Mai-HiME Fan Fiction ❯ An heir's responsibility ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of characters used. All are licensed to their respective owners. I am not making any money through authorship of this fic.

Chapter Four

Since the group outside seemed to have permanently taken to watching Shizuru and Natsuki on the couch, periodically breaking out into general `awwing', the recently engaged couple decided to move their sitting elsewhere. Elsewhere being Natsuki's room to be precise.

Unfortunately for them, there were windows there too and Natsuki had to pointedly look at her guns in order to make Tate, Mai, Chie and Aoi run for cover. For Nao however, the biggest gun had to be picked up and waved around before the same effect took place.

“Your friends and family are very interesting Natsuki,” said Shizuru while they both lay on top of the younger girl's bed.

“Yeah… sorry about them,” she replied.

Shizuru let out a small giggle.

“I wasn't complaining, I think they're rather charming actually.”

“You do?,” Natsuki asked with a raised eyebrow. “Well, as a favour to your new fiancÃ©e, try not to tell them that ok? If you do… they might never leave, then we'd be in trouble.”

Shizuru gave out a meaningful sigh and batted her eyelashes.

“My Natsuki prefers to be alone in bed with me rather than be with her family?”

Natsuki's eye twitched.

`Don't turn red, don't turn red, don't turn…'

“Ara Natsuki, you're turning red!”

`Aww crap I turned red.'

“Well… it's only because Nao irritates me so,” Natsuki said, trying to cover herself.

Shizuru pulled out the cutest pout imaginable.

“Natsuki's not happy to be here with me?”

“Huh? No, that's not it of course I'm happy! I mean just look at you… Wait no, I'm not saying that only looks matter to me, because I also like motorcycles and guns. Dammit hold on, my brain's moving really fast in a direction that I don't want it to… What I really want to say is that I also care about your personality, I want to get to know you… or something to that effect. No, yes, I'm pretty sure that's what I wanted to say,” Natsuki finished with a nod.

Shizuru lay there smiling throughout the whole rant finding herself slowly getting addicted to the effect her teasing had on Natsuki.

“Well Natsuki, it seems to me your eloquence is usually reserved for insulting annoying body guards and convincing people's fathers to let you marry their daughters…”

“Well double well Shizuru, it seems to me that you thoroughly enjoy teasing people,” Natsuki said while folding her arms over her chest.

Shizuru giggle again and this time found Natsuki joining in with her.

“I can't believe that's pretty much all we know about each other,” Natsuki said.

“Hmm, I know, but do you admit Miss Kuga that there seems to be something that makes us… the opposite of repulsed by each other?”

Shizuru settled for this question, not wanting to come out and say `thank you for asking me to marry you, Haruka made me think you were going to be a moron who didn't drink tea. You have no idea how happy I am that it turned out to be you my little rebel.'

To her first statement, Natsuki said: “I do agree miss Fujino.”

`How could I have not asked you to marry me? I mean you're just… Hotness… I mean, I did it for my brother! … Hold on I'm in my head so I can `say' what I like.'

Natsuki smiled a little and rolled her eyes at herself.

Catching Shizuru's questioning look she shrugged and said…

“Oh it's nothing I was thinking to myself how hot you were.”

“You were what?”

`Wanting to die…'

“Oh, uh… would you believe… nothing?,” Natsuki asked with a nervous little laugh.

Shizuru beamed at her.

“If I say yes do I get a prize?,” Shizuru asked, her smile turning a shade of cheeky.

Natsuki nodded suspiciously.

“Ok, but it really depends on what this prize…”

Shizuru leant over and kissed her on the cheek.

“… you want is. Hey you kissed me!,” said Natsuki touching the part of her cheek where Shizuru's lips had just been.

“Well you proposed,” said the smiling girl matter-of-factly.

“TouchÃ©.”

“No I mean you proposed, and I said yes but we didn't kiss. It didn't seem right.”

Natsuki laughed.

“Didn't seem right huh? I suppose we'll just overlook the fact that I was kneeling in front of your father.”

“Well if that's not a story to tell the younger generations I don't know what is…”

Natsuki let out a content sigh and saw Shizuru running a finger over her new ring.

“This really is beautiful,” Shizuru breathed.

“Yeah, for what it's worth, I'm really happy that it's you who's wearing it,” Natsuki said. “Even though I don't really know you too well yet,” she added.

“Would you like to get to know me a little better tonight?,” Shizuru asked softly as she turned to face Natsuki.

The other girl pretended she was a tomato.

“What not interested? I only wanted to play twenty questions with you…”

“Ohh,” Natsuki said, her face turning back to it's normal colour. “We could do that. You first?”

“Alright… what was your first thought when you realised I was `Miss Fujino'?”

Natsuki fidgeted a bit.

`Damn, how many times do I have to tell this girl I think she's hot in one night? Wait… what was I really thinking… oh yeah that's it! Man that stupid Nao…'

“What, Natsuki has no answer?”

“I do, I do, ok to be honest I think my first thought was that `I should tell Nao she's not fat'…”

Shizuru laughed unbelievingly.

“It's a loooong story,” added Natsuki. “About as long as the one that dictates why I can't actually tell you the story… except longer.”

“Ok, ok I'll let that one go for now. So what is Natsuki's question for me?”

“Hmm, let's see… ok, I got one, if you could have a superpower, what would it be?”

“That's your question?”

“You're judging my question now?”

“Alright hmm, superpower… I'd like to be able to read your mind right now. Then it would be easy to see what's my Natsuki's head.”

Natsuki smiled.

“In fact… I think I may just use up my next question and ask you what I'd find out if I had that superpower right now.”

“You wanna know what's running through my head right at this very moment?”

Shizuru nodded.

“And don't forget to be honest now Miss Kuga,” she said with a smile.

“Well ok, that's easy enough to answer. To be honest… I was just thinking about my fiancÃ©e,” Natsuki said while looking the other girl in the eye.

Shizuru gulped and found herself captivated by the green iris pools.

“And what about her were you thinking about exactly?,” she asked in a whisper.

“Only that… wait that's two questions for you, my turn!”

“Natsuki!”

“Yes honey?,” Natsuki teased.

Shizuru laughed.

“I am immune from your teasing Natsuki Kuga. Afterall, I am a master in that art.”

“Well that's a point I'm just not willing to argue…,” Natsuki replied.

Meanwhile… Tate's room.

“Hey, what do you think they're doing right now?,” asked Nao as she paced the room.

“Sleeping?,” offered Aoi with a yawn.

“Talking,” said Chie as she wrote down possible conversations in her notebook.

“Having lots and lots of hot…,” started Tate until he caught Mai's look. “… hot chocolate,” he finished.

“Eww you freak! Natsuki's your sister!”

“What I just said hot chocolate!”

“Yeah but you were thinking…,” Mai started.

“Thinking what?,” Tate asked innocently.

“You really weren't thinking `that'?,” asked Nao.

“`That' what? What is `that'?”

The girls looked at each other pointedly and Tate finally got the message.

“Eww! Man, you girls are just so… so insensitive!”

“You know what Mai? When Natsuki first told me this guy had a thing for you… frankly I was a little relieved. I actually thought he was ga..”

“Do not finish that sentence Nao or I'll ask to borrow one of Natsuki's guns.”

Nao just laughed at the thought.

“Good luck with that drama boy, you probably don't even know which way to hold the things.”

Tate crossed his arms and pouted.

“Damn insensitive cousin.”

Nao laughed and messed up his hair.

“Relax Tate geez.”

The redhead stretched her arms above her head and suddenly had a funny look playing upon her features.

“No,” said the rest of the group as soon as they caught a glimpse of it.

“No what?”

“Just a general `No' to whatever it is you're thinking right now.”

Nao put on her best `I'm innocent' look, which resembled any other normal person's `I know you know I just did something I wasn't supposed to' look.

“But I…”

“No!”

“I just want to know what they're talking about!”

“Why a wolf of course!,” Natsuki said as she answered another question.

The girls had become more comfortable in each other's company as the questions flew by.

“That's your favourite animal?”

“You don't like wolves?”

“I don't know. I think they're majestic really, but then sometimes they seem cold to me. How about if my Natsuki can be a fluffy little wolfy puppy instead?”

“Huh? No way!”

Shizuru pouted.

“N.. Nn.. Stop with the pout! Ok ok I now like wolf pups.”

Shizuru's pout got more pronounced.

“No fair! Alright I like fluffy little wolfy pups. Happy now?”

Shizuru shook her head vigorously as her pout remained in place.

Natsuki blushed a little before saying what she knew she had to.

“Natsuki is Shizuru's fluffy little wolfy puppy,” she said in the tone of a person who knew when they had lost.

Shizuru laughed and pounced on the other girl intent giving her `wolfy puppy' a cuddle.

Natsuki struggled a bit before deciding on another course of action.

She wrapped one arm around the girl's waist and held Shizuru tightly to her as she used her other hand to tickle the girl.

“Hehehe, Natsuki! Stop… hehe… that's hehe not fair…”

The door opened, a fact that remained unbeknownst to the two girls…

Their fathers stood at the door, both making `O' shapes with their mouths.

“See look what you made your wolfy puppy do!,” Natsuki said with a giggle.

“Hehehe, wolfy puppy is bad! Natsuki… stop it! Hehe..”

Mr. Kuga turned to Mr. Fujino and mouthed `Wolfy puppy?'

The other man shrugged before looking back at his giggling daughter then at the man beside him.

`Her wolfy puppy?' he mouthed back to Mr. Kuga.

The two carried on staring with confused looks pasted on their faces until they heard footsteps walking towards them.

“Hey, what are you guys looking at?,” asked Nao.

The two older men quickly moved away from the doorway, unintentionally giving the younger group a better view of the couple on the bed.

By this time Natsuki had Shizuru completely on top of her with each of the girl's legs on either side of her stomach.

Both became frozen in the spot when they heard Nao's voice, and both had their eyes firmly shut, not wanting to see how many people there were watching them.

Nao looked incredulously at her uncle and Mr. Fujino.

“Hey you perverts what the heck do you think you're doing?!”

“Uh..”, a flustered Mr. Fujino stammered. “I just came to say goodnight to my daughter. I'm leaving now.”

Nao stared at him wordlessly.

“He told me to come,” Mr. Fujino continued pointing a finger at Mr. Kuga.

“Well I didn't know they were busy!”

“Err, is it over yet?,” asked Tate who was standing with his back turned to the door.

“Right, well I'm actually going to leave now, Goodnight Shizuru,” Mr. Fujino said as he quickly retreated.

“G-goodnight,” Shizuru barely managed to say.

“I'll see you out!,” said Mr. Kuga, jogging after him.

“Umm… us too!,” said Chie, Aoi, Mai and Tate.

Nao looked at the two beet-red girls that were still entangled together on the bed.

“Boy, lucky your dad's made you guys get engaged first huh?,” she mused.

Before Natsuki could regain proper use of her limbs, most importantly her arm and trigger finger which she wanted the most use of at that moment, Mai and Tate came running back and each grabbed one of Nao's arms before dragging her away from the door.

Mai gave Tate an annoyed look.

“We've talked about this before!,” she said as they briskly walked off.

Tate gave her a sheepish smile.

“I know, I know.”

“What did I tell you?”

“Never leave Nao unattended because the world in general gets more dangerous when she makes decisions by herself…”

“Exactly!”

Natsuki cleared her throat.

“Well that was…,” she started.

“Interesting…,” Shizuru finished.

“Well, actually I was thinking `traumatic' but yeah, that too.”

Shizuru nodded, effectively nuzzling into Natsuki's neck.

“Hey, what're you doing?,” asked the green-eyed girl.

“Shh, sleepy.”

“Hey, hold on…”

“Ok,” Shizuru said as she held on tighter.

“Hey, that's not what I meant… I…”

“G'nitepuppy. Mayonnaise puppy…”

Natsuki lay her head back and closed her eyes.

“Good night… kyoto-ben.”

TBC…

AN: Hope you all enjoyed what was meant to be `humorous fluff' XD, my update power is definitely running on all the great reviews you guys have been sending along! This author is very very thankful. Catch you all next chapter! I guess if the reviews come in the way they have been, I'll have no choice but to write another one for you guys immediately hehe. And my sincere apologies on my mistake regarding Yuuichi Tate's name… only midorihitomi knows the reason for that… sorry again!