Thank you very much for the reviews! I'm really glad people are enjoying the story.

To answer several points of inquiry: Enthusiastic reviews are the best! Glad you're loving the story, because THE LOVE IS FULLY MUTUAL! (I'm not being creepy at all. Nope.) Wheat thins are indeed delicious, although Oreos are superior by far :P I chose Seoul for sentimental reasons and because it's fairly close to Japan, but mostly because it has (wait for it)…soul. XD (gets shot for bad pun.) And refrigerators are hard, but not impossible, to maneuver up flights of stairs. True story.

I apologize for the long wait. Once again, thank you for indulging my skewed sense of humor, and enjoy.

The first thing Natsuki was aware of was the feeling of a jackhammer pounding on her brain.

It was not a pleasant feeling.

The second thing that Natsuki was aware of was the incredibly warm pillow she was cuddling with.

It felt much more pleasant.

Natsuki tightened her grip on the pillow and buried her face into it. Maybe it was her hangover talking, but she seriously could not get over how soft this pillow was—

"Natsuki is quite forward in her sleep, isn't she?" a voice cooed into Natsuki's ear.

Natsuki frowned and cracked open her eyes. Urgh, her head was killing her and her mouth felt like cotton, wonderful. Oh, so the soft pillow she was snuggling into was actually Shizuru's breasts; she should have known—

Wait, breasts?

Natsuki flung herself backwards, her cheeks a fire-engine red. She immediately regretted the sudden motion, though, when the throbbing in her head intensified.

Shizuru hovered above Natsuki, half-amused and half-concerned. "Natsuki?"

Well good morning, Half-Naked Shizuru. Natsuki was almost convinced that she was still dreaming, especially since she was also half-naked. In bed. With Shizuru. Who was only wearing a t-shirt and lacey black underwear. Lace, goddamnit.

"Why am I not wearing pants? Why are you not wearing pants?" Natsuki slowly asked.

Shizuru looked amused. "Jeans are uncomfortable to sleep in, don't you think? Don't worry, I did not take advantage of Natsuki—although from what just happened five seconds ago, I don't think she would have minded."

Natsuki gave her a sheepish look. "I'd apologize for doing that, but I'm not very sorry. Debilitating hangover aside, it's the nicest way I've ever woken up."

Shizuru laughed. "I don't mind." She rolled onto her side and gazed down on Natsuki. "How's your head?"

"I think I broke it."

"Does Natsuki want me to kiss it better?"

"Actually, I think that glass of water would be more helpful."

Shizuru huffed in mock offense and handed the water and two pills to Natsuki.

"I'm never drinking again," Natsuki muttered.

"Until the next party, I'm sure." Shizuru leaned down and gave Natsuki a chaste kiss before frowning adorably. "Morning breath."

Two could play that game. "Bed head," Natsuki replied, reaching out a hand to muss up honey-brown tresses.

Shizuru playfully caught Natsuki's hand and intertwined their fingers. "Sleep-groper."

"I can't help it. My hands have a mind of their own while I'm sleeping." Natsuki furrowed her brow when she realized something.

"Wait, how did you end up in my bed?"

"Ara, does Natsuki remember last night at all?" Shizuru took on a long-suffering look. "She was rather intent on getting alcohol poisoning."

"I only remember bits and pieces," Natsuki admitted. "There was music. And dancing. And drinking—lots of drinking."

"Is that all you remember?"

"It'll come back to me later."

"Mai asked me to stay with you because Nao needed her help. Then Natsuki seduced me into her bed."

Natsuki's eyebrows rose. "Oh? I'm sorry I can't remember it."

"Probably because you passed out, leaving me to take care of my own…needs." Shizuru husked out.

Natsuki gaped at her in growing arousal. Did Shizuru really—? Oh, that was so not fair if she did while Natsuki was passed out. Damn her propensity for not remembering drunken escapades!

"And by taking care of my own needs, I mean I had to steal back the covers from Natsuki in the middle of the night because she is a blanket hog," Shizuru continued. Her smile turned devilish. "Ara, I wonder what was Natsuki thinking of?"

Natsuki scowled at Shizuru. "Something not fit for virgin ears."

Shizuru paused. "Touché." She laid her head down next to Natsuki's.

Natsuki turned her head to look at Shizuru. "I think I'll stay in bed all day today. You're welcome to join me."

"And Natsuki is also welcome to join her mother and me for lunch, as we planned."

Natsuki jerked up, clutching her head when it protested the sudden movement. "Damn it, I forgot!"

"I knew it."

"Can we get a rain check?"

"Shouldn't I be the nervous one? Natsuki's already met my parents, but I've never met yours."

"You go ahead while I stay here."

"Seriously?"

"You can't make me do anything…" Natsuki faltered when Shizuru dragged her down to the bed and began to lightly kiss her jaw. "Stop that, I'm trying to make a point here!"

"Go ahead. I'm all ears." Shizuru nipped Natsuki's earlobe.

"I don't feel like—dealing with my mother's enthusiasm while I'm—hungover—" Natsuki tried to remain focused, but she immediately forgot what she was going to say when Shizuru's hand trailed up her stomach. Damn sneaky woman.

Natsuki quickly flipped them over and pinned Shizuru's hands above her head. "Hah! You think that's going to change my mind?"

She fully expected a witty retort, so she was utterly nonplussed when Shizuru just let out a low gasp. What the blazes?

Natsuki took in her surroundings. Bed? Check. Hot girlfriend? Check. Pressed up against said hot girlfriend in a very compromising position, complete with her leg wedged between Shizuru's thighs? Check—oh. Oh!

Natsuki's face burned, but strangely enough, her body refused to move. Shizuru was similarly flushed, but emerald and crimson eyes remained locked.

Natsuki broke the silence. "Shizuru?"

"Yes?"

"Can I kiss you?"

Shizuru managed a chuckle. "Natsuki never asked to kiss me before."

"I never said where."

Shizuru gasped when Natsuki ducked down to gently tug her shirt up and place open-mouth kisses on her stomach—if there was one thing Natsuki was absolutely sure of, it was that Shizuru had a very nice body.

Natsuki never felt more turned on in her life when Shizuru dragged her down for a kiss. Holy hell, Shizuru was a fucking fantastic kisser.

Natsuki couldn't stop herself from pressing more firmly against Shizuru. She almost apologized, but forgot how to form words after Shizuru flipped her over to straddle her and began to place open-mouthed kisses on her neck.

Natsuki began to slide Shizuru's shirt up. Just as she almost reached Shizuru's bra, a violent buzzing from the table caused Natsuki and Shizuru to jump away from each other like guilty children. They exchanged stunned looks before bursting into laughter.

Natsuki blushed. "Wow. Was that too fast?"

Shizuru pulled down her shirt and smiled wryly. "We went from 0 to 60 in about three seconds."

"At least we know we have chemistry."

Shizuru stood up and opened the curtains to let sunshine stream in. Natsuki winced. Why the hell was it so damn bright? Apparently, her hangover was back with a vengeance.

"Your phone's still ringing." Shizuru picked it up and flung herself backwards onto the bed, sprawling out next to Natsuki. She was obviously a morning person, the direct antithesis of Natsuki.

Natsuki scowled and turned her face away. "Let it ring. I don't feel like talking to anyone."

Shizuru quirked an eyebrow at Natsuki and accepted the call. "Natsuki Kuga's phone."

"Natsuki? Your voice suddenly got so much nicer, what happened?"

"Ara, thank you, but this is Shizuru Fujino speaking." Shizuru shrugged when Natsuki mouthed 'who is it?' at her.

"Shizuru? As in Natsuki's girlfriend?" The voice suddenly sounded excited.

"No, that's Natsuki's real girlfriend. I'm just the stand-in," Shizuru said jokingly. "May I ask who's calling?"

"This is Natsuki's mother."

Natsuki grew concerned when Shizuru paled. "Shizuru? What's wrong?"

Shizuru held out the phone. "It's your mother."

Natsuki immediately took the cell from Shizuru's hand. "Mom! Why are you calling me?"

"Natsuki, was that the girl you're seeing?" Saeko squealed. "You let her sleep over? In your apartment?"

"No, I made her sleep outside," Natsuki said sarcastically. "Of course she stayed in the apartment. Is there a problem with that?"

"You never, ever allowed that before with your previous flings. I cannot wait to meet this girl who finally has you in a serious committed relationship. Let me talk to her!"

"What? Why? You're meeting her in an hour!"

"Oh, good. I was just calling to make sure you were going to come to lunch with a real girlfriend and not some random girl."

Natsuki sputtered. "One time! That only happened once!"

"See you soon! And tell Shizuru that she has a lovely voice," Saeko crooned before hanging up.

Shizuru rolled over onto her back and covered her eyes with her arm. "Ara, that was your mother. I totally blew my first impression," she groaned. "'I'm the stand-in,'" she mimicked her own words before covering her face with a pillow in embarrassment.

Natsuki laughed at the honey-brunette's theatrics and tugged the pillow away from her face. "No, my mother is basically already in love with you—or with your voice, at least. It must the accent."

Shizuru uncovered her eyes and smirked up at her. "The ladies do seem to like it. Thank God I grew up in Kyoto."

Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Yes, the accent is very sexy. Don't let it get to your head."

"Ah, so Natsuki thinks my accent is sexy?" Shizuru damn near purred into Natsuki's ear.

"Among other things." Natsuki flashed that crooked smile she knew Shizuru went absolutely crazy for.

True to form, Shizuru immediately rolled on top of Natsuki to kiss her. Natsuki laughed against Shizuru's mouth. "You're so predictable."

Shizuru pulled away. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Natsuki smiled crookedly in response. Shizuru leaned down to kiss it away before visibly restraining herself. She pulled back and narrowed her eyes at Natsuki. "Natsuki Kuga, are you playing me?"

"Me? Of course not." Natsuki feigned innocence.

"So you're not using one of my weaknesses against me?"

"You have more than one weakness? Do tell." Natsuki looked intrigued.

"How about I show you instead?" was the wicked response.

Natsuki gasped and turned into a puddle of goo when Shizuru slipped a hand under Natsuki's shirt to caress her lower left back. "Ah! …That's my ultimate weak spot, you cheater." She squeezed her eyes shut and groaned when Shizuru caressed it more firmly.

"I know. One of my weaknesses is looking at Natsuki's expression when I touch that spot."

They froze when the door opened and Mai walked in. "Hey Natsuki, my room's empty. Did Shizuru go hooooooh my god I am so sorry," she squeaked out before slamming the door shut.

Natsuki and Shizuru looked at each other in stunned silence.

Shizuru cleared her throat. "Did that just—"

"Yep."

"Should we go—"

"Probably."

Shizuru got off the bed and pulled on her jeans. "That's the second time we've been interrupted. Do you think the universe is telling us something?"

"Yes; stay far, far away from interfering mothers and nosy roommates." Natsuki wriggled into her jeans and stood up. "Are you going to go home for a change of clothes?"

"Of course. I'd hate to do the walk of shame when I haven't even done anything shameful."

"Maybe one day."

"If you're lucky," Shizuru returned playfully. "I'm going to use the bathroom; perhaps Natsuki should go take care of the collateral damage?" Shizuru gestured to the living room.

Natsuki sighed and nodded before walking into the living room. Mai was pretending to read a magazine, while Nao was slumped in the armchair, seeming almost comatose.

"Morning, Natsuki! You look tired; long night?" Mai's voice was chipper and a tad suggestive.

"Yeah, a long night where nothing happened," Natsuki stressed.

Nao chuckled weakly. "Heard that one before."

"What's wrong with her?" Natsuki jerked her head towards Nao. Nao half-heartedly flipped her off.

Mai smirked. "She's still drunk."

"Oh man, you're going to wish you were dead in a couple of hours," Natsuki smugly said to Nao. "Why aren't you sleeping it off at your apartment?"

"We were on the roof and Nao's neighbors locked us out. We had to use the fire escape to get down." Mai shrugged.

"Fuck 'em, they have no sense of humor. I bet that hag Mrs. Minamoto was behind the whole thing; she's hated me ever since I accidentally stepped on her cat," Nao fumed.

"Nao, I'm pretty sure she hates you because you broke her grandson's heart…though stepping on her cat made her hate you even more."

"What? That's stupid. How is it my fault that her grandson doesn't know the meaning of 'one night stand'? I'm telling you, stupidity is genetic."

"Sure, Nao, whatever you say. More importantly, Natsuki and Shizuru got it on last night," Mai said devilishly.

"We did not. Jeez, you try to cuddle with your girlfriend on a lazy weekend morning and you get hit with an inquisition." Natsuki scowled.

"If cuddling means being straddled by your half-naked girlfriend with her hand up your shirt, then yes, that's exactly what was happening." Mai snickered.

"Damn, Natsuki, sounds like you had a more productive night than I did. I wish hot people would straddle me when I fall asleep drunk next to them." Nao looked wistful.

"You say it like it's a common occurrence," Natsuki said.

"It is! It's funny; you suck at seducing people when sober, but when you're drunk, it seems like a neon sign flashes above your head saying 'Tortured, moody soul available here! Somebody fix me!' Girls eat that shit up, you know. They come to you in droves and one of them catches your eye for a bit, until you get bored and dump her. Then you get depressed that you're such a horrible person and you go out to get drunk again and the whole cycle starts over," Nao idly commented.

"Hear, hear!" Mai concurred. Natsuki glared at her.

Nao continued. "Though yesterday, you were fucking chatty and it was really weird and annoying. I mean, you're always weird and annoying, but you never talked so goddamn much before while drunk. Did Shizuru fix you?"

"You're really drunk right now, aren't you?" Natsuki deflected.

Nao yawned. "Too true. I'm not my usual eloquent self, am I?"

Mai patted her head. "You slurred through half your words, but the message came through. It's true, you know," she directed at Natsuki.

"What's true?" Shizuru entered the room.

Natsuki shot a warning glance at Nao and Mai. "I was apparently abnormally talkative last night. Did I say anything weird to you?"

"Ah—not really, no." Shizuru sounded nonchalant. Almost too nonchalant.

Natsuki heard the moment of hesitation in Shizuru's reply, but brushed it off. She was just glad her vendetta against Shiori didn't come spilling out last night.

"I'm going home for a shower and a change of clothes. I'll come back in half an hour," Shizuru said to Natsuki.

"I'll walk you to your car."

"And they said chivalry was dead," Shizuru teased. Natsuki pretended to look annoyed, although everyone in the room knew she secretly wasn't.

Mai looked over at Nao and mouthed, "I think Natsuki might love her."

Nao looked confused and mouthed back, "What? Why would Natsuki eat liver?"

Mai face-palmed. Nao sucked at silent communication.

"I'll be back in a sec," Natsuki called out as she followed Shizuru out the door. Once they were alone, Mai turned to Nao. "I said, 'I think Natsuki might love her.'"

"Oh. Love as in 'I love you so I'm going to give up my obsessive need for revenge against your sister and try to not to be so fucking moody all the time?' That kind of love?"

"I guess?"

"Then I completely agree."

"Should we intervene?"

"Nah. Natsuki's too proud; she'd refuse to see if we crammed it down her throat. If—when—Natsuki realizes it for herself, it's better that she tell the truth of her own volition. Then it would sort of be a testament to how much she loves Shizuru."

Mai blinked. "You're right. That was unusually…wise of you, Nao. And you thought I was the love guru."

"Fuck that shit, I should become the next Buddha or something." Nao rubbed her forehead. "Can I get some ibuprofen? Mr. Hangover is a-creepin' on my doorstep."

Mai rolled her eyes. Wise Nao only appeared every so often and never stuck around for long.

Natsuki adjusted her sunglasses and took yet another sip from her glass of water. Stupid sun for having the audacity to shine so brightly when she was suffering from a hangover.

Shizuru, sitting next to her, chuckled. Natsuki realized she had grumbled that out loud and blushed. "It's just so damn bright."

"Leave the sun alone. It's Natsuki's fault for drinking so heavily last night," Shizuru said lightly.

"Whose side are you on?" Natsuki complained half-heartedly.

"Always Natsuki's. Unless Natsuki is wrong, that is."

Natsuki smiled at Shizuru and leaned forward to kiss her until—

"NATSUKI KUGA! ARE YOU HUNGOVER?"

Natsuki yelped and lost her balance. She flung out an arm to balance herself and ended up knocking over her glass of water, soaking the entire table.

"Shit!"

"Don't you curse at me!" Saeko Kuga stood before them, eyebrow raised, arms crossed, foot tapping, and glaring directly at Natsuki. Shizuru blinked. She was looking at an older version of Natsuki.

Natsuki groaned and lifted up her sunglasses. Their eye colors were different, but the two Kugas had the exact same glare. "How did you know I had a hangover? And why are you still yelling?"

"Your sunglasses gave it away, darling. Plus, you look terrible."

Natsuki gestured to her mother. "Shizuru, meet Pyscho Kuga."

"It's Saeko," Saeko corrected, holding out a hand. "You must be Shizuru. We talked this morning?"

Shizuru stood up with a pleasant smile and shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Kuga. At first I thought you were Natsuki's older sister."

"Oh, I like you." Saeko beamed at the honey-brunette. "I'll like you even better if you call me Saeko. So, tell me about yourself," Saeko gracefully sat down and looked at Shizuru in interest.

Natsuki nervously looked on. She really hoped Saeko would approve of Shizuru, but since Saeko had never approved of any of her previous girlfriends, she was slightly worried.

-000-000-

"No he didn't!" Saeko choked out mirthfully.

Shizuru nodded with a grin. "Ara, I was the one helping him pick out some lingerie—he said it was for his girlfriend. He took them into the dressing room to take a few pictures to send to his girlfriend; he wanted to see if she liked them. After some time, I was worried that he was doing something unsavory, so I opened his dressing room door. I was not prepared to see a full grown man wearing a silk lace teddy, posing seductively in front of the mirror."

Saeko burst into laughter. Shizuru shrugged ruefully. "At least the color suited him well, but who knew being a sales assistant in a lingerie shop could be so traumatizing?"

"And this was your mother's store?"

"Yes. It was the Crystal F. located in Shibuya."

Saeko hummed. "Ah, so Crystal Fujino is your mother. She's a very talented designer."

"Well, after seeing one of her pieces on that man, I went home that night and told my mother that I quit." Shizuru smiled, making Saeko chuckle again.

Natsuki hid a smile. From the way Saeko was interacting with Shizuru, her mother adored her girlfriend. She settled back with a sigh; it felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest.

Shizuru glanced at her at hearing her sigh and returned Natsuki's smile. She surreptitiously took Natsuki's hand and intertwined their fingers.

Saeko dropped her napkin and bent down to pick it up. She spotted their linked hands under the table and smirked. Ah, young love.

Natsuki looked around the café impatiently. Where was that damn waiter? She had asked for the check ten minutes ago! She stood up. "I'm going to get the check. Be right back."

"Take your time," Saeko called out. She smiled warmly at Shizuru, who looked slightly nervous now that Natsuki was gone. Saeko was thankful that she never had to experience dealing with in-laws. Not that Shizuru was going to be her daughter-in-law—yet.

"So, Shizuru, if I may be frank…" Saeko started.

Shizuru nodded. "By all means."

"At first I wasn't sure how your age would affect your relationship with Natsuki—no offense, but 17 is rather young."

"None taken."

"However, after talking with you, it's quite obvious that you're more mature than most adults. It's not your age that worries me now, it's your patience."

"I'm afraid I don't quite follow."

Saeko inclined her head. "Natsuki is not the best at dealing with emotions, as I'm sure you've noticed. My daughter prefers to keep people at arm's length and form as few emotional connections as possible. She may lash out or say things she doesn't mean. But if you stick with her anyways, you'll see that she's worth it."

Shizuru offered a small smile. "That was the original plan, Saeko."

"One more thing: Natsuki tends to listen to her head and not her heart, so she might do something very stupid…I just want you to know that you're very important to her. Mother's intuition, you know," Saeko said lightly.

"I understand. Thank you for telling me," Shizuru said quietly.

"And kudos to Natsuki for finding such a beautiful girlfriend!" Saeko's compliment broke the heavy silence, and Shizuru smiled shyly at her. Natsuki returned in time to hear her mother's remark and raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me something I don't know." She flashed a grin at Shizuru, who uncharacteristically blushed.

As Natsuki helped her mother into her jacket, Saeko leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "I like her. Don't you break her heart, Natsuki Kuga."

Natsuki frowned. I don't want to, but it's inevitable. Isn't it?

Natsuki stood up and stretched when the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. She grabbed her bag and nodded at Youko before joining the stream of students exiting the classroom into the crowded hallway. Natsuki wanted nothing more than to go home, so she frowned and turned around when someone tapped her shoulder.

"Ah, Yukino. Isn't there a Student Council meeting right now?" Natsuki asked in confusion.

The petite brunette nodded. "Yes, there is. Which means Shizuru won't be around to interrupt us. I need to talk to you."

Natsuki was slightly taken aback by Yukino's firm tone, so different from her usual gentle voice. "Of course."

Yukino led them into an empty classroom and turned to face Natsuki. "Right now, I'm not speaking to Ms. Kuga, the teaching assistant; I'm speaking to Natsuki Kuga, my best friend's girlfriend."

Natsuki nodded. "Okay."

Yukino adjusted her glasses. "I don't know anything about you, Ms. Ku—Natsuki, so I don't know what makes you so different from all of Shizuru's other relationships. Did you know that she's crazy about you? Now that I know about you two, whenever it's only her and me, you're the only thing she talks about. I've gotten sick of hearing your name, to be honest," Yukino said somewhat exasperatedly.

Natsuki smiled. "I see." Inside, she was dancing a jig.

"If you know Shizuru as well as I do, you would know that her parents aren't the most attentive in the world, nor is she close with her sister."

Natsuki turned somber. "I know."

"Shizuru and I have been friends since we were three. I used to visit my aunt in Kyoto every summer, and the Fujinos lived next door. We basically grew up together. She became the fairy tale princess, and I became the loyal sidekick. Not that I mind," Yukino assured. "Shizuru's one of a kind."

"She is."

"But she's not perfect. She can be selfish, she loses her temper fairly quickly if you push the right buttons, and she can be annoyingly vague and evasive."

"Yukino—"

"It's not her fault everyone thinks she's perfect. People see how beautiful and charming she is and that's all they see. You wouldn't suspect it by looking at her, but Shizuru is lonely. People place her on a pedestal and they don't dare to approach her. She hates it, hates that the only thing that people see when they look at her is the name Fujino. They don't know that Shizuru loves pulling pranks on people, especially Haruka, or that she'll barely flinch when watching a horror film but she can't stay in the same room as a centipede."

"Yukino—"

"Everyone expects her to be so perfect, so she feels obligated to live up to their expectations. She's good at practically everything, but sometimes when she tries something new and doesn't get it immediately, she'll give up because she doesn't want to fail—"

"Yukino!"

Yukino stopped mid-rant and smiled sheepishly. "Ah, sorry. I was ranting, wasn't I?"

"Just a little." Natsuki sat next to Yukino. "I know Shizuru's not perfect. She's extremely stubborn and she drinks way too much tea. I know she hates that most people want to be her friend because she's a Fujino and not because she's genuinely amazing. She's absolutely insane for making me go to the midnight premiere of Scream 4 with her, and once she made me come to her house to kill a centipede she found in the bathroom. I made her play mini-golf with me and forced her to keep on playing even though she sucked because it's freaking boring to play mini-golf by yourself, you know? And despite all that, I'm pretty crazy about her, too, since my faults are so much worse than hers and she still sticks around."

Yukino carefully appraised Natsuki. "You seem to genuinely like her. I apologize if I came off as rude before, but it's my duty as Shizuru's best friend to make sure you're good enough for her."

"Am I?" Natsuki mused.

"I can see why you're different—in a good way—from her previous relationships…and not only because she's a student and you're on the faculty. I have to admit, I'm rather curious about how you two got together."

Natsuki looked sheepish. "It's a long story."

"YUKINO!" Haruka's shout echoed in the hallway. Natsuki chuckled while Yukino sighed.

"I guess my absence has been noted," Yukino remarked wryly.

"I'm glad Shizuru has you as a friend." Natsuki studied the petite brunette.

Yukino stood up and nodded at Natsuki before leaving her alone, her parting words resonating in Natsuki's head. "Shizuru has let you in more than anyone else, Natsuki. Please don't forget that you're capable of hurting her the most."

Natsuki frowned. That was the second time this week that someone told her not to break Shizuru's heart. Hell, even Mai and Nao were hinting that they would like Shizuru to become a permanent fixture in their lives; she wasn't that oblivious. (She would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to not notice Nao yell out, "See you later, Mrs. Kuga-Fujino!" every time Shizuru left to go home.)

It was time to figure out just how much Shizuru meant to her and determine how easily she could move on when things were over between them.

Surprise! Extra-long chapter, just for you :) I felt I had to make up for the long wait between updates and also because I won't be able to update in a while :( Right now, I think this story is a little more than halfway done, but that could change.

I hope I didn't disappoint. Shizuru's terrifying experience as a sales associate was partially inspired by my friend's experience—except he was the man in the story. I have no idea if Shizuru would like scary movies, but she seems like the type who can handle it, and I had no idea what Shizuru would be scared of, so I chose my personal kryptonite: house centipedes. Feel free to Google it and shudder along in disgust/fear.

Review or I'll sic the Easter bunny on you. (Just kidding, us Yankees pride ourselves on democracy or something like that. Do whatever the hell you want, just don't throw a centipede at me if you didn't like the chapter.)

Have a Happy Easter! 'Til next time.