Summary: Natsuki and Shizuru were now married. Hermione was starting to open up to Natsuki about her past. But there were questions that still remained unanswered;

When will Nao accept the fact that Shizuru was already married?

Is there still a chance for Shizuru and Nao's friendship to be mended?

When will Nagi learns the word give up?

And who's the French woman looking for Hermione?

Disclaimer: I don't own Mai Hime.

Warning: There were chapters that contain LEMON.

In the darkened intimacy of their bedroom her counter part's lips and hands set her body aflame with a desire which craved fulfilment, and there was no room for thought when Natsuki eventually peeled off Shizuru's clothes, the raven haired hands brushing against the chestnut haired skin with a slow sensuality which sent exquisite sensations surging through Shizuru's body.

Shizuru had never dreamed that she could ever want anyone as much as she wanted Natsuki at that moment, and her hands eager to touch her wife as Natsuki was touching her, tugged at Natsuki's pyjama top buttons. The older woman's breathing was as ragged as her own as Natsuki shrugged herself out of it hurriedly, her hand going to the hem of Shizuru's negligee, and when at last Natsuki lowered Shizuru down on to their waiting bed the chestnut haired surrendered herself willingly to the demands of those persuasive hands on her ever eager responsive flesh. Shizuru was intoxicated by Natsuki's kisses, her hand freely caressing her wife's raven hair down to the woman's breasts and shoulders, and she gloried in the experience once again, but a little cry of intense pleasure escaped her lips when Natsuki's mouth left hers to explore the most sensitive areas of her breast.

"Oh, Natsuki, Suki..." Shizuru moaned softly, her body aflame with the urgency of her desire as Natsuki's hand slid down her abdomen to seek further intimacies, but at that moment they were interrupted by the ringing of Natsuki's phone, and she couldn't help but groan in disappointment.

"Sorry..."

Turning Page

By

Azurean

Chapter One

Shizuru came awake with the distinct impression that someone was watching her, and as she lifted a lazy hand to smooth the thickness of her hair from her eyes she saw Natsuki framed in to their bedroom door, leaning with casual indolence against the jam. Dressed in simple jeans and white tee, she looked disturbingly beautiful, and Shizuru shivered beneath the covers.

"What time is it?"

"Eight."

"Why are you up so early? Isn't it Sunday today?"

"Yes. But I received another call from Youko earlier and they needed me on the lab." Natsuki said apologetically.

"Ara, again?" Shizuru asked without bothering to mask the disappointment that had laced her voice, and it didn't go unnoticed by Natsuki. She was anticipating a full day with her wife today since they had been both busy the past week.

Sighing, Natsuki approached the bed and sat down on the edge and as she closed the distance between herself and Shizuru, she said: "Everything will be over soon, I promised."

Upon seeing the sincerity in those emerald orbs, Shizuru relented and took the initiative to kiss her wife.

"By the way, there was a call for you a little while ago," Natsuki told her wife, pulling away from the kiss as Shizuru move and sat up. "It was Yuuki."

Shizuru frowned and looked up. "Nao?"

"Yes." Natsuki stood up, folding her hands importantly.

"Did she say what she wanted?" Shizuru asked, lifting the covers off of her and stood up from the bed.

Natsuki shrugged. "No. She asked if you would call her back as soon as you can."

"I see." Shizuru replied. What could Nao want now? Sighing, she shook her head and looked at her spouse. "Did you two get into argument?"

"No."

"Natsuki..."

"We didn't, I myself was surprised when she asked me politely to talk to you."

"I see." Shizuru said, smiling faintly. "I'll call her later," she added in nonchalance and approached her wife, "but first, let me properly greet you good morning." She murmured and kissed Natsuki, who eagerly reciprocated her action.

-0-0-0-

Once Natsuki left, Shizuru called Nao's number. The girl sounded delighted to hear from her and after some proper greetings, Nao said: "I wondered if you'd care to have dinner with me this evening."

"I'm sorry, Nao," Shizuru said, putting the right amount of regret into her voice, "Natsuki will be late tonight, but I hadn't planned on going out this evening."

"All the more reason for you to change your mind, besides I haven't seen you since that day and I missed you, Shiz," remarked Nao forcefully. "Look, Shiz, there's this new place. I thought we might have a meal there, that's all. We needn't be late in coming back if you don't want to be."

Shizuru hesitated, the prospect of her proposed evening stretching ahead of her. Natsuki told her earlier that she will be late and possibly will have dinner outside. Shizuru had many hours to spare before she could contemplate bed. And it's been a month since she last saw Nao, besides Shizuru wasn't sleeping awfully well and there was no point in trying to relax too early in the evening. On impulse, she said: "All right, Nao, I'll come. What time shall we go?"

Nao was delighted. "Would six be too early?" she suggested eagerly.

Shizuru considered the silver watch on her wrist. "No – no, I don't think so," she replied, mentally calculating how long it would take her to bathe and dress. "No, that'll be fine, Nao. Will you pick me up here?" she asked, and when the girl agreed she told her, her new home address.

Shizuru ended the call with slight reluctance. Now that she was committed she realised that she had not really wanted to go out this evening, and if Nao had not called she would most likely have interested herself in the television, or perhaps in that book she had bought herself a few days ago. As it was, she had agreed to spend several hours in the company of a young woman who while proving an amusing companion could nevertheless present difficulties of a more personal nature.

Shizuru spent an hour relaxing in the bath and then dress in a white blouse and a skirt that had reached her knee, with a slit up to her mid thigh, leaving a tantalising length of slender leg to be glimpsed every time the opening parted. She put her hair up this evening, winding it into a coronet of plaiting which added maturity to her otherwise youthful air. She was ready when the doorbell rang.

Nao glance around apprehensively after Shizuru opened the door. "Well –" she began reluctantly. "There's no chance of that wife of yours marching in on us, is there?" she sighed. "I mean – I'd hate to come into contact with the dog in her lair!"

Shizuru shook her head slightly impatiently. "Natsuki doesn't hover around me like that, and please don't call her that."

-0-0-0-

The place Nao took Shizuru to was indeed newly opened. It was excessively modern, and while the chestnut haired finds it very impressive she did not altogether like it. Shizuru preferred somewhere smaller, somewhere with character. Even so, the food was good and the conversation stimulating. Nao could discuss books and movies and concerts that they had both seen and she was glad to share opinions with her friend, just like the old times before their disagreements.

Nao drove Shizuru home soon after ten and parked the car outside the house. Turning sideways in her seat towards the chestnut haired, she said: "Are you going to invite me for tea?"

Shizuru glanced at her watch. "I don't think so," she said awkwardly. "I mean – it is late, and Natsuki might be home now."

"I know." Nao's lips twitched in amusement.

Shizuru sighed. "Nao, don't go getting the wrong ideas about me. Just because I've been out with you tonight doesn't mean -."

"I know." Nao interrupted the girl impatiently. "I know, you're married! Well, so what? What difference does that make to us? I've known you first before she..."

"I'm sorry." Shizuru said firmly cutting Nao's words, sliding out of the car. "Thanks for dinner."

Nao compressed her lips. "You won't change your mind?"

"About what?"

Nao sighed. "Never mind, goodnight, Shizuru."

"Goodnight, Nao."

Shiuru took out her key and inserted it in the lock as Nao drove away. The hall was in darkness and she switched on the lights before closing the door, her eyes flickering swiftly to the lounge and study doors.

-0-0-0-

After a stressful day at work Natsuki was disappointed to find that Shizuru wasn't home and not a single note was left to let her know where her wife went. She crossed the blue and gold hall and entered the low, light lounge that gave on to the dining area. The lounge was large and lit by concealed lighting along the ceiling moulding. It was decorated in shades of blue and green, and its soft, feather – cushioned sofa and armchairs were massive and extremely comfortable. It was a comfortable room, a lived in room, vastly different in design from the reception lounge across the hall where they did most of their entertaining.

The dining area was divided from the lounge by a teak librenza, fitted with bookshelves and places for any objects. Shizuru loves collecting articles in jade and ivory, and there were several exquisitely carved pieces on the librenza. The dining table was dark polished wood with some dark, leather – seated, ladder backed chairs to match it. She prepared herself some light dinner and ate it silently.

The evening passed incredibly slowly and Natsuki had turned off a particularly nauseating interview on the television and was in the process of getting herself a drink when she heard Shizuru's key in the lock. Her first instinct was to march out into the hall and demand an explanation, but she was too well versed in the arts of political tactics to waste her energy so carelessly. So instead she waited for her wife to find her.

Shizuru must have seen the light, for a few moments later the lounge door opened and she stood on the threshold looking at Natsuki, her eyes slightly wary, the raven haired thought. It crossed her mind with clinical detachment that Shizuru was looking particularly beautiful this evening. Natsuki allowed her wife's gaze to fall before the penetration of her own and Shizuru moved into the room with obvious reluctance.

"Sorry, I'm late." Shizuru said as she approached her wife and pecks her on the lips.

Natsuki wrapped her arms around Shizuru's waist and pulled the woman closer to her. "And where have you been?" she asked softly.

Shizuru wrapped her arms around Natsuki's neck in return and buried her face on her wife's chest as she said. "I went out with Nao." Natsuki's hold on her tightened, "It's only because I haven't seen her since we had that disagreement," she explained quickly.

"And why didn't you call or left me a note to let me know?" Natsuki asked hurt.

Shizuru looked up at those emerald orbs with plea as she tightened her hold around the older woman. "Don't be like that. I never told you because I knew you'd be mad," Natsuki sighed and tried extracting herself from Shizuru which hold only tightened more. "Please, Natsuki. I love you."

"And I love you too but I'm tired. Can't we discuss this in the morning?" Natsuki told Shizuru and this time the chestnut haired allowed her to extract herself from her. She knew she hurt Shizuru's feelings with her action but she can't help it, she was also feeling hurt at the moment. "Goodnight, Shizuru." she didn't wait for any response and went ahead to their room.

The restaurant was crowded at this hour of the morning, filled with expensively dress men – women alike taking a break from shopping, work, all talking and laughing, exuding an atmosphere of casual elegance and exclusive perfume. It was a meeting place for most of the fashionable set and Fleur Delacour sat at a corner table with Valerie Simone, idly sipping her coffee, her blue eyes surveying the room almost cynically as she did so.

Valerie was in the process of helping herself to a second cream cake, looking down critically at the trim lines of her figure. "I really must try and curb this craving for sweet things," she remarked complacently, digging her fork into the soft sponge. "I should hate to get pleasantly plump. Today's fashions simply don't go well with ample proportions."

"I shouldn't think there's much danger of that." Replied Fleur kindly, turning her gaze to her friend. "You look pretty slim to me."

Valerie raised her eyebrows. "Yes, but how long will I stay that way if I continue to eat this kind of thing?" she sighed. "Do you remember when we were at school? We could eat absolutely pounds of fattening things and never turn a hair. I wonder why you begin to pile on the inches as you get older?"

Fleur replaced her coffee cup in its saucer. "I imagine it's because one gets so little exercise now compared to what we did at school. We used to play quite an energetic game of Quidditch ."

"Oh, gosh, yes, quidditch!" Valerie grinned reticently. "You were rather good, and I was always afraid someone would mistake my head for the ball."

Fleur chuckled. Recalling their schooldays like this was reassuring somehow. In those days she and Valerie had been very close. But over the past years that the two of them had been apart things have change. Valerie getting married after they left school and she going to England in pursuit of her own love.

Conversation lapsed for a while and then Valerie said, quite out of the blue: "How's that muggle girlfriend of yours?" with casual interest.

Fleur lifted her coffee cup again. "She's all right. I imagine."

"You sounded like you haven't seen her for so long?" Valerie's derision was evident.

Fleur ran her finger around the rim of her cup. "She's in the north of England, studying at a University there." she explained, with reluctance. "Besides we always keep in touch to update each other of what was going on with our lives."

Valerie listened intently. "I see," she studied Fleur rather thoughtfully, and then said: "You know, I think you're being too lenient with Granger. You let her control you. I wouldn't let anyone dictate to me!"

Fleur ran her tongue over her dry lips. "Hermione doesn't dictate either. Our relationship works very well."

"What? Her being away on another country, and you twiddling your thumbs here?" Valerie snorted.

Fleur shook her head and lay back in her chair. "Why are we discussing this anyway?" she asked. Just occasionally Valerie got under her skin, and this was one of those occasions. She wished she had not agreed to meet her for coffee. But the morning had stretched ahead of her aimlessly and she had been glad to get out of the house.

Valerie grimaced impatiently. "Well, I'm feeling bitchy and you happen to be around, that's all."

Fleur sipped her coffee, trying to appear cool and composed. But fortunately at that moment another young woman stopped by their table and greeted them both familiarly. Dominique was one of their former classmates back in their school days, and she joined them at the table for a while discussing the weather and the new fashions. By the time she left it was time for Fleur to leave too, and she rose almost eagerly to her feet.

As they walked to the door, Valerie said casually: "When does your muggle lover expect to visit you? I'd like to meet her properly."

"I think she'll be able to visit by the end of the week."

Valerie drew on her suede gloves. "Oh, that's good! Will Sunday evening be suitable, then?"

Fleur pressed her lips together. "I don't see why not, Valerie. But can I floo you to confirm it?"

Valerie studied Fleur's cool countenance thoughtfully. "You're all right, aren't you, Fleur?" she asked suddenly. "I mean, what I said hasn't upset you, has it?"

Fleur managed a smile. "Of course not, Valerie. I've – er – I've got a headache coming on. I think I'll go home and lie down for a while."

Valerie looked relieved. "Yes, you do that. And don't forget to floo about Sunday."

"I won't."

Fleur smiled again and the two women parted on the steps of the restaurant.