"Ugh."

Eighteen year old Natsuki Kuga lifted her head from the grass where it lay and wondered how exactly she had gotten there. She felt a pain in her face and along her shoulders and realized that the horrible taste in her mouth was blood. Her head throbbed and pounded from the alcohol that she didn't remember drinking.

Where am I?

She didn't recognize the yard she was lying in. She pushed herself tentatively up, first to a sitting position then to standing shakily on her legs. She looked down and saw that there was dried blood on her shirt and her knuckles were bruised and battered.

What the hell happened?

She looked around. It was dark out and her eyes kept losing focus but her sense of direction was still good and she quickly oriented herself and found herself walking in the direction of the street. Once there she turned in the direction that would be most likely to take her home and started down the sidewalk, her steps unsure and her body heavy with fatigue. One name kept coming into her thoughts. Where the hell are you Nao? She couldn't explain how but she knew that Nao would know what had happened. She walked for a while, each step more sure than the last. A wave of nausea struck her had and she leaned against a nearby wall to steady herself.

"Are you alright?"

She looked around her. She found herself in a more residential part of town, a few apartment buildings were to her left and right and she was leaning against the wall of one of them. She found the speaker looking at her as she approached, a woman less than a head shorter than her with long auburn hair. She wore a simple skirt and blouse that somehow contrasted her burgundy eyes which were watching her with curiosity and worry.

"Hello?"

Natsuki didn't immediately respond. What the hell should I say? Do I look alright to you? "I...m fine."

The woman drew closer, close enough now to see the dried blood on her shirt and the black eye she was sure she had. "Oh my, you look terrible."

A smile slowly spread across Natsuki's face. She leaned back against the wall and laughed aloud, earning a strange look from the brunette watching her. Through the alcohol and adrenaline fueled haze the last thing that had crossed her mind was her appearance. "Yeah, I'll bet I do."

The woman reached a hand out to help her up. "I live nearby. Come with me and we'll get you cleaned up."

Natsuki swatted her hand away. "I don't..."

With lightning reflexes the woman grabbed her wrist and held her with a tight grip. Her voice dropped into a more serious tone. "I'm not leaving you like this."

Natsuki's every instinct told her to fight, to push her away and run but she was tired and the promise of care did much to ease her mind. "Okay...okay."

She smiled. "Good." The woman helped her to her feet and put an arm around her shoulders to steady her on their way down the sidewalk. "It's not far, and I have food if you're hungry." Natsuki's stomach nearly growled in response and she tried to remember the last time she had eaten. She remembered eating just before going to a party but whether that was yesterday or a week ago she didn't know.

She was lead by the woman to a nearby apartment building and up a flight of stairs to the second floor. She let her go for long enough to fish out a set of keys and unlock her door, then was lead again into a small but quaint one bedroom apartment. She sat down on a nearby couch and the woman turned into a flurry of action. "I'll get you some soup and an ice pack. Lie down, I won't be long."

Natsuki did as she was bid and lay down on the couch. It was comfortable, made of beige cloth that felt cold against her skin. She lay her head back on a throw pillow and started breathing easier. As promised, it wasn't long before she could smell fresh soup and the woman handed her a frozen ice pack. "Here, for your eye." Natsuki pressed the ice pack against her face and winced at the sudden, unpleasant feeling of cold. It quickly subsided and helped take away the pain in her face as well.

She sat up and noticed a steaming bowl on a coffee table before her. Without wasting time she set the ice pack down next to it and started eating. Before she knew it she had eaten the whole bowl. The woman merely smiled. "I guess you were hungry. More?"

Natsuki nodded and the woman obliged. She ate the next bowl slower, appreciating the elegant flavor of the soup. "So, what's your name?"

Natsuki took in a long breath and thought about how to respond. She didn't know anything about this woman and she didn't want to give her any personal information. On the other hand, the woman had done nothing but help her and had even invited her into her home and fed her, a total stranger with blood on her shirt. "Natsuki. Yours?"

"That's a pretty name." The woman smiled at her and Natsuki grew afraid that she wasn't going to answer her. "I'm Shizuru. Nice to meet you."

Natsuki took a good look at her and, in the light, she realized that she was beautiful. Her olive skin was smooth and blemish free without much need for makeup, her long hair was silky and fell in waves down her elegant shoulders, passed her ample breasts and nearly to her waist, and her eyes, those reddish eyes that seemed to fill her with warmth. "Do you always pick up strangers, Shizuru?"

Shizuru chuckled. "Only ones as cute as you." Natsuki looked away and returned her attention to the soup on the table. "Do you live around here?"

As she ate she felt better, her head stopped hurting as much and she was able to think clearer. "Yeah, I live on the other side of town." She also realized that it was a weekday and that she had to be in school in the morning. "Crap, I need to get home."

"I can drive you there, if you want."

It seemed as good a choice as any, and it meant that she wouldn't have to walk. "You don't mind?"

"Not at all." Shizuru leaned in close and for a moment her heart was thundering in her ears. She couldn't hear anything else, think of anything else but the woman who was inching ever closer to her. Gently, Shizuru took a damp cloth and started to wipe some of the blood away from her mouth. "What happened to you? Were you attacked?"

"I don't remember clearly." Natsuki lowered her head and felt ashamed. Something about Shizuru made her question and doubt herself and her choices.

"I'm sorry." Shizuru continued to wipe away blood from her face until it was clean. "I shouldn't have asked."

Natsuki stayed quiet, not wanting to say any more than she already had. Not wanting this stranger to think even less of her. She finished the bowl of soup in front of her and when she stood it was on more stable legs. She followed Shizuru out of the apartment and out to the parking lot, to a new looking red Chrysler that unlocked with a button press. Natsuki fell into the leather seat and nearly melted into it. Her eyes closed and she felt suddenly very tired.

"You'll have to direct me."

After a short, ten minute drive the car pulled up in front of the house Natsuki shared with her mother. "Thanks." Natsuki's eyes were lowered and her head was down. She had never before cared what others thought of her but for some reason she didn't want to show any more weakness to this woman.

Shizuru's only response was a soft smile. "Take care, Natsuki."

Natsuki left the car and watched from her porch until it drove out of sight. She reached for the door knob and took a deep breath before opening the door and sliding in. "Where the fuck have you been?"

Her mother, Saeko Kuga, sat at the table with a cigarette in one hand and the other balled into a fist. It was easy to tell from her mannerisms that she was upset and very busy as well. "I was out."

"It's kinda late, don't you think? Or have you forgotten about school?"

"Sorry, mom."

Saeko's face shifted from anger to disappointment and she exhaled her response as almost a sigh. "Go to bed."

"Yeah."

Natsuki made her way quietly to her bedroom and her comfortable bed that she so desperately wanted to see. She fell into it face first, fully clothed and her last thoughts before drifting away to sleep was of the woman she had met that night.

-WA-

The morning came and Natsuki's eyes peeled open. Her headache was gone, she never had terrible hangovers, but her eye still felt crusty, she felt a gash on her lip from where it had been bleeding, and her bones and muscles ached. All in all, she had felt better. She slowly got out of bed, exhaling an audible sigh as she stood up and felt her legs whine in protest. At least I get to sit at school.

She showered and dressed. The house was empty except for her, Saeko was usually out of the house by the time Natsuki woke up. Natsuki prepared a simple breakfast of oatmeal for herself and ate alone, in silence. After eating she cleaned the bowl and spoon she used and set off to school.

On the way towards the high school she passed the primary school and as she walked by she noticed a familiar red Chrysler parked in front. She considered trying to find Shizuru or waiting by her car until she came out again but thought against it. She reasoned that Shizuru would want nothing to do with her after seeing her in such a state as last night.

She kept walking and soon arrived at her school where she began her search for Nao Yuuki. She didn't have to look far. The red head was a notoriously bad egg and so she usually hung out with the rest of the bad eggs behind the gymnasium. As soon as she spotted Natsuki a smirk crossed her face. "You look like you had a rough night."

"Yeah. Mind filling me in?"

Nao's smirk grew. "Oh, you don't remember?" Natsuki's angry look was all the response she needed. "It was probably all the alcohol. You drank almost a damned bottle by yourself."

"Why do I feel like I got in a fight?"

"I may have convinced you to fight this guy I don't like." Natsuki scowled. "You won, if that makes you feel better."

"It doesn't."

Natsuki walked away and Nao let her go, knowing not to push the issue any farther. Natsuki had always been somewhat of a troublemaker but over her high school years she had gotten progressively worse about it. Now she drank herself stupid almost nightly and ended up in more fights than anyone else in the school. Her and Nao were considered the outcasts, the bad kids. As Natsuki walked down the hallways to her homeroom many people made sure to get out of her way. Many looks were cast at her face that she reasoned must look terrible but she didn't care.

Sitting through classes had always been a bore for Natsuki but she still ached and that gave her something to focus on until the final bell rang and she was ready to go home. Ordinarily she would find Nao and hang out for a while after school but she was still angry and tired and home seemed like the place to be at the moment. She decided to blow the others off, even when they tried to get her attention, as she left the front doors and out onto the street.

On her way home she passed the primary school again and saw the now familiar red Chrysler sitting outside. It unknowingly drew a smile to her face and she stopped to look at it. She looked at herself in the reflection of the glass and saw how bad her black eye looked, her lip was slightly swollen and cut and she still looked somewhat disheveled. It was the first time she had seen her reflection in a while and her first instinct was to punch the glass window in. I don't look that bad. Do I?

"Hi."

The simple word took her off guard and she spun around, pressing her back to the car, her eyes wide and her fists clenched and ready to fight. Shizuru stood in front of her with one of her light smiles and an amused look. "You look better than you did last night." Natsuki's heart was thundering in her ears again, the same as it had the last night. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"No." Natsuki was angry that she got snuck up on and had almost taken a swing at Shizuru. Seeing the smile on Shizuru's face calmed her and she lowered her hands. "Just startled me."

Shizuru noticed the difference in her temperament. She had been vulnerable last night but now she wasn't. Now she just looked tired. "Do you want a ride home?"

Shizuru knew the answer even before she asked. She could see it written on her face, in her body language and posture. "No. I'll walk."

"Okay."

Shizuru didn't push the issue, she merely walked around the car and unlocked the driver's side door. Natsuki turned away from the car and continued down the sidewalk wondering why exactly she had stopped and why seeing that woman made her feel lightheaded. She watched her car pass her by and the soreness in her body made her wish she had taken her up on that ride.

The way home was tough but she made it and collapsed onto the couch. Before long she was asleep.

She was awakened by the sound of the front door opening. When she opened her eyes her mother was looking down at her with a look of disdain. "Look at you, sleeping in the middle of the day. Must be nice."

Natsuki let out an audible sigh. "I had a long night."

"A long night of screwing off with that Yuuki girl, no doubt."

Natsuki didn't respond. She merely continued to lay on her back staring straight up at the ceiling. Saeko didn't press the issue, she merely left her daughter there and closed the door to her room. Natsuki, now alone, let her thoughts drift away. No one cares. No one really cares about me. Even mom doesn't care. I'm all alone. Her thoughts continued until she pictured a face, a serene face that had only ever shone her a smile and a face that had been there when she needed it.

Natsuki got up quickly from the couch and ran to her room to dress. She threw on a simple t-shirt and a pair of running shorts and left the house. She jogged down the street, at first heading in no particular direction, but eventually she found herself on the other side of the town. The apartment buildings loomed before her and before she knew it she was amongst them, standing in front of the building that Shizuru lived in. She stood in front of the door, hand raised as if to knock on it when it opened and familiar eyes met hers. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Shizuru looked at her with an amused look in her eyes.

"Would you like to come in?"

Shizuru stepped aside for Natsuki, who entered the apartment and looked around. She noticed more about it than she had the previous night. The main room was only sparingly furnished; the couch she had sat on the previous night, a coffee table, a television set and a bookshelf against one wall. She could see the kitchen from where she was standing, simple but very clean and the door to the bedroom stood slightly ajar but she couldn't see into it. She imagined it looked much like the main room.

"Have a seat." Shizuru brushed passed her and headed towards the kitchen. "Would you like some tea? I was just brewing some."

"Sure, thanks."

Natsuki buried her head in her hands as she heard the sound of a traditional teapot whistling from the kitchen. She wasn't much of a tea drinker but she felt utterly empty and thought it might be nice to drink something warm. When Shizuru handed her a cup she took it and sipped at it, enjoying the mellow flavor that seemed to her to be entirely Shizuru.

They sat together on that couch in a silence that neither of them wanted to break. Natsuki's eyes were on the floor, on the soft carpet that covered the room.

The thought fell from her head and was in her mouth before she even knew she had said it. "Why did you help me?"

There was no immediate answer and Natsuki started to wonder if she herself didn't know why she had done it. Finally, Shizuru exhaled, as if to calm herself, and responded. "I saw you, hurt and alone, and I thought if that were me I wouldn't want to be alone."

Natsuki's eyes were lowered, her hands gripped around the warm cup of tea that she had brought her. It was special to her, just for that reason she didn't want to let it go. Her voice was droning, full of weariness as she said, "I am alone." She felt a hand lightly brush her own, an oddly comforting hand that wrapped around hers to let her know that she was wrong.

She turned her head and was caught in those burgundy eyes, eyes that never left hers as she found herself drawn closer to them. There was a fire within them that she had never seen in another woman before. Desire. She drew closer, her eyes still locked with Shizuru's, their faces mere inches away from each other. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her pulse racing to the tune of something she couldn't understand or explain.

Their lips touched, barely a kiss but it was magical. It took her breath away like no kiss ever had before. She didn't know why this woman had such an effect on her but she did and for the instant they were together she felt lighter than air. Everything in her mind seemed to melt away and only the moment mattered, only the soft feel of her lips, the warmth coming from her body, the smooth skin of her hand that still held hers. For a brief instant Natsuki felt whole.

Then it was over, and she realized what she had done.

Author's Note:

This is my first time back to this site in quite a while. I can't say how long this story is going to be but I do have a few ideas for it so I hope you like it.