For the first time since she had begun attending Osaka Gakuen, Mizuki Ashiya was grateful to have a room to herself.

She was standing, topless, in front of her full length mirror, clenching one of those precious denim vests in her fist. The large bay window had been carefully shut and covered; being secretive had become like second nature to her over these past two years (or so she liked to think).

Her jaw worked as she mulled over her current dilemma, trying to quench the small feeling of panic threatening to overwhelm her.

It wasn't merely a matter of asking Io to make her a more accommodating round of clothing. No… the vests were no longer an option.

Mizuki had a serious problem on her hands.

For All the Stars in the Sky: A What if? Story

Written by: avekay

Rated: T (tentative)

Three Weeks Prior

The summer had finally arrived. Despite some tumultuous events the few days before the graduation ceremony, everything had settled down and everyone had fallen back into their normal routines of studying for exams, or, for the third years, preparing for life after grade school.

Mizuki's true gender had, quite nearly, been uncovered. Tennouji-senpai had seen her getting changed through a window of a deserted equipment storage room, but—thank whatever deity had been looking down upon her—he had not seen her face. There had been some hoopla over the identity of this mysterious woman, but in the end, the rumors died down as quickly as they had started.

"And so I'm still safe!" She reassured herself, shaking off a wave of dread as she contemplated what could have happened if head of Dorm One had gotten a better look. Shaking her head to rid herself of such miserable thoughts, she covertly stuffed extra sanitary napkins into the bottom of her duffel bag. Sano was due back any minute, so she had to pack away any incriminating evidence before he returned. Satisfied, she zippered the bag and tucked it away for the time being.

"How's packing coming along?"

"WAH!" Mizuki nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Sano's voice. "S-Sano! I didn't expect you back so soon!"

Sano held a leash in one hand, a bottle of water in the other. He wore a pair of running shorts and a tee-shirt, with a simple pair of athletic sneakers rounding out his exercise gear. Despite the simple ensemble, Mizuki couldn't help but find him dashingly attractive.

"Yeah, Yujiro wasn't happy when I cut his walk so short," he admitted, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow as he extracted an empty suitcase from the closet. He always found Mizuki's attempts at secrecy amusing. "But I've got plenty left to do around here, so…"

Unable to resist, he reached out and ruffled Mizuki's chestnut hair. She made a cute noise in response, covering her head in mock protest, smiling shyly up at him.

It quite nearly turned Sano's legs to jelly.

They both trailed off into silence as they set about their packing. It was a long process, and it didn't help that the air conditioning in Dorm Two was broken. Mizuki was feeling faint from the layers of clothing she had to wear and from the stale air hanging in the room. Even the open window was useless as far as circulation went, there was no breeze to be had! Though this was undeniably the hottest day of the year thus far, this was not the first time Mizuki had felt confined within her clothes. Over these last couple of months, she had found her vests were becoming increasingly and increasingly more uncomfortable.

She thought longingly of some of the spaghetti-strap shirts she had tucked away in her luggage, knowing full well she could never get away with wearing one with the current state of affairs. Izumi is worth it! Work through the heat! You got this Ashiya! Go go go!

Mizuki didn't realize that her roommate was studying her display of fervor, his eyebrow cocked, as she silently punched at the air. She was seemingly pumping herself up for something. Whatever it could be, Sano had no idea.

He had not yet divulged the fact that he knew her true identity, so he was always careful when watching her like this. Admittedly, the temptation was always there to throw caution to the wind, to merely admit his knowledge, to sweep her into his arms and kiss her like there was no tomorrow…

Sano felt his face heating up, which was impressive seeing as how the room was oppressively hot to begin with. I need a cold shower, badly. Do I smell? I hope not. I don't want Mizuki to be repulsed by my presence. Hmm, she looks like she's suffering in this heat, too. Maybe Mizuki would like to join—NO! Dangerous train of thought, dangerous train of thought, dangerous—

He quickly jumped to attention as someone suddenly darted into their room, slamming the door behind them, before proceeding to hide in the farther corner from the door.

"Umeda-sensei?" Mizuki asked, surprised. "What brings you here?"

The school doctor was out of breath, hair sticking every which way, bespectacled eyes wild. "M-My sister… she's here…"

"Io-san is here?!" Mizuki gasped happily. "It's been quite some time since I've seen her, I--"

"Shh!" Umeda hissed. "Your voice carries!"

Mizuki flushed and quieted down. "Whoops." Unfortunately for the good doctor, the damage had already been done. The front door slammed open again as Io sauntered in. She looked as feminine and voluptuous as ever in a well-cut forest green suit that fit her curves and left little to the imagination. She always knew how to accessorize for every outfit (Mizuki could help but feel a bit of feminine jealousy at Io's seemingly innate ability) Cherry red lips curved into a knowing grin at the sight of the normally stoic Umeda trying to hide himself behind little Mizuki.

"Ahh, Sano-kun! Mizuki-kun! It's fabulous to see you again!" She swept Mizuki into a hug, making it a point to glower over the girl's shoulder at her brother. "You're bad at hiding, my dear onii-chan. Mizuki-kun always seeks refuge at your infirmary, it hardly surprises me that you would return the favor and seek shelter here." Umeda merely grunted in response.

Sano cleared his throat loudly, noticing that the older man was eyeing up the open window as a possible escape route."So, er, what brings you all this way, Io-san?"

"Oh, just visiting!" She paused. "And making sure my dear brother doesn't forget that he promised to work for me at the inn this summer season. Isn't that right onii-chan?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I suppose you're right," Umeda muttered, giving into the inevitable. There would be no vacation getaway for him this time.

Satisfied, Io removed her large sunglasses before turning to the two high school students. "I'm sure that you two already have plans for this summer, and that I wouldn't need extra help again, but the inn is severely understaffed. We've undergone considerable renovation and expansion, and so the co-owner and I because considering hiring some of the old help back again. Keep in mind this wouldn't be for a few weeks yet, so I don't need responses right away. Would you be interested?"

Mizuki brightened. She was leaving to visit her family in America the next day for two full weeks, but a part-time job back in Japan—with her beloved Izumi no less!—was better than she could have asked for. "Sounds great! I'd love to!" There was no need for her to dwell on it any further.

She tugged on Sano's shirt. "What do you think?"

Sano had originally been ready to turn down the offer, but he got a glimpse of Mizuki's adoring face and changed his mind. "I don't see why not."

Umeda seemed to brighten considerably at this. With any luck, they could act as a buffer between him and his overbearing sister.

Io was beaming. "Fabulous! See if Nakatsu-san and some of your other friends are interested, as well. We're going to need as much as help as we can get—ugh, it's like a sauna in here, how do you breathe?—and, of course, we'd be more than happy to accommodate."

Feeling rejuvenated at the idea of being able to spend the summer months with Sano and her closest friends, Mizuki once again resumed her packing, talking all the while what she hoped to do with their free time. Sano simply smiled to himself as he watched the love of his life bound around the room, hardly noticing Io and Umeda's departure as he let himself soak in Mizuki's comforting presence.

And in that sublime moment, Sano decided exactly how he would declare his love for Mizuki Ashiya.

So our story begins!

Author's Note: Wow, it's great to be back and writing! I haven't written an actual fanfiction in over three years, so bear with me as I work out the kinks and get back into the swing of things. A few notes to keep in mind about this AU:

-Though this takes place after the story ends, Mizuki's identity had not yet been found out by anyone besides Sano, Umeda, Io, and Rio.

-Sano has not yet confessed his love for Mizuki, for purposes of the story.

-Most importantly, no pairing is set in stone. I will leave it up to you, the reviewer, to tell me what couplings you want out of this story!

Chapter two will be up soon! Please R&R!