getting ready to go back down."
Eli half-turned to look at the clock as well. "Okay," she acknowledged. "…Thanks," she added in a quieter voice as she walked back to the entrance to retrieve her bag.
"Anytime, Elichi."
Looking into the reflection of the unfamiliar mirror in front of her, Nozomi smoothed out her dress, running her hands over the loose layers of fabric before picking up the hairpin on the surface of the dresser, pushing it into the right side of her bangs to keep them away from her face. The tiny decorative diamonds on its surface glinted in the bright glare of the overhead light as she turned toward the bathroom.
"Are you almost ready?" she called into the smaller room. She watched the bathroom door in the mirror for a few seconds before she opened it, finding Eli sitting down in front of the larger mirror with several pins in her mouth. The hair comb that she had given her was lying on the counter of the sink, momentarily abandoned in Eli's efforts to make her long blonde hair obey.
"This is pointless," she muttered through the mouthful of hair pins.
Laughing softly, Nozomi made her way over to where Eli was sitting, deftly replacing her hands with her own as she twisted the last, errant lock of hair into place before holding out her right hand for one of the pins in Eli's mouth.
Reluctantly, Eli removed one of them from between her teeth and pressed it into her palm. Nozomi closed her hand around it, using it to secure the carefully twisted strands of hair. Reaching over Eli's shoulder, she picked up the comb, tracing her thumb over its intricate, floral design before she slid it into place above the gathered locks of hair.
"I see a point," Nozomi told her softly, watching for Eli's reaction in the mirror. "You look beautiful."
She smiled as Eli looked away, the faintest trace of pink appearing on her cheeks underneath the thin layer of makeup, though she could see the hint of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"Come on," she prompted her. "It's almost time to go."
The ride down to the hotel lobby was mostly silent, although noise was already drifting up from the ground floor. Beyond the glass walls of the elevator, Nozomi could already spot the large gathering of politicians in the hotel lobby, milling around the tables that had been set up.
When they arrived on first floor of the hotel, they were almost immediately greeted by a politician she knew had been a particular friend of her father's from Kyoto.
"Toujou-sama," he addressed her warmly. "It's a welcome change to see you here."
Nozomi gave him a small half-smile as she took his offered hand in her gloved one. "Likewise, Morishige-san." She watched his gaze flit to Eli, who was standing at her shoulder.
"And who might this be?" he inquired politely. Behind the impassive mask of his features, curiousity gleamed.
"Ah, yes. May I introduce you to Ayase Eli, my partner."
There was a brief flicker of surprise on his face before he erased it smoothly, offering his hand to Eli. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ayase-san." Turning back to her, he gave her a practiced, easy smile. "I seem to recall that you preferred to keep to yourself in the past, Toujou-sama."
"That is true," Nozomi informed him, "but things have changed since then."
He gave her a meaningful nod, as though he had known about that particular fact for years. "Yes. I can see that." He paused. "If I may, you look happy."
"Thank you," she replied lightly, accepting his compliment with a small nod of her own.
He inclined his head and neck slightly in a bow before moving away from them, taking a wineglass off the tray of a passing waiter.
"So what did you think?" Nozomi murmured, giving Eli a sidelong glance.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eli straighten her shoulders before looking up. "Are they all like that?" she asked in an undertone.
Nozomi pressed her lips together in a smile. "Yes. Trust me when I say that he's one of the more pleasant ones. I did warn you earlier that it was going to be a long evening."
Eli heaved a sigh. "I can tell."
She half-turned, the smile still lingering at the corner of her lips. "Whatever happens tonight," Nozomi told her, "you can always talk to me about it. That's what I'm here for, right?"
"Mm." Eli's voice was soft. "Thank you." There was a pause. "For offering."
Nozomi shifted ever so slightly so that her head half-rested on Eli's shoulder.
"Always."
Closing Notes:
... And that's a wrap. I just wanted to thank you guys so much again for reading my writing, and all the love you guys have left me. I lived for the comments/kudos on AO3 and I can't tell you guys how much it means to me and how much I appreciate them, so when I received the reminder from someone on here that I never finished it on FFN I realized that I should probably actually post the rest of this fic, haha.
If you enjoyed my writing, I'm currently in the middle of a new NozoEli fic (when I have the rest of my life together that is) on AO3 called Chaos Theory, ft Phantom Thief Toujou Nozomi vs Senior Investigator Ayase Eli. Check it out of that tickles your fancy, or alternatively follow me on Twitter (ashera_ is my handle) so you can see me rant/watch me whale for idol girls/Nanjolno. :3c