Natsuki thought that she would never love again. That was what she thought until she met Shizuru. Love blossomed when you least expected it.


And just when she was nearing the seats occupied by Arika and her friends, a bouncer stopped her. "Sorry this is the VIP area. Unless you are a VIP member, or you are with a VIP member, you are not allowed to go beyond this area."

"Ara...would you be Arika's Onee-sama?" A voice laced with a thick Kyoto accent said.

Natsuki heard the voice and turned around. But her attention was caught by a pair of ruby coloured eyes. The colour was very striking and breath-taking. Natsuki had seen others with similar colour eyes. But none has eyes as intense as the lady in front of her. And subsequently, her attention was distracted by the whole package. The lady in front of her had a compact 5'4 body, dress in a form-fitting long sleeve black dress that reached slightly above the knee. The slit at the side of her dress allowed glimpses of her creamy yet tone white thighs. Her long wavy brown hair cascaded carelessly around her shoulders, giving her an elegant look. Yet what really caught Natsuki's attention was the sharp contrast between her intense red eyes and her aura. There was a laidback attitude about her that was a sharp contrast against the intensity in her eyes. And the Kyoto accent only intensified the laidback vibe Natsuki got from the lady in front of her.

"Hi, yes, I am. And you are...omphf" An unexpected weight descended upon Natsuki's shoulder.

"Onee-chan! Why are you still standing here? I have been waiting for a long long time for you!" Arika said as she hung herself on Natsuki's shoulders while holding onto a glass of wine. "See this pretty lady here? She is my friend." Arika gestured to the lady with the ruby-coloured eyes. "Her name is Shizuru, Viola Shizuru. Shizuru, this is my sister!"

"Good evening." Natsuki gave a polite smile.

So this is her!

"Hi."

But just seconds after they exchanged greetings, Natsuki was dragged by Arika off towards their seats with Shizuru trailing slowly behind them.

"Onee-chan, these are my friends. They are Nina Wong , Mashiro Windbloom , Erstin Ho and Irina Woods. And you have already met Shizuru." Arika gestured to her friends. " And everyone, this is my beloved onee-chan!"

"Onee-chan, these friends of mine, we met each other while on a university exchange programme to one of the universities in Greece. We have been good friends ever since!" And just as quickly Arika finished introducing her friends, she went on to the next topic.

"Guys, make way, it has been a long time since I got to see my onee-chan face to face."

It didn't take long for Natsuki to get acquainted with Arika's friends. She had been taught since young to the art of making small talks with strangers. She managed to talk to everyone of them except for Viola Shizuru, the reason why she came to the club.

She was talking to Windbloom-san when she felt the chair next to her shifted and she thought Arika was back from the toilet until she felt a hot breathe near her ear.

"Ne...Natsuki would you care for a dance with me?"

This sudden closeness with a stranger made Natsuki uncomfortable and she stiffened instinctively. It had been awhile since she was this close to anyone besides her family members.

Natsuki frowned slightly and pushed her chair back to put some distance between them. And that was when she saw Viola Shizuru had her right hand held out, inviting her to a dance.

"Thank you very much. I don't really dance." Natsuki replied as she politely declined.

There was an awkward silence as the group of friends paused in their conversation and stared at the two of them. Shizuru still had her hand held out.

It was no wonder that the rest of them stared at Natsuki and Shizuru. God knows Shizuru never asked anyone for a dance! Man and woman alike were drawn to Shizuru every time she entered a club, asking for a dance or a drink. And the first time Shizuru ever invited a person, she was turned down.

"Sure, no problem. Maybe next time then." Viola Shizuru said with a graceful smile on her face and put her hand down.

But just as Natsuki thought that Viola Shizuru would returned to her seat, Shizuru leaned close once again and whispered into her ear.

"I know why you came tonight." Shizuru paused before continuing. "You wanted to see who's the one who 'stole' that piece of land right under your nose. Am I right, Natsuki? Let me tell you this, this is only the start. More awaits you." Shizuru gave a little laugh as she stood up and returned to her seat.

It didn't take long before this little gathering ended and Natsuki was cruising along the street. How long has it been since I last went to a club? The last time was during university with Lena...Shit…

Natsuki could feel the throbbing at her temple. Her headache was returning.

Natsuki slowed her car to a stop at the roadside and rummaged through her bag for her pain killer.

Shit...I forgot to refill the bottle.

Natsuki cursed as she found her empty medical bottle.

The throbbing got more intense and all Natsuki could do was rest her forehead against the cool window plane, hopping the coldness could numb the pain.

Natsuki drifted in and out of unconsciousness. She planned to spend the night it the car. That was what she planned until someone knocked on her window. She ignored it hoping it would go away.

But the visitor proved to be rather insistent and the knocking persisted, accompanied by a voice.

"Ne Natsuki, are you alright? Do you need help? Hey, can you hear me? Do you need me to call the ambulance?" The voice was laced with Kyoto accent.

The word ambulance had Natsuki's attention, forcing Natsuki to respond to the caller outside her car.

God, why must it be her. Natsuki thought as she saw Viola Shizuru bending over her car with a phone over her ear.

Natsuki quickly wind down her window. "Viola -san, I'm alright. You don't have to call the ambulance."

"Are you sure? You look very pale."

"Yes, I am sure. You can put down the phone now."

"Right. Okay..."

There was an awkward pause.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you. I am fine, you don't have to worry about me." Natsuki forced a smile, attempting to reassure Viola Shizuru.

Thought she might not like Viola Shizuru, that does not mean she has to be rude to her. Natsuki made it a point to be polite. Even to strangers.

"Don't worry. It is just a headache. I will get my friend to pick me up."

That said, Natsuki took out her phone and called Alyssa.

"Right. I will then make a move first." Shizuru replied and returned to her car.

Shizuru slided into the car and turned on the engine.

This Kuga Ojou-sama is one prickly lady ne. Nii-sama sure has an interesting taste in ladies.

Just as she was about to start the car, Shizuru paused and then turned off the engine. She would wait for a while.

Well, she is my future sister-in-law. Onii-sama will probably have my head if anything happens to her while she is within my care.

She waited in her car until she saw a blond lady alight from a taxi and hopped onto Natsuki's car before driving home.


It wasn't long before Shizuru reached home and saw her parents sitting on the sofa waiting for her. Her dearest Onii-sama was sprawling on the other side of the sofa with a smirk on his face, obviously gleeful about this whole situation.

"Ara, Gokigenyou Okaa-sama and Outo-sama. Its quite late so I shall not disturb you. Have a good night Okaa-sama, Outo-sama." Shizuru smiled at her parents before attempting to slip upstairs.

"Hmmph! You would know that its late!" Viola Daichi scoffed. " And stand where you are young lady!" Viola Daichi commanded as he saw his own daughter easing her way towards the stairs, ready to bolt into her room.

"You have been back in Tokyo for two months and yet you spend your days clubbing away with your friends. I would have understand that you need time to rest and get acquainted with your old friends in Japan. But two months! You spent the past two months doing little else except going out after 12 midnight and staying out till the wee morning!"

Hearing this, Shizuru turned to look at Viola Takeda.

"Don't you dare glare at your brother! He is not the one who told us about your irresponsible behaviour. You would have thought we are deaf! Flooring your accelerator as you sped out of the house. We could hear the roar of your engine miles away."

Shizuru bit her lower lips and looked at the floor, attempting to look chaste.

"You should learn from Kuga Natsuki. She took over her Outo-sama's business upon graduation. And within 5 years, she has built Kuga Corporation into one of the strongest company in the country..."

Kuga Natsuki again.

"And so both your Okaa-sama and I have decided, we are going to ..."

Shit...they are going to send me to work!

"Okaa-sama, Outo-sama!" Shizuru interrupted. "Talking about Kuga-san, I just saw her. And I was late coming home because of her. She was not feeling well."

"What?" Viola Takeda exclaimed as he sprang out of the sofa and rushed towards Shizuru, grabbing her by her shoulders. "Is she alright?"

"She was having a terrible headache.I wonder if she has a brain tumor." Shizuru shrugged her shoulders as something flashed across Shizuru's eyes.

Ara Kuga Natsuki is enough to distract them.

"Oh dear...she is so young." Viola Yumiko commented. "Maybe I should visit Saeko-san tomorrow. She must be devastated."

"Well, I am just wondering. I can't be sure but...Nii-sama where are you going?" Shizuru called out when she saw her brother leaping over the sofa, sprinting towards the direction of the garage.

"See Natsuki!" Takeda replied as he quickened his steps.

"Outo-sama Okaa-sama, I will follow Nii-sama." With that Shizuru turned and followed in the direction of her brother.

She hates to run. Shizuru's rule - never run when you can walk; never stand when you can sit and never sit when you can lie down.

""My nii-sama is not very smart." Shizuru sighed. "Who would visit an ill person in the middle of the night. No wonder he is still single at this age." Shizuru muttered beneath her breath. "It is 2 am in the morning."

Shizuru wondered where did her usual cool and competent Nii-sama go to. Well, her brother is a proof that loves make people stupid and stupid people do stupid stuff. Shizuru thought in resignation as she followed her brother into the garage and hopped into his car.

"What are you doing here with me?" Takeda asked.

"Ara nii-sama, do you think I would be so silly to stay behind? Otou-sama and Okaa-sama are obviously waiting to ambush me and get me to work in their company. No way am I doing that. I have not finished enjoying my freedom yet."

Takeda rolled his eyes as he started the engine.


The 30 minutes drive put Takeda and Shizuru right outside Natsuki's house.

""Ne..Nii-sama, what are we doing out here again?" Shizuru asked as she stood next to Takeda.

They had been standing here for the past 15 minutes with Takeda leaning against his car and gazing soulfully at Natsuki's house.

Takeda took a deep puff of the cigarette and let it out. "I am contented knowing Natsuki is only a few meters away from me. I wonder if she is feeling better? Maybe I should come again in the morning."

The smile on Shizuru's face looked rather stiff at Takeda's reply. It was getting rather hard to keep the smile on her face when she was around her nii-sama.

Oh my god, is this my Nii-sama? He would have looked like a handsome and savvy gentleman, leaning against the sportscar, with his slightly disheveled hair and crooked tie. But his words prove him to be an idiot - a lovesick idiot. Shizuru thought in resignation.

"Why don't you just call her?" Shizuru could not imagine taking a 30 minutes drive just for them to stand guard over Natsuki's house.

Had it been her girlfriend, she would make sure her girlfriend knew about her effort.

Takeda sighed. "I don't want to disturb her."

That's it. Shizuru thought.

"Ara. Nii-sama you can just stand there and look like a lovelorn idiot while I am going to see Kuga-san." Shizuru said, a rather strained smile plastered on her face.

With that said, Shizuru turned and moved towards the gate.

"Wait...What are you doing. No Shizuru, hey wait a..."

Ding...dong... Shizuru pressed the bell.

In fact everyone including the housekeeper was preparing for bed. She had planned to ignore the bell but the bell rang once again. Worried that bell could wake up the rest of the family members, she went to check the identify of the late night visitors.

"Gokigenyou. I am Viola Shizuru and this is my brother Viola Takeda. My apologies for disturbing you but my brother heard that Kuga Natsuki-san was not feeling well and so he is rather anxious in visiting her." Shizuru slipped into her polite facade and greeted the housekeeper.

The housekeeper's face softened at the mention of Natsuki's name and she recognised Viola Takeda. He had visited them a few times.

Ojou-sama was always busy and had little time for friends. It was good that she had friends who were worried for her. And going by the rumours, it seemed that Viola Takeda-sama was interested in more than just friends.

"Alright. I will check if Natsuki Oujio-sama is available. She could be asleep by now. Please hold on a minute."

The housekeeper had the Viola siblings seated in the living room before climbing up the stairs to find Natsuki.


On the other side…

"Who could it be at this time of the day?" Alyssa asked as she gently helped Natsuki to the bed.

Natsuki still looked so pale.

"Don't worry about it. The housekeeper will take care of it." Natsuki replied. "And it is quite late now. I will get the housekeeper to bring you to the guest room."

"But are you feeling well enough? I can just lay down by the couch and sleep there."

"Don't worry Alyssa. I will be fine. You should go and rest. It has been a long night for you too."

"Alright. But call me again if you are not feeling well yeah." Alyssa said as she opened the door.

And coincidentally, the housekeeper was standing outside, her hand raised to knock on the door.

"Yumi-san (name of the housekeeper)? What is it?" Natsuki asked when she saw the housekeeper standing outside the door.

"My apologies Oujio-sama. Viola Takeda-sama and Viola Shizuru-sama are here to visit you. Would you like to see them or perhaps you would want to have an early rest?"

The Viola again? Natsuki thought in exasperation.

And Alyssa looked at Natsuki and arched her brow. Obviously wondering why the Viola siblings would be here.

Natsuki sighed and said, "Alright Yumi-san, tell them I will be down in a minute."

"Hai, Ojou-sama."


"Shizuru, I think we should leave. Natsuki might be sleeping now and she badly needed some rest." Takeda said as he walked back and fro in front of Shizuru.

Shizuru was seated on the sofa sipping the hot green tea, looking right at home.

How could she be so calm?

Takeda thought as he ran his fingers through his thick brown hair, making his already unruly hair even messier. His mind filled with so many questions.

Is Natsuki alright? Should I leave now? It's really rude to visit someone's home at 2am in the morning. But I really hope to see Natsuki, to make sure that she is fine.

"Nii-sama when have you become so...Ara, Natsuki-san you are still awake?" Shizuru said as she saw Natsuki walking down the stairs with the blond lady by her side.

Shizuru studied the two of them.

Ara, they sure are close ne.

I wouldn't be awake if not for you. Natsuki thought as she sighed.

As if sensing Natsuki's frustration, Alyssa grasped Natsuki's hand and gave her a squeeze, not letting it go.

"Gokigenyou Natsuki-san and ..." Shizuru's voice trailed off as she waited for Natsuki to introduce the blond.

"Alyssa. Alyssa Searrs."

"Gokigenyou Natsuki-san and Searrs-san." Shizuru stood up and greeted them once again. She took a sideward glance at her Nii-sama. Gone was his usual savvy and confident self. He was frozen stiff.

Looks like I have to continue the conversation.

"Natsuki-san, my Nii-sama heard that you were not feeling well and was rather worried about you. So he came all the way here to visit you. Hope you are alright with it." Shizuru said and gave a charming smile. And at the same time, without anyone noticing, she gave her brother a little pushed from the back, making him stumble forward, nearly knocking into Natsuki.

"Nat...Natsuki, how are you. Errm...I..I heard that you are not feeling well and were just diagnosed with brain tumor...I..errmm..."

Yup, talk about being savvy Viola Takeda. Shizuru thought. No wonder Natsuki is not into you.

"Brain tumor?" Natsuki repeated as she looked towards Shizuru and arched her brow.

The hand that was clasping hers tightened. Natsuki turned and gave Alyssa a reassuring smile.

Ara ara, is there something going on between the two? Shizuru noticed the exchange and thought.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out who told Takeda this. What game is this Viola Oujo-sama trying to play? Natsuki thought to herself. Kuga Corporation's stock prices will definitely take a big tumble if this news got out. Natsuki could just imagine the headline for the morning news - Heir apparent of Kuga Corporation diagnosed with brian tumor.

"Ara, Nii-sama, you worried too much. It could be just a normal migraine. Right Nii-sama?" Shizuru gave a guileless smile.

"Hai, you are right Shizuru. Just a normal migraine. Just a normal migraine." Takeda repeated as if reassuring himself. "Don't worry Natsuki, I have a friend who specialize in this area. I can pass you his contact number."

"Thank you so much Takeda-san. But it is just some migraine that I have occasionally. Not a brain tumor or anything serious." At this, Natsuki looked at Shizuru who returned her with a smile. "And I really appreciate your concern. So not to worry. I just need some quiet rest."

Getting the hint, Takeda immediately stood up and walked towards the door. He hoped Natsuki gets as much rest as possible. She worked too hard.

"Yes yes Natsuki, you are right. You really need to rest and its so late now. Please have a good rest and I will..errmm..see you soon Natsuki." Takeda said and turned to Shizuru. "Shizuru, we should return home now and give Natsuki some rest."

With that, Natsuki finally had some much needed rest.