A/N: This is something I'm writing extremely slowly on the side as a means of escape when I have writers block. It happens often enough. I have no set plans on how, or when I will update, although the story will be some length, I am sure. You'll have to wait patently on this fiction, should you choose to follow it, since it takes time to come up with the chapters for this one. It is so vastly different from my other Shiz/Nat work, that I often sit down to write a scene of this, before working on a chapter from other fictions to post. It sort of breaks up the slow hours glaring at annoying snippets of chapters...you know?

Still, this fiction will be written much slower because it is not a main focus, and honestly, the only reason I'd thought I'd share it is because it is so vastly different. It may or may not be hard to follow, and I honestly have no "intended goal" for this story. It just sort of fits however way it wants. That said, I'm extending the warning to you all now...

The story is sad, but I'd like to think that it'll have a lot of happiness too. Melancholy etches deep in this fiction though, so please, be warned of that. There is character death, a theme that carries the fiction entirely (at least as of now, and the way it is headed) as Shizuru recalls the days of her youth. The love she found, and the gifts she received, just by turning wild.

Shizuru and Natsuki are the main pairing, this is AU, and there is a bit of OOC involved.

I hope you enjoy, even I do not yet know where this path will lead...will you follow it?

Don't own Mai HiME/Mai Otome.

Chapter 1
(Present day)

"Come on grandma!" A small child shouted as she jumped up and down in front of an elderly woman. "You promised you'd tell us a story!" Her eyes shimmered in delight, a wide smile gracing her features. "So tell us already, will you."

"Yes, yes I remember quite well." The old woman smiled softly, patting the little girl on the head. "You wanted to hear a bedtime story. I promised I would oblige you." Then, with gentleness, she turn the child around, facing her back towards the stairs. "Now run along and get to bed, I'll be in shortly. Then, just like I promised, I will tell both you, and your brother a magnificent story."

The small child only nodded, and scurried along, leaving the two adult women in the room. "You know, you don't have to do it. I can go up and read them a book or something." She was busy washing the dishes for the next meal, watching her elderly mother as she held onto her cane. "You look tired, mom."

"I'm merely old Naru." She shook her head, her daughter looked so much like a fond memory. "Besides, they are old enough to know now. It is the story of their grandmothers. It wouldn't do to keep it hushed any further. I should be the one to tell the tale, after all I was the one who lived through it."

Naru, a woman in her middle thirties could only sigh at that. "Papa died so young." Several years before the twins had been born, in fact. "She never got the chance to meet them." That particular truth cut like a knife, Naru doubted the hurt would ever ebb.

"I know, my child. I know." Shizuru sighed, her face had wrinkled in all of her years of life. She had once been a beautiful young woman, but over time, she had grown old. Her story, her memory, one that she loved very much, because the memories of the person were also very important. It took her aging body quite some time to get from one side of the kitchen to the other. "But, your Papa loved you." She whispered, trying to hold back the tears from her eyes. "She loved you so much. If she would have gotten the chance, she would love them too, just as I do."

Naru smiled at that. Her emerald eyes so much like Natsuki's, though the woman was much taller than Natsuki had ever been. "I still find it hard to believe, and at one time, I had been apart of it." Naru sighed, looking back on her childhood, it was wonderful, magical even. "I always used to wonder why she made those growling sounds all the time, even after she stopped loitering around in the woods."

"One of her many interesting qualities." Shizuru nodded, as though the woman of midnight tresses were still alive, still among them, even if it wasn't the truth. "That, and fact she gave birth in the woods. Now that in and of itself is a day I won't ever forget."

"You never told me about that part." Naru said, a blush creeping onto her face as her jet black bangs covered her eyes. "You always promised you'd tell me, but you never have."

"Perhaps, one day, I will hold true, the promise." Just then, the two young children in the house bellowed down the stairs, calling for their grandmother once more. "However, I believe you must wait in line." She nodded to her daughter before making her way to the chairlift at the bottom of the stairs. She had grown old, though she liked to think she did so gracefully. Slowly, the chair went up the stairs, she knew it was faster than climbing them herself. The room for the twins was the first door, and when she entered she noticed both of them, sitting up, waiting for her with rapt attention.

Shizuru took her time to settle herself into the old chair in the corner. It was plush, and she sighed as she let herself rest in it for a minuet, folding her hands in her lap. It was only then, that the little boy spoke up "You said you'd have a story...where's the book?"

"Right here child." She smiled, pointing to her head. "This is a story of wonder, of adventure, and I don't need a book to tell it." She licked her drying lips, her crimson eyes shining a bit as she took a moment to recollect the memories in proper order. "Now then, this was many years ago. When I myself was a young woman, though much has changed since then, I assure you. Back in those days, the hills of Fuka were covered in dense trees, with very little in the way of foot paths." Now though, she knew things were different, it was considered a wildlife sanctuary now. "When I was merely a young woman, we couldn't walk around in the forest, there were animals, big ones. Wolves and bears, creatures many didn't want to go near."

"But we play at the foot of the mountain all the time." The young girl said, looking oddly at her grandmother.

"Yeah, our house is right here at the base of it." The boy nodded, and Shizuru only laughed.

"This home has been in the Fujino family for years." She told them. "My great grandfather owned it, then my grandfather, then my father, and then, myself." She chuckled as their eyes grew with astonishment. "Your mother will own this place too, once I am no longer here." She clapped her hands softly. "But that, as interesting as it may be, isn't part of the story." She cleared her throat, drinking from the bottle of water she kept near her chair every evening. "Anyway, there were animals living in the forest, and my father warned me carefully. He told me I should never to go near there. Still I did anyway..."

…
(Shizuru POV)

Some people don't believe in magic. They're wound up in the lives of others. In a hurry, under the illusion that if they hurry about their daily routines, that life will become prosperous. It is with such ideals that they press upon the needs and wants of a technological world, one of advancement. They can't seem to understand something so simple as the sun rising in the sky, the beauty of the moon, or even something as simple at the air around them.

I was once, one of those people.

I took things for granted, because I hadn't the need to love every tiny creature. Daily life was easy when you went to school, did your work, and came home, welcomed into a household filled with rules. Growing up, in the manner that I had, that most children do, there is no doubt why. Eventually, over time, you become such a person who looses the true meaning of significance.

You forget what it means to smile over the smallest little things, the times that you won't remember, the days that pass you by.

We accept it as merely that. We do not question the ways of the world, because we are impressed upon by strict rules and regulations. Ones that we must conform, or fail whilst trying. In school, they tell us to be ourselves, and as young adults, we learn we must place on a mask, a professional face. I was like most children who aged in such a system. I simply thought that forgetting those things could be considered completely and utterly normal.

It was the price to grow up...little more than that.

It was what I had always thought, but truthfully, even if I believed that to be so, I think, some place in my heart, I hated thinking that. Sometimes I felt out of place, learning my tasks the way I did. It was for my greater well being, or so he'd constantly tell me. I trained so that I could take over my father's company. I did what he wanted me to do. I was the golden child he wanted me to be. Prim, and proper. I studied the piano and the violin. I took maths, and sciences. I learned martial arts, and took classes in the arts of tea. I did everything a young lady should do, and I did it with the poise expected of me each and every time. New trials of sorts fell upon my shoulders often. I would only cry quietly, in the depth of my room, and I never burst out laughing, as if I hadn't a care in the world.

It wasn't how a young woman should act, after all.

So I didn't act. I didn't play freely as a child. I grew up stern, yet kind. I never imagined I'd have someone come along who'd take my breath away. She did it so easily, looking back, I sometimes wonder if it was fate. I know what people would tell me, if I said that. Very little of it would be kind.

My late father would have shaken his head, telling me I was a difficult child, that I should know better. My late mother would have frowned, told me to stop such wishful thinking. Naru, my wonderful daughter, she would just smile, and say in her soft, melancholic tone "Maybe." Yes, that is indeed what she would say. My grand children would believe it to be true.

Fate.
Magic.
Love at first sight.
Impossible meetings.
Never endings.
Happily ever after.

Natsuki...my Natsuki...how I miss you so.

…
(Past)

Emerald eyes glistened in sadness as she peeked at the small withering petal in the palm of her hand. She had plucked it from the grass, for it had no home in which to return. Mutely, she smiled, her soft, and dainty smile. It may have not seemed like much for some, but the cherry blossom was beautiful in her eyes. Then again, she assumed, everything was beautiful in the eyes of someone such as herself. Nature a passing interest, and a seemingly fond hobby. Still as she closed her eyes and blew a gentle breeze, her wish was something that she knew would never come. She was, after all, alone in her own tiny little world. It wasn't quite so small, she assumed, but she was alone, solitude something she both loved, and found to be stifling on occasion. She was a woman wise beyond her years, but, she also was very awkward around those whom she sought comfort from.

There was no one here, no one but herself.

How long had it been since she first experienced the company of others? It had to have been years ago, when she was just a small child. Those days were fleeting, and now, though an adult she was, she had no idea what to make of anything. She knew her days of warmth were numbered. Winter would be coming, and winters were maddening times. The cold sent a frost over everything, the snow covered the ground, and not even a cricket would keep her company in the night. Their song lost, the howling wind her only true companion. In the distance, she could hear the drumming of paws on the ground, and she smiled as she ran after the sounds that drew near.

She was a woman of the forest, wild emerald pools gave her sight. Her smile, though not as bright as some, gave great waves of joy. Her hair, long an scraggly seemed messy and untamed, much like the owner who kept it. Still, as much as one would gaze at this bipedal woman, one just over five foot something, they could never figure her out. She was not as feral as one would assume. Yet she had no home, no place in which to return. As sad that it would seem, as lonely as it may have felt, the eyes of pity only angered her.

She was not, after all, someone to be looked down upon.

Rather, she was a woman to be admired. At least, that's what a few thought, when they were lucky enough to gaze upon such a creature as she. One both human, and yet, wild. A kind, tender spirit, who could maul you at any time. This girl was still merely that. Now that she was older, she dressed in furs, or nothing at all. She didn't mind being naked, who was there to gaze upon her, after all? "Lobo!" She called as loudly as she could, "Lobo!" repeating it several times as she rushed through the thicket.

The barks and yips of her friends making themselves known in the distance only drove her to run faster as she mimicked the sounds the best she could. They weren't really friends, she assumed. It wasn't like they could speak, not like a human. Still, Natsuki was alone, and had been for quite some time. These animals were her only company, and oddly enough, they did more than tolerated her, they welcomed her. She, a woman who had no family, had no home, except amongst the wildlife that gifted her solace. A wolf pack hid in the thick forest area, their fur already protecting them from the day's chill. They had food, precious nourishment, and Natsuki waited, as she always did, for them to welcome her among them.

She had not been raised by them, not exactly anyway.

However, their protection gifted her warmth, when she had no wood for fire. There had been days, like today, when their food would also be her food. She'd follow them to the river, and lap at the water. Learning to live as they lived, learning to understand them, as they grew to learn her words. She'd even named them, although, she doubted that they understood such a thing. She waited until they ate their fill, and then, she too, dug into the meat, tearing away at it with her fingers, trying to avoid the sharp bones that were sticking out of the deer. She'd eat well tonight, it seemed.

She wordlessly prepared a fire and cooked the bland, tattered meat, a stick her utensil of choice. It was only after she'd eaten that she'd let the fire smolder out. This was her life, as it had been for years, sleeping amongst her animal friends. "We leave, due south soon." She told a old wolf, a thinning, shaggy animal who was missing a few teeth. He merely licked her toes, and she laughed as it tickled. "Cut it out, Lobo." He was the pack leader, she knew that much. It was her friendship with him, that gave her the gifts she'd often receive. Being so high up in the region was dangerous in the winter, and the pack would soon follow their pray away from the high, treacherous surroundings.

She didn't like it down below, there were people, ones steeped in a rich culture that she simply didn't understand. "Near the humans?" The elderly wolf didn't answer. The wolves never answered her the way she wished they would. "Always a long walk." Insanity would be less lonely, even if she knew such a thing wouldn't bode well.

"Don't like them." Complaining she tossed a rock away from her, into a near by tree. "When I was little, I had to stay near." She loved talking to them, regardless. She knew they heard her, at least that much was a comfort. "I could steal, eat, if I was near." She sighed, looking around her family of sorts. The young female at her feet, sleeping soundly made her realize how much she loved them. "They think I was bad kid, and they hated me." Lobo, and the entire pack treated her with more love and kindness. "The city of Fuka...is only place for people who fit in."

That place had once been her home...now it would be a place she'd forever loath.

"I don't want to go this year." There she'd lived with her parents until the fateful day she was left on the side of a large ridge, nothing but water for miles. That's where the car had fell in, and that was where her life as a normal human had ended. She had been just a child back then. Living off the farmers, stealing whatever she could became her way of life. Ironically, they gave her pity instead of beatings. They'd called welfare often, but, Natsuki kept running away. She hadn't wanted a new home, or new parents.

As she got older, she learned more about how to survive and then she began to move away from the city.

She suffered though, in her own small ways. It didn't seem much to her, that she was awkward when she spoke. The animals wouldn't judge her for something so trivial. Bleeding by the light of the moon was a bit difficult, because her garments were lacking, and her blood would flow freely. She hadn't any undergarments, and no one had raised her properly. She only had one set of furs, and though she washed them often, she was normally as dirty as the wolves themselves. Again, it didn't bother her, she had no one to disturb but herself. Every fall, when it neared winter they made the long hike down the mountain. This year it would be the same.

"You didn't like me either at first." She told Lobo, who didn't seem to mind as she played idly with his ear. "All the snarling you did scared me, you know?" At first the wildlife didn't take well to her, as one might expect. However in due time, some types of animals grew used to her, not seeing her as a threat. Among all of the animals, the wolves were likely her favorite, and far less dangerous than some of the others. At first, it was an aggressive tolerance, but as time went on, she grew among them, as what would likely be considered part of the pack. She'd learned to observe signs and sounds, things that told her their meaning.

Lobo's yip was one of pain as he tried to find a soft place to lay. "I'm sorry, winter is harsh." She told him, sadness something she felt so near. "Hurts, doesn't it." She knew that the cold was bothering him, and she took off her top, placing it over his body. "I'm sorry, I can't do more."

Natsuki Kuga may have not been raised by the wolves, but now, she could say she lived among them.

In the spring and summer, they traveled at a leisurely pace, the pack birthing more pups, raising them, and teaching them. In the fall and winter, the harsh realities of the world crept up on them. Natsuki was sure this would likely be Lobo's last year, his last winter. His breathing was heavy, his movements slowing down. In the battles over dominance, mostly at meal times, he was beginning to lose out. She too had also scrapped for her food once or twice before, though, thankfully, not many trifled with her often. "Made a wish today." Natsuki said softly as Lobo rested his head in her lap. "I wished I could meet someone like me. My kind, who just got things, you know?" She knew he couldn't possibly understand...but she wished he could. The stars in the sky were vast and brilliant, the lone huntress felt so small in comparison. "I wish you could be there. That you could follow us, no matter what."

It wasn't going to be the case though. In a normal pack, Lobo would have been left behind, sooner or later. The cold was a concern for all of them, and so was food. Natsuki was the change, she was the key to his survival. She carried him often, though he would snarl when ever she did try to help him. She would bring him food, care for his needs by getting water, she did all she could, staying by his side. The life of the pack carried on though, with or without Natsuki's meddling.

They'd wake up early, before dawn and begin moving. The trek was always slow the first few weeks, seeing as there was no real hurry to get away from the high altitude.

Eating, walking, resting, sleeping.

That was their lives, in a basic nutshell. For some, it may have grown tiresome, but for Natsuki it never was. Their routes were ones she'd followed for years, just like the pack had, she assumed. The route was likely older than she could imagine. Day by day, they got closer to the human territory. Closer to her old home. One she loathed beyond shadows and doubts. The pack stayed in the forests that scattered the region, however, there were long hours at a time when they were out in the open, away from the safety of cover. It always worried her, it would until they reached the safe place.

She felt happiness wave over her when they arrived on the other side of the land. A lush forest awaiting them, where food would be plentiful for the season.

This forest was different though. There were new smells that even Natsuki found odd, cooking food near by, voices not far off. For a few days and nights she ignored them, but as the merriment got more and more boisterous, Natsuki became curious. It wasn't that she wanted to look at the humans, but the den, her home, was near by. It was one of the days she was foraging when she decided to check it out.

"Rand...hey...Rand come here." Another part of the wolf pack. A larger one, with deep dark midnight fur, he was one of the largest males in the pack, and not one to be taken lightly. He was also one of the younger members, so brazen though he may have been, he had taken to Natsuki as if he were a pet. Many of the younger wolves had, in fact. Rand knew her from the day of his birth. "You see that Rand?" She whispered to him as she approached the edge of the trees. "It's a house. There's people in it." He looked at her, making a low growl in anger. "Smell something?" She asked again, getting down on all fours, making a noise the same as him.

People would think of her as odd, she knew, but it was not people she often tried to please. In fact, it was only during the seasons here, that she even heard their voices. There was no one there, she realized after a few moments, calming down. "Let's check it out." Humans always made her confused, she liked the animals better. Still, as she neared the clearing, she was gifted a sight that would be without match.

Natsuki knew what a party looked like, she also knew that was where the noise was stemming from. That wasn't her query, but instead, it was the young woman who began wandering around, a pleasant smile upon her features as she took in the sights and sounds of the wildlife. "Beautiful..." She told the wolf quietly as she continued to watched him snarl. "You don't have to be so mean." She told him, berating him for his attitude. She knew he was being careful though, and she knew the woman was an intruder upon their lands. If Rand had his way, she'd be attacked if she got near the den.

Natsuki didn't want a fight and she ran to catch up with the woman of fawn tresses. The woman had been wearing a yellow dress. A white, fluffy coat draped over her shoulders to keep her warm from the chill. It would offer no protection from the wolves. Not like Natsuki's fur, that smelled like them. Rand continued to growl as he followed, and Natsuki made an angry noise at him before jogging ahead, a low, nearly territorial growl.

Rand stayed in his place.

Natsuki fled towards the woman. "Wouldn't go there." Natsuki told the girl, running ahead, putting her arms out wide where the trees ended. "Dangerous here for someone like you. Go back to building, safer there, with your own kind." She always felt weird around another person. This person seemed even more odd. "What are you staring at woman? I told you, go back."

The woman of fawn tresses couldn't move. She stood there in awe, gazing upon the woman of midnight tresses and shocking green eyes of emerald. They sparkled in rage, yet, the woman didn't seem angry. The feral girl continued peering only at her, as she stood speechless. The girl was strong, her body well toned from years of something, though Shizuru's crimson eyes couldn't understand why. She placed a hand to her face in shock, slowly, unable to do much else. "Do you not understand?" The woman in front of her yelled again, though her mind felt staggered and frozen. "Leave here, or they'll be mad."

"This is my home." Shizuru finally said, pointing to the building not far away. "I belong here, more than you do."

"Not true." Natsuki replied back. "We belong here."

"Who?" Shizuru asked the woman.

"Come..." Natsuki without thoughts, without worries grabbed the woman's hand. Pulling her back into the forest thicket merely a few steps, where there was a small trickle of water, and a pack of wolves on the other side. "We belong here. This is our land, not yours." Natsuki could see her family on the other side. Rand stood in his place, growling and showing his deep yellowing fangs. Lobo also stood on guard, his body week as he struggled to stand his ground. Soon the others in the pack followed. "This is home."

She smiled as she let go of Shizuru's hand. "Stay..." Without fear, without worry, she stepped across the shallow waters, and over to the other side. The wolves seemed to stand around her, as if they considered her apart of them, and she place her hand on the large black beast, calming it with merely her touch, though, he didn't back down. "My home..."

…
(Present day)

"Wow, grandma!" The young girl spoke. "You really saw the wolves?"

"Yes...I did." Shizuru smiled sadly, though she knew the children didn't know why.

"What did they do?" Another question sprang forth, and Shizuru thought for sure they'd continue to bombard her with them, not that she minded.

"Well, the pack was rather large." Shizuru began, trying her best to explain without telling of the terror she had felt at first. "They stood, glaring at me with golden eyes, and I'd never seen anything like it. They protected each other. She said that it was her place, for her family. Although, I didn't know what the statement meant. The woman was so proud to tell me, to show me such a place. Before then, I just couldn't imagine such a thing happening."

"Was she really pretty?" The young boy asked, turning his head to the side.

"Yes, she was." Shizuru said, though she didn't mask the sadness in her words. "She was stunning, child. Completely and utterly beautiful. A lot like your mother, in many ways. Like you, too." She said to the children, the truth only known among the whispers, mostly things left unsaid.

"Wasn't she afraid of them making so much noise?" The small girl asked again, trying to find out as much as she could about this exotic woman in the tale. "I would have been really scared."

"She was not afraid." Shizuru yawned sightly, covering her mouth with her hand. "She seemed to want me to be impressed, or perhaps fond of such a sight. Sadly, I couldn't be."

"Why? That would have been so cool!" Her grandson's exclamation held merit, Shizuru considered. The sight was indeed beautiful, deadly thought it may have seemed. Even now shew could not forget that encounter, that chance meeting.

…
(Shizuru POV)

I may not have said it before enough. I may not have always been kind, the way you were, Natsuki. The gift you gave me that day, I'll never forget it.

The way the wolves stood around you, it was magnificent. Looking back, I was mystified by them. Amazed by all of them. The power they had in you, the faith, the unity of it all. In a grand show of strength they howled so loudly, my father actually called me away. He told me the forest was dangerous, and I left, running back to where he was, standing on the grass. His eyes held not even a trace of worry, as he stood there in his suit. He had not seen the animals, but he had indeed heard them. I got scolded later that evening. Told that I wasn't allowed to go back there, that I could be hurt if I did.

Do you know...
Apart of me almost listened.
I'm glad that I didn't.
I remember the days we spent after that.
I wonder if your spirit does?

What about the wolves that have long since gone away in these lingering years...Rand, the brash rascal, and the way he never seemed to like me. You always called him your baby boy. Raul, his older brother...so calm, with his cold stare. The way he looked upon the world with his endless understanding, peering through cold eyes of icy steel. Tala, now she was an angel even before her death. How many babies did she have? I can't remember. She was always the sweetest wolf I'd ever met. Lobo, the mighty, and very old leader...

He was the first of your family that I had ever met. I remember running his fur through my fingers. He grunted at the feeling, as if he couldn't possibly care. "He likes you." You told me, with a smile on your face, as if nothing could ever take that joy away from you. When he put his head in your lap, you thanked him for understanding. Later that year, he was the first one I'd ever bid farewell. But on that day, one I also remember well, you hadn't fallen to pieces like I thought you would have. Instead, in time that is, you stood stronger than ever before, and your pack did with you...

I really felt as if it was magic Natsuki. It was the first time I'd ever felt like I really belonged anywhere. The pack is still strong, and I still see them in the forest from time to time. They're not the same pack you remember, but I know, you have your family there with you. Likely, my Natsuki, you're probably running along in the trees, you so loved to do that, after all.

Natsuki that day, when I first met you, I never really knew it would bring me so much joy. I never understood how much love you had to give, and for that, my Natsuki, I'm sorry.

...
(Present Day)

"So after you met her, what did you do?" The little boy asked as he sat on the edge of his bed.

"I ran home to my father. The wolves made loud noises, and he heard them." Shizuru told her grandson as she reached over for another sip of water. "He had punished me quite a bit. Telling me the forest was dangerous, and that I should not venture in it alone."

"Mom would be upset if we went into the forest alone." The little girl agreed. "We would be in trouble if we left the yard too."

"With good reasons as well." Shizuru told the her. "The forest is indeed beautiful, but it is, as they say, not a safe place to be. There are hidden dangers. You could get lost, or even worse. Some animals are quite unfriendly."

"The wolf woman wasn't in danger, was she?" Shizuru regarded the small boy and the question he'd gifted for her.

"No, perhaps not." At least, not that Shizuru would speak of in front of children. "However, she was different, she was, in a way, very special." She couldn't but help but think of the little boy's name, one that was deeply apart of him. "Tate, do you know what your name means?" She asked him, watching the small glimmer of gold in his eyes light up.

"Yeah!" He shouted excitedly. "It mean wolf."

Shizuru nodded. "Yes. It does, child. It means Stalking Wolf. A name filled with pride, actually." Though, only Shizuru would ever really know why. "My father didn't want me around the forest, but I wasn't in the mood to take heed of his words." Shizuru said as she recalled the following days. "I was inspired by the girl, even if I didn't know her name. I did a dangerous thing, because I wanted to know more."

…
(Shizuru POV)

You would always wait for me at the edge of the thicket every morning. Dressed in your furs, most of the time. You always leaned into the side of the trees, so that you wouldn't be seen. Sometimes, you'd fall asleep in the large oak tree, the one right outside of my window. You know, I always pretend not to know, because I knew it would embarrass you. You flustered so easily sometimes, it was a bit funny, but mostly, I thought it was cute. Father worked often, so there were many times I was alone, and on my own. I think, if it hadn't been for you, I would have become a very depressed person.

Your eyes were always fixed in a scowl in the early mornings. Even if you weren't angry, you'd always cast harshness upon the world. Sometimes, you wouldn't say a word for several minuets as we would walk quietly. I remember that too, Natsuki. I sometimes wondered what you were thinking under that angry exterior. When we meet again, will you tell me? I've always wanted to know.

Natsuki...

So, that's the first chapter...I hope you enjoyed it, and the next one will be posted whenever it gets finished...like I said, I'll be doing this one at a relaxed pace, but it will be posted, sooner or later.

Edit as of like an hour after update... fixed a derp on my part... this class is why we do not edit things, and talk with with your cousin at the same time... sorry all... I didn't mean to put the wrong eye color in the wrong spot...

Edit as if 10/26/12012: Fixed spelling errors that I missed the first time around... Sorry, that happens when I don't have a beta..