III.

A/N: I wanted my valued readers to know that I've started Trope Pages on TV Tropes for "Elementary My Dear Natsuki" and "Duran and Kiyohime's Omake Theater", both by DezoPenguin, "Inter Nos" by ethnewinter, and "Windows of the Soul" by Lestaki. The reason I started pages for those works is because they are on the Fanfic Recs page for TV Tropes. The pages could stand a bit of review by others to ensure that they're accurate and all possible tropes are covered. With that out of the way, on with the story:

Ten Years Ago:

Two girls, both aged ten, were sitting in the nurse's office at Fuuka Elementary School. One of them was sitting in a bed, looking fairly miserable, a poultice over one of her eyes. The other girl was sitting in a chair, one of her hands bandaged, and a severe bruise on her left cheek.

"I'm sorry…" the girl in the bed sniffed, "that you got hurt because of me."

The girl in the chair smirked, flipping a lock of cobalt blue hair over her shoulder, "I got hurt because I didn't know that dumbass had a brick for a face. That's all."

"I could have handled them, you know," the girl in the bed said indignantly, "You didn't have to…"

"You're right, I didn't," the girl with dark blue hair looked out the window, "But…it was five against one. My Momma in Heaven would be mad at me if I just walked away. 'Sides, I heard what you said. Those creeps were picking on the puppy. That pissed me off. So, I jumped in."

The girl in the bed blinked her good eye, "Your Momma is in Heaven? I'm sorry. My Momma is in the hospital. The doctors say she may never wake up."

The girl in the chair looked at her, then smiled, "I'm Natsuki. What's your name?"

"Nao. Nao Yuuki," she smiled, "So, you had to rescue the puppy, huh?"

"Yep."

"I see."

"Good."

"So," Nao smirked, "That mean you're a Pup, too?"

Present Day:

"You need a way for Kuga to not feel lonely in the house?" Nao was listening to Mai on the phone as she entered yet another long chain of numbers on the computer in front of her.

"Yeah. I'd suggest moving in with her, but that's kinda taking things a bit far."

"We all saw the ghost," Nao said, "I don't think that would be too far at all. But I do have an idea. You may have to look around a bit, but…"

Nao told Mai her idea.

"Nao, that's brilliant. I'll see if I can find just the right one!" Mai hung up the phone.

Nao looked over at the calendar at her desk and grinned, "Happy birthday, Pup."

~~*~~

"Ara, ara," a disembodied voice cheerfully greeted Natsuki as she was dressing for the morning, "But Natsuki has such a cute collection of frilly lingerie."

Natsuki found herself blushing beet red, "Hey! D'ya mind? I'd like a little privacy while I'm getting dressed."

"I'll be good," Shizuru's Kyoto-ben mock pouted, "Natsuki won't even know that I'm here."

Natsuki rolled her eyes, "I'd prefer to know that you were somewhere else while I was dressing."

"Mou. Natsuki is so bashful. And I can't understand why. Natsuki's body is very feminine. Why, Natsuki has the kinds of looks that most girls would envy."

"Natsuki thought Shizuru said she wouldn't even know she was here," Natsuki reminded her.

"Ikezu."

"Says the woman spying on me while I get dressed," Natsuki grumped.

"I am not spying," Shizuru replied, "I am admiring."

Natsuki huffed, "Well, go admire someone else. I didn't even like changing with the other girls in gym."

There was a soft sigh, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that Natsuki found me to be such a bother."

Natsuki sighed, "I don't think you're a bother, Shizuru. But I really do value my privacy. Please?"

Natsuki heard a soft sigh, then Shizuru appeared before her, wearing a purple kimono. She bowed slightly, "Forgive me. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. But it has been so long since I've had anyone to have a proper conversation with."

"I'll make you a deal," Natsuki's emerald eyes met Shizuru's crimson ones, "You turn your back, and I'll talk to you while I get dressed."

Shizuru smiled, and turned, facing away, "I hadn't realized that Natsuki was so shy."

"Probably the consequences of being an only child," Natsuki remarked. It wasn't entirely true. There was that half-sister by way of her Father's infidelities, but since they hadn't lived together or been raised together, Natsuki felt that the spirit of the statement held true.

"Ara, then we have that in common. I, too, am an only child."

"And you just decided to hang around the house after you died?"

Shizuru gave a slight shrug, "I'm afraid that I am not entirely aware of the mechanics of the afterlife, in any meaningful way. However, I seem to be unable to leave this place."

Natsuki frowned at that as she finished dressing, "Is that why you drove off the others? Because you wanted to be alone, here?"

Shizuru shook her head as Natsuki walked around to face her, "No. I did not mean for the others to flee. It would seem, however, that most people do not enjoy sharing a domicile with someone who has died. Nor will I attempt to drive Natsuki away."

Shizuru smiled broadly, "Besides, Natsuki is the cutest housemate I've had in awhile."

Natsuki's cheeks flushed again, "I'm not cute, Shizuru. I'm the sort of girl who wears jeans and goes tearing around the roads on a motorcycle. Cute isn't a word most people would associate with me."

"That is simply because they don't know my Natsuki very well," Shizuru opined, "And for whom is that rather stylish lingerie, anyway? Are you, perchance, meeting a lover, later?"

Now, Natsuki's whole face, from the base of her neck to the top of her head, was as crimson as Shizuru's eyes, "I don't have a lover!"

"Really? A beautiful young woman like you? That's such a waste. But then, why the lingerie? That seems like the sort of thing one would wear beneath a wedding gown to entice the groom with after the nuptials."

"Don't put images like that in my head!" Natsuki protested, then sighed, "I wear this stuff to feel feminine. Everyone thinks of me as this tough woman, and their reasons for thinking that aren't entirely wrong. But I'm still a woman, and even if I won't show that to them, I like to remind myself of that fact."

Shizuru sat on the bed, smiling, "I see. It is Natsuki's armor against the expectations of the world. 'Think of me what you will, but you will never know the true me.' Something like that, yes?"

For the first time in the conversation, Natsuki smiled, "Yeah, that's a good way of putting it. I like that."

"I understand," Shizuru nodded, "I come from a wealthy family, so there is always the expectations of how a proper lady should conduct herself."

Shizuru grinned now, "But in truth, I misbehaved quite a bit. It's all about learning how to conceal it beneath the social veneer one expects of a person like myself."

"Is that why you always smile, even though you're sad?" Natsuki asked.

Shizuru blinked, but her smile remained, "Just so. When did Natsuki notice?"

"It's this whole house. From the moment I walked in, I just felt this whole atmosphere of sorrow. But it was also beautiful. And something that's sad can be changed, right?"

Shizuru giggled, that fufufu noise of hers, "I thought Natsuki said she wasn't going to do anything crazy with my home."

"My home," Natsuki said, "I have the title and deed, now. But no, I'm not planning to do anything crazy. I mean, I could convert the dojo into a machine shop for my bike…"

Shizuru actually looked horrified, which prompted Natsuki to laugh, "I'm kidding. I ride it. I'm not a mechanic. I take it to a place downtown to have it serviced. But no, a few touches, to brighten up the place, wouldn't hurt. Open some windows. Let in the fresh air. Maybe move that portrait out of the study and into the foyer."

"Natsuki doesn't want to see my lovely face while she works?" Shizuru mock pouted.

"Wouldn't it be better to see it at the entrance so that you can greet me when I come home?" Natsuki suggested.

"Ara, that makes me sound like Natsuki's spouse, not a house mate."

Shizuru giggled when that got the expected blush, again.

"So not looking for spouses," Natsuki muttered.

"However, if Natsuki wishes to be properly greeted upon her return home, then I can do that, personally, and not leave it to that facsimile."

"Sure, sure," Natsuki waved, "Just don't freak out my guests."

"And Natsuki's boyfriends?"

"Don't have one. Not looking for one," Natsuki muttered, "I just don't get all excited about this whole 'romance' thing that everyone seems to be into, y'know."

"But isn't that lonely?" Shizuru asked.

"I've got friends," Natsuki pointed out, "Seems to be fine for me."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Natsuki went out to find Mai and Mikoto waiting at the gate.

"Hey, what brings you two back to Hill House?"

The other two blinked in confusion, and Natsuki sighed, "Mai, you've got to read more than just period romances. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. It's one of the most famous western ghost stories ever written. And here we are, at a haunted mansion on a hill."

"So, you concede that the place is haunted," Mai grinned.

"Well, I've just spent the morning conversing with the resident phantom about respecting boundaries, so, I'm going with 'yes'. But what brings you two by, at this hour?"

"We got Natsuki a birthday present," Mikoto chirped cheerfully.

Mai shot her a look of reproach for spoiling the surprise, but Mikoto seemed entirely immune. Natsuki chuckled, "Well come on in. I'm sure it ought to be an interesting time."

Listening to the droning of cicadas in the backdrop, Natsuki wondered how she'd forgotten that it was her birthday. It wasn't that she hated it. But she didn't much celebrate it, either. Still, it was nice to have friends to acknowledge it, at any rate.

Mai was carrying a box with three circular holes along each side. It was too large to be a shoebox, which Natsuki was grateful for, because she was not a woman who collected shoes. She had four pairs of shoes in total. Her riding boots, a pair of sneakers for casual outings, a pair of sandals for hot days, and a pair of dress heels for those occasions where she absolutely was compelled to wear formal attire. Practical was her watchword.

"We should probably do this outside," Mai said, setting the box down at the entrance, "Until you've had a chance to prepare the interior of the house."

Natsuki frowned, lifting the lid of the box. She was greeted with a warm, wet tongue on her face, to which she laughed delightedly, picking up the wriggling creature from inside the box.

"He's a pretty rare breed, here," Mai said, "A German Shepherd. There are less than two hundred in all of Japan."

Natsuki looked at her, slack-jawed, "Mai, that must have cost you a fortune!"

Mai shook her head, "Not really. This one is a puppy from a litter belonging to an old friend of mine. Remember Aoi Sennou? Well, her family's German Shepherd had a litter, and they're not really the 'sell dogs at a kennel club' sort. And you were the one who beat up that guy who was harassing Sennou back in school, so she was all too happy to let this fellow go to you. Wouldn't even let me pay."

The puppy was a mix of black, tawny, and white fur, with a pair of flopped over ears. He yapped at Natsuki, who set him gently on the ground. He quickly ran around, chasing his tail, until he stopped, looking up at her again.

"And what's your name, little one?" Natsuki asked him, practically cooing at the pup. Mai blinked in surprise. She didn't even know Natsuki could coo, let alone would. But she was speaking to the puppy in soft, warm, velvety tones. The little beast began to gnaw the tips of her toes through the openings of her sandals.

"Hey," she knelt down to meet him at eye level, "what do you think you're gnawing at, rascal?"

He yipped at her, and wagged his tail.

"I think you'll be Duran. Yeah. That's a good name for you. Duran."

"It was Nao's suggestion. She said you had a soft spot for dogs. We have some food, a leash, and a book on the feeding and care of the breed," Mai said, "And he…"

She stopped. They watched as Duran leapt to his feet, his hair bristling, looking intently at the door. The puppy equivalent of a growl was building in his throat.

"It's only Shizuru," Natsuki petted the dog. He stepped forward, looking up at what was empty space to the others, though Natsuki noted that the air by the door had gotten colder. Duran sniffed, then sat down on his haunches, and yipped, once again wagging his tail.

"I think he's okay with her," Mai exhaled in relief.

"She can tease a bit," Natsuki sighed, "But basically she's a good person. I'm sure Duran can sense that."

Duran flopped onto his back, his hind leg twitching. Later, Shizuru would confirm for Natsuki that she had given the small puppy a tummy rub, which had convinced him of her good intentions.

"Honestly," Shizuru put a hand on her cheek, sighing, "I hope that the little terror doesn't start chewing on the furniture or using this place as his own private outhouse."

"I'll make sure Duran is housebroken, Shizuru," Natsuki said with a smirk, "Besides, he likes you well enough, right?"

Shizuru watched Natsuki laughing girlishly as Duran licked at her face, muttering to herself, "Who knew I would be envious of a dog."