Disclaimer: (Wow it's my first time having to write one of these…) I don't own the characters from Mai-Hime/Mai-Otome.

"…Hey, Shizuru…" Natsuki casually called out.

"…Mmn…" Came a sleepy murmur in reply.

"…K-Kore de iino ka…?" (1) A blush dusted her cheeks as she tilted her head slightly downwards.

A crimson eye half-opened in response, a sleepy grin gracing the brunette's face.

"Ara, why wouldn't it be?" She snuggled her head in Natsuki's lap, sighing contentedly as she lost herself in her Natsuki's presence.

"…Y-You're right, huh...ahaha…." Natsuki sputtered as she trailed off. Damn blush won't leave my face!

Natsuki gazed down at Shizuru's sleepy complexion; her crimson eyes half-closed, head turned facing away from Natsuki. Her honey-brown locks sprawled gently across her face, shoulders, and Natsuki's lap.

Natsuki's furrowed brows softened as she reached down to tenderly tuck a few strands of stray hair behind Shizuru's ear, taking a moment to linger and trace her cheek. It was warm.

"…My~ Naa-tsuuuu-kiii~…." Shizuru dreamily drawled out. Natsuki chuckled, a grin escaping from the corners of her mouth. She leaned over, dark blue locks falling onto Shizuru's face.

"…What is it, 'Zuru?" Natsuki whispered huskily into her love's ear.

"…I love it when you call me that…" Shizuru sighed as a sleepy giggle trembled through her body.

Natsuki leaned in closer, planting a soft kiss on Shizuru's cheek. "I know." she replied smiling.

Shizuru sighed again. "I love that too…."

"I know that too…" Natsuki chuckled, pulling her head away from Shizuru's.

"You know what else I know?" Natsuki asked.

"….Mn….?" Shizuru was only half-listening as the waves of sleep pulled at her consciousness.

A moment of silence passed. Even in her half-asleep state, she could tell that Natsuki hadn't given her an answer. "…"

Shizuru felt herself being lifted, a pair of strong arms gently supporting her back and underneath her knees, lifting her body into the air. Her arms subconsciously found their way around Natsuki's neck, bringing her head to rest on her shoulder.

She purred as the scent of Natsuki's shampoo filled her senses. "…I do love this too~….."

She felt the tremor of the body she was leaning against as Natsuki's low laughter resounded through her ears. "And I love doing it…" She softly chuckled, slowly making her way to their bedroom.

Natsuki gently laid Shizuru on their king-sized bed, gently disengaging Shizuru's hands from her neck. She crawled into bed next to her love, snaking her arms around Shizuru's waist, hugging the girl from behind.

"Otsukare-sama, watashi no Shi-zu-ru." (2) Natsuki whispered lovingly as they drifted off to sleep.

T/N: (1) This can mean "Are you okay with this" or "Is this okay"; I thought the ambiguity in Japanese was nice.

(2) Means something along the lines of "Thank you for your hard work"; usually said after finishing a day's work or a project, etc. "watashi no Shizuru" = "my Shizuru"; I don't know, I just liked how it sounded in Japanese a little more…-_-;;;

A/N: My muse dropped this idea after a tiring day at lab. Tsukareta-nya~. I figured, hey, why not. This is one of a few random "Untitled ShizNat" potential fanfics that have not been released because (1) they haven't been finished, (2) they're too short, (3) I don't know…you tell me..o.o… To those of you who've skimmed my deleted fanfic that's because I think it needs a LOT of work…and re-organizing. So I've taken it down. This may or may not be (in the future) put in a longer fanfic..if I ever find a way to segue it with another ShizNat…

YH