Author's Note: Well, this is definitely going to be a bit longer than just two chapters. Have this one as a Christmas gift, and look forward to another one soon!

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on the previous chapter. It's hard to believe so many people are still reading these fics even now. I'll try my best not to disappoint you.

X-X-X

Tomorrow Today

Rating: T

Chapter 2: Tomorrow Morning

X-X-X

Natsuki slowly opened the door to the study, taking it in as it was gradually revealed to her. Even if it hadn't been for what Shizuru had told her, she'd probably be going about this slowly. But after Shizuru told her that there was a special surprise here, Natsuki was even more apprehensive. And of course Shizuru had had to be a tease about it; five years wasn't going to change that.

But as she opened the door, it wasn't her eyes that noticed the surprise first, but her ears. Coming from inside the study, she heard the sound of something moving. Recollections of similar sounds came to her from deep within her mind. It couldn't be, could it? Well… of course it could. It had been five years, after all.

Her heart pounding, Natsuki opened the door and looked around for the crate she knew had to be there. "Good morning… puppy," she said, going back to her default until she learned this dog's name. "Are you excited for Christmas?"

Natsuki's eyes soon settled on a kneehigh dog crate in the corner of the room, just next to the desk. A smile spread across her face as she caught sight of the fluffy figure inside. Natsuki flipped the lightswitch and moved toward it, kneeling down in front of its crate. The little brown fluffball inside scrambled in place at the sight of her, pounding its paws playfully on the floor of its crate.

Well, that wouldn't do at all. No way was she keeping this little one cooped up in there a second longer. Natsuki reached out to open the crate, and no sooner did she do so than did the dog push its way out. It excitedly came up to greet her, reaching up to give her hand some good-morning kisses. It turned its head to Natsuki and sat down, but just as she reached out to pat it, it dashed off, making a beeline straight for the door.

Chuckling, Natsuki got up and followed the dog to the kitchen. "I think someone's hungry for breakfast too," she said as she caught sight of Shizuru, who was currently preparing herself something to eat on the stove.

Shizuru turned her head back to Natsuki. "His name is Kiyoran," she said. She smiled at Natsuki, though she looked like she still hadn't quite emotionally recovered from earlier. "If you want to feed him, you can find his food in the top-left cupboard."

Natsuki nodded. She didn't head to the cabinet though; she was sure Kiyoran could wait a moment. Instead, she went to Shizuru. It shouldn't have felt so awkward given how they'd woken up, but she was still a bit nervous. For her friend's sake though, she pushed through. She reached out and wrapped her arms around her friend, embracing her in a hug from behind. "Hey," she said. "Don't worry. I know I'm not… the Natsuki you were hoping to spend Christmas with, but wherever she is, I'm sure you'll have her back tomorrow."

Shizuru didn't reply immediately to this. Deciding that it was probably best not to press the issue, Natsuki released her from the hug and went to the cupboard. Just as she reached it, she heard Shizuru say, "Thank you, Natsuki." Natsuki looked over, catching sight of a slight smile on Shizuru's face. "You can give Kiyo-chan the wet food today; it is a special day after all."

"Of course," Natsuki said. This particular cupboard seemed to be mostly dog supplies, so it didn't take her long to figure out which was the wet food. She pulled out a small plastic container and turned around, finding that Kiyoran was sitting patiently in front of his bowl, looking up at her with big, wet eyes. But as soon as he caught sight of the food that was in Natsuki's hands, he began having trouble sitting still. Aside from his wagging tail and his tongue licking his lips, he managed it, though. "Hehe, I see someone's trained you well," Natsuki said as she opened up the container.

Natsuki knelt down and pushed the food out into Kiyoran's bowl. Once the food was ready, he eagerly dug in. Smiling at him, Natsuki reached her hand out to ruffle the fur on his head as he ate. She'd only been planning to pat him for a moment, but she found her hand lingering there, wanting to get in as much time with him as possible. Back in her own time, she'd had Duran, but he was more of a partner than a pet. She didn't realize until now just how much she missed having a pet dog.

"Um…" Natsuki said, standing back up and turning to Shizuru. "How old is he?" she asked.

"About three and a half years old," Shizuru said, glancing over at Natsuki. "Why do you ask?"

"Just… wondering," Natsuki said. She looked back down at the dog. Three and a half years… and this was five years into the future. He wasn't even born yet in her time. If she did go back, she'd have to wait more than a year before she could see him again. And even that was assuming that this wasn't some weird time travel thing, where going back after learning about the future would cause her to change things, and he might never even be born...

Natsuki shook her head. No, there was no point obsessing about that kind of thing. She was just going to celebrate Christmas with Shizuru, and then whatever happened next, she'd deal with it. If she did go back to her own time, she'd certainly track down that woman who'd done this to her and give her a harsh word about asking before forcing this on someone, though.

"So!" Natsuki said, turning back to Shizuru and trying to focus back on today. "I know I already had some toast, but I think I can fit in a bit more food if you want to have breakfast together," she said.

This was met with a raised eyebrow from Shizuru, who didn't take her focus off of the stovetop as she responded. "Ara ara… I didn't know that Natsuki found Kiyo-chan's food so appetizing."

"Wha- I don-" Natsuki started to say, then narrowed her gaze. "I was talking to you, baka, not the dog!"

Shizuru chuckled at this. She finally turned her head to look at Natsuki, and her expression made it quite clear that she was simply teasing. "Ara… I might enjoy having this Natsuki around today. The Natsuki I'm used to would never have fallen for such an obvious tease."

Natsuki's cheeks filled with warmth at this. "B-baka!" she sputtered, crossing her arms and turning away. Or at least, she tried to cross her arms, but the empty container of dog food still in her hand got in the way, and she ended up having to awkwardly readjust so that she didn't end up crushing it against her chest, which kind of undermined her stance here. "Gah! Just tell me where the garbage bin is so I can throw this away, and then I'll have breakfast with you - you, Shizuru - okay?"

"Mm, I'd like that very much, Natsuki," Shizuru said, her voice somehow not betraying a hint of mirth. "You can find it just below the sink, and if you'd like to help set the table, the utensils are in the drawer to the right of it."

Natsuki glanced back at Shizuru. How did she ever end up marrying this woman? She could be so infuriating. Although… as Natsuki's eyes caught Shizuru, she had to admit that she felt a bit of warmth in her chest. Maybe it wasn't all bad. Only mostly bad. Or… partly bad. Or… ...she really would need a few years to get used to it.

X-X-X

"Oh come on, don't give me that look," Natsuki said. "I might not be able to taste Marmite again for years. I have to get my fill today!"

"Haa, first of all," Shizuru said, "We get it from the foreign foods section of the grocery store. It's not that hard to find. Secondly, you're not the Natsuki who's going to have to suffer the consequences of overindulgence. And finally, it's time for our gift exchange now, and I don't want Natsuki to try juggling her presents and food."

"Oh, um, right. Gifts…" Natsuki said. She reluctantly got up from the kitchen table and headed to the sink to clean her plate as she said this. "Umm… are you sure we should do that today? I mean, I'm not the one who got you whatever present you're opening, and I'm not the one who's going to get to keep whatever I open."

Shizuru made room for Natsuki at the sink. She was silent for a bit as she finished cleaning her own plate. As she began to towel it off, she said, "That is a good point. But... it's simply not Christmas without presents…" Shizuru let out a sigh as she put her plate on the drying rack.

"Er, well…" Natsuki said, trying to think up some solution. "There must be something we can do…"

It took a while for Shizuru to say anything. By the time she did, Natsuki had finished her washing up as well. "Okay, I think I have an idea," Shizuru said. She was standing in the doorway to what looked like the living room now. "We can open the gifts that we each got for Kiyo-chan for a start. I'll find something in the house that represents a special memory, and give the story of it to you as a gift. And… well, of course I don't expect Natsuki to do that. But one idea I had was that she could write me a card, saying perhaps something about our time together as friends. If you have another idea, you can go with that instead, though."

Natsuki's eyes widened. She'd completely stumped herself trying to come up with a solution, but this would almost certainly solve it. She nodded eagerly. "Right. Um, that sounds like a great idea, Shizuru," she said.

With a smile and a slight nod, Shizuru said, "I'll go and get Natsuki some stationary so she can write something for me. Be right back."

"Okay," Natsuki said. She smiled at Shizuru as her friend left the room. Once she was gone, Natsuki looked downward, spotting the puppy who had been listening into their conversation, sitting patiently on the floor. "I wonder, Kiyo-chan… do you even have the slightest idea that something strange is going on here? I must look just the same to you, but am I acting different enough that you've noticed?"

Kiyoran tilted his head to the side as Natsuki spoke to him. His eyes looked up at her, and perhaps there was a bit of concern in them. It was hard to tell though; Natsuki still didn't know him well, so perhaps that was just how his eyes always looked.

"Well, one thing I do know is that both Shizuru and I have been too distracted with this situation for either one of us to think to let you outside. You're probably about ready to burst," Natsuki said. She looked around the kitchen, trying to see if she could figure out where she could let Kiyoran out. The only doors here were to the hallway she'd entered from and to the living room. She headed to the hallway to peek into it, spotting the doors to the bedroom and study there, plus a couple others. One of them probably lead to the bathroom, and the other… a closet maybe?

There was also a path branching off to the right, just past the doorway from the kitchen. Looking down it, Natsuki spotted the front door at the end, and an opening to the living room to the right. Okay, that's where she'd have to take him out then. She would have to put on something more substantial than a nightgown though, and getting dressed here might be its own series of discoveries.

"Haa… sorry, Kiyo-chan. I think it'll be faster to wait for Shizuru to return so she can take you out," Natsuki said, turning back to the dog. She moved over to him, then knelt down to give his head a good pat. "You really are being quite patient. I must have really trained you well. That or you're simply a good little boy." At these words, Kiyo turned his head upward, trying to lick at Natsuki's wrist. Chuckling, Natsuki said, "Oh, I think that's it. Who's a good little puppy? Is it Kiyoran?" This earned her hand a flurry of kisses, and Natsuki couldn't help but return the favor. She leaned down to plant a quick kiss on the puppy's head. "Good boy."

The sound of footsteps behind her alerted Natsuki to the fact that Shizuru was returning. Her first instinct was to jump up and pretend nothing had happened, but she forcefully suppressed that. There was nothing to be embarrassed about here. She simply turned around to face Shizuru as she entered, giving her friend a smile.

Shizuru smiled back at Natsuki. She had some cards, envelopes, paper, and a pen in her hands, which she set down on the kitchen table. "I see someone has been doing a good job keeping Natsuki company," she said. This was met with a small yip from Kiyoran, and Natsuki caught sight of his tail beginning to wag. "Ara… come to think of it, it's about time for your morning walk," Shizuru continued. "Perhaps Natsuki would like to take him for a walk with me before we get to work on gifts?"

Natsuki cocked a grin at this. "I think that sounds like a great idea," she said. "Although, would you mind helping me find some warmer clothes I can put on for it?"

X-X-X

"I have to say," Natsuki said as she adjusted her coat, "I was kind of expecting this to feel like I was wearing someone else's clothes." It really shouldn't have been surprising that everything fit well, but for some reason it was. Perhaps it still felt like she was in a stranger's home. Having clothes that fit her perfectly like this did help a bit, though, at making her feel more like she belonged here.

"Ara, was that what Natsuki wanted?" Shizuru said, pausing in the middle of opening the front door. "It's not too late for Natsuki to change into some of my clothes if she wants."

"Hah, nice try, Shizuru," Natsuki said, playfully sticking her tongue out for a moment. "I'm not falling for your teases that easily."

"Haa... Well, if Natsuki wishes, I'll try harder at my teases then," Shizuru replied. She opened the door the rest of the way and headed out.

"Wha- hey, that's not what I meant, Shizuru!" Natsuki protested. She grumbled for a moment until she felt a tug on her hand. Looking down, she saw that Kiyoran had wandered out in front of her until he'd reached the end of his leash, and was now looking back at her as if to ask why she wasn't following him. "Haa, sorry, Kiyo-chan. Shizuru's being a bit of a meanie right now," Natsuki said, following the dog outside, and then closing the door behind her.

The weather today made it clear that it was definitely a different year from when Natsuki had fallen asleep. There was no way so much snow could have fallen over night. Aside from the extra chill in the air, it was actually rather nice. It actually felt like winter now. And on top of that, it seemed that Kiyoran absolutely loved trudging through the snow - the dog made a point of avoiding the walkways and instead hopped playfully through the deeper snow covering what Natsuki presumed was the grass alongside them. He had a sweater and boots on, but even so he must have been getting quite cold from it.

"Kiyoran really loves the snow," Shizuru said, turning her head back toward Natsuki. "He's a mutt of some kind, and Natsuki and I are completely baffled as to what breeds are in his heritage, but I certainly wouldn't be surprised if one of them were a snow dog of some sort."

Natsuki let out a chuckle. As Shizuru was speaking, Kiyoran had found a good pile of snow to jump into, and right now all she could see of him was his head. "Come on, you," she said with a smile. "You're going to have to do better than that if you want to hide from us!"

As if on cue, Kiyoran ducked his head down and out of sight. For a moment, Natsuki wondered if he were indeed trying to hide, but instead she spotted his legs flying up in the air as it became apparent that he'd decided the best way to play with the snow was to roll over in it.

"We shouldn't let him get too cold," Shizuru said. "He doesn't seem to notice it when he's having his fun, but once he starts to tire out and the cold makes its way through his sweater, he can become a shivering mess - albeit a happy, shivering mess."

"Mm," Natsuki said. She gave Kiyoran's leash a quick tug to get the dog's attention. He rolled back over, his head and wagging tail popping up and into view. "Hey Kiyo! I betcha I'm faster at running through the snow than you are. Wanna race, puppy?"

Natsuki gave the dog's leash a quick tug as she turned to run down the sidewalk. It had been a long time since she'd run in the snow, so she wasn't nearly as fast as she'd expected, and the dog ended up easily running out in front of her. The little rascal even had the time to turn and wait for her to catch up.

"Okay okay, you win, Kiyo," Natsuki said, chuckling at him. She reached down to give Kiyoran a congratulatory pat, but he dashed off just as she was about to reach him. "Oh, so that's what your game is, is it?" she said, racing after him once more.

Running in the cold turned out to be more tiring than Natsuki had expected. She didn't exactly need to stop - so she told herself - but she felt it was best to take a breather once she reached the street corner. Besides, that would give Shizuru a chance to catch up. Frustratingly, Kiyoran didn't show any signs of tiring out just yet.

"I said you win!" Natsuki said, sticking her tongue out at the dog, though this quickly proved to be a bad idea in the cold air. Chuckling, she knelt down to try once more to give him a pat, and this time thankfully he didn't run off. "Good boy, Kiyo-chan~."

After a minute of patting the dog, Natsuki felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder. Shizuru gave her shoulder a tender squeeze and said, "Don't worry, Natsuki. He always wins your races."

A grin crossed Natsuki's face at this. "As well he should. I'd expect nothing less from my dog. Good boy, Kiyo." This earned her a happy yip from the dog, which in turn earned him another pat on the head.

"If you two want to play all day, I'm fine with that," Shizuru said, "but it's probably better to do that inside, don't you think?"

"Mm, you're right," Natsuki said, standing back up. "Alright, Kiyo. Let's do your business, and then we can go inside and have a nice, warm Christmas all together." Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

To be continued...