Hey again! I have no idea how this chapter got so large but I hope you all like it. Happy soon-to-be 2014!
Natsuki woke to the pitch black interior of her cabin. "Mai?" She croaked. "You there?"
There was a rustling from the other side of the room. "Natsuki! You're up!" The light was flicked on and Natsuki was up close and personal with a concerned-looking Mai. "How're you feeling?"
The biker sat up and poked her head, not feeling any pain. She must be made of steel since she had had uglier injuries and always came out no worse for wear. "Fine. How long was I out?"
"The rest of the day. It's almost eight and Shizuru said she still wants you to attend dinner at the captain's table with her if you're alright."
Natsuki hid a scowl at the news. Shizuru knew I didn't want to go to that dinner in the first place. Is it not enough that I suffered a possibly life-threatening head injury? "Do I have to go?" She asked somewhat petulantly.
The orange haired girl pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're not a child. Just suck it up and eat dinner with them."
"What about you and Mikoto?" Natsuki asked before giving her friend a knowing grin. "Or is there something else on the menu for the two of— AAAHH!" Since Natsuki's head was still vulnerable, Mai had aimed her slap at the girl's shoulder.
Ignoring the blush coming across her face, Mai replied, "Yes. We actually do have other plans for dinner."
Never one to know when to shut up, Natsuki choked out, "What's for dessert? Is it something edible or—OWW." Mai hit her other shoulder and she curled up defensively, looking extremely pathetic.
"Shut up before you get yourself another concussion." Mai glared. "I don't really know what's going on between me and Mikoto yet but I don't want you joking about it."
Natsuki sat back up, most of her playful demeanor gone. "You should know by now that if I joke about something, I don't usually mean it. Mikoto seems cool." Before things had the chance to get mushy or emotional, Natsuki heaved herself out of bed. "Now I have a dinner to get ready for and so do you."
Mai gave her friend a sweet smile. "Tell me all about it when you come back."
If anything, Natsuki thought as she selected her dress, the company should prove to be interesting.
Well, she was more right than she thought possible. The captain was a ridiculously happy fellow with dark hair and eyes. He introduced himself as "Reito Kanzaki, darling." and good-naturedly heckled the wait staff. He sat diagonally across from Natsuki.
Shizuru came in shortly after Natsuki, sashaying past her in a form-fitting black dress. She sat down on Natsuki's left side. "Are you feeling alright?" She asked, echoing Mai's earlier concern.
"Yep." Natsuki answered distractedly. For some reason, her eyes kept trying to travel downwards towards Shizuru's chest. Did I want to stare at her this much before my head got messed up? Natsuki jerked her head so she was looking at the empty plate in front of her and avoiding Shizuru's gaze (and bust) completely. "Totally healed up." Maybe it's just the fact that her dress has the best push-up bra known to mankind.
"Oh," Shizuru tried to get a good look at the other girl's face to see if she was telling the truth, but Natsuki was staring hard at the table as if it held the answers of the universe, her hands balled up in her lap. "If you say so."
By the time Tomoe finally came, the only spot left was across from Natsuki. Natsuki looked up at her arrival and was pleased to see that the teal-haired girl still looked sullen. What a sore loser, Natsuki thought, though I suppose I would be too…if I ever lost, that is. She didn't bother hiding her smug grin and Tomoe glowered at her in return.
Once a few more people took their seats, the captain turned his attention to Natsuki. As if reading her thoughts, he said, "So I heard you won the competition earlier, congratulations. What do you plan on doing with your winnings?"
"It's funny that you ask that, Captain." Natsuki started, her gaze flickering to Tomoe before going back to Reito. "I promised Marguerite that I'd buy as much alcohol and chocolate as I could. I wouldn't want to let her down."
Tomoe's lips twitched into a snarl but she bit back a retort. If Kanzaki wasn't here I'd rip that smile off her. She looked towards Shizuru, hoping to find a soft, understanding expression on her face. Instead, her red-eyed beauty had her napkin over her mouth, her shoulders shaking slightly. "Shizuru, are you sick?" Tomoe asked, full of worry.
To Tomoe's ignorance, Shizuru was actually covering a laugh. The cruise director brought out a childish but very entertaining side of Natsuki and Shizuru was doing her best to appear unmoved. It wouldn't do any good to actively encourage Natsuki's behavior but it sure was fun to watch. "No, I'm fine." She replied to Tomoe, giving her a grateful smile. "Thank you for your concern." Out of the corner of her eye, Shizuru saw the biker's lips turn downwards. Interesting reaction. Is that jealously, Natsuki? So far the signs Natsuki was sending her were mixed at best but moments like this gave Shizuru hope.
Reito went back to the original strand of conversation, breaking though Shizuru's thoughts. "Alcohol and chocolate! Such a potent combination. I remember one time, it was so silly, I was on leave in Rio during Carnival…" He launched into a story that involved a stolen parade float, five pounds of feathers, and two Brazilian men on rollerskates. By the end of the tale, Natsuki was bright red and even the composed Shizuru looked stunned. "But enough about me," Reito said primly. "What is there to know about you lovely ladies? Are you enjoying your cruise so far?"
"Yes," Shizuru said, giving Natsuki a moment to recollect herself after Reito's raunchy story. "I'm enjoying myself quite a bit. The ship is everything I hoped it would be." She gave him a charming smile to cap off her praise.
Natsuki nodded in agreement. "Yep. It's uh, not bad." She added, cringing inwardly. She was never very good with compliments but it looked like Shizuru had the market cornered on flattery, so whatever Natsuki said would seem superfluous anyways.
"That's it? 'Not bad?" Tomoe scoffed from across the table. "How lame."
Natsuki raised an eyebrow. The director actually looked offended. " What? That's a compliment." Natsuki said defensively. What more does she want from me? It's not like this cruise is geared towards my demographic.
Tomoe sniffed. "I suppose so. It's just not a very good one. Shizuru's on the other hand…" The teal haired girl looked towards the university student with adoring eyes. "hers was truly insightful. I'm happy you think so highly of us."
Of course. Natsuki rolled her eyes. She was just trying to tear me down and praise Shizuru in the same breath. A waiter came by to take Reito's order and while he was occupied, Natsuki took the opportunity to hiss "Keep it in your pants, Marguerite," to the other girl. Tomoe's mouth dropped open in indignation but the waiter was onto her next, saving Natsuki from hearing another mediocre retort.
Shizuru put a calming hand on Natsuki's shoulder, causing the other girl to jump slightly. "There's no need defend me, though if Natsuki wishes to be my knight in shining armor, I suppose I cannot stop her."
"W-what?" Natsuki sputtered. "I'm not trying to defend your honor or anything. I just want to piss her off."
"In that case, it's working marvelously. However, I suggest you watch your words," Shizuru got a playful glint in her eyes. "otherwise the lovely director may throw you in the brig."
Shizuru's hand was still on her shoulder but Natsuki had already forgotten about it. She gave a snort. "Then I guess you'll have to seduce her to think otherwise. You have to know she's totally into you, right?"
"Why, Natsuki. Do you take me for a blind woman? I am well aware of when someone is attracted to someone else." She pointed to a woman two tables away. "For example, she keeps looking at me when she doesn't think I notice." Shizuru motioned towards another woman with blond hair. "And that one keeps missing her mouth when using her spoon because she can't stop staring at you."
"Me?!" Natsuki shook her head violently. "I refuse to believe that." Just then, Natsuki glanced at the woman and in response the blond promptly spilled a spoonful of soup on her dress. Why must I be so attractive? Natsuki thought in mild despair.
Shizuru continued on. "Besides, I would rather Tomoe throw us in the brig together. It would make for very good bonding time." Especially if handcuffs were involved. Shizuru's eyes took on a dreamy hue for a moment.
Natsuki tried to retort but ended up picturing something extraordinarily similar to Shizuru. She turned red at the direction of her thoughts and she decided to stay silent until the waiter came to her.
Once everyone's order was placed, there was a slight lull in conversation that Shizuru quickly filled up. She talked to the captain and the other guests about nothing of importance but the way she phrased her questions and shifted her body towards the person speaking made everyone feel important.
She's really good at this. Natsuki thought, impressed. The biker herself was no fan of interacting with others though with Mai's guidance she had managed not to look too awkward. But Shizuru…she was on another level. No wonder everyone she meets likes her. Without her knowledge or consent, a gentle smile came across Natsuki's face as she continued to watch Shizuru socialize.
The food came and finally broke Natsuki out of her silent admiration. Her eyes widened when she realized she had been looking at the red-eyed girl for nearly fifteen minutes. Thank god Shizuru was too busy to notice. The biker dug into her food to keep her senses occupied.
Across the table, the cruise director was feeling left out. Shizuru was chatting up everyone but her. She gave a small pout before an idea struck. This will get her attention.
Tomoe bit her lip before slowly reaching her foot across the table until it found its target: Shizuru's leg. She slowly ran her foot up and down the slender limb, relishing how smooth it was.
Natsuki stopped listening to the conversation and stiffened, eyes wide. Something was rubbing against her leg! Something that felt suspiciously like a foot! The raven haired girl looked at Shizuru accusingly but she was still talking to the captain and didn't seem to notice anything odd going on. Natsuki continued her search of suspects until her eyes landed on Tomoe. The cruise director had her gaze fixated on Shizuru and a lecherous grin was spreading across her face. Wait…does she think she's rubbing Shizuru's leg? Natsuki thought incredulously. This isn't even supposed to be directed towards me and yet I feel so dirty…Tomoe is such a creep.
"Natsuki, is everything okay?" Shizuru asked, finally noticing the girl's distress. Natsuki was staring at her plate with her jaw clenched and fists curled tightly in her lap. This poor girl doesn't seem to have much luck in the dining room. Shizuru put a hand on Natsuki knee and rubbed it soothingly.
"Umm…y-yeah. I'm fine." Natsuki stuttered, trying to subtly move her leg away from Tomoe's. But the gray eyed woman made sure her foot followed the limb and gave Shizuru a deceptively coy smile that Shizuru didn't seem to notice. You idiot! You can't even seduce the right leg! Natsuki thought angrily at Tomoe.
But now Shizuru was looking at her with concern and her comforting touch was at odds with Tomoe's own perverted endeavor.
Natsuki couldn't take it anymore. The hand, the foot…it was all too much! She rammed her high-heeled foot into Tomoe's leg before abruptly standing up. Tomoe yelped and the other tablemates looked at her in curiosity. Natsuki leaned her hands on the table, her face full of concern. "Are you okay, Marguerite?" She asked with as much empathy as she could muster while mentally laughing her ass off.
The director looked confusedly towards Shizuru, at a loss for words. "Tomoe, are you okay?" Shizuru prodded. First Natsuki was ill the night before and now Tomoe looked a bit pale. Perhaps the food was a bit questionable on this ship.
"Uhh, yeah." She quickly recomposed herself, though she could still feel her heart and shin ache in equal measure. Surely Shizuru didn't mean to kick me…"Sorry, I just forgot to take the shell off of this piece of lobster. It almost got stuck in my throat." She laughed awkwardly before going quiet and trying not to sob into her food.
Natsuki was still standing up and tapped Shizuru on the shoulder. "Do you want to go err…powder our noses together or something?"
Shizuru gave her a strange look. "Sure, Natsuki. Let's go." Is Natsuki trying to get me alone? She smiled at the biker, trying to contain her curiosity.
As soon as Shizuru stood up, Natsuki grabbed her wrist and tugged her towards the nearest bathroom. Oh, my. She really is trying to get me alone. What are you planning on doing with me, Natsuki?
Natsuki barged into the marble-covered bathroom and quickly looked under all the stalls to make sure they were alone.
She turned back to Shizuru and raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" Her eyes widened. "O-Oi! I wasn't trying to get with you, keep your clothes on!"
Shizuru pushed her dress' strap back up, looking unperturbed. "It slipped."
Natsuki gave her a suspicious glare but went back to her main point. "Marguerite was feeling me up under the table. She thought I was you."
"Really? Maybe she likes both of us." Shizuru said innocently.
Natsuki repressed the urge to shudder. "Oh god, I hope not." She took a breath and leaned against the bathroom counter. "Look... I think I'm just going to cut out. Everyone, Marguerite excluded of course, seems nice enough but I'm not a people person."
"Aah. I see." Shizuru said, looking a bit deflated. "I suppose I'll see you sometime tomorrow then." She nodded towards Natsuki before putting her hand on the door.
"Wait!" Natsuki said quickly. Her hand reached for Shizuru's wrist. "I wanted to grab some dessert on the upper deck. You can, umm…come join me if you'd like." She winced internally. That almost sounded like I was asking her on a date.
Shizuru looked down at her wrist, where Natsuki was still holding on. "That would be lovely." She shifted her arm until the two of them were holding hands. "It's a date!"
"Aargh!" Natsuki tried to shake out of Shizuru's grasp with no success. "Give you an inch, you take a mile…" She grumbled, waving her captured limb around. A sudden idea hit her and she used her free hand to poke Shizuru in her side.
Shizuru squirmed in surprise and her grip slackened enough for Natsuki to reclaim her hand. She flexed her fingers before pointing it at Shizuru. "No holding hands." She said with a wicked glint in her eyes. "Because now I know you're ticklish." She held open the bathroom door for Shizuru to follow her out.
"Ikezu…" Shizuru murmured as she fought against a grin. At least Natsuki and I will be having dessert together. That's pretty romantic, no matter what she says.
The two made their way to the lobby and got onto an elevator. The whole way up to the lido deck, Shizuru was grabbing for Natsuki's hand and Natsuki was attempting to tickle her. By the time the elevator opened again, both girls were out of breath and slightly flushed (much to the scandalized giggles of those waiting to use the lift).
The indoor buffet was much larger than the outdoor eating space, much to Natsuki's approval. Since it was past nine, the place was rather empty but those still present admired the two beautiful ladies who just arrived in their evening dresses.
"Alright," Natsuki said, all business. She looked around for the dessert platters. "I'm thinking frozen yogurt. Like, a lot of it. With sprinkles. What about you?"
"Probably just some tea and a slice of tiramisu if they have it." Shizuru replied. She almost bumped into Natsuki when the dark haired girl stopped abruptly.
"Whoa." Natsuki breathed. In front of her was the cornucopia of sweets; cakes, brownies, cookies, pies, and yes, frozen yogurt were all present. She made a beeline for the waffle cones and filled two up with her cold, delicious cream.
Shizuru looked on in amusement before picking her way through the choices. Hidden behind a plate of fudge, she found what she was looking for: the last slice of tiramisu.
She met back up with Natsuki and tilted her head towards the aft. "Shall we go outside?"
Natsuki looked up at her with cheeks puffed out from waffle cone. "Sure." She managed around her mouthful of food. "Let me just get a to-go bowl."
The weather outside was still warm and there was the ever-present breeze felt when on a moving vessel. The two worked their way towards the back of the ship until they couldn't go any further.
Natsuki set down her bowl to put her hands on the railing and lean out towards the surf with a smile on her face. Below her, the ship's engines churned out water, leaving behind a foamy white path in the sea. Natsuki's hair flew behind her, a wave of dark fire.
She truly is beautiful. Shizuru thought as she watched as the other girl sighed and closed her eyes. After a moment, Natsuki turned towards her. "This is pretty great, right?" She asked happily.
"It is." Shizuru answered softly. She cleared her throat, afraid of sounding more emotional than she wanted. She switched to a safe topic. "Are you and Mai planning on doing anything in Seoul tomorrow?"
"Seoul?" The other girl muttered in confusion. Her eyes widened. "I totally forgot we were going to be in Korea tomorrow. I don't know what we're doing. Mai might have something planned but she may also want to spend time with Mikoto so…" She trailed off.
Shizuru nodded. She had no problem with Mai monopolizing Mikoto's time; the two seemed smitten with one another. Besides, if it meant she could spend more time with Natsuki, well, she wasn't going to complain. "Whatever you do, you'll love Seoul. The food is great, people are nice, and the weather is perfect this time of year. The same goes for most of the other ports as well."
"You seem pretty familiar with the places we're going." Natsuki remarked. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shizuru join her at the railing.
Shizuru shrugged and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "My parents love to travel. Whenever I had a break from school, they'd take me with them."
"I've…never been out of Japan." Natsuki confessed. She didn't know what was compelling her to talk (maybe some kind of post-dessert euphoria?) but she continued on. "I'm what you might call a 'creature of habit'. I'm uncomfortable with anything too new and traveling falls under that category. If Mai hadn't asked me to come with her on this trip, I'd still be at home doing the same things I've always done."
Shizuru listened attentively and she raised a slender eyebrow when Natsuki finished speaking. "That's interesting. I would have pegged you as someone who did whatever she wanted and challenged whoever stood in her way. Natsuki would have made a good pirate." She smiled at the image of the biker in a tight corset, leggings, boots, and of course a tricorn hat. Not to get too ahead of myself, but I'll save that image for future roleplay between us.
"Well, yeah." Natsuki admitted, ignoring the pirate jab (though secretly she knew she'd be the most badass pirate ever). A smug grin came to her face. "What can I say? I like pissing people off and I really don't back down from challenges." She turned her back to the ocean and gestured to the ship at large. "But this is different. Travelling is just a totally new experience for me. I'm kind of clueless about what to do."
"I think Natsuki's doing a good job." Shizuru answered honestly. "Just today, you won a competition and, for a short while at least, ate with the captain. You'll do plenty of memorable thing while you're here." Hopefully some of those things will be with me. This conversation was one she couldn't have imagined having with Natsuki when she first met her. The girl had been grouchy, suspicious, and snarky. While the last was certainly still true, Natsuki had warmed up to her and, Shizuru hoped, was beginning to see her as a friend.
Natsuki had noticed a shift in the air. She glanced at Shizuru and found her to be staring back, unabashed. Natsuki's reply died in her throat as she continued to stare at Shizuru. After a short moment, Natsuki leaned towards her almost imperceptibly…
…blinked and leaned back again. Clearing her throat, she said, "We should probably head back inside. We'll probably be in port early." Though she spoke in a relaxed manner, her heart was hammering. What the hell was that?! Did I almost have a moment with Shizuru? Pssh, that's impossible…right? Natsuki forced a small smile on her face to compensate for how freaked out she was feeling on the inside.
Shizuru, who didn't seem to notice anything odd, returned the smile. "You're right." She extended her hand to Natsuki. "Shall we?"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow at the gesture and gently slapped it away, trying to return to her normal self. "Good try, Fujino. But you'll have to try harder than that in order to hold my beautiful hand."
Oh, I intend to, Shizuru thought slyly as they headed back inside. A companionable silence fell between them until they reached the elevator. "See you soon, Na-tsu-ki." Shizuru said as a farewell, slipping in a wink.
Natsuki gave another weak smile in response and opted to take the stairs down to her cabin. Shit, shit, shit, she repeated in her head even as she opened her door. "MAAAI!" She yelled once inside.
A thud resounded from inside the bathroom followed by a muttered curse. Mai cracked the bathroom door open. "What? I'm trying to dry off in peace." She said in irritation.
Natsuki paused for a moment. Was it really necessary to tell Mai about her brief lapse in straightness? She would probably just give the same, 'it's the boat, not you' speech as last time. Breathe, Natsuki. She told herself. Nothing actually happened. "Umm…how did things go with Mikoto?" She asked lamely.
Mai gave her a skeptical look. "Things were fine. Actually," A smug grin came across her face. "We almost kissed. If it wasn't for that damn waiter dropping a bunch of loud things and ruining the moment, we would probably be making out right now."
"Gross." Natsuki said blandly. She absorbed Mai's slap and continued on, "What are we doing tomorrow? Did you have something planned for us or were you wanting to hang with Mikoto more?"
"I just talked about this with her..." Mai gave Natsuki a 'turn around' gesture with her finger and started to put on her pajamas. "She apparently holds some kind of international boating license and she and Shizuru were going to go fishing in the morning. She invited us along since you can take up to four people for no extra cost. What do you say?"
Natsuki mulled it over. She had never gone fishing before but she supposed it could be fun. Plus it would be in the morning so they'd still have the rest of the day to see the city. And Shizuru would be there—Natsuki scowled. That shouldn't be an incentive (but it was, damn it). "…Sure." She finally said. "And once I'm done showering, I'll turn off the lights."
She took out her sleepwear and headed into the bathroom to mull her issues out under some hot water. Don't worry about tomorrow, She instructed herself under the steamy spray. You're already trapped on a boat with Shizuru. Tomorrow will just be…a slightly smaller boat. Nothing to worry about, right?
"Urrgh…" Natsuki swayed with the motion of the fishing boat, her face taking on a slightly green tinge. "How did I forget that I was seasick?" She mumbled.
"At least I didn't forget." Mai said at her side. She took a packet out of her bag. "Here, put one of these on. They're supposed to help with seasickness."
Natsuki took the packet and pulled out a few thin, gray bands. Trying not to think of how stupid this was, she slapped one on her wrist, paused, and put one around her opposite ankle for good measure. Do these things even work on ankles? "Thanks. You can go hang with Mikoto if you want." She couldn't help that the words sounded a bit cranky.
Mai bit her lip worriedly. "I'm really sorry, Natsuki. I thought the sickness was only because that was your first time on a small boat. I shouldn't have agreed to this…" I have to be one of the worst friends ever.
"It's alright." Natsuki replied through clenched teeth. "If you hang out over here to be miserable with me then this morning will be wasted. Seriously, go help Mikoto fish." Besides, either due to a placebo effect or the bands actually starting to work so quickly, Natsuki already felt marginally better.
The orange haired girl nodded hesitantly and stood up. The least I can do is send Shizuru over to cheer her up. The front and back of the boat were separated by a small alcove that had steps leading down to lifejackets and other supplies. Natsuki had taken over the front of the boat while Mikoto and Shizuru had set up the fishing rods at the back.
Shizuru was busy inspecting the bait box when Mai tapped her on the shoulder. "I gave Natsuki some seabands so hopefully she'll be one hundred percent soon. Until then, I don't think she'd mind some company." Mai not-so-subtly hinted. She had seen that Natsuki complained less and less each time the subject of hanging out with Shizuru came up. And Shizuru…well, Mai wasn't trying to get the woman's hopes up but she could tell how much Shizuru enjoyed Natsuki's company.
"That sounds great. I'll go see how she's doing." She went towards the front of the boat, leaving Mai and Mikoto alone.
Mai watched as Mikoto fixed a tangle in some of the fishing line. Her fingers moved deftly in and around the line until the tangle disappeared. "How long have you been fishing?" Mai asked, taking a seat next to the younger girl.
"Most of my life." Mikoto answered. She paused to give Mai a sunny smile before continuing her work. "My family lives by the ocean and about once a month my dad and brother would come back with a huge haul of fish. It would last us weeks at a time. Thinking back on it, it's a wonder none of us ever got sick of fish. But I find fishing to be relaxing. Nothing but the sea, the breeze, and in this case," She glanced up at Mai again, "a pretty girl by my side. I can't think of a better way to spend my time."
"Always the charmer." Mai said with a roll of her eyes, though inside she felt her heart thrum happily. "Now, will you be my teacher? I've never fished before."
Mikoto hopped up enthusiastically. "Absolutely! Let's start from the very beginning…"
At the front of the boat, Natsuki was poking at her stomach experimentally. Nope. She still felt like shit. "I hate my life." She groaned dramatically.
"Ara, is that really true?" Shizuru asked as she sat down next to Natsuki. "After all, I'm here." Natsuki didn't look much better but her eyes, instead of being shut tight due to nausea, were clear and wide open.
Shizuru's comments invited sarcasm and Natsuki happily obliged. "You're right. A ray of sunshine has hit me and now I realize that you bring meaning to my life. Nay, you are my life." She snorted at her own joke and winced at the sensation it brought to her stomach.
"How mean!" Shizuru pouted. "I was just trying to cheer Natsuki up. I suppose if you don't want me here, I can go back to the others." She pretended to move away.
"Wait!" Natsuki said quickly. "I'm…sorry. I shouldn't be taking my irritation out on you." She waved her banded hand emphatically. "These things are supposed to work soon so you can wait here…if you want." God, this is lame. Natsuki thought. I must look so pathetic.
Shizuru sat back down until the two of them were nearly touching, definitely not thinking Natsuki was pathetic but rather…cute. Natsuki let out a whimper when a large wave slapped against the side of the boat. She's like a little puppy.
Hesitantly, Shizuru reached her arm out so it was wrapped around Natsuki's shoulder. She brought the dark haired girl close to her until Natsuki's head was resting below her chin.
Natsuki stiffened at the action but didn't pull away. "Umm…what are you doing?" This is strangely comforting. Why the hell does she have to be so soft?
Shizuru felt a slight heat against her collarbone and realized Natsuki was blushing. "I just wanted to get you into a better position. Is this alright with you?" Honestly, she couldn't believe Natsuki was staying still. Maybe it was just the sickness but Shizuru hoped it was because Natsuki liked her touch.
"Sure…but only until I feel better!" Natsuki said, trying to muster some energy into her voice. You know…the perverted side of Natsuki started, if you look down, you'll have the perfect view of Shizuru's—
Go die in a fire. Natsuki's normal side replied irritably. I'm not going to check her out—Natsuki shifted slightly and glanced downwards before immediately shutting her eyes. Oh, goddammit. I hate you. Just let me just relax for a bit.
For the next fifteen minutes she breathed softly against Shizuru and felt the rocking of the boat less and less until finally her nausea diminished. She leaned away from Shizuru almost reluctantly. "I'm feeling better now. I guess these bands really work."
Shizuru already missed the contact between them but smiled in relief nonetheless. "That's excellent news. Let's go check in on the lovebirds."
Natsuki followed Shizuru to the back of the boat and was greeted by the sight of Mikoto wrestling against her fishing rod, Mai cheering her on.
Shizuru joined Mai in cheering while Natsuki watched from a safe distance. The fishing rod was bent severely and the line was quickly unraveling even as Mikoto tried to fight against the mysterious sea creature. "I think it's a swordfish!" She said excitedly. Redoubling her efforts, she tightened her grip on the reel's handle and started to bring in the fishing line.
After five more minutes, Mikoto let out an almighty roar and wrenched the rod above her head. A giant fish plopped onto the deck, squirming frantically. The fish must have been at least five feet long and three feet in girth.
Thought Natsuki would later vehemently deny it, she screamed like a little girl at the sight and hid behind Shizuru. "That's not a fucking swordfish! It's monster!" She shouted accusatorily, a finger pointed at the hideous creature. She lifted a foot to avoid being sideswiped by its tail.
Mikoto squatted down next to the fish and patted its head. "It looks like a catfish." She panted. "You wanna help me put him back?" She asked Mai.
Mai, who was openly laughing at Natsuki, nodded eagerly. Mikoto reached into the fish's mouth and pulled a hook out. "You get the back," She instructed Mai. The two lifted it up and heaved it over the side.
"That was awesome!" Mai grinned and accepted a high-five from Mikoto. "Let's do it again!"
Shizuru turned around to find a nervous looking Natsuki. "Are you afraid of fish?" She questioned. Natsuki's display had been quite entertaining (not that Shizuru would say anything of the sort to her).
"No!" Natsuki said defensively. "I just thought we'd be getting smaller fish. That was a giant!" It was true that Natsuki didn't fear any animal (except for geese which was totally rational). "It was unexpected, that's all."
"Sure, sure." Shizuru said in easy agreement.
The two sat down behind Mai and Mikoto and watched them fish, Shizuru occasionally taking Mai's spot. Natsuki refused to touch the rods and settled on watching the others. It was really entertaining to see the normally composed Shizuru struggle to pull in a fish. There was no way to do it gracefully, even for her.
Almost two hours passed before Mikoto took a break and grabbed some drinks from the alcove. She passed them out to everyone and looped an arm around Mai's waist. Mai blushed and looked back at Natsuki, who gave her a discrete thumbs up.
Mikoto soon went back to fishing and it wasn't long before she let out a muttered curse.
"What's wrong?" Mai asked, coming to her side.
"The fishing line." Mikoto frowned and tugged on her rod. "It's caught on something, maybe some coral."
"Can't you just cut it?" Shizuru had already retrieved a foldable knife from their fishing supplies.
Mikoto pinched the bridge of her nose. "Not really. We weren't given a lot of line in the first place and a few of the fish took the rest." She sighed in disappointment. "I really wanted to catch just one more."
"I can get it." Natsuki's voice rang out. The others looked at her questioningly. "I can go in and cut the line so you have enough left." There was absolutely no chance she was volunteering to do this in order to look good after that embarrassing fish incident earlier. That would be ridiculous.
"That's a stupid idea." Mai said all mother-hen like. "Don't do it."
Natsuki turned to Mikoto for support. "If I just follow the line down, I can cut it at the source and you'll have enough for one more fish."
Mikoto stewed it over in her head before nodding. "I've done it before. It shouldn't be any more than eight feet down."
"Be careful, Natsuki," was all Shizuru said. She may not have known the girl long but she already recognized the stubborn glint in her eyes. There would be no talking her down.
"I don't like it." Mai said even though she was even more familiar with Natsuki's stubbornness. Ignoring her, Natsuki searched around the boat until she found another knife. She took her shirt off to reveal a dark bikini top and peeled the seaband off her wrist. Mai continued, "This isn't safe."
"Relax, Mai." Natsuki laughed before she dove into the water. "It's not like anything is going to happen."
On that day Natsuki Kuga tempted fate. In response, fate gave her the middle finger.
The water, which was a sort of navy color from above, was surprisingly clear underneath. She reached out and secured the fishing line in her hand. Natsuki swam down, periodically tugging the line.
Eventually, she found the problem. Mikoto had been right; the hook had gotten snagged in between two chunks of coral. Natsuki wasted a few seconds trying to get the hook out before giving up and slicing the line about a foot above it.
Her work done, she admired the beauty around her. Groups of small, colorful fish swam by and the coral itself was teeming with life. Too bad humans can't breathe underwater, she thought glumly. She kicked off the coral and almost breathed in water when she was jerked back. The force of the tug loosened the grip on her knife and she watched it float downwards.
What the fuck? Natsuki tried to go up again and found herself rooted to the coral. Her eyes widened when she realized that the problem was the anti-seasick band she had so stupidly put on her ankle. The end of the fishing line that had gotten cut had somehow wrapped itself around the band (Fate gave itself a high-five).
In a normal situation, Natsuki would have just ripped the band off. However she was rapidly running out of air and was beginning to enter the 'panic' stage of drowning. She tugged fruitlessly at the fishing line even as the urge to breathe became greater and greater.
Her last rational thought before finally inhaling water was, And the 'Most Ironic Death' award goes to…
Up above, Mikoto reeled in her line and was glad to see that it came all the way up.
A minute passed. "She better not be playing some kind of joke on us." Mai muttered. "This is just like her. She'll probably come up on the other side of the boat to freak us out." She started pacing nonetheless.
A sense of unease settled in Shizuru. Somehow, she didn't think Natsuki was trying to prank them. Another thirty seconds passed and Shizuru jumped up. Still clutching the foldable blade from earlier, she turned to the other girls.
"I'm going in to see if she's alright." She said before diving into the water. She shouldn't be too far down…A few powerful strokes brought a floating figure into view. Shizuru's heart crashed in her chest. Natsuki's head lolled lifelessly and her eyes were closed. Shizuru tried to pull her up only find that she wasn't moving.
A quick look told Shizuru that the other girl was tethered to the coral by the leftover line. Shizuru quickly sliced it and hooked one of her hands around Natsuki's chest. The two broke the surface and Shizuru dragged her onto the boat.
She turned Natsuki's face to the side and put her face near her chest. "She's not breathing." She informed the others girls before crashing her lips against Natsuki's, fingers holding the biker's nose shut. After a few breaths, she listened for breath and not hearing anything, started to pump on her chest. "Come on, Natsuki." She said between pumps.
Her lips met Natsuki's again to start the process over. Behind them, Mai was looking on with tears in her eyes and Mikoto's hand was over her mouth.
The third time Shizuru push against Natsuki's chest, she felt a spasm run under her fingers. Natsuki's back arched and water spewed from her mouth followed by gasps. Shizuru quickly rolled her onto her side and the rest of the water soon came out.
Natsuki coughed before moved onto her back again and opened her eyes. Shizuru was looking down at her, worry clear in her eyes. The sun was behind her, illuminating Shizuru's hair and making it look like she was wearing a halo of light.
Shizuru took Natsuki into her arms. "You stupid girl. You stupid…" She said as she cradled Natsuki's head to her shoulder.
"Can you save the insults for later?" Natsuki whispered against Shizuru's neck.
"You fucking idiot!" Well, Mai certainly didn't hear Natsuki's request. "I told you but you just didn't listen! Is she okay?" The last part was directed to Shizuru.
Shizuru pushed Natsuki back and looked at her lips and into her eyes. "She'll be fine." She determined after a moment. "She wasn't under long enough to cause any damage."
Mikoto stepped forward. "I am so sorry." She said contritely. "I shouldn't have agreed with—"
"It's okay." Natsuki interrupted. "It was no one's fault but my own." She glanced down at her ankle to see the band still in place. "If I wasn't wearing that, I would've been fine."
Mikoto nodded and gave a small sniff. "I'm going to take us back to shore. I think we've done enough fishing for today."
Mai and Shizuru stayed with Natsuki until they reached shore. Once Mikoto returned the boat, Natsuki convinced the others that she was fine to wander around the city for the rest of the day. Whether it had been due to adrenaline or something else, Natsuki felt totally fine. I'll have to remember to donate my body to science once I die. My healing rate is godlike.
"How did you know CPR?" Natsuki asked Shizuru once they were alone. The four were walking along the beach on their way into the city in two groups. Mai and Mikoto were walking some distance behind them, taking their time to talk and pick up the occasional shell.
"I used to be a lifeguard during the summers." Shizuru said, her eyes on Natsuki. "I've had to use it before and it's become somewhat second nature to me now." Though nothing had ever scared her so much as to see an unconscious, not-breathing Natsuki.
"Well…" Natsuki started. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I take back all that stuff I said earlier about not wanting the 'kiss of life' from you. Thank you, Shizuru." The words were said with all the sincerity Natsuki could muster. "It was ahh…cool of you to save my life." A blush came unbidden to her cheeks.
"Just make sure it doesn't become a habit." Shizuru replied, a small smile playing around her lips. She looked over Natsuki again before glancing towards the surf. The two of them were close enough to the ocean that when a wave crashed, the warm water washed over their feet. I couldn't ask for a more perfect moment.
Natsuki snorted. "It's a bit too late for that. I think I've had one or two near-death experiences a year since I was eight. This was just the latest one. It's part of the package, as Mai could tell you." She looked behind her for a moment to see how her friend was doing. It looked like Mikoto had found some sort of crab and was chasing Mai around with it, both looking like they were having the time of their lives.
Natsuki stopped and frowned, a thought coming to her. "Hey, Shizuru." She said haltingly.
Shizuru paused and looked at her. "Yes?"
"You...you can hold my hand." Natsuki mumbled, staring at her feet. "If you want." I don't know what this means or why I'm doing this, it just…feels right.
Shizuru must have misheard. "What was that, Natsuki? I didn't quite hear you." There was no way Natsuki would actually say that, right? Shizuru's heart beat a little faster.
"Aargh, never mind," Natsuki started but a warm hand was suddenly in her own. Shizuru's fingers gently swept over Natsuki's before she fully intertwined them. The feel of Shizuru's thumb tracing over the landscape of her hand made Natsuki bite her lip but even so, she refused to let go.