Brought Back Together by You

Season 2: Episode 7

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The Day of the Engagement Party

Part 3 of 3

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- Cling Cling Cling -

That sound, was the sound of silverware gently tapping against glass, asking for everyone's attention.

They were about an hour or so into the celebration, and since most of the guests had already arrived, Mai and Tate thought it'd be a good opportunity to thank everyone who could make it.

"Can we have everyone's attention please!" Tate happily shouted, placing the fork on the nearby table while raising his glass. Mai was smiling by his side.

Nao took this as her cue and lowered the music a little so that they could be easily heard.

Once the chatter had subsided and everyone's eyes were on them, Tate continued, "First, we'd like to thank Natsuki for being a great host and for letting us use her place" he raised his glass towards mentioned bluenettes direction.

"Ah, ie, ie" Natsuki, who was standing a distance away, waived it off, all eyes now on her. "It's my pleasure" She said with a shy smile.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room,

- Buzz -

Shizuru, who had previously been conversing with Reito, Haruka and Midori, excused herself and left the living room for her cellphone had started vibrating in her purse.

"Nina-han?" She answered in a hushed tone as she retreated to the master bedroom for privacy, "Is something the matter?" And once she reached the bedroom, she closed the door behind her.

"Ah, ie, there's no need to wake her" Shizuru explained as she walked around the large room, Ruby eyes curiously scanning the place. She hadn't stepped foot in this room in almost two years and was amazed that not much had really changed.

"I've already given her the last dose for the night" Long, manicured fingertips caressing the silky, lilac colored comforter as she walked by the bed, slowly heading towards the dresser. "Not at all, I'll see you soon" Then softly voiced, ending the call as she eyed her reflection in the mirror.

…Ara, ara, I look tired… She couldn't help but notice, leaning in closer to the mirror while placing two fingers on her cheeks, guiding them upwards to her temples, somewhat massaging them.

It had been a long day for her. And with Shiaki teething and waking up all through the night the previous night because of her fever and pain, then the trip to the hospital today, and now this party, Shizuru hadn't been able to rest.

"At least the medication is working" She let out with a sigh, knowing that now that the toddler's fever was gone she should be able to sleep through the night.

She fixed her chestnut tresses, neatly placing a few fallen strands behind her right ear. She had worn her hair up today in a high ponytail, exposing her delicate neck.

Satisfied with her appearance, she was about to leave the room and join the party again, but her body paused, …Ara?... for a familiar object on the dresser had suddenly caught her attention.

For a moment, Shizuru's right hand hovered over the small, velvet box, her left hand raising towards her chest, resting it there. Her face showed no emotion as she looked at the object, yet she hesitated to pick it up.

Why?

Because her heart had started to beat wildly, frantically in her chest. She could feel it pounding hard against her hand, she could hear the strong sound deafening her ears, not letting any other sound in.

Then, finally, after it felt like eternity, she picked up the box and slowly opened it, revealing a platinum ring inside.

Shizuru picked up the ring, her thumb caressing it gently, lightly. "Kuga-Fujino, Natsuki" She whispered, reading the inscription inside the wedding band. Then, she placed her attention to the box once more, searching for the ring that wore her name, but the box was empty, the ring wasn't there.

She didn't ponder about it for long, but did wonder of the whereabouts of the ring. She had worn it for four years and almost never took it off. It had become a part of her, a part of her identity, a part of her soul.

She remembered the strange feeling the following weeks after she had taken it off and given it to Mai to return to Natsuki. The ring had left a white mark, as the sun rarely hit that spot for it was always adorned by it. It took a couple of months for the color to blend with the rest of her finger. She missed the weight, the feeling of it, but most of all, missed what it represented, all the happiness that it had brought her.

Shizurus line of sight went back to the ring being held by her fingertips. She marveled at its simplicity. There were no diamonds or gemstones decorating it. It was made of platinum, and it was a little thick, about 9mm wide, so it felt a little heavy. And although it lacked a diamond or a precious stone, it didn't make it any less dazzling, its brilliance could still be admired from across the room.

…Forever… Ruby eyes read the rest of the engraving inside the ring.

On their wedding day, Natsuki had surprised Shizuru with the engraving. She had engraved both of their rings, but they didn't carry the same words.

When Natsuki had said her vows in front of everyone that day, there was one sentence in particular that had pulled Shizurus heart strings, for there was so much honesty in those words when the bluenette had said them. And, it was a sentence that Natsuki had failed to voice when she had recited the vows to her up on the cliff that afternoon.

"Be mine for always," A blushing Natsuki had whispered as she slid the ring on Shizurus finger. "I'll be yours forever"

Later that evening, while they were in bed, Natsuki had asked Shizuru to pay close attention to the inside of the band. That's when Shizuru noticed those words on their rings. Hers had the words, for always engraved, along with the characters Fujino-Kuga, Shizuru. And Natsuki's ring carried the word forever.

Shizuru slowly, hesitantly slid the round object on her ring finger. She stared at it for a while, lost in her memories, lost in thought. Then, she averted her stare from the round object and placed it on the image in the mirror, for she had felt drops land on her fingers. "A-Ara" Tears she didn't think still existed, didn't think she still could shed. This reflection that looked so fragile, so broken. She didn't recognize this woman, this person, this stranger. This wasn't her. This couldn't be her.

Her hands started to lightly tremble. She tightly shut her Ruby eyes and brought a hand to cover her lips, trying to muffle the sounds that would inevitably escape them.

As soon as Shizuru saw her reflection, she noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks, the trembling lips, the hurt. She was over the pain, she was over Natsuki. Shizuru was happy, Shizuru had moved on, hadn't she?

Then, why was this happening to her? Why was she feeling like this? How did this surface? Why does it suddenly hurt so damn much?

And, most importantly,

Did it have anything to do with the woman that was now out there, in the living room, by Natsuki's side?

"After today, we don't have to separate ever again, Shizuru. I promise"

"L-Liar" Shizuru whispered between sobs, remembering some of the words a younger Natsuki had told her on their wedding day.

"My heart is yours, Shizuru. Yours and yours alone"

"You're such a liar, Natsuki"

"You are my everything. Your love is everything"

"A-Ara, stop it Shizuru!" She commanded, slightly shaking her head. She knew what she had just said was not true.

It was unfair of her to think this way, to call the bluenette a liar. She knew that whatever Natsuki had said back then, whatever she had promised her, she had truly meant and felt. There was no doubt about it. They had been happy for many, many years before it all fell apart.

She also knew that she had to forgive Natsuki for their separation, truly forgive her, if she wanted to truly move on. She no longer thought about the affair. And she no longer blamed Natsuki, for she was aware that she also contributed to it. Natsuki had hurt her, yes, but she had hurt the bluenette just as much, just as bad, neither of them were innocent.

Which brings them to their current situation, to where they were standing now. How did they get here? It's not like Natsuki didn't ask for another chance, didn't beg for forgiveness. She had pleaded her to stay, pleaded her not to leave her. She had begged to give their marriage another chance, because they were worth fighting for, because they still loved each other. Shizuru truly saw and felt Natsukis remorse, and that she meant those words. She also had felt the love Natsuki still held for her at the time, it was still there, still present. She had felt it when they kissed that night at Mikoto's surprise birthday party. But Shizuru couldn't get over the pain, the thought of someone else kissing the bluenettes lips, touching her skin. The thought of someone else loving her, and worse, the thought of Natsuki feeling that, feeling love for someone else.

Shizuru tried to put it behind her, she really did, but that night at Mikoto's birthday party she came to the sad realization that perhaps there was no moving forward from this. Her heart and mind would never let her forget it. It always brought it up whenever she saw Emerald eyes looking at her. It brought it up whenever she closed her eyes, it haunted her dreams.

"This is silly" Came the whisper a minute or so later, after the brunette had calmed a little. She used her hands to wipe the tears away, Ruby eyes scanning the dresser for a tissue or napkin, but found none.

She stared at her reflection again. It had been a while since she felt any kind of emotion, positive or negative, towards Natsuki. Or at least it's been a while since she allowed herself to feel anything for her.

"This is for the best" Shizuru told her reflection, allowing yet another tear to caress her cheek before she quickly brushed it off. "It took us so long to be where we are now" And it truly had, "You can't let silly things like this confuse you, impair your judgement"

She felt comfortable enough around the bluenette to feel some sort of normalcy again. She no longer felt the pang she used to feel whenever she was around her. The pain and thoughts that used to cloud, torture her mind. Things were good right now, so they had to remain this way, for their daughter's sake, and for Shizurus own sanity as well.

And besides, Natsuki had clearly moved on. So, wasn't it time for her to do the same? To date? Meet someone new?

She never really thought about it, she didn't have the room for it, being a mother and being busy with work. One thing she did know though, she wasn't going to be young forever, and she didn't want to spend her life alone. Maybe she should try and put herself out there? Date again?

She let out a sigh, deciding to wait a minute or two for her face to go back to its normal color, for the rose color to leave her eyes, her nose, her cheeks. It clearly looked like she had been crying, she couldn't go out and face everyone looking like this.

She looked at the ring again, and was about to remove it from her finger and place it back into its box, but stopped midway for she heard voices and hurried steps approaching the room.

Shizuru panicked a little, not wanting to be seen this way, so she quickly headed towards the restroom which was a few steps away and quietly locked the door behind her.

o0o0o

Meanwhile

"I can't believe this, Natsuki!" Ellie hissed at the girl, being dragged into the bedroom by said bluenette. She couldn't believe what she had just learned about the woman just a few moments ago.

"J-Just let me explain" Natsuki pleaded her, closing the door behind her, but the blonde wasn't listening.

"I'm such an idiot!" Ellie continued, now pacing back and forth in the room. She was feeling both, angry and hurt.

After Tate and Mai had finished their toast, Natsuki and Ellie got into casual conversation with Chie and Aoi, who at some point had asked her what she thought of the bluenettes daughter, if she had met her yet.

This totally shocked her, caught her off guard, for Natsuki hadn't mentioned anything about having a daughter, or a family, or about being previously married. This was news to her.

And now, she found herself asking, wondering:

"I have no idea who you are" Ellie continued, "Who are you, Natsuki?" She asked the other woman, "Is anything that you said to me true at all? Or did you just want to get me into bed with you?"

"What? No" Natsuki instantly denied, making eye contact with the Hazel eyed woman who had finally stopped pacing around the room. The blonde now stood a distance away with her arms crossed, looking totally pissed off.

"Look," Natsuki continued as she took a step forward, but when she received a menacing glare from the other woman she decided to stay there, safe by the door.

"You have a daughter?" Ellie interrupted, not giving Natsuki any room to explain herself. "You were married? What the hell, Natsuki! Were you ever going to tell me?!"

"Of course I was!" Natsuki replied, trying once again to get closer, but Ellie took a step back.

"Oh, yeah? When?" The blonde queried sarcastically.

Natsuki looked away, silent. She didn't really have an answer to that. "Soon?" Then voiced in a lighter tone, grimacing, but when she saw Ellie start her angry pace again she added, "I honestly wasn't sure when to bring it up"

"On the first date!" Ellie shouted back, incredulous. "It's like, the first thing you do when you introduce yourself to your date!" Then added, "Hi, I'm Natsuki, and I have a daughter… See? Does that seem so hard to you?" A short pause, "We've been dating for like, almost three months! How am I hearing about this now, Natsuki! This is important!"

Natsuki sighed, bringing her right hand up to her now closed eyes, rubbing them in annoyance. "I know, I'm so sorry" Came the husky reply.

"Who is she?" Then, Ellie questioned, "Is she out there? The woman you have a child with?" When Natsuki didn't reply and didn't dare to meet her inquisitive gaze, "Do you see how messed up this is, Natsuki?!" She yelled at her again, realizing that she probably met the woman already.

"Look, my daughter means everything to me" Natsuki replied, trying to calm the blonde. With Ellie's yelling, she is sure that everyone in the party had heard their conversation. Maybe if she talked to her calmly, the girl would follow suit and calm down herself. Maybe this could be resolved. "I'm sorry for not telling you, I really didn't mean to drag this on so long…"

And she really didn't, but she was testing the waters. She didn't want to bring another woman to her daughter's life if said woman wasn't going to stick around, if they weren't going to become something more serious.

Was Natsuki even looking for something serious at the moment?

"You're the only person I've been with since Shizuru and I separated, and-" Natsuki tried to explain, but Ellie cut her off.

"S-Shizuru?" Ellie asked, "You mean, Fujino, Shizuru-san?" She brought a hand to her lips after she said it, totally in shock.

She really couldn't believe it. That could only mean that the little girl she had met earlier at the hospital, the one that had reminded her of Natsuki, was actually Natsuki's daughter. Natsuki and Shizuru's daughter.

And now, it all made sense to her. She tried to disregard the looks Natsuki was giving Shizuru throughout the night. She didn't know if Natsuki even realized that she was doing it. And a few times, she could've sworn she noticed Shizuru doing the same. Her gaze would land upon Natsuki from time to time, staying there for a little while, a mere five seconds perhaps, then leaving as soon as it came. Whatever was happening there, it didn't mean a thing, for Shizuru was straight, she had a husband, she had a family. And Natsuki was her childhood friend, that's all it was. Whatever Ellie had seen, or thought she saw, must've been her imagination, so she brushed it off.

…Imagination my ass!… But now, with this realization, the pieces were falling into place, everything was making a lot of sense to her.

"You're still in love with her" Ellie voiced her thoughts, finally understanding the bluenettes behavior. She didn't even question it, she knew it was true.

"W-Wait, what?" Natsuki was the one who yelled this time, "No, Ellie. Where is this coming from?" totally denying it, her face as red as a red, hot chili pepper. Looking as bewildered as a deer caught by headlights.

"You are still in love with her… I can't believe this, Natsuki!" Ellie yelled yet again, for what felt like the millionth time that night. "I don't have time for this, I'm leaving" Then started to head towards the bluenette's direction, towards the door.

"I'm not, Ellie" Natsuki held her by the arm when she walked past her, before she could reach the door. Trying to convince her, not to let her leave like this. "Whatever Shizuru and I had, was over a very long time ago. Please, don't leave" She tried to reason with her.

But Ellie didn't believe a single word coming out of Natsuki's mouth. She shook her head slightly, if Natsuki was trying to convince her, she wasn't doing a very good job at it.

Ellie looked at the girl in the eyes for a few seconds, then brought her rosy lips close to the girl's left ear, "I. don't. believe. you" she slowly whispered every word, making sure the bluenette had heard, then walked out the door.

Natsuki stood there for a few seconds, taking in everything that had just happened. …Shit… Then mentally cursed, rubbing her temples. Nothing was ever simple. She always had a knack for complicating things. This was her life, this always happened to her.

And she knew that Ellie was right, she should've told her that she had a daughter, should've told her about her past relationship. She didn't have to introduce them yet, but she should've at least mentioned it and not keep the blonde in the dark. What a mess she made.

Natsuki walked out the bedroom door, walking a little faster, thinking maybe she wasn't too late and could catch Ellie, to try and convince her not to give up on her, to let her know that she really did like her, and that they could possibly become more if she gave her the chance.

She also hoped that no one had heard their argument. The music was loud enough, and it wasn't like they were shouting the whole time, so there was a good chance no one had heard.

Meanwhile, back in the bedroom, Shizuru sat on the floor by the restrooms door, wide eyed and totally speechless by what she had heard just a minute ago. Her mind going through the notions in her head.

"S-Shizuru. I… I love you, Shizuru"

Realizing that her mind, that her memories weren't playing tricks on her.

"I love you"

Remembering the sweet, loving kisses, the words that Natsuki had whispered to her just a few nights ago.

"She's… still in love with me" Shizuru whispered, stunned. Seems like those kisses, those words weren't a dream after all. They were very real.

She wasn't sure how to proceed, or how she felt about this revelation. She didn't know if she should do something about it, or just simply ignore it, simply let it go. Besides, Natsuki had just denied to Ellie that she was still in love with her.

Shizuru stood from her sitting position. She walked out of the restroom and headed for the dresser, placing the ring back in its box.

She looked at her reflection again, her reflection that seemed… lighter, happier somehow. There wasn't a smile on her face, but there was something in those Ruby eyes. Her eyes exposed it all.

Thanks for reading!

And thanks for the reviews/comments.