Snog XVI: Mai and Natsuki

"Thanks for dinner."

"You're welcome." Mai said as she began clearing up the dishes.

Natsuki helped Mai wash and put away the dishes. They worked in silence, a companionable silence.

When they finished, Mai lent Natsuki a set of pajamas. Natsuki changed into them gratefully. She went back out to find Mai sitting on her bed and looking out the window. Natsuki sat down on the opposite bed, the one that should have been Mikoto's.

"Mai."

Mai turned to look at Natsuki, and Natsuki could see that she'd been crying. "What do we do now?" Mai asked, hugging herself tightly. "Now it's only you, me, kaichou-sama, and... and Mikoto."

Natsuki felt a sharp pang in her heart at the mention of Shizuru, but she still moved to sit beside Mai. "Mai..." Natsuki put a hand on Mai's shoulder. "You'll go fight Mikoto, and I'll fight Shizuru. It will turn out okay, you'll see."

Mai was still crying. "You don't expect to survive, do you?" Mai noted, wiping at her tears.

Natsuki shook her head. She could feel her own tears beginning to surface. "No. I probably won't." Natsuki sighed. "I'm most important to Shizuru. And... she's the most important to me. Either way, whoever wins..." Natsuki shrugged. " It won't be pretty." She finished.

Mai laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I'm being selfish aren't I? Crying when you have your own problems to deal with."

"Silly." Natsuki wiped at her own tears. "Hey, do you already know who your most important person is?"

Mai nodded somberly, her gazing moving to the other bed. Mikoto's bed.

"We're in the same situation then. Who knows, maybe we'll all wind up dead." Natsuki said cheerfully, trying to lighten her friend's spirits despite the fact that both of them were crying.

Mai looked at Natsuki weirdly. Then she began to laugh even if it wasn't really funny. Mai laughed until she cried and she didn't know anymore where the laughter began and the tears ended, in the same way that happiness and sadness were opposite sides of the same coin.

Then Natsuki joined in the laughter, not because it was funny, but because they desperately needed something to laugh at so as not to be overwhelmed by the immense tasks they both faced.

When the last of the laughter faded away, Mai wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Thank you, I think I needed that."

Natsuki snorted. "It wasn't even funny."

Mai leaned forward and impulsively kissed Natsuki. "It was. And thank you."

"Mai!" Natsuki protested, shocked by her friend's actions.

Mai looked at Natsuki quizzically. "Natsuki, friends can love each other too, you know."

"They.. can?" Natsuki stared back at Mai weakly.

Mai smiled sadly. "Mikoto taught me that. She once asked me what real love was."

Natsuki listened to Mai, her heart beating fast. "What did you say?" Natsuki demanded.

"I couldn't answer her then. But now I see that what's important is that you care for someone. Simple as that." Mai laughed. "I love you Natsuki. And I love Mikoto, I love Takumi, I love Tate, and Reito, and Shiho. I love everyone, you're all important to me."

"You mean... I can l-love Shizuru? But we d-don't have to be lovers or anything?"

"Of course not silly. Not if you don't want to. Love's just..." Mai shrugged, "love. It just is."

Natsuki thought a moment, beginning to understand what Shizuru meant to her. "Thank you Mai. I think... I think I understand now."

Then Natsuki realized something about what Mai said. "That means it's really everyone that's your most important person."

Mai looked at Natsuki in surprise. "I suppose..."

Natsuki grinned. "Then you better not lose, 'cause if you do everyone will disappear."

Mai looked back at Natsuki with genuine alarm. "Natsuki!"

"Relax, I was just joking." Natsuki tried to placate her friend. "You won't lose. You won't. You can't."

They were both silent for a while.

"We better sleep now." Mai said softly.

"Yeah." Natsuki hesitated, then shyly kissed Mai's cheek. "Good night."

Mai watched as an embarrassed Natsuki got into bed and went to sleep. Then she lay back down on her own bed, wondering what the next day would bring.