Disclaimer: I do not own Mai/My-Hime/Otome

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"A date with Shizuru-san?"

Natsuki, who had been flipping a coin, looked with wide eyes at Mai who was currently speaking into the telephone.

"Trying to use lunch as an excuse?" Mai laughed. "Please, Reito, you can do better than that! Honestly, you two need love advice."

The bluenette continued to listen with a frown. She had unconsciously paused her game of 'heads or tails' to pick up more words.

Mai spluttered, "H-hey, I don't need any advice just because Tate is---Ok, never mind, I get it." She rolled her eyes, oblivious to Natsuki's intent stare. "So, you think Shizuru-san wants to go out on a date?"

Natsuki's eyes narrowed at that question.

"Oh, she said so herself? Wow, you even have ideas on where to go too!"

The biker suddenly became irritated. Her glare caught Mai's startled gaze, who was standing across the room. Mai sheepishly smiled as if she had forgotten her friend was present.

"Uh, Reito… Tell Shizuru-san I hope the best for her, okay?" Pause. "Mm, alright, make sure to fill me in on the details later!"

After the cook hanged up, Natsuki waited a moment before stating, "That was Kanzaki."

Mai scratched her head, chuckling nervously. "Eh heh, yes it was. He and Shizuru-san have been spending time together, so he wanted my help on…something."

Natsuki scowled. Standing from where she had been sitting, the bluenette said firmly, "I'm heading to her place." Then she took on a sarcastic tone. "But don't worry, I'm not about to stop Shizuru from attending her date with Reito."

As Natsuki marched through and swiftly out the door, her ears failed to hear Mai's beginning sentence, "Actually, her date is---"

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"You."

Shizuru sipped her tea, content. "Me?" There was a small, almost silly, smile on her lips.

"Yes, you," Reito repeated, amused. "Don't you think she would be insulted if you invited her, through me, to lunch?"

A resigned sigh. "Mai-san did say lunch dates were boring nowadays."

"Hm, not only that… Our famous ex-kaichou also doesn't have a pick-up line." His eyes twinkled with mischief. "Shall I provide one for you?"

This resulted in a barely contained giggle from Shizuru. "Ara ara, the girls of Fuuka may find your talk smooth but I, for one, know how cheesy you get when attempting to flirt."

Reito decided to humor her with a new pick-up line, since they always became good jokes between the two of them. "Are you a phoenix? Because I thought I was dead in life before you came down for me."

… …. …… ………… … …….

'Maybe that wasn't a good one after all,' he thought when there was only silence.

Shizuru sweat dropped. "Kanin na, regrettably, I don't understand."

He attempted to explain, "She's a phoenix, and she came down? Phoenix Down!" Shizuru maintained her puzzled expression. "Ah, I guess you've never played Final Fantasy." He grinned apologetically.

She shook her head. "Reito, I wonder how a gentleman like you can remain charming even after pulling a pick-up line such as that." She stopped to think for a moment. "And I have played Final Fantasy, a few times with Natsuki's guidance." She smiled widely. "But I admit if she were to hear your pick-up line, she would surely pretend to gag."

They were interrupted by an impatient round of knocks on the door.

"I'll get that," he motioned for her to sit back down with a wink.

A few minutes later…

"Kanzaki." Natsuki was disappointed to see him at her best friend's door, but continued to carry herself with an air of confidence, as per usual. "Where's Shizuru?"

Before he could reply, said woman of conversation popped up.

"Natsuki?"

The Kyoto beauty had immediately appeared beside Reito when she heard the biker's familiar voice. There was alarm and, to Natsuki's curiosity, dilemma inside her crimson eyes. Then Reito leaned down close to Shizuru's ear, catching Natsuki's surprised glance, and whispered something that made Shizuru visibly relax. That was when the bluenette was hit by the hammer of jealousy.

Smiling, Reito straightened himself before nodding at the youngest of the three. "I'll leave you two ladies alone. Mikoto-chan is waiting for me." He waved goodbye, mentally congratulating himself for bringing the lovebirds together, and left them watching his back as he left.

It didn't take very long for them to figure out they were all alone now. Shizuru, on the other hand, was relieved for Reito's whispered words:

'There's no need to rush the date, but remember if conversation were ever to die out, use phoenix down.'

It was enough to renew her courage. OH, and trigger a 'Reito-improvised-pick-up-line.'

"Natsuki." When she had the biker's full attention, she asked with a crafty smile, "Do you know what infinity times infinity times two, equals?"

Of course, those kinds of lines never quite receive a pleasant reaction.

So in response, the blunette's jaw dropped since she had no idea why Shizuru suddenly went into teasing mode, and promptly exclaimed, "Why is the first thing you say a math problem?" She proceeded to grab her best friend by the shoulders, the distance between them in result decreasing. "Kanzaki was here with you, we're all alone, but he still wins even though he isn't present anymore?!"

Shizuru blinked, temporarily forgetting about her earlier question. "Win? What has Reito gained that you find so disconcerting?" She was truthfully bewildered. Was her pick-up line so unworthy, it had to be ignored and the topic switched to the origin (Reito) who inspired said unworthy pick-up lines?

Shaking Shizuru by the shoulders one more time, Natsuki demanded, "Why are you going on a date with him?"

Incredulous, the tea-lover rested her hands on the bluenette's waist in an attempt to calm her down. Being shook repeatedly until she had a headache wasn't on her 'Things I Want to Accomplish in my Second Life' list. "Natsuki, who told you this?"

Emerald eyes immediately looked away, a frown finding its way to Natsuki's lips. "Did you not want me to know?" Her hands which were still on Shizuru's shoulders, unconsciously moved around and before any of them realized it, they were in an embrace.

"Ara ara, I'm not going out on a date…" She rubbed Natsuki's back comfortingly. "Not with him, at least."

The bluenette was reassured at the first sentence until the second one came out. "Wait, then you're going on a date with someone else?" She pulled back slightly, upset all over again, but was soon taken aback at the appearance of Shizuru's timid face. Her gaze instantly softened. "Shizuru?"

The honey-haired woman shifted uncomfortably, not used to feeling so insecure. Then again, Natsuki was the only who could tear down her mighty walls. "I want to go out on a date," she said slowly. "But, not just with anyone." Steeling herself with determination, she finally revealed, "I want to go out on a date with you."

Without delay, Natsuki's cheeks flushed. "Then…Kanzaki was a misunderstanding?"

Shizuru nodded, her cheeks also attacked by a blush but not as deep as the biker's. Her heart raced as she prepared to ask, in her opinion, a dangerous question. "Do you like me, Natsuki?"

If Natsuki was anyone else, she would've choked on the air we breathed. Luckily, she only had to clear her throat. "C-couldn't you tell?" When the Kyoto beauty remained silent, Natsuki blurted, "I've been trying to seduce you these past two weeks!"

"A-ara?" Shizuru was stunned. She murmured, more to herself than to the other, "So Reito was correct after all!"

That threw the poor mayo-lover into confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Shizuru proceeded to tell Natsuki all about Reito being her love advisor for the past month. By this time, the two were out of their embrace from earlier and were simply holding hands while leaning on the hallway wall of the dormitory.

"So he knew about my plan, but you didn't even take the hint that I like you?" Natsuki stared at the other woman in disbelief. "After all my efforts?"

Shizuru smiled guiltily, but inwardly celebrated the fact that the bluenette said 'I like you' so easily. "Kanin na. For someone as gorgeous as you, including how we were only friends convinced me that my feelings would remain one-sided."

It was time to knock some sense into the woman. "One, you can say I'm gorgeous, but I suggest you look into the mirror sometime to see what beauty is exactly." Before any reply could be spoken, Natsuki continued, "Two… I wanted a restart from the HiME carnival. I didn't say our friendship couldn't blossom into something more."

Shizuru, despite being flattered at the beauty comment, protested, "You said you couldn't love me the same way."

Natsuki gently squeezed the hand she held before admitting, "Well, I never thought we'd be brought back to the 'Land of the Living,' so I knew there wouldn't have been enough time for me to fall in love with you as you had with me." Thinking for a moment, she decided to add, "But we do have time in this life. Plus, I've noticed that…I do weird things when you're near."

Shizuru's cheeks went pink. She didn't wish to embarrass Natsuki by asking, 'What kind of weird things?' but she was giddy to see that Natsuki was developing feelings akin to her own. Her attention was brought forth when a query was raised. "Ara?"

"I said, what was with the math problem from earlier?"

"Oh," the honey-haired woman paused to contemplate, "It was my pick-up line."

It was about a few seconds of silence before Natsuki busted out laughing. "I-I thought, I thought Reito was the one with pick-up lines that made no sense?"

Shizuru pouted although she was glad to see her love so happy compared to the mini-serious subject a minute ago. "Would you like me to finish the equation then?"

Since Natsuki was still giggling, a sound many Fuuka students have never heard, she gestured with a hand (the one that wasn't holding Shizuru's) as a 'Go ahead.'

The tea-lover watched in amusement. "All right. Tell me, what does infinity times infinity times two equal?"

Natsuki's lips quirked into a playful smile. "Eternity?" she gave a wild guess.

"Ara ara, very good! But you forgot about 'times two.'" Shizuru smirked and leaned in close to quickly peck Natsuki's unsuspecting cheek. Satisfied when another cute blush appeared, Shizuru said, "It equals forever, always, you & me."

Emerald eyes gleamed at that answer. "Then we should go out on a date."

A beam. "Yes."

Natsuki swallowed, nervous but very eager to go on. "We should also kiss."

A blink, then a rapid nod. "Definitely."

Later, after make-out session one and two…

"By the way," Natsuki panted, "It should've been, uh, addition. Not multiplication."

Shizuru nuzzled into her new girlfriend's neck. "Mm, what do you mean?"

"Infinity plus infinity plus two equals forever, always, you & me."

Shizuru chuckled. "Since you're so clever, would you please enlighten me how one plus one equals 69?"

"Nani, one plus one does not equal… Waaaait a second!" Natsuki blushed madly and hearing her girlfriend giggle made it worse.

"SHIZURU!"

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A/N: Phew, very late valentine's fic but i hope you enjoyed it even though i just quickly whipped this up lol yes, i have used those pick-up lines, but just between friends for fun haha.