A/N:

Hello, Author here. I wanted to go into a rare pairing with a short (around 5 chapters) series.

Please enjoy.

Mai-Hime belongs to Sunrise

Part 1: Lion-hearted

They were both children when they first met.

It was a courtesy to meet, after all. Their fathers were in the middle of negotiating a lucrative deal with one another, and it was only natural to meet with one another to iron out the final details. The august name of Fujino, coupled with the fresh face of Suzushiro, would hopefully combine to create a formidable partnership.

Haruka's strongest memory of Kyoto was the Fujino estate, an old clan mansion that sprawled itself out on acres of meticulous gardens and quaint architecture. It was early in spring, then, and a great many things were starting to bloom. The wisteria blossoms were coming in, brief spots of violet that mirrored the shade of Haruka's eyes. She stared at the latticed vines, fascinated. There were so many beautiful things at the estate, from the various household workers to the weather, even. It was perfection.

She took to wandering the estate during the week-long visit while her father left on various meetings every so often. One of her travels took her to a building set apart from the main house. She had heard noises from the building before, but today was the day she would discover just what it was. She milled around outside, waiting.

The tatami mats reverberated with the shock of someone being tossed onto them, catching Haruka's attention. She poked her head in. It was some sort of martial arts practice, she knew that much. She was a proud practitioner of karate, after all. She stared, fascinated, at the training exercise. It was something she had never seen before. Tossing, and throwing. Circular movements. Constant movements turning into violent conclusions.

It was a private practice, for there was only one student. She was young, about Haruka's age. With a frown she recalled her father mentioning that his new business partner had a daughter around her age but she had yet to meet this child until now. The girl in question fell onto the mats again, this time on her shoulder. Haruka winced in sympathy, but the girl did not utter a sound. She quietly rolled herself up to a standing position as her instructor circled around her, eyes sharp as a hawk.

"Again."

The instructor, a grown man easily more than twice the height of the girl, darted forward with a loose punch. The girl tensed, shooting her arm out to connect with the punch. She closed her tiny fingers into a grip, pulling with the punch's push and turning her body. The instructor let himself be carried with the momentum of his punch and at first Haruka wondered if he would let himself fall. He pulled his weight back at the last second and the girl flinched, losing part of her grip. The reversal threw the girl on her back and the instructor tutted, walking over to the girl.

"You need to commit before you decide to throw," he said, failing to offer the girl a hand.

Haruka bristled. Grown men shouldn't be beating up children. The girl offered a dizzy nod before she struggled back onto her feet. She swayed, once, and dropped to a knee, her eyes on the floor.

"Hey!"

Both the instructor and the girl looked towards the open doors. Haruka kicked off her shoes and stomped her way onto the tatami mats, marching straight towards the instructor. The man quirked an eyebrow as Haruka squared her shoulders, attempting to make herself look bigger than her seven-year-old self.

"Pick on someone your own size!"

She accentuated her challenge by dropping back into a fighting stance, her hands up and ready. The instructor studied her stance, his lips cracking into a smile.

"Ah, a Karate practitioner? Very well." He glanced over at the other girl. "Take a break, Shizuru. It might do you some good to watch."

So Shizuru was the girl's name, Haruka mused. The girl in question nodded and shuffled to the edge of the mats, kneeling down and pressing her hands against her lap. Haruka focused her attention on the man who simply stood and watched her. She drove forward with a straight punch that he simply avoided by stepping to the side. With a grunt she followed with a roundhouse kick, hoping to catch him with the turning motion. He gently slapped her foot down and away. She growled, chasing him with a flurry of punches and kicks that he simply avoided or slapped away.

Five minutes later there was no progress on her noble goal. Haruka panted, trying to keep her hands up. She couldn't give up. There was no way she was going to let this jerk keep slapping her around. He studied her with an intensity to his gaze that only made her frown back. She brandished her fists, letting him know she was ready. Then he smiled.

"Very good. I will concede."

He inclined his head in a soft bow.

"Oh!"

Haruka abruptly dropped her stance, remembering her manners. She straightened and let her fists fall to her sides as she bowed stiffly.

"Osu."

The man laughed, then, a clear bell-like laugh that Haruka wasn't sure just how to respond to.

"Did you see that, Shizuru? Never once did she back down. See, you need to commit."

"Yes, father."

Haruka blinked. The instructor was the girl's father? The instructor nodded as he looked at Haruka.

"You must be Suzushiro's daughter. Pleased to meet you. I am Fujino Shigeru."

Haruka gaped, realizing that she had attempted to assault the patriarch of the Fujino family. Then she remembered the girl sitting on the sidelines, more importantly remembering the defeated expression on her face. Maple-red eyes stared at an invisible, fixed point at the wall, refusing to meet Haruka's questioning gaze. Haruka gave another stiff bow towards the man in front of her.

"I apologize for intruding!"

Fujino laughed once more.

"I don't mind. In fact I believe the lesson is over for today." He glanced over at his daughter. "Shizuru, would you mind showing Suzushiro-han the way back? I need to get ready for a meeting."

Shizuru nodded silently, picking herself up. Haruka wordlessly fell in line as Shizuru walked out of the dojo. As they walked Haruka could see an ugly mark poking from the collar of Shizuru's uniform; the beginnings of a nasty bruise.

"You should get that checked."

Shizuru paused, glancing at Haruka questioningly. Haruka rubbed her own neck with a small frown and Shizuru understood. She shrugged, wincing slightly.

"Ah. It's fine."

Shizuru continued to walk, making her way back to the main house with Haruka in tow. Haruka soon forgot her concerns as she stared out into the expansive garden they were trudging through.

"… Why did you do that?"

Haruka blinked, looking up from one of the many flowers

"Do what?"

Shizuru's brow dipped.

"Why did you step in?"

Her voice was calm, already adept at masking what she truly felt. Haruka heard nothing else as she crossed her arms across her chest and snorted.

"Grown men shouldn't beat up kids!" Haruka frowned. "Of course, I didn't know that it was a lesson. But it was too lard! You didn't need to be tossed around like that!"

Shizuru digested the exclamation in silence, her brow quirking.

"… Lard?"

"What?"

"Lard. That's what you said."

Haruka went slightly red in the face. Her father had always told her to watch it when she spoke. Certain words tended to get twisted even though they sounded just fine in Haruka's head. She roughly shook her head, unable to look up at Shizuru's unnerving stare.

"I did no such thing."

Something flickered in Shizuru's eyes as she took in the stubborn denial. Haruka could feel herself growing angrier while under the scrutiny.

"A-And what if I did, anyway? What, are you going to make fun of me?" Haruka snorted. "At least I didn't get thrown around! You can't use me as your escape goat."

Shizuru's words died on her lips and she pursed them shut, turning swiftly on her heel. Haruka knew she had done something wrong, again. Malapropisms (that word was so hard!) were one thing, her father had told her, but she also needed to watch her temper and not jump to conclusions so quickly. She needed to stop being so boisterous, to stop solving problems with her fists. She groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. So many rules.

She jogged up to Shizuru who had been keeping a brisk pace.

"H-Hey!"

Shizuru stopped, her shoulders tense.

"It's fine, Suzushiro-han. You don't need to say anything else."

Haruka bit her lip.

"Haruka!"

Shizuru's uniform made a noise as she shifted.

"… What?"

"My name. It's Haruka."

Shizuru turned her head to look over her uninjured shoulder.

"Haruka-han, then."

Her pronunciation was so precise, so impeccable. Haruka's name sounded like something beautiful when she said it in her Kyoto-accent. Shizuru continued to walk a bit more slowly this time. Haruka took in a deep breath. She wasn't sure just what was wrong with this girl. She was a little weird. But Haruka was okay with that.

Maybe, she thought to herself as she walked behind Shizuru, maybe this girl could be a friend. She wouldn't give up on making a friend. Her schoolmates usually screamed in terror whenever she approached them. This girl had done nothing of the sort. It was a good thing, right? Haruka nodded to herself, clapping her hands with her cheeks.

"… Something wrong?"

"N-nothing!" Haruka rubbed her cheeks. She had slapped herself harder than she thought. "L-lead the way, Fujino-san!"

"Oh." Shizuru offered Haruka a soft nod, a shy smile on her lips. "You may call me Shizuru, if you'd like."

Yes, Haruka thought, maybe this would turn out well.

It was their first meeting, and her first promise.

A/N:

Thank you for reading.