-WithOneKiss,OurStareIsComplete-

Mahiru stared, contemplating her reflection in the mirror, and tipped her head to one side, enjoying the tickle of her short, blonde hair on her shoulder. She straightened her neck up and frowned. Something seemed different today. She placed a pale finger to her pursed lips. She shrugged and whipped from her room, almost running into Akira in the hallway.

'Oh, hello.' She smiled, stopping before she collided with him.

'Mahiru!' Akira said excitedly. 'Come on, breakfast! I'm cooking!' His ears and tail slipped out unexpectedly as his eyes grew round and shined eagerly. He jumped up and down on the spot and grabbed Mahiru's hand and pulled her to the kitchen. Mahiru glanced at her watch.

'I can't Akira. I'm late for school.' She said apologetically, hanging her head. Akira dropped the saucepan he was holding. His ears folded sadly onto his head, and his tail drooped. 'Tell you what, you can cook me extra for dinner.' He suddenly grinned.

'You're the greatest Mahiru!' He hugged her. Mahiru gasped, being squished by Akira's immense strength.

'Akira! Air! Needed!' She wheezed. Akira let go of her. Mahiru looked at her watch again.

'Damn! I have to go. Bye Misoka!' She called to the demon fox sitting at the table sipping coffee.

'Bye Princess.' He said. Mahiru picked up her school bag that lay on the floor, and pulled on her shoes that sat in a small wooden holder by the door.

'Mahiru!' Someone said brightly from the stairway. Mahiru glanced up distractedly.

'Hi Nozomu. Bye Nozomu. See you all later!' She opened the door and ran face first into another occupant of the house. Mitsuru's eyes flashed angrily. Normally Mahiru would have backed away, but today she didn't notice. 'Hi Mitsuru. Bye Mitsuru.' She continued to run, her hair bouncing wildly. Mitsuru turned back to look at her go with a confused look on his face. Then he snorted and marched through the door. Misoka looked at him.

'Where were you?' He asked, making an eyebrow visible from behind his large glasses as he waited for Mitsuru's explanation.

'None of your business.' Mitsuru growled. He raced up the stairs and flung himself into his room. He sat on his bed and pulled off his shoes moodily. He flung them away from him and they clattered in the corner. He lay back on his bed with his arms folded behind his head. He shut his eyes and fell asleep after a long, tiresome night.

Mahiru sat tiredly at her school desk, her head propped up half-heartedly by her drooping elbows. Her eyelids drifted open and shut, trying to concentrate on the maths equation in front of her, but failing. She picked up her pencil and started to draw absently in the corner of the paper: wild eyes, a long nose, a tangle of hair and folds of material were drawn on her paper, complete with electricity and wind swirls around the body. She tipped her head to one side, feeling the odd feeling she'd had this morning: a strange hollowness that she longed to fill.

'Huh…' She whispered. She couldn't wait to get home to The Moonshine. She had a shift tonight, and she enjoyed working there: being surrounded by people who were having a great time, and listening to Nozomu, Misoka, Akira and Katsura make music. However, there were the scary moments where she has an argument with the temperamental tengu Mitsuru. Those never end well. She glanced at her rough drawing of Mitsuru transformed. She felt that weird feeling again. It was similar to the one she got when she and the others retrieved a Teardrop of the Moon which was being used in a trophy for the winner of the World Performance Festival. She remembered just how it had happened: Akira, Nozomu and Misoka were in trouble, possibly in grave danger. She had been petrified, and had called Mitsuru accidentally to her through the connection they shared from when Mahiru saved Mitsuru from death using the power of the Teardrop of the Moon. She had just been about to rush in and try to save them, to be shot at by a deathly arrow, when Mitsuru had pulled her out of the firing range and helped her hide. It had been a few seconds when she realized Mitsuru was holding her, and yet he hadn't transformed into his true self. She had lifted her head up to look at him and he had been returning her gaze. It felt like it had lasted forever, mere inches from each, his arms around her petite waist, and her arms around his neck. She'd felt so hollow...so still, so…so…she couldn't even describe it. It had been such an amazing up-lifting feeling, but also a plummeting feeling. She placed the end of her pencil in her mouth and gnawed thoughtfully. She glanced up as the bell went, signalling the end of school. She smiled and rushed home.

She walked through the door and was greeted by an all out verbal feud. Mitsuru was standing on one side of the room, fists clenched, positively yelling with fury at Nozomu who was standing opposite him, shouting with anger matching Mitsuru's. They were red in the face and it was impossible to tell what they were screaming about. Mahiru shut the door behind her quietly and the soft click had alerted them to her presence. They both turned their heads and stared at her with very different expressions. Nozomu had smiled warmly, his eyes crinkling in the corners, but Mitsuru's face, already contorted with rage, had scrunched up even more.

'One idiot after another!' He shouted, turning on his heel and stomping up the stairs. Mahiru opened her mouth reproachfully and bowed her head sadly, feeling hurt.

'Hey, kid. Don't listen to him.' Nozomu stepped up beside her and ruffled up her soft hair. 'He's a loser.' He kissed her cheek and Mahiru turned a violent shade of red. 'Now, how was school?' He led her into the kitchen and indicated for her to sit down. She did.

'I don't know. I didn't do much. I just sat there thinking.' Nozomu tipped his head to one side. Mahiru registered just how often that appeared to be happening lately with a wry smile. 'I should do my homework.' She said, getting up from her chair. Nozomu nodded.

'Can you tell Mitsuru to get back down here?' He asked, pleading at Mahiru with his big blue eyes. Mahiru sighed.

'Sure. But if he kills me, I'm blaming you.' Nozomu chuckled.

'He wouldn't dare.' Mahiru started climbing the stairs.

'Yes, he would!' She called back, smiling. She exhaled in front of Mitsuru's door, wondering what assault awaited her on the other side. She knocked gently with her knuckles. There was no answer. She opened the door tentatively and peeked her head around. She saw Mitsuru standing moodily at his window leaning his crossed elbows on it. The wind was playing around with his green hair, flipping the fringe around his eyes. 'Mitsuru?' Mahiru tried quietly. Still, no answer. She stepped into his room and kept walking until she was four feet behind him. 'Mitsuru?' She said a little louder this time. He still didn't turn around. She stood next to him at the window and was surprised to see his brown eyes shut tightly, his neck uplifted and a small smile playing around his lips as he enjoyed the cool breeze on his face. Mahiru was taken aback and simply watched him for a moment, fascinated. Mahiru reached out a tentative hand and delicately tapped his shoulder. Mitsuru's eyes snapped open and he wrenched his body around. His previously peaceful face was suddenly disturbed by a great frown. Mahiru clenched her hands in front of her and looked at the ground.

'What?' Mitsuru growled at her, showing his obvious dislike for her.

'Uh…Nozomu wants you back downstairs.' She whispered. Mitsuru bent his head in.

'What? Speak up, you stupid girl.' He said harshly. 'If I don't hear you, I have to spend longer in your presence. Now, talk!' Mahiru winced.

'Nozomu wants you downstairs!' Mahiru shouted suddenly in Mitsuru's face, her eyes screwed up, disliking Mitsuru at this second. Mitsuru pulled back slightly in alarm. Mahiru felt a strange satisfaction at shocking him. 'And I wouldn't know why because I personally can't stand to stay in the same room as you, by choice or not! You're so mean Mitsuru! What would it hurt to just be nice once in a while??'

'You're just like all the other humans!' Mitsuru shot back, his face getting closer to hers. 'You're so stupid that you think I care what you think! And I don't! And I'm not going down to Nozomu. He's just as stupid as you are!' Mitsuru indicated wildly in the vague direction of Nozomu.

'Oh, yeah?' Mahiru said. 'Well, as stupid as he is, you're stupider!' Yes, she did dimly register just how silly that had sounded. Mitsuru's eyebrows raised an inch in amusement. Mahiru stared at him with daggers, and he returned them. Their faces leaned towards each other in hatred, and then suddenly, their eyes were wide. Mahiru had suddenly gasped and her eyes had gone round and she stared at the slits that she could see of Mitsuru's eyes. Mitsuru had then opened his eyes fully and stared at her bright blue eyes in shock. Mahiru's mouth dropped open just slightly. She got a fleeting feeling of the hollowness erupting in her stomach as she stared at Mitsuru. His eyes were so deep, she noticed. Cold, but deep. She tipped her head to one side again, feeling his presence lean forward slightly toward her. He followed suit, leaning his head on his shoulder just like her, in order to not break the intense spiritual connection suddenly happening.

'MITSURU! GET DOWN HERE NOW!!' Nozomu shouted from downstairs. Mahiru glanced at the door and broke the connection. Mitsuru pushed her away from him.

'Get out of my room.' He growled, resenting her again. She walked out his room and into her own and dropped in front of her mirror. She leaned forward, staring at herself intensely. She ran her hands through her hair, frustrated. What on earth had that been??

(A/N) Yeah, this is the first of WithOneKiss,OurStareISComplete.

Please review. I really, really need to know how it's doing, what improvements are needed, etc. thankyou so much

-ChildOfTheApocalypse