Mai-HiME: Buildup
By DrummondType2
"Beautiful, but very strange," Natsuki muttered to herself as she watched the girl with tawny brown hair walking away. She knew who she was, of course. Shizuru Fujino was the sole daughter of the head of a centuries old conglomerate, one of the top-ranked students in the school, and admired by many a classmate, with perhaps the exceptions of Haruka Suzushiro, who was always grousing about Shizuru's tendency to be laid back and unconcerned, and Natsuki herself, who had other things on her mind besides gushing over some business mogul's pampered child.
Except, Natsuki reflected now, watching her leaving the garden, she doesn't really come off as a pampered princess, does she.
And why had the girl's words moved her to halt her actions a moment ago? She had reached out to crush the flower in her hand, to mar the beauty of Kazahana's precious garden, if for no other reason than she was frustrated with the non-answers she was getting from the director of Fuuka Academy. And yet, a sappy speech from this girl about how flowers were doing their best to bloom in the short time they had…it had halted her in her tracks, and gotten her to stop.
"So I didn't rip up the flower," Natsuki shrugged to herself, "I mean, she had a point, right? Besides, just tearing up the damned thing at that point would have been petty and childish. "
It was a few days later before the first year middle-schooler had seen her third year sempai on campus again. She was surrounded by a bevvy of fawning young women who were admiring her.
Suzushiro was there, too.
"I mean it, Fujino!" Suzushiro was growling, "I want you to take this group assignment seriously!"
"Ara, but does Suzushiro-han believe that I would jeopardize my class rankings by turning in less than adequate work?" Shizuru asked coyly.
"That you'd skimp on your share is a forgone concussion!"
"That's conclusion, Haruka," a mousy girl with glasses said. Natsuki recognized her as Yukino Kikukawa.
"Maybe Suzushiro's had one or two of the former, herself," Natsuki smirked.
"Natsuki, ikezu," Shizuru chided the younger girl in a voice that didn't sound the least bit chiding, "It simply isn't fair to mock Suzushiro-han for a simple mistake."
"You're damned rude," Haruka glowered at Natsuki, "What's your name, kohai?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but it's Natsuki Kuga."
"I'm reporting you to the executive committee," Haruka snarled.
Natsuki shrugged, "Do whatever you want, sport."
"A kohai failing to show respect for an upperclassman is…"
"To get respect, you have to earn respect,"Natsuki said flatly, flipping a lock of hair over her shoulder, "I just came here to ask this one something about what she said to me in the garden the other day."
"You've snared another girl for your Harlem?" Haruka cast an irritated look at Shizuru.
Natsuki scoffed, "No one has 'snagged' me for anything. And I know when I'm not wanted."
She turned on her heel to walk away.
"Natsuki…" Shizuru's voice called out gently, "I never said I didn't want you around, and I'm more than willing to answer your question. Why don't we adjourn to a place I know. I doubt you want everyone knowing your business."
Natsuki looked over her shoulder at her, then shrugged, "Sure."
Shizuru and Natsuki ended up taking a bus trip to Tsukimori, the nearby city, at a small cafe. Shizuru ordered green tea, while Natsuki had a cup of black coffee.
"Ara, but that black coffee will stunt Natsuki's growth," Shizuru smiled.
"I'm almost as tall as you are," Natsuki pointed out.
"Ara, ara, but that is not the growth I was referring to," Shizuru grinned, looking at Natsuki's modest bosom.
Natsuki's eyes were closed, and an eyebrow twitched in irritation, "I see. So you're making fun of me."
"Kannin-na, Natsuki. It was only in jest. In truth, Natsuki has a very lovely figure. Indeed, I've heard the others compare you to a model."
Natsuki blushed a bit, "R-really? Not…not that it matters, anyway. Not really what I'm focusing on."
"Of course not," Shizuru smiled serenely, "You wanted to ask me about what I said the other day?"
Natsuki took a sip of her coffee, then nodded, "What did you mean, anyway?"
Shizuru blinked, "Surely my words were plain, Natsuki. I asked you to spare the flower in your hand, as it was only doing its best to bloom. We should treasure flowers for their beauty in the face of adversity, should we not?"
"Some flowers are grown for the express purpose of being cut down," Natsuki said evenly.
"But even then, they must be tended to with care, of that which they produce will be lost," Shizuru countered easily.
Natsuki sighed, "May I ask you a question?"
"Certainly."
"Why did you talk to me?"
Shizuru blinked, "I believe I already told you…"
Natsuki shook her head, "No, you told me what you meant. I want to know why you even talked to me, in the first place."
Shizuru smiled, "Am I not allowed to talk to Natsuki?"
"Shizuru is dodging the question," Natsuki said flatly, determining that if this girl would persist on using yobisute with her, then she would repay her in kind.
Shizuru shook her head, "I fear I do not quite take your meaning."
"If it had been Kazahana, she would have asked me to simply leave. If it had been Suzushiro, she would have yelled at me, called me a delinquent, and threatened to have the Executive Committee on me. You chose to talk to me. Why?"
Shizuru smiled her most serene smile, "And if I had done either of those things, asked you to leave, or shouted at you, would it have spared the flower?"
"Probably not," Natsuki admitted.
"But now, you don't have the flower's destruction on your conscience," Shizuru replied, "I helped the flower, but I think I helped you, too. After all, it was not the flower that you were mad at. And anger turned against the undeserving victim leaves ugly scars in a person's heart, don't you feel?"
"Punish the guilty, but leave the flowers alone?" Natsuki blinked.
"Well, Fuuka Academy was ostensibly founded as a religious school," Shizuru said, "So perhaps the more correct course of action would be learning to forgive those who wronged you, no?"
"Some things are harder to forgive than others," Natsuki looked away.
Shizuru looked out the café window, "I suppose they might be at that. But still, the innocent shouldn't suffer for the guilty."
Natsuki fixed Shizuru with a curious gaze, and the tawny young woman simply smiled her familiar serene smile once more.
"In the end, Natsuki, I talked to you because I thought you worth talking to," Shizuru sipped her tea.
Natsuki couldn't decide what to make of that, but there seemed to be actual concern in this girl's motivations, rather than the cliched concern offered by well-meaning classmates.
"Don't you have plenty of people to talk to, though?" Natsuki said, though gently, "I always see you in a crowd."
Shizuru continued smiling, "Well, they all wish to talk to me. And occasionally I will humor them. After all, one could always stand to have more friends. But in truth, they speak a great deal and say very little. You, on the other hand, say very little, but speak volumes."
Natsuki blinked, "I do?"
"Natsuki is always alone at lunch time. I have seen it, myself. And the lunches you bring are always store bought instant food. Never anything homemade. I see you alone, and it hurts me."
"Hurts you?" Natsuki blinked.
"Indeed. It reminds me of Kyoto. I see you sitting alone, talking to no one, and you remind me of why I left home and came here in the first place. In Kyoto, I was Fujino, daughter of one of the old and prominent families. Many people wanted to talk to me, there, too, but mostly to curry favor with my family. It can be a lonesome thing, to know that no one is interested in you beyond who your father is. So, when I see you alone, it hurts me, because I see that you don't even have the hangers-on and sycophants. If I was lonely in Kyoto, then, Natsuki, how lonely must you be, here?"
Natsuki stared at her in stunned silence. Shizuru summoned the waiter and told him to charge the bill to the Fujino account. He nodded.
"Well, thank you, Natsuki, for at least letting me bend your ear."
She rose to leave.
"Shizuru," Natsuki spoke, "I was the one who wanted to ask you, remember. So, I should have covered the tab."
"Ara, what's the use in having large accounts if one cannot be generous from time to time," Shizuru said, "Aside from which, I picked the venue. It was my pleasure, Natsuki."
She turned to leave.
"Shizuru…"
Shizuru looked over her shoulder, "Yes, Natsuki?"
"I…that is…I wouldn't mind having lunch with you. But…those other girls aren't invited. I…I don't do crowds very well."
Shizuru nodded, "Then we shall meet for lunch, tomorrow."
~~*~~
One Month Later:
"Okay," Natsuki sighed as they sat down together, "Let's have it?"
"I'm afraid Natsuki will have to clarify what she means," Shizuru smiled sweetly.
"We've been eating together for awhile now, and I know you've been taking mental note of my food. So go ahead and ask the question you've been wanting to ask."
Shizuru feigned a pout, "Natsuki, ikezu. How can I maintain my reputation as a woman of Kyoto if you're just going to read my facial expressions so astutely."
"Idiot," Natsuki muttered, and Shizuru giggled. Those around them were horrified to hear the word come out of Natsuki's mouth, and perplexed at Shizuru's amusement, "Come on. If you don't ask, I'm going to get an ulcer from the anticipation of knowing that it's on your mind."
Shizuru made a huge show of bowing, "Kannin-na, Natsuki. It was not my intention to inflict injury on your gastrointestinal system. Very well…"
Shizuru then cleared her throat in a most ladylike way, holding a hand over her mouth, then said, "You always bring instant food and prepackaged fare for your meals. Would Natsuki like me to start making her a homemade bento, as well as my own?"
Several of the kohai who could hear Shizuru gasped in shock. Fujino, make a bento for the school's most notorious delinquent?
They were, almost to the point of hypocrisy, disappointed by Natsuki's reply, "Thanks, Shizuru, but no. I like my instant food. Besides, I don't want to put you out."
Shizuru's pout was back in place, as rehearsed and artificial as the smile she showed in public, "Mou. Now it is I who should develop an ulcer if I must worry about Natsuki subsisting on such substandard fare! Why, the thought of it makes me near to tears, to think she might faint in gym class from rampant malnutrition."
Natsuki flushed, "Sh-Shizuru! Y-you're not fooling anyone, you know! Me eating convenience store bento will not cause me to fall into poor health or malnutrition."
Shizuru relented her pout, "Perhaps not, but then, they're hardly satisfying are they?"
"They're plenty satisfying," Natsuki protested, only for her stomach to growl and give the lie to her statement. She turned scarlet, and sunk in her chair as Shizuru grinned at her.
"You were saying, Natsuki?"
"M-Maybe…once in awhile…when it's not too much trouble…you can make a couple of things for me,"Natsuki sighed.
"Well, I also would be willing to help teach Natsuki to cook a proper meal for herself," Shizuru smiled, "Since I know how she values her much vaunted independence."
Natsuki frowned a bit, "If you teach me to do it, would it really be independent?"
"As Father Greer is so fond of saying," Shizuru smiled, "'Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.'"
"Now there's an image I didn't need," Natsuki muttered, to herself she'd thought, but Shizuru caught it.
"Ara, Ara, was Natsuki imagining me feeding her well into her winter years? My, but that might be amusing."
"You can come to my apartment on Sunday and we can work on a few dishes," Natsuki surrendered.
~~*~~
Sunday:
"Ara, Ara, Natsuki has a very nice apartment," Shizuru smiled, then frowned as she made it past the front door, "Which she has strewn with her unmentionables."
"Listen, do I go to your house and complain about the mess?"
Shizuru chuckled, "But Natsuki would not find a mess in my home. I find I have much less work to do overall if I simply maintain a level of cleanliness from the start, rather than having to undo the disorder of a whole week."
"Yeah, yeah, we're here to cook, right?"
"First we have to tidy this place," Shizuru said, bending over and collecting discarded bits of clothing, "I simply cannot focus on cooking in so disordered a situation. Do your find yourself tidying in a flurry when your parents come to visit?"
Natsuki stood stone silent in the room, looking at Shizuru like she'd been slapped.
Shizuru immediately set the clothing down on the sofa and went over to Natsuki, embracing her.
"I am sorry, Natsuki. I do not know what the situation is, but I have clearly said something insensitive. Forgive me. Kannin-na."
There was no mischief or teasing in Shizuru's voice, and Natsuki noticed that there even seemed to be tears in the corners of her crimson eyes.
"You don't have to apologize, Shizuru," Natsuki said, pushing the girl away gently and smiling at her, "You couldn't have known. It's my fault for not telling you, okay?"
Shizuru nodded, "I am sorry, though. I was…"
"You asked a perfectly ordinary question, Shizuru. Um…My Mom…Mom died a long time ago. And Dad…he's been galavanting all over Europe ever since. He sends me a bit of money every month for upkeep, but he doesn't actually pop by to check up on me. Which suits me fine, because I found out he was cheating on Mom when she died, so I don't really have any desire to talk to him."
"And you've never had friends over either," Shizuru nodded her understanding, "I'm sorry for trying to force my order on your life."
Natsuki gave a scoff, "Maybe a bit of order and force are what I need. I've…I've been on my own a bit, Shizuru. So…I didn't even think about cleaning the place up before you came over. That's my fault, not yours."
"Well," Shizuru offered a genuine smile, "why don't we tidy the place a bit, and I can regale you with tales of the Fujino household, as repayment for your candor."
Natsuki grinned, "Rubbing it in that you have all that wealth and prestige? What a convenient penance."
"Natsuki said the situation was her fault," Shizuru reminded her, "And my yoke is light."
"Yoke? Because you intend to use me as a pack mule?"
Shizuru feigned affront, "Pack mule? Indeed, such a creature isn't nearly majestic enough to describe Natsuki's personage. I would have said 'workhorse'."
"Idiot," Natuski sighed, dragging a laundry basket out of a nearby closet.
It took the two young woman the better part of an hour to clean the apartment, at which point, Shizuru went over to the cabinets in the kitchen. She frowned.
"Natsuki, I do appreciate your faith in my talents as a chef. However, I feel I must point out that I cannot make a meal without ingredients."
"There's plenty of food in the cabinet!" Natsuki protested.
"There are four dozen cups of instant ramen, In your fridge I find bottled water and an expired carton of milk. There are no eggs, no seasonings beyond mayonnaise and soy sauce, and no vegetables to speak of. It seems, Natsuki, that before I teach you to cook, I must first teach you to shop."
She grabbed Natsuki's hand and started for the door. She paused momentarily when she saw a magazine on the table in the living room. The title was in English, and featured a scantily clad model straddling a motorcycle.
Shizuru picked it up, looking at it, "What is this?"
"Hmmm? Oh, that's something a contact got me from America. I'm thinking of getting one next month when I turn sixteen."
"And by 'getting one', you're referring to…?"
"The Ducati DR.III on the marked pages," Natsuki said, "It's sorta like what my Dad drove, so I'm familiar with it. It'll come in handy. Why, what did you think I meant?"
"What indeed?" Shizuru muttered, "I thought perhaps Natsuki was planning on acquiring one of these models in the rather appallingly scant bikinis...Or perhaps Natsuki was planning on getting one of these appallingly scant bikinis for herself?"
Natsuki was beet red and her face was hot, "I-IDIOT! What would I want with something like that? And what do you think I would be doing with a biker model? Seriously, the things that leave your mouth, sometimes…"
"Indeed,"Shizuru set the magazine down, "I simply wanted to make sure I understood. Although, to be honest, I could probably rest more at ease if it were the girl or the swimwear Natsuki were tying to acquire. I shall be worried sick about Natsuki on the back of one of those alarming machines!"
"Oh, no," Natsuki warned, "You talked me into eating your homemade lunches with those crocodile tears. You're not getting me to swear off a motorcycle with them. Come on. You can take me to the store and show me what you think is lacking in my shopping skills."
Natsuki didn't see Shizuru give the magaine one final look, sighing at the model on the cover, who couldn't hear her any more than Natsuki could at that moment, "Ara, ara, but you don't have to worry about concealing this damnable birthmark like I do. Well, at least I know…hope…that Natsuki is not swayed by such things."
She quickly followed Natsuki out of the apartment, "Well, Natsuki, when it comes to shopping, the word 'fresh' is neither offensive nor scandalous. Indeed, it is a desireable word…"
