Forward: Technically a prequel to the Kyoto Hunt, but can certainly be read independently. One or two things found in KH may not be explained, however. The story itself will have bits of emo, but hopefully will end up well balanced with the addition of plenty of humor. The two heroines (especially according to the episode guide) seem to be on okay footing after the show, so this is mainly forging a new friendship rather than depressed wailing. Heritage ----- Antipode. Direct opposites. In many respects, at least externally, Fujino Shizuru and Kuga Natsuki were the definition of antipodal. When one looked at the latter, they saw a degenerate outlaw with a disdain for anything that could have been considered social interaction. A frown was ever present. She lacked responsibility towards school or other aspects of her life that she did not deem important. She was as tough as nails. When one looked at the former, however, they saw the image of beauty, perfection and grace. A smile never left her face. She was responsible and wise beyond her years. She appeared delicate. For all intents and purposes, the two should have been disgusted by each other's very presence. Their friendship had defied all logic, the hundreds of students attending Fuuka all shocked to hear that their beloved kaichou gallivanted around with the scary girl. Luckily, they were their own walking contradictions as well. Kuga appeared strong, but was inwardly weak and susceptible to her own personal demons. Fujino appeared innocent and lethargic, but had the willpower and mental strength of a titan. In many ways, they became friends because their personalities complimented and perfected each other, almost in a rather yin and yang fashion. They were opposites, but dependent upon each other in more ways than either would have cared to admit. Yin and Yang morphed into Love and Hate in just a short period of time. What mutual dependence they had for each other, and what security they felt the other had brought them, was shattered by the Carnival. For several years, they had been each other's only confidant. Kaichou had admirers but had no friends of her own. Kuga had less than that. Neither truly realized or appreciated the bond for what it actually was until it was too late. Where they had once aimed jokes and taunts at each other, they now aimed their weapons. Not out of anger. Out of love and compassion that could have only been realized after they had lost something precious to them. For Natsuki, that something was Shizuru. Not the shell of a woman who stood against her in battle, but the real woman who had been lost. It would later be called a Partial Key Separation by the asshats who ran Searrs. Shizuru could summon her weapons with Natsuki alive and well, but Natsuki's rejection of her had sent her into the same mental state Fumi and Shiho had fallen into. So gripped by despair was Shizuru that she was driven by her most basic instincts and her more deeply guarded dreams, which she so desperately clung to in the absence of Natsuki herself. The real kaichou had perished the moment Natsuki screamed at her in disgust, as if she was a threat rather than the friend she had come to known and begrudgingly care for. She was not coming back. Not with the Obsidian Lord holding her sanity in his dark grip. Fumi became a slave after losing to the Obsidian Lord. Shiho became a renegade bent on eliminating anyone who stood between her and Tate. Shizuru joined their ranks, losing her soul in the same fashion they had. The fallen HiME. It was when Shizuru had gone that Natsuki realized just how important she was. So important that Natsuki was willing to risk her own death in order to personally stop the monster than had once been her only true friend. She could have let one of the others kill Shizuru, and she herself could have died a peaceful death not plagued with the sin of killing her best friend, but that would have been an injustice on Natsuki's part. No one else had the right to take Shizuru's life, or her own. She knew that she was not going to make it back that day. In either scenario, she was dead. Lose Shizuru, and she would follow. That was the impact of their bond and an aspect of it that she was willing to face head on. From Shizuru's presence sprang immense power like Natsuki had never wielded before. It had been overwhelming. The battle, the shouts, the roar of their Children, the final build up before their mutual death locked in each other's arms. ...and then, part two. Natsuki truly did understand, at least to a degree. She was a vindictive individual, but not one without reason and certainly not towards her. Seeing Shizuru without that glazed over, absolutely dead expression was a relief enough. It was proof that the soul had been resurrected with the body. There wasn't much time to think, of course. The end of the world and Mai's impending doom was overriding everything else at that particular moment. Fire, steel, destruction. It was over as soon as it began. The star was gone. The curse of the twelve princesses was broken for good. Everyone was alive and their will to live restored. What a happy ending. She, and perhaps Nao, were both sickened by such notions. They were for saps and romantics. That just left the hard part. The aftermath. Natsuki understood and she forgave. But that was the extent of it. Their shared bonds as Key and HiME were proof of a former friendship; one that did not exist any longer. The peace and security was no longer existent, and while Natsuki loved her, she was no longer comfortable in her presence. At least not yet. - - - 2-April-2009 It was three in the morning the night of the karaoke graduation party. Shizuru and Natsuki were leaning on each other as they attempted to find their way to the parking lot in a drunken mess of wobbling, tripping and swearing. So, driving was out. Midori's graduation party had been something to remember, but they were certain they wouldn't be able to by morning. Perhaps that was what Midori always intended with her parties. The teacher probably had a thousand miraculous stories to tell, but it was a shame she could not recall any of them. Natsuki's bike and Shizuru's old and battered car could be gotten later, though Natsuki swore that if anyone touched the bike while she was sleeping off her hangover that she would hunt them down and make them pay. Yukino had called a taxi, thank god. At least Natsuki didn't have to deal with waving for one. Waving was a bit much right now. It was hard enough holding Shizuru's face above the asphalt while maintaining her own balance. Natsuki had downed more sake than ever before, in an effort to calm her still stressed nerves. Not that it was a lot. She wasn't much for holding her alcohol. Shizuru, on the other hand, was a much different story. She'd been hammering back the vodka and whiskey all night with few breaks and certainly no chasers to anything strong that she had taken. 'Chasers were for wusses!' Shizuru had drunkenly shouted at once point, in a most un-kaichou-like manner. The Kyoto woman could barely stand. Point in fact, she wasn't standing. She was slumped over, her legs essentially unable to keep her upright. She hadn't passed out, had she? "Oi." Natsuki shook Shizuru, having been holding onto her shirt collar like a mother dog would have gripped a pup's neck. She shook her again after hearing a mild groan. "Oi're you there, Shizuru?" "Ara, I see gravity." Shizuru's hands were stretching out towards the ground, her fingers twitching as she tried to reach for whatever she saw. Natsuki grunted, saying her words carefully so as not to start speaking like Haruka. "No, y'don't. You're drunk. You feel it." "What'm I looking at, then?" "That is your shoe," the biker said after following Shizuru's glance, though her hair was covering most of her face. Shizuru brought up her foot and twirled it a bit, mesmerized by the black footwear. "Ara, so it is." Having quite enough of this, Natsuki pulled Shizuru's arm over her shoulder and stood her upright. Shizuru let out a somewhat shocked noise as her head reeled from the sudden adjustment. It hadn't been the first time they had to ride home in a taxi after a night of drinking, as they had been down in this very section of town on multiple occasions to kick back a few using Shizuru's fake ID. Oh, yes, the little innocent kaichou was a bit of a bad girl. She'd been the one who introduced Kuga to drinking, actually, but the biker was no where near Shizuru's level of alcohol tolerance yet. The Kyoto girl always out drank her and always managed to get herself tanked to almost dangerous levels. Natsuki was truly not in the mood to deal with Shizuru that night. She'd only gone due to Mai's persistence. She intended to go home right after without having to hang around the woman she now felt uncomfortable around, but as fate would have it, they were repeating a familiar scene between the two of them. Shizuru halfway passed out, clinging to her for support. Natsuki sighed. Every time she tried not to remember Shizuru's feelings, the more she did. And now, with her holding onto the biker with an iron grip, she felt like she was about to go into a panic attack. The taxi could be seen in a distance, and Natsuki nudged Shizuru into a state of alertness. "Look alive, Fujino, our ride's here." "We're going home?" Oi. Natsuki sighed and drug Shizuru towards the now stopped taxi. "Yes, we're going home. Nice of you to join us, you drunkard. God, you even out-chugged Midori." Shizuru held up both her arms in victory, but that just made matters worse. Natsuki's grip slid and she automatically readjusted her arms to grip the taller girl around the ribs as tightly as possible. With a great deal of effort, Natsuki quite literally pushed and tossed her into the backseat of the car, and it was then she found herself in a dilemma. If she went with Shizuru, she would logically just fall asleep at her place. She was almost asleep as it was. Then again, whatever discomfort she may have found in being at Shizuru's side was pushed aside as her loyalty kicked in. The driver would not have been as eager to drag her inside her apartment building – or even worse, he would have been, ah, too eager. So, Natsuki fell in behind Shizuru, who was already asleep in the other seat. With a quick command to the driver to take them to the proper address, Natsuki fought off sleep for the next twenty minutes of driving. Then, once the driver arrived, Natsuki dove into Shizuru's purse and threw out whatever money was needed. Maybe a little more. She didn't really look. She pulled Shizuru upstairs, the semi-conscious woman only barely helping her ascend up to where Shizuru had lived for the last month or two, having found a place after the Academy booted her out of her dorm to make way for new students, using money she had saved up from various temp jobs over the years. It was a shabby little apartment in one of the more remote sections of town. A stark contrast to the dignified mansion she was rumored to stay in; a rumor that was surely started by her fan club at one point. Haruka and Reito were the only ones rich enough for that. Shizuru was not nearly as wealthy as her personality may have indicated. It was a cheap studio apartment that was less impressive than the biker's own, and Natsuki wasted no time in closing the door behind them and taking Shizuru back towards her bed, glad there was no other door in her way. Unceremoniously, she dropped Shizuru on the top of the bed and haphazardly flung a few parts of the blankets over her. Not even stopping to think or wait for Shizuru to say some perverted joke about Natsuki going to bed with her that seemed likely to follow, the gruff woman stumbled towards the couch and essentially fell onto it. Sleep claimed her in moments. - - - Perhaps because her mind had acknowledged that she was staying in the home of the woman who she knew full well had broken several bonds of friendship, she found herself locked in a nightmare. Hands ran down her bare sides and stomach. Ice cold breath was on her shoulder. She could not tell if she was half-asleep or dreaming, and that was what made it even worse. Fingers trailed down her back and nails sank into her flesh. Hungry and desperate breathing echoed in her ear. There was nothing sensual about it in the least. Nothing was warm or sultry. It was cold, impersonal and frightening. Natsuki's lungs faltered and stalled with fear, and fearing that her vision from the Carnival was taking place yet again, she swung her arm and lashed out at the violator. Natsuki woke up with sharp inhale of breath, and found that she had hit the back of the couch, punching at nothing. Her breathing rapid as her mind recovered from the dream, she turned her gaze to the bed behind her, where a still sleeping Shizuru lay, largely in the same position she had been in when Natsuki left her. Putting a hand to her aching head, Natsuki sat up and swung her legs over the side, planting her feet on the wooden floor below. There she sat for several long minutes. Just a dream. Just a dream... The biker stood up with a groan and looked over at the sole occupant of the bed. Shizuru was sleeping, looking peaceful and content, a single snore escaping her lips after thirty seconds of Natsuki staring at her. Natsuki gazed at her sleeping form, but not out of longing. She was almost scientifically evaluating the girl resting below. She could put faith in Shizuru never acting in such a manner again, couldn't she? Yes. She could trust in that. But that did not change the fact that she still felt so damn dirty. And for that, she hated the slumbering woman. She'd had no right. Even worse, she hated herself for continuing to care about someone she should have wanted to put six feet under. Fuck it. She had to get out of there. She spun on her heel and headed towards the door, stopping only to grab two aspirin from one of Shizuru's cupboards to help her deal with her raging headache. Shutting the door gently behind her, so not to wake the other woman, she marched back to the elevators. She chose to make a fairly lengthy walk back to where her bike was left behind the night before, hoping the morning air would help clear her mind and mend that headache. She didn't have the money for a taxi. Natsuki climbed onto her bike after an hour of wandering, and started it up. The sound of the bike usually motivated her. Now, with her hangover, it only served to further irritate her condition. She hated her for what she did. She felt violated and filthy. She hated that she continued to care, but she did. That aspect of their relationship could not be denied. And for that, she would try. - - - "Let's go to Moscow." The request was as simple as a suggestion to take an afternoon stroll through a park. Shizuru didn't even register it for a few moments. She set down her chopsticks on the side of her half eaten plate of food, and calmly stared back at her aunt. Tanya Dragunova stared back with eyes an equal shade of red as the pair giving her an inquisitive look. The woman, who simply looked like an older Shizuru due to their shared physical features, was often known for being spontaneous and outrageous. As such, Shizuru was not so much surprised by the statement as she perhaps should have been. All right. Let us entertain this silly notion to please the quirky Cossack Russian, Shizuru thought to herself. "What for?" Shizuru asked. Her aunt gave her an innocent smile and replied with, "Think of it as a graduation present. You've been well taught about Kyoto and its culture from your father, but you never saw where your mother or I grew up. It's a long overdue trip, I think. I'll show you the Kremlin and Red Square, and teach you how to taunt the mafia thugs downtown without getting your head blown off. It'll be fun. What do you say?" Shizuru genuinely smiled and found herself lost in thought. Tanya was her sole guardian, so she supposed that she had no choice if she was dead set on it, and it would be rude to decline such a gift. Her concerns were mainly situated with financing. The Fujino family was wealthy. But she had not associated with them since the death of her father ten years before. The funds were all tied up. Tanya only had so much to give. "I don't know. It's a lovely gesture, but do you...?" "Yes, I can pay for it. It would mainly just be plane tickets. We can stay at your grandparent's home outside the city." Tanya noted Shizuru's continued hesitance, and smiled knowingly. "I know you've only met them once or twice, and Russia might be a bit intimidating. Do you want to bring Natsuki along? It's no problem." Ah, but it was. Separation time was probably essential at this point. They were friends, of course... but Shizuru had quite clearly gotten the message that it would never be more than that. That was most certainly all right. Shizuru was content in that Natsuki did not hate her. That was even more than she could have asked for. Regardless, it would do her good to get away - to get used to not having Natsuki around constantly. Fuuka, quite frankly, held a host of bad memories she did not care to revisit. She was a graduate. She did not have to return. She could go back to Kyoto with her aunt. "Yes, I suppose it would be an interesting trip. I'll go. Just you and I," Shizuru said. Tanya was mildly surprised that Shizuru chose not to bring the younger girl along with her, and was actually disappointed. Natsuki had become a member of the family over the years. Like another niece, almost. But she chose not to question it. Perhaps they were having a tiff. "I'll make the final arrangements, then. I hope you remember your Russian after so many years of this Japanese nonsense." Shizuru chuckled. "Da, ya ponimayu po-russki. Don't worry. It's been a while, but I think I can speak it well enough to get by." "Good, because I already bought tickets," Tanya said with a smirk. Of course she had. Shizuru should have expected it. "We leave in two days. So get packing. It'll be a two week trip. Ah... and one more thing." "Yes?" "Bring a warm coat." Tanya pulled a few bills out of her purse and placed them inside a sleeve containing the bill that had sat there for a few minutes. She stood up, and Shizuru did as well. "I need to head back to Kyoto for tonight. I'll call you later, okay?" Shizuru smiled almost bashfully, like she was not worthy of her aunt doting on her so much. "Spasibo." She stood and pulled the elder woman into a tight hug, and seemed content on staying there for a few moments. Tanya did not back off, but placed a confused look onto her soft features. Shizuru was a sweet girl, of course, but some maternal instinct seemed to tell her that the hug was not entirely about appreciation for the vacation. It seemed almost as if she was clinging rather than hugging. So, Tanya wrapped her arms around the younger girl and laughed, albeit a bit nervously. "On the other hand, showing you landmarks might not be productive. Russia's known for it's pretty women. You'll probably get distracted, " Tanya pointed out after a moment, ruffling Shizuru's hair as if the girl were a mere child. "Ara, you're my favorite aunt." - - - When they landed at Domodedovo International Airport, Shizuru finally decided to pull out her cellphone while she and Tanya were waiting for a taxi. She took a few paces away to give herself some privacy, her aunt remaining in place to hail the vehicle when it arrived. She hadn't told anyone of her trip, mainly because she no longer had any duties to attend to. All that remained was to inform a certain someone who was being mutually avoided. In the two days it took for Shizuru to get ready for the trip, neither she or Natsuki made an effort to speak to one another. But should the girl come looking, it would have been wise to leave her with at least some word. Natsuki did not answer her phone, so she left a quick message. "I'll be on holiday for two weeks, Natsuki. I'm in Moscow at the moment, visiting family as a graduation present. If you need to reach me, I'll have my cellphone with me. Bye." She doubted that her friend would require a talk within that time, but it was better to be safe than sorry. The biker had a tendency to get a little... upset, one would say, about sudden and unexplained disappearances, whether she was speaking to Shizuru at the time or not. Returning the cellphone to her coat pocket, she walked back to her aunt, who gave her a somewhat disappointed look. "Hello, I'm going on holiday. On the other side of the continent. By the way, I'm already there," Tanya mocked. She sighed and said, "You're certainly on top of informing your associates of your departures, aren't you?" "Ara, she can't protest if I'm already here, now can she?" A good enough argument. A taxi began to pass by and Tanya flagged it down. The driver stopped and helped the women pack their bags into the trunk. They both sat themselves in the backseat afterward and Tanya began to give instructions to take them to wherever it was Shizuru's grandparents lived. The driver and Tanya made small talk with Shizuru desperately, although she didn't show her vexation externally, trying to keep up and follow along with her weak grasp of the language. It wasn't working all too well. Something about the parliament and puppies, she thought. "Shizuru," Tanya finally addressed, falling back to Japanese for her niece's sanity, "how do you like the sites of the city so far?" Shizuru paused and turned her gaze back to the window. It certainly wasn't like Kyoto, that was for sure. Or even Tokyo. "It looks... busy. A combination of old and very new, people running back and forth all over the place. It's bigger than I expected." "There's been a lot of construction in the last few years," her aunt explained. "It looks a lot different to me. It's been seven years, I think, since I was here last." There was a look of nostalgia, that combination of joy and sorrow, on her aunt's face, and Shizuru watched her for a few long moments before returning her gaze to the skyline and landscape outside. The ride was about a half an hour after they got onto the freeway leading them to the outskirts of the city. When it got to the point where homes were separated by a decent amount of land, the taxi pulled into a driveway partially shoveled free of snow and came to a stop. The two waited for the driver to open their doors for them before stepping out to deal with their baggage. Tanya paid the driver and the pair started off towards the house. Her aunt waved as three men walked down the main stairs of the main house and came to assist with the luggage. They and Tanya began to chat with each other so rapidly that Shizuru could not keep up with any of it no matter how hard she tried. She recognized the older gentleman as her uncle and the middle child from her mother's generation, Mikhail, who had much darker features than either Shizuru or Tanya. The other two men, much younger, must have been his sons and Shizuru's cousins. One of her theoretical cousins offer a hand and suggested that he wished to carry her larger suitcase. She handed it to him with a small and polite bow. Knowing vaguely of her Japanese background, he returned the gesture, as he thought it was proper. Hoping to at least learn his name, she questioned him on in. "Kak vas zavut?" He smiled politely, much like Shizuru would have if meeting a stranger, and replied with, "Taras." "Shizuru." She shook his free hand and the two fell into uncomfortable silence as the others continued with the banter. He turned and began to speak to his brother for a few moments. It was her aunt who spoke to Shizuru again, falling back to Japanese once again. "You remember how, ah, aggressive your grandparents are, right? When they start fighting, just let them go. They'll stop in a few minutes. Just don't, and I mean it, don't involve yourself because you will never be a free woman again. Okay?" Tanya's look was pleading. Oh, yes, Shizuru remembered. Those crazy old people bickered and swore at each other like no one she had ever encountered before. It was no wonder that the first bits of Russian she learned were vulgarities. But it was a loving relationship. Just wild. Which was perhaps why the conservative and aristocratic Fujino family never approved their son's marriage to Milena, that 'Russian barbarian' woman. "Don't worry, I have a distinct memory of them and their loving war of attrition against one another," Shizuru ensured. Tanya smiled. "Good. Now, we should probably stick to Russian completely. If you're lost, then tell me. You're following along with us, aren't you?" No. "Of course." The group continued to chat amongst themselves as they neared the house. She managed to grasp a few words, but for the most part, she was utterly lost. She supposed she would get used to it after a day or two. She smiled. Oh, if her fan club could see her now! The wise and always in control Fujino Shizuru felt her eyes darting back and forth and her face was one of mild panic as she tried in vain to follow along with the language. She was trying her best to keep herself restrained and calm, however, her expression falling back into neutrality. Then the main door of the house burst open, and an elderly man shouted a greeting to Tanya, pulling the woman into a hug with a roar of laughter. Grandfather Ivan. He proceed, after greeting his daughter, to point to one of Shizuru's cousins and bark at them for not carrying all of the girl's bags. Immediately, Shizuru felt her smaller piece of luggage ripped from her hand by one of the men, who stood at attention, rather like soldiers. A voice from inside seemed to be arguing already, Shizuru's grandmother stepping out of the doorway. She whacked her husband on the back of the head, and spoke a word in Russian that Shizuru had learned ages ago. "Moron." Grandmother Nadia's tone of voice went from harsh to sugar sweet as she shifted from chastising her husband to hugging her youngest daughter. The pair exchanged sweet words for several minutes as the men took the bags inside. Nadia's gaze shifted to Shizuru and the Russian woman, who was practically squealing in the presence of Tanya, and was brought down several levels in terms of excitement. She was obviously pleased to see Shizuru grown, but perhaps... "You look so much like your mother," Shizuru managed to decipher clearly. Nadia had been speaking slow to accommodate Shizuru's unfamiliarity with the language. The usually outgoing former kaichou suddenly found herself taken off guard by such a statement, and shyly looked to the snowy ground before she found herself in an unexpected hug. "It is good to see you, after all these years." "T-thank you," Shizuru replied in Russian. Her grandmother took her by the hand and led her inside, Tanya following behind. Shizuru was led into the living room of the rustic and lovely home, where her grandfather and uncle had parked themselves for the moment. "I'm very glad you agreed to come home with Aunt Tanya," her grandmother said, and the two took a seat on the couch, while Tanya ventured into a back room to bother her nephews. So much for her emergency Japanese bailout. Shizuru strained her ears to listen, smiling all the while. "It has been so long since I last saw you. I cannot believe how much you've grown. You look like a respectable young woman." Shizuru thanked her once again and followed with, "Aunt Tanya has told me much about you. You were... you were a Night Witch?" In the middle of the second World War, the Night Witches had been an all female Russian bomber squadron that operated during the middle of night. Their aircraft had been biplanes designed in the 20's, of all things, and the squadron earned their name from the Germans, who called them that out of fear. Shizuru's grandmother had been one of the pilots, according to Tanya, who returned to the room just as Nadia found herself laughing kindly at the mention of the name. "Yes, I was, and still am a witch according to the bald fool over there. Tanya, have you been telling this nice young woman fanciful stories of the Patriotic War?" Nadia asked. "Only the ones that weren't filthy," Tanya countered, causing her grandmother to chuckle again. Her eyes landed on the silent men, and decided that that was not suitable. "Dad, say something." "Something." "Baka." "What?" Tanya smirked in satisfaction. Mastery of another languages was oft a beautiful thing. Tanya took a seat in a rocking chair next to the fireplace and simply seemed content to watch Shizuru interact with her relatives. However, as the girl was still not quite comfortable with the language, they fell into silence. Which meant that one of the native speakers had to break it. It was Mikhail, who could not stand silence for too long. He looked back to Shizuru and Tanya from his position next to the fire, and he ceased fumbling with it long enough to say, "So, you just graduated? How did you do?" "I was in the top ninety-three percent of my class," she said simply. If they spoke Japanese, she would have elaborated, but did not feel confident in doing so in their tongue. "I was also the kai- student president for my last year." "You hear that, Taras?" Mikhail shouted to his youngest son, who looked to be a year younger than Shizuru. "You should put that much effort into your own school career." There was an incoherent, clearly negative, shout of protest from one of the back rooms. Nadia put her hand to her head and sighed. "Don't use such foul language in your nana's house, boy." "Bah, he's fine," her grandfather argued. "Quiet, you grumpy old son of a bitch." Foul language was not allowed unless you were Nana, apparently. She was a certified master of swearing. Shizuru found herself smirking with mild amusement at their exchange. Aunt Tanya immediately began to figuratively slit her own neck with her finger as a warning for Shizuru to stop before they noticed she was a candidate for involvement in their bickering. So she put a neutral look on her face. Luckily, there came an interruption from the kitchen, after she heard a cousin stomp back into the house. "Dad!" "What?" Mikhail shouted back, poking the fire once more to get it properly roaring. The elder brother came back into the living room, fresh snow on his black coat. "We need to go roof surfing. More snow's coming down and we need to lose the weight." Roof surfing? Mikhail stood up and grabbed his coat again. "Yeah, all right. Tell your brother to go get the ladder." "Wait, I want to help!" Tanya stood up with a childlike smile. She turned back to Shizuru, and the younger woman did not like the mischievous gleam in her aunt's eyes. "Shizuru does too." ...Ara. "What is...?" "It's fun, just come on," Tanya pulled her towards the kitchen, and thus towards the backdoor. "Leave your cellphone and all your other little gadget things on the table, just in case." Shizuru left the phone on the living room coffee table and gave her aunt an inquisitive look. The elder woman seemed intent on not saying anything until they actually got outside. Lord, was this what it was like to be Natsuki when Shizuru teased her? As they began to usher Shizuru away, her grandparents waved and told them to have fun. Shizuru followed them out into the cold, snow falling onto her hair as they made their way over to the side of the house, the roof covered in several feet of packed snow. Taras came back with a ladder, and Mikhail led them all up onto the roof. Tanya was last, making sure Shizuru made it up the ladder all right. Her boots crunched against the snow up top, and she struggled to maintain her balance on the fairly steep structure. The family lined up along the length of the roof, near the middle, Shizuru lining up between Mikhail and Tanya. Both of them took each of her hands, and she blinked in confusion. "Aunt Tanya...?" "The objective is to slide the snow loose so it all falls to the ground," Tanya explained in Japanese. "We'll ride with it. It's fun. Just hang on." "Ready?" Mikhail asked. He began to slide his feet along the snow, his sons with him. "All right, go." All five of them began to attempt to dislodge the snow, Shizuru watching and following the others. After a few attempts, the snow began to slide, and Shizuru struggled to keep her feet from falling out from under her. She felt her body loose control, and the hands holding hers tightened dramatically as they all began to go. They quite literally began to surf on the roof as the snow slid off, and many of them whooped in enjoyment as they fell off the roof an into the piles of snow below on the ground. Shizuru lost herself in a blur of white and cold. A couple seconds later, she poked her head out from underneath a pile of snow, shaking the white fluff off of her head. She looked somewhat like a five year old trapped in a snow bank. Taras and his brother Alexei were laughing at the top of her lungs, and Mikhail was climbing out from his own snow tomb, a smile on his face. Tanya was crawling out from underneath all the snow, standing up and exclaiming that she wanted to do it again. Crazy. All of them were crazy. This was such a stark contrast to her father's side of the family. But she did not complain about that at all. "Oh, come on," Tanya said, grabbing Shizuru by the collar and dragging her out of the snow. For some reason, that felt familiar. Her aunt laughed. "Wasn't it fun? Just a little?" Shizuru found herself chuckling. "Yeah. Yeah, it was." Alexei, the cousin a few years older than she was, pointed towards a small shed in the backyard, "Dad, can we take the snowmobiles out for a quick run? We'll take Tanya and Shizuru with us if they want." Snowmobile? That... that was a motorcycle with blades, wasn't it? She could do that. It was wonderful, actually. These fool Russians were active enough to keep her mind off of any unwanted emotions. It was a magnificent holiday already. So, after leaving a quick word with the grandparents, Shizuru was seated on the back of a snowmobile, hanging onto Taras as he raced across the snow. Familiar, but fun enough to where she thought of nothing negative at all. She just wished she had remembered to take her cellphone with her. It began to ring while the younger members of the family were away, and her two grandparents looked at it, and then to each other. - - - "Alloh?" Natsuki stared ahead of her in utter confusion. She'd dialed the right number, hadn't she? This must have been a relative of some kind. A Russian one. One that probably didn't speak Japanese, but she would try anyway. "Who's this?" "Eh?" "Is Shizuru there?" "Shizuru? Ah..." She heard fumbling and a Russian conversation in the background. Natsuki frantically tried to remember what Russian she had learned from Shizuru over the years. She'd heard her speak it to her aunt before, usually to tease the biker without her knowing it, and had been taught a few phrases. Then again, she was a bit afraid to try. She didn't want to make an ass of herself to any of Shizuru's relatives. From the age of the voice, the woman speaking was most likely a grandmother or a great aunt. She held her breath for a moment and then ventured into he realm of foreign language. "Um, menya zovut Natsuki Kuga," she introduced herself. It went largely unheard, however. Shizuru's grandmother was wrapped up in a conversation, or rather an argument, with the other person in the room. Natsuki sat and listened for several minutes, the language way too advanced for her to even begin to grasp. She pondered hanging up or not, but for some reason she felt compelled to listen to the bickering. "...Babajaga!" A man in the background. "Durak. Zachroy rot." The woman again. Okay, that was enough of that. Natsuki shouted out, "Dosvidanya! Prastite!" With a goodbye and an apology, Natsuki hung up the phone and sighed. Maybe she would try later. Then again, she felt guilty enough as it was interrupting the vacation so soon. She'd been avoiding Shizuru for a few days, still uncomfortable, but finally caved the day of the trip, wanting to speak with someone other than Mai or the others for a while. Not that there was anything wrong with the redhead. It just... wasn't the same. There were quips tossed back and forth between them, of course, but the wit and humor were not exactly the same. After being so used to Shizuru's presence every day, a long separation, even if she still had qualms about being around her for too long, was not something she looked forward to. Natsuki went back to playing video games in her apartment in Fuuka. She had been offered Shizuru's old dorm room at the Academy, but turned it down. She was used to being on her own. Besides, the place still held Shizuru's presence. It smelled like her. It felt very much like the kaichou hadn't left. While it would have been comforting during certain times – now, perhaps – it was likely to be overwhelming. Her place was fine. After an hour, the phone rang again, and Natsuki answered. "Hello?" "Natsuki?" Shizuru addressed. "Did you call my phone a little while ago? I'm sorry, that was my grandmother." "Yeah, I did. Don't worry about it, though. I probably shouldn't have been bothering you." Natsuki paused her game and sat down the controller, leaning back in her chair. "Thanks for the warning about going to Russia, by the way." "It was a spur of the moment thing. You know how my aunt is," Shizuru explained. "It's been a good trip so far, though. I just got back from snowmobiling. Probably more your kind of activity than mine, but it was fun. They even let me drive for a while." "Oh? Did you tip it over and scratch the entire side of it like a certain motorcycle two years ago?" Natsuki said bitterly, remembering her poor vehicle the one time she let Shizuru try and operate it. Still, snowmobiling? That was rather impressive. Cold, but impressive. "Ara, I've improved since then. You should let me try the bike again when I get back." Shizuru's voice was ever playful. Natsuki smiled, but kept her tone irritated. Whatever discomfort she had felt around the woman before was dissipating, thank goodness. Perhaps it was because of the distance and the fact that it was the phone and not face to face. "I told you that was never happening again. Anyway, you're enjoying your mother's side of the family, then?" "Yes, they're certainly... entertaining." Natsuki could hear the grandparents bickering in the background, even still. "But it has been fun. My uncle and his two sons are here as well. Ara, you'd like the older one. He's as obsessed with that snowmobile as you are with your bike. Shall I give you his phone number?" Shizuru was trying her best to move on, apparently. And the best way to do that was through joking. Never the less, Natsuki did not find it funny at all. She sighed in frustration. "Shizuru!" "Yes, miliya moya?" She asked, slipping into Russian. Natsuki didn't know what it meant, but was glad for that. "Stop trying to pimp me out," Natsuki demanded. She fumbled with the string on her sweatshirt for a moment. "Well, I just wanted to make sure you got there all right. I'll let you get back to the festiv—" She was cut off by a large boom. "Shotgun." "Ah." "The Rafia's coming for my uncle. Sorry, I have to go get the rifle." Shizuru said. ...What? Natsuki looked at the phone for a moment and then responded angrily. "That's not even funny, you little brat." On the other end, Shizuru laughed a bit. Natsuki even heard Tanya laughing in the background. Great, the both of them were after her at once. It was the most dreadful team of taunters in the known world. "I should go, however. We're about to leave. I'll talk to you later, Natsuki." "Yeah, bye. You're back in two weeks?" "Exactly two weeks. Try to survive without me, speed racer. I'll be back before you know it." The line went dead, and Natsuki clicked off her phone. Hm. - - - Unexplained Russian used (half-assedly, as I don't actually speak it): Spasibo: Thank You Babajaga: Witch Durak: Idiot/Moron/Similar Zachroy rot: Shut up Miliya Moya: My darling Part II will come soon. This isn't going to be completely emo, don't worry. I'm too silly to even deal with a total emofest. Next up, Natsuki's side of things, complete with vandalism, Nao and even a bit of background on Duran after Shizuru gets back from Russia ...
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