Author Notes:

You'll notice a few things…off about Shizuru in this fic. For example: She no longer wears her infamous mask. See if you can pick out the other things that are a tad OOC about her.

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Chapter 1: Not What I Wanted To Come Back To

The lights were on in the house, telling the oncoming guest that the owner was home. Removing her helmet, cascades of dark blue hair fell down to the belt of her pants. A bead of sweat dripped from the crease of her forehead. She was nervous, that much was for sure. Cool air blew her hair to the left, contradicting the sweat particles. "Deep breath, Natsuki." She told herself, placing the helmet on the handlebars of the motorcycle.

"Here goes." Natsuki approached the front door if the small house. Her eyes gazed around, surprised that its owner wouldn't want more space. Instead of knocking, she rang the doorbell to her right. She balanced back and forth, shifting from heel to toe; a nervous habit of hers.

"Come in!"

She wasn't expecting that. How unlike her.

Not saying a word, she opened the cherry wooden door and poked her head in.

No one in sight.

That was also unlike her.

"Ara? The old man wants to go out for a drink?"

Gulping all anxiety back down, she followed the voice, which came from the kitchen. Her eyes stared at the owner of said voice, taking in everything about her.

'Shizuru.'

Shizuru laughed; a beautiful and genuine sound. A sound not heard by her hidden guest. She balanced the phone between her shoulder and the left side of her face. Both hands were preoccupied, cutting a variety of leaves and herbs.

"Normally I'd oblige, but I had a rough time with the kids today."

'Kids?'

The blunette looked around, seeing nothing that would imply that Shizuru had kids. No toys, no crayons, nothing of the sort.

Natsuki returned her gaze to the brunette, looking for differences. She was considerably taller. That was about all she could pick out.

Feeling eyes watching her, Shizuru looked up and nearly dropped her phone as crimson met anxious green. "N-Nao…I'll call you back later." Dropping her nickname for the girl she waited for a reply before hanging up. Using the island in the middle of the kitchen for support, she stared at her guest in utter disbelief.

"Natsuki?"

She had a reason to hesitate, the woman before her didn't look like the teenager from before. Her midnight blue hair was down to her lower back, as beautiful as ever. Her green eyes still held a defiant blaze in them, showing no change from when they last met. Maturity shone brightly on her face, giving her a look she could never achieve at seventeen.

'Nao? Nao Yuuki? Why was she talking to her?'

Before she could ask, Shizuru called out her name. "Yeah?" She answered nonchalantly, as if it wasn't a surprise that she would show up.

"What are you doing here?" Emotions swept across her face, something Natsuki wasn't used to seeing. Back then, Shizuru kept her feelings under control, only smiling. Now stress, worry, and surprise was evident on her face.

"I…" Her eyes darted to the ground, looking for an answer to give her. "I wanted to talk."

'About what?' The older woman almost blurted out rudely. Instead, she sighed and murmured a "Sit down."

Doing as she was told, the lone wolf sat at the bar near the island, watching the brunette scoop the remaining pieced of tea leaves in her palm, and dumping them into a fancy cup. She didn't even offer Natsuki any. The girl could sense blatant irritation and hurt coming from her old friend. Pouring boiling water into her tea cup, her red eyes looked up at her visitor, who was taller due to the bar stool. "What would Kuga-san like to talk about?"

That stung and Shizuru could tell. "Hey uh…" She stared at her hands, which were settled on her lap, her fingers fidgeting. "Remember back when I'd always come you for help? When we were HiME?"

This took the "tea sucker" as Nao would cal her, by surprise. "I do." Her answer was short and arrived late.

"You shared your computer when I really needed it. District 1 buisness, you know?" She mentally cursed herself after, realizing that it was a touchy subject. The person before her had risked everything to destroy District 1 for her. She repaid her by leaving.

There was a long silence immediately after. 'What is she getting at?' Shizuru thought before saying,"Ara,Kuga-san knows how to make things awkward, doesn't she?". A tease that she wasn't serious about like before.

"Can you blame me?" She was slightly ticked off by the sudden tease, saying that her voice jumped up a few octaves. "I haven't seen you in six years!"

Fujino Shizuru's eyes narrowed, glaring at Natsuki coldly. "Yes, I can." She paused, cushioning her chin and cheek on her palm. "You disappeared from my life. Everyones lives. We mourned for you." Her red eyes seemed to glow in anger. "But you probably didn't care, saying that you just left without a word. I think that's a fair assessment, don't you think Na-tsu-ki?" Her voice no longer carried the loving tone Natuski was used to.

"Shizuru, I-" She tried to explain but was cut off.

"Oh my. That was rude of me…" The snake lover pulled one of her many signature moves, the index finger to her chin in a contemplative manner. "What to do…" She trailed off, her eyes searching around the room for a lost thought. Her eyes caught hold of the clock, staring at the time. 'Its quite late…' "How would Kuga-san feel about staying the night?"

Once again, she surprised the blunette.

"Uh sure." 'I thought she was mad at me? Maybe she'll listen to what I have to say after all…' Her thoughts were interrupted by Shizuru talking to herself in a soft tone.

"I think she's working late tonight…Itd be quite the predicament if she suddenly came home…"

'Who?' "Who are you referring to, Shizuru?" She spoke up, startling the brunette before her, who stopped mid-sip of her tea. A smirk was her answer. Natsuki decided not to pry, the smirk told her to drop it.

End of Chapter 1.

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Omake:

Natsuki: Sh-shizuru, youre scaring me.

Shizuru: Ara if Natsuki is scared of me now, she'll be terrified in Sudd-chan's upcoming stories.

Natsuki: W-why, what are they about?

Shizuru: Oh, murder, rape, and an asylum. Nothing too bad.

Natsuki: -her soul escapes from her mouth-

Shizuru: -snaps a picture-