Three Days Prior
By: K. Lira
It had been the same damn question over and over again for the past hour. If you heard the exact same phrase repeated over and over to you for 3600 seconds straight… make that 3636 seconds, you'd be pretty damn grumpy too!
"Natsuki, are you listening to me?" Arms crossed over her chest, a disapproving frown holding her lips hostage, "Natsuki!"
The woman in question was curled on the far end of the couch, hands covering her ear, "I heard you the first 398 times Mai and I already told you! No!"
The orange haired woman sat still for a moment, for some strange reason the 399th time seemed to hit home to her, "No?" Her brows rose in horror, "How can you not?! Shizuru's birthday is in three days Natsuki, three!"
"I know that!" Screamed the blunette, jumping up from the couch and tossing her hands high in the air, "Don't you think I know that? I've been dating the damn woman for the past four years. I do know!"
Mai remained quiet for a moment before giving Natsuki a puzzling look, "Then why…"
"Because! I've already exhausted all types of teas thanks to general holidays and special events!"
"Well why don't you buy her a ring, you two are pretty much married already, why not make it official?" Of course the ring just seemed like the answer to Mai and well most of Natsuki's friends; this however was not the cause for Natsuki.
"Are you nuts?!" The sheer volume of her scream caused the two glasses on the coffee table to shatter, the liquid content spilling forth and all over the carpet (thank goodness it was just water).
"No, I'm not," Whined Mai, clutching to her ringing ears – it was a miracle she wasn't deaf already, no thanks to Natsuki there.
"A-a-asking Shizuru to marry me is like… screaming let's have kids and a white picket fence!" Emerald eyes bore down on the cowering orange haired woman, "Do I look like the white picket fence type to you?" She questioned, adding the patient death glare which went unnoticed by the averted eyes though the chill could still be felt.
"Well you do live with her and you two do have a dog…" Began the busty woman but the moment she opened her mouth she regretted her words.
"I'm not a white picket fence type! Not!" An accusing finger was pointed in the direction of the seated woman, "You are the picket fence woman, with forty kids, two cats, a dog and a bitchy husband. I am not!"
Moments of silence passed before Mai had to ask (she must have been spending too much time with that Nao again), "… are you saying Shizuru is a bitchy husband?"
If it were physically possible for ones jaw to drop all the way to the ground while they still stood straight upward… then that is just what Natsuki's jaw did.
Mai looked as if she were about to say something, but a hand held up by Natsuki stopped it dead, "… but…" She squeaked.
"No but's!" Natsuki cut her short, "Do you have any idea what kind of damaging mental images you have just created with your thoughtless words?"
"I didn't mean to insinuate that Shizuru is bitchy… or dog like…"
"My girlfriend is not a dog!" Stomping back and forth in front of the couch, Natsuki growled, "I was referring to Shizuru being a man…"
"What's wrong with men?" Interrupted Mai, thoughtfully pressing her index finger to her bottom lip, "I mean they can be really sweet, adorable, and all around loveable! Or is it the balls part? Or being as masculine as you? Motorcycles? Wolves? Testosterone?"
Allowing a sigh to escape her lips, Natsuki sunk down into the comforts of the couch, holding her head solemnly, "Why are we friends again?"
"Because," Beamed Mai, "We go to the same school, are the same age, we fought creepy looking monsters together and… I feed you ramen and mayo."
"Oh. Right," Natsuki responded, the sarcasm heavy in her voice, "How could I forget that," Another sigh and Natsuki rose to her feet, "Well as much fun as I've had today Mai I think I'm going to go home to my girlfriend who loves me and though she teases me to no end, she doesn't leave me feeling like my IQ's has dropped 20%. Thanks for the help Mai, I'll let myself out," Shoulders drooping low, the blunette shuffled out of the room, then out of the apartment leaving behind an oddly cheerful looking woman.
"Honey, I'm home," Shoes slide across the floor colliding with a neatly set pair. When no answer came, Natsuki called out again, peering curiously into the living room, "Shizuru?"
Living Room: Empty
Kitchen: Empty
Spare Room: Empty
As the number of rooms dwindled down Natsuki's mind went into mental panic mode. 'Okay she got off work exactly one hour and seven minutes ago plus or minus a few seconds. Traffic at its worst would take twenty minutes to get home. Forty-seven minutes. She could have stopped for dinner with a coworker maybe; forty-five minutes tops. That leaves two minutes. Two minutes that Shizuru has been unaccounted for!' A frustrated growl was released, Natsuki tugging furiously at her hair, "Shizuru…" What was meant to sound like a very "tough" and "most certainly not a needy call" came out more like a whimper.
"Ara, Natsuki? Honey, why are you pulling at your hair?" There in the bathroom doorway stood Shizuru in all her glory, clad only in a towel, water droplets rolling down her creamy smooth skin – Shizuru seemed to glow.
When Natsuki remained silent, hands still tangled with her blue locks, Shizuru decided to take action. Hips moved from side to side, each motion taking emerald eyes with them.
A pair of lips curled upright in a grin, "Ara does Natsuki like what she sees?" Up and down went the head, body moving without a second thought.
Taking a step closer, followed by another Shizuru slowly brought her hand up to the top of the midnight blue towel, "Nat-su-ki," She purred, earning an even more dazed look from the younger woman.
When no response came, the temptress took yet another step closer, closing the gap between them, "Nat-su-ki?"
"…Hmmm…."
Closer and closer until pale lips rested next to the ear of the other, "… you're drooling darling."
Spiraling back, Natsuki wiped madly at her mouth, clearing the trail of saliva, "Shizuru!"
"Fu fu fu."
"Oi, don't skip away from me when I'm attempting to shake my fist at you!" The comment only fueling warm laughter, "Shizuru!"
Posing against the frame of the open bathroom Shizuru peered back and smiled, "Ara my apologies my Natsuki, shake your fist again, I'm watching now," She winked.
Up off the floor Natsuki got, chuckling and shaking her head as she made her way forth, "Well when you put it like that it just takes away from the whole point of the fist shaking," Stopping just so her nose met with Shizuru's the blunette growled softly, "Now prepare yourself for…" Natsuki's fingers crept forth attacking the brunette's sides, "Kuga Tickle Attack!"
"Eep!" The older of the two let out a girlish like squeak, leaping away from what she knew to be oncoming doom, "Natsuki!" And out of the bedroom she sprinted, towel held tightly, the Natsuki-mon hot on her trail.
As Natsuki chased the brunette about the kitchen island, the simple laughter of the other made her heart leap and soar. True her birthday was only three days away and she was still giftless but the moment now seemed to matter more, she had three days after all.
As the two exhausted women collapsed together on the bed, Natsuki couldn't help but smile. There in her arms lay the most beautiful woman in the entire world both within and without… Perhaps… a ring wasn't such a bad idea after all... So long as it didn't have to come with a bloody white picket fence.