A/N: Hello again everyone! I know what some of you are thinking...where the HELL have I been? lol. I'm still asking myself the same thing. I know school had started already but the truth is in the beginning of the year my work load is pretty light...after thanksgiving I'm screwed though lol.

But yeah anyway I haven't been updating for two main reasons...and the first one in all honestly is because I've had the most annoying case of writer's block...and maybe laziness for what I'm pretty sure was three straight weeks, even when i kept rereading the previous chapters to give me more ideas. I suck so much sometimes _

The other reason is actually because I have been writing chapters of the story if you can understand that. lol. Confusing, I know. It's just that somewhere along the line, a light bulb just popped into my head. and i just kept writing...four chapters worth. hehe. :)

It took me a while to decide how to format everything. When I wrote the first two chapters and got halfway done with the third, I was wondering if I should put two together to make one but decided against it, so...I ended up with four teehee.

Anyways...lol...not much happening in this chapter except...well, you'll read it anyway.

I hope you guys like it! I'm off to slave away writing chapters for Betrayal and Moonlight to make things even! :o


Fuyuhiko tiredly rubbed his eyes, as he leaned back in his chair, suppressing a yawn. It had been the first day off he'd taken in years and yet the man had been up since six in the morning, continuously making calls and searching for information. However, unlike most cases, what he was he looking into didn't have anything to do with work or his company at all. The dark haired man furrowed his brow, remembering the events of last night. Just thinking about how close Natsumi had come to getting in harm's way still made him sick to his stomach. The situation could have had a much worse outcome, one he didn't even want to begin to think about. Fuyuhiko was just relieved that she had called him when she did. Even after he had taken her safely to her apartment, the older man found that he was unable to sleep properly. His ears kept straining to hear whether or not his phone would ring again with Natsumi on the other end saying that Ogawa was pounding at her door. The older man grit his teeth for a moment, remembering the name of Natsumi's manager. What kind of man follows a woman home so late in night with intentions that were so disgustingly obvious? Natsumi had already told him that Ogawa had managed to make some sort of physical contact with her, which she didn't go into much detail. Maybe that was a good thing too. Just thinking about such a vile man forcibly touching her made him want to break something, specifically Ogawa's face. The older man took a breath in and out to calm himself. He was usually never a violent person…for the majority of the time, but he found his skin would always prickle with hostility from thinking about the horrible thoughts that Ogawa was having when he trailed Natsumi those few blocks. Fuyuhiko clenched his hands in front of his face and grit his teeth again. It would be the last time that Ogawa would ever come close to her again. The older man glanced in the corner of the desk where four stacks of papers were placed. They contained information on Ogawa Yogi that he had rushed over. He was lucky he was able to attain it on such short notice, considering that it would normally take weeks. Having connection really did come in handy at times.

A serious expression crossed the man's face as he continued to peer over at them. It had taken him a little over two hours to go through everything, and what he discovered was just as he expected. His encounter with Natsumi would not be the first bad thing he's done. For such a young man, he had a very long rap sheet of offenses against him, including theft, assault, DUI's, and a few others. Fuyuhiko rubbed his mouth for a moment, beginning to wonder how someone with such a record managed to get a job managing a public space. Most likely someone gave him the position as a handout or favor to someone else. Not that it matter though. The older man had already made the required calls to have him removed from the position. He had already contacted the head of Tokyo's police department, a man who was often invited to Usami Corp's major events. Ogawa had already been in the system for various crimes and just recently he had come so very close to assaulting a woman walking alone at night. There were no real repercussions for his actions…it was certainly something to be frowned upon, wasn't it? Fuyuhiko had only…politely reminded the chief of this. It really would be such a tragedy if the citizens of Tokyo lost their faith in the law to keep criminals off the street…god knows, Fuyuhiko did the moment he read the first page of Ogawa's background. The chief was so quick to comply with his advice hat Fuyuhiko barely had time to say thank you. He guessed he was in a hurry to save their reputation. The older man turned his eyes to look at the clock on the wall. It was already past ten. He placed a hand over his mouth, this time not able to stop himself from loudly yawning. Now was as good a time as any to get some sleep. He'd probably get some work done the minute he got back up. Fuyuhiko reached over and grabbed the papers across from him, and dropped them in one of the drawers, satisfied that that the matter was being taken care of. The man rubbed yawned once more, before finally raising himself out his seat. Fuyuhiko let out a light chuckle, realizing that he had completely forgotten that he was already wearing his sleeping clothes. He made his way towards the door, grabbing the robe that was thrown in a nearby chair. The older man slipped it on, before finally heading out into the large hallway. This was the first time he'd been in that office wearing such relaxing attire. He could probably get used to it. As Fuyuhiko walked through the halls, he could see workers and maids already getting ready to take care of the large estate. They bowed and politely greeted him as he passed. The older man did his best to smile and nod back at them without yawning. He turned a corner to get to the stairs and stopped, seeing Tanaka a few feet away, already fully dressed for the day. The elderly butler smiled at him when their eyes finally met.

"Good morning, Fuyuhiko-sama. What would you like for breakfast?", he asked.

The elderly Usami rubbed his eyes and smiled.

"I think I'll skip breakfast today. I'm actually on my way back to bed", he said.

"My apologies. I forgot that it was your day off", Tanaka said.

"Yes. Neither of us are too familiar with the concept", Fuyuhiko said, letting out a light laugh.

"You of all people deserve it. You worked so late last night", Tanaka said.

"So did you". Fuyuhiko said, remembering that he had asked him to drive him to meet with Natsumi and then to her residence.

"Thank you again, Tanaka. I know how rude it was of me to ask you to drive me somewhere so late at night", he said, looking at him.

"My hours don't end at a specific time, sir", Tanaka said. He looked at Fuyuhiko for a moment before speaking.

"I hope you don't mind me asking but…that woman from last night…is she alright?", he asked, his face showing worry.

"Yes. Thanks to you driving us", Fuyuhiko said again.

"That's good to hear. You just looked so agitated on the way there and home, that I was becoming a bit concerned", Tanaka said.

"Oh, I suppose I was acting a bit crazy last night", Fuyuhiko said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Not at all, sir…you…", Tanaka started but trailed off, seeing the knowing look the elderly Usami was giving him.

"Well, you were acting a bit strange", he finally admitted.

"I sure was", Fuyuhiko said.

"Everything is fine now though", he said.

"Then please rest easy", Tanaka said.

Fuyuhiko yawned again.

"I don't think that will be a problem", he said.

"I wouldn't blame you for taking a day off yourself, seeing how I kept you up so late", Fuyuhiko said, walking a few steps.

"I couldn't possibly.", Tanaka said. Fuyuhiko laughed, already knowing his reply.

"You almost make me feel lazy", he said, smiling. Tanaka was about to say something but stopped, realizing that his friend was simply teasing him first thing in the morning. He gave a final waive before turning towards the staircase. A sigh escaped his lips, just be looking at it…as did another yawn. It always looked so long to him whenever he was tired. Fuyuhiko rubbed his eyes again, already feeling them grow heavier with drowsiness. Without another thought, he began walking up the steps to the second level. He may have to think about having a sleeping room downstairs too after this. There were too many times when he would arrive home and was barely able to make it to his own bed. A few moments passed before he found himself in front of his bedroom door. He quickly allowed himself entry into the spacious room, closing the door behind him. The older man dragged his feet along the carpet, at some point kicking off his slippers, before he reached his large and immaculately made bed. Even though he was feeling so drained, he somehow managed to get himself into the sheets, barely pulling them to his shoulders before his arms dropped beside him like limp noodles. Fuyuhiko expected himself to fall asleep the second his head made contact with the pillow but his mind wandered to thoughts of Natsumi, as it had for the last couple of weeks. Again, he felt relieved that the woman was safe. The dark haired man furrowed his brow, in deep thought. Last night…it was the first time he had ever felt so protective of someone else, let alone a woman. She was beautiful, of course…and hardworking…incredibly intelligent, witty…and she absolutely refused to take nonsense from anyone. It took a few moments for Fuyuhiko to realize that he was smiling just from thinking about her. Dammit. He liked her…much more that he should. Fuyuhiko couldn't remember feeling this way since…since ever, really. Even the mothers of Haruhiko and Akihiko didn't conjure up so many emotions as Natsumi had in their first meeting. His track record with them and the many women that came after wasn't very good…hell, it was horrible. The majority…no…all of them only wanted to use him for his money and status or as a means to push their own agenda. The only thing he got from them was that it was in a woman's nature to lie…to cheat…and use others to get what they wanted. It was one of the reasons why he had such a distrust of women and love all together. An image of Natsumi smiling at him, her vibrant amber eyes casting him a sexily coy glance made its way into his head. He let out a light chuckle. How could one woman be so…lovely?

The smile slowly dropped from his lips, as his mind went elsewhere. He furrowed his brow again, realizing just how much younger she was than him. However, not even that was the main issue he had begun thinking about. He had had so many empty relationships, devoid of everything aside from the physical attributes of a union…he didn't even know if he still knew how to properly be in one…he didn't even know if he had ever been in one. What if he ended up hurting her? A cold shiver ran its way up Fuyuhiko's spine at the thought. The idea of actually doing anything that would cause Natsumi any sort of pain…it made him feel disgusted. He wouldn't do that for anything…he'd make sure of it. For weeks, Fuyuhiko had been unconvincingly telling himself that he should end things before they got any further but every other sense in his body was screaming otherwise. Even thinking about being in any sort of romantic relationship with her may be a bad idea but…he couldn't help but feel that he wouldn't mind giving it a try.


Natsumi lazily opened her eyes to the bright daylight that was already streaming through her window. The bright rays of light cast an irritating gleam straight into her unadjusted pupils. It annoyed the hell out hell out of her. The young woman let out a groan, not yet feeling ready for any kind of day. She quickly turned towards the wall, pulling the sheets back over her to hide from the intruding day. Natsumi remembered that she hadn't closed her curtains from the night before as she usually did, and now it was coming back to haunt her. Usually, she wouldn't feel so bothered by it because the sun coming into her room would serve as a natural alarm clock to wake herself up in the morning, but that didn't matter today. The young woman had already told herself that there was no way she was going into work today for her scheduled morning shift…hell, she didn't think she was ever going in for another shift again. Not after what that bastard Ogawa tried. Natsumi gripped her pillow, recalling how he had actually followed her nearly all the way to the station in the middle of the night, for a reason that was definitely bad. She didn't even want to think about what the hell he had intended to do to her…though their encounter at the restaurant did give her a pretty good idea of what was going in in his sick ass mind. Natsumi could feel the same sickening pricking on her skin just from thinking about it. She buried her head deeper into the safe haven of her pillow, never wanting to remember any of the events that had taken place back then. Then again…she may be a wrong about that. Even from under her sheets, Natsumi could feel the heat in her cheeks rising, as she began thinking about how Fuyuhiko had come to her rescue. She would never forget the peace of mind she felt when she saw his deep grey eyes looking into hers, and she definitely wouldn't forget the way his arms felt around her body. How could she? The young woman buried her deeper into her pillow, embarrassed at how giddy she felt just from thinking about the man. Crap. Crap. Crap. She had fallen fast and hard. This really was the first time she felt any sort of romantic feelings towards anyone. Every time she even let his name pass though her mind, her heart felt like it was trying to jump out of her chest. Was this normal? This…what she was feeling…from looking at him…talking to him…thinking about him…just remembering the smallest of things about him…it had to be on an entirely new level. It just had to.

Natsumi smiled and sighed, feeling her chest thumping loudly in her chest. There were times when she could actually feel the physical pain from her chest…of her feelings trying to make their way out into the open. She didn't even mind that…it was the kind of pain that she could get used to…she was probably use to it already. The young woman let out a light laugh, listening the rhythm of her heart beat. It, along with her nonstop thinking of Fuyuhiko, had kept her up for most of the night. Every time she even so much as closed her eyes, she could feel her face burning because she was already unconsciously thinking about him. That stupid…old…desirable man. Here she was doing it again. Natsumi rolled onto her back, pulling the sheets down to her chest. It was pretty obvious that she was not going back to sleep. Not with her mind doing overtime on him again. Natsumi bit her bottom lip slightly in deep thought. Fuyuhiko...he really had become the first thing she thought about when she woke up and the last thing she would think about before falling asleep…on the occasion she was able to, that is. Meiko was right. She really needed to do something about this. There was no way she could continue on like this. Thinking about him all the time…it wasn't enough for her anymore. The young woman let out a sigh, feeling a bit worried now. She was probably going to have to make the first move…not because she was scared that Fuyuhiko didn't want to. That didn't cross her mind this time. She just couldn't wait anymore…he was actually driving her crazy…but in the best way. Natsumi had to grudgingly admit to herself that she loved every second of it. Jesus. What the hell was she…a masochist? She pulled her arms out of the sheets, laying them under her head, staring blankly at the ceiling. The young woman already knew what she wanted to do but still…she didn't have any idea how to go about this. Her…asking another person out? She didn't have any experience in that at all. Was she supposed to give him a bouquet of roses and ask him? They had already spent time together, and Natsumi knew that he felt something for her too. He's said so when she was working. The young woman blushed again, remembered his words. Fuyuhiko had said he had a thing for her…she must have had a million things for him then…because what she felt didn't feel like just a thing.

The young woman lay in bed like that for a few minutes, taking turns between blushing and then contemplating how she would ask him out an actual...official…date. Fifteen minutes passed and she still came up empty. Natsumi bit her lip again, this time feeling both hopeless and reluctant. The young woman didn't even want to admit that she was seriously thinking about calling Meiko and asking for her advice. Her friend had dated more than a few guys…since middle school, as far as she knew. She would know how to deal with the situation. Natsumi knew that Meiko usually clocked in at work in the afternoon, later than her. She could probably send her a quick text to maybe ask the tiniest of questions, right? The young woman made a face a moment later, already hearing her friend's nosy and sweetly inquiring tone. Knowing Meiko, she would probably want all the details so that she could do something ridiculous like show up with her own boyfriend and have a surprise double date. Natsumi was fully aware that she was entirely capable of it. She would feel entirely mortified. Maybe…there was a better alternative. Besides…she did kind of want to do this herself, no matter how hard it was. Her amber eyes glanced to the phone on the nightstand, feeling a bit of determination. It could be as simple as a phone call…just asking him if he was doing anything later. If he was working or busy with something else, then that was fine with her. She could always try again later. The young woman had already decided that she was not going to give up so easily…not on him. Natsumi took a breath out and propped herself up against the bed's headboard, already reaching for her phone. No more thinking…no more hesitating. She couldn't believe that she hadn't even make it through a phone call with the man properly a few weeks ago…but she was going to make up for that today…and the days after this. The young woman grabbed the phone in her hands, pressing the power button and holding it to her stomach. She was already set and ready to call Fuyuhiko but stopped when she saw that she had three missed calls and another five text messages…all of them from Meiko earlier today. And boy did she mean earlier. It was half past one. Natsumi shrugged. She thought it was a bit bright outside. With everything that happened the night before, she really had wiped herself out. Work and times of the day were the farthest things from her mind when she laid down in bed last night. It really must have been bad because Meiko had managed to call her in the morning, even after a night of drinking. There really was a first time for everything. Natsumi wrinkled her nose. She knew that their usual scheduled break was more than an hour and a half away. No way to call her back now. Natsumi decided that she would simply return the texts and call back later. She went to her messages, scrolling through the ones Meiko had sent. They all said pretty much of the same thing. Reminding her that she was over thirty minutes late…asking her if she had finally killed Ogawa…then asking her why she why she hadn't come into work…two more saying she was a bit worried that she wasn't answering because Ogawa didn't…show up to work either for the day. Natsumi furrowed a brow. Wow. This guy...was he really trying to worm himself out of trouble by not going into work? Like hell, he would. She was still going to call the owners. Natsumi grit her teeth a bit, still angered by what he did…no…what he tried to her. At the same time, she felt relieved that Meiko wouldn't be working around him today, of all days. She really would kill him if he did something to her friend to get back at her. Natsumi quickly texted Meiko a reply.

Something came up. Tell you later, Doodle. She made sure to use the old nickname she called her friend so that Meiko was sure it was her. If not, the woman would probably theorize that Ogawa had killed her and stole her phone. She really loved that girl. Natsumi already knew that she wasn't going to get a reply because she was working. Instead, she immediately dialed the owners of the restaurant and left a message saying that she wanted to report Ogawa for some "drastically less than ideal behavior". They didn't pick up and Natsumi felt it was best to wait so she could inform them of the disgusting pig that they had hired. When she was done with that, she took a few deep breaths in and out, feeling her heart thump, as she finally scrolled to Fuyuhiko's contact information. Natsumi could feel her cheeks turning pink just from looking at his name on the screen…but she had already promised herself that there would be no more tiptoeing around her feelings anymore, hadn't she? She was going to do this. Her eyes lingered on the screen for a few moments, before she finally pressed the call button. Natsumi bit the inside of her mouth as it rang. Her heart continued beating loudly in her chest, almost wanting to hang up…but she knew if she did she would regret it for the next three years or so. It kept ringing, making her anxiety grow. Was he not going to pick up? That damn jerk. The young woman felt as though she was losing her mind listening to the older man's line ring. She just wanted him to pick up the phone…she wanted to hear his voice. The phone range three more times before it was picked up. The sudden sound of someone answering made Natsumi jump slightly, making the back of her head hit the wall a bit harder than she would have liked. The young woman held back sounds of pain, as she listened to the sound of rustling on the other end. Even listening to that made a small bit of sweat form on her forehead. Why was he torturing her like this? Natsumi just wished he'd pick up already. She bit at her lip again to compose herself. She was nervous as hell, even from just this. Natsumi breathed a silent sigh of relief, finally hearing the older man's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hey…Fuyuhiko. Good…afternoon. It's me", she said. A moment later, she smacked her other hand over her face. Of course, he knows it's her. He has caller I.D. Was she crashing and burning already?

"Natsumi. Hello. I…", she heard Fuyuhiko say but then trail off.

"Is there something wrong? Are you alright?", he asked, his voice getting lower.

"No. I'm fine. Really…I actually wanted to call you and…thank you again for last night…it was really nice of you and your friend to help me", she said, rubbing the back of her neck. What the hell? This wasn't why she called. She was backtracking, god dammit.

"I'm just glad you're safe. Nothing happened afterwards, did it?", the older man asked.

"No. I slept fine", the young woman said. That was a lie in itself. How could she have slept when all she was thinking about was him?

"I…decided to…take the day off. Last night was kind of lot to deal with", she said.

"It's probably best that you did. The situation hasn't been cleared up just yet", Fuyuhiko said.

"No…well, not yet…I just called the owners…I'm not even sure if I can officially press charges or not but I'm going to speak to them", Natsumi said.

"You don't have anything to worry about. He'll certainly have to face justice sooner than later", the man said.

"Yeah. I think so too", Natsumi said, cursing herself again for not being more direct. She finally called him at a respectable hour and the first thing they were talking about was that creep. Why? Why? Why? This was not her intended main topic. The young woman wanted to say something but her heart was beating so hard in her chest that it was making her teeth chatter. She was almost worried that if she spoke now, her tongue would literally become a knot in her mouth. Natsumi could only bite her lip, feeling her skin tingling on her arms. Again with this crap. She was killing herself here. Still…at least she called him this time. Not that only that was good enough for her. Natsumi was already set on asking the older man out but here she was not being able to get it out in the open. She rubbed her eyes, feeling tired with herself, while her heart still pulsed loudly in her ears. The young woman grit her teeth again in determination. No more hesitation or waiting. She was going to push through this time. This nervousness…the way she felt so tongue tied…it was just all proof of how much she liked him. Natsumi still didn't know how she was going to do this…but the thought of spending any amount of time with him was too good to even think about sabotaging. She blinked twice and tensed her jaw, realizing that neither of them had been saying anything for at least thirty seconds. This awkward silence on both ends was probably the worst part. Natsumi nervously twirled the phone cord around her finger, thinking of something to say…anything. She ignored her feelings of anxiety and opened her mouth to speak.

"So I-" , Natsumi began but stopped when Fuyuhiko spoke.

"I-", the older man started at the same time. They had both interrupted each other. The young woman blushed again, feeling embarrassed. There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone so Natsumi took it as a sign to say something else. She really wanted to say what she had to.

"I was-", she began but cut it short hearing the older man say something.

"Natsumi-", he said, again speaking the same time as her. It was almost like the universe was trying its hardest to keep her from asking this man out, even going as far as using him as a tool. Could she get a break or what? However, this time she had to admit that the occurrence was more than a bit funny. Natsumi couldn't suppress a laugh from escaping her lips. The young woman felt both delighted and so much more relaxed when she heard Fuyuhiko chuckling on the other end as well. Even he knew it was comical. Feeling a bit more at ease now, Natsumi took a breath out and leaned her back into her pillow.

"Please…you go first", Fuyuhiko said, letting out another light laugh. Natsumi knew that it was now or never…and it was definitely going to be now. She took a silent breath in and out before finally speaking.

"Well…you know today I took a day off and everything so my schedule is pretty clear this afternoon. I...I have a lot of free time and…and so I was wondering what your schedule looked like too…for today, I mean", Natsumi said, twirling and unwinding the cord over and over again. The young woman knew she sounded so casual, but inside she felt like a pile of boulders on the edge of a cliff, ready to fall over at any second.

"My schedule…", Fuyuhiko let out.

"Yeah…I mean…I was wondering if you were free today. Because if you are…we could meet up and spend some time together…like last time", Natsumi said, feeling extremely proud of herself that she had finally asked.

"Hmmm…", the older man said, as if in deep thought, making Natsumi's stomach do a few jumps.

"What? Are you working today?", she asked, trying to hide her growing disappointment.

"No. It's just such a coincidence. I also had to take the day off so I have more than a little time to kill", Fuyuhiko said.

"Really? That's great", the young woman said, sounding more excited than she had intended to. She had unconsciously began hopping up and down where she was sitting, feeling her giddiness growing.

"So…could we see each other then?", she asked, rubbing her knees. A moment later, she blinked in surprise, hearing Fuyuhiko chuckling. She really hoped that it was a good sign.

"Are you asking me on a date?", he asked. Natsumi could practically hear the smile in his voice. This damn old man again. The butterflies in her stomach had returned, making her feel heat rising through her entire body. She immediately felt her face flush red. Was she that easy to read? It's not like he was wrong in the slightest but still…just calling her out like that made her feel like some lovesick school girl. Natsumi place a hand over her mouth, feeling how hot her face still was. Wait…but isn't that what she was? The young woman took another breath out, remembering all the times she had promised to be both honest with her feelings and not waste any more time with this. She chewed the inside of her lip a few times before saying something.

"Yes…I want to see you", Natsumi said, completely caught off guard by how quick she was to say it. The young woman could still hear how loudly her heart was beating as she waited for Fuyuhiko's response. The few seconds of silence on the other end felt like hours to her but she didn't regret that she had asked. She was finally going after what she wanted. Natsumi pressed the phone to her ears, finally hearing the older man. He let out a sigh and laughed again before speaking.

"Dammit…I wanted to ask you first", he said. The amber eyed women let out a giggle herself, feeling a surge of relief was over her.

"Can I take that as a yes then?", she playfully asked, smiling.

"Natsumi, it's more than a yes", Fuyuhiko said. A moment later, the young woman had pushed her body completely out of the sheets to sit on the edge of her bed. She did her best to contain her cheers of happiness while she was on the phone with him. Fuyuhiko was older than her...she could only guess that would appreciate her not screaming his ears off, as anyone would. Natsumi smiled brightly, biting down on her finger to calm herself. She took another breath in before continuing.

"I'm…so happy you said yes.", Natsumi said, knowing how much of an understatement that was.

"Could we meet at the station in about an hour?", she asked.

"The station?", Fuyuhiko asked.

"Yeah. There's a lot of shops around there. Plus, there's a really good crepe shop over there.", Natsumi said.

"Ah…it's been so long since I've had one of those. That sounds like a nice way to spend the afternoon, even more so if it's with you", the older man said, making Natsumi's cheeks flush again.

"Don't just say things like that suddenly", the young woman said, despite the smile that was finding its way back onto her face.

"But it's the truth. I also want to see you", Fuyuhiko said.

"So the station it is then", he repeated.

"Yeah. We're just going to meet outside so…you don't have to worry about ending up in the next city over. I wouldn't trust you getting on by yourself anyway", Natsumi said, teasing him.

"Then I'll see you in a bit", the older man said.

"Of course. I'll call when I get close", Natsumi said.

"Bye", she said and hung up a moment later. She had already raised herself up from the bed as she stretched her arms over her head. The young woman was able to keep it together for only a second before she yelped happily and began hopping up and down twirling around her bedroom. He said yes! She could hardly believe it had been so damn easy. She giggled and actually pinched herself to make sure she was awake. She was. Natsumi quickly glanced over at the desk top, and saw that it was already near 2pm. The station wasn't far from where she was but she still had to catch it to meet Fuyuhiko at the designated stop. In addition that that, there was an even bigger problem...at least one that was big to her. Natsumi had asked him the outing so out of the blue that she didn't even know what to wear! She guessed that was also pretty normal, considering that fact that she had never once wanted to ever actually go on a date with a guy. Natsumi did want to make a good impression but at the same time there was no way that she was going to put in too much of an effort to look nice…but she did want to look good. The young woman tumbled through her drawers and closet, taking note of a few things she could wear. Rather than take them out right away, Natsumi went down the hall to the bathroom to freshen up. She furrowed her brow, realizing that she most likely wouldn't have enough time to take a shower. Dammit. She should have gave herself another hour but the she wasn't thinking like that a while ago. Still…she hadn't showered the night before either because she was so tired. There was no way that she could meet with Fuyuhiko, knowing she had skipped bathing twice. She glanced at the clock again. It was only ten past the hour. A ten or fifteen minute shower wouldn't hurt. Natsumi knew that if she didn't, she would definitely feel more self-conscious than she usually did when she was around him. The young woman quickly stripped off her clothes, not caring where they fell on the hallway floor. She could always clean them up later. Already naked now, Natsumi made her way to the shower and turned on the water to a comfortable temperature. She made sure that it wasn't too hot though or else she would take longer to get out. The bathroom was one of her favorite parts in any residence. Natsumi grabbed a tube of tooth paste and her toothbrush from the sink counter before walking into the tile lined space, letting the water fall over body. She brushed her teeth twice thoroughly before putting them back and grabbing her washcloth. Two squirts of her favorite body wash was all she needed to get started. Natsumi hastily lathered her entire body in the sweet smelling foam, making sure to pay special attention to her armpits and neck. After she had made sure to scrub ever crevice of her body, she quickly washed her face with grapefruit scrub to wake up and clean her tired pores. She let the water run over her for a few more minutes and then finally turned it off, feeling decently clean.

The minute Natsumi was out of the shower, she was thankful that she had decided on quick wash, admiring the softness of her skin. As she walked back to her bedroom, the young woman had already begun running her towel over her body. She was pleased to feel that she was already nearly dry from the cool air in her apartment. Once she was in her bedroom, Natsumi wrapped the towel around herself, and opened three of her drawers to pull out a few items of clothing. She quickly decided on a pair of body hugging burgundy skinny jeans and a white loose fitting criss cross tank top, some of her favorites. The young woman fanned herself for a few minutes to finish drying and then reached under her bed for her body cream, where she usually stored it. She quickly rubbed the lotion on every inch of her skin. As she ran her hands up her shoulder one last time, Natsumi took just a moment to take in the sweet scent of oats and aloe from the cream, happy with the way it smelled on her skin. The young woman ran her hands over her body a final time and turned her attention to her clothes. It took only a few minutes to throw on her undergarments and clothing items. Natsumi ran her hand down her shirt a few times and then returned to the bathroom to get a better look at herself. She furrowed her brow, looking at herself in light, as she ran her hands through her hair a few times, not quite sure what to do with it. She didn't feel like putting it into neat bun at all right now, but at the same time didn't want it going all over the place in the wind. It would probably be best to go with something somewhere in the middle. Natsumi ran her hand through her hair a final time before braiding her wavy locks into a loose but elegant side braid, her favorite way to wear her hair. Once done, she took a step back from the mirror to look art herself again. She looked nice. The young woman ran a hand over her face, feeling at her skin and brows. She didn't usually wear makeup and today probably wouldn't be any different. Even when she was growing up, Natsumi never really had an acne problem or any blemishes on her skin at all. She ran a finger along her lips. They were soft like they always were and a nice shade of pink but…she might grab a nude lipstick to enhance them on the way out.

Natsumi looked at herself for another minute and then made her way down the hallway and into her bedroom. She grabbed her phone and lipstick from one of her drawers, hastily making her way towards the living room area. Natsumi had left her purse with everything she needed on the couch so that was one thing she knew wouldn't have to worry about. The young woman took the bag in her hand and threw the items she was holding inside, already beginning to worry that she was going to be late. Natsumi was late to work with her horrible manager on a number of occasions but she refused risk leaving Fuyuhiko waiting for even a second. Her amber eyes glanced to another clock one the wall. It was 2:30. Natsumi's eyes widened in sudden horror, seeing how close it was to their meeting time. There would be none of that today. She rummaged through her purse for a few moments, making sure that she had the essentials, such as her phone, keys, wallet, and enough cash for the day before nearly hopping to the front door to stick her feet in her black ankle boots. Nearly the second they were securely on, Natsumi was out the door and running down the apartment stairs to the main entrance. As soon as she was outside, she had gone into a light jog, determined not to be even a second late. After five minutes, she could see the station and clearly notice how the number of people walking around her grew. It was four stops to get to their meeting place. Natsumi clicked her teeth, already knowing that should would miss the time by at least five minutes. She took a breath out before pumping her feet a bit harder. If she was going to be late, then she wanted to be the least late she could. The young woman carefully dodged past the big crowds of people until she found herself in the station entrance. Natsumi quickly pulled her train pass from her side pocket and entered the gate. She walked all the way up the escalator to reach the platform as soon as possible, her chest thumping loudly. Luck must have been on her side in that moment because the moment she was on the platform, her train was already heading towards her. She squinted her eyes a bit, noticing that there were more people than she would have liked on it. Usually she would wait for the next one, in hopes of it being emptier but Natsumi was already running late. She would just have to deal with it. When the train stopped, she quickly boarded and managed to find a seat by itself. Another lucky occurrence. As the train moved along the track, closer to where Fuyuhiko was probably already waiting, Natsumi could feel her excitement growing. The young woman smiled again, as her heart tingled with anticipation and happiness at the thought of seeing the man who she couldn't get out of her head for even a second. She leaned back in her seat, feeling a blissful feeling come over her…and she hadn't even seen him yet! Natsumi let out a giggle, as she wiggled in her seat a few times, barely able to keep in how happy she was. She pressed her hands to her face smiling and bouncing her legs up and down. Natsumi could already feel the eyes of others looking in her direction, probably wondering what the hell was wrong with her but she didn't care one bit. What did they know? Of course she couldn't help the way she was feeling! The only thing on her mind was Fuyuhiko and how she would soon be spending the rest of her…what would now be perfect, day with him. As the minutes passed by, her joy only grew, the gleeful smile never leaving her face for even a second.


A/N: Please rate and comment! ^0^