Disclaimer: Me no owe, you no sue!

Summary- AU; Natsuki is a troubled girl living a routine life. Shizuru is tired of her every move being watched. Can life be sparked back into them upon a chance meeting?

Collateral
by: entanglednthorns

Chapter 1: Milk Tea

Emerald orbs fluttered opened, closed, and then opened once more as she was awoken from her wonderful nap, full of exciting dreams and ideas that far surpassed any action movies she had seen all her life, or maybe it was because it had her as the star and hero that conquered the evil doer, setting him in his rightful place: beneath the ground, defeated and torn. They would have suffered at the mercy of Natsuki as she cold-heartedly killed them with vengeance for whatever made up reason.

She wished that could happen in real life, seeing as it was a bore to sit around all day like she normally did. Her arm hung down from the branch she laid upon, lazily yawning and covering her mouth, stretching as much as she could without falling out of the tree. There was a small breeze and she shifted a bit, hoping to be shunned from the cold. December meant the cold and wind added even more freezing temperatures which she seethed and complained about to anyone she was around.

It was a mystery why she chose this month, the worst time of the year, to nap in a tree. What she really needed was something warm, maybe a hot drink to soothe and calm her hateful passion of the winter. Why couldn't everything be sunshine and livened up nature instead of cold and dead? Seriously, who made seasons in general; furthermore, why couldn't her father live elsewhere where it was spring and summer all year around?

Finding it in herself to actually get up and move around other than nap the whole day, she jumped down from the tree, landing gracefully and safely on the ground. Natsuki had a lot of practice with climbing up and down trees lately due to the uneventful life she led; she had no social life so there was nothing to do most of the time than be by herself. She dusted off pieces of bark particles that stuck to her clothes and tightened the blue, simple yet thin, sweater. She needed a life, a real life; one with friends to hang out with and a dad who was home to welcome his daughter rather than off overseas.

Natsuki thought that sometimes she was a failure at life for being the way she is, an unapproachable and uninviting person at first glance. No one took the time to know her though, then again she never let anyone converse with her let alone open her heart to strangers. Sometimes at school, she heard rumors go round that she is a cold-hearted bitch but that was probably because she got into multiple fights in a short length of time. Although none of the physical fights had ever been started by her, but father always told her 'it took two to tango' which was code for 'it's still your fault no matter what you say and you will carry out the punishment you shall receive.'

The dark haired girl trudged home, weaving through the forest easily as if there were a navigation system installed in her mind when she really just retraced her steps back to the empty house. Entering the property her father owned, the house wasn't too far away. It was a large traditional Japanese home, complete with sliding doors and wooden floors which on occasion she'd have to clean up whether she was incredibly bored and had nothing better to do with her life or because her father ordered her to and she would obey like the obedient child she had been raised to be.

Natsuki slipped off her shoes near the stone steps leading towards the front door, sliding it open to be greeted by none other than the dark casually decorated living room. No presence was noticeable as usual, she thought.

"Tadaima," she said quietly for there wasn't anyone to hear.

Her father was a business man so that meant he had to go on trips out of town and sometimes the country for extensive times daily and he rarely came home, and even if he was, the best place to find him would be in the office still working. He was wealthy and renowned in the region she lived in; word travels he's a kind gentleman with a sweet daughter. Sweet? Hah! Natsuki's mom liked to call him a workaholic as the little girl would run around her dad singing 'workaholic workaholic' as if it were a name-calling game.

It hadn't always been like that—the father gone all the time. The beginning came after her mother died from an illness. Her father was distraught by the idea of his wife dying and sought to let his grief out on paperwork, hopeful to forget. After a while, she figured he went away because she looked like her mother, a smaller version, and it pained father to see her. Natsuki blamed herself for her father's absence and avoided him while he was home by venturing into the woods behind the house.

There was a shuffling sound from one of the rooms down the hallway, snapping Natsuki from her reverie and she stepped back ready to run if need be. The house had no locks, there was no doubt an unknown criminal could barge right in. She steadied herself and waited patiently. A dark figure emerged from the first room to the left and started moving towards her.

Shit. She forgot to turn on the lights. At least they wouldn't see her for the most part.

The lights flickered on, Natsuki nearly jumping in the air from surprise. It was a man with dark unkempt hair, black rectangular rimmed glass that accentuated his deep azure eyes, clad in a gray suit. He looked as if her hadn't shaved in days and quite tired as well, but that didn't stop Natsuki from recognizing the man automatically, causing a smile to appear on her once sullen face.

He coughed, returning the smile in gesture. "Is that my Natsuki-chan I hear and see?"

She missed him so much. "Father!" Natsuki ran into his inviting arms, allowing her to be enveloped into a warm prolonged hug. "You're finally home."

It had been two months; two long months.

---

Natsuki had taken the picture of her mother, father, and herself in her hands, tracing the outlines unconsciously with a sense of longing for the past to come alive again. She missed her dear mother too, of course, and not just her father. Everything was so much more wonderful when her mother was still alive, but this is the horrid present. Boring, predictable, and filled with heartache of family relative loss. She set the frame down where it belonged on the table next to her comfortable chair.

Was it her, or had another silence occurred between her and father, whom was sitting across from her on the couch she slept on when too lazy to move herself to bed? Her father's eyes were fixated on Natsuki, questioning and a tint of sadness laced within other emotions she didn't bother to notice.

"How was traveling in the states?" A perfect inquiry for a silence breaker.

He gave her a puzzled look. "What?" Maybe he didn't hear her right. Maybe he had been zoning out just like she had.

"Remember? You had to go to America for business. The boss of your company ordered you to because you're their best and most hardworking employee." Natsuki tapped the chair's armrest impatiently. Way to ignore a daughter you haven't seen in... What... Forever?

"Ah, yes. It was interesting to see their culture and doing business with the Americans. They're very peculiar in the way they do things." Right.

"Oh?" Pretending to be interested was the way she played the game. Her father never explained what he did, so any questions she had were warped into fake polite urging on. She wouldn't pay attention anyway. It was pointless, really, to listen to things that weren't even an answer to the question. "What exactly did you do there?"

Her father adjusted his glasses. "Work."

Hm, how vague.

Now Natsuki was left to wonder just what 'work' was in his terms. Sometimes she thought he may be a secret spy for an organization in Norway. Norwegian people were the least to be expected of anything involving threats or agencies that had spread out in other countries for stealing ideas and gathering information. But that was her vast imagination speaking and trying to enlighten life with some odd twist.

"What about you?" He didn't allow her to further interrogate him.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't work, Dad."

Her father gave a light chuckle at her sorry excuse to humor him. Natsuki's eyebrows furrowed. Why is he laughing? It isn't even that funny. "No, silly." Silly? "I meant with school. How is that going? High grades I assume? I expect that from a genius daughter of mine."

"Yes, Dad. I have the highest grade point average in my high school. I'm surprised you didn't know." Obviously he didn't notice the sarcasm dripping in her voice when he chuckled again and shot an appraising look towards her. "I wasn't serious." His expression faltered slightly and she could feel the smirk tugging at her lips. "I have all A's in my honor classes."

"Well," he said tiredly, "that's just as good. I'm proud of you." Those were the words a parent would say when expectations weren't met, but the qualities were expected. The type of saying one would get in case they may feel downtrodden with the missing pat on the head and congratulation. It was to keep the spirit up and burning with fire, but to not fail once more.

Natsuki sighed; she really is a disappointment to father, isn't she? A rhetorical question answered by the voice inside her head. Yes. Don't fret; it happens.

She stood. The sun was long gone and the moon shone brightly outside overhead; it was late and the night's disguise cast over the world in her region. The day had been long, and even with the nap included, she felt sleepy.

"I'm off to bed. Oyasumi." Natsuki yawned and embraced her father before heading down the hall to her room, not waiting for a reply.

She closed the door behind her and sighed warily when she heard the satisfying click of the lock. The clock read half past eleven and she flopped onto her bed, turning on the lamp resting on her nightstand and grabbing a weapon magazine from beneath her pillow. There was nothing more like a nice reading of guns she could wield and order. This is what she considered a bedtime story.

After that, she drifted into the realm of romanticized dreams and legends foretold she would make come true with her godly abilities and powers.

---

Tokyo, she thought, would be the last place she would ever move to. But her father, president of Fujino Corps, wanted his family to be close to headquarters where he would periodically visit for his duties. Now, though, he was piled with work and the possible stock market crashing and to prevent that outcome he needed to be there twenty-four seven to directly give orders. He said once things settled down, moving back to Kyoto would be the first action.

Of all things to happen.

Shizuru lived in an estate on the outskirts of Tokyo where privacy was kept and she could somewhat have her own personal space, what bit she had left of course. The city was overpopulated; too many humans confined in one spot bothered her greatly. She resided in a mansion that had western architecture and some Japanese traits on the inside. In all honesty, she did not like it very much; her mother did.

Her eyes took a once over the Catholic Church. It had probably been the only one she found in Tokyo that was closest to her home and it was inevitable she would come here every Sunday, if not everyday. Her family is very religious, following most of the written testaments and other included laws within the Bible; laws that if not obeyed are sins and the sinners must either suffer or go to reconciliation. This, in which Shizuru should have done many a time, lied to her parents about going on a daily basis for it was a waste when she would commit the sin again afterwards. Although, despite her incredible ability of skipping out, Shizuru knew that soon it could not be avoided. To have confirmation, reconciliation was required along with other things.

She skimmed over the cross of Jesus hanging above the altar, attached to a beautifully done arch. Church architecture had always been her favorite to look at in awe. From there, jade drapes flowed to the tiled floor, ending somewhere around where the Priest sat during Mass when the Deacons and ushers spoke from the Gospel; it consisted of four books, tending to the aspects of the 'right things' men and women should abide by. The fictionist stories seemed all too surreal to Shizuru.

One of the Deacons stood conversing with the Priest near the left side entrance. They were both clad in green robes, similar to the drapes but a tad lighter. They were worn around winter time, to be more specific, December. The color usually changed depending on the seasons, she learned, but couldn't exactly remember the details.

Shizuru knelt before Jesus; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Her fingers lightly touched her forehead, heart, and both shoulders; clapping together her hands, she rested them on the pew in front of her. Bowing her head she began a prayer. Who would she pray for? Her family, friends, or herself? Maybe all. She could pray for her girlfriend whom she dearly wanted to see. Praying wouldn't do much good, she'd think every time she started the ritual.

Sometimes Shizuru thought there wasn't a God when she realized other religions worshipped different kinds, even multiple and not just one. That maybe her God was created for the amusement of others. Few aspects were believable if not more than likely real. Shizuru often questioned her beliefs; perhaps she came everyday because she had become accustomed.

I'll pray to see you again soon. And she did.

Finishing up her short prayer with a quiet 'amen', Shizuru stood and made her was towards the Priest. She observed him; he was quite old, maybe in his sixties, and had a gentle smile. She had heard from the Deacon that he became a Priest once his wife died in a treacherous accident, but he never once questioned or scorned God for the mishap. There was small admiration for how calm and sane he can be.

The Deacon and Priest took notice of her and she bowed respectively. Shizuru needed to inform the Priest her family would be joining the church during her family's stay in Tokyo. "Good evening. I am Shizuru Fujino. My parents told me to greet the Priest of this church." She smiled gently.

---

The first time they saw each other was in a bustling crowd within the city; people shoving to and forth to places they were required to be on the exact time, neither early or late. The citizens of Tokyo were rude and a bit of a rowdy bunch if stirred the wrong way, ignoring the manners they were taught to follow. Of the two girls, Natsuki learned to adapt to such behavior in her own way by returning the actions in kind. 'Treat others the way you want to be treated,' had been an excuse for her to be the wild girl raging within.

Shizuru, however, was not accustomed to such disrespect in all her years; living in Kyoto, a traditional city that even when the slightest bump into someone an apology that wasn't necessary would be spoken. How she wished to be back in her hometown instead of Tokyo where the air is smothered in carbon dioxide and the sky tainted an unnatural color of gray, unfiltered with smog from everyday machinery and advanced technology that created more waste. It always looked as if it would rain, but she knew there wouldn't be a drop of rain as the weather forecast predicted that morning.

Sickening city.

They were headed in opposite directions and not aware of the people around them, minds drifting off into their own special places. It was inevitable that they roughly bumped into the other. Some people thought it would be funny to intentionally shove people; Natsuki and Shizuru happened to wind up a few of those chosen. A teenage boy pushed Natsuki forward and another shoved the unsuspecting Shizuru; the two clashed.

Shizuru had been carrying hot milk tea and it had been spilled all over her shirt and coat. A burning sensation spread over her chest and a small, "Ittai," as she tried to keep her clothes from clinging to her. Natsuki, the other victim in this accident, cursed silently.

"Watch where you're going!" The smaller of the two gruffly said, obviously irritated. She didn't look up to see if the person she bumped into was okay, after all, it surely wasn't her fault this happened.

Shizuru hastily replied, "Excuse you, miss."

Natsuki's retort was thwarted when she met eye contact with the girl, and somehow all her anger diminished. Her eyes trailed the stained clothes and realized it really was her fault, that maybe she should do something--anything--about it. "I'm sorry."

"Forgiven." That was all she had to say. Shizuru needed to be somewhere more important than standing around someone who wasn't even sincerely apologetic. And, damnit, now she lost her milk tea. She proceeded forward past Natsuki, past a 'them', past someone that could mean everything to her...but she stopped at the restraint on her wrist. Glancing over her shoulder at the owner of the pale hand that held her back, a sparkle of of interest twinkling in her crimson orbs.

"Wait," Natsuki said softly, heat rising to her cheeks. "I'll buy you another drink."

A/N: This has been a slow production. Meaning the file sat in my computer for over a year, ready to post but never was. I opened it and improved it a couple days ago. This doesn't mean I've stopped any of my other stories, but I can't exactly say that this will be a daily updated story either. I promise you at some point it will be finished because it had the outline worked out with all the usual twists and turns. Please review and tell me what you think!

-entanglednthorns