White Wolf Whispers

by diablosflame

Fujino Shizuru's latest book, White Wolf Whispers, has been critically panned and she is humiliated by it so she moves out to the small village of Fuuka where she meets Kuga Natsuki, a woman with a peculiar condition that may inspire Shizuru to pick up the pen once more. Can their new found love survive the storm that surrounds Natsuki, or will the cost be too high for Shizuru?

4. Chapter 4

Mido-chan

You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

Midori sat at the table in her and Youko's house watching her lover make scrambled eggs while wearing a silk chemise and panties. She had loved Youko from the moment they had met, more years ago than Midori cared to remember. She always felt blessed that Youko had returned those feelings. She occasionally wondered what her life would be like without the other woman but would quickly dismiss those thoughts as grim, her line of work was grim enough.

She had met Youko nearly ten years ago and they had been dating for most of that time. Midori was still a beat cop back then and Youko hadn't yet opened her own practice. She was young, lithe and full of confidence as she walked the streets, her baton swinging was top notch and her eyes were open to everything around her.

She had left Fuuka to pursue her dream just two years prior, and after a longer than normal application process and a grueling run through the police academy she had finally earned her first beat, a small, quiet neighborhood on the north side of Kyoto. She was proud and she looked it, her walk was more swagger than purpose and she smiled at everyone who passed by her, tipping her cap and earning a smile from some of the more upstanding citizens.

This day was just like the dozen other days she had seen in the last two weeks, the sun was high in the sky with clouds enough that it didn't shine in your face and a cool temperature that didn't leave you feeling cold. She was in a good mood when she turned a corner and heard a shout. "Help."

The sound came from a nearby alleyway and she sprinted the full way down it, arriving in time to see a woman pressed against the wall of a building by a man holding a knife with one hand and trying to tear her skirt off with the other. She walked calmly towards him, they both turned their heads to look at her as she approached. Tears streaked the woman's makeup as the man eased up on his hold. Midori stopped two paces in front of them and brandished her baton, her voice was strong and authoritative just like they had taught her in the academy. "Let the woman go, drop the knife and put your hands in the air slowly."

The man looked at her with crazed eyes, like those of a dog whose day had never come, then he threw the girl towards her and took off down the alleyway. Midori caught the girl with her left arm and lowered her to the ground, then leapt forward in pursuit. He was crazed, running like a mad man down the alleyway, but Midori was young, trained and determined. She easily caught up to him.

Her feet pounded the pavement, her boots rang across the alleyway as he ran around a corner and she barreled through right behind him. He had stopped and as she passed he pushed off the wall and used his size to knock her back but not down. He brandished the knife above his head and screamed a rabid, high-pitched sound that assaulted Midori's ears. He charged her, the knife poised to strike, and she reacted. Her hand moved to the butt of her pistol and, in one practiced motion, unclipped her weapon, drew it from her holster, thumbed the safety off and pulled the trigger.

She hit him in the forehead, right between the eyes. The bullet struck and knocked him off his feet. His legs flailed comically as his body fell onto it's back, the knife clattered away to rest a few feet away from him. He was dead before he hit the ground. Blood pooled around his head in an ironic halo as he heaved once then lay still.

Midori's arm was still outstretched holding the pistol, the barrel wavered with how badly she was shaking. Her vision blurred and the first thought through her head was, What have I done? She gathered herself and remembered the victim, the girl she had left in the alleyway to chase him down. She filed away all the thoughts about what had just happened for later then returned to the alleyway and found the girl sitting on the ground with her back against a wall. Tears were running down her face, Midori sat down beside her and put her arm around the girl's shoulders to comfort her. The girl closed her eyes and leaned against Midori, laying her head to rest on her broad shoulders as she fell asleep.

Midori lay holding her for some time, until another squad car came around and found her sitting with the girl. She waved down the alleyway and one of the officers followed it and found the body. He called dispatch for an ambulance then returned and helped Midori get the girl into the squad car then drove both of them downtown, leaving his partner to cordon off the area. The car ride was short with the officer alone in the front and Midori and the victim sitting in the back much as they had been in the alleyway. "Was that your first time?"

Midori looked forward, eyes unblinking. "Yes."

"It's tough, I know, but you did what you had to do. Survival is one of our strongest instincts. You should be happy to know that yours works just fine."

He said it with a smile but it didn't ease Midori's heart. She still felt cold the entire car ride to the precinct where the officer escorted the girl to his desk to take her statement and Midori headed for the Chief's office to explain herself. He listened to her report of the encounter and seemed satisfied and supportive. "Are you okay, Sugiura? I know your first kill is hard to take."

"I'm fine, chief."

"Here, just in case." The chief opened a drawer on his side of the desk, took out a business card and handed it to Midori. "It's the number to a shrink we keep on retainer for our staff. You should go talk to him, he's good. Take the rest of the week off, but I want you back here on Monday ready to get back to work. Understood? Dismissed."

Midori left, receiving many congratulations on the way out, and walked towards the parking lot where her personal car was. She was within sight of it when all the emotional barriers she had put up after the shooting started to collapse. She made it to the car before the tears, quickly unlocked the door and slid into the driver's seat before she let them flow. All of her fear over being knifed to death, her anger at the man for what he had done, all the guilt that she had ended a life, all of it came pouring out of her in one long cry. At the end of it she decided to visit the therapist that the Chief had recommended.

When she got home she called the therapist's office and made an appointment for later that week, Thursday was the nearest opening they had so she booked it. Afterwards she wandered aimlessly around the house, looking for something, anything, to take her mind off of what she had experienced. She turned the TV on but found it lacking, she cracked open a book but found no pleasure in it, she looked through her refrigerator but nothing was appetizing to her, she cleaned but was done too quickly. She decided to head to a local bar thinking a drink was just what she needed to calm herself, so she hopped in her car and drove around until she found one that looked interesting.

The bar she decided on was located a few miles from her apartment, a dreary looking place that seemed to fit with her mood. She walked in and no eyes turned to her, all of them drowning their own sorrows in the bottom of a bottle. She sat at the bar and ordered herself a vodka sour and drank it down in one gulp. The bartender eyed her warily and handed her another. She remembered that she still had her police jacket on so she took it off. "We don't get many police around here. Most of you go to one of the bars downtown."

Midori looked up with a look as hard as diamonds. "Those places stink. I like it here."

The man's lip curled on one side in, what she guessed, was his version of a smile. "You're good with me, buddy. Just keep the fighting to a minimum."

Midori dove back into her drink and was completely engrossed until a woman entered and sat next to her, ordered the same drink as her with much the same look as she had. It had been a while since Midori had talked to a woman and so she threw caution to the wind and decided now would be a good time to start up a conversation. "So, what are you in for?"

"Excuse me."

Midori winced and took a good look at the woman he was talking to. Short dark hair and fair skin but wearing nothing that Midori thought suited her, just a pair of old and torn jeans and a t-shirt that looked like it had seen some action. Her eyes were red and it looked like she had been crying recently, her mascara was running and Midori didn't have the heart to tell her. She merely grabbed a napkin from off the bar and started wiping at her face. The woman's expression was startled at first, but eventually she threw her head back and let Midori wipe the makeup off her face. "What I meant to say was, why does a pretty woman like you look so sad?"

The woman smiled, a distant smile that seemed to say 'You don't want to know'. "Thanks. I didn't know I looked that bad."

"If you look bad then I must be a monster."

The woman laughed and turned to face her. "I think you're quite handsome." Her smile was infectious, Midori found, because soon she found herself smiling too. "What's your name?"

"Sugiura Midori. What's yours?"

"Sagisawa Youko." Youko's smile faded slowly, Midori's followed suit. "You called me pretty. Do you really think I'm pretty?" Midori nodded emphatically. "And what if you found out that I sold my daughter away, what would think of me then? Would you still think that I was pretty?"

Her voice was deeply disturbed and Midori didn't want to pry, but she had already thrown caution to the wind and so she decided to bite. "I would want to know the reason why you did. That's an important piece of information."

Youko took a long drink from her glass and set it down on the counter, her eyes stayed with it. "I was young and stupid and I got pregnant from a guy I had a one night stand with. He disappeared and I was still in college so when she was born I gave her up for adoption. I got rid of her because I couldn't afford to keep her and it haunts me."

"It sounds like you did the best you could do and made a tough decision that most people don't have to make. You couldn't give your daughter the life she deserved so you gave her to someone who could. Someone who would raise her right in a home where she had everything she would ever want. It sounds like you put her needs ahead of your own and that makes you stronger than anyone I've ever known."

Youko's eyes didn't leave her glass but her lips pursed and Midori knew she had gotten through. "You're the first person to tell me that. Thanks."

They spent the next several hours talking about certain things in their lives. Midori was sure to stay away from the shooting as she didn't want to scare the poor woman off. Midori was talking about her motivations for becoming a police officer when she yawned suddenly and looked at her phone. It was three in the morning. "Woah, I'm pretty beat. I think I'm going to call it a night."

Before Midori could close her flip phone Youko snatched it out of her hand and started pressing keys. When she was finished she handed it back to Midori who was still flummoxed that she had been able to do that. Midori had always thought her reflexes sharp. She noticed that she had a new contact in her phone. "Call me sometime."

The next time she would see Youko again was two days later. She sat in the waiting room of the therapist's office with her foot tapping the floor and her fingers drumming the wood of the chair she sat in nervously. She had never been to a therapist before and was not sure what to expect. The secretary called her name and she stood straight up and nearly saluted the woman before she realized how that would look and stopped herself. "The doctor will see you now."

Midori followed the woman down a long hallway that seemed to stretch to infinity before Midori, each of her footsteps pounded in her ear next to her heartbeat. She walked through the door that the woman indicated into a room with little in it. Two easy chairs and a long couch were most of the furniture in the room, the walls were covered with images and scenes that she imagined were supposed to invoke serenity but only set her more on edge. Sitting in a chair across from the long sofa was the doctor, a slim man with a thick mustache and closely trimmed hair. "Officer Sugiura, is it? Please have a seat."

She did as requested and looked up when the door opened again and Youko walked casually through the door only to stop when she recognized the woman on the couch. The doctor looked up from his pad and noticed that they recognized each other. "Ms. Sugiura this is my intern Sagisawa Youko. She'll be sitting in on our discussion, if you don't mind."

Midori nodded dumbly and Youko sat down in the seat next to the doctor's with a slight blush on her cheeks. "Now what brings you into my office, Midori. Can I call you Midori?"

"That's fine." Midori closed her eyes and sighed, not relishing spilling her guts in front of the woman but knowing that she needed to let it out. "Two days ago I intercepted a rapist and when he tried to stab me I shot him in the head."

Youko's eyes widened, though whether from fear or something else Midori had no way of knowing. The doctor scribbled some in his notebook and shook his head, making an odd "Mmhmmm" sound as he did so. "And how did this make you feel, Midori?"

"Guilty, I guess. For all I know that man had a wife and kids somewhere or a mother and father or someone else who cared for him and I took him away from them. Now they'll have to live without him because of me."

The doctor scribbled more notes into his notebook then went to speak but Youko beat him to it. "You shouldn't think that. You saved that poor woman from a fate worse than death, you're a hero Midori."

"It doesn't feel that way. I feel like a killer."

"You are a killer." Youko's matter of fact way of saying it caught Midori off guard. "You killed that man and changed his life forever, but you also changed the woman you saved's life as well. Our actions have deeper consequences than we often know, and you need to come to terms with the fact that you have the power to affect a lot of lives both positively and negatively. Yes a man is dead, but a woman is alive and well because of you. Instead of choosing to look at the bad consequences of your choices, why don't you try looking at the good things that your actions have created. I think that will get you passed this."

Midori was impressed and couldn't suppress the smile that came to her face. The more she dealt with Youko the more her attraction to her grew. Even the doctor seemed impressed. "I couldn't have said it better myself. That was quite insightful, Youko. I think I'll leave her case to you, then."

Youko seemed on the verge of tears when he handed her the notebook he had been writing in. "You mean..." she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "my first case."

"That's right, you've earned it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a lunch break. I'll be back in thirty minutes Youko."

The doctor left and only the two women remained in the room. Quiet reigned for many minutes before Midori cleared her throat and spoke. "Congratulations, Youko."

Youko blushed and turned her head slightly. "Thanks, Midori. It looks like you get to be my first real patient." Youko leaned forward and rested her hands on her knees, her hands steepled in front of her face which wore a serious look on it. "How does that make you feel?"

"Relieved, actually. I like talking to you." And it doesn't hurt that you're drop dead gorgeous.

Youko smiled and batted her eyes in a way that drove Midori wild. "I like you too...I mean talking with you, of course. What am I saying?" Youko laughed in a flustered way and Midori knew in that moment that she wanted to spend more time with her new therapist. It wasn't long after that they stopped being doctor and patient and became friends, and it wasn't long after that before the two became more than friends.

Midori thought all this as Youko sauntered over to the table and set the scrambled eggs before her on plate and sat down across from her. Midori noticed that Youko was eating somewhat sullenly and her usual cheer looked to have been dampened. Wondering what had happened she let her finish her food before asking her, "Are you feeling okay, honey? You seem kind of down."

Youko sighed. "I talked to Nina today." That explains it. She always gets sullen when Nina calls. Youko's eyes grew watery and she licked her lips before she spoke. "She's doing good in school but she's not really happy with where she's living right now. She's been running away a lot, she said." Youko bit her lip, tears running more freely down her cheek with every word she spoke. "She told me that she misses me...and that she loves me. I...I didn't know what to say. I just...just..."

Youko's voice broke into sobs and she dropped her head to the table and wrapped her arms around her head. Midori was heartbroken seeing her love crying, she was on her feet and by Youko's side in an instant. She knelt beside her and pulled her into a tight embrace, as if to say 'I'll never let you go'. Youko buried her head in Midori's shoulder and let everything out. When she was done and her face was wet with tears she rested her head on Midori's shoulder. "I'm a terrible person, aren't I?"

"If you're a terrible person then I'm a monster." Midori's voice was soft and comforting, something that Youko always liked about her partner. Midori was always there in her time of need.

"You don't need this before you go to work. I'm sorry."

"You think I care about that, dummy?" Midori wiped the tears from Youko's face with her palm. "I'll call in today so I can spend the day with you."

"No, don't." Youko straightened herself back into her chair and Midori stood. "I don't want to take you away from your work. Go, I'll be fine Mido-chan."

The pet name made Midori worry, Youko only called her that when she was upset. "Are you sure? It wouldn't be a problem to call in today."

"No, I'm fine. You go and I'll see you tonight."

Midori leaned over and captured Youko's lips with her own, lingering a bit longer than she intended and pulling away out of breath. "If you need anything you call me, okay?"

"Okay, bye honey."

"Bye, babe."

Midori reluctantly left and made her way to the precinct with Youko on her mind and in her heart. When she got there she made straight for her desk and found Yuuichi sitting in her chair. Her anger at him was palpable. "Get, the, fuck, up, now."

Yuuichi did so and Midori sat down and pulled out her files on Fujino Shizuru. "You look grumpier than usual. Is something wrong?"

"Not your business, rookie. Let's get started, what's on the docket for today?"

"We're going to interview Fujino Shizuru today, right?"

Midori opened the file folder again and looked through for anything she might have missed and found nothing. "It's extremely circumstantial but we don't have anything else. Suit up and let's go."

Midori drove with Yuuichi riding shotgun out to Shizuru's new house and walked up the well swept driveway to the front door. Midori knocked loudly and waited, a few moments later a tawny haired woman answered the door with a surprised look on her face. Midori and Yuuichi held their badges in their hands. "I'm Detective Sugiura Midori and this is Tate Yuuichi, we'd like to have a few words with you about an incident that occurred last week."

"Sure, come in." Shizuru's voice was questioning when she met the two detectives into her house. They sat down on the couch which Yuuichi remarked was comfortable and Midori silenced him with a look. Shizuru pulled a chair from her dining room and sat across from them with her back towards her TV stand. "What can I help you with?"

Midori put her game face on. "Are you aware that a man was murdered late last week on a farm on the outskirts of town?"

"Are you talking about the werewolf murder?"

Midori angered at the media hype but neither her face nor her voice wavered. "Allegedly. It's come to my attention that you moved into town just a day before the incident."

Shizuru's questioning look deepened. "Am I a suspect?"

"Not exactly." Midori leaned forward and steepled her hands in front of her face, her green eyes looked over Shizuru. She felt naked in front of the detective. "How is your book selling? White Wolf Whispers is it?"

"If you must know, White Wolf Whispers sold horribly." Shizuru angered. "What is this about?"

"My sources say differently." Midori stayed stoic before the angry brunette. "It seems the sales for White Wolf Whispers have drastically improved since the attack. It seems that rumors of werewolves are good for book sales."

"I didn't know that." She was telling the truth, Midori had interviewed enough people to know that. It meant that Shizuru most likely knew nothing more about the attacks and she had hit another dead end. "I don't know anything about any werewolf attacks, though."

"I didn't think so, but it's my job to follow all leads." Midori stood and Yuuichi followed suit. "Thank you for your time, ma'am. If you come across any information that could help us don't hesitate to call."

"I will do that. I'm sorry I couldn't be of any more help." Shizuru shook Midori's hand followed by Yuuichi's. She led the detectives to her front door and closed it behind them.

Midori stood on the porch with Yuuichi for a moment, typing what she had learned into her phone for future reference. "So that was a dead end. What are we going to do now?"

Midori closed her phone and slid it back into her pocket. "Nothing much we can do. I'm going home. Youko was upset when I left and I want to go spend time with her."

Midori drove her and Yuuichi back to the station. The car was silent until Yuuichi asked, "So are you and Dr. Sagisawa married?" Midori shook her head. "Why not?"

"Because it wouldn't be recognized," Midori's voice was heavy and it and obvious that she had put a lot of thought into his very subject, "so what's the point. They talk about equality, but they only ever mean for them. What about the rest of us? Don't we deserve to be equal?"

"It would mean something to you, right? That's why you do it. Forget what everyone else thinks about equality and all that shit. Do it for you and for her. Do it because it'll make you happy."

A small smile came to Midori's face before she stifled it. "What the hell do you know? Shut up."

Midori stopped in front of the police station and dropped Yuuichi off at the curb, then left for home. On the way she flipped open her phone and placed a call to the chief explaining why she was leaving work early. He approved so long as Yuuichi filed the report and she flicked her phone closed and drove the rest of the way home in silence.

When she got home she found Youko still wearing the silk slip she had been wearing laying on the couch curled around a container of ice cream. Her cheeks were stained from the tears she had probably been crying before she got there and Midori choked up at the sight. Youko looked up when the door opened and tried a smile when she saw it was Midori. "You're home early, Mido-chan. Is everything alright?"

Youko scooted over to make room for Midori and curled up with the red-head, burying her face in the woman's chest. Midori held her close. "I don't know, is everything alright?"

"Nina called again. She asked if she could come and stay with us." Youko slid down and rested her head in Midori's lap while Midori stroked her hair gently. "Is it okay if she comes and stays with us? If only for a little while?"

"Of course it is."

"That's good," a smile slowly spread across her face as she looked up into the eyes of her love, "because I already told her she could." Midori chuckled and ruffled Youko's hair a bit, earning a glare from the woman in her lap. "We'll be like a family now."

"Does that make me the dad?" Midori smirked.

"Step-dad at least." Youko pinched Midori's cheek and the red-head pouted. "She's going to love you. I know it." They sat together silently for some time. "Are you hungry Midori? Why don't we go out to eat tonight?"

"Where to?"

"Natsuki is a cook at Mai's Diner, we can go there."

"Natsuki? I don't like that woman." Midori had a dislike for Natsuki from the day they had met at Youko's office. Natsuki had come in for one of her sessions wasted and Midori had dropped by to take Youko to lunch when she heard what she thought was Natsuki going off on Youko. Midori kicked the door down and nearly tackled the blue-haired woman but Youko convinced her to back off, that it was just a misunderstanding. Natsuki had huffed and walked away and from that day forward Midori had disliked Natsuki. "She's nothing but trash. Why you waste your time on her is beyond me."

"Stop it, Midori. I'm sick of your little vendetta with her. Why can't you just let it go?"

"Because something about that woman rubs me the wrong way. Call it intuition if you must but I just don't like her, that's all. If you want to go to Mai's tonight that's fine by me."

"No, it's just going to make you mad and I'm going to have to hear you complain all night so forget it. Just forget it."

Midori knew what to say. She knew it like she knew her name and phone number, she knew it like she knew how to drive, she knew it because she had said it countless times in the past. It was in her memory, almost a reflex by now. "I'm sorry, babe."

"It's not your fault, I'm sorry I snapped at you." That was the mortar that had held the bricks of their relationship together for all the years they had been together, compromise. "I'll cook something for us tonight, okay sweetie?"

"No, let's go to Mai's, that sounds good."

"Okay. Let me get dressed."

Youko slid away from Midori and walked to the bedroom, Midori missed her warmth and followed her. She caught the brunette from behind and kissed her neck, wrapping her arms around her waist. "Not so fast, pumpkin. The diner will be open all night." Her hand traced the slip down and dipped underneath, feeling creamy skin underneath. "Why don't we work up an appetite first."

Youko turned her head and found Midori's lips waiting for her. They kissed while Midori's hands explored underneath the silk and down to her panties. Youko sighed when her hand dipped inside and caressed softly while Midori planted soft kisses down her now bare shoulder. Youko turned in her grip, and Midori gently pushed her backwards onto the bed. Midori stripped down to her underwear and straddled Youko on the bed. Their lips met and their bodies pressed together. Midori bucked her hips and a moan escaped the woman beneath her. The woman she loved.

Their lovemaking was slow and methodical, Midori took her time and when she finally brought Youko to orgasm they fell together onto the bed. Midori rested her head on Youko's chest. "I think I need to shower before we leave."

"I think you need someone to wash your back."

It was another hour before Midori and Youko left for Mai's Diner. When they walked in the only eyes that turned to them were Mai's at the counter and Shizuru's who was sitting at a table nearby. They picked a table and Mai sauntered over to take their orders. Afterwards, Youko stood from the table. "I need to use the restroom. I'll be right back."

Youko walked off. Midori sat at the table with her hands balled up in front of her face. She noticed the kitchen door open and Kuga Natsuki emerge with a plate of food. She took it over to Shizuru who smiled and made a comment. Natsuki was leaned up against the wall talking to her when she felt Midori's eyes on her. She looked in the red-head's direction. "Didn't see you there, detective. How are things?"

Midori was all business. She stood and approached with an air that made Shizuru shiver a bit. "I heard there was a fight at the Stallion last night. I also heard that you and Yuuki Nao were involved."

Natsuki's face was just as unreadable as Midori's as the two faced off less than a pace apart. "If you know about the fight then you know we didn't start it."

"But you damn well ended it. Three injured men, one of whom claims to have stabbed you. I don't see you injured so I'm wondering what he stabbed you with?"

Natsuki's eyes turned to slits. "What are you implying?"

Midori took a step forward and got in her face. "What are you guilty of?"

"Midori, stop it." Youko stood near their table and shouted across the room, her voice filled the space between them and even Natsuki was taken aback. "This was supposed to be our time to spend together. Stop fighting, dammit."

Midori exhaled and turned to walk away, but not before muttering, "Watch yourself, Kuga, because I will be watching."

"Enjoy the show, detective."

Natsuki stomped to the back and Midori sat down with a now angry Youko whom she tried to appease with a smile. "I'm sorry."

Youko sighed. "It's fine, honey, just forget about it."

They sat together and ate, their conversation was light. Youko told Midori about some of her clients and how they had progressed. Midori was all ears, she always was for Youko, and stayed attentive through the whole conversation while she watched Shizuru out of the corner of her eye. At one point Mai walked over and chatted with her about the rising sales of her book. Shizuru reiterated that she had been unaware until she had spoken with her publisher and he confirmed that White Wolf Whispers was selling out in Fuuka. Not long after that, Natsuki wandered out of the kitchen witthout so much as a glance in her direction and resumed her conversation with the brunette. It seemed to Midori that Natsuki was a bit nervous while talking with her and wondered why.

"So anyway, how was your day? Did you get any work done?"

Midori turned her full attention back to Youko. "Me and Yuuichi interviewed Fujino Shizuru, that woman over there, but we came up empty."

"Is that who that is? I know Natsuki's a huge fan of hers, she must be so excited."

That could explain her nervousness. Midori kept watching out of the corner of her eye while she finished her noodles and set her chopsticks down on the table. Natsuki returned to the kitchen and Shizuru paid and left. Youko had finished eating just after Midori did and was looking at her expectantly. Midori noticed and turned her full attention to her. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

She leaned across the table and gave Midori a quick kiss on the lips. "No. It's just nice, isn't it? It's been a while since we've just gone out to eat." Youko laid her head on the table. "I don't want to go back to work tomorrow."

"I know how you feel." Midori pulled out her wallet and tossed enough money to pay for the food and then some onto the table. She stood up and held her hand out to Youko who took it and got up from the table. "Do you want to go for a walk? It's a nice night for it."

Youko agreed and walked with Midori out into the night and down the sidewalk hand-in-hand. The night was clear without even a wisp of cloud to block out the blanket of stars that covered the world and made one feel lucky to be alive. Youko's eyes were on the stars but her mind was on the star that walked right next to her. Midori meant the world to her and now her daughter was about to join their family. Youko couldn't imagine being happier so she put the ugliness at the diner behind her, wrapped her arm around Midori's waist and lay her head on her shoulder as they walked, both happy to be together for at least one night in the week.