Note: Mai-Hime is an anime that was done by the studio Sunrise.

Natsuki had a cold. In the past, Natsuki considered colds to be a guilty pleasure, because it meant that she didn't have to go to school. However, she wanted to go to school, because she wanted to see Shizuru. Even though she wasn't feeling well, Natsuki hoped she could could go to school, this time. She climbed out of bed and started changing into her day-clothes, while coughing.

Several minutes later, Natsuki went into the living room. She used a handkerchief, for her coughing and running nose. She tried to look as well as she could, but she clearly wasn't feeling well. She went into the kitchen and started eating her cereal. She accidentally coughed on a piece of her toast.

Natsuki's dad saw that, so he threw his newspaper into the blender, and said, "I'm expecting you to eat that toast. After all, it cost money."

Natsuki replied, "But I coughed on it. I don't mean to be a clean-freak, but I don't want to eat food, that's been coughed on."

The dad responded, "But you're the one who coughed on it, so it's no big deal."

Natsuki said, "I'm not very hungry."

The dad replied, "Then I'll eat that toast."

The mom walked by. She took the toast away from her husband and sternly said, "We don't eat coughed-on food."

The dad replied, "But that bread cost money. It seems like I'm the only member of the family, who values the saving of money."

The mom calmly said, "The bread only cost two dollars. It's not a big deal." She looked at the blender and asked, "Why is your newspaper in there?"

The dad answered, "Because I was done reading it."

The mom asked, "Are you kidding me?"

The dad stood-up and said, "Hey, I'm a very serious person."

Natsuki tried to hold in a cough, while asking, "Then how come you put on a clown suit and danced around the street, last month?"

The dad straightened his tie, while answering, "The clown suit was on sale, so I had to take advantage of the good price." The dad grabbed the ads and started reading them.

Natsuki replied, "No offense, but that doesn't make sense." Natsuki coughed a few times, in a row. She accidentally dropped her handkerchief, which revealed her runny nose.

The dad put threw the ads into the toaster and asked, "Are you okay?"

Natsuki tried to look and sound healthier than she actually was, while answering, "Yeah, I feel okay."

The mom took a closer look at her daughter and could tell that she wasn't okay. She said, "Natsuki's sick."

The dad replied, "Gross."

The mom said, "I think she has a cold."

Natsuki couldn't stand the thought of lying to her parents and she didn't know how to make herself look healthy, so she sighed and said, "I am sick."

The dad replied, "Disgusting."

Natsuki responded, "But it's just a cold. It's nothing to worry about. I think I can still go to school."

The mom shook her head and said, "I'm afraid not. You have to stay here and get better."

Natsuki tried to think of an excuse, to convince her mom, to let her go to school. After a brief moment of thinking about the situation, a thought popped into her head. She said, "This is only my third day at the college. If I miss this day, I'll get lost."

The mom tried to make Natsuki feel better, by saying, "Don't worry about that. I'll pick-up today's classwork, during my lunch break, so you don't have to worry about catch-up work."

Natsuki sighed and replied, "Okay then." She coughed.

The dad responded, "Ew."

The mom looked at Natsuki and said, "Please go back into your bedroom and get your pajamas back on. You need to rest and relax. Everything's going to be okay."

Natsuki replied, "Okay."

The mom hugged Natsuki and said, "I hope you feel better, as soon as possible."

The dad looked at Natsuki. He got a little more sentimental and less-obsessed with money, when one of his family members got sick. He said, "Listen, if you want to buy something at the dollar store, that's across the street, you have my permission."

Natsuki sarcastically replied, "Thank you, for that amazing offer."

The dad smiled and responded, "You're welcome." He paused and said, "You know what? During the past few days, you've been doing really good. Because of that, you can get two things at the dollar store. Next month, I might let you get a third thing." He hugged Natsuki and walked out. Natsuki's parents started heading to work.

Natsuki went into her bedroom. She removed her day clothes and changed into her pajamas. She laid on her bed. Not having to do classwork, for the morning, was a reliving feeling. However, Natsuki was disappointed about missing a day with Shizuru. If she had spent months or years with Shizuru, it wouldn't be as big of a deal. However, Natsuki had only spent two days with her, so she was dying to hangout with her more. Shizuru had quickly become Natsuki's best friend and she held a special place in Natsuki's heart.

After a few minutes of laying heart, Natsuki looked at her clock. It was getting close to eight a.m. Natsuki grabbed her cellphone and started writing a text to Shizuru, so she could explain her absence.

Shizuru arrived at the college. Before she walked inside, she looked at her cellphone and saw Natsuki's text. She was sad about Natsuki being sick and she sent Natsuki a text back.

Natsuki saw Shizuru's text and noticed how concerned her friend seemed to be. She sent another text, which let Shizuru know her sickness was just a cough and a runny nose. She assured Shizuru, that she was going to be okay, which Shizuru was relieved about.

After Natsuki finished texting Shizuru, she went into her bed and put the covers over her. She started taking a nap. For the next few hours, Natsuki didn't do anything, other than sleeping.

A few hours later, Natsuki opened her eyes. She looked at her clock and saw that it was eleven-thirty. She climbed out of bed and looked at herself in the mirror. Although she wasn't feeling completely healthy, the nap helped her. She had a few coughs, but not as much as she did earlier. Her nose was still running, which was annoying for her, but it wasn't a huge problem. In order to feel cleaner, Natsuki went into the bathroom and started taking a shower. As she was finishing her shower, she heard the house's front-door opening up.

The mom walked into the house, carrying a bunch of papers, a couple of textbooks, and a fast-food bag. She said, "Natsuki, it's me. I picked-up today's classwork and got you lunch."

Natsuki replied, "I'm in the shower."

The mom stood outside the bathroom door, while saying, "Okay, I'll leave your stuff on the table. Don't worry about having to do all of your homework. Just do as much, as you feel you can. How are you feeling?"

Natsuki replied, "Better. Not all the way healthy, but the nap helped improve things. In fact, I think I'll be able to go to school tomorrow."

The mom responded, "That's great to hear. I need to get back to work, but I'll be home later and take care of you. I love you."

Natsuki replied, "I love you too." Natsuki got out of the shower, slipped on a bathrobe, and went to the living room. She looked at her schoolwork, while eating her lunch.

A few minutes later, Natsuki's cellphone started ringing. Shizuru was calling her. Natsuki smiled and answered the phone. She said, "Hi Shizuru."

Shizuru spoke in a concerned-sounding tone, while asking, "Are you okay?"

Natsuki tried to make her feel better, while saying, "You have nothing to worry about. Like I said before, it's just a little cold. In fact, I'm already feeling better and I'm going to start working on today's classwork, so I don't get left behind."

Shizuru replied, "That's great to her. I plan on coming to your house, after school, and checking on you."

Natsuki responded, "I'm afraid I can't allow that."

Shizuru had a confused look on her face, while asking, "Why not?"

Natsuki answered, "One of the main reasons, for not going to school while I'm sick, is to avoid getting my fellow classmates sick. If I get my favorite classmate sick, which is you, I'd feel terrible. Besides, you've never been to my house before. I don't want your first visit, to be while I'm sick. I want it to be something more special."

Shizuru replied, "Aww, you really do care about me."

Natsuki said, "Of course I do and I'm assuming you really care about me."

Shizuru replied, "Even when you're sick, you still guess the truest of things." She sighed and said, "I wish I could visit you and brighten up your day, but I'm going to respect your wishes."

Natsuki responded, "Thank you and just getting to talk to you brightened up my day."

Shizuru smiled and said, "Aww, I feel the same way. I love you."

Natsuki replied, "I love you too."

A few hours later, Natsuki's mom got home. She walked inside and started heading to Natsuki's bedroom. By then, Natsuki had changed into a blue t-shirt and gray sweatpants. The mom walked up to her and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Natsuki calmly answered, "I'm not feeling too bad. In fact, I'm feeling better."

The mom smiled and said, "That's wonderful news. Were you able to eat your lunch?"

Natsuki replied, "Yes, it was good. I accidentally coughed on a few fries. I threw them away, even though Dad would want me to eat them."

The mom responded, "Good call. Your dad's a great and brilliant person, but he thinks that wasting five-cents is worse than missing five days of school."

By the time, Natsuki's dad got home, Natsuki and her mom were in the kitchen and were having dinner. The dad danced to the table and asked, "What are you guys eating?"

Natsuki answered, "Chicken."

The dad had a disappointed look on his face, while saying, "You were supposed to eat the leftover pizza, from yesterday."

The mom said, "We don't always have to eat every leftover."

The dad replied, "I strongly disagree with that. That darn pizza cost twenty-dollars, so I'm expecting every slice to be gobbled up. In fact, I'm going to go eat all of the leftover slices."

The mom sounded concerned, while saying, "If you do that, you might get a stomach-ache."

The dad replied, "That would be better than wasting money."

After the dad ate a bunch of pizza, he looked at Natsuki and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Natsuki answered, "Better than before. I think I'm getting closer, to being healthy. I'll probably be able to go to school, tomorrow."

The dad replied, "That's great and all, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to go to work."

Natsuki asked, "Why not?"

The dad said, "The pizza gave me a stomach-ache." Natsuki and her mom facepalmed.

The next morning, Natsuki got out of bed and checked her appearance in the mirror. She didn't look sick, at all. She wasn't coughing and her nose stopped running, for the most part. She started changing into her day-clothes.

A few minutes later, Natsuki went into the kitchen and faced her parents. She calmly said, "I'm feeling better and I'm thinking I can go to school."

The mom asked, "Are you sure? If you wanted to take another day off, just to be sure, I wouldn't mind."

Natsuki shook her head and replied, "I appreciate the offer, but I'm perfectly fine."

The mom responded, "Okay then. I'll take you to school. Your dad's going to stay home and recover, from eating so much pizza." She looked around and saw that the dad was eating chicken. She said, "You're not supposed to be eating that stuff. Are you trying to get sicker?"

The dad replied, "I have to eat last night's leftovers, before it goes bad. I have a policy: If a food is purchased, it must be eaten. Nothing can be wasted." Natsuki and her mom rolled their eyes.

Twenty-minutes later, Natsuki's mom gave her a ride to the college. After saying her goodbyes, Natsuki was going to walk into the school. However, she saw that Shizuru was standing outside. It seemed like she had been waiting for Natsuki. Natsuki walked up to her and said, "Hi Shizuru."

Shizuru replied, "Hi Natsuki. How are you feeling?"

Natsuki calmly responded, "No need to worry. My cold went away. I feel healthy."

Shizuru asked, "Was yesterday a rough day?"

Natsuki answered, "It kind of was. However, the hardest part wasn't the illness. Missing a day with you, is what brought me down. After we had such a nice time, the day before, I was excited to see you again. That's why yesterday was a disappointment."

Shizuru was honored that Natsuki missed her. She said, "I missed you, as much as you missed me."

Natsuki smiled and replied, "I'm glad I got better, so quickly, because I get to spend more time with you." She and Shizuru started holding hands with each other, while blushing at each other.

One of the bells rang. Natsuki, Shizuru, and the other students only had five-minutes, before class started. Natsuki said, "We better get to class. Do you want a goodbye hug?"

Shizuru shook her head and replied, "I want something greater." She started reaching-in, for a kiss. She kissed Natsuki, on the lips. Natsuki was surprised, but after a brief moment of confusion, everything felt right. Natsuki thought she and Shizuru loved each other, as best friends, but in that moment, she felt their love was stronger than friendship.

Natsuki walked into the school, while hardly believing what had happened. Shizuru had kissed her! As surprising and awkward as it felt, Natsuki had enjoyed it. Natsuki had never been kissed by someone, that she wasn't related to. She avoided eye-contact with Shizuru while heading to her next class. It wasn't because she was mad. It was because she still felt embarrassed and awkward, because of the kiss.

A while later, Natsuki was in math class, with Yuuichi. Yuuichi didn't see Natsuki the previous day, because she was sick. He missed her a lot and was relieved she returned to school. During the class, Yuuichi sat in the desk that was next to Natsuki's desk. He looked at her and said, "Hi."

Natsuki replied, "Hi Yuuichi. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tutor you, yesterday."

Yuuichi responded, "No big deal. I actually finished yesterday's assignment."

Natsuki said, "I'm glad to hear that. How did you do that?"

Yuuichi replied, "I haven't gotten the assignment back yet." He had a proud look on his face, while saying, "I don't want to seem like a bragger or anything, but I think I did pretty good. I've been feeling great vibes."

Natsuki patted Yuuichi's shoulder and responded, "I'm glad to hear that."

The teacher walked up to Yuuichi. He had finished grading Yuuichi's assignment, so he gave it back to him. Yuuichi asked, "How did I do?"

The teacher answered, "You got a D."

Yuuichi chuckled and said, "It seems like I didn't do as good, as I thought I had."

Natsuki was concerned about Yuuichi's spirit being broken. She had a concerned look on her face, while saying, "I know your grades aren't the best, but if you keep putting effort into studying, I'm sure your grades will keep improving."

Yuuichi grinned and said, "My grades are already improving."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really?"

Yuuichi said, "Yeah, I'm used to failing my assignments, so this is an upgrade. Your lessons and tutoring are helping me." He hugged her. The teacher didn't allow hugging, but he was busy, so he didn't notice Natsuki and Yuuichi's hug.

Being hugged by Yuuichi felt different for Natsuki, than being by Shizuru. Shizuru's hugs had a comforting, heartwarming, if somewhat awkward, type of feeling. Yuuichi's hug felt nice, but casual, which Natsuki was okay with. In her heart, she knew Yuuichi was a friend and someone she cared about, but not in a romantic way. She just hoped Yuuichi felt the same way.

A few hours later, it was lunchtime. Natsuki sat at one of the tables and looked at her cellphone. She still felt awkward, so she hoped Shizuru wouldn't visit her, until she had her feelings sorted-out.

Reito saw that Shizuru was sitting by him and his other friends. He looked a bit confused, while asking, "How come you're not sitting with Natsuki? Hasn't she become one of your closest friends?"

Shizuru nervously smiled and said, "You have no idea."

Reito could tell something was up, but he didn't know what it was. He asked, "What's going on?"

Shizuru answered, "Natsuki and I had a bit of an awkward morning."

Reito knew Shizuru well, so he said, "I'm guessing you're the one, who made things awkward."

Shizuru replied, "More or less."

Reito said, "Well, why don't you go and talk to her about it?"

Shizuru replied, "I would, but even I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable."

Reito looked surprised, while asking, "Really? You're like the least-shy person I know. If you have a feeling, you usually scream it in my ear."

Shizuru said, "You know what? I am going to talk to her." She got up and walked to Natsuki's table. She sat by Natsuki, with a friendly smile on her face, while saying, "Hi Natsuki."

Natsuki put her phone down and shyly replied, "Hi Shizuru."

Shizuru said, "It's good to see you."

Natsuki replied, "I feel the same." She took a pause, before asking, "What's up?"

Shizuru said, "I think you know what's going on. I'm assuming you remember the way I said goodbye to you, this morning."

Natsuki replied, "Yes, you kissed me."

Shizuru blushed and responded, "I sure did." She took a long pause, before saying, "I'm hoping you're not mad at me."

Although Natsuki had a lot of confused emotions in her head, she knew she wasn't mad at Shizuru. She shook her head and said, "I'm not mad. However, I'm sure you can understand why that moment weirded me out."

Shizuru replied, "Yes. In fact, it also weird for me, but it was something I knew I wanted to do."

Natsuki asked, "Why?"

Shizuru tried to think about a delicate way of wording it. After an awkward moment of silence, she decided to give Natsuki an honest and straightforward answer. She said, "I love you."

Natsuki replied, "I love you too. We've already said that, to each other."

Shizuru responded, "Yes, but I'm not talking about a friendship type of love. Natsuki, I'm in love with you."

Natsuki had a shocked look on her face, although she secretly had assumed that. She asked, "In love?"

Shizuru answered, "Yes, a romantic type of love. I know this may be a surprising turn of events. Also, I've had several failed relationships, so I'm probably not the best person to date. However, I had to tell you my real feelings."

A strong blush came upon Natsuki's face. She felt so much anxiety, she could hardly breathe. She said, "This is quite the news. There's a lot I have to think about."

Shizuru had a concerned look on her face, while asking, "Are you okay?"

Natsuki got up and said, "I'm sorry, but I need to be alone, for a while. I'm going to go and do some thinking. I'll see you, after-school and Yuuichi's tutoring session." She left the cafeteria. Shizuru respected Natsuki's privacy, so she didn't follow her, but she was deeply concerned about her.

Natsuki went into the restroom. She went into one of the stalls and stood around, while feeling lost in thought. After a few minutes, she remembered that her mom was on her lunch-break. Natsuki was allowed to call her during that time, so she got out her cellphone and gave her a call.

Natsuki's mom said, "Hi Natsuki. What's going on?"

Natsuki had an anxious tone of voice, while saying, "I'm sorry for calling, but there's an important problem, that's making me feel uneasy."

The mom was very worried about her daughter, while asking, "What's going on?"

Natsuki trusted her mom, so she decided to be honest with her. She gulped and said, "There's a friend, who I've had a close relationship with. She's been really helpful and has brightened up my days. I feel special feelings of happiness, when I'm around her. On the day I was sick, the roughest part of the day was not being with her."

The mom replied, "Aww, it sounds like you two have a wonderful friendship. If anything, this sounds like a good thing, rather than a problem."

Natsuki responded, "I know, but this morning, she kissed me."

The mom casually said, "That was sweet of her."

Natsuki's mom didn't seem to understand the kiss, so Natsuki explained, "It wasn't a kiss on the cheek. She kissed me, on the lips. She has a crush on me."

The mom was surprised to hear that, but she didn't seem to have a problem with that. She said, "I see. May I ask how you feel about her?"

Natsuki took a long pause, before saying, "That's the reason I feel so nervous. I don't know how to feel. I've never been in that kind of relationship. I'm not used to this kind of stuff. At the risk of sounding clueless, I don't know what to do."

Natsuki's mom could tell Natsuki was really scared, so she tried to be very understanding and calm. She said, "Natsuki, this might seem like a confusing situation, but it has an easy resolution."

Natsuki felt surprised, while asking, "Really? What is it?"

The mom said, "I have an important question and I need you to be honest."

Natsuki replied, "Okay."

The mom said, "Do you love your friend?"

Natsuki answered, "Yes."

The mom asked, "What kind of love?"

Natsuki answered, "It's a special type of love. She gives me happy feelings, that I've never felt before and her love is an irreplaceable treasure, for my heart."

The mom smiled and said, "Natsuki, I think you're in love."

Natsuki replied, "Yes, I think the same thing." Natsuki was thankful for her mother's help. She couldn't deny the truth. She loved Shizuru.

After school, Natsuki and Yuuichi went to the library, so Natsuki could tutor him. As usual, Yuuichi wasn't the best of listeners and he got a few problems wrong. However, he was making progress, thanks to Natsuki's teachings and advice.

After Yuuichi finished another math assignment, he handed it to Natsuki, so she could grade it. Yuuichi asked, "How did I do?" He started looking proud of himself, while saying, "I think I did a good job."

After grading the assignment, Natsuki said, "You got fourteen, out of twenty, problems right." Yuuichi was so happy, that he started dancing around the library. The librarian shook her fist at him and was prepared to throw books at him.

In order to keep things from getting chaotic, Natsuki gently said, "Yuuichi, please stop dancing."

Yuuichi calmed down and replied, "Okay then. I'm sorry, if I was acting like a dumb bragger. I'm infamous, for not acting that mature."

Natsuki responded, "It's okay. You still have some stuff to work on, but you've been making lot of improvements. I'm really proud of you."

Yuuichi replied, "Thank you, but you deserve a lot of the credit. You've been a tremendous mentor."

Natsuki responded, "Thank you. That means a lot to me." Natsuki and Yuuichi started packing-up their stuff.

Yuuichi looked at Natsuki and said, "You've been so nice to me, that you deserve a reward. I should take you to dinner or something."

Natsuki nervously asked, "Are you trying to ask me out?"

Yuuichi also started getting nervous, while saying, "I might be. You're really pretty, so it's been hard to not flirt with you."

Natsuki replied, "Yuuichi, I really appreciate the offer. You're a nice, cool guy, but I'm afraid we can't date. I've gotten a crush on somebody else."

Yuuichi responded, "Okay then. This is disappointing news, but I understand."

Natsuki said, "But we can still be friends and I can still tutor you."

Yuuichi smiled and replied, "Sounds good."

Natsuki walked outstide and saw that Shizuru had been waiting for her. Natsuki started walking to her. She had a guilty look on her face, while saying, "I'm sorry about trying to avoid you. I had a lot of uncomfortable, scary feelings and I needed to think things through."

Shizuru calmly responded, "I understand. Things have been changing and a lot of new feelings have been rising."

Natsuki decided to not hide her true feelings. She was ready to share how she felt. She said, "Shizuru, the last few days have been the best school-days, that I've ever had and that's because of you. I used to dread school, but you made it exciting, for me."

Shizuru grinned and replied, "I'm glad to hear that."

Natsuki and Shizuru started holding hands, while staring into each other's eyes. Natsuki said, "Shizuru, I'm not mad you kissed me. I was scared about it, but not anymore. In fact, I'm glad you did it."

Shizuru asked, "Really?"

Natsuki said, "Yes and that's because I love you. In fact, I'm in love with you."

Shizuru felt like the happiest girl in the world, while asking, "Are you sure about that?"

Natsuki asked, "Do you doubt me?"

Shizuru smirked and answered, "Maybe a little."

Natsuki smirked back and replied, "Then allow me to prove it." She kissed Shizuru, on the lips.

After the kiss was over, Shzuru said, "Seems like you proved it. You really do love me. I can hardly believe it."

Natsuki replied, "I've had crushes on other people, but I never asked them out or kissed them."

Shizuru asked, "Why not?"

Natsuki answered, "I was too scared and filled with shyness. However, when I met you, I was so happy, that I couldn't care less about my fears. I was too busy being happy. Everybody's got to have happiness and you've given me more heartwarming feelings, than I could of ever imagined."

Shizuru replied, "You do the same for me." She kissed Natsuki.

Natsuki smiled. She didn't have to be afraid anymore, because she knew her true feelings. She was happier than ever before. She started heading home, while feeling the most passionate type of happiness, in her heart.