Mai-HiME Fan Fiction / Please Teacher! Fan Fiction ❯ Alternate Hime! ❯ The Graduation (One of Two) ( Chapter 2 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: shanejayell 
Anime/Manga: Mai-HiME Fan Fiction / Please Teacher! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shoujo | Type: Yuri | Uploaded On: 11.07.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 610 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Mai-HiME Fan Fiction / Please Teacher! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shoujo | Type: Yuri | Uploaded On: 11.07.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 610 | Status: Work In Progress
Mai Hime: The Graduation
Natsuki Kuga felt distinctly uncomfortable standing in the living room of the Suzushiro home as the Fuka University graduation party rolled on around her. The black haired young woman had never been very close to the clique around the student council, only falling into their orbit because of her helping deal with Takeda the panty thief.
“Natsuki,” Yukino smiled, her glasses gleaming as the reddish brown haired girl carried a tray of glasses, “more wine?”
“Thanks,” Natsuki took one. Sipping she said quietly, “You don’t have to hover, you know. I’m fine.”
“I know the job placement Haruka arranged didn’t go so well,” Yukino quietly admitted, “I wanted to apologize.”
“It’s just Haruka’s way,” Natsuki shrugged while Yukino nodded sympathetically.
Haruka Suzushiro was the student body present of Fuka University, and was widely known to be strong willed and good hearted. Sadly, she occasionally lacked in common sense, which was why she valued her girlfriend Yukino so much. In one of her more spectacular blunders recently she had sent Natsuki on a job placement with a archivist, one that Natsuki was bored to tears over.
“I was wondering if you’d be interested in another placement?” Yukino asked as she passed off the tray of drinks to another guest.
“Oh?” Natsuki gave her a decidedly wary look.
“Haruka didn’t arrange it,” Yukino reassured her, “in fact, it’s a request from a alumnus of the university.”
Looking a bit more relaxed Natsuki nodded slightly as she asked curiously, “A former graduate? What does she want?”
“A girl Friday and bodyguard, actually,” Yukino admitted.
“Sounds interesting,” Natsuki admitted, soon getting the whole story from her.
It seemed the former student had come into some wealth, and while that was good it also meant that she had some new problems, too. Apparently at least one former paramour was now following her, possibly with bad intentions, and she wanted a unobtrusive protector.
“I think with your skills,” Yukino wryly referred to Natsuki’s shooting awards and martial arts wins, “you might be well suited to the job.”
“It certainly beats being an archivist,” Natsuki conceded.
“Kuga!” Nao Yuuki smiled, the redhead grinning at her as she slid like a shark through the crowd towards her.
“Oh dear,” Yukino did a fast fade after giving Natsuki the address.
“Gee, thanks for staying,” Natsuki sighed as her adversary descended upon her. Commonly known as the ‘Slut of Fuka’ Nao had bragged that she had slept with the entire senior class... except for Natsuki. “What do you want?” she demanded.
“So harsh, Natsuki,” Nao smiled, “I just want to be friendly.”
With that Nao slid uncomfortably close, her thigh rubbing against Natsuki’s. “No,” Natsuki calmly replied and proceeded to dump her glass of wine over the stunned Nao’s head.
“You bitch!” Nao yelped, taking a swing at her. After that, the party proceeded to become rather lively.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Late the next morning the black motorcycle purred as she swung up through the hills above Fuka, the trees breaking up the sunlight in random patterns on the road. The Suzushiro home wasn’t that far from here, these heights mostly reserved for the long time wealthy or the newly rich, each uncomfortable beside the other.
Natsuki coasted to a stop beside the ornate outer gate, reaching into her black leather biker’s suit to check the address. ‘Yup,’ she thought as she pulled off her helmet, ‘this is the place.’ Rolling her bike over she found the intercom switch and pressed it, hearing a soft ring both there and presumedly up at the house.
“Yes?” a voice asked, the slightest trace of a Kyoto accent lingering.
“Natsuki Kuga,” she replied, “I’m here about the job.”
“Come on up,” the woman answered, “ah’ll be waiting.”
With a soft hum the large metal gate slid back, the lane stretching up into the trees. Mounting her bike once more Natsuki donned her helmet and kick started, the engine roaring a moment before she sped off up the drive. Within a few moments she came up to a fairly modest mansion, at least for these parts, with a porch and a older style look.
‘Reminds me of those samurai compounds from the movies,’ Natsuki thought as she parked her bike, setting the stand and putting her helmet on the seat. She thought about changing clothes, but wasn’t sure how long she was staying. ‘If the interview goes bad,’ she mused as she walked up to the door, ‘I might want to leave in a hurry.’
A knock on the door brought a young woman in a maid’s outfit, about the same age as Natsuki. “Miss Kuga?” the long brown haired girl smiled warmly, “My name is Aoi Senou. The mistress is waiting in the garden.”
“Ah, thank you,” Natsuki followed her as she asked, “how do you know my name?”
“Yukino called ahead,” Aoi shrugged, “she had to, or our chief of security Harada wouldn’t have let you in.”
“If you have a chief of security, what does this lady need a bodyguard for?” Natsuki frowned, smelling a rat.
Aoi opened a door in the back of the building as she answered, “Why don’t I let the mistress explain that?”
Outside, the sweet scents of summer flowers flowed through the air, the gardens a carefully tended riot of colors. Aoi directed Natsuki down a path then left, leaving Natsuki to walk along looking for the mysterious lady of the house.
‘I knew I should have gotten more information from Yukino,’ Natsuki thought, only seeing a young lady working on one of the flower beds.
“Excuse me,” the older brown haired woman called in a lilting voice, “could you get me the spade from the wheelbarrow over there? I’m tending a delicate planting and I don’t want to leave it alone...”
“Sure,” Natsuki hurried to help, kneeling down beside the woman as she felt her subtle perfume wash over her. She passed the spade over and their hands touched, the other woman’s hands oddly elegant even under the dirt.
With smooth, graceful movements the woman in a purple t-shirt and jeans dug a hole, then carefully split the plant she was holding and settled it into the dirt. With obvious care she pressed the dirt around the base, then proceeded to plant the other.
“Thank you,” she smiled at Natsuki, her eyes the oddest shade of red.
“You’re welcome,” Natsuki flashed one of her rare smiles. Not the ‘I want to hurt you smile’ or her ‘I’m being nice till I can get the hell away from here smile’ but instead a honest expression of pleasure. Maybe it was because of the strange down to earth quality the woman had, mixed with a degree of refinement, but somehow Natsuki felt comfortable.
She sat back on her haunches, her thighs muscled beneath the denim as she got a cloth from her pocket and wiped the glistening sweat away. She studied Natsuki with a slight smile, “I don’t suppose I could borrow you for a bit?”
Natsuki hesitated. She should really be looking for the lady of the house, not talking to the gardener. Still, there seemed to be no sign of the lady and Natsuki found she liked her... “Why not?” she agreed.
For the next hour they worked on the flower bed, Natsuki getting quite messy as the older woman chatted gently. All the while Natsuki was quite unaware of how the older woman was drawing her out, her questions gently drawing confidences from the distracted young lady.
“Nice work,” the older woman finally said as they finished, the plants clumped in just the right way for the gardener’s taste.
“That was fun,” Natsuki was surprised to confess. She looked up and saw the maid and another young woman coming out of the house and heading towards them, “Uh oh, busted.”
“Trouble?” the older woman looked amused.
“I was supposed to be looking for someone,” Natsuki shrugged.
“Miss Fujino,” Aoi smiled at the gardener, “did the interview go well?”
She rose, brushing herself off as she said, “Oh, I think so.”
“Eh?” Natsuki blinked.
“This is Shizuru Fujino,” the black haired young lady with Aoi looked amused, “our employer.”
“Don’t tease her, Chie,” Aoi murmured, “Miss Fujino did the same to you.”
“You’re Fujino?” Natsuki blurted out, feeling a mix of mild annoyance and amusement at the situation.
“Sorry, Natsuki,” Shizuru’s eyes twinkled with mirth, “I meant to tell you, but we got so involved with talking I forgot.”
“Really,” Natsuki said skeptically. From talking with her the last hour she got the feeling there was a merry sense of humor under that inscrutable smile, and with a sinking feeling she suspected it was going to be directed at her.
“Does Natsuki not trust me?” Shizuru looked cutely wounded as she took Natsuki’s arm and gazed into her eyes.
Natsuki gulped, feeling her heart pound nervously. “It’s not that...” she blustered.
Shizuru smiled, “I’m so glad.”
“Poor girl,” Chie murmured.
The wryly smiling Natsuki shook herself, standing up straight as she asked Shizuru, “I understand you need someone?”
Shizuru pouted but decided to stay serious a moment, “Yes, I do.”
“Let’s hear it,” Natsuki said as the two walked back towards the house.
To be continued....
Natsuki Kuga felt distinctly uncomfortable standing in the living room of the Suzushiro home as the Fuka University graduation party rolled on around her. The black haired young woman had never been very close to the clique around the student council, only falling into their orbit because of her helping deal with Takeda the panty thief.
“Natsuki,” Yukino smiled, her glasses gleaming as the reddish brown haired girl carried a tray of glasses, “more wine?”
“Thanks,” Natsuki took one. Sipping she said quietly, “You don’t have to hover, you know. I’m fine.”
“I know the job placement Haruka arranged didn’t go so well,” Yukino quietly admitted, “I wanted to apologize.”
“It’s just Haruka’s way,” Natsuki shrugged while Yukino nodded sympathetically.
Haruka Suzushiro was the student body present of Fuka University, and was widely known to be strong willed and good hearted. Sadly, she occasionally lacked in common sense, which was why she valued her girlfriend Yukino so much. In one of her more spectacular blunders recently she had sent Natsuki on a job placement with a archivist, one that Natsuki was bored to tears over.
“I was wondering if you’d be interested in another placement?” Yukino asked as she passed off the tray of drinks to another guest.
“Oh?” Natsuki gave her a decidedly wary look.
“Haruka didn’t arrange it,” Yukino reassured her, “in fact, it’s a request from a alumnus of the university.”
Looking a bit more relaxed Natsuki nodded slightly as she asked curiously, “A former graduate? What does she want?”
“A girl Friday and bodyguard, actually,” Yukino admitted.
“Sounds interesting,” Natsuki admitted, soon getting the whole story from her.
It seemed the former student had come into some wealth, and while that was good it also meant that she had some new problems, too. Apparently at least one former paramour was now following her, possibly with bad intentions, and she wanted a unobtrusive protector.
“I think with your skills,” Yukino wryly referred to Natsuki’s shooting awards and martial arts wins, “you might be well suited to the job.”
“It certainly beats being an archivist,” Natsuki conceded.
“Kuga!” Nao Yuuki smiled, the redhead grinning at her as she slid like a shark through the crowd towards her.
“Oh dear,” Yukino did a fast fade after giving Natsuki the address.
“Gee, thanks for staying,” Natsuki sighed as her adversary descended upon her. Commonly known as the ‘Slut of Fuka’ Nao had bragged that she had slept with the entire senior class... except for Natsuki. “What do you want?” she demanded.
“So harsh, Natsuki,” Nao smiled, “I just want to be friendly.”
With that Nao slid uncomfortably close, her thigh rubbing against Natsuki’s. “No,” Natsuki calmly replied and proceeded to dump her glass of wine over the stunned Nao’s head.
“You bitch!” Nao yelped, taking a swing at her. After that, the party proceeded to become rather lively.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Late the next morning the black motorcycle purred as she swung up through the hills above Fuka, the trees breaking up the sunlight in random patterns on the road. The Suzushiro home wasn’t that far from here, these heights mostly reserved for the long time wealthy or the newly rich, each uncomfortable beside the other.
Natsuki coasted to a stop beside the ornate outer gate, reaching into her black leather biker’s suit to check the address. ‘Yup,’ she thought as she pulled off her helmet, ‘this is the place.’ Rolling her bike over she found the intercom switch and pressed it, hearing a soft ring both there and presumedly up at the house.
“Yes?” a voice asked, the slightest trace of a Kyoto accent lingering.
“Natsuki Kuga,” she replied, “I’m here about the job.”
“Come on up,” the woman answered, “ah’ll be waiting.”
With a soft hum the large metal gate slid back, the lane stretching up into the trees. Mounting her bike once more Natsuki donned her helmet and kick started, the engine roaring a moment before she sped off up the drive. Within a few moments she came up to a fairly modest mansion, at least for these parts, with a porch and a older style look.
‘Reminds me of those samurai compounds from the movies,’ Natsuki thought as she parked her bike, setting the stand and putting her helmet on the seat. She thought about changing clothes, but wasn’t sure how long she was staying. ‘If the interview goes bad,’ she mused as she walked up to the door, ‘I might want to leave in a hurry.’
A knock on the door brought a young woman in a maid’s outfit, about the same age as Natsuki. “Miss Kuga?” the long brown haired girl smiled warmly, “My name is Aoi Senou. The mistress is waiting in the garden.”
“Ah, thank you,” Natsuki followed her as she asked, “how do you know my name?”
“Yukino called ahead,” Aoi shrugged, “she had to, or our chief of security Harada wouldn’t have let you in.”
“If you have a chief of security, what does this lady need a bodyguard for?” Natsuki frowned, smelling a rat.
Aoi opened a door in the back of the building as she answered, “Why don’t I let the mistress explain that?”
Outside, the sweet scents of summer flowers flowed through the air, the gardens a carefully tended riot of colors. Aoi directed Natsuki down a path then left, leaving Natsuki to walk along looking for the mysterious lady of the house.
‘I knew I should have gotten more information from Yukino,’ Natsuki thought, only seeing a young lady working on one of the flower beds.
“Excuse me,” the older brown haired woman called in a lilting voice, “could you get me the spade from the wheelbarrow over there? I’m tending a delicate planting and I don’t want to leave it alone...”
“Sure,” Natsuki hurried to help, kneeling down beside the woman as she felt her subtle perfume wash over her. She passed the spade over and their hands touched, the other woman’s hands oddly elegant even under the dirt.
With smooth, graceful movements the woman in a purple t-shirt and jeans dug a hole, then carefully split the plant she was holding and settled it into the dirt. With obvious care she pressed the dirt around the base, then proceeded to plant the other.
“Thank you,” she smiled at Natsuki, her eyes the oddest shade of red.
“You’re welcome,” Natsuki flashed one of her rare smiles. Not the ‘I want to hurt you smile’ or her ‘I’m being nice till I can get the hell away from here smile’ but instead a honest expression of pleasure. Maybe it was because of the strange down to earth quality the woman had, mixed with a degree of refinement, but somehow Natsuki felt comfortable.
She sat back on her haunches, her thighs muscled beneath the denim as she got a cloth from her pocket and wiped the glistening sweat away. She studied Natsuki with a slight smile, “I don’t suppose I could borrow you for a bit?”
Natsuki hesitated. She should really be looking for the lady of the house, not talking to the gardener. Still, there seemed to be no sign of the lady and Natsuki found she liked her... “Why not?” she agreed.
For the next hour they worked on the flower bed, Natsuki getting quite messy as the older woman chatted gently. All the while Natsuki was quite unaware of how the older woman was drawing her out, her questions gently drawing confidences from the distracted young lady.
“Nice work,” the older woman finally said as they finished, the plants clumped in just the right way for the gardener’s taste.
“That was fun,” Natsuki was surprised to confess. She looked up and saw the maid and another young woman coming out of the house and heading towards them, “Uh oh, busted.”
“Trouble?” the older woman looked amused.
“I was supposed to be looking for someone,” Natsuki shrugged.
“Miss Fujino,” Aoi smiled at the gardener, “did the interview go well?”
She rose, brushing herself off as she said, “Oh, I think so.”
“Eh?” Natsuki blinked.
“This is Shizuru Fujino,” the black haired young lady with Aoi looked amused, “our employer.”
“Don’t tease her, Chie,” Aoi murmured, “Miss Fujino did the same to you.”
“You’re Fujino?” Natsuki blurted out, feeling a mix of mild annoyance and amusement at the situation.
“Sorry, Natsuki,” Shizuru’s eyes twinkled with mirth, “I meant to tell you, but we got so involved with talking I forgot.”
“Really,” Natsuki said skeptically. From talking with her the last hour she got the feeling there was a merry sense of humor under that inscrutable smile, and with a sinking feeling she suspected it was going to be directed at her.
“Does Natsuki not trust me?” Shizuru looked cutely wounded as she took Natsuki’s arm and gazed into her eyes.
Natsuki gulped, feeling her heart pound nervously. “It’s not that...” she blustered.
Shizuru smiled, “I’m so glad.”
“Poor girl,” Chie murmured.
The wryly smiling Natsuki shook herself, standing up straight as she asked Shizuru, “I understand you need someone?”
Shizuru pouted but decided to stay serious a moment, “Yes, I do.”
“Let’s hear it,” Natsuki said as the two walked back towards the house.
To be continued....