Author's Note: Hello everyone! This is my first attempt here in fanfiction. And therefore the story below is my first baby, so please be gentle to her. I'm not yet familiar with beta-ing knick-knacks, in short, forgive me for any wrong grammar, syntax or whatever. Although comments/reviews are very much welcome to improve my writing skills.

Thank you very much. And I do hope you will enjoy my first serving.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my wicked mind.

Natsuki is red.

It's a common knowledge that our blue haired heroine blushes easily. But at this moment it is not because of the teases by a certain popular former kaichou of the school.

A fuming Natsuki dashes out the faculty room. Her whole body is turning red to purple from anger. Why? Their homeroom teacher, Midori, assigned her an infuriating project as a final requirement for her to have a diploma.

To write a love story. A department where she sucks the best.

It will be no problem to her if it is a book report of a certain masterpiece of Shakespeare. Or a thesis about a bacteria of an unknown species. Heck, she will even interview detainees in a prison to divulge on their inner workings.

But noooo. Fate seems to be playing at her or rather her 'forever seventeen' considerate teacher is making her last days in Fuuka a nightmare. She is not given another option aside to write a romance short story. And she can't accept the worst case scenario of repeating again.

A problem which is easily piled on top of her current dilemma. Natsuki is having a great difficulty on how she can confess her feelings, the same one, to her one and only best friend. It's been a month when she realized she can't live a life without Shizuru Fujino. And the ex-kaichou is starting to drift away in a discreet manner from her. Maybe the red-eyed goddess is getting tired to wait for her to reciprocate her feelings to her.

Natsuki doesn't want to lose both. Especially not letting her happiness slips away on her hands.

There has to be away. She racks her dense brain.

YmA

Natsuki first decides to have a secluded area to be her 'thinking place'. She found it under a lone Sakura tree which rests on top of a hill.

It is her third day to visit the place and let her mind wander. Hoping she can squeeze a little of her imagination to form sappy words.

Groaning in frustration she let her stressed body rest on the cool dry grass tucking her notebook under her head. Her arms on the either side of her lithe body while she flips a pen on her right hand. She lazily stares at the swaying leaves above her while its pinkish flowers dancing with the breezy wind.

Those flowers how enchanting they might be is incomparable to her crimson goddess, Natsuki ponders. She closes her eyes for a while then emeralds met rubies. Sakura buddings can't be this red, right?

"So this is where my slick puppy hides," a sweet melodic voice cuts her musings.

This is crazy. Now I'm hearing Shizuru out of nowhere. Imagination overload? She just stared at the gorgeous mirage of her love.

"Ikezu. So my Natsuki is ignoring me now." A faux sad pout forms on those kissable cherry lips.

"Shi-Shizuru?" she stupidly asks.

"Yes, my Nat-su-ki?" the caramel haired girl replies. A playful smirk on her lips.

"Shizuru?" The mayo-lover hasn't seen the girl of her dreams for quite some time. Foolish to think this is just a figment of her daydreaming.

"Ara, Natsuki needs a smooch to wake from her deep slumber," she mischievously suggests.

True to her words, the tawny haired female's face slowly descends causing Natsuki to jump from her deep stupor.

"Ack! What the heck are you doing!" A tint of pink on her cheeks. The flustered girl creates a safe distance between them. Avoiding the possibility of an out of control Natsuki to act upon her passions to the girl in front of her. "How did you find this place?" One of the things the raven haired female made sure is to search a place approximately in a 50-meter radius away from her true love for her to concentrate on her project. Pleasurable distractions are strictly prohibited until she graduates.

"My heart always leads the way to yours, my Natsuki." This made the green-eyed girl flush some more. "So what Natsuki is doing here?"

Shizuru takes a break from her wolf puppy withdrawal syndrome, a plan she thought of to let her go. But it seems her ever strong resolve is crumbling – the famous calm demeanor of the ex-Kaichou – whenever her love is involve. She misses her Natsuki.

"Uhm, well – ah... Midori-sensei gives me this project as a final requirement to graduate," blushing all the while.

"That's great! Natsuki was asked to create a book report?" The girl in question turns her head left to right a few times.

"Err... Shetoldmetowritealovestory," she mumbles getting even redder.

"Can't quite catch that, Natsuki."

"She told – no! – she ordered me to write a love story!" Yelling out of exasperation and embarrassment.

Shizuru stares at her as if she grown two puppy ears though it's implicit for the viridian eyed girl. Seeing her tomato-faced friend not budging a bit but huffing in annoyance she bolted in laughter. A crazy all-out laughter.

"B-baka! You can at least help me you know instead making fun at my misery," the puppy hang her head in shame.

After a few minutes of recovery the brown-haired girl stops at her jolly holler and pats her puppy on the head.

"Kannin na. Of course I'm willing to help my Natsuki. Have Natsuki come up with a plot already? All stories starts with a plot," she settles herself beside the forest-eyed girl who is seated in a slump position.

Natsuki shows her notebook. "Not even a single word," she pouted cutely. Shizuru sports a serene expression yet inside it is different story.

Don't. Pounce. On. Her. She commands her body.

Instead she pretended to think. Then an evil idea pops in her mind.

"Ara, let's skip the plot for a while. Have you thought about your characters? The protagonists and antagonists?" she asks like testing the waters.

"Ano, actually I decided to be on the story since I know myself more. I could flawlessly describe the heroine that way," she muses fiddling the pen on her fingers.

A mischievous glint shone on those ruby orbs for a second.

"And the heroine's partner?" she asks not cracking her serious act. Yet secretly she is like a child anticipating a candy treat.

"I'm having a difficulty on that part. I don't know if it will be Mai or Nao," she stated squinting her eyes as if assessing.

For the very first time the wheels inside Shizuru's head turns slowly.

Mai?

Nao?

What the - !

The image of her and Natsuki riding in an immaculate carriage covered with fragrant red roses shattered into pieces.

The cool wind around Shizuru hits the freezing point. Per usual, the emerald-eyed girl is oblivious to this sudden change. To this creepy and chilly change.

The dense innocent puppy continues her analysis of her choices.

"I first thought of Mai. Well she is one of my closest friends and easily put the story will evolve into a friend to lovers plot. I'm having doubts though. I'm not a fan of busty females. It will be awkward for me to describe her like that in my story," she elaborates not glancing at the single-eye twitching ex-kaichou.

Natsuki waves her hand dismissively. "So it's absolutely a no-no. Out of nowhere Nao's names pops out. It could be action-packed and full of flames. Love-hate relationship in short. Then I re-evaluate and realize it is quite tragic. It will be just a series of interwoven web of lies and guises so it is a bit of complicated for an amateur like me."

The blue-haired girl finally turns to the awfully quiet tawny-girl beside her.

"So who might it be? Mai or Nao?"

Shizuru has no idea what to feel or think anymore. Not only was her dream crushed but also her heart for the second time. Did she not learn enough? Though there are two revelations were presented before her. First is Natsuki is interested in women and last, it is either her close friend, Mai or her ex-nemesis, Nao.

What a fool she turned into.

It could never be her. Natsuki's first and only bestfriend. The one who selflessly devotes herself to the raven-haired girl and even killed for her. That's how she loves her Natsuki. But her love bluntly shoves the truth in her face. It could not be her. Never.

At least the rejection is not done directly. What a clever way, my Natsuki.

Shizuru gracefully stands up yet she could feel her legs turning into heavy bricks. She must get out of here. Fast.

Rubbing her temples with her thumb she puts her mask and manages to say, "I can't help you, Natsuki. I thought I can. But it seems impossible for me. I need to leave now, university tasks calls."

This could not work on me, Shizuru. I know you very well. It is time to end our sufferings. Our longings.

She stands up and places her hands on Shizuru's shoulder that flinch at the touch. Emerald orbs gazed softly at hurt rubies which are not looking at her.

"Should you be wondering why you are not in my choices, Shizuru?" The other girl attempts to pull away but Natsuki holds her firmly not wanting to let her go.

"Midori-sensei assigned me to create a short story. It is just a work of fiction. It means there is no way it could happen. It is imaginary. It is made up. It could not be real." Her hands gently cup the face of the owner of shimmering crimson orbs. While the forest orbs reveals the love for the other girl to witness. A soft gasp escapes on her lips.

"But with you it is different all along. You could not be in that story because I want us to have a real love story, Shizuru. Not just a tale but based on non-fiction. True-to-life. Do you understand what I am implying, my dearest? Simply put, I love you, Shizuru, just as same as you." She then places a sweet soft kiss on Shizuru's trembling lips. The green-eyed girl allows an inch gap to adoringly gaze at her beautiful red-eyed goddess who looks at her with the same intensity. Gone was the mask she earlier put on. It is not needed when she's alone with her first and true love.

"Ookini, my Natsuki. I love you, too. Ookini for accepting my feelings for you," she cuts the gap between them to initiate their second kiss. This time it was passionate and unrestrained one.

And they live happily ever after.

A/N: Again, thanks for reading!