AN: Hello, hello! I know I haven't finished Birthday Struggle yet but this story seems to be coming along so smoothly that I decided to start posting it here. I already have up to the seventh chapter written, at the pace of finishing one to two chapters a day. I won't post it all up en masse, but slowly update on either a weekly or bi-weekly, depending on my mood and if I want to string people along. Review and comments have been appreciated thus far, so please do continue sending them my way. Enough rambling here, enjoy!


Stars shone in the sky, an occasional one soaring through its fellow twinkling lights. Several women wished upon this shooting star, hoping their dream will come true. A particular crimson-eyed woman wished upon this star, hands clasped together before her face.
Another woman stood behind her, hands on her hips, patiently waiting for the other woman to finish what she was doing. Dark brow quirked upward toward the other woman when she finished and turned around.

"Kannin na, I couldn't resist." Shizuru smiled at Natsuki and moved to stand beside her.

Natsuki averted her gaze from the piercing crimson hues, her gaze lingering on her converse. Fingers idly played with her pockets before deciding just to slide them in and hook her thumbs through the belt loops. "Come on, lets continue our walk."

Shizuru giggled behind her hand at Natsuki's actions; the girl had been acting a little different lately. What is going on with this girl? She noticed a difference in the her, but couldn't pinpoint it. The thought was filed away for later, before resuming their walk along the path.

It was out of character for Natsuki to be so romatic. A smile appeared on her lips and the other woman caught her smiling, seemingly about nothing. "What are you smiling about, Shizuru?"

Uh-oh, she was caught. Crimson hues stared ahead for a few moments longer before deciding upon a proper tease to use on the other woman. Gaze shifted to the bluenette. "Why, I was just thinking it odd of Natsuki asking me to accompany her on this moonlit stroll through the park. It almost seems as if she asked me on a date." Her last word was enunciated for emphasis and seems as if her tease struck home.

Natsuki blushed and turned her head away to hide her pink features. Midnight stands fell over her face, blocking Shizuru's view. "B-baka... This is not a date!"

Shizuru pursed her lips in a false pout, causing her eyes to water to add to her tease. "Ikezu, so Natsuki would not want to go on a date with me?" She sniffed, bringing a finger up to wipe away a non-existant tear.

This caught Natsuki's full attention, terror and panic now showing on her face. She stuttered, trying to come up with the words to calm Shizuru. "It's not that, I-..." Natsuki trailed off, not sure of how she wanted to express her thoughts. She wanted to date her, but just didn't know how to express it. The fact of Shizuru believing this to be a date was shocking because she kind of intended it to be.

Natsuki walked under the sakura trees with Shizuru while she thought of how to express her thoughts. Shizuru was off in thought, that was obvious by her expression. Green pools turned away before she was caught and teased further. She stopped them both under a pair of trees, moonlight streaming through the blossoms.

The younger woman turned to face the brunette, toe of her shoe scuffing against the dirt trail beneath them. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Shizuru, I want to know..."


AN: I know. I know. I left it off at a really bad cliffhanger, but it is a good way to have people wanting the next chapter up. I do have a really good idea of how I want this story to go and will continue it as far as my muses approve. For an interestingly random fun fact, this story was actually inspired by a random doodle I started at work, which turned into a full-on serious project. I did start this story from the middle then went forward, and had to go back and write the beginning chapters afterward. Sorry, if the beginning doesn't make sense after I post the later chapters, so at least you'll understand why. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!