author's note: You know, it's a lot easier to get chapters out more quickly when one isn't distracted by summer. As I'm distracted... this is also only halfheartedly edited! Yayy! (Sorry, sarcastic streak. You know how it is.)

How May I Assist You?

good looks will get you everywhere

"Oh, come on, Natsuki. You can't be mad at me forever. Besides, you still got the job, didn't you?"

A muffled "nn" from a nearby fitting room was her only confirmation.

"Tell me how it went again! I still can't get over it." Mai paused, flapping open a previously folded pair of pants to gaze at them thoughtfully. "I mean, one of my cousins happens to work there… and his interview took a whole, full hour! That's not including the paper work. Even then, they wouldn't tell him right away if he got the job." She swished the pants around, glancing at its other side. "They kept him waiting for three whole weeks. Here, try on this pair."

The door slipped open, a single hand darting out to snatch the pair of pants before retreating back into the room's depths, the door slamming shut once more.

"I'd say you're pretty lucky, Kuga-san," Mai continued as she ignored Natsuki's refusal to reply, her voice taking on a sly tone. "Lucky in work, or lucky enough to be born with good looks."

"Oi! Fujino-sama said that she had had a long day! She just let her fatigue do the talking!"

Her fatigue or her hormones, hn? A wicked grin formed on the orange-haired girl's face before she plucked up several collared button-up shirts, throwing them and their hangers over the door into the fitting room occupied by her friend. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Natsuki. And, by the way… aren't you supposed to call her Shizuru now?"

The clattering of hangers and thump of clothes hitting the floor was enough to startle a chuckle out of Mai. It wasn't long until Natsuki, supposedly having recovered, shouted back a reply given in a tone that clearly indicated her irritated state:

"What's it to you?! It's probably just some business technique meant to get people comfortable so they work harder or some crap. I don't know, and I don't care. Oi, get away from the door."

Just as Mai scrambled away from the well-locked room, the door swung open, revealing a fully transformed Natsuki Kuga. The short-haired girl couldn't resist, letting loose a long wolf whistle that was enough to deepen the already dark scowl covering Natsuki's face. She motioned frantically with one hand, indicating to the blunette that she should turn slowly, which she did (very grudgingly, Mai noted). Having seen the entire outfit from a full three-hundred and sixty degrees, Mai rooted her hands on her hips, a firm and definitive nod signaling her satisfaction.

"Very good, Natsuki," she said, as if she were speaking to an unruly teenager. "We have found you six acceptable outfits to officially mark the beginning of your professional wardrobe."

Ten minutes later they were at the register, a groaning Natsuki allowing her slumped head to rest in her crossed arms on the counter. Mai, unnerved, handed her credit card to the puzzled sales associate with a smile and an explanation:

"She normally only spends her money on mayonnaise and motorcycle equipment. Natsuki, wake up! Remember this total so you can pay me back later when you're rich!"

--

At 6AM the next morning, Shizuru slowly sat up from her bed, a long, cat-like stretch dragging from the very tips of her fingers to her toes. It was accompanied by a yawn which was then followed with a relieved sigh, crimson eyes half-lidded as the fatigued yet sated woman glided from her luxurious master bedroom towards the marble-tiled bathroom. Her home was a quiet and secluded one, located far enough from the heart of the city to avoid its boisterous noise but close enough to avoid being too detrimental to her time spent in a car on a daily basis. She loved every inch of it – every well-cared for plant, well-polished marble, well-folded Egyptian cotton sheets – and it was rare for her to feel little to no regret at leaving it for the cold firmness of the Fujino office in the mornings.

Evidently, this morning was one of those rare mornings, one where she felt a sort of excitement with each minute's approach to the beginning of her work day. At first, she was tiredly puzzled at the growing sense of anticipation that crouched at the back of her mind. The reason behind it didn't come to her until nearly a full two hours later, as she stepped into the back seat of her chauffeur's black Jaguar, one hand already wrapped around a warm cup of Jasmine tea.

Ah, yes… Natsuki.

As the outside world whipped past Shizuru's window, turning the sight into a multicolored blur, the faintest hint of a smile quivered at the corner of her lips. With her arm wrapped across her midsection and the other using its brethren as a form of an arm rest (the hand still clutching the tea), she let her head drift back against the leather seat.

I am not sure what it is about you, but I do believe that I am quite intrigued. Though their time together had been brutally short, the image of the dark-haired girl had implanted itself firmly in her thoughts. Perhaps it was the outfit, so different and daring than those that had stood in her presence, or possibly the way she stood, stiff and tension-ridden, shoulders looking like they'd been trained to replace Atlas' own for the next century. Or maybe the long hair that begged to be played with by an inquisitive soul, or the slender athleticism of her figure, or even the contour of each tendon in her hands, lithe, but strong—

Ara, I am getting ahead of myself, thought the Fujino executive as she chuckled into the edge of her cup. But, if I must be honest, I suppose…

it is the eyes that are the most striking.

Shizuru couldn't deny the unanticipated feeling of mischief and delight that had sprung up in her chest at the girl's reactions to her very miniscule verbal prodding during the interview. However, it had been the eyes, the flashing, deep, beckoning emerald hue, that had led to her pursuing her directionless game from the start, and that had resulted in the applicant's portrait being hung within the recesses of her mind. A small sigh, more thoughtful in nature than anything else, slipped from between her lips. If she wasn't careful, she could see herself becoming rather occupied with her young assistant.

The car came to a stop. As Shizuru straightened in her seat, fingertips going to brush carefully at a straying strand of hair, a flicker of movement – accompanied by a loud roar – set off from the very edge of her sight. The crimson eyes slid over smoothly, one eyebrow rising delicately upon recognizing the latest arrival to the company's employee parking lot.

I suppose it will be safe to keep Natsuki in my thoughts for now, as she appears to be quite impossible to ignore.

--

It had taken hell, but Natsuki had managed to arrive to work ten minutes before eight. She had to admit that the fact that she could relax for ten minutes (rather than spend that same amount of time weaving through screaming drivers, burning through aged yellow lights and hauling ass past red ones) was – surprisingly – nice. Sadly enough, that warm sense of relief and ease, feeling like a virtual torrent of spa-water rushing through her veins, only lasted several seconds. Unfortunately for Natsuki, Shizuru-san was just as difficult to forget as Natsuki was to her employer.

It's got to be some office tactic, she tried to convince herself, the force she used to yank off her helmet betraying the lack of confidence that she held towards her own thoughts. Really, it's got to be. Automatically, she slipped her leg up, over and off her bike, letting the helmet go to hang off of one of the handlebars as she bent to rummage through her backpack for her company keycard, the one thing that would allow her to bypass the annoying security guard at the front desk.

I mean, what other reason does she have to want to go on a first name basis? A scowl slowly rose to invade Natsuki's expression. Does that mean I have to let her address me just as casually?... shit! Well, she already did, but… damn! Why can't anyone act normal in this city anymore?!

Unbeknownst to the remarkably focused and crouching biker, a shadow had eclipsed over her own, betraying the presence of another. The appearance continued to go unnoticed, Natsuki having finally resorted to muttering dark and vivid curses under her breath as she shuffled through her pack's contents… until an unexpected warmth brushed itself, ever so softly, against her back – and directly against her right arm.

Natsuki froze.

Wide-eyed, the girl watched as slender fingertips reached forward and around her, deftly plucking up a single metal-laced card from the Armageddon-like abyss that she called her backpack. The other hand (that did not belong to the young biker but rather, the visitor at her back) had placed a careful palm against Natsuki's left arm, just enough to maintain a sense of balance. Even as the card was offered to the girl held within the warm halfwaynearlyalmost-embrace, she remained unmoving. Several more seconds passed, until, finally, the unblinking Natsuki registered just what was taking place.

She lunged – face-first – forward, towards the freedom of unoccupied asphalt.

Shizuru moved her outstretched arm out of the way just in time to avoid being snagged by Natsuki's haphazard escape plan, her unoccupied hand rising to cover the soft laugh that nearly spilled from her lips. She stayed crouched where she was, the card-holding arm going to wrap itself around her midsection in her token "Shizuru stance" while the other turned its palm upwards, the Fujino's chin having moved to rest atop of it.

"Ara," she spoke in smooth Kyoto-ben, "If Natsuki was so eager for work to begin, why did she not leap towards the door rather than the pavement?"

The girl in question scrambled up from her place on the parking lot's surface, spraying forth a mixture of dirt, leaves and rogue bits of her backpack's contents in her panic. As she bent to hurriedly retrieve the various stray objects – house keys, paper clips, a cell charger-… good God, a tampon! – she whipped her head about, shooting a murderous glare over her left shoulder. She'd be damned if she let anyone, even her boss, get away with such an intrusive act without being punished by the trademark "Kuga death glare"!

The "Kuga death glare," a look that often was more than enough to disable even the most ferocious of beasts, appeared to have the opposite affect than what its owner intended. Rather than being frightened to tears or spurned into fleeing, the Fujino's eyes just seemed to glow brighter.

An hour later, after the excitement had died down, Natsuki would wonder: …since when have I ever considered a person's eyes to be glowing?

"Oi, Fuji-… ah, Shizuru-…san. You-…"

"Shizuru," the woman corrected, all too patiently.

Natsuki felt her glare erode into nothing other than a heated (and slightly agitated) blush. "...Shizuru. You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

"But Natsuki is so cute when she is flustered!" the suit-clad woman replied, delighting in the look of utter horror that dawned on the biker's face at the use of the word cute. "Ara, how can I resist further provoking such an adorable sight?"

"SHIZURU!"

A quirk pulled – hard – at Shizuru's lips once more, and suddenly it became twenty times more difficult for her to conceal her glee. The motorcyclist had turned cherry red within a mere second and looked as if she was literally about to pop.

"Just-… you-… gah!" The younger woman huffed loudly, one arm swinging rapidly down to snatch her backpack while the other jerked the motorcycle helmet off the bars of her bike. "It's getting late! Let's get to work!"

With those very unNatsuki-like words having been flung to the air, the girl stormed off towards the entrance to Fujino Corp.

"So flustered…" Shizuru hummed lowly to herself, body gracefully straightening as she stood before she turned to walk leisurely after her steaming companion, already far ahead. "…so flustered, that Natsuki seems to have forgotten her key."

A distant cry of "SHIT!" was heard echoing in the distance, followed by the sound of infuriated fists pounding on steel. All the while, Shizuru kept to her sauntering pace, the ghost of a smile still dancing over the Fujino executive's lips.

Absolutely adorable.

--

It wasn't until fifteen minutes later that Natsuki's first day orientation began, a process that had to wait until the biker had hunted down the employee locker room, changed (into black slacks, a black button up shirt – with the end left untucked – and, much to her chagrin, a sleek pair of heels), made her long hair appear at least remotely presentable and, finally, found her way back to the elevator that took her to Shizuru's top story office. She felt like she was entering it for the first time all over again, though instead of irritation and nervousness being attributed to her tardiness, it was focused on her employer's smooth move. Tension enclosed her like a tight-fitting glove. As she strode from the polished elevator doors, step darkly purposeful and expression a mixture of forced solemnity and determination, she couldn't help but flash back to a vision of Shizuru's face with its subtle tinge of mischief hiding behind red eyes. Actually, perhaps it wasn't a flash back at all… as Shizuru walked out of her own office, her face seemed to take on a look nearly identical to the one from the parking lot. Well, at the very least, it was very similar…

…similar if you considered her elevator eyes to be the rough equivalent of whatever the "find the key card in Natsuki's bag!" fiasco was.

"O-oi!" the girl stuttered, startled out of her 'big fat serious face' by the clear one-over that her boss was giving her. "My face is up here!"

Rather than reply right away, Shizuru instead lifted her previously lowered gaze to lock eyes with Natsuki, her lips crooking with a tiny shadow of a smile as she watched the younger girl begin to fidget uncomfortably.

"Of course, I could never forget Natsuki's face," she cooed, coaxing yet another blistering red blush out of the biker. "Much like a rose blossoming with how often it changes hues."

"SHI—"

"Ara, I am amiss in my duties. I apologize."

Shizuru beckoned the girl forward, seemingly wiping her expression of its playful mirth. With a huff, the blunette stepped (stomped) towards the desk, taking a reluctant seat in the chair that the older girl motioned to gracefully with a hand. Her shoulders locked in place, expecting the woman at her back to take advantage of her physical vulnerability at any second… but rather than prey upon the suspicious Natsuki, Shizuru innocently began her tutorial instead.

"You will likely alternate most frequently between Excel and Microsoft Word when on the computer, all easily accessible from the desk top," she started, one hand resting on the cool leather on the upper back of Natsuki's seat. "Beyond that, all of the files required for contracts, contacts and future projects are kept in a separate office, one floor down. The file cabinets you have in these lower two drawers are used most frequently as an index to the more extensive filing room downstairs as well as storing away information for projects on which we are most focused."

At Shizuru's slight pause in her speech, Natsuki nodded, though her mind was spinning with the information given combined with her sudden sense of claustrophobicness due to the Fujino's close proximity.

"We also have an online database for our employees. You will be given the key code to that momentarily along with a login name. Within 48 hours you will need to use that key code and login name to log into the system and change the default code to your own personal identification number. This same login name will be used for your time clock and to track your movements through the company system. Lastly, it will be utilized when you need to gain access to and take from our filing room."

Noticing Natsuki's blank stare, Shizuru shrugged her shoulders slightly. "We have had issues regarding… conflicting interests with some of our employees."

The tutorial continued on for several more minutes, Shizuru stopping frequently to ask her newest employee if she still followed. By the time the honey-haired girl had completed her instructional introduction, Natsuki was fully overwhelmed and Shizuru, amused, felt the need to reassure the pup.

"If you have any trouble, we have a full booklet – both a hard copy and digital one – that will guide you. If that is not enough, I am always available."

Natsuki, mortified at the thought of popping her head into the office of one of the wealthiest women in the city just to ask "hey, I can't seem to locate the spam filter, if we even have one, because if we do it needs to be fixed, because pictures of naked girls keep popping up on my screen" (naturally, the girl jumped to the worst possible scenario), could only shake her head dumbly, the odd combination between a nod and a "no" making the motion look far more complex than it needed to be.

There was yet another pause before the Kyoto-ben-accented woman spoke.

"Natsuki ought to not worry. I will take care of her the best I can."

Her reply was an outraged sputter. "I-I can take care of myself!"

"Ara, but of course," and with that Shizuru lightly patted the girl on the head, coaxing yet another muttered curse and flinch from the blunette. Let us start things simply, she thought to herself, knowing better than to speak her strategy aloud. "If Natsuki would be so kind as to perhaps brew us some tea, I would be ever grateful."

Well, that's easy enough… The past offense was abruptly forgotten as Natsuki inwardly delighted at her first task being an easy one. She stood from her seat, striding determinedly towards the elevator. It wasn't until she stopped in front of the slick doors, finger extending to hit one of the obtruding buttons, that a soft and polite call stopped her in her tracks.

"Natsuki."

Her eyebrow twitching, Natsuki turned, hard green eyes alighting upon the clearly entertained girl that held a careful hand over her lips, masking her delight in its entirety.

"…yes?"

"The tea room is my office."

Natsuki was displeased.

--

The rest of the day progressed much the same as the beginning, the greatest change of pace being Natsuki's yelp that accompanied her poor attempt to brew tea early on. From that point, Shizuru inwardly decided that Natsuki was no longer allowed to approach hot water nor tea pots in any shape or form, and that Natsuki was – for some reason or another – incapable of changing her own bandages.

By the end of Natsuki's first day at work, her neck's tendons felt like they were going to snap from the strain of what felt like an infinite amount of tension. If Shizuru's light teasing wasn't enough to drive Kuga to insanity, the Fujino's insistence on handling and re-bandaging Natsuki's minor burn on her fingers certainly was. At 8PM sharp, Natsuki - relieved at the thought of blush-free freedom - flung herself into the nearest bathroom, changing from her evidently "alluring" outfit into something far more comfortable. With the hint of a sigh spilling from her lips, she exited the bathroom and headed to the elevator, prepared to begin the journey down to the ground floor.

I took around ten minutes in there. Shizuru probably left already… Lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed, she let her intent stare hit the slowly opening doors of the elevator. If I'm lucky—

"How kind of Natsuki, to wait for me before exiting the building," the voice began in smooth Kyoto-ben. Natsuki flinched as the sound of heels clicking on marble tile stopped right behind her, her stare at the too-slow elevator doors becoming a glare as she felt her employer's gaze settle firmly onto the back of her head. "I suppose I ought to not worry about walking out alone," she spoke with a soft chuckle, trailing languidly behind the blue-haired girl as Natsuki stiffly walked into the elevator. "Not with Natsuki here to take care of me."

Natsuki tripped.

Shizuru's free hand whipped out, catching Natsuki around the wrist inches before the biker's face met steel. Her cheeks flashed a variety of colors – alternating from a deathly pale, due to the steel wall's close proximity, before burning red, thanks to Shizuru's tight and surprisingly strong grasp on her limb – and, after taking several seconds to continue to hang in shock, weight being supported by the tea drinker's seemingly easy hold, she stumbled free from the saving grab, forcing herself to straighten and wipe disdainfully at her leathers. She kept her head down and eyes to the floor, refusing to make eye contact with the woman she was forced to grumble a low "Thanks" to.

As the traitorous elevator's doors began to slide close, Natsuki continued to squirm in the silence, feeling the red in her cheeks slowly diminish after her clumsy act went without having been commented on. She counted the dings of the elevator as they passed floor after floor, legs itching to escape without a Fujino tease.

At the tenth floor, she slowly lifted her eyes, throwing a quick look to Shizuru before snapping it back down again. The business-suit clad woman stood there placidly, both hands wrapped around the handle of her briefcase, seemingly unaware of Natsuki's earlier near-tumble as she let crimson eyes rest upon the blinking numbers above the doors.

On floor seven, Natsuki cleared her throat with a small cough and a shuffle of her feet, eyes slipping to the side to look at her companion once more. Shizuru remained unmoving, her expression just as composed as before as she continued to watch the blinking numbers drop even lower.

By the second floor, Natsuki thought she was safe, though she couldn't scratch the nagging feeling that something was wrong. Her rational side pointed to the floor they were on and Shizuru's apparent indifference, demanding her logical side "man up" and hush her pulsating sense of paranoia. I'm being crazy, she thought, ground-bound eyes slowly shifting once more, hoping to catch another reassuring glance of Shizuru ignoring her existence. I'm being crazy, I'm being crazy, I'm being cra-… ack! Green slammed abruptly into red, Natsuki's eyes widening to an impossible size as she realized that Shizuru was staring directly at her, expression blank.

As the elevator shook to a gentle halt and slid its doors open, the number "one" blinking obnoxiously above their heads, Natsuki found that she couldn't move, couldn't shake herself free from the panicked stare that she'd locked with her too-calm employer.

"Ara, Natsuki, do not worry," the familiar voice spoke with the barest hint of restrained laughter. "She may look upon the savior of her beautiful face all she wants, and perhaps return the favor later."

With cheeks having burst into flaming wisps of red, very similar to Shizuru's residing mental visual of a "rose in bloom," Natsuki exploded from the elevator doors to half-sprint/half-power walk towards the building's exit.

A flustered "GOOD NIGHT, SHIZURU!" was heard, flung over the girl's shoulders, before the sound of a door clattering shut and tires burning rubber echoed back, reverberating off the well-glossed walls.

--

"Good night, Ishikawa-san."

"Good night, Fujino-sama!"

With a long sigh, Shizuru let the doors of her father's latest business venture draw to a hissing close behind her, reveling in the fact that it'd only taken her ten minutes of reviewing Morioka's reports for that morning with Ishikawa, the nighttime security guard, before she'd been able to escape the suddenly cold hardness of the skyscraper. Wistfully, she let her gaze trail towards the tread marks of burnt rubber that were marked so clearly on distant asphalt; Natsuki had certainly taken no time in marking her path along with illustrating her obvious discomfort towards her first day at work.

The older woman found it oddly enchanting, all the same.

With a renewing breath of air being taken in between relaxed lips, she turned her head expectantly, looking for the familiar sight of the black Jaguar and Sato, her chauffeur of several years, standing formally beside it. Upon realizing that the pair was nowhere to be seen, a soft line of worry creased over her brow. Of all the years that Sato had been employed under her and her father, he had never once been tardy.

Pausing, she inclined her head to look to her briefcase, a quick flip of one of the side straps revealing a small pocket that housed her mobile phone. Drawing it out, she saw the flash of green that indicated a voice mail. She flipped it out.

"Shizuru, I apologize for the inconvenience," her father's voice came out, calm and clear. "Sato-san has experienced unforeseen complications with his health. To cover for him in his absence, I have hired on a replacement from a temp agency, Toyama-san. Please, let me know if you experience any difficulty. Though I've read only good things about both his demeanor and credentials, you know I worry."

The message ended with a lingering beep.

Shizuru shook her head, finger moving to delete the saved voicemail. It seemed that Toyama-san, as pure as his intentions may have been, lacked a keen sense of time. Again, her fingers moved to dial another number, Shizuru having already decided that calling another driver for a one-time task would be sufficient, if only to get her away from the overpowering ambiance of professionalism and duty that resided at her back. She was just about to press the green "call" button when the familiar roar of an engine surprised her, her head pulling up quickly to set widened eyes upon the figure that raced dangerously around a curve before pulling into the parking lot, vehicle weaving as it avoided one speed bump after another.

Having pulled to a stop and dismounted, the figure noticed Shizuru and approached her hesitantly, not moving to remove the boldly colored helmet until the pair was only several feet apart.

"Natsuki," Shizuru greeted, masking her surprise under her teasing tone. "Back so soon?"

The blue-haired girl scoffed. "Stop making jokes," she shot back.

Why is Shizuru still here? I thought she had some personal driver or something. The image of a suited man opening the door for the Fujino flashed before her eyes, and she internally nodded at the confirmation. In fact, I know she does. I wonder why she's still hanging around?

Several blocks after Natsuki had made her escape, she had realized that she had forgotten the take-home paperwork that Shizuru had given her regarding emergency contacts and direct deposits for paychecks. With a curse under her breath and a roll to her eyes, she'd whipped her ride around – nearly causing two accidents in the process – and headed back, full speed, towards the building. What she didn't expect to find upon her return was Shizuru, looking a little lost and a little disoriented, standing in the middle of the parking lot with her briefcase still held formally in one hand. After she'd parked, she – with much resistance on her part – had approached the woman, unsure of what to say or take from the unexpected scene.

"What are you doing?" she finally blurted out, finally resorting to her usual bluntness.

"Ara, what does Natsuki mean?" Shizuru returned innocently, head taking on a light tilt. "Is one not permitted to enjoy the beauty of the night sk—"

"Oi, Shizuru," Natsuki interrupted, a scowl on her face and a look of avid determination in her eyes. "I'm being serious. Why are you still here?"

Shizuru, caught off guard by Natsuki's bold cut off of her words, hesitated before answering, voice losing its teasing lilt. "It seems as though my driver has experienced complications," she replied, one arm moving to wrap around her own midsection with an almost defensive firmness, "and his replacement does not seem to exist."

Natsuki's eyes narrowed, her expression changing to one of conflicted thought. It was around 8:30PM, and already the night had taken its hold. Though guards were scattered at frequent intervals throughout the insides of the luxurious building, the outdoor security had less to be desired.

She couldn't fathom leaving the slender and fragile-looking girl there to wait for an unfamiliar driver that might, according to Natsuki's train of thought, take hours to arrive.

I'm going to hate myself for this later.

Spinning on the heel of her boot, Natsuki took several purposeful strides towards her motorcycle before she, suddenly remembering her lack of speech, stopped, turning to throw a significant look over her shoulder.

"Well, aren't you coming?"

Shizuru, startled, paused for only a moment longer before she trailed after the dark-haired girl, her typically graceful and sauntering walk suddenly taking on an unsure quality. "Natsuki?" she called after the other girl, her once-composed expression cracking slightly, confusion showing through.

Having reached her bike, Natsuki hopped on, waiting until Shizuru finally reached her before she motioned once more. "Get on," she muttered darkly, one hand raising to offer the helmet to the older woman that stood beside her. "And wear this. As hard as your head is, it could probably use a little extra padding."

With one eyebrow lifted in mild amusement at Natsuki's sharp tongue, Shizuru put on the offered helmet before slipping onto the back of the bike, both hands moving to tentatively rest on Natsuki's sides.

"Hold on tight," the girl corrected her, grabbing both hands to readjust their placement before putting her own back onto the handlebars of her motorcycle. "And don't let go."

As Natsuki started her bike, revving the engine beneath the contrasting pair with a twist of her palms, Shizuru let a faint smile flicker over her lips as she tightened her hold around the girl's midsection.

Don't worry. I won't.

--

author's note: Okay, okay. I'm lame. I promise I'll throw in some more significant conflict momentarily. I just needed to set the stage. ...but, forewarning: my version of conflict tends to be a bit more lighthearted than most. So, while it will BE there, it just won't be... "suicide on a stick" status. Maybe "frustration in a fruit bar" status! ...or something along those lines.

NOTE: Yes, Natsuki and Shizuru's work day was 8AM to 8PM, 12 hours. However, take away three hours for the split shift/lunch and one hour being paid overtime, and it all equals out. I'm sure that a full shift consists of a different number of hours in different countries, but - me being the work-obsessed all-American kid that I am - knows nothing about it. We're sticking with California rules 'til that changes.