Disclaimer - I do not own the characters of Mai Hime. They are owned by Sunrise~

Author's Note - This story can be considered a sequel of sorts to my other story Entwined, as the events in this story take place after the events in that one. I just felt that this particular tale could be told on its own. Hope you all enjoy~

All Come Tumbling Down

Nao lazily bounced a small rubber ball back and forth between the wall and her hands. She lay on the couch, her head hanging slightly over the edge, while her long legs dangled over the back of the couch.

Shizuru sat at the other end of the couch, her slender legs drawn up beneath her delicately, as she slowly flipped through the pages of a book every few minutes.

Nao tossed the ball once more against the wall, and caught it again for the final time before she swung herself up and around, and turned to face her girlfriend with a slight frown.

"Shizuru, I'm bored."

Shizuru paused briefly in her page turning before she slowly put the book down spread open, spine up on her lap. She then gently took off the small reading glasses she had on, before turning to look thoughtfully at Nao.

"Oh?" was the soft reply given.

Nao let out a soft huff of air, and gave Shizuru a small annoyed look. She knew when the other woman was amused with her, and going by the small smile Shizuru was trying to keep off of her face, the brunette was definitely amused right now.

Nao turned and once again bounced the small ball off of the wall, knowing that Shizuru was watching her every move. Probably with that sexy, hooded look that Nao enjoyed bringing out of the other woman so much.

Nao chuckled lightly to herself before she caught the ball again, and once again turned towards Shizuru.

"Yes, I'm bored. Let's go out on the town. We've been cooped up all day in here, and it's a Saturday afternoon. Let's you and me go paint the town red...or blue or green. Whatever damn colour you want, as long as we get outta here!" Nao exclaimed as she rose to her feet in one smooth, swift move. She then surprised Shizuru by moving over to her, taking her book and glasses, placed them on the small reading table beside the couch, and gently brought the honey-haired woman to her feet.

Shizuru laughed softly as she allowed Nao to half-dance them into their bedroom, where they both quickly changed into new outfits fit for going out on the town.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The two women walked arm-in-arm down the quickly darkening streets of Fuuka's downtown area. The bright lights of the bars, restaurants, theaters, and general entertainment areas were beginning to light up.

Nao lightly slipped her hand down to Shizuru's slightly-smaller one, and gently entwined their fingers together.

Shizuru looked over at the red-haired woman beside her, and let a soft smile that reached all the way up to her crimson-coloured eyes play across her lips.

Nao moved slightly ahead of Shizuru, while turning to walk backward down the streetlight-lit sidewalk. She opened her mouth to excitedly suggest they go to one of their favourite little restaurants to grab something to eat, when she accidentally bumped into someone behind her.

Nao turned around to tell the person to get out of her way, even though it was Nao herself who had run into the person, but her words died instantly on her lips when she saw who she had unintentionally bumped.

"Kuga."

"Yuuki."

"Nat...suki..."

"Sh-Shizuru..."

Nao stood looking between the two other women, the frown on her face which had formed when she first saw Kuga, now growing ten-fold.

"Alright, let's keep things moving here. We've got places to go, don't we Shizuru," Nao said, as she almost commandingly began tugging on Shizuru's hand.

Shizuru seemed to start slightly, almost as if she were coming out of a daze and she gave Nao a quick nod of acknowledgment.

"Yes...yes, we have plans and must go. It was good seeing you again...Natsuki," Shizuru said softly, as she turned and allowed herself to be led back up the street by a silently-fuming Nao.

Natsuki was left with her hand raised in a slight wave, and her jade-coloured eyes filled with a mixture of silent emotions. But Natsuki didn't have time to focus on these lingering emotions, as she felt a bouncy figure latch onto her arm and a soft, pleasant voice whisper in her ear.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Natsuki. Where you standing outside my restaurant too long?"

Natsuki allowed herself to release all the old feelings and emotions she had in a soft puff of air, before she turned toward the woman attached to her with a genuine smile of greeting.

"No Mai, I wasn't waiting long at all."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"What the hell was that, Shizuru?" Nao demanded, as she banged the door to their usually-cozy apartment shut. Right now the air in their shared residence seemed almost stifling.

Shizuru sat down on the same couch that they had so happily sat at just a few short hours ago. She and Nao had gone to their restaurant of choice after their small 'run-in' with Natsuki. But the food that would normally taste so sweet and delectable, then seemed dry and unpalatable. It was Shizuru who finally announced halfway through their meal that perhaps they should call it an early night and head back home.

Nao didn't protest and now she found herself standing over Shizuru who had her head bowed down, and her chestnut locks creating a small curtain of hair that hid her face. Nao had her arms crossed tightly over her chest, but when she began to feel like a school teacher about to scold a misbehaving student, she uncrossed her arms and sat down on the couch beside Shizuru with a heavy sigh.

It was at times like this that she wished she hadn't allowed Shizuru to talk her out of picking back up the smoking habit, she had started and quit after the events of the ill-fated Hime Carnival ended years ago.

"Shizuru...do you...do you truly love me?" Nao asked, in a voice so small and unsure she barely recognized it as her own. She heard Shizuru take in a small, pained breath and Nao felt her heart clench at what that sound could mean for Shizuru's answer.

"I...I believe I do...within the deepest parts of my heart, I truly believe that I do..."

"But..." Nao ground out softly, as she looked down and lightly clenched her hands into fists.

"But..." Shizuru continued, as she looked up with an almost helpless expression at Nao.

"You still feel something for Kuga, don't you?" Nao almost spat Natsuki's name out as she quickly jumped to her feet, and began pacing back and forth before Shizuru. She couldn't stay still anymore. She felt like she was a tightly-screwed cork, and at any moment she was going to explode.

Shizuru nodded slowly, and bit her lip as she bowed her head once again, unable to look Nao in the eye.

Nao stopped pacing and looked down at the crown of curly honey-coloured hair that she usually enjoyed tenderly running her fingers through early in the mornings, when she and Shizuru were both just waking up.

"I'm leaving."

Shizuru choked back a small sob and quickly turned up glistening scarlet-coloured eyes, as she reached out and grabbed Nao's hand before the other woman could take a step away from her.

"B-but...where will you go? This...this is our home...you're...my home..." Shizuru looked pleadingly up at Nao, and Nao felt her heart clench for the second time this night. But she strengthened her resolve, and gently shook Shizuru's hand free of her own. She then turned and began making her way out of the living room, and down the hall towards their bedroom.

"I'll stay at Mikoto's place for a while. You have the address. When you decide that you can love me...and only me...you know where to find me," Nao softly whispered over her shoulder, before she vanished down the darkened hall leading to their bedroom.

Closing her ears and her heart to the sorrowful, heartbroken sobs trailing softly behind her.

AN: Hope that all of you who have a soft spot in your hearts for this rarely-written about pairing enjoyed this first chapter, and those who don't normally read this pairing enjoyed it as well ^^

Please let me know what you all thought of it =3