Good... Ehm, Good morning, Author here. I just looked at the clock, lol. Oh well.

Thank you for your continued viewings and reviews. I'm glad my other foray into the world of Mai-hime was received well, perhaps this is a sign to continue writing? :D

Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise


Slipping Away

The snow seemed to turn black as it fluttered down around them, only to vaporize into thin air before it could even hit the ground. It was getting difficult to breathe as the flames sucked in the oxygen like a vacuum, further engorging the destruction and depriving even more life in the process. It was hotter than they could tolerate. Natsuki had always been so used to the bitter, unforgiving cold. She embraced it even when her name clearly pointed out the fact that she was summer's child, a summer's tree. Winter was her season, and ice was her element. Mai was a summer's child, a true summer's child of heat and flame, of joy and passion. Compared to Natsuki's cold and calculating personality, Mai was the one who entertained more friends and the one who was invited to more events during their school years. Natsuki had only entertained the notion of being good friends with one person; the rest had come along with Mai's influence and as such did not hold as much significance as the woman now firmly behind her. Shizuru was the epitome of a winter's child, a white porcelain figure who seemed so frail it would break with the passing of the first northern wind. But snow gathered and blizzards formed underneath those cool crimson eyes and emerged from beneath quaint smiles, creating a force that could have matched Natsuki's own proficiency with the cold.

Perhaps that was why Duran had been so taken with this mistress of control. Either way, the wolf fiercely stood his ground in front of his mistress as his lone green eye focused on Mai. Natsuki wasn't sure when she had transformed, but she realized with a jolt that this ease of shifting and level of finesse was unprecedented. The transformation had always been tricky to hold—Duran had a habit of wanting to run off on his own and leaving Natsuki inside his mind to struggle to rein him in. Now with Shizuru so close by, Duran kept himself together and faced down Mai's impassive glance with a cautious glare of his own. The wolf was literally monstrous this time, easily larger than the largest horse and with a tail that could have competed on its own in terms of size. Instead of trapping heat, the body emanated a natural cold that enabled the air around Duran to retain at least some of the precious oxygen from being vaporized by the heat.

"Are you unharmed?" Duran asked in a deep rumble.

Shizuru took in a deep breath and nodded faintly. Something flickered in Duran's eye and he inclined his head in a short nod before he turned back to face Mai.

"I will not lose you again," the wolf growled bitterly, prompting Shizuru to wonder just who was saying this.

Duran glared at Mai. His tail flicked agitatedly, sending a spray of ice crystals out in a wide arc. As the crystals hit the blast of hot air around Mai, they melted into a fine mist that helped to alleviate some of the heat.

"Kagutsuchi! Stop hiding behind that girl and face me."

Mai looked down as water managed to hit her cheek.

You aren't worth my time, wolf. Be glad to know that you are not my target for the night.

Mai extended another hand, this time pointing it to her left. Another ball of fire formed from her fingertips.

Know this, Fujino of Kyoto. One in your employ holds my destruction, and I am here to secure myself from that fate. Step aside, and I will relinquish Mai-hime.

Shizuru stiffened as she heard Kagutsuchi's mandate trickle into her mind. Who was he referring to? One of her hands grasped onto Duran's fur and her fingers curled into a fist. Duran cocked his head to the side at the gesture and hunkered down so his face was level with Shizuru's. His tail wrapped around them both and encased them in a comfortable coolness that fought down the unbearable heat.

"What do you desire?" the wolf asked after a moment.

"There is no fight here that we will participate in." She brought her free hand out to stroke Duran's muzzle. "Kagutsuchi searches for someone who we do not associate with…"

Her orders were interrupted to the sound of clapping. All of the conscious occupants of the room stopped their stalemate and turned to see a blond-haired man with small glasses acknowledging them with his hands clapping against each other. A simpering little smile lit up his face as he observed the destruction and the fire weaving around Mai's limbs.

"So, we are all gathered now," Smith said after he stopped clapping. "How wonderful, if not a little later than I would have expected."

Immediately Kagutsuchi roared.

Filthy meddler!

Mai's fingers zeroed in on Smith, but he waved a finger in mild admonishment. Surprisingly enough, Mai did not fire.

"I wouldn't want to be too hasty. You know that I am the only one who can help you," Smith said gently, prompting no response from the enraged beast. "The same goes for you, Miss Kuga."

Duran straightened.

"You will do no such thing."

Smith barely contained the disgusted curl of his lips as he stared at the wolf.

"I was speaking to Miss Kuga, not to you," he snarled. "You have no say in what will happen, monster."

Duran gnashed his teeth in a threatening display but stopped when he felt Shizuru's fingers press against his side in warning. Mai let loose a sharp roar as her arm reared back.

You're mine!!

"Mai-han!"

Mai stopped and flicked her gaze down towards Shizuru.

"Please stop this!" she yelled through the blistering heat. "You can fight through it, Mai-han."

Now Mai regarded her with a churlish grin that couldn't have come from her. They wanted to tell themselves that and believe it, but stranger things had happened.

And who are you to tell her that she can fight me, when all of you could honestly care less about Mai-hime's struggles?

"Leave her out of this!!" Duran roared through the din. "If you want a fight, you'll fight with me!"

"… What is going on here?"

Now the room grew curiously silent as Kyoko Marguerite stepped out into the decimated room. Her silver eyes took in the strange occupants of her tea house before her gaze finally drew up towards Mai's floating figure. Despite the spectacle Kyoko kept her lips pursed as she studied Mai before she finally flicked her gaze down towards Shizuru and Duran.

"You will explain this," she demanded in a cold tone.

"Mrs. Marguerite, I can explain—"

"Shut your mouth before I shut it for you," Kyoko snapped, throwing a hand up to rebuff Smith without even facing him. Her eyes began to glow in that strange silver light as she studied Shizuru and the wolf beside her. "Shizuru, what is this… this monster doing here?"

Interestingly enough she gestured up towards Mai rather than Duran despite the wolf being clearly visible. Shizuru mentally filed this away for later as she laid a calming hand on the barely-contained Duran next to her. Mai meanwhile had floated down so her feet were skimming across the ground with the tips of her toes grazing the smoking, ruined floor. The flames circled her limbs lazily as she studied Kyoko through the strange glow of her violet eyes.

It is what it is, Kiyohime. Just a wonderful reunion amongst our lovely Scions, even if you have been getting on with the years.

Kyoko looked up with an impassive tilt of her head.

"Would you mind not speaking for a moment?" she asked in a bored tone. A hint of haughtiness lit her features as she took in Mai's scowl. "Your voice is the last thing I want to tolerate at the moment and you are being a bit rude. I am trying to talk with my niece here, not you."

Mai gave a rather rude snort before rearing her arm back once more.

I will do what I please!

Duran immediately curled up around Shizuru and erected a circle of ice around them. Through this cold haven they saw the deadly yellow fireball that shot through Mai's fingertips and down towards an unimpressed Kyoko, who merely threw a hand up… and knocked the flame away. The fireball burned a 

hole clean through the rice paper screen, allowing the cold winter wind to race through. Kyoko breathed out slowly through her lips. Mai threw another flame but this one was knocked away in the same manner as the first. The two in the circle of ice stared at the scene speechlessly as Kyoko proceeded to laugh.

"Do you really think you can harm me in your incomplete state? You would do well to leave me while I am still amused at your efforts."

A round of hissing laughs followed this demand and something flickered from beneath her lips as the laughs started to fade. A forked tongue poked out from beneath smiling lips, accompanied by needle-like fangs that began to lengthen as she continued to laugh under her breath at the outraged expression on Mai's face.

"I wonder if you really know jussssst who you are dealing with, Kagutsssuuuchi…"

Kyoko reared back and suddenly opened her mouth, emitting a black flame that roared through the orange and red blazes around them. Mai shifted and brought her arms up into a cross to block the attack, but she found herself being thrown backwards due to the force. Mai righted herself and Kagutsuchi roared something unintelligible as Kyoko stood there with a smug grin on her face.

"Your medium's physssical ssstate meanssss nothing if the connection issss not fulfilled," Kyoko continued as the forked tongue flicked out for a split second. "I can even sssssmell the unsssertainty beneath your medium…"

Duran watched the two exchange a few more blows with unsuccessful jets of red fire dying down with every blast of black. Something surged within the wolf but Duran fought down the urge to dive out of the ice and into the hellfire that seemed to spew out all around them. The wolf shook slightly before Natsuki's thoughts began to flow through.

It's just fighting fire with fire.

Duran retreated suddenly, leaving a slightly confused Shizuru as Natsuki shook the ice crystals out of her hair.

"We need to get out of here," Natsuki said edgily. "The longer we're here, the more danger we're going to invite to ourselves."

"If we leave Mai-han here she stands a very good chance of not returning," Shizuru pointed out quietly.

"… That's just going to be a chance we'll have to take," Natsuki replied.

Out the corner of her eye, Mai spotted two figures running away from the room. Her lips parted and she struggled to call out to them, but Kagutsuchi snapped her gaze back towards a grinning Kyoko who was readying another bout of black fire.

You are alone now, Mai-hime. See how they have abandoned you? All of them will, in the end.

No, that's not true, Natsuki would never…

She will, and she did.

The finality behind that statement caused Mai to turn sharply to the right. With a flick of her wrist she called forth her blue fire and aimed it square for Natsuki's back. The sound of someone yelling her name was lost to her ears in the deafening explosion that surrounded her as she felt herself grow curiously light.

This was a strange feeling and a strange sight. Natsuki touched the skies with her fingertips for all of three seconds before she slammed into what felt like concrete.

Water?

Natsuki's eyes shot open. Everything was blurry and incredibly dark, with the exception of what looked to be a bubble floating in front of her. She instinctively curled in and clamped her hands in front of her mouth, but the bubbles escaped from her mouth and nose in a foam that caused her lungs to burn. Immediately her mind began to go haywire in panic. She had no air. Her limbs cramped up in the sudden cold shock that flowed through this lack of action and suddenly she found her fingers growing curiously slack.

No…

There was a muffled noise as someone else dove into the water as well. The ghostly look of the moonlight shining through long brown hair entranced Natsuki even as she felt her sight begin to drift in and out. Suddenly a pair of hands grasped onto her face and pulled her forwards. Lips pushed through the darkness and clamped over hers, and in one brief second her lungs were inflated as air was forcefully pushed through. Natsuki felt her limbs regain some fraction of their strength and her arms wrapped around Shizuru's waist as her legs finally began to kick. They broke the surface in a mere ten seconds but to Natsuki it felt as if she had been pushing and swimming for hours. For a moment they took oxygen in with ragged pants as they clung to each other in the freezing water. Natsuki spotted a bank that wasn't entirely covered in snow and they swam towards it, finally touching the rocky ground and collapsing onto the ground.

What had happened?

Mai had happened. An accompanying fierce blast of heat had followed them out and they were caught in the explosion. Natsuki studied the distance and inwardly paled.

She's more powerful than I thought. We need to get out of here and regroup.

In an instant Natsuki wrung her hair out and undid the buttons of her coat. The lining was still relatively dry from the short dip they had in the water, so she flung the coat and flicked it out to get rid of excess water. Something fell in an awkward clatter and she registered the fearsome blade of a naginata. She could hear teeth chattering slightly and she looked down at Shizuru who had yet to stand up. Her kimono had been soaked completely through with the dive and Natsuki knew that there was little time to waste. She undid the buckle of her belt and whipped it free in one tug. She strung the belt through a loop of red cord still entwined with the weapon and heaved it up, throwing one end of the belt over her shoulder and looping the other end underneath her arm. Her fingers quickly redid the buckle of the belt so that the weapon was now securely on her back with the makeshift sling. With gentle hands Natsuki managed to get Shizuru to stand before scooping her up into her arms.

"Hold on."

Numb fingers laced around her neck, providing her a faint response as cold, wet hair plastered her neck and face. Natsuki took off into the wilderness, away from the burning spectacle of the tea house and the roars in the distance.


And now, the news.

A freak accident has baffled authorities in Sapporo early yesterday morning when they were called to the scene of a massive fire in a traditional tea house located on private property. The property itself has been burned down completely, leaving nothing but a few outlying buildings. There have been no reports of deaths or casualties as of yet, and the fire is being investigated as to the probable cause. While there has been no official announcement of arson, local residents have been cautioned to keep a watchful eye and to report any suspicious activity immediately to the proper authorities.

The individual who had walked into the crowded family restaurant was given a cursory look by the waitress before being led to the guest's indicated table. Once directed to the correct booth, the guest nodded and the waitress left to procure another coffee pot. The guest undid the hood of her jacket and slipped off her woolen cap to reveal red hair that looked a bit unruly after being released from the covering. With a brief shake of her head the guest finally sat down and acknowledged the pair studying the menus in front of her.

They looked painfully normal, two girls at least two years older than her. The one who caught her attention first possessed the most exotic red eyes. In a time before this she wondered if she would have flinched after looking into those strange eyes, but right now she surprised herself by feeling a sense of relief. She looked healthy for the most part, with thick brown hair pulled up into a bun. She wore a trim woolen coat over a black turtleneck sweater, and a pair of gloves was tucked under one of her hands as the other held a steaming cup of tea. The one seated at the side facing the aisle wore a white LA Dodgers baseball cap with the initials embroidered on in thick lines with blue thread. She was wearing a black ski jacket with the hood tucked into the stiff collar. Underneath the jacket was a hooded sweatshirt with a zipper that ended near the hoodie's pocket. A cursory look down to the edge of the booth gave away the baggy khaki snowboarding pants the second girl was wearing along with a pair of scuffed sneakers.

"No suit? I'm impressed."

The girl with the cap hid her frown with her cup of coffee.

"Yeah, yeah. Nice seeing you again too, Nao."

"Oh, you bet. You know I just love hanging around this little backwoods area." Nao accepted a cup of coffee and dumped a few packets of sugar in before stirring. "And good morning, Kaichou-san. I see you're looking well."

"Hello again, Yuuki-han," Shizuru replied with a smile.

"So. Yamada nearly freaked out when he called me to run back up here to investigate this fire," Nao said nonchalantly. "He thought you were dead, but alas, my hopes were dashed along with my potential salary increase."

Natsuki cupped a hand over her coffee cup to feel the steam hit her palm. She waited for Shizuru to take a sip of tea before she leaned forward.

"We need to get out of Hokkaido," Natsuki said in a low voice.

Nao paused to look at her for a second before she picked up her coffee cup and gave a derisive snort.

"You know I can't help with that. Hokkaido is under lock down because of this fire and I just got off the last flight in. The news didn't say much but the government is considering labeling this as a terrorist operation so the bureaucracy here is going to be swamped in paperwork soon enough. The only place you can go really is Fuuka because the harbors are still open, but I'm guessing you're trying to avoid going there for as long as you can."

"More like you won't," Natsuki pointed out.

"You're damn right I won't. That's way too much work, and I'm not getting paid enough for it as it is."

Nao set her coffee cup down.

"And no, this is not your cue to start bribing me. I've had enough of dealing with this monsters and science-gone-wrong angle. I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay here in Hokkaido. And with lovely Kaichou-san here who is very recognizable outside of this immediate area I'm going to say that you'll be here for a while. Might want to put some money down on a house or something. Buy a dog, go live a domestic life until this dies down."

"Listen, we can take care of the getting out of here part," Natsuki growled. "I need you to procure a fake ID so we can bypass the security check in the harbor. The trains might be on lockdown but boats are still operational."

"I thought you said you weren't going to go back to Fuuka," Nao replied, growing a little suspicious.

"We're not. We're heading up to the Kuril Islands."

"Kuril Islands…? Wait a minute, that's Russian territory, isn't it?" Nao frowned. "I don't do passport work, Kuga."

"You don't have to. It's just so we can slip on the ferry and get out of here."

Nao didn't seem too convinced about this impromptu plan and instead looked towards Shizuru.

"Alright, Kaichou-san. You're the voice of reason here that I will consider listening to; partly because Kuga over here is a gibbering idiot who thinks that everything is a Metal Gear Solid mission." She ignored the growl coming from beside Shizuru. "Are you honestly trying to go to the Kuril Islands right now?"

"We won't be in any immediate danger if that is your concern," Shizuru replied evenly. "The sooner we leave, the better in my opinion."

Nao leaned back and sighed. She owed Shizuru a favor, anyway. She knew that her mother's hospitalization was an expensive one to pay for and when she discovered once that the bills had been paid in advance and her mother was moved to a nicer facility, Fujino was the one who pulled the strings. Despite never thanking the Kaichou for that act, Nao promised herself that she would at least pay the favor back when she could.

"… Right. Well, this won't come cheap."

Natsuki grumbled as she stuffed a hand in her pocket. A brown paper envelope was slid across the table and Nao quickly picked it up, tucking it smoothly into her jacket pocket.

"Expect a call in a day or so," she announced before pulling on her woolen cap.

She stood up and walked out of the restaurant, leaving the couple alone with three cups. Natsuki slid out of the booth and sat down where Nao once was in order to be able to look at Shizuru without having to crane her neck. Shizuru looked a little preoccupied but she failed to voice why. At this point the waitress returned but this time with several trays of breakfast food they had ordered prior to Nao's entrance. Immediately Natsuki grabbed a fork and began to poke at the sausage links before chomping down on them. Shizuru settled for a plate of French toast drenched in syrup and some scrambled eggs that she salted lightly before eating. The two ate in relative silence for a good ten minutes or so before Natsuki straightened and sighed.

"God, I hadn't eaten like that in ages," she said with a groan. "All this running around was killing me and those rice cakes tasted awful when they got all mushy and cold from when we jumped in the river."

"Natsuki… you tumbled into the river," Shizuru corrected before eating a piece of French toast. "You tripped over and tumbled in when another blast went off."

Natsuki bristled at that statement.

"It's not like I had a choice," she pointed out with an exaggerated wave of her fork. "It was either that or be a crispy critter. I thought it was a clever thing to do."

"Ara… was it too clever for you to forget how to hold your breath?" Shizuru asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Whu—you've got some nerve," Natsuki exclaimed in a higher pitch than normal. "I pretty much beat the crap out of… well I lost track how many people but a lot, and you're sitting here making fun of me after I got my ass blasted!"

"Well… it turned out alright in the end. Because of that funny little tumble you took, I got to kiss my Natsuki again," Shizuru replied with a wistful sigh before she began to hug herself. "I was beginning to get ill from my lack of Natsuki."

"Shizuru!" Natsuki hissed as her cheeks began to glow. "This is why we don't go out to eat."

Shizuru set her fork down and studied Natsuki's indignant frown with a small smile.

"Hm? What's with that smile now, Shizuru?"

"I guess I just found it funny that our first activity upon being in each other's company again was to stop by a Denny's and order half the breakfast menu together before bickering," Shizuru replied with a short laugh.

Natsuki found her amusement infectious and smiled. After paying for breakfast and walking back to the hotel room that was now their base of operations, Natsuki willed herself to forget about the events from the past couple of days if only to take in the relative calm that followed her now. Running away was never a good option but she counted this outcome as a successful one nonetheless. They were together again, and the two of them together was infinitely better than two separated halves. Natsuki felt her hand being nudged accidentally by a gloved hand. Without a second thought her fingers curled around Shizuru's hand and they walked quietly down the snow-laden streets.

"What are we going to do?" Shizuru asked in the stillness. "Sooner or later they will come looking for us."

"There's nothing else we can do but go to the Kuril Islands and get some answers while regrouping," Natsuki replied just as quietly. "Diving back into that mess right now isn't going to help at all."

Shizuru pursed her lips as Natsuki fished in her pockets for their keycard.

"I don't like the idea of running away," she said just as Natsuki flicked the key into the lock.

Natsuki paused for a second before slowly pocketing the card again.

"We're not. But I can't keep trying to stretch myself thin over all of this," Natsuki confessed when they stepped into their room.

Shizuru took in this explanation without a word as she took off her coat and placed it on the coat tree. Natsuki spread her jacket over the back of a chair before pushing the sleeves of her hoodie up to her elbows and taking a seat in the chair. On the table next to her there were several white paper bags adorned with a hand-written label and the green and white sticker of the local pharmacy down the street. A plastic bottle half-filled with a thick red substance sat next to the bags along with a clean plastic spoon. Mechanically she uncapped the bottle and poured out the thick, candy-smelling liquid onto the spoon before offering it to Shizuru. She took it and drank the cough syrup down, managing this time not to gag. Natsuki quickly cleaned up the spoon at the sink in the small kitchenette before pouring a portion to take for herself. She made a strange gulping noise but shook her head and cleaned the spoon before setting the medication back into the bag and sitting down once more. Shizuru walked over to the bed and took the offered mint basket on top of the pillows, placing them at the bedside table before sitting down on the starched sheets. She watched Natsuki struggle with herself for a moment before heaving a sigh.

"I suppose… we're becoming more and more entrenched in something we can't quite handle by ourselves," Shizuru noted softly. "But it's not something we can run away from, not anymore."

"It's unfair," Natsuki replied in a strained tone. "I'm not some huge hero. All I can do is beat the person to the ground until they can't fight back. The only reason why I got involved in the first place was because of that accident. I lost control so badly that it took a year to finally get back on track, only to run into this. I certainly didn't sign up for all this weird exposition back to a past I don't even want to remember anymore."

She rubbed her forehead with an agitated sigh.

"Sometimes I don't even know if I want to go on like this. You saw them fighting like that, knocking each other around and laughing like it was just a silly game. And they enjoy it. Hell, Duran even enjoys it. The part that scares me even more is that… I'm beginning to enjoy it too. I always told myself that I would never go over that line. Taking pleasure in someone else's pain was not to be tolerated. But when I saw those two go at it, I knew Duran wanted in. I did, too."

Shizuru stood and slowly made her way towards Natsuki. Without hesitating she stopped in front of Natsuki and drew her close. Natsuki wrapped her arms around Shizuru's waist and rested her forehead against the older girl's stomach while Shizuru began to rub soothing lines on Natsuki's forehead with her thumb.

"It's almost as if I'm losing everything other than a desire to fight," Natsuki continued with a slightly muffled voice. "Fight, beat the opponent to the ground, and win. If I'm reduced to that, then there won't be anything to go back to once that fight's done and there's nothing left to do."

"I'll wait for you, Natsuki."

Natsuki loosened the hold and looked up at Shizuru. The two exchanged similarly unreadable looks before Shizuru offered a smile. Somehow, seeing this small reassurance caused Natsuki's worries to fade a little and she mirrored the smile as she slowly stood.

"And I'd find my way back to you, no matter what."

She rested her forehead against Shizuru's. They leaned in at roughly the same time. The kiss was a mere peck that was followed by another before they withdrew. Natsuki gave a sheepish grin.

"I'm sorry, Shizuru. I was being a bit of a whiner just then. I'm better now."

"Everyone has to unload sometime," Shizuru reminded gently before placing a kiss on her nose.

Natsuki blinked at the sudden contact and scrunched her nose in response, causing an amused smile to lift the corners of Shizuru's lips. They weren't quite sure on how they managed to get from the table to the bed but the sheets crinkled and the mattress gave way a bit to welcome the two. Natsuki was the first to sit up, and she twisted so that her hands were on either side of Shizuru's head. They stared at each other as Natsuki tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Yuuki-han has left us a window of a day," Shizuru said in a pitch lower than usual.

The sound caused a shiver to go down Natsuki's spine especially when she saw the dark crimson eyes stare up at her.

"How are we going to spend it?"

Natsuki appeared to look contemplative for a moment.

"Oh, I'm sure there's a good tour or something going on," she replied with a cheeky grin.

She lowered herself so that they were merely inches away from each other.

"But I'm sure I'd enjoy spending the day in bed a lot more."

"Ara, that can lead to a rather sedentary lifestyle, sleeping in all day," Shizuru replied.

Now Natsuki frowned as Shizuru attempted to keep a straight face at her expression. She closed her eyes and let out a mighty snort of annoyance that prompted some giggles to erupt from the girl beneath her.

"Hn. I didn't say anything about sleeping, did I?"

The melodious, uninhibited laugh that entered her ears caused her to smile as she lowered herself down for another kiss.


The noise of a cell phone vibrating on the table caused both of them to wake up at roughly the same time. Natsuki was the first to show any visible sign of waking as she groaned and attempted to swat her hand towards the phone. Her half-hearted attempts caused her to groan in annoyance that stopped when Shizuru reached over her with a sleepy glare in her eyes. She successfully grabbed the phone on her first try. She dropped it down in front of Natsuki and snuggled back in between Natsuki's warm body and the covers, seemingly having forgotten about the phone's incessant vibrating now that the sheets muffled the noise a good deal. Natsuki gave Shizuru an amused look before she turned back to the cell phone that was still ringing.

"… Kuga here."

"Good evening lovebirds." The voice turned from sickly sweetness to downright impatience when Natsuki let out a tired groan. "Hey, you're the one who wanted to get out ASAP. I got your papers ready at lunchtime so be thankful I decided to call later. Now get your asses out of bed and be ready at the docks in three hours."

Natsuki blinked at Nao's statement before she repeated it to herself.

"How the hell did you—"

There was an extremely annoyed sigh that sounded off in her ear.

"For goodness' sakes, Kuga. The two of you hadn't known each other in the biblical sense in like a year. What the hell else were you going to do all day, go to a museum and eat roasted sweet potatoes together? I swear, if Fujino doesn't kill you by now in frustration I definitely would be happy to."

"Alright Yuuki, that's enough," Natsuki grumbled as she craned her head over to look at the clock. She studied the numbers for a moment before sighing. "… We'll be there soon."

"Good. And try to keep your hands off each other when you get here. There's someone who wants to meet you. Don't worry, there's no danger here."

Natsuki opened her mouth to speak again but encountered the dial tone of her cell phone as Nao hung up on the other end. She frowned and clapped the phone shut before shifting her gaze down towards Shizuru. She wanted to sleep for a few more minutes. Heck, make that several hours or even days. It was all just a good bit of wishful thinking, though. They had work to do.

In two and a half hours the bus dropped the couple down at a stop two blocks away from the entrance to the docks. Sandwich wrappers were tossed into a trash bin and Natsuki clapped her hands to rid them of crumbs before accepting the warm bottle of hot tea Shizuru passed her way. They walked down the distance and spotted two figures hanging around the entrance by the ticket office. Nao flagged them down with a sharp wave before she snuck her hand back into her pocket. Shizuru stopped short as she registered the familiar maple-red eyes of Shigeru as he stood in his impeccable three-piece suit and heavy woolen coat. He wore a charcoal gray traditional driving cap on top of his neatly-trimmed hair and a cashmere scarf was neatly tucked around his neck and into the coat. He gave a small wave in response to her surprised look before she shook herself out of it and ran towards her father. The two grabbed onto each other in a fierce hug as Natsuki sidled up next to Nao, sharing a companionable silence for a few seconds before Nao nudged her attention over towards the ticket booth.

Shigeru rested his cheek on his daughter's hair, taking in the scent of hotel shampoo and feeling the warm radiating from underneath. After a moment they parted but he kept his hands around her arms as he stared her up and down.

"You look well, Shizuru," he said with an approving smile.

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak just yet. He rubbed her cheeks with gentle thumbs and caught a stray tear before it could stream down her face.

"Don't worry, it'd take more than a bullet to do me in. I'll admit it took me some time before I got kicked out of bed by Jinpei," Shigeru continued with an uneasy laugh.

"Otou-han…"

She bit her lip, wondering just how much she should divulge in what had happened in the tea house. He read her uncertainty and raised an eyebrow but failed to comment on it as he absently began to rub her upper arms with his hands to generate warmth.

"I heard about Tokiha-han and her unfortunate run-in with a spirit when I was recovering," Shigeru said in a low voice. "I'm going to guess that was the reason behind the house burning down. I'll admit that another one of my reasons here was to investigate it, so here I am."

There was something missing in his explanation and Shizuru looked up expectantly. He shifted under her gaze for a moment before he finally sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with gloved fingers.

"Here is my first reason. I am here to tell you something very important that I discovered through Yukino-chan's help when I was recovering in the Suzushiro mansion. Whether you want to tell Kuga-han or not is up to you, but the information will help both of you understand to some point why this chain of events started with the accident and not some unrelated event."

He leaned forward slightly so that they were now at the same eye-level. His warmer eyes took in her sharper ones as they stared at each other.

"That accident a year ago was a planned act to try and trip Kuga-han's connection to her spirit, to make them both go haywire. No doubt the individual you are seeking out overseas will tell you something similar, but know this. Kyoko and Tomoe did not initiate it. While they most definitely took advantage of the accident, ran up a spectacular list of increasingly dangerous stunts, and are now involved in the current crisis, they did not instigate the accident."

Shizuru digested this information with no outward sign of distress or confusion upon hearing the news. Shigeru straightened and shrugged his shoulders slightly to restore a bit of circulation to them.

"It's true that our family has been involved in this strange set of events a little more than we should have been, and that is our mistake to shoulder when the final bets follow through. But I want you to know that despite all of this, our involvement with Kuga-han's situation was limited at best. Please don't continue on this path with any of the guilt I should be shouldering, Shizuru."

She nodded slightly and Shigeru drew her in for another hug, resting his chin on top of her head.

"I'm sorry that this has gone on longer than it should have. You deserve more than what these hands can give you."

She shook her head and released herself from the nearly suffocating hold. She took in his tired eyes and noted for the first time just how tired her father looked.

"You did everything to the best of your abilities. I know that you were forced into a position that you did not want to be in, but you did the best you could despite that." She offered him a familiar smile that reminded him instantly of her mother. "I'll be fine, Otou-han."

He nodded sharply and patted Shizuru's shoulders as if to get a good physical memory down before he let her go.

"Ah, I know."

He craned his head over to the neatly-wrapped package next to Natsuki that was being fitted with a customs sticker. He recognized what it was immediately and looked down at Shizuru with a question etched in his eyes. She met his gaze with a calm look of her own.

"I'm not afraid to fight for my most important person," she said softly yet clearly. "I might not have the aid of a mysterious spirit like Natsuki does with her Duran, but I can still protect her. As long as I keep that in mind, I absolutely will not fail."

Shigeru closed his eyes for a moment and tucked his hands into his coat pockets. He opened his eyes to the gray skies, watching as his wife's naginata was carefully picked up by Natsuki along with a suitcase—another bag was already slung across her shoulders. The smell of salt and the sight of murky waters lapping up to the docks hit his senses as he turned to face the dingy boat that would take his daughter out of Japan and away from him. For a moment he frowned, wondering if this was really something they should undertake. He banished the doubt almost immediately. There was no other choice, something had to be done about the beasts that were undoubtedly subdued, not defeated. He flicked his gaze back towards Natsuki who now waited with the luggage in tow. She seemed to take in Nao's squabbling with a strange patience born from being content merely with watching Shizuru from a distance, further inviting more chatter from the red-haired girl. A sharp wind kicked through from the sea, tickling his bare ears and the spaces of his neck not covered over his scarf. Out the corner of his eye he could see flaxen hair flowing to the side as Shizuru joined him in his silent vigil over the ocean.

Additional words could have been spoken and they were easily thought about in Shigeru's mind as he stared out towards the choppy waters northward. They were an eloquent family after all—words were not difficult to come by in the least and they were groomed for their careful lectures over just about everything. Yet, this silence they shared together was more meaningful than any long speech Shigeru could have offered in the guise of advice. Shigeru clenched his jaw and resolutely stared ahead. A foghorn blared through the stillness, signaling the eventual departure. Shigeru fixed his eyes onto the sea and made a small hum through his throat before he paused.

"Be careful."

She nodded.

"We will."

Shigeru hummed another note, this time with a smile on his lips as he saw Natsuki lock her gaze onto him. His hum grew slightly louder and Natsuki nodded to indicate that she was now listening. He adjusted his cap with his thumb and forefinger—a casual salute.

"Come home together, both of you. No matter what."


AN: Something short and sweet. Mai and Kagutsuchi are not one and the same, so while it is Mai's facial expressions and physical responses that are observed, it really isn't her mind that is making the executive decision. When control is established, the line between medium and spirit begins to blur like in Kyoko's case. Just something to keep in mind.

And yes, the Marguerites did not instigate the accident despite profiting from it immensely. I think that was pointed out in an earlier chapter, I don't remember. But if there were any doubts, here is the straight answer.