Isn't It Wonderful? (Mai-HiME, Mai/Natsuki, #30 - kiss)
Title: Isn't It Wonderful?
Author:
siliconhero
Pairing: Mai Tokiha/Natsuki Kuga
Fandom: Mai-HiME
Theme: #30 - kiss
Disclaimer: No snark or funny business here. Mai-HiME is a Sunrise production. Always has been, always will be.
Notes: This is the final chapter out of 30. I'm glad I was actually able to see through this one all the way. A "post-mortem" report on this fic will be produced later, if anyone else wants to read it.
The second day of the festival was a little more low-key than the first, since it wasn't an officially-named holiday. Traffic was lighter, but the mood was as festive as it was the previous day. Natsuki and Mai worked through their shift at the concession stand until the sun began to set. They decided to stay behind for a little while along with Haruka and Shizuru to assist with clean-up. The girls' faces lit up with joy all around. Even the normally super-serious Haruka managed to crack a smile, tacitly admitting that she was having a good time, since the people she was watching were behaving themselves for once.
"Hello there, ladies," said Shizuru. "Are you having a good time so far?"
Mai and Natsuki nodded.
"Tate-kun told me you put on quite a show at the pitching game last night. Did you win anything?"
Shizuru whipped out a small folding fan, blowing cool air toward each of her friends. She then fanned away at herself when a fly landed near her uniform.
"Well, we tried," said Natsuki, "but that stupid catcher's hole looked too small for those baseballs to fit. Mai managed to find a way somehow."
"I see. Congratulations to you, Mai-han. Which prize did you pick out?"
"Um, it was this little golden retriever," said Mai. She didn't actually have the stuffed dog with her, but she pretended to pet it as if it was sitting in her lap. "It was so cute-looking, too."
"Will you let me see it one day? Perhaps tonight, when we return to the hotel?"
"Sure. We've kept it there for everyone to look at. Just remember to be gentle with it."
Shizuru held onto both Mai and Natsuki's hands, rubbing each one softly with her thumb. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that with me," she said, giggling playfully. "I know that a woman's touch should always be delicate."
Haruka walked up to Shizuru and whispered something into her ear, completely inaudible to either Mai or Natsuki. Shizuru released her grip and bowed toward both ladies. "Sorry about that," she said. "I guess I got a little ahead of myself there."
"It's no problem, really," said Natsuki.
"Anyway," said Haruka, "Yukino's almost done setting up the fireworks display. Are you going to stick around and watch it with the rest of us?"
"We probably will. How much time do we have before it starts?"
"From my watch, only half an hour. If you need to go back and get something, do it now, or you'll miss out."
Natsuki prepared to return to her motorcycle with Mai, but she was interrupted when Shizuru grabbed her hand again. "Natsuki! Wait!"
"What is it?"
"Before you go..." Shizuru's voice wavered a bit, but she took a deep breath in order to quickly regain her composure. "I wanted to thank you both for all the work you've done for us so far."
Why is she springing this on us now?, thought Mai. Could this be part of the surprise Tate-kun was talking about? Or maybe it was the fireworks. I don't know. Natsuki wants to go back to the hotel for something, but I think we should at least give Shizuru the courtesy to tell us what the heck's going on.
"After all," Shizuru went on, "it's partially because of your work fighting against the Orphans that we're able to enjoy a night out like this without worry. I know you have your own reasons for doing so, but regardless, everyone at Fuuka Academy is grateful for your help."
This time, Shizuru reached around to give Natsuki and Mai a group hug, which they returned in kind.
"Thank you, Shizuru," said Natsuki, "though we owe you some credit for helping us the day the power went out during that lightning storm."
While she was locked in her embrace, Shizuru had failed to notice that Haruka had already walked down the hill toward the fireworks display.
"Shizuru!" she called. Her cry was loud enough to reach Shizuru as if she were standing right next to her. "Get down here!"
"Coming!"
Natsuki went into one of the nearby bathrooms and changed into her motorcycle gear, and then led Mai to her bike, parked a few blocks away from their stand. She drove back to the hotel and raced to the room, grabbing her stuffed dog from the side of their bed.
"You came all the way back to the hotel room just for that?" asked Mai.
"No," said Natsuki, "but I couldn't very well leave it alone while we were out watching the fireworks."
Mai opened up the miniature refrigerator under the television and pulled out a pair of water bottles. She drank from one, and sat the other next to Natsuki and her dog.
"I know you've wanted to keep quiet about this for a while," she said as she sat down on the bed next to her partner, "but I have to ask you...do you still think about that night in the locker room?"
Natsuki put down the dog and briefly stopped combing its hair. "Yes," she said. "There are times when I still think about what happened. I'll admit it...when I saw the look on your face after I kissed you, I was afraid."
"Because you thought I was going to hit you back or something?"
"No, that's not it. When I was young, my mother used to tell me that you were supposed to save a kiss for someone you loved. I'm used to doing my own thing, and I'm not even the kind of girl to want to get tied down in something silly as romance, but there I was, seemingly throwing away a chance to change all that with someone I'd just barely known."
"Yeah. I was still surprised to see you do that out of the blue."
"But then, after that day, we started to hang out a bit more and actually get to do things together. I became fond of having you around, even though there are still some things you do that irritate me a bit. That was when I thought, 'Hey...maybe this isn't so bad after all.'"
"I used to think the same thing," said Mai, relaxing herself and leaning her head on Natsuki's shoulder. "I never thought my first time would go the way it did, either. It feels kinda nice, don't you think?"
Natsuki nodded. She lifted Mai's head up when it looked as if she was going to fall asleep. "Hey!" she said, hoisting her friend upright. "Don't fall asleep on me now. We still have to get back to the shrine in time to see the fireworks. Besides, I want you to be awake so that you can fully hear what I'm about to say."
"Why? What else do you have to tell me?"
Mai's head was firmly locked in Natsuki's hands. She wanted to fall asleep again, but she couldn't avoid staring at Natsuki. For the first time in weeks, her eyes lit up with a noticeable glimmer of joy.
"Mai...I don't know how much longer this relationship of ours will go on," said Natsuki, "but the fact that we made it through this month together makes me want to keep trying. For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
After a few moments of silence, Natsuki and Mai kissed each other, holding each other as closely as possible and alternately pecking at each other's cheeks and necks. Initially, they both started to lean back onto the bed, but since they were pressed for time, Mai pulled Natsuki off the bed, allowing them to continue to make out while standing up - something they agreed was much more stimulating.
"I promise I won't forget this," said Mai. "Moments like these are too good to give up."
"You're right." Natsuki let go of Mai to check the time on her cell phone. "We should probably head out soon, though. Shizuru and the others are expecting us to return. Grab the dog and let's get going."
The two girls hastily brushed their hair and headed back to the motorcycle with Natsuki's dog placed safely inside one of their bags. When they returned, they saw Shizuru and Haruka staring into the sky and pointing at the stars.
"Natsuki! Mai-han! You're just in time," said Shizuru. "The show's just getting started."
"What took you girls so long?" asked Haruka.
"I think I have an idea," Shizuru said with a wink. "I just wish I'd been there to play along."
At that moment, Natsuki's and Mai's faces turned bright red. They were embarrassed to think that Shizuru somehow knew about the two of them sneaking back to the room for a quick makeout session, but calmed down when they saw her looking at the dog's head sticking out of Mai's backpack. "This little fella...is that the one?"
"Oh, right...the dog," said Mai. "Is it okay if I let her hold this, Natsuki?"
"Sure," said Natsuki. "I don't mind."
Mai handed the toy dog to Shizuru, who immediately started petting and rubbing the dog as if it were real. "Thank you," said Shizuru. "You're so sweet."
"The stars sure are wonderful tonight," said Haruka. "I can't believe how well we managed to pull this off."
"Indeed they are." Shizuru smiled happily. "We should try holding a festival like this for the school's big anniversary. What do you think?"
The other three girls nodded in agreement.
Mai and Natsuki turned to the sky and joined the captive crowd in watching the multitude of exploding colors. To them, the sky never looked so beautiful, even on the sunniest of days or the clearest of nights. They were anxious to kiss again, but refrained from doing so, knowing that there would be plenty of opportunities in the future...but there was still a lot of work for them to do in order to take advantage of them. Instead, Mai and Natsuki leaned onto each other, whispering vows to stand by each other and protect their friends so that they all could continue to enjoy such peaceful nights. Seeing the smiles on everyone's faces made them happy, as well.
This, thought Mai, is definitely something worth fighting for.
Author:
siliconhero
Pairing: Mai Tokiha/Natsuki Kuga
Fandom: Mai-HiME
Theme: #30 - kiss
Disclaimer: No snark or funny business here. Mai-HiME is a Sunrise production. Always has been, always will be.
Notes: This is the final chapter out of 30. I'm glad I was actually able to see through this one all the way. A "post-mortem" report on this fic will be produced later, if anyone else wants to read it.
The second day of the festival was a little more low-key than the first, since it wasn't an officially-named holiday. Traffic was lighter, but the mood was as festive as it was the previous day. Natsuki and Mai worked through their shift at the concession stand until the sun began to set. They decided to stay behind for a little while along with Haruka and Shizuru to assist with clean-up. The girls' faces lit up with joy all around. Even the normally super-serious Haruka managed to crack a smile, tacitly admitting that she was having a good time, since the people she was watching were behaving themselves for once.
"Hello there, ladies," said Shizuru. "Are you having a good time so far?"
Mai and Natsuki nodded.
"Tate-kun told me you put on quite a show at the pitching game last night. Did you win anything?"
Shizuru whipped out a small folding fan, blowing cool air toward each of her friends. She then fanned away at herself when a fly landed near her uniform.
"Well, we tried," said Natsuki, "but that stupid catcher's hole looked too small for those baseballs to fit. Mai managed to find a way somehow."
"I see. Congratulations to you, Mai-han. Which prize did you pick out?"
"Um, it was this little golden retriever," said Mai. She didn't actually have the stuffed dog with her, but she pretended to pet it as if it was sitting in her lap. "It was so cute-looking, too."
"Will you let me see it one day? Perhaps tonight, when we return to the hotel?"
"Sure. We've kept it there for everyone to look at. Just remember to be gentle with it."
Shizuru held onto both Mai and Natsuki's hands, rubbing each one softly with her thumb. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that with me," she said, giggling playfully. "I know that a woman's touch should always be delicate."
Haruka walked up to Shizuru and whispered something into her ear, completely inaudible to either Mai or Natsuki. Shizuru released her grip and bowed toward both ladies. "Sorry about that," she said. "I guess I got a little ahead of myself there."
"It's no problem, really," said Natsuki.
"Anyway," said Haruka, "Yukino's almost done setting up the fireworks display. Are you going to stick around and watch it with the rest of us?"
"We probably will. How much time do we have before it starts?"
"From my watch, only half an hour. If you need to go back and get something, do it now, or you'll miss out."
Natsuki prepared to return to her motorcycle with Mai, but she was interrupted when Shizuru grabbed her hand again. "Natsuki! Wait!"
"What is it?"
"Before you go..." Shizuru's voice wavered a bit, but she took a deep breath in order to quickly regain her composure. "I wanted to thank you both for all the work you've done for us so far."
Why is she springing this on us now?, thought Mai. Could this be part of the surprise Tate-kun was talking about? Or maybe it was the fireworks. I don't know. Natsuki wants to go back to the hotel for something, but I think we should at least give Shizuru the courtesy to tell us what the heck's going on.
"After all," Shizuru went on, "it's partially because of your work fighting against the Orphans that we're able to enjoy a night out like this without worry. I know you have your own reasons for doing so, but regardless, everyone at Fuuka Academy is grateful for your help."
This time, Shizuru reached around to give Natsuki and Mai a group hug, which they returned in kind.
"Thank you, Shizuru," said Natsuki, "though we owe you some credit for helping us the day the power went out during that lightning storm."
While she was locked in her embrace, Shizuru had failed to notice that Haruka had already walked down the hill toward the fireworks display.
"Shizuru!" she called. Her cry was loud enough to reach Shizuru as if she were standing right next to her. "Get down here!"
"Coming!"
Natsuki went into one of the nearby bathrooms and changed into her motorcycle gear, and then led Mai to her bike, parked a few blocks away from their stand. She drove back to the hotel and raced to the room, grabbing her stuffed dog from the side of their bed.
"You came all the way back to the hotel room just for that?" asked Mai.
"No," said Natsuki, "but I couldn't very well leave it alone while we were out watching the fireworks."
Mai opened up the miniature refrigerator under the television and pulled out a pair of water bottles. She drank from one, and sat the other next to Natsuki and her dog.
"I know you've wanted to keep quiet about this for a while," she said as she sat down on the bed next to her partner, "but I have to ask you...do you still think about that night in the locker room?"
Natsuki put down the dog and briefly stopped combing its hair. "Yes," she said. "There are times when I still think about what happened. I'll admit it...when I saw the look on your face after I kissed you, I was afraid."
"Because you thought I was going to hit you back or something?"
"No, that's not it. When I was young, my mother used to tell me that you were supposed to save a kiss for someone you loved. I'm used to doing my own thing, and I'm not even the kind of girl to want to get tied down in something silly as romance, but there I was, seemingly throwing away a chance to change all that with someone I'd just barely known."
"Yeah. I was still surprised to see you do that out of the blue."
"But then, after that day, we started to hang out a bit more and actually get to do things together. I became fond of having you around, even though there are still some things you do that irritate me a bit. That was when I thought, 'Hey...maybe this isn't so bad after all.'"
"I used to think the same thing," said Mai, relaxing herself and leaning her head on Natsuki's shoulder. "I never thought my first time would go the way it did, either. It feels kinda nice, don't you think?"
Natsuki nodded. She lifted Mai's head up when it looked as if she was going to fall asleep. "Hey!" she said, hoisting her friend upright. "Don't fall asleep on me now. We still have to get back to the shrine in time to see the fireworks. Besides, I want you to be awake so that you can fully hear what I'm about to say."
"Why? What else do you have to tell me?"
Mai's head was firmly locked in Natsuki's hands. She wanted to fall asleep again, but she couldn't avoid staring at Natsuki. For the first time in weeks, her eyes lit up with a noticeable glimmer of joy.
"Mai...I don't know how much longer this relationship of ours will go on," said Natsuki, "but the fact that we made it through this month together makes me want to keep trying. For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
After a few moments of silence, Natsuki and Mai kissed each other, holding each other as closely as possible and alternately pecking at each other's cheeks and necks. Initially, they both started to lean back onto the bed, but since they were pressed for time, Mai pulled Natsuki off the bed, allowing them to continue to make out while standing up - something they agreed was much more stimulating.
"I promise I won't forget this," said Mai. "Moments like these are too good to give up."
"You're right." Natsuki let go of Mai to check the time on her cell phone. "We should probably head out soon, though. Shizuru and the others are expecting us to return. Grab the dog and let's get going."
The two girls hastily brushed their hair and headed back to the motorcycle with Natsuki's dog placed safely inside one of their bags. When they returned, they saw Shizuru and Haruka staring into the sky and pointing at the stars.
"Natsuki! Mai-han! You're just in time," said Shizuru. "The show's just getting started."
"What took you girls so long?" asked Haruka.
"I think I have an idea," Shizuru said with a wink. "I just wish I'd been there to play along."
At that moment, Natsuki's and Mai's faces turned bright red. They were embarrassed to think that Shizuru somehow knew about the two of them sneaking back to the room for a quick makeout session, but calmed down when they saw her looking at the dog's head sticking out of Mai's backpack. "This little fella...is that the one?"
"Oh, right...the dog," said Mai. "Is it okay if I let her hold this, Natsuki?"
"Sure," said Natsuki. "I don't mind."
Mai handed the toy dog to Shizuru, who immediately started petting and rubbing the dog as if it were real. "Thank you," said Shizuru. "You're so sweet."
"The stars sure are wonderful tonight," said Haruka. "I can't believe how well we managed to pull this off."
"Indeed they are." Shizuru smiled happily. "We should try holding a festival like this for the school's big anniversary. What do you think?"
The other three girls nodded in agreement.
Mai and Natsuki turned to the sky and joined the captive crowd in watching the multitude of exploding colors. To them, the sky never looked so beautiful, even on the sunniest of days or the clearest of nights. They were anxious to kiss again, but refrained from doing so, knowing that there would be plenty of opportunities in the future...but there was still a lot of work for them to do in order to take advantage of them. Instead, Mai and Natsuki leaned onto each other, whispering vows to stand by each other and protect their friends so that they all could continue to enjoy such peaceful nights. Seeing the smiles on everyone's faces made them happy, as well.
This, thought Mai, is definitely something worth fighting for.