The Plot Hammer O' DOOM is practically a -HiME trademark, was what I meant...
And yeah, I know that it's about characterisation and that Natsuki had to've had some serious reactions to the show's comments on her life, but her catatonia from canon doesn't feel right in this context, and I'm stuck trying to write her without my catalyzing viewpoint there to interact on top of having no idea where she's taking all this.
Gah.
*boot*
* * * * *
"Wow, you don't look nearly as impressive as someone as troublesome as you should," were the words that jolted me from... well, something close to real sleep.
"I'm concussed, cut me some slack," I snapped, without opening my eyes. I was well aware that provoking Nagi like that wasn't likely to be conductive to my continued good health, but pain in general had always made me irritable, as had displacement or unexpected disruption of my life. I had already dealt with most of my issues with that - and let me tell you, forget how silly it might sound, having a therapist there to talk to who knows what she's doing is so very worth it - but having things finally start rolling then promptly go totally out of control had brought it back home all over again.
"Oh, I know - but that wasn't what I meant at all. After all you've done to cause problems for me, are you just going to lie there and accept whatever I decide to do? That hardly seems like something to be expected from someone a Guardian picked..."
"What am I gonna do? Throw up on you? I can't even walk straight, and that's not even getting into the fucking migrane you're setting off just turning the lights on through my eyelids." I laid an arm across the aformentioned organs. "I've already shot my bolt, frankly, and you're not stupid enough to change your mind about whatever you'd decided to do just on the spur of the moment, so please - can we either get it over with or postpone the witty banter 'till some time after the rabid diamond-clawed weasels stop trying to claw their way out through my skull?"
He laughed. "Oh, this is going to be fun! None of the other dances had someone like you jamming along with the band - and you do know that the music makes the difference between a good dancer and a great one, don't you?"
There was a subtle alteration in the air around me, and I could feel him lean close. "Besides, the payment should suit the debt, shouldn't it? Simply killing you wouldn't prove anything..."
And then he was gone. I groaned.
Fucking bastard had left the lights on.
* * * * *
An echoing, banging clatter woke me the second time. "Sagisawa-sensei!"
After a moment, just before the nurse confirmed it, I placed the voice as Shizuru's. "No, Fujino, it's not something I'm going to argue over. She needs rest, and however worried you may be, having you hovering over her will not help her get it!"
Shizuru didn't answer directly, but I could hear her murmur, "be well, my natsuki" from somewhere to my right before she walked out and closed the door - softly, fortunately for me.
"'My Natsuki'?" She sounded amused. "I don't suppose either of you are awake to comment on that?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Natsuki muttered, and I had to snicker a little before I experimented with opening my eyes.
The top of my head didn't blow off, so I decided to take a little risk and try and lever myself to sit up a little. "She's scary," I said. "I see nothing, I hear nothing, I know nothing, and I most especially say nothing."
That won a laugh, which was most of the point. "All right. I need to go pick up a couple of things from the mail room - don't either of you go anywhere while I'm gone, okay?"
There was a moment of silence after she had gone, but then I snuck a look at Natsuki and had to bite my lip to keep from laughing - which probably wouldn't have done my head any good. You wouldn't think that a girl who'd give most models a run for their money would be capable of looking that cute, but her combination of an irritated scowl and a heavy blush pulled it off easily.
I didn't comment, of course. I'm not that dumb. Quite.
"Did you find what you needed?" I asked instead.
"...No," she said eventually, voice low and a little rough, like she'd had a cold, or been crying a lot - which she probably had, come to that. "Not really. I... I guess I've never... really thought about my Mom. Like, as herself, rather than just as... Mom. What you'd seen... I needed to know... if she could have done that.
"They didn't say a thing," she suddenly snarled. "Nothing about it! Like I didn't matter - like she didn't matter..." She leaned forwards a little and hugged her knees to her chest.
Something occurred to me that hadn't before. "Was she working alone?"
"What?"
"Well... you want to know who she was, right? Who she was as a person? If she had coworkers, then shouldn't they..."
It wasn't a beaming grin. Natsuki wasn't the sort of person who would use an expression like that. But her cheeks lifted a little, and her eyes weren't nearly as sad. "They'd know her... thank you."
I'd never known how to handle any sort of compliment or thanks, let alone one so obviously important to the giver, so I could only look away and awkwardly mutter, "It's nothing."
I don't remember the rest of the afternoon as clearly, but that was the first occaision I had to get to know who Kuga Natsuki was behind the 'tough biker' image. The thing that really surprised me, I think, was how lively she became once she started to relax a little - sure, she stayed all prickles and puritan morals, but I ended up losing my train of thought completely several times when I noticed that she had started waving her hands around and gesturing fiercely to try and make a point. It was an utterly un-Japanese mannerism, and even more unexpected coming from someone with her personality.
She was a lot of fun to talk to - I was almost sad when we got sent back to our rooms, and in retrospect neither of us had even noticed when Nurse Sagisawa came back.
Now that is rather more like it!
Ja, -n
===========
===============================================
"V, did you do something foolish?"
"Yes, and it was glorious."
And yeah, I know that it's about characterisation and that Natsuki had to've had some serious reactions to the show's comments on her life, but her catatonia from canon doesn't feel right in this context, and I'm stuck trying to write her without my catalyzing viewpoint there to interact on top of having no idea where she's taking all this.
Gah.
*boot*
* * * * *
"Wow, you don't look nearly as impressive as someone as troublesome as you should," were the words that jolted me from... well, something close to real sleep.
"I'm concussed, cut me some slack," I snapped, without opening my eyes. I was well aware that provoking Nagi like that wasn't likely to be conductive to my continued good health, but pain in general had always made me irritable, as had displacement or unexpected disruption of my life. I had already dealt with most of my issues with that - and let me tell you, forget how silly it might sound, having a therapist there to talk to who knows what she's doing is so very worth it - but having things finally start rolling then promptly go totally out of control had brought it back home all over again.
"Oh, I know - but that wasn't what I meant at all. After all you've done to cause problems for me, are you just going to lie there and accept whatever I decide to do? That hardly seems like something to be expected from someone a Guardian picked..."
"What am I gonna do? Throw up on you? I can't even walk straight, and that's not even getting into the fucking migrane you're setting off just turning the lights on through my eyelids." I laid an arm across the aformentioned organs. "I've already shot my bolt, frankly, and you're not stupid enough to change your mind about whatever you'd decided to do just on the spur of the moment, so please - can we either get it over with or postpone the witty banter 'till some time after the rabid diamond-clawed weasels stop trying to claw their way out through my skull?"
He laughed. "Oh, this is going to be fun! None of the other dances had someone like you jamming along with the band - and you do know that the music makes the difference between a good dancer and a great one, don't you?"
There was a subtle alteration in the air around me, and I could feel him lean close. "Besides, the payment should suit the debt, shouldn't it? Simply killing you wouldn't prove anything..."
And then he was gone. I groaned.
Fucking bastard had left the lights on.
* * * * *
An echoing, banging clatter woke me the second time. "Sagisawa-sensei!"
After a moment, just before the nurse confirmed it, I placed the voice as Shizuru's. "No, Fujino, it's not something I'm going to argue over. She needs rest, and however worried you may be, having you hovering over her will not help her get it!"
Shizuru didn't answer directly, but I could hear her murmur, "be well, my natsuki" from somewhere to my right before she walked out and closed the door - softly, fortunately for me.
"'My Natsuki'?" She sounded amused. "I don't suppose either of you are awake to comment on that?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Natsuki muttered, and I had to snicker a little before I experimented with opening my eyes.
The top of my head didn't blow off, so I decided to take a little risk and try and lever myself to sit up a little. "She's scary," I said. "I see nothing, I hear nothing, I know nothing, and I most especially say nothing."
That won a laugh, which was most of the point. "All right. I need to go pick up a couple of things from the mail room - don't either of you go anywhere while I'm gone, okay?"
There was a moment of silence after she had gone, but then I snuck a look at Natsuki and had to bite my lip to keep from laughing - which probably wouldn't have done my head any good. You wouldn't think that a girl who'd give most models a run for their money would be capable of looking that cute, but her combination of an irritated scowl and a heavy blush pulled it off easily.
I didn't comment, of course. I'm not that dumb. Quite.
"Did you find what you needed?" I asked instead.
"...No," she said eventually, voice low and a little rough, like she'd had a cold, or been crying a lot - which she probably had, come to that. "Not really. I... I guess I've never... really thought about my Mom. Like, as herself, rather than just as... Mom. What you'd seen... I needed to know... if she could have done that.
"They didn't say a thing," she suddenly snarled. "Nothing about it! Like I didn't matter - like she didn't matter..." She leaned forwards a little and hugged her knees to her chest.
Something occurred to me that hadn't before. "Was she working alone?"
"What?"
"Well... you want to know who she was, right? Who she was as a person? If she had coworkers, then shouldn't they..."
It wasn't a beaming grin. Natsuki wasn't the sort of person who would use an expression like that. But her cheeks lifted a little, and her eyes weren't nearly as sad. "They'd know her... thank you."
I'd never known how to handle any sort of compliment or thanks, let alone one so obviously important to the giver, so I could only look away and awkwardly mutter, "It's nothing."
I don't remember the rest of the afternoon as clearly, but that was the first occaision I had to get to know who Kuga Natsuki was behind the 'tough biker' image. The thing that really surprised me, I think, was how lively she became once she started to relax a little - sure, she stayed all prickles and puritan morals, but I ended up losing my train of thought completely several times when I noticed that she had started waving her hands around and gesturing fiercely to try and make a point. It was an utterly un-Japanese mannerism, and even more unexpected coming from someone with her personality.
She was a lot of fun to talk to - I was almost sad when we got sent back to our rooms, and in retrospect neither of us had even noticed when Nurse Sagisawa came back.
Now that is rather more like it!
Ja, -n
===========
===============================================
"V, did you do something foolish?"
"Yes, and it was glorious."