For More than Nothing
A/N: This story takes place during the current arc involving Christine
and Cedric, but there are no spoilers for that mission, as this fic is
Kurumi-centric. Enjoy!
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Kurumi rested her chin on her hand as she leaned over the counter.
Already midday, and there had only been three customers so far. It was
a slow day, so Kurumi wasn't expecting too many more customers. Minding
the shop was rather boring right now, as she had no one to talk to
because the other employees were out on a mission.
She let out a heavy sigh and walked over to the tulips. She
reached out and lightly touched one of the small buds. The flowers were
beautiful, and pretty plants were really all that was needed for a
flower shop. Still, for one called the "Kitten's House," maybe a pet
cat as the mascot would be cute.
Kurumi giggled at the thought. She would bring up that suggestion
when the others returned. She could easily be the one to take care of
the cat since she really didn't have much else to do.
The bell chimed, alerting Kurumi to the presence of another
customer. She quickly turned around and, in English, said, "Welcome to
the Kitten's House. How may I help you?" When she took a good look at
the customer, her smile was replaced by an open mouth, the kind caused
by surprise.
"This is a nice shop," the woman said, her voice carrying traces
of a foreign accent. She had long, curly green hair and pale violet
eyes concealed behind round glasses. Her slender form was clothed in a
light purple sweater and blue jeans. She seemed peaceful, but also
sorrowful, as if something regretful had happened to her not long ago.
To Kurumi, this woman was absolutely stunning.
Hoping she wasn't blushing too much, Kurumi asked, "Oh, are you
also Japanese?"
"Yes, I am," the woman answered, switching to Japanese. "My name
is Mayumi."
"And I'm Kurumi Shinjou." Kurumi had also switched to Japanese,
although she had given her name in the Western order.
"That's a cute name," Mayumi remarked, stepping closer to Kurumi.
"Do you work here alone?"
Kurumi shook her head. "The other employees are just out for a
little while."
Mayumi crossed her arms over her (quite ample, as Kurumi couldn't
help observing) chest. "And they left such a beautiful girl such as
yourself alone? That hardly seems possible."
"Well…" Kurumi turned her face away, hoping to hide how much she
was blushing. "They had some important business to take care of, and
since I could manage the shop…"
Mayumi chuckled. "You're such a nice girl, Kurumi. If only there
were more like you."
Kurumi's heart skipped a beat and then began beating rapidly. The
way Mayumi said her name was so…so… Kurumi couldn't even think of the
words to describe it.
Mayumi turned her head and then walked over to the pot of blooming
cattleyas. There was a smile on her pink lips, but behind that smile
was a painfully obvious forlorn expression.
"They're very pretty, aren't they?" Kurumi said quietly, coming up
behind Mayumi.
"No, they're quite ugly," Mayumi disagreed, pushing her glasses up
the bridge of her nose. "And yet, they can leave quite the impression."
Kurumi knew there was another meaning behind that sentence, but
she didn't know how to reply to that. Instead, she said, "Is there any
particular flower you would like to buy?"
Mayumi shook her head. "No, I only wanted to look. I actually
quite hate flowers, but some can be rather beautiful."
Those words inspired some sort of strong emotion in Kurumi.
Anger, perhaps, but Kurumi wasn't exactly angry with Mayumi, but was
more mystified and strongly wanted to correct her. "All flowers are
beautiful!" Kurumi blurted out. "Some…just haven't opened up yet."
"What…?" Mayumi seemed honestly surprised at Kurumi's words.
Her heart was racing and her breathing heavy, but Kurumi couldn't
stop now. "Every flower is beautiful," she continued. "But if it never
blooms and always hides within its calyx, no one will ever see that
beauty."
Mayumi shifted her face away. She didn't immediately reply.
Finally, in a shaky voice, she said, "I need to leave now."
As Mayumi headed for the door, Kurumi reached out and grabbed her
wrist. "Don't go yet," the young girl begged, her voice almost a
whisper.
Mayumi turned around and gently laid her hands on Kurumi's
shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow," the woman promised.
"I just need to think about some things." She lightly hugged Kurumi and
then she was out the door.
Tears escaped from Kurumi's eyes. She didn't even know that
woman, so why did she feel this way? Why did she say such things? Did
she even have a right to? Mayumi was certainly very beautiful, but she
was so cold. And yet, underneath, there was this warmth that Kurumi
could see easily. Maybe she was the only one who could.
"Mayumi…"
* * *
A flower whose beauty would go unseen because it never bloomed.
It could hardly have been more obvious about who Kurumi had been
referring to, Tsuji thought. But why would she say such a thing? She
didn't know anything about Tsuji.
Two teenage girls walked past Tsuji, chatting away in English.
Tsuji turned her head and saw that they had just went into the flower
shop.
Tsuji let out a heavy sigh as she returned her gaze forward. She
and Kurumi had one thing in common: they both had the eyes of one who
had stared down death. Tsuji didn't want to think about how Kurumi had
ended up in that position, but it probably had had something to do with
Weiß.
Tsuji smirked as she adjusted her glasses. Aya and Ken had done
such a lousy job of hiding their tracks. And, of course, a flower shop
named the Kitten's House? They really were asking for it. However,
Tsuji wouldn't answer. She wasn't interested in extracting revenge.
Weiß and Rosenkreuz thought her dead, and she felt no need to
correct them. Although, if they actually thought about it, they should
have realized that a mere slash across the chest wouldn't kill a
genetically enhanced superhuman such as herself.
She laid her hand over her heart, where the tip of the scar was.
It had taken her a while to recover, though. While still in the
hospital, she had visited a still comatose Yoji. She had been
discharged before he had awoken.
That slash to the chest did change her life forever. She didn't
want to hurt others anymore. She still desired knowledge, but she could
find peaceful ways to attain that goal.
However, while they both had seen death, Kurumi had not felt the
pain of it as Tsuji had. That was quite obvious. But, if Kurumi stayed
near Weiß, that was almost certain to happen. Maybe Tsuji could remain
nearby and rescue Kurumi if the need arose.
Tsuji chuckled at the thought. From being am enthralling villain
to a knight in shining armor. She certainly had changed quite a lot.
Yet, Tsuji didn't mind that. Kurumi was a bit unusual if she could be
so open with a stranger, but Tsuji truly appreciated her sincere
kindness. Tsuji would keep her promise and visit Kurumi tomorrow. She
could let Kurumi into her heart, but only Kurumi.
Smiling softly, Tsuji whispered, "Such a kind girl."
* * *
Night passed into morning, and morning passed into afternoon, and
Kurumi wished that Mayumi had set a specific time. She had been up
since early morning, and her anxiety just kept growing. Luckily, there
had not been many customers today, and Kurumi had been able to deal with
the few that had showed up with no problems.
Still, every time that little bell rang, her heart rose, but only
to fall after seeing the customer was not Mayumi. She considered
closing the shop, but Ken and the others probably would not be too
pleased with that.
The bell chimed once more. Just another customer, Kurumi
expected. "Hello, how may I-" she began, speaking English, but she
stopped herself when she lifted her head and saw who she was talking to.
Mayumi smiled softly. "Hello, Kurumi," she greeted in Japanese,
her violet eyes sparkling behind her glasses.
"H-Hi, Mayumi," Kurumi said, switching to Japanese.
Mayumi walked up to Kurumi, and Kurumi's heart beat faster as she
struggled to make eye contact. Mayumi was so beautiful, the young girl
believed, even though sorrow lingered around the older woman.
"Kurumi, I want to show you something," Mayumi said. She turned
her back to Kurumi and gripped the hem of her shirt. She then took off
her shirt and gently laid it on the counter. Her fingers clenched up
tightly, as if she was cold, but then she relaxed her fingers. She had
a nice, elegant back, Kurumi noticed. But what was she…?
Before Kurumi finished that thought, Mayumi's hands come up to the
back of her bra. She undid the hooks and then slid the straps off her
slender shoulders. She bent over slight so that she could remove the
straps from her arms. Once her bra was off, she placed it on top of her
shirt.
Kurumi knew she should have found this strange, but she had never
felt such an attraction to another person before. And it was toward a
woman, of all people! She barely knew Mayumi, but she could only think
of the word "romantic" to describe her feelings. It was a strong word
to use, and she hesitated using it, but when she did finally mutter the
word in her mind, her heart seemed to feel more at ease.
Although, her overriding thought was that she was really hoping
for Mayumi to turn around.
And Kurumi's wish was granted. Mayumi turned to face Kurumi, and
her scar was clearly visible. It went from above her left breast to
near the right side of her waist. It should have been unsightly, but at
that moment, Kurumi could only think about how beautiful and strong
Mayumi was.
"This is the price I paid for the life I used to live," Mayumi
began. "Most people think I am dead now. But I still live, and I won't
return to how I used to be."
Kurumi stepped up to Mayumi, her eyes focused on the woman's scar.
Hesitatively, she raised her hand, and after a moment's pause, lightly
ran her fingers over the scar. Mayumi's skin was very warm, Kurumi
thought.
"I am not a good person," Mayumi continued, her voice even yet
sad. "But if you can show such kindness for me, I can live with
myself." She laid her hand over Kurumi's. "Kurumi, why don't you come
with me?"
The question was like a punch to Kurumi's gut. She wanted so much
to say yes, but it was such a sudden question. She knew full well that
she still had some unfinished business to take care of first. "Not
now," she answered, thinking of how Mihirogi had told her that the Human
Interleukin-3 in her blood could one day help people if used correctly.
"I still have some things to do here first."
Mayumi seemed to understand. "Then I will stay close by to watch
over you."
Hope suddenly filled Kurumi's heart. "So, you'll visit often?"
Mayumi shook her head. "I can't. Fujimiya and Hidaka will not
allow that."
"Wait, how do you know-" Kurumi started, but was interrupted when
Mayumi laid her index finger on the girl's lips.
"That's my little secret," Mayumi whispered, smiling
mischievously. She then embraced Kurumi tightly. Slowly, Kurumi
wrapped her arms around Mayumi's bare back.
Maybe it was a little odd to be hugged by a topless woman (who, in
Kurumi's opinion, had rather nice breasts), but it didn't bother Kurumi
at all. It felt natural, just like her feelings for Mayumi. It was
such a sweet embrace, one that Kurumi would never forget. She could
feel Mayumi's heart beating against her own chest. It was reassuring,
as if Kurumi had doubted Mayumi's humanity after seeing that scar. That
heartbeat proved Mayumi was alive, and Kurumi was now certain that this
love was real.
They pulled apart from each other, and Mayumi reached up to her
face and removed her glasses. Once they were off, Kurumi pressed her
lips against Mayumi's.
It was Kurumi's first kiss, and she knew for sure that it was
right. Her heart beat faster, and her arms tightened around Mayumi's
back. She could feel the woman's heart also beating more quickly.
When the kiss ended, Mayumi placed her glasses into Kurumi's
hands. "That was beautiful," she said, her violet eyes now free of
sorrow. She picked up her bra and put it back on, this time facing
Kurumi. She did the same with her shirt, and Kurumi watched intently,
as she wanted to memorize every inch of Mayumi's gorgeous body.
As she pulled on the hem of her shirt to straighten it, Mayumi
said, "Kurumi, I lied to you yesterday. I actually find cattleyas to be
quite beautiful. They are very inspirational to me."
"That's wonderful," Kurumi replied, unable to think of anything
else to say.
"Well then, I should be leaving now," Mayumi decided. She cupped
Kurumi's chin lightly kissed the younger girl. "Thank you for
everything, Kurumi."
Kurumi smiled broadly and walked with Mayumi to the door. They
shared another kiss, and then Mayumi left the flower shop.
This time, Kurumi did not cry. She would see Mayumi again
someday. "I'll be waiting for you," she said aloud. To her chest she
clutched the glasses of the woman she had so deeply fallen in love with.
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