Hello all. Thank you all for the positive feedback. I hope you all enjoy this chapter just as much.

I'm in a rather good mood! XD Even though i nearly poked my own eyeballs out when i practising today earlier on my beloved drums.

Oh, listen to Living Room by Tegan and Sara. Kinda suits this fic. Listen to the lyrics carefully mmmkay?

Disclaimer: I do own Mai HiME. Yes. That's right's it's mine, all MINEEEEEEEEE. -Creepy gollum voice- My precious...

Alright fine, i don't own it. -Sobs hyserically-


7am

Wow. That's all I have to say. Wooooow…

When Shizuru's family moved into the house next to ours I noticed that the bedroom across my own was left unoccupied. I thought it was meant to be the guest bedroom or something like that. I had absolutely no idea that two weeks later Shizuru would be moving into that bedroom. Not only is her bedroom in line with my bedroom, but her bathroom too! I guess you could say the whole right side of my house is in line with the left side of her house, while the other side of my house is in line with Mai's house. I remember back in the day when I'd sneak into the guest bedroom late in the night and have long fascinating conversations with her. If you're wondering why I'd go through so much just to talk to Mai when I could just pick up the phone and give her a call, well, it was probably because I was being punished by my mother. She got the impression that I'd be unable to cope without a cell phone for a couple of days. So taking away my phone would be her "punishment" for me.

Ouch.

That's the second time I walked into a wall. Within two minutes. It's a new record for me. Let's see how many bruises I have after I leave the shower. I'm probably more nervous than I think I am. Or I'm just really tired. I'll go with the latter since barely got a wink of sleep last night. The dinner party is today evening. A few more hours and I'll be in Shizuru's home introducing myself to her and her family.

Sigh.

A sweet humming noise coming from the other bathroom woke me up from my daydream. Oh? Could it be that this oh-so-sweet voice belongs to Shizuru? Should I have a look?

I can't.
I mustn't.

W-what if she's showering right now… n-naked?

My body automatically follows the sound coming through the bathroom window. I find myself crouched down under the window, all I have to do now is peak in. One little glance won't hurt, right? No. No. I am not a pervert.

I can't.
I mustn't.
I shouldn't.

I keep telling myself that over and over again until I find myself looking at Shizuru's dad… naked. And scrubbing himself… down there.

Ewww! My eyes! My eyes! My eyes!

The disturbing sight causes me to loose balance, shrieking at the top of my lungs as my backside meets the cold, hard, tiled floor. I wince a little as I cradle my backside, groaning every now and then.
Yeah, I so deserved that. I know that's what you're thinking.
You'd do the same thing if you were in my position! I'm not a pervert. Just curious.

I had better get this shower over and done with. I have a big day ahead of me, I need to make lots of phone calls before I go to the dinner party which will start at 6pm. I got plenty of time to get ready, right?

--

Ok, so I've showered… did a little grooming here and there. Got my clothes sorted out so I know what to wear to the dinner party, now I won't be panicking when the time comes for me to choose something to wear. Believe it or not but I have a hard time choosing what to wear before a special occasion. It drives Dad mad, because I'd spend a good half an hour finding something decent to wear and another half an hour to stick with what I'm wearing.

So what? I'm a little fussy.

It's time to call Mai, Takeda and Reito for a little help. I would call Chie as well but she's got a lot on her hands right now. Her girlfriend just dumped her recently because she thinks Chie was cheating on her. Even though Chie is completely innocent, it's still her fault for how things have turned out. I always told her to stop flirting with all the girls in school, including all the female teachers. Pfft. What a total Muppet.
But ah, I'm not worrying too much over her because I know she'll charm her way back into Aoi's heart again.


3pm

Ring Ring

"Hello? Tokiha Mai speaking"

"Hey Mai"

"Oh Natsuki! Hello, how are you?"

"I-I'm fine thanks. How are you?"

"I'm absolutely ecstatic! I'm practically bouncing off the walls. Are you sure you're fine? You don't sound too great?"

"Yeah. Actually, I'm a little nervous. Tonight I have to go to the dinner party at Shizuru's"

"And… so you called me for help? Am I right?"

"Yes. How d'you know?"

"Well you always call me for help."

"Oh."

"Well then? What is it?"

"You know how I get when I'm really nervous, Mai. Remind me again what to do and don't do."

"Firstly, you have to make yourself comfortable around her. I'm guessing that if you make yourself comfortable around her then you won't do anything silly that your nerves make you do. Secondly, you absolutely have to be yourself around her. I'm one hundred percent sure that she'll love you once you open up and show her your true colours. Everyone loves you the way you are. Your light hearted ways is what makes all the girls and boys swoon over you!"

"Ehhh" I felt myself grinning stupidly. Mai never fails to make me smile (which is a big deal since not many people can make me smile when I'm feeling low). I guess that's one of the reasons why she's my best friend.

"Thirdly, if you two make any physical contact: like if she touches you hand or anything of that sort – do not, I repeat – do not flinch! She'll immediately get the idea that you don't like her. Do you understand? I know it's really hard for you since you flinch even when no one is touching you but you have to TRY if you want her to like you. Okay?"

"Yes maam"

"Good girl. Fourthly, don't you dare stare at the floor when she's talking directly to you. It's damn rude and appears like you don't want to listen to what she wants to say. If you don't want her to dislike you on first impressions then keep eye contact."

"Mou… but Mai. It's a terrible habit. I can't help it! It's not like I do it on purpose. I don't mean to be rude…"

"Ahh kawaii. I can practically hear your pouting face. Ok, yes I know. Everyone knows about your silly habit. Everyone except Shizuru. After a little while – after you've gotten to know her better then you can go back to your old habits. But right now, you want to leave a good first impression on her and the best way to do that is to follow my five fantastic tips!"

"Ok. The fifth tip?"

"Oh yes. Fifthly, if by any chance you are caught blushing. Let her see it! Don't hide it ok? A blushing Natsuki should bring the ever-so-graceful Shizuru to her knee's!

"Ma-Mai?"

"Whaaaaaaat? Girls love that - you know it."

"W-whatever. Thanks Mai, for the advice."

"You're welcome. Hey Natsuki…"

"Yeah? Are you… you know…?"

"Yeah."

"That's great. It's good to see you finally moving on."

"Yeah. I know. What have I got to loose this time?"

"That's a good approach to it. Make sure you take her up before someone else does. Did you know 5 guys and 3 girls asked her out already?"

"REALLY?"

"Yes. And according to Chie, she refused all 8 of them."

"Mai. That has really put me off now."

"No. No you won't. You have to give it a try. I'm going to help you along the way, whether or not you want my help."

"...Uh thanks."

--

"Yea-llo?"

"Takeda? Hey. It's me Natsuki.

"Na-chan! What's up?"

"Nothing much. Hey I wanted to ask you a strange question."

"Ask away!"

"How do you avoid awkward silences in a conversation?"

"…Saaaaaay. Na-chan, are you going on a DATE?" I could hear the bastard sniggering at me. He is lucky we are having this conversation over the phone. If he was within my range right now I would twist his huge ears off."

"S-shut up! It's not a date. I'm going to a dinner party hosted by Shizuru's family tonight! Just answer my god-damn-question!"

"Aha. Ohhh. Have I hit a nerve?"

"Grrrrrrrr."

"Ok, ok. Calm down tiger. I don't really know how to answer your question because I guess it comes to me and most people naturally. Keeping a conversation running smoothly isn't rocket science Na-chan. If a conversation suddenly comes to an end, start up another one by asking a interesting question. Questions such as 'what's your favourite colour?' or 'what do you do as a living?' are really boring questions. Most people hate their jobs, so asking them about their job is a really bad idea. Ask questions like 'Oh how lovely. I noticed you have an impressive manga collection, what are your favourites?' those kind of personal questions are great because they'll start talking about themselves and at the same time they'll enjoy having a nice little chat with you. Also those questions lead to other questions – so you'll never be left with any awkward silences."

"Ah. This is too much for me."

"Nah. You'll be fine. You never have a problem talking to new people. Last time I checked you got along really well with other people and could adapt easily to people. Hey another really useful tip is laugh heartily at their jokes. It makes them feel good. And always keep guiding the conversation back to them. Let them talk about themselves, people like that."

"Thanks, Takeda. Thanks a lot."

"No-problemo! Hey… Na-chan. About Shizuru… are you going to…?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"Well you better snatch her up real quick. I have my fingers crossed for you!"

--

"Hello Natsuki-chan. How may I help you?"

"Reito. I have to go to a dinner party tonight. One that Shizuru's family are hosting. Help me?" I tried my best to keep the panicking tone out of my voice.

"Relax Natsuki. You have nothing to worry about. You'll get along with their family fine. They are a really welcoming family. Mr and Mrs Viola are lovely people!"

"Huh? Have you met the family already?"

"Yes. Ages ago. So I know what they are like. Trust me, they are a sweet bunch."

"Oh. Ok. I should get going now. Bye Reito. And by the way are you still up for tomorrow?"

"Yes. I'll be there if you're still up for it. Good luck."

--

Shitcrapfuck.

I'm not happy with what I'm wearing. I should have bloody got a second opinion on what I was wearing. I should have bloody asked Mai for help. Now she's gone out with Mikoto (her girlfriend) calling her now would disturb her time with Mikoto.
Poor girl, her parents have forbidden her from seeing Mikoto. She's crazy in love with her, so so deeply in love that she can't help but sneak out every weekend to go and see he treasured one. It's rare to see such a beautiful relationship between two people. Unlike Mai's parents I can see Mai melts a little inside every time someone mentions Mikoto's name, I can hear Mai's voice cracking up every time she defends Mikoto and most of all I can feel her tears soaking my shirt every time she breaks down from struggling to keep her emotions bottled up.

Every weekend when she'd sneak out I'd cover for her. I'd put my life on the line for her. Because that's what friends do. Then she'd come back late in the night and always remember give me a call, she'd tell me in detail what they did together and she'd be so happy that she spent time with Mikoto that she would forget that she was mad at her parents.
You see her parents are trying to set her up with Tate, this guy in school. I don't really know who he is but I know for sure that Mai does NOT like him. They don't understand how forcing someone to love another will make them feel exactly the opposite way for the other person. I vaguely remember there was a time Mai generally liked Tate, until her parents started to force her onto him.

Ah. Well, what can I say? Ain't life a bitch?


6pm

Damn it. I don't feel like I'm dressed properly. I look far too casual for a dinner party, wearing black jeans, a white shirt with a black trench coat thrown on. I certainly don't look like I'm about to go to a dinner party. Am I making too big of a deal over this? My parents are fussing over my hair. Mum says my hair looks messy, whereas dad is giving me the thumbs up and is telling me I look "super-cool". I don't get it, why are they treating me like I'm about to go out on a date.

Suddenly Shizuru's father opens up his door, my parents are no longer making a fuss of my hair and the image of him naked in the shower flashes past my eyes. Gah, I'll never be able to forget that image of him in the shower.

"Hello! Come in, come in!"

I silently follow my parents into the Viola's home. It was strange, their home had the exact structure as ours but had a more welcoming vibe to it and they were meant to be the new neighbours. Out of nowhere Shizuru's father suddenly pulled me into a big bear hug, ruffling my hair. What was he doing? My hair was messy as it is.

"So glad to meet you, Natsuki-chan"

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Viola-sama"

"Aha, so polite! Please call me Kakeru! Or just dad." Jesus crap. What the hell?

"Ohhh-kay. Kakeru-sama." I smiled politely.

"Come meet my family"

I followed Shizuru's father into his living room with my parents. There seated on one of the chairs was Shizuru's mother - A woman with sandy blond hair and shocking blue eyes. It appears to me that Shizuru inherited her mother's gorgeous hair and her father's stunning red eyes. Unlike Shizuru, I look nothing like my dad, I'm the spitting image of my mum. The only thing that I inherited from my dad was his clumsiness.

"Hello Natsuki. Welcome to our home."

"Hello, Mrs Viola. It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for inviting me to your home, it's very beautiful."

"Ara, Natsuki is so cute. Please just call me Kaori"

"Okay Kaori-sama"

--

We were all seated in the living room, talking about motorbikes when Shizuru strode into the room. I froze midway through my sentence, a giant lump forming in my throat, getting bigger with each step Shizuru took closer to me. I stood up immediately, brushing off the imaginary dust on my jeans. She had her hands clasped together behind her back, a small mischievous smile pulling at the corners off her soft pink lips. And her eyes… have I ever mentioned that she has the most dazzling eyes ever? A quick glance at her could stop anyone in their tracks. As she continued making her way to me I observed what she was wearing, a simple white shirt with a blood red skirt matching her eyes. Simple attire yet she looked so striking.

So.

Hot.

And then she stopped moving all of a sudden. By now I had realised that she was exactly a foot away from me, seeing her up close was like seeing a beautiful ornament in a whole new light. Remembering what Mai said to me earlier, I looked straight at Shizuru without breaking my gaze and mustered up the best smile I could which turned out to be a little lopsided (or a little crooked as Mai likes to described it).

"Hi, Natsuki. Sorry for my rude and late arrival. I was busy freshening myself up for today's visitors. It's nice to finally meet the Natsuki Kuga, I've heard so much about you."
Am I just dreaming or did she just wink at me? Is it just a figment of my mucked up mind?

"N-no. That's ok. You don't need to be sorry. It's a pleasure to meet you Shizuru-san. I hope you haven't heard anything too bad about me." I finished chuckling lightly.

"Ara, you can call me just Shizuru. Don't worry about it, I heard interesting things about you... to say the least. "

"Ok Shizuru."

--

The rest of the evening went well. Ever since Shizuru entered the living room I had turned considerable quiet. Hopefully no one noticed. The meal wasn't so bad. There was a little bit of light teasing here and there. It was nothing bad enough to traumatise me for life. Occasionally Shizuru would catch me watching her intently and smiled (seductively?) at me. This made things worse for me because at the time I was chewing on a large piece of meat when she decided to lick her lips seductively at me. I ended up coughing and spluttering whilst Mr Viola smacked me on my back almost crippling my spine.

--

8pm

By now we were all seated back in the living room, our parents were talking about Shizuru's father's job while me and Shizuru were in one corner getting to know each other better. Turns out Shizuru is quite a trouble maker, a mischievous girl. I never had her pegged as that. I always thought Shizuru was a goody-two-shoes. Heh.

Shizuru suddenly stood up, and pulled me up along with her.

"Huh?"

"Come, let me show Natsuki my bedroom."

I nodded shyly and followed her to her room. We finally made it to her bedroom. It felt like I had been climbing the stairs for half a centaury. My first thoughts of Shizuru's bedroom were that she had a very clean room. It was almost as if no one was living here, that's how tidy it was. As I looked around her room I could virtually taste her scent (A mixture of lavender and something else I couldn't quite put my finger on). Mmm. She sure does smell good. I noticed she had many picture frames scattered all over her dressing table. In all the frames there was Shizuru holding someone, all except one where she was being kissed by twins. It was kinda cute to look at. Each twin was kissing one of her cheeks.

What stood out most was that in all the pictures she seemed to be clinging onto the other people.

Why though?

Her bedroom was the complete opposite of my own. Her room had a light airy atmosphere whereas my bedroom was dark and stuffy. Shizuru's room didn't have any clothes, books or any sharp objects scattered all over the floor, unlike my bedroom which was a landfill site.

I wasn't surprised when I noticed that I could see my bedroom from here. I thank Kami-sama that I keep my window closed and curtains pulled ninety percent of the time. I think if anyone saw my bedroom they'd be disturbed for life. The only times I thought it was safe to leave my windows open and my curtains pulled back was in the middle of the night when I'm sleeping. Who'd want to look into my bedroom in the middle of the night?

"What does Natsuki think?"

"Me – I – you – I mean your bedroom is exquisite." Exquisite? What the crap? Serious. When did I ever start talking like Reito?

Shizuru giggled a little (at my face?). Her radiant smile was contagious, I found myself scratching the back of my head in a clueless manner, while grinning at Shizuru like a real goof.

"Ara, I'm glad Natsuki likes my bedroom. Why don't you take a seat here?" She pointed at the empty spot on her bed. I cautiously moved over to her bed and sat myself down furthest away from her at the foot of the bed. I noticed her smooth endless legs, no, I'm not a pervert. It was hard not to notice her legs when her skirt was dangerously hitched up high. Any small movement could mean her panties would be exposed to me. Without a word I edged my way closer to her, until there wasn't much space between us two. Subsequently Shizuru slid herself even closer to my body, closing the small gap between us. Her hands were slightly touching my own, her knee's bumping into my legs every now and then. My head was spinning whilst my heart was thumping rapidly in my chest, and the fact that her hands and legs touching my own wasn't exactly helping my state of mind.

By now I couldn't lift my gaze of her legs anymore. I had the sudden desire to run my hands along her smooth calf and stroke her thighs.

"Natsuki"

Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts, head jerked around so fast that my nose met her forehead. I was not expecting her head to be already turned towards myself, if I were then this would not have happened. And I most certainly was not expecting it to hurt this bad.
You know how it feels like when someone lands their fist on your nose, isn't horribly painful. Isn't it? My eyes began to automatically water.

"Ittaaaai…"

"Ah! I'm so sorry Natsuki!"

"Nnngh. It's ok. Just give me a few minutes to recover."

"Let me have a look! Ara? Is your nose bleeding? Oh no! Look at what I've started. I'm so sorry Natsuki."

"No! No, it's not your fault!" I wasn't lying when I said that. It really wasn't her fault my nose was smarting. The accident was not her fault at all, it was my own fault for being so jumpy. However it WAS her fault why I had a nose bleed. She knew perfectly well that her knickers would be exposed if she moved her legs up a little, since her skirt was already hitched up when she sat down on her bed.

"Hold on a second Natsuki. Let me get you something for your nose."

She left and returned with a wad of tissue smiling guiltily. Woah… is it just my imagination or weren't the top 3 buttons of her shirt buttoned up a few moments ago?

The thoughts flew out of my head the moment she began to dab away the blood that was spilling out of my nose and dripping down my chin.

"Nnngh-Sh-Shizuru"

"Hmm." Her eyes didn't leave my nose, good thing she didn't because my eyes were focused on her chest.

"Who are all those people in all those photographs?" I didn't know if she was even paying any attention to what I was saying. I was taken aback when she abruptly stopped nursing my nose and looked away from me. It was clear to me then that I had brought up a sensitive matter.

"Actually. Never mind. You don't have to tell me." She looked back up at me slightly alarmed but then her facial expression changed to one showing gratitude.

"They are all old friends. From different parts of the country."

"Oh jeez, you're popular."

"No, not really."

"Huh?"

"The only reason why I know so many people from all different parts of the country is because I lived in all those different parts of those country. Due to my father's job me and my family have to keep moving homes ever few years. We are constantly torn away from our close friends and forced to start up our lives all over again."

Ohhh. Shizuru refused to go out with out those people from school because she didn't want to get too close to anyone. She'd have to move away again sooner or later and she'd have to break it up with whoever she was dating. Which (I can imagine) is a painful experience.

"So you don't get too close to anyone. You stop yourself from becoming emotionally attached to anyone so when the time comes for you to leave again – it'd be less painful for you and the other person. I understand now."

"Please, don't think ill of me. It's a selfish thing to do, I know."

"What? No! It's good you do that. You're not just thinking about yourself, the way I see it is that you are looking out for your friend's as well. It's a selfless thing, you're not selfish at all. I think it's wise not getting too close to anyone. I can't imagine how much pain you go through having to say goodbye all the time." Oh god. What am I saying. I'm practically telling her not to get more than friendly with me. Any dreams or hopes of being together with Shizuru were all shattered.

"Thank you Natsuki. Thank you so much for being so understanding."

"Ahh. It's nothing. I've done nothing. You have nothing to thank me for."

I had been expecting Shizuru to smile at me or something of that sort, I was not expecting her to do what she did next. Which was leaning onto my body and giving me a hug. I melted a little into the hug, holding her around the waist while her arms wrapped themselves around my neck.

At that moment our parents suddenly waltzed into Shizuru's bedroom. Stunning us both. I had temporarily lost my brain.

It's. Not. What. It. Looks. Like.


10pm

It was time to leave now. We were all saying our goodbyes, when Shizuru wrapped her arms around me in another embrace, I almost didn't notice her slip something into the back pocket of my jeans. Breaking off the hug she smiled at me, handing me back my black trench coat.

"Goodbye Natsuki."

And with that I left her house feeling more miserable than ever. There she was: Shizuru Viola, the perfect girl right in front of my eyes yet to far away. I could never have her. She's off limits.

If only she didn't have such a hectic lifestyle. If only her father didn't have such a demanding job. If only Shizuru Viola was mine.

If she couldn't get emotionally attached to anyone, then why was she doing this to me?

I took out the note in my back pocket and read it:

Call me sometime. I had a nice time talking to you.

It's not often someone like you enters my life.

Shizuru

3am

Ring Ring

"Mmmfgh-hello?"

"Hey Natsuki! I hope I didn't wake you up?"

"What. Do. You. Want. At. This. Hour?"

"Oh nothing really. Just wanted to talk. You free to talk?"

"Meh. Whatever. Yeah. How was your day out with Mikoto?"

"I had the most amazing experience in my life! You won't believe it Natsuki! Guess what!"

"What?"

"Guess"

"What?"

"Oh you're so cranky tonight. You're meant to guess."

"I give up."

"You didn't even guess."

"I did too."

"Did not!"

"Oh just spit it out."

"Ok. Mikoto has grown SO much over the past few months!"

"…So?"

"What? Isn't it shocking?! She's taller than me by at least a good few inches!"

"WHAT? That scrawny feral-cat-girl is taller than you? Are you kidding me?"

"No! Isn't it great! Oh my god you should see what she looks like now. So sexy. The moment I saw her I had to stop myself from jumping her there and then."

"Oh wow. I still can't get my head around it... So how is Mikoto?"

"She's ok I suppose. She lost a lot of weight over the past few months too. Something has been bothering her. I spent half my time with her today feeding her. She's turned too thin."

"So what did you guys do other than eat?"

"Well Mikoto took me out to lunch. She set up a picnic for me. Oh Natsuki, it was so romantic. After we ate she took me for a walk through this amazing forest, did you know she gets along with almost all the animals in the forest! After our walk I noticed that her belly was rumbling" Mai started giggling like a love sick fool. "Anyways so she took me back to her home and I cooked her dinner. Then when we were done I was rummaging for some drinks, guess what I found instead? A can of whipped cream. You can just about imagine what I did with the cream then." Mai started giggling again uncontrollably.

"Too much information Mai. I didn't need to know that."

"Oh you know I'm just teasing you Natsuki."

"So you guys never did anything with the whipped cream?"

"No, we did. Boy, did I have fun. Hehe. Sorry Natsuki. I'll stop now."

"Good."

"So how was things in the dinner party?"

"Okay I guess. Shizuru refused to go out with all those people before because she didn't want to get too emotionally attached to them. Did you know her father has a job that keeps moving their family around the country. So every time she leaves she hurts herself as well as people around her."

"Then that means you have no chance with her."

"Exactly."

"Oh Natsuki. Well I suppose it's good of her to think about the others around her but… I feel sorry for all those people that have fallen head over heels for her. Hey Natsuki…?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah? Nip it in the bud. Give up before I start falling even harder for her."

"What? NO! I was thinking more like make the most of your time with her. Take her out. Do what normal couples do. Then when the time comes for her to leave, you'll have fond memories of her and most of all you won't regret not kissing her or holding her like you did."

"No. I can't so that to her. She's suffered enough."

"She'll suffer even more when she realises that she has no one to love and no one to love her. Do her a favour Natsuki."

"…I can't Mai."

"You can. Remember what I said. I will help you win her over. I know why don't you bring her along tomorrow when the gang goes out shopping?"

"I –uh"

"Just do it!


Sorry if my fic seems a little angsty here. I promise you all that it's a happy-happy fic. :D

Please leave a review. It helps me when I'm updating my story.

I'm working on a NatNao fic now. My girlfriend finished watching Mai Hime and she's totally fallen in love with them two. So she's pestering me now to write a a fic on them two.

OMAKE:

Mai: Whipped cream? o.O Hmm? Ooooh saucy.
Mikoto: What did we do with the whipped cream? Eat it?
Nao: (Rolls around on the floor laughing) You could say that. Right Mai?
Mai: (Blushing furiously)
Bluey: Nao! I have whipped cream and hot chocolate sauce! How about it? (Winks suggestively)
Nao: Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Bluey?
Bluey: YES! Lets cook a cake and eat it with whipped cream and hot chocolate sauce.
Nao: Oh hells yeah!

Oh and BTW there is a poll on my page. Go vote now! ;) :P