Set way after the series, Mitsuki is around twenty one and Takuto is obviously older by a bit, as I had envisioned ;D and are engaged to be married. Yes, I am a Takuto/Mitsuki fan, though the one I have all ready posted is a Eichi/Mitsuki story. Please R&R but no flames. Constructive criticism, nice comments, positive reinforcements all welcomed here. I hope you all like it! They may be just a tad out of character, but hey, who doesn't change as they get older right? hehe. (By the way, RWM...yeah, totally made it up. I have no idea what that is or where it came from. Not part of the original series at all. ;D)

Wake Up Slow

She rolls over groggily, reaching up and rubbing her eyes. She has a job today, at around ten o' clock and since it's nine all ready, she knows she should get up. As she begins to move, however, an arm slung around her back pulls her back down onto the bed. Her eyes widen in surprise, knowing who it is, but not fully understanding the situation.

"Don't get up yet," His voice is soft, making her smile.

She brushes some of his loose, black hair out of his face, which he had let down for bed last night. It's always so soft, even in the mornings when hers is always greasy and basically a mop.

"Silly, I have to. I have to be at RWM radio station by ten o' clock to do a live broadcast," She giggles. "You know that!"

His eyes narrow a bit, nodding resentfully. He is very well aware of her job and he loves her singing just as much as she does. However, lately it's the only place she's been. She goes to work to do everything else and then just comes back to their small apartment to get cleaned up and changed before her next job. She's always gone and he's always either at his own job, or sitting at home by himself, waiting for her to run through and then leave again. He's not seen her in about two weeks until just last night into this morning and he's not about to let that go away just yet. He wants his time with her too. The whole country has her almost every single day. Shouldn't he get some time with her too?

"Mitsuki," He sighs, making his young fiancé's smoky gray eyes meet with his. "You don't really have to go do you? You've done nothing but be at work -all the time- for the last two weeks."

He turns to face the surprised girl, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist. "I miss you."

Feeling tired in his warm grasp, she finds herself becoming lazy again. "Silly Takuto, I need to get up."

He shakes his head. "No you don't," Frustrated, his grip on her tightens more when she tries to pull away. "Call Oshige and tell her you're sick. You can lie just one time. If you can't, I'll call for you."

She struggles against him, not even trying to get away, but more for show. She doesn't really want to get away. The truth of the matter is, she misses him very much too. She feels almost like they are strangers most of the time. Strangers just kind of residing in the same general area. She reminisces fondly of the times when he was a Shinigami and she just a young girl with throat cancer that he had been assigned to take care of until her death. She remembers Meroko, with a little sadness welling up in her heart, who had always tried so hard. She misses her bunny-themed friend and protector very much. Mitsuki had even begun to think of her as an older sister at one point, a member of her own family. But she is an angel now and she has been for the last nine years or so. She's probably very happy as a Tenshi, doing good work, watching over people. That fits Meroko well. They had all learned, through that whole experience what it truly meant to love another.

But now, coming back into the present, she remembers that Takuto had been speaking to her.

"Takuto, I can't do that, who's going to replace me?"

Takuto's shoulders raise and then fall again, a small shrug. He doesn't seem to care this time. "Let them figure it out." The young man now whispers quietly, placing a gentle kiss in her hair.

She stills, having difficulty saying "no" to him right now. Any time her fiancé holds her close, kisses her, hugs her or any other simple contact, she is pretty much overwhelmed. It may not affect him as much as it does her and she knows that he doesn't seem to understand what he does to her. But, to her, any touch is precious. They were almost separated once, so she no longer takes time for granted. She makes the most of every minute. She enjoys every minute, especially the ones with Takuto.

She loves her job, but right now it's so hard to tell him no. The way he's looking at her, the way he's holding her -that same way he always holds her- she finds herself slowly giving into him. What else can she do? Her Takuto is just so attractive and warm and loving. Being close to him like this sounds so incredibly good.

"I don't want to call," She says as he leans in and kisses her cheek softly, his hands running back through her mop of morning hair.

"You've got cute morning hair, Mitsuki." He feels her breath hitch and moves back again, smiling. "You're just beautiful."

Her blush tells him that he had hit his mark, but she still won't reply to his request, other than to tell him that she doesn't want to call off the job. "Stay..." He says quietly, his thumb brushing against the side of her face.

She whimpers. "I want to..."

"Then do." It is simple enough.

It's hard to argue with logic like that. She finds herself thinking, repressing the urge to laugh at the thought.

"I guess I can call in and say something," She mutters. "I'm not going to sound sick."

He nods, his hand moving down along her neck. "True. How about I call?" She nods.

"That sounds good."

So, after he reaches over her to make the call and moves back into place, the two lie there, looking at one another lovingly. His hand runs through her hair. Her hands rest gently on his strong chest as she slowly inhales the scent of his cologne from yesterday. It had smelled just as good last night, or, so she recalls, as she had fallen asleep in his arms just like this last night as well.

"Do you even know how much of an effect you have on me?" She whispers into his ear shyly.

He grins, his face flushing to an unbelievable shade of red. "I think I have an idea."

Her head nods at the young man. "Share..."

While nuzzling her nose with his Takuto whispers back to her one simple statement. "Sort of like the effect you have on me."

Smiling like a moron, she huddles closer to her best friend and lover. They lay in comfortable silence for a bit longer. Mitsuki closes her eyes and inhales deeply. She hears Takuto take a deep breath as well.

His eyes are open however and he allows them to study her. He doesn't know how he got so lucky to have her in his life. She's just so wonderful, so kind, so caring, so thoughtful. She's everything he ever wanted and everything he's way more than glad to have.

He watches her, contentedly. "I love you Mitsuki."

She grins back at him, nodding. "I love you too, Takuto."

This will be a good day. Takuto muses to himself. A very good day. Breakfast will come and showers will come, but later. Much later. Right now just being together, having one another, that's all either of them wants. Today they can just relax, be together and wake up nice and slow.