AN: Hey there! Did you miss me? Because I did :3

Here is my new chapter, enjoy :)

'Thinking'

"Talking"

Chapter 10

Those few days of the spring had always been special for all Japanese. All the people wore their most elegant outfits and yukatas to celebrate blooming of the Sakura tree. Park area was crowded with families who tried to find free spot under the blooming tree to be able to enjoy the glory of the nature.

The sounds of chatting, laughing was heard here and there. All the people were smiling. All enjoyed their happy and relaxed atmosphere.

Thought, that kind of the event seems to be boring for one little kid as he sneak out from his mother's sigh and into the play yard.

The boy had a short, messy raven hair and emeralds eyes. Smirking to his victory the boy run to nearest children's slide. He happily slide down from it and was about to go for another round when he heard a light sobs coming from under the house like shelter set to the right from the slide. He curiously stuck his head though the whole.

There sat a little girl not too older that he himself. She buried her face into her knees while her long, slightly curly tawny colored hairs freely lay down her small shoulders as them shook from her sobbing.

"Hey. Why are you crying?"

A girl raise her head to look at the sudden stranger who now standing in front, cleaning his pants from the dust as he crawled inside through the hole just a second ago.

"I…I… I get lost…" hiccup a little girl while rubbing her red, puffy eyes. "I…I came here to play a little and when I came back my parents where gone…"

"Hey, don't cry, I'm sure they are looking for ya."

"I'm scaaared…that…that they won't find me." Cried a little one.

"Weell, it's obvious if you continue to sit in here." Pointed boy and girl stared to cry again "Hey, don't cry, I didn't meant it that way…You are not alone now. I will stay with you while they won't find you, so that's you won't be lonely and we could play around. Sounds good? By the way, my name is Natsu and I'm 4, I had a birthday on the last week." Tawny haired girl looked at the raven boy with a huge toothy green as he extended his right arm in greeting manner.

"S…sh…shizuru" a girl shook his arm a little shyly when her rubies met emeralds. Her sobs almost died and she started to calm feeling more comfortable around the boy. "I'm 6."

"Nice to meet you Zuru" Shizuru's cheeks reddened from her new nick name. "Let's get out of here and rock this yard! Come, I'll show you awesome stuff."

Natsu took Shizuru by her arm and drag her out on the day light.

They played all day chasing butterflies and imagined elf's, fighting a dragons and wandering around looking for its treasures. They had a lot of fun and Shizuru seems to forgot her sorrow and Natsu was more than happy to see that.

"Natsu is really good at fighting dragons. He will be a good knight when he will grow up"

"I'll be the best fighter ever, no one will be able to defeat a Silver wolf!" Proudly declared Natsu taking a victorious pose on a top of a slide but lost his balance and fall on his ass and slide down from it.

"I think Natsu need a lot of practice first to be the best knight in Japan and win princess heart." Laughed Shizuru on his clumsiness.

"Oi, I know that, Zuru! And…I…don't need any princess." Natsu show his tongue in a pouting manner to the girl who still were on top of the slide, laughing. "B-but if th-that were you, I wouldn't mind that." Whispered the boy with a slight blush as he tried to look anywhere but not into Shizuru's shining rubies.

"Do you promise?" Natsu squeak as he was knocked out by excited girl who slide down fast as well to join her raven friend, but hit him in the head in the end.

"Damn, why you are so troublesome…" barked the boy rubbing on his forehead.

"Sorry, I didn't meant to." Sobbed the girl.

"I-It's ok. Just be more careful next time, ok?" Natsu smiled ensuring the girl that he was fine. "Here, I have something for you"

Shizuru look curiously at the boy who took of something shining from his neck and stepping behind the girl placed it around her neck.

"Here" Shizuru heard a soft click as Natsu closed something behind and Shizuru felt a cold metal on her neck.

She took it in her small hands to look carefully. It was a small, elegant amulet with a howling wolfs head made from silver.

"It's beautiful, thank you Natsu."

"As long as you have him, we always will be friends, no matter what…"

A bright light shone into a half dimmed room through the closed sky-blue curtains. It seems that night stepped aside giving a way to a new day just a few minutes ago 'cause sky still had a dark hint of the night glow and a skylarks didn't sang their song yet.

Natsuki slowly opened her eyelids. Her body still sore but she felt better, thanks to Shizuru's treat.

'That dream, again… why am I had it out of nowhere? I wander what had happened with that girl. So much happened since that day. I miss her, thought we knew each other only a few weeks before she gone abroad with her parents. I had much fun with her.' Natsuki release a deep sigh 'To think about it, she reminds me of professor, same hair and eyes color even the name, could she be the one?... No, it must be just a consequence. Besides, I'm sure, there are many others Shizuru's in Japan besides her with the same appearance…'

Natsuki's vision started to focus from the sleep when she realized that there was too hot for her liking.

'Did Shizuru covered me with another blanket? I wander. Wait a minute…. What is this?' Natsuki felt something soft and warm pressed to her left side when she tried to drag her left arm from under the covers and push them aside.

Bluenette turn her head to her left to see what exactly caused this warmth. Her eyes widened when she faced a peaceful sleeping angel, lying close to her side. Her eyes were still closed. Natsuki never noted that she have so long eyelashes till now. She looks so peacefully. Her lovely, slightly curly tawny hair fall from her shoulder onto her chest, it's color become almost golden from the morning sun making her look more like a goddess than mortal. A sudden urge to touch the woman that she was secretly so lusted about, raised in her.

Unaware of what she was doing, Natsuki moved her right arm closer to Shizuru's face. Her palms almost touched her soft porcelain skin when young professor slightly whimpered and shifted under the covers as she started to wake up making Natsuki to panic and make the only thing she could. She closed her eyes remaining in the same position as she was, pretending that she still were asleep.

'Dammit! What were you thinking about? She almost caught me. Stupid body! And why the hell we are slipping together!? …Oh, right… Last night, she was calming me and we must be felt asleep… Stay calm Natsuki, stay calm, stay cal-'

The covers shifted and Natsuki heard a long hum, the girl must be stretching from her sleep. Then silence and unsure move toward her…

And …a kiss!?…

Natsuki's body tensed, her brain went from blank state to a total panic ….as she felt a pair of soft lips pressed in a fairy kiss on her cheek. The kiss was light, almost shy and somehow it made Natsuki happy as she smiled at the feeling of the warmth inside her chest and her cheeks become dark red from embracement. Thought she were at the verge of agony and total panic. She was embraced and wanted to jump out of the bed and run as fast and as far as she can, however, Natsuki hold down the panic, else she will be busted.

She laid still and waited, holding her breath, for upcoming tease. But none of them followed as silence loomed over the room.

Natsuki slowly opened one eye to take a peek and found Shizuru in nowhere.

Natsuki touched her cheek still feeling the softness of professors lips on her. "What was that for!? And what the hell was that feeling!?"

Meanwhile Shizuru was downstairs only in her underwear and a purple shirt on top that loosely hangs onto her sides revealing a part of her full breasts in a black, lace cotton bra. She didn't have any spare clothes so she borrowed it from Natsuki for a while. This shirt was too large for her so she rolled up it sleeves into a ¾ so that she would be more comfortable to prepare some toasts and tea for breakfast.

Shizuru was too preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't note that her every move was watched.

'Natsuki should wake up soon. I hope that she didn't mind of that little moment of weakness of mine. She was so beautiful while asleep…I couldn't help myself…Why am I so attracted to her?' Shizuru was deep in her thoughts. Her hand slipped down her neck to play with her silver necklace in the process that already become a habit. 'I must concentrate on finding my childhood friend, but all I could think about is her…Was it because that kiss in the alley? Is this lust or something more? …Gosh, I have so many questions that drive me crazy! She is so mysterious…and this unknown feeling just killing me…. I must concentrate on my main reason to be here for now. That's why I came here…Natsu…'

"I'm so close to you…."

"Close to whom?"

Shizuru yelped surprised to hear Natsuki husky voice from behind. A necklace that she held slipped down her chest and under the shirt, it's chain was long enough to keep Shizuru's gifted medallion, that she treasured so much, from unwanted wandering eyes.

"Ara, Natsuki, you scared me." Exhaled Shizuru taking a hold of her, galloping, heart.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to scare you."

"I thought you were asleep. Are you hungry?"

Shizuru turned around to greet the girl with a warm smile. The view of tawny haired young professor standing only in Natsuki's shirt that nearly covered her backside and those full breasts that perked from outside of slightly unbuttoned fabric was too damn hot. She looked so sexy that Natsuki literary started to droll.

"Sort of…" Whispered bluenette eyeing Shizuru's tempting forms hungrily.

"Is Natsuki see what she likes?" Smirked young professor.

Natsuki reddened furiously as she started to look anywhere but not on Shizuru mumbling something under her breath while trying to reach a chair on the other side of the table but stumble over something and hit her foot in the process. A few colorful words slip from her tongue. This reaction seems to fun Shizuru as she started to laugh at the girl's clumsiness.

"What you are laughing at, woman?" barked Natsuki squeezing her hurt foot.

"Ara, ara…sorry…I couldn't help myself. You were so funny."

"Funny!? I'll show you funny…"Smirking evilly, warned Natsuki approaching Shizuru who started to run from her still laughing.

Soon after, Natsuki finally, caught her in the living room and started to tickle her sides furiously which made Shizuru to wiggle in her arms as she tried to escape this torture. Both girl burst in laugh.

"Stop, stop, Natsuki… I-I can't anymore…" pleaded Shizuru still laughing with a tears in her eyes.

Natsuki was smirking feeling the girl in her arms under control and ready for absolute capitulation. But she wasn't done yet wanting to torture her a little bit more. "I don't heeear repentance in your voice" Said Natsuki tickling Shizuru with more force.

"Please…Natsuki, I won't do this again, I promise, please, stoop…ti-Ahhh…"

With a yelps, both girls fall on the couch standing behind them which they didn't noted in the process.

It happens, that Shizuru landed on top of Natsuki. Both were shocked with a sudden closeness as they stared speechless into each other not able to avert their eyes contact. A blush crept on their faces feeling the closeness of their bodies. Natsuki's gaze heaved, her breath become laboured.

'Natsuki, what are you thinking about? And that look in your eyes that you giving me… I want to know what you are feeling right now…'

Shizuru felt her head in daze as it started to went blank. Her breath become unsteady and her heart started to beat fast against her chest when she felt Natsuki's arm sneak around her waist pinning Shizuru's body tighter to her own while bluenette's other arm sensually moved up Shizuru's jaw line and finally stopped at the back of Shizuru's head and slowly pulled her face down. Natsuki never left her gaze from Shizuru's half closed wine eyes. Their faces moved closer and closer to each other.

Young professor felt a puff of burning air hit her trembling lips. She died in want to close this remaining gap between them. She wanted to feel those lips against her, she wanted to experience that feeling again, and she needs that sweat release for her tensed in anticipation body.

On the last minute, Shizuru moved her arms to encircle Natsuki's neck when her necklace slips in between them pulling them out from their daze.

"Wh-what is this?" asked Natsuki taking a silver wolf in between her thumb and forefinger, still panting.

Shizuru saw how changed bluenette's expression just in a seconds when she took a good look of her necklace. It looks like she recognized it as she immediately sat straight and look questioningly with wide eyes full of surprise on Shizuru who now sat next to her. "Where did you get this?"

"You mean this necklace? A friend of mine gave it to me when we were kids as a friendship gift."

"That was mine…" Natsuki transferred her gaze from Shizuru to necklace and back. Both girls looked confused. "It can't be…you…Z-zuru?"

"N-Natsu?… But…I thought, you…he…was a boy…" Shizuru felt confused. She clearly remember that her childhood friend was a boy, but now in front of her sat a gorgeous young, strong woman, well…not fully woman, but that doesn't answer her questions, anyway. 'I don't understand anything now… Is she intersex or she was a man before?...'

Shizuru's train of thoughts was interrupted as she was suddenly pulled into a bear like hug followed by a happy laugh.

"I thought I'll never see you again! So much happened since you left." Natsuki's eyes shone with joy as a huge smile took her place on her face from ear to ear and Shizuru couldn't help but return that smile.

"Ara, indeed, that was a good surprise! I think we have a lot to talk about my knight"

"Yeah" Natsuki shyly rubbed the back of the head. It was nice to hear again that nickname. Shizuru liked to call her a knight back in their childhood. Shizuru was a shy and WERY clumsy girl so Natsuki felt it was her duty to protect her clumsy friend from every little thing she could, so this nickname just stick to her. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Ara. My father got a head chief position in one of big Gordon Ramsay restaurants in America, so he moved there and took my mom and me with him. I finished my school and graduated the Harvard University with a high grades and in a few years become a doctor of medicine working in a best researching labs of New York."

"How could you become a professor in a short of time. I mean, you are just three years older than me, I mean I didn't went to academy right after school graduation, because I spent few years working, but still, you are 22 now! Wait a minute, you said you are 24 or you are a winter child? Then you older only on two and a half years than me. And how the hell you got professors grade so quickly? When normally you would have it only to your 28th 30ty birthday"

"I skipped few years. And yes, I have birthday in December"

"Few years!"

"Okay, okay! Few grades. Just stop yelling…" Shizuru cleared her year from Natsuki's outburst.

"Okay, let's suppose it is so. But, I don't understand, why you came back? You left all, family and a career just to become a teacher? That doesn't make sense…"

"Weeell, to let you know, I always wanted to become a teacher."

"Well, it still doesn't answer my question. You could get same positions in University of Harvard instead and make more money."

"Money not mean all Natsuki, besides, I had my reasons to came back in Japan…"

"And what is that?" Natsuki shifted in her place getting more curious.

"Um…Well…" Shizuru bit her lower lip nervously. "I came back to find you." She then looked at her raven head friend who sat wide eyed, just stared at her as if she answered on Natsuki's question that she looked for so long but couldn't find. "Actually, I thought I'm looking for a guy. And I was really surprised to know that my childhood friend is actually a woman,… transvestite, I mean…"

Shizuru started to search for right word when Natsuki corrected her, stopping her mind from striving.

"I'm intersex, Shizuru" bluenette looked anywhere but not in Shizuru's eyes. She was embraced. Never she declared this fact so easily to anyone in her life, except of Nao, thought this time it was much easier to say this.

"But you looked like a boy back there."

"And you are right at the some point. I was a boy. Well, that's how I thought when my body seems to thought in a different way and started to change all of sudden. In the age of 10 and on my 13 birthday I become a fully woman…well, almost… " She looked down at her clothed manhood with a snort on the awkwardness "That's why I changed my name and a school to prevent any rumours."

"What about your friends? Family? How did they react?"

"Um,… I had a lot of friends, that what I thought, but during the changes, I become kind of out of my sense due to hormones and skipped a few year studying at home, none of that saying friends was cared about of my absence, and I actually happy that all turned that way. I never missed them too. Thought I still had one friend who didn't cared of my condition and stayed with me all this time till now." Natsuki stopped mentioning her red head friend. She looked so sad that Shizuru said that she don't need to tell further but Natsuki insisted, she felt that she can trust Shizuru. She wanted her to know, and besides she needed someone to hear her out. "And what about my family… My father hates me. He left me and my mom, saying that this was all her fault and he don't want to know us, because he couldn't be a father of a monster…"

"Oh, Natsuki… You are not a monster" Shizuru felt her heart sank hearing Natsuki's story. It felt that she shared the girl's pain as a tears fall from her eyes and she pulled Natsuki into a soothing hug. She couldn't imagine what she gone through. "It happens, that life give us a cards played not in a way we want or expected, but in my view you have the best from both worlds. And for me you are beautiful just the way you are and not only physically. I know you are a good person, carrying and a kind-hearted. You will never hurt the one you care about." Shizuru didn't know where all that came from, she knew Natsuki only a month if to count their childhood time, but she really meant what she said.

"Thank you, Shizuru. But you are wrong. All the people that around me, that I cared about, always get hurt. And... I, personally, hurt the only one friend I had. I don't think she will ever forgive me, 'cause I wouldn't if I were her."

"Why do you think that? What you could possibly do so she decided that you are not worth her forgiveness?"

"It's a long story."

"Well, I'm not in a hurry." Shizuru smiled warmly to encourage her friend.

It took a time for Natsuki to think from where to start, but when she began all seems to fly in a way it should. Shizuru carefully heard her out with no interruption from the moment they split after what happened in that alley till the moment she remembered. And the last memory she had had before she woke up with Shizuru by her side, was the moment when she spilled out all her drunken anger on Nao.

When bluenette finished her story, Shizuru seems to be in a deep thought. She thought how to help Natsuki to solve this problem and a plan formed in her head. 'That actually could work'

"This is kind a difficult situation. I need to think carefully. I'm sure we can sort this out, don't worry." Shizuru gave Natsuki's hand a gentle squeeze when the alarm set on her phone started to rang. "Ara, It seems that I run of a time. What a pity…" Sighed Shizuru standing from the couch and headed to the bathroom to change into her usual outfit before to go outside.

"Where are you going?"

"As much as I want to spent some more time with my Natsuki, I need to work to. I can't leave all my duties in academy for too long to hook up with you all day, my sweetheart" Giggled Shizuru through the closed door, knowing the exact reaction on her tease of the certain bluenette.

"Oi! Shizuru!? I thought we had a deal."

"Deal? What deal?" Shizuru stepped outside from the bathroom in her black knee length skirt and her white blouse on. She put her forefinger on her chin making a thinking pose.

"Shizuru! Don't play dumb! You know what I'm talking about! Stop teasing!" Shouted Natsuki throwing a pillow in Shizuru but she manage to dodge from the strike right in time.

"Dunno what you are talking about, I didn't promised that to Natsuki as long as I remember. Now, be a good girl and behave. I'll come to check on you later" Shizuru couldn't help but tease one last time before slipping outside dodging another pillow from angry bluenette.

To Be Continue...