AN: Huf, that was a tough one chapter. Enjoy & Review :3

'Thinking'

"Talking"

NOTE:

This chapter now is beta edited

Chapter 11

Jealousy

Once inside the house Shizuru went to the kitchen asking if she could help any despite maiden's declines while Natsuki went to greet her friend in the hall. Her smile widened seeing her old ginger headed friend.

"Natsuki! You grew up…Again…and a lot prettier since our last meeting."

"I'm glad to see you too" Smiled back Natsuki, enveloping the ginger in a tight bear hug.

"I came with a friend and it happens that she is a witness for our case with Reito. I hope you don't mind? I know, I should have asked you first before came here…"

"It's ok, Mai. Don't worry. I know that you wouldn't bring someone you don't trust." Natsuki cut her friend while searching the entrance for the new guest "Where is she the-YOU!?"

Natsuki stood agape in shock seeing a red haired girl step in from behind the maid who went to close the door and accompany the guest to estate master.

"Well, well, what a pleasure to see you again, Na-tsu-ki." Purred redhead girl stepping into Natsuki's personal space, still in shock, "I didn't know you are so loaded" smirked Nao seeing Natsuki's cheeks flamed up into shades of bright red.

"You know each other?" Mai stood confused, watching their interaction. Well, mostly from Nao's side, since Natsuki was at a loss for words.

"Ahahah… You can say so…" sheepishly mumbled Natsuki remembering her one night stand with Nao.

"Hmmm… Don't say that you two…" Mai pointed a finger at them both, silently implicating something.

"Ara, Ara… Natsuki, why are you holding your friends at the entrance so long? It's inappropriate…" Shizuru scolded, a meter away from behind her raven bodyguard.

"S-Shizuru!?" Natsuki squeak in surprise.

'I hope she didn't heard a word of that…' Natsuki prayed silently giving Shizuru a nervous smile.

"Shizuru, it's my best friend Mai Tokiha and her friend Nao Yuuki"

"Ara, it's pleasure to meet you. My name is Shizuru Fujino" brunette slightly bowed in greeting.

"It's my pleasure too, Fujino-san" Mai answered as politely as she bowed, flashing one of her own bright smiles.

"Fujino… Hmmm…" Nao hummed placing a finger under her chin in a thinking pose "Aren't you the famous pop singer named Viola?"

"Ara? Yes. I am."

"What a coincidence…you know we are here, exactly because…of…you…" Nao finished uncertainly, slightly confused seeing Natsuki nervously swiping fingers to her neck, in an attempt to shut her up.

"Why? If I may ask?" Shizuru quirked a brow giving Natsuki a curious glare, who immediately showed her hands behind the back stopping all the weird signals and gave honey brunette a sheepish grin.

"Because… I'm a huge fan of yours." Nao blurred the first thing that came into her head.

"Oh. I'm glad to hear…that my music is popular." Shizuru gave her a fake smile as an odd feeling filled her instincts.

'Straange… Natsuki suddenly looks nervous. I wonder why? Plus those looks that read head gave her when she came to meet me, I don't like that! I should watch after her.'

"Well, let's go eat while the food still warm" Smiled Natsuki, releasing a sigh of relief mouthing a silent 'Thank you' to Nao.

Once in a patio Mai move step closer to Natsuki whispering in her ear when Shizuru was at a fair distance to hear them, while she took her seat.

"Why so secret about Fujino?"

"I will tell you later, Mai…and no word about my social status, please!" Natsuki pleaded, taking her seat, at the outdoor table and chairs next to Shizuru, on one side, with Nao in across of her and Mai to Nao's left.

White linen tablecloth and fine porcelain dishes with a silver cutlery on the sides decorate their dinner party. Soon came two maidens filling each cup with the finest red wine and bringing lasagna.

"So, Natsuki, how was your trip. I haven't seen you since …oh my God! Since we were fifteen! I want to know everything, so spill, now!" grinned Mai taking a fork full of lasagne and wiggle eagerly waiting for the story while Natsuki dipped her own in an awful amount of mayo.

"Ara, ara…Natsuki should stop eating so much mayonnaise it's not healthy." Shizuru placed her hand on top of Natsuki's stopping her from drenching her dish completely.

"But it won't be delicious without mayo" pouted Natsuki in a most adorable way making Shizuru want to melt.

'Ara, what an amazing childish pouting face.'

"It's pointless Fujino-san. I tried many times to teach her not to use so much mayo and

failed. You see, she is addicted to her white goo."

"I'm not addicted! And stop calling that piece of culinary 'goo' !" grumbled Natsuki crossing arms on her chest.

Shizuru chuckled at Natsuki's adorable expression noting to add this information to her personal box of 'Natsuki's weakness in her mind.

"Gomen, Gomen…" apologized ginger head still not able to suppress her chuckle fully, "So, how was your trip?" asked Mai, to change subject that will certainly bring up Natsuki's mood.

"That was amazing! I saw and tried so many things I couldn't have thought about doing. I even participated in motocross while I was in Germany. Can you believe it!? That was terrific! I kicked everyone's asses!" Natsuki grinned, in self-satisfaction of her accomplishments.

Friends happily chatted all evening sharing their moments for the past years. Natsuki told of everything about her trip starting from the part when she left her home in Italy and till now getting embarrassed each time when Nao or Mai catch her on the funny moments of her story laughing till tears showed up…some parts not all of it.

Shizuru was surprised at finding new information about her bodyguard.

"I didn't know that Natsuki can ride a bike. It looks like Natsuki is full of surprises as well as experienced in so many things…" Shizuru teased Natsuki, who's face flamed nth time for the evening.

Nao noticing Shizuru's increased interest for Natsuki, decided to spice things a little between them and see what reaction she could get out of the young singer.

"You even can't imagine, Fujino-san how experienced our Nat-su-ki is" purred Nao giving a sultry smile and a wink to Natsuki. But instead of her original plan she got under Natsuki's skin instead and got a kick to her leg.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" cried out Nao massaging her 'injured' leg as Natsuki give it a heavy hit under the table.

"I think the alcohol is getting you drunk now, Yuuki" hissed Natsuki sipping from her cup.

"Yuuki? Since when did I became Yuuki to you? That night you called me Naaaooo" Nao joked, obviously exaggerating her name.

"Watch your tongue, you spider! Mai, don't let your friend to drink anymore!"

Mai blinked trying to get Natsuki's sudden swing in mood...and rolled her eyes then looking at Nao, before facing the brunette, "Shizuru I'm sorry for my friend's behavior…"

Everyone at the table looked in silence when a Shizuru's chair creaked as she stood out from the table. Her head was low, eyes covered with her honey-brown bangs.

"I'm sorry, but I'm tired. I will go to my room. It was a pleasure to meet the friends of Natsuki…" apologized Shizuru through clenched teeth and gone back into the house in a few wide steps with hands tightly clenched in fists.

"Shizuru, wait!" Natsuki dashed after her but was stopped by Nao herself.

"What the fuck was that, Nao!"

"Chill out cowboy, you will thank me later" Nao covered her ears from Natsuki's outburst.

"Thank you!? Are you kidding me?"

"Natsuki, calm down, please. And what about you, Nao, you will get the speech later!" Mai smacked Nao's head hard angrily.

"Ouch! Come on guys! What that for? I'm trying to help here…" whined Nao rubbing her head.

"Helping!? With what exactly?"

"With your affection dumbass!" shouted Nao, confused no one was getting her point.

"I-I don't know what you are talking about" muttered Natsuki, closed her eyes, irritated.

"Cut it out, mutt! I know when someone is in love. I saw how you look at her. And assuming by her reaction she reciprocates though she's not realized that yet…"

"Since when you are so discerning?" asked Mai placing hands on the sides of her waist, almost mom-like.

"Since we are dating, babe" grinned Nao giving Mai a peck on her cheek who reddened from the tip of the head till the toes.

"You…You two…are dating?" choked Natsuki, in surprise "What? Since when?"

"A f-few weeks. I wanted to tell you later, but it looks like Nao spilled out too suddenly…" Mai was still embarrassed to admit out loud that she's dating someone, but then all that faded as she remembered the thing from earlier, "Naaaooo, don't you tell me that you both had sex!"

A cold shiver ran through Nao's spine and she seems to become smaller seeing anger swirling in her girlfriends eyes. Even Natsuki felt the fear seeing Mai angry.

"H-hey…b-babe, calm down…it was before I met you. If I knew that she was your friend I wouldn't have done it! I swear! Don't be jealous, okay. I got only you now…" Nao explained.

"Jealous!? Who says I'm jealous!" barked Mai, annoyed.

"Then what do you call that just now?" Grinned Nao

"Okay, alright…maybe I am a little jealous! Happy now?"

"Totally…" Nao give her pouting girlfriend a kiss on the lips in apology, "I love you…"

"Finish that somewhere else!" Natsuki rolled her eyes, amused.

"Thanks for advice… I will certainly use it later" Nao smiling lustfully smug at Mai.

"N-Nao, you pervert!" Mai hit Nao at the same place again making her wince in pain.

"Alright, let's get to business." Natsuki mentioned both of them to follow her inside the house and into her office.

"So, what secrets have you found out, Mai?"

Mai took a folder full of documents out of her purse, and placed it on the desk in front of Natsuki, and opened it, "This one on the picture," she pointed on the smug girl with blue hair in a tight black dress "her name is Aoi Kanoko. She is working for Kanzaki in Kanzaki Incorporated as his secretary.

Reito's been having an affair with her for at least a year…and those two…" Mai pointed to the picture of Reito with two men in black suits in a restaurant. And Natsuki recognized one of them. The one with a scar on his cheek, one of the people that attacked Shizuru on the street, "This man is Akiro Hiroshi, he is one of the many assassins whom Reito hired in order to kill Fujino-san…the rest are all the records I could find about it for now. Also, Nao saw them chatting yesterday at her bar.

Nao interrupted, "…unfortunately I couldn't figure out what they were talking about, but from the looks of it. The loser assassins got scolded for their failure, I mean Reito looked really pissed about it…then I got all sneaky and moved closer to them to overhear, it seems they have a lot of trouble finding Shizuru. You know why…and then mentioning something about some files leading to him being suspected of corruption, and if someone were to ever find out…well…"

Mai continued this time, "So…I looked into the files…read them when you have the time, it's all there. And it seems that he needs to get rid of Shizuru as soon as possible, I think she is starting to look into whatever Kanzaki is involved in, partly…maybe half the reason he wants her gone. " Mai smiled as she looked directly into Natsuki, "…you always were a professional in everything business. Especially now, this pretty case of yours…"

Everyone smiled, feeling very accomplished.

'Nao for sure has a bad influence on Mai. I can't remember her being so teasing before...'

Natsuki cleared her throat ignoring their slight glares and concentrate on the case.

"But why does he have to kill her? I don't get that part…Yes Shizuru may have the money…since she's a famous singer but is it really worth getting her killed?"

"Well…here's the thing…"Mai browsed through the papers, finally finding the one with the front, written in bold letters, 'Life Insurance', "…according to this, her father had this written for her daughter, back when she was just three years old, having no end term. A good amount of money stored on a secret and separate bank account, sending a handful of cash to the account she has been using presently, just in case… But as is, that second account…should have at least, a few millions by now, thanks to the interests, percent's and alike.

According to 'Life insurance' conditions if something happens with person's life, all money will be transferred to Fujino-san's heirs or her husband if there are none. So, if Reito Kanzaki has a money issue, this is a very logical explanation…"

"That BASTARD!" Natsuki's rage spilled out as she clenched her fist onto the table surface making it creak loudly, "We must to hang this twat by his balls!"

"Unfortunately we can't, Natsuki" sighed Mai, "…as much as we would like too…"

"How's that!? This all the evidence right here…" Natsuki mentioned irritated by the second.

"All evidence are indirect" meaning Nao, "…its basically our words against theirs….we need real LEGIT evidence for this to stick, otherwise it could just be falsification of evidence to them."

"I need to get those documents Kanzaki was talking about at the bar. I'm sure that can be our only trump card that will tie all these facts together and could give us opportunity to send him into court…and to jail."

"Okay, then let's do this! I'll find you a hacker and…"

"No need." Grinned Nao "You already have one"

"Huh?"

"Why do you think I moved from States back to Japan?"

"What? I thought you are a bartender?" questioned a shocked Natsuki.

"Yeah, and you are just a simple traveller seeking for new adventures" snorted Nao, catching Natsuki on lie about her own true background. "I, on the other hand, hacked what I shouldn't have and ALMOST got caught, so, I cleaned up all the mess I made and returned home, since I still have the urge to hack something, I decided I should start something less dangerous,. Thanks to Mai, she won't let me do this. But I guess this time I'll have my fun, since it is for a good reason here…" Nao were practically glowing, "…If you know what i mean…" happy to finally be able to break through someone's software security system again.

"Wow! I did not see you as 'the hacker' type. But right now I will definitely hire you as my personal SysAdmin when I'll decide to run my company." Natsuki said amazed.

"Deal!" smiled Nao shaking hands with Natsuki

"But first you must to make up for this evening, you filthy animal!" reminded Mai

"Alright…I will play piano for you, sweetheart" promised Nao hugging Mai from behind

By the end of that evening, Natsuki walked her friends to their car and giving them a goodbye hugs headed back to estate.

Heading upstairs to her bedroom she stopped by Shizuru's door first. Her soul was at tormented.

'Could it be that what Nao said was true? Could it be that Shizuru feels something for me or it's all just my imagination? But then, what was she so angry about suddenly that she had to leave?' Natsuki sighed loudly, surprisingly calming her nerves.

She lightly knocked at the door waiting for a response that didn't come. She waited for a few minutes more before slowly opening the door and slipping quietly inside and sitting carefully on the edge of the bed, so not to wake the young singer from her sleep.

Natsuki adored Shizuru's sleeping face, marvelled with a sigh of her perfect features that makes her heart flutter each time she looked at her. Natsuki carefully pushed the honey bangs from her forehead to the side smiling inwardly before placing a very light kiss on her forehead.

"Sleep tight, my princess"

'I always will be by your side' swear Natsuki before heading into her own room for one more sleepless night.

To Be Continue...