A/N - 3.19.11 - Did a few revisions to the original, changed the timeline a bit, adjusted the flow (now has 2 chapters), and added an omake (see chapter 3) at the end.

3.25.11 - More revisions and a bit of a tune up. And a big "THANKS" to MadHattess for betaing this fic!

MaiHime characters belong to Sunrise.

(January, Third Year, 10:23am)

After a couple hours attempting to study, Natsuki finally gave up. She pushed the books aside with an irritated grunt and again checked her phone for messages.

'Nothing yet. Damn, hope she's ok.'

She sighed and laid out on the couch, staring listlessly at the ceiling. The meeting was scheduled to start at 10 am. Natsuki wasn't really sure how it all worked – how long were those things supposed to last, anyway? Normally, she'd just ask Shizuru, but in this case she couldn't do that not when it was Shizuru's thing to begin with.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid. Stupid Fujinos and their stupid omiai,' Natsuki growled to herself. 'Damn it, she's not even 20 yet, for fuck's sake! Marrying her off at that age is ridiculous! Besides, it's not like she's interested in boys or anything… and… well…'

She felt her cheeks grow warm as she recalled how Shizuru had told her about the meeting, all of two days ago. The college student had chuckled at Natsuki's sudden tirade against ridiculously unnecessary and out-dated traditions.

"Ara, is Natsuki only bothered by the fact that these traditions are out-dated?" Shizuru had interrupted mischievously. "Or is she, in fact, bothered by something entirely different? Jealousy, perhaps?"

She'd turned red then too, she recalled, and stammered something incoherent and vaguely denial-ish for a while, before the elder woman finally laughed and had given her a reassuring pat on the head. "Natsuki should not worry so," she added, maple eyes twinkling merrily. "Once things are finished, I can help Natsuki study for her next English test, yes? Otherwise, she may not achieve high enough marks to avoid another session with the psychologist. What a tragedy that would be, for both his family and professional collegues…"

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered under her breath, brought back to cold reality by that thought. "I do need to study my English, damn it. Too bad I can't concentrate on books right now." She sighed. 'Well, I guess we can do it the other way.'

Natsuki got up and made her way to the stand in the corner. Shuffling through the various music books to find one she liked, she then picked up the acoustic guitar and made her way back to the living room table. After settling herself comfortably on the floor, she strummed a few chords to limber up her fingers. The strings vibrated, sending pleasant musical sounds into the air.

It was a little odd, but in the process of learning the guitar, while also increasing her scholastic studies, she had discovered something interesting. Or rather, Shizuru had discovered something interesting. It seemed Natsuki learned the English language better with music. Somehow, by going through all the English lyrics and translating them into Japanese, then memorizing them to the music helped Natsuki to set the meanings of those words and phrases into her mind.

Shizuru had immediately dragged the high school student to the nearest music store, and together they browsed through the music books, finding songs in English that she could learn to play on the guitar. And despite her initial aversion to the singing thing (induced mostly out of fear of Mai dragging her to another karaoke session), Natsuki was reluctantly persuaded to give it a try.

To her own surprise, when not unduly stressed by drunken teachers, rowdy classmates, and the threat of ridiculous cosplay outfits, Natsuki could actually carry a tune fairly well a fact she intended to keep a secret. 'Because God help me if Mai ever finds out.'

With a final strum of her warm-up routine, Natsuki flipped the book to a song she liked. Her fingers moved silently across the fret board as she scanned through the notes. It was a familiar song, one she'd practiced before, but a quick review never hurt. After a few minutes reminding her fingers how to move through this particular song, she began to play.

Natsuki started off slowly, at first concentrating on hitting the right notes. The tempo was slow – slower than it should be, but she tried to keep an even beat as her fingers shifted across the fret board. She winced when she missed a note after one particularly difficult transition, but soldiered on despite the mistake.

She soon found the sequence of shifting hand-contortions flowing more naturally, giving her the chance to reflect on the song itself. Natsuki admitted quietly to herself that she'd always liked this song. The melody was slow and seductive. The notes were filled with a sense of indescribable longing, and undying devotion. An underlying air of quiet desperation lingered in the background, hinting that the hoped-for happy ending was not necessarily a foregone conclusion.

The English song had power, had drawn her even before she'd bothered learning the lyrics, let alone translating them into something she could understand. Actually, when she first started translating the song, she'd been so embarrassed that she'd almost thrown the entire book out – but much cajoling from a pouting Shizuru had managed convince her to keep practicing the song. But lately, in the past three weeks or so, she'd been particularly drawn to the song. Especially so. And even she could not pretend she didn't know why. Not anymore.

Not when Shizuru is out there, attending an omiai. 'Not when her family might be taking her away from me.'

She was humming the melody under her breath now, trying to drive the doubts and fears from her mind. She focused on the lyrics in her mind, the words resounding silently through her soul, even as she strummed the strings.

"If he loved you,
Like I love you.
I would walk away in shame…
I'd move town, I'd change my name."

She thought about those words for a moment, and the emotions behind them. No, more than that – she thought about her emotions, her insecurities and fears, which those words seemed to reflect. Rationally, she knew it wasn't likely Shizuru would agree to marry this man. Not only because of the feelings she'd admitted to harboring for the biker, but just on general principles.

"When he watches you,
When he counts to buy your soul
On your hand his golden ring,
Like he owns a bird that sings."

'A loveless marriage? No way, not Shizuru. She's an incurable romantic about stuff like that. She'd never settle for anything less than the real thing.'

Still, the mere possibility made fear shoot through her chest painfully.

"When we dance, angels will run and hide their wings."

Natsuki poured that uncertainty into the music. Her humming became more charged with emotion.

"The priest has said my soul's salvation,
Is in the balance of the angels,
And underneath the wheels of passion,
I keep the faith in my fashion.
When we dance, angels will run and hide their wings"

Humming along wasn't helping anymore. She needed more.

'Screw it,' she thought. 'No one is here anyway.'

She sang. Natsuki's singing voice was not gruff and brusque, like her everyday speaking voice. No, this voice, which only one other had ever heard, was definitely softer, gentler. More feminine. More vulnerable. And filled with emotions she'd never dared express aloud.

"If I could break down these walls
And shout my name at heaven's gate,
I'd take these hands and I'd destroy the dark machineries of fate.
Cathedrals are broken, Heaven's no longer above,
And hellfire's a promise away, I'd still be saying –
I'm still in love… still in love… still in love… still in love…"

The words felt right. They fit the uncertain emotions roiling turbulently within her heart.

"He won't love you,
Like I love you.
He won't care for you this way,
He'll mistreat you if you stay."

"Come and live with me,
We'll have children of our own.
I would love you more than life,
If you'll come and be my wife."

When we dance, angels will run and hide their wings,
When we dance, angels will run and hide their wings,
When we dance, angels will run and hide their wings,
When we dance, angels will run and hide their wings."

Natsuki hit the closing chord and close her eyes, letting the sound quietly fade away into silence. She was so caught up in her emotions, she never noticed the presence behind her. Until, of course, warm arms gently snuck around her neck, and she found herself being embraced lovingly from behind. Green eyes shot open in surprise.

"Shizuru?"

"Ara, I thought Natsuki wasn't feeling jealous at all?"

"W…well… um… anyway, what happened to your omiai?" Natsuki asked, trying to ignore both Shizuru's teasing question and the heat in her own cheeks.

"I declined to attend."

"What? You can do that?" she pulled away a little, shifting the guitar, turning just enough in the older woman's grasp so she could stare incredulously into maple-colored eyes. Eyes that were almost (almost!) uncomfortably close to her own. "Weren't your parents mad?"

Shizuru chuckled at confusion on her companion's face. "While it is not a path looked upon with much favor, it is nonetheless a valid option to choose." Her face stilled, expression growing somber for just a moment. "And yes, they were rather displeased with my choice."

Then she focused on the biker still in her arms, and smiled warmly. "But I am glad I left early. After all, I was able to hear Natsuki sing such a beautiful song. In English, too." Shizuru's eyes softened, and she added almost hesitantly, "Perhaps Natsuki would consider singing it for me again, someday?"

Natsuki saw the flash of uncertainty in Shizuru's eyes, and understood the subtle question wrapped within the simple-seeming request. 'I know her feelings. My feelings… not so much yet. But I know that I don't want to lose her. And I want her – want us – to be happy.'

She gathered her courage and tried to keep her voice steady as she replied.

"Su… sure, Shizuru. I'll sing it for you again," she managed to respond, blushing intensely. She turned her gaze away from her clinging friend, pretending to ignore when the grip around her tightened in response. "How about now?"

"Thank you, Natsuki," Shizuru replied warmly, the barest hint of a quaver in her voice. "I would like that."

With a nervous grin, Natsuki began to play the song from the beginning once more.

A/N - 1.31.11 - MaiHime characters belong to Sunrise. The song lyrics are from "When We Dance" by Sting (1994: A&M Records).

I have great respect for all the fanfiction writers out there. It's not easy to get into the mindset of someone else's characters, someone else's universe, and spin them into a story of your own imaginings. It's something I myself normally fail miserably at, and so normally avoid.

That being said, this little bugger of a scenario managed to sink its teeth into my ass, and has absolutely refused to let go. I literally had no choice but to type it out, just to get it to stop haunting me.

I admit the song choice was perhaps not the BEST fit, IC-wise, for immediately post-series Natsuki, but I figure a year+ of working on her relationship with Shizuru would affect some changes in her gruff outer demeanor. At least in private.

In any case, hopefully someone out there will enjoy this little effort.