Me: Welp... here it is (I'm in a weird mood)

Chapter 21

I sped on my Ducati through traffic, cutting people off and running red lights as I made my way uptown. School was fine. But as soon as I got home and turned on the TV, every channel was suddenly news, showing story after story and video after video about the arrest of Shizuru's dad and Satan, and finally everything made sense to me. Satan's plan after being let go of the yakuza was to spend the rest of his remaining life in prison, bringing testimony and witness against Fujino, hopefully to put him in jail for a life sentence.

It was his last gift to me, I know that. Without Fujino funding the remnants of the rival gang to the Tiger, they would fall apart and collapse. The battles of Fuuka's underworld would be over. I would have nothing to fear in this city, or in any other, as the memory of me would soon fade out with the dying rival gang. I cursed as I hit traffic, making me slow so that I could walk my bike between the cars. Thankfully, the light was green when I was close to the front and I sped off again, passing cars and owning the open road.

I turned off the road and went up one street, then another, my Ducati roaring through the eerily empty neighborhood as I approached a familiar house with large gates. I slowed my bike outside of the gates and pushed the intercom button, "Let me in, Yosho." I said loudly.

A voice came out through the other side, "Fujino-sama instructed me not to let anyone inside the house. Especially not you." it said.

I sneered at the metal box and slammed my fist against it, "Open this gate, Yosho, or I'll have Yoshida turn you into a eunuch!" I yelled. A long silence followed before the gates creaked and started opening. I raced down the driveway and nearly jumped off my bike, letting it fall to the ground as I collided with the door. A few moments later, the door was unlocked and opened.

Instead of Shizuru standing there though, it was a maid. She smiled at me softly and pointed up the stairs, "We were wondering when you'd arrive. Shizuru talks about you too much, and Duran makes all of us happy. She's in her room, in the burrito." she said.

I blinked. In the burrito? "Ah, thanks!" I said, clearing my mind and running up the stairs two steps at a time. I ran as fast I as could and pushed my way into her room. It was dark inside, her curtains pulled over her window and all the lights off. Her TV was on the news, but it was muted. On her bed as a bundle of blankets that resembled a burrito; I could safely assume that she was inside, "...'Zuru?" I called out.

The burrito shifted. Slowly, it unrolled and Shizuru sat up, looking at me sadly. Her velvet eyes were red and watery, looking at me with a strong, cold hate, "You knew." she said simply.

I stepped forward, "I saw the news when I got home, I came over as fast I as I co-"

"Not that." she said, cutting me off and shaking her head. She glared at me, really glared at me, as anger crept over her face, "You know about my father and what he did long before anyone else. You and Nao, you both knew. Your yakuza friends knew everything! And you didn't tell me. You knew this would happen and you didn't tell me!" she screamed, sneering at me as tears filled her eyes.

She... how did she know? "'Zuru, I-I..." I started, but it was too hard to find my words, "I didn't know about this. I had no idea they would..."

Shizuru stood and got something off her dresser. She threw it at me, making me duck so that it didn't whip me in the face, "I found that." she said angrily, "It's what I wanted to ask you about. But now I already know. Yakuza scum." she said, sitting back on her bed. Yakuza? I leaned down and picked up the cloth and turned it over in my hand. My stomach dropped in fear when I saw what it was. Duran... my Duran, his old collar... "I found it on the rocks when Nao was getting some box from a cave." Shizuru continued, watching me with hateful eyes, "Who are you?"

Her words cut deep. Of course she knew. Every news outlet thought my accident involved yakuza. And she had the collar, which had my real name on it. She probably pieced everything together. I sighed and clutched the collar in my hand, looking at her slowly, "My real name... you know it. Natsuki Kruger."

She wasn't impressed as I watched the anger burning behind her fiercely red eyes as she glared at me, "You're yakuza." she said to me.

I felt a flash of anger myself at the mention of me possibly being a member of any yakuza gang. It was the opposite of what I'd been striving for myself, "I am not." I said, finding myself glaring back at her, "My father was before he died, but I'm not. I never was."

Shizuru only scoffed at me though, disbelief clearly written all over her, "You mean when your yakuza father and mother died in that car accident." she said, her glare returning soon enough.

What? "My father wasn't in that accident."

"Oh, did he die somewhere else? How many people did he murder before he died?"

"My father didn't just murder innocent peo-"

"So is Nao one of them too? Tate?"

"Nao has nothing to do with this!"

"Was your mother a killer as well, or was she just the whore?"

I froze at the words that I never thought would leave Shizuru. The image of my mother, bloodied and dead after she'd saved my life flashed in my mind. I found myself nearly shaking at the memory, "My mother was not yakuza!" I nearly screamed at her. The anger on her face was replaced by shock at my outburst, and I wasn't done yet, "And my father didn't die in that accident! He was killed by Satan while the guy was under your father's employment!" I said, stepping around her bed and glaring down at her, "Can you guess Nao's real name? It's Zhang!" I told her.

Recognition flashed across her face when she heard the name, "Natsuki, y-you mean-"

"Yea, she's that Nao Zhang. Do you get it now, Shizuru? Do you fucking understand?!" I screamed, pointing to her silent TV as I leaned closer to her, "Me and Nao were orphans because of your father! Nao saw her family murdered in her own house because of your father! We both grew up, alone, in an abusive house because of him! So don't you dare take your anger out on me!" I yelled, pointing at her, not caring that she was utterly speechless now. How dare you insult my mother! My father? I kept going. I was angry. Beyond angry, so I kept going. Kept yelling, "I kept my secrets from you but only because I wasn't sure how to explain how your daddy ruined my fucking life!

"He ruined my life, he ruined Nao's chances of growing up with a family that loved her! And he ordered the deaths of a lot of other people, killed a lot of other fathers and ruined dozens of other families. Before you start assuming about my past, be fucking glad that I didn't tell you what was actually going on. You're lucky you didn't have go through a fraction of what I've gone through. The yakuza your father hired have been hunting me my entire fucking life and you dare accuse me of being one of them! After what your father has done don't dare insult my family!" I finished, feeling tears running down my cheeks.

I focused on Shizuru again, half expecting her to start yelling right back. Instead she burst into tears, burying her face in her hands and sobbing uncontrollably. Her form bent over, going from a strong, angry woman to a crippled, depressed teenage girl. My anger dissolved into nothing at the sight. I sat on the bed and pulled her into me, wrapping my arms around her shoulders and letting her cry against me as I cursed myself over and over. How could I be so stupid? Her father's just been arrested and I'm standing here screaming at her, trying to make myself feel better even though I've lived with this for as long as I can remember, whereas this was brand new to her.

I was used to these things but she's not; not by a long shot. This kind of pain is something she's never had to deal with. I was stupid to assume she can get over it like me and Nao do. And so I sat on the bed, holding her and rubbing her back in small circles and whispering to her that it was going to be okay, that everything is going to be okay, 'Zuru, I promise. The TV was annoying, so I found the remote and turned it off before going back to comforting the girl in my arms.

After a few minutes, her sobbing slowed and she looked up at me with sad, terrified eyes, "I'm sorry, Natsuki, I'm so sorry. I've been so angry and everyone, everything, I even kicked Duran outside. He was just so happy to see me when I got home, and I was so angry, I'm sorry Natsuki I'm so so sorry, I didn't mean to lash out at you. I'm just tired of all the lying and the secrets and being so left out."

"Shhhh, Shizuru, calm down, it's okay." I whispered, pulling her back down into me and running my hand over her hair, "I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have gotten so angry. I never should have taken my anger out on you." I said. She sniffed loudly and shook her head, burying her face further into my sweatshirt. It was then that I noticed the thin leather jacket that she was wearing. I felt myself smile a bit, "You were angry at me and you still put on my jacket?" I asked her.

Shizuru gave off a dry laugh and nodded, her voice muffled as she spoke into my clothes, "It makes me feel better, as if you're here holding Me." she said.

I closed my eyes and reveled in how her words made me feel. I just had to bait her a little more... "And how do you feel now, with me actually holding you?" I asked, hoping for a good answer. I've been waiting for the month to end so that I could ask her out. Granted, it didn't come as I thought it would and we just got out of a screaming match, but fuck it, I'm still asking her out if I get the chance.

She detached herself from me and wiped her eyes, smiling at me softly, "Like I'm… at peace." she said, laughing at herself a bit. Then she leaned back and tilted her head back, running a hand through her hair and shrugging, "I don't know. I just feel better with you around. I just feel... content." she said, and…

..I kissed her.

While she was smiling at me, I leaned forward onto my hands and kissed her. I had my eyes closed, but I could feel her surprise when I pressed my lips against hers. She wasn't expecting me to kiss her, and when I pulled back her eyes were wide with shock. I shied away and scratched my cheek nervously, "I-um…"

She shook her head and licked her lips quickly, scooting closer to me, "Do over." she muttered, closing her eyes and leaning closer to me. I smiled a bit and leaned in, connecting our lips again. My hand found her cheek as I opened my mouth and pressed my lips to hers again, and her hand landed on my leg as we kissed again, and then again before we parted. A huge grin broke over her face, her eyes sparkling with happiness, "Sorry for the delay, but I love you, my Natsuki-chan."

"Ah- I-um.. really?" I asked stupidly, feeling my heart hammering away in my chest. I mean, I knew she had feelings for me, or just really wanted me, but she loves me?

Shizuru pouted at me, though I could also see the smile she was keeping down, "My Natsuki-chan doesn't love me." she said, sniffing and burying her face in her hands. I panicked at the sight, not wanting her cry. No, not again. I tried hugging her and patting her back, muttering apology after apology as her shoulders moved in silent sobs. But then she suddenly stopped and looked up at me with a small smile, "It's okay, if my Natsuki-chan doesn't love me, she will."

I smiled at that and nodded in agreement, "Of course I will, you're beyond perfect." I said. She smiled and blushed a bit, nodding at me. "Sooo..." I started, smiling at her nervously, "'Zuru, I've been waiting for over a month to ask you, but please be my girlfriend."

"I'd be stupid to refuse." she responded, kissing my cheek and laying against me. I grabbed the remote as we repositioned ourselves. I found an action movie on her TV, thankful that the thing swiveled around to face her bed, and we laid there together. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and she put her head on my shoulder. Together, we watched the movie.

Eventually the movie grew boring. Shizuru said that if it wasn't too much to ask, she wanted to know more about me. And so, I answered all her questions. From front to back, I told her my story. She asked about my father, and I told him what I remembered of him. That he used to throw me into the air and make me laugh, laugh until I cried, which only make him smile and laugh harder.

I even told her about what he did to free us, and how he was seen as the underground hero to the city. Satan had been on the news and people were rallying behind him, saying that his sacrifice was for the good of the city. I compared my father to that. Then she asked about my mother. I had to explain that my mother was quiet, and came from a fairly wealthy family. She'd fallen for my dad while he was on business in town, and gave up her family name to be with him, even if he was in a gang.

I told her about how my mother taught me to read and write by herself. That she would read me to sleep in our small home and tuck me in. I told her about when I was a kid, I'd play with Tate in the base or in hotels were my father's meetings were. We would run around through all the hallways and offices and coolers and have fun in a seemingly dark place. I told him about how Tate and his dad came to say goodbye to me and my mother when we were leaving, and how I had to promise him that we'd see each other again to get him to stop crying. Then my mother showed me Duran, and Tate shut up right after.

I told a detailed story about the night that I met Nao. I admitted that even now, thunder storms still reminded me of that night, to which she said something about moving to the mountains to get away from the ocean. I told her how Nao kept her spider with her one day and someone ripped off two of the legs. Nao started crying, and that night the three boys that cornered her encountered a ghost that scared them so badly they all had bed wetting problems for the next few months.

When she asked about how many girls I'd dated, I finally shut up. She looked up at me and smiled, "I'm kidding my Nat-su-ki-chan, you're mine now. I don't care about your past." she said, kissing my cheek.

I sighed as I smiled down at her, "You've got to be kidding me." I laughed a bit, "After everything I've told you, you're gonna say you don't care about my past?" When she nodded, I kissed her quickly and held her just a little closer to me, "I think I love you now." I muttered.

This time she laughed at me and shook her head, "Ara… I don't think so. But Natsuki, we've been talking for a while. It's late." she said, rolling onto her back and pointing out the window. She was right. It was dark out, past sunset and the stars were twinkling in the sky. Then she sat up suddenly and got off the bed, tugging on my sleeve and making me get up as well, "I need to let Duran in."

I followed her downstairs to the doors to the yard. Duran was sitting outside the glass doors patiently, watching us as we came closer. As soon as Shizuru opened the door, he barreled through and started jumping onto my legs, nipping at the edge of my shirt, barking and panting happily. "Come on Duran, upstairs." Shizuru said. We all went back upstairs quickly. When we reached her room, Duran was already laying on his back at the foot of the bed. Shizuru smirked at me, "Bed time."

I shifted in the large bed, turning over. My leg was asleep, damnit. I stayed still, letting feeling slip back into the limp limb. Slowly it grew warmer, then got slightly painful, then I had my leg back. As soon as I was about to roll over, something else shifted beside. I opened my eyes and then immediately shut them as a blinding light from the window struck my eyes and made me feel like someone had tased my brain.

Pulling the blanket over my head, I cracked open an eye. Once I was sure my cornea wasn't going to be burned out of my skull, I looked around for my new girlfriend. I smiled at her sleeping figure just a foot away from me towards the door. I scooted over and lay down beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back into me. She shifted then, getting more comfortable against me, "mmmtsuki..." she muttered.

I leaned over her shoulder and kissed her cheek, "Morning, 'Zuru." I whispered, putting my head back down on the pillow. Hmm… her hair smells like roses… I felt her hand find mine over her waist, and together we laced our fingers and drifted back to sleep.

This time when I woke up, it was to the sound of claws on wood. I lifted my head over Shizuru's shoulder and squinted through the light to see Duran by the door, his head looking back at me desperately. Slowly detaching myself from Shizuru, I slipped off the other side of the bed and let Duran out of her room. I followed the dog down the stairs and to the back door. I let him out, waiting a few minutes, and then let him back inside. Instead of following me back upstairs he made his way to the kitchen, for breakfast.

Good idea... I went back to Shizuru's room to see her awake and watching the door, "My Natsuki-chan left me." she muttered, her open hand stretching out over the edge of the bed towards me. I knelt in front of the bed and took her hand in mine, kissing the back of her hand before leaning closer and pressing my lips to hers. We broke apart both smiling. "What time is it?" she asked, rolling onto her back and rubbing at her eyes.

I took out my phone quickly and checked the clock, "Ten forty two." I told her.

She rolled again, this time on her stomach, "We're late for school." she muttered into her pillow.

"We're not going to school." I said simply.

"No?"

"No."

"...Okay."

I smirked at her willingness to skip. It'd be better this way. She may have never skipped before, but I doubt anyone was expecting her to show up anyway. I bet she could be gone for a week and no one would say anything about it. I sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at my ruffled and wrinkled school uniform from yesterday that I'd slept in and sighed, "Hey 'Zuru, let's go get me a change of clothes from my place and then find a place to get breakfast."

She rolled over again, this time her head landing on my lap. She smiled at me and pointed to her lips. I rolled my eyes and leaned down, kissing her slowly before sitting back up. She was still with her eyes closed for a moment before she shrugged, "M'kay." Easy going, agreeable Shizuru is much more fun than presidential Shizuru.

She changed her clothes quickly, putting on her seemingly only pair of jeans and some really nice looking blue shirt and of course, my jacket. She didn't ask me to leave the room, or even to look away, and when she caught me staring at her she only smiled and told me she was mine anyway. I blushed hard after that. When we got out to my bike though, there were four different news trucks parked outside the gates. No one was outside of them, and I didn't see anyone in the windows, so I picked up my bike and we walked it to the front of the gate. Yosho opened the gate only when we were both on and ready to go. I turned my bike on and peeled out the gate.

I could see the people climbing out of the trucks in my mirrors, holding cameras and microphones and papers. But I'd like to see those news vans try to catch up to my baby. We raced down the streets together. Shizuru yelled at me that she didn't want anyone to notice her, so I even rode through a red light by going on the crosswalk and driving through it. Within a good ten minutes we were at my apartment.

Nao was gone, probably at school or with that other bluenette she's been obsessed over lately. I led Shizuru through our apartment even though she seemed intent on looking at everything inside. Once we were in my room, I tried finding my favorite pair of jeans in the pile of semi clean clothes on my floor. "Ara... are these your father's?"

I turned and saw Shizuru by my dresser, looking into the beaten up metal box that held my father's guns. I'd told her all about them yesterday. I nodded at her before going back to my clothes, "Yea, that's what Nao fished out of the cave for me. Be careful, there's no safety and they're loaded."

She set the revolvers back inside the cushioned box and sat on my bed, smiling at me, "Go ahead and change, just pretend I'm not here." she said.

I paused, "Eh..."

Then she pouted, "You've seen me in my underwear. Twice."

Damnit. I turned my back to her and started changing out of my uniform. I tried to move quickly and carefully, but I could feel her eyes watching every move I made. It made me nervous, so much so that I almost tripped trying to put my pants on. I finished as quickly as possible, turning to see her still smiling at me on my bed, "My Natsuki-chan has very fashionable underwear."

"Shut up." I muttered, feeling my face heat up. I walked to my bed quickly and stood over her, placing my hands on either side of her face and leaning down, kissing her. My body reacted almost immediately, the heat on my face dispersing to the rest of my body as I moved my lips against hers carefully and ever so slowly. I licked the front of her lips, and the next time our lips came together her mouth was open, inviting me in.

I licked her lips again and felt her tongue meet mine. She sighed into the kiss and my hold on her tightened, pulling her closer to me as our tongues moved against and with each other. When I felt her tongue delve into my own mouth, I enclosed my lips around it and sucked softly, then kissed her deeply once more before breaking the kiss and leaning back. Her eyes were still closed, her mouth slightly open. Then she licked her lips and placed a hand on my own on her cheek as she gazed up at me, "My Natsuki should not kiss me like that. She'll make me want to pull her into this bed and have my way with her."

I gulped, swallowing down my nervousness at the dark look of lust in her eyes. I stepped back, almost cursing at the uncomfortable dampness of my panties. Instead I leaned down and kissed her chastely before smiling, "Let's go eat."

She glared at me slightly, but it only took her a few moments to return my smile and get up, and then we were up again. Shizuru told me her favorite restaurant to get food, but we didn't want to be anywhere too public for too long. I suggested a small diner that I knew was on the way back to her place, but all it would take is one phone call from someone who recognized her for those damn news trucks to show up.

In the end we stopped at the diner anyway, but we ordered all the food to go. While we were waiting for the food to come out to us, the news was on. Every eye in the diner was on the TV as Reito's father stood in front of the police station, explaining that Fujino was being held indefinitely, without bail, but that the crimes would be tried in the city of Fuuka, even though there was an international murder involved. Shizuru watched the news as well, her face unreadable as she watched it.

"My father will be furious when he learns I'm dating a girl." she said, not taking her eyes off the TV. I didn't respond as a news woman appeared on the TV, reading down a list of crimes that Fujino was going to be charged with. Satan was now being kept in a high security, private cell in the prison for his own safety as it was explained, in case someone was hired to take him out before he could testify.

When the food came out, Shizuru handed the girl a card. After we paid, the waitress tried to bid us a good day, but when she read Shizuru's name off the receipt she just watched us leave with her mouth hanging open like an idiot. The ride home was less then eventful, and the news trucks were gone from the front of the gates. She did instruct Yosho that I was to be allowed within the gates at all times, so, that was awesome.

We ate in her room with our backs against her love seat and Duran on top of it, his nose appearing on the edge of my vision every once in a while when he tried to snatch my bacon and sausage away, even sniffing my egg as I ate it with a giant ball of rice. Surprisingly, Shizuru wanted to watch the news. I guess her father had admitted to paying off several gang members before when they tried to out his crimes, and instead it was his brother who was arrested for the crimes. Shizuru's uncle was innocent and had been framed by his own brother. She hated that. By the time our food was done, she'd slipped lower and lower until her head was once again on my lap, "I can't believe my father did all this." she said.

I ran my fingers through her hair and nodded, "I can understand that. He tried hard to keep everything under wraps. It's shocking to everyone that hears it; I can only image how it makes you feel."

"I understand why my Natsuki-chan and Nao-san hate him. I think I hate him now." she said, glancing up at me. Her red velvet eyes were just as captivating as always, but the look of sadness in her eyes tugged on my heart strings. Part of me wanted to tell her not to hate a member of her family but... I'd spent my while life hating this man. Nao wanted him dead. Along with half the country at this point.

So instead of arguing with her, I kept running my fingers through her hair until her face calmed and the sad look disappeared behind a smile. I paused when I felt my butt vibrating. I quickly pulled out my phone and answered the call, "What do you want, Spider?"

"You're with Fujino, right?"

"Yea, why?"

I heard Nao's voice, though it was distance, and guessed that she was at lunch and was telling everyone at the table what was being said. "Haruka and Aoi and Mai got really worried." she finally said, "Tate had some weird news thing on his phone that said she'd left the country."

I smiled down at my girlfriend's confused face on my thigh, "Nope, no fleeing the country, we're sitting in her room. You guys at lunch?"

"Yea, shits going crazy, Mutt. Rumors everywhere, someone put up poster with his face on them that say 'wanted, dead or alive'. My business class was in a fucking feeding frenzy. Professor's going to talk about corruption in business all next week. Plus, people have been asking me all day where Fujino is. Me!"

I chuckled at her, "What do you expect, you guys have been friends for over a month."

"Yea and you've been chasing her for over a month."

I felt Shizuru's eyes on me before I saw the bemused look in her eye. I smirked a bit, "Caught her."

"Way to go, Kuga!" I heard some shifting and then Nao's voice came through the phone again, "Guys, they're going out!" she said happily. I heard the distance cheers of our friends through the phone.

"Are you goings thinking of visiting?"

"Yea. Mai's got the idea of going over there and making you two lunch or dinner or something. She says a good home cooked meal will help."

"Ara..." Shizuru muttered, her smile growing a bit.

"You guys should all skip tomorrow and have fun." I found myself saying.

"We can throw my father a going away party." Shizuru said softly.

I heard Nao chuckling on the other side of the phone, "Sounds more fun than a barrel of Mikotos. We'll be there. See ya tomorrow, Mutt."

When I hung up, Shizuru was smiling up at me brilliantly, "You're friends seem to care a great deal about me." she said, sitting up and leaning against her love seat.

Rolling my eyes, I kissed her cheek quickly, "They're your friends, too, 'Zuru. They all care about you just as much as I do."

Her lips brushed against mine lightly which only made me lean forward and really kiss her. When we broke apart, she nearly tackled me to the floor, wrapping her arms around my waist as her face disappeared into my shirt. I heard her mutter "I love you" when I wrapped my arms around her and laid there with her, that strange sense of content filling my heart and making me wish this moment would last a little longer, this happiness fill me complete, and this girl stay with me forever.

OMAKE

Me: Boo doop. There's only two chapters leeeeeft.

Natsuki: You're so not in the mood

Me: I just got finished talking to my friend about all the shit thats been happening at her house lately.

Shizuru: Ara...?

Nao: So you're-

Me: Going on a ghost hunt next weekend, yes.

Natsuki: So we're gonna get your side-kick again?

Me: YUP! Actually, Chapter 22 is shorter and will be updated on Friday. The last chapter, 23, will be update next Sunday. So this story is coming to a close in a week guys. It might be Emily that finishes up this story, and if it is, she'll be writing the omake. I might add something of my own though. She just has access to my account .-.

Shizuru: Sounds safe, Shu

Nao: She's not gonna go crazy and try to kidnap you again, right?

Me: She's a hufflepuff, she's harmless

Natsuki: I don't like her

Me: Up yours Kuga. Leave me a review guys! I'll see you Friday!