The Commencement Ball

Chapter 1

Magazines scattered across a desk, pages bent and others creased. Clouds passed by the window unseen and uncounted. Stars lit up the night were left up to their own devices. Instead a desk lamp burned the night away.

The sun rose as the hours turned into minutes. A soft musical tone of an alarm clocked sounded and two tired red eyes opened to greet the day. To her dismay the bed beside her was empty. She sighed merrily and removed the blanket from body. She got onto her feet and adjusted her nightgown to better cover herself. She walked across the room to where a rogue lamp was interrupting her pleasure of the morning sun.

Shizuru flipped off the lamp, she could smell it now. Natsuki must not have known she had fallen asleep there on her studies. Shizuru allowed herself to take in the quite blissful scene. She moved a few stray strands of dark blue hair and put them behind her love's ear. Poor girl was drooling. Shizuru stifled a laugh at a bet she gave herself. Will that magazine stick to her face once she is awoken?

How could she awaken her? She just couldn't and here the day was to start. The commencement ball was coming up and they had yet another meeting today with the delegates from all the participating kingdoms. Shizuru leaned in for a kiss on the cheek facing her. Natsuki was so cute.

The phone rang and Shizuru stood up. Her eyes flashed for a moment in anger and she gritted her teeth. Waking her was her job and hers alone.

Natsuki sat up; the magazine did in fact stick to her face, but soon fell onto her lap. She rubbed her face and went for the phone. Shizuru smiled and leaned in again.

She kissed her on the cheek. "Good morning, Natsuki."

Natsuki blushed. The phone rang a second time. "Good morning, Shizuru." She picked up the phone.

"Principle Natsuki Krugar speaking."

"Good morning, dear sister." A charming yet to her, infuriating voice spoke on the other end.

"What may I do for you, Yukito?" her voice dropped a bit. This was not a way to start the day.

Shizuru nodded in defeat and went for tea.

"My, my, sister dear. Father sends his regards."

"He's not coming to the dance, then?"

"Correct, I was requested to go in his stead. He is a very busy man."

Natsuki rubbed her face some more. She knew this conversation could go nowhere good. "No doubt carousing."

"That's no way to speak about our father. Even if it's true." Yukito's smug grin could be seen in Natsuki's mind. "One more thing."

Natsuki opened her eyes, she was waiting for this. "Yes?"

"I will be with a new friend of the family. He is really quite nice, you'll like him. See you in a week." He hung up.

"Shit." Natsuki dropped the phone and kicked the chair across the room and stomped around. "Damn it!" she shouted.

"Ara, what is the matter?" Shizuru returned with a cup of brewed tea.

"He!" Natsuki grabbed a pillow off the bed and shouted into it to calm down. Shizuru smiled and walked closer.

Natsuki fell onto the bed in defeat. She groaned and looked as if she would fall asleep again. Shizuru sighed; things could not remain this way. They would be late for work.

"Natsuki, get up please. Your tea is ready." Shizuru spoke softly. She knew her words held no weight with how her love was acting now. "I will place it on the bed here, do be careful." She set the tray down on a flat area near the corner and walked to the desk.

She smiled seeing the fashion magazines. She wondered if a dress or a suit would be worn by her frustrated friend. She saw some jewelry magazines and her eyebrow raised a bit. "What have we here?" she made her words quite sharp and sarcastic. She had a magazine in her hand she never expected to find. She meant Natsuki to react to them. Natsuki was hiding something and not very well.

"WAIT!" Natsuki bounded out of bed and spilled the tea on the tray and the bed and her self. "Damn it!" she fumbled with the tray and moved it aside so not to make matters much worse.

She then leaped over to the magazines and scrambled to get them all together in a pile. She took the one out of her hand and dropped some others. Her face was beat red and Shizuru didn't need to be near as manipulative as she could be to figure this out.

They were soon all dropped and stuffed into a large empty drawer. It was a real mess.

"Natsuki is hot and wet for me this morning, oh my."

Natsuki was bowing a bit, but mostly to hide her reddened face. Shizuru laughed, but had to ask her about them. "Natsuki, what are these?"

"They are for the commencement ball."

"Yes, the dresses are nice. What about the flowers?"

"Likewise."

"I see, and the rings?"

"…same…"

"Natsuki…" the alarm clock went off again. "Oh my, we will be late."

"I'm sorry, Shizuru." Natsuki was calming down now.

"We should shower."

"Right, go on ahead. I'll clean up."

"Ara, I said 'we'"

"Shizuru!"

"Natsuki is cute in pink." Shizuru laughed.

--

"Don't be shy, we've bathed many times before." Shizuru smiled as she walked into the main bathroom. She turned the water on and checked the temperature.

"Sorry…" Natsuki started taking her top off and turned to the side as Shizuru's robe hit the tiled floor.

"Natsuki still is cute." Shizuru teased.

"Am not." She dropped her top upon the floor near the robe, still turned away from her and the bath.

"Did you get a tattoo?" Shizuru smiled some more and grabbed her from behind. She pressed her chest against her back. "You're hiding something from me." She rubbed her left cheek against her right delighting in the subtle sounds she earned from the girl.

"N..no! Why?"

"Is it here?" Shizuru poked her belly.

"N..no.. I mean I don't have one!"

"Ara, is it here?" she poked higher.

"Hey! We'll be late!"

"Sigh, Natsuki doesn't want to play with me."

"No! I mean, eh."

"Fu Fu, yes, we should get ready. I'll help." She grabbed her pants and pulled them down to her ankles.

"Natsuki, I'm hurt."

"What?"

Shizuru grinned, showing her teeth a bit, "I buy you all those fancy lingerei and you still insist on wearing nothing."

"S..So!?" Natsuki stammered and found the ceiling quite interesting. She turned to see the grin on her friend's face, "Shizuru!"

"Sigh, we will be late. It can't be helped."

"S..stoppit!" Natsuki was furious now. Her mind now plagued with unclean thoughts and memories. Her heart was racing.

"Fine. I will stop." Shizuru stood up and hugged her again. "Tell me, who called?"

Honestly, Natsuki would rather continue playing than talk about the call, "My brother, Yukito. You've met him once, I believe."

"Yes, a nice fellow."

"He's a smug prick."

"Takes after your father right?"

"Yes, I guess so." Natsuki nodded, "but nevermind that. He is bringing along my new fiancee."

"Oh."