"Can you believe how that girl, the Fujino chick, was ogling you Shizuru? All through first period today, and even during gym class her eyes just seemed to follow you everywhere. I mean yeah, she's kinda hot-looking, but still! I'm your big brother and so it's my duty to look out for you. And I wasn't really appreciating how much looking this girl was doing at you," Yuuichi ranted with a frown on his face, as he and his chestnut-haired sister walked along the path leading away from Fuuka High, and leading to Fuuka Elementary to pick up their younger sister.
Shizuru chuckled softly under her breath, before looking fondly up at her brother.
"You do a fine and gallant job of protecting my...virtues...Yuuichi dear. But you really shouldn't concern yourself so much with me. I'm fine. The fresh air of this new town has been good for me. I haven't had a seizure or an attack all day. I can look out for myself here, and besides...I think that girl was kind of 'hot-looking' myself," Shizuru replied with a light, teasing smile.
Yuuichi grumped quietly under his breath, but didn't argue back with his sister's reasoning. As long as she was feeling okay, then he would force himself not to worry.
"Ah, there she is! Our sweet, adorable, terror of a little sister! Come here, you lil munchkin!" Yuuichi cried out suddenly, as he and Shizuru approached the entrance to the elementary school, and saw a small blond-haired girl standing patiently outside waiting. The girl's luminous blue eyes lit up with pleasure, and she made a beeline run straight into her brother's arms, who flung her high up into the air.
"Hiya Yuuichi! Shizuru!" Alyssa Kuga cried out happily, as she stretched a bit in Yuuichi's arms towards her sister. Shizuru bestowed upon her little sister a bright, winning smile as she leaned forward, and took the 10-year-old into her arms, and cuddled her lightly.
"And how did our favourite little sister do in her classes today?" Shizuru asked, as she gently stroked her fingers through Alyssa's soft, golden locks.
Alyssa purred happily at her sister's gentle strokes, as she slipped her small arms around Shizuru's neck, and chirped a reply.
"Favourite sister? Silly Shizuru, I'm your only little sister," Alyssa giggled as she reached out once again, and was happily taken back into Yuuichi's arms.
"You're also a lil troublemaker, squirt. When we get home you're gonna have to explain to Mom why all the milk and cereal is done. She thinks I did it, when it was of course a certain bottomless-pit named Alyssa!" Yuuichi exclaimed as he continued to swing his giggling sister high up into the air.
Shizuru looked at her laughing brother and sister, and felt a well of happiness spring up inside of her. She breathed out a softly-content sigh, feeling a surge of gratitude that she had such a wonderful and amazing family, that also included their mother.
She wouldn't give up her family for the world.
~o~
"Duran, Duran! Will you be a good boy, please," Saeko Kuga exclaimed in pure exasperation as the little, black Labrador puppy ran in happy circles around her feet. Saeko had bought the puppy recently as a present for Alyssa, and while her youngest daughter loved the pup dearly, it was usually Saeko who had to go around cleaning up after the mayhem and destruction the pup caused in his over-exuberance.
"I just had to get a dog, didn't I. Not like having and raising three kids wasn't work enough," Saeko muttered to herself before she heaved a deep sigh, and bent down to lightly ruffle her fingers through Duran's soft fur causing the puppy to make soft, contented sounds in the back of his throat.
Saeko allowed a small smile to cross her lips as she looked down at the pup, but then her green eyes flashed up quickly when the front door to her small yet comfortable home opened, and all three of her children walked in.
Saeko's smile grew and she opened her arms to welcome the bundle of happy, blond energy that jumped into her arms.
"Mommy! We're home!" Alyssa cried out, as she happily cuddled into her mother's arms. Saeko chuckled lightly, before she slowly stood while holding tightly onto her daughter's hand.
"Yes, you are sweetheart. Also welcome home, Yuuichi and Shizuru. How was your first day at the new high school?" Saeko asked, as she leaned forward to receive a kiss on the cheek from her son. Saeko then leaned forward and gently kissed Shizuru on her forehead, and gave her eldest daughter a tender, softly-worried smile.
"And how did you hold up health-wise, Shizuru dear? No sudden attacks? Did you need your inhaler at any point during the day?"
Shizuru leaned forward and gave her mother a light kiss on the cheek in greeting, before she shook her head, causing her chestnut curls to bounce lightly about her face.
"No Mother, nothing happened at school today. The air in Fuuka is very good. I only needed to use my inhaler once during lunch, and other than that no attacks or sudden seizures. The air here actually reminds me a bit of the clean air at Grandpa's place. Though no air can ever come close to the fresh mountain air that surrounds Grandpa's home," Shizuru replied with a soft smile, as she followed her mother and sister into the kitchen, where Yuuichi was already sitting around the kitchen table munching on an apple.
"Young man, you're going to ruin your appetite for dinner, if you start eating everything in sight now," Saeko scolded lightly as she let go of Alyssa's hand, and instructed her youngest daughter to go upstairs to wash up and change.
Alyssa happily complied and sped off to the stairs, taking them two at a time, the best her little legs could.
Saeko smiled indulgently after her youngest child, before she turned back to her oldest daughter. "And I'll always be grateful to your grandfather for taking you into his home in Kyoto every summer. The fresh, clean air up there always does wonders for your health. And it's also where you picked up your adorable Kyoto-ben accent and those impeccable manners, that a certain young man could stand to acquire himself," Saeko said as she looked pointedly at Yuuichi.
"H-Hey! I have good manners. Tell her, Shizuru. I do!" Yuuichi exclaimed, as both his mother and sister started giggling at him.
The three of them then set about making dinner, and setting up the dinner table in their small living-room, which they always tried to do together. So that by the time Alyssa came back downstairs all washed up and clean, and both Shizuru and Yuuichi had had their chance to also go upstairs to clean and change, dinner was ready and set at the table.
The small, close-knit family then sat down at the table, said thank you for the food and dug in, happily talking with each other about how their day, and what they were looking forward to for the next.
~o~
Natsuki was in a world of inconsolable hurt. Her mother...who the ebony-haired girl now knew wasn't really her true mother...had already come by to see her. Kimiko had gently rubbed her daughter's back, as Natsuki had sobbed herself to sleep in the darkness of her bedroom. Kimiko had also reprimanded her husband for the harsh and almost cruel way he had broken the news to Natsuki.
Ichiro Fujino had been apologetic to a point, but also stated that Kimiko knew that this was just how he was. Yes, he still loved Natsuki. She was his daughter no matter if they weren't actually blood-related. He was a man of honour and deep morals, and he had raised Natsuki as his own. And she would always be one of his own. But he also reminded Kimiko that they did have 'another' daughter somewhere out there. Their real child. And they now had to do everything within their power to find her and bring her home.
For the next two weeks Natsuki stayed home, locked in her darkened room, trying to make sense of her life now.
She was no longer a 'Fujino'.
That's what her father had said. Yes, he'd come back later that same day, and apologized to her and taken back his harsh, unkind words. He'd also reassured her while standing beside her mother that he did indeed love her. And that he still considered her their daughter but...they also now had to search for their 'other' child.
Natsuki's throat had closed up at hearing that her 'parents' were now going to search for their 'real' child, but she had just nodded her head that she understood. She'd then thrown herself onto her bed and cried her broken heart out, when her parents had left her room.
Nao and Mai were incredibly worried about their best friend, and tried to come over to see her multiple times. However Natsuki would always have an excuse why she couldn't see them when they came over. Finally Mai and Nao stopped trying and decided to give Natsuki the space she obviously wanted, until she was ready to see and speak with them again.
Her parents didn't try to force her to go to school during this hard, adjustment period for them all. Her father was busy trying to trace down the hospital mistake that had been made, that had caused he and his wife to bring home another family's baby. All he had really been able to find out so far, was that someone had apparently put the wrong name tag on each child's foot. And because both children were newborn, and hadn't had any hair on their small heads yet, they both looked like any other baby in the newborn care room.
Kimiko spent most of her days trying to coax Natsuki out of her room, and when that didn't always work she would sit with her, and pour over old family albums full of pictures of Natsuki growing up happily in their family. Finally, by the end of the two weeks of hurt and sadness, Natsuki began to truly feel the love her parents still had for her. She was no longer really worried about them 'disowning' her, now that they knew they had another 'real' daughter out there.
And truthfully now, Natsuki was beginning to wonder about her real parents and family. What were they like? Were they nice? Would she fit in better with them? Did they have the same quirks and interests as she did? Did she have any siblings she didn't know about?
All her life, Natsuki had felt...different...the oddball out. Now she had a truly valid reason why she'd always felt that way.
So, at the beginning of the third week of her self-imposed exile, Natsuki decided to go back to school.
Mai and Nao were of course incredibly happy to see their friend again, and bombarded her with questions as to what had happened to her, and if she was okay now. Natsuki decided to tell her friends about everything that had happened, but she'd wait until she could do it in the privacy of her room at a later date.
And of course upon her return to classes, Natsuki saw her again.
Shizuru Kuga.
She'd completely forgotten the new girl had joined her class, as she'd struggled with her self-identity over the last couple of weeks. But seeing the honey-haired girl once again, unleashed that feeling within her that caused her face to flush an attractive pink, as Shizuru waved at her and came over to her desk.
"Welcome back, Natsuki. It's been a while since I last saw you. Were you out sick? I hope you're feeling better now, if you were," the gorgeous chestnut-haired girl said to Natsuki, who was now busy trying to bring her tongue back into her mouth. The dark-haired girl quickly closed her mouth, as she numbly nodded her head.
"A-Ah yes, I was...out sick. But I'm feeling better now, thanks for asking," Natsuki replied, as she looked shyly down at her desk. She then started slightly when she felt a gentle touch, lightly pushing the curtain of hair that had fallen before her face away.
"Natsuki looks very cute when she's blushing. Would you like to come over to my house after school today, and I can help you catch up on all that you missed out on while you were sick?" Shizuru asked with a soft smile, that held only a hint of teasing in it.
Natsuki nodded numbly again, her brain having derailed at Shizuru's soft touch and teasing words.
"Alright then, so I'll meet Natsuki at the front of the school after classes. Later Na...stu...ki," Shizuru said with a lightly-teasing smile, as she sauntered slowly away. Natsuki then heard the disgruntled voice of the boy she now remembered was Shizuru's brother, asking why his sister was talking with that 'shrimp' over there.
Natsuki completely blocked his voice and words from her mind. She instead allowed herself to slip off into a blissful state, as she replayed in her mind the feeling of Shizuru's touch going through her hair over and over again.
Mai and Nao were right...she had it bad.
Natsuki Fujino was completely smitten with Shizuru Kuga.
AN - Thank you all so much for your wonderful response to my first chapter! It truly motivated me to get this next chapter out for you all as quickly as I could (Sexy Lady, I swear I'm coming back for you next!)
I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter, and please review to let me know what you all thought of it ^^