When the two finally parted, which took quite a lot of promising and convincing on Natsuki’s part that she definitely wasn’t going to disappear, both women stepped back to look over the other. Of course, this only prompted Shizuru to make one of her sly comments about the younger girl looking cute in a uniform to which Natsuki harrumphed and blushed in her usual fashion, effectively earning a childish giggle from the other, but it didn’t take long for that playful atmosphere to quickly turn serious.
“Natsuki…your arm…” Shizuru whispered, stepping forward to take the metal-incased limb in her hands lightly.
“Don’t worry. It’s only temporary.”
Looking up, keen crimson orbs locked on to the medical tape peeking out from the collar of Natsuki’s uniform.
“Your neck too…” the older woman began, reaching for the spot, but froze abruptly when the girl flinched back, “Natsu—“
“It’s nothing,” Natsuki quickly remarked, averted eyes hiding hurt.
Before the conversation could continue any further, a tentative voice called out to them.
“E-Excuse me, Viola-sama, Kruger-sama, it will be getting dark soon…”
Shizuru gave the young maid a smile, slipping back into her usual composure as she preceded forward, “Yes, of course. Let us go inside for now, Natsuki.”
“Y-Yeah…” was all the other could manage as she dumbly followed in her older friend's footsteps.
Natsuki walked through the open door of what would be her room for the remainder of her stay in Annam, turning on her heels once inside.
“Thank you.”
“Do you need anything, miss?”
“Some privacy maybe,” the girl dryly thought before shaking her head.
“No thank you. I should be fine for now.”
“Please, do not hesitate to call if anything should arise,” the maid reminded her for the umpteenth time before bowing and closing the door.
Once she was finally alone, Natsuki sat on the edge of the giant bed with a heavy sigh. She had had so many questions thrown at her in the past ten minutes that her mind was still spinning from the verbal onslaught. They were just trying to be polite, she kept reminding herself, but that still didn’t make it annoying as hell. That wasn’t all that was making the exhausted girl’s brain ache, however.
Falling back on the soft mattress, emerald eyes scanned the bland ceiling above.
“What was that look before, Shizuru? Confusion? Sadness? I hate keeping things from you like this, but still…There’s no reason for you to have to know of what happened in that place…”
Before she could let her thoughts plummet any further, Natsuki shot up with a groan. A nice relaxing bath would certainly help ease her weary body and mind, and the girl immediately sought the bathroom after painstakingly removing her uniform, metal gauntlet, and the bandages she still wore over her few remaining wounds.
Thankfully the old palace had been remodeled when it came to their plumbing, so running water wasn’t an issue, and Natsuki was soaking in a hot tub mere minutes after she had entered the room. After washing off, she nearly fell asleep in the lazy warmth of the water, but caught herself before actually dozing off and instantly stepped out of the deep bathtub.
Once she had dried off, the raven-haired girl sought the antique dresser in her bedroom hoping that there would be something she could wear. Her uniform was the only clothing she owned …period. That would definitely have to be taken care of later, but for the moment she would just have to borrow some from the Annam royalty.
Luck was apparently on Natsuki’s side because she did in fact find something to make due. Although she scoffed at the color choice, a pale lime green with a dark green floral motif, she still pulled the silk robe out and slipped into the smooth material, tying it closed with the sash around her waist. The wide, elbow-length sleeves she definitely approved of since they made putting the article on over her injured arm much easier, although Natsuki wouldn’t have minded it falling a little further past her knees since the room itself was slightly on the cool side.
She had just sat down to start piecing the metal device back onto her arm when a soft knocking on her door interrupted the action, the muffled voice on the other side easily recognizable as Shizuru’s.
“Natsuki…Is it okay for me to come in?”
Momentary panic struck the girl as she looked down at her exposed flesh and the metal pins sticking out of it, but she couldn’t just turn Shizuru away…especially after just being reunited not so long ago.
“Uh…y-yeah…”
The door slowly creaked open, but rather than watch the older woman and her presumed expression, Natsuki busied herself with trying to place the gauntlet back together.
“It’s…broken?”
“Hmm?”
“Your arm,” Shizuru specified, sitting down on the bed next to Natsuki.
“Oh. Yeah.”
“You didn’t say so earlier…Does it hurt much?”
“Sometimes.”
“How did it happen—?”
“Dammit!” the dark haired girl huffed, easily becoming frustrated with her futile attempts to get the device back on her arm.
“Here,” the other gently whispered, taking the pieces from Natsuki before repositioning them, “Like this?”
“...It was a war, Shizuru. Fighting was inevitable, so of course things like this were going to happen,” Natsuki remarked as she watched her friend work.
“But you specifically,” the Column pressed as she kept her eyes on what she was doing, “how did it happen?”
“Why do you want to know so badly?”
Crimson met emerald in a sturdy gaze, “Because when it comes to Natsuki, I want to know everything…everything…”
The sparkling green disappeared from Shizuru’s view as the girl turned her head away, silence filling the room for what felt like an eternity.
“I was…captured…by the enemy…”
The older girl’s eyes widened with realization, “Captured? Did they…Were you…Natsuki—“
“Tortured?” the other replied bitterly, “Yeah.”
“They did this to you? The mark on your neck too?”
Natsuki’s right hand shot up to the spot instantly, covering the burn defensively as she glared as Shizuru coldly, but it was only met with sad, concerned russet orbs as the woman softly placed her hand on the girl’s tensed arm.
“Can I see it?”
“Why?” Natsuki practically growled.
“Please.”
Defeated, Natsuki consented, turning away once again as she felt Shizuru’s cool fingertips run over the skin of her nape, lightly tracing over the marred tissue.
“It’s…a symbol…What does it mean?”
“Unworthy, backstabber, cheat...Take your pick, it’s all practically the same thing,” the soldier scoffed, “Those bastards literally branded me as a traitor.”
“But why are you so worried about hiding it? You know it’s not true, and the scar should fade soon enough—“
“But I’ll still know!” Natsuki suddenly exclaimed, “I’ll still know it was there!”
“Natsuki…” Shizuru breathed, shocked at the sudden outburst and the obvious emotion surging from it.
Natsuki buried her face in her hand, “I’ve…shamed my family…letting myself get marked by the enemy in such a way…”
“I’m sure your family just cares that you’re still alive,” the woman pleaded while grasping the other’s arm.
“I didn’t…I didn’t think I was going to make it…” the girl stuttered, body trembling as she forced her eyes shut, trying to hold back the urge to break down.
Without a word, Shizuru took Natsuki into her arms, and the younger of the two willingly subsided, burying her face into the older girl’s chest, clinging onto the purple fabric of the robe she wore.
“I was so scared,” Natsuki continued, openly crying.
“Shh…It’s alright now…” Shizuru tried to comfort her friend, stroking her midnight tresses as she rested her cheek on the top of Natsuki’s head, her own tears threatening to fall.
“I thought I was going to die…so many times…but…but I couldn’t…I couldn’t let myself because I…I wanted to see you again…”
“Shh…” the chestnut-haired woman cooed again before beginning to softly hum a soothing melody that she had learned in her childhood.
Eventually Natsuki calmed and actually fell asleep in Shizuru’s warm embrace, and the woman willingly remained perfectly still to allow the girl to rest peacefully.
“Kanin na, Natsuki,” the beauty whispered almost inaudibly as she watched the girl’s body slowly rise and fall, “I should have come after you…I should have prevented any of this from happening…But I won’t let it happen again. I’ll protect you with my life from now on…I promise.”
1. Natsuki’s nightwear is modeled off of a Chinese robe.
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