For disclaimers, please see Part I.
Author's Notes:
"I believe more flashbacks need to be interrupted with 'BWOOONNGGG!'."
- Friend of mine, after reading a scene from this chapter.
I can only agree. If anyone is willing to take up the challenge of fitting the above 'word' into a scene, please let me know when you're done. I'd love to see what others can get out of that particular noise. The above friend mentioned that he got an image in his head of a bra exploding open, so run with that, if you wish, or make up something entirely your own. Ah, creativity.
On a totally unrelated note, I research the weirdest things sometimes. Japanese cellular phone number structure and ditto area codes for the first part of Prologue springs to mind, as well as the process of properly preparing green tea for part IV of this story. I must have too much time on my hands.
Thank you for reading, as always.
A Million Reasons; part VI
Bright Eyes
The alarm sounded, breaking the silence in the bedroom. Shortly after, a soft groan joined it, and a silk-clad arm snaked out from under the coverlet to let its hand tap the off button on top of the infernal machine.
Shizuru pushed herself free of the covers and ran a half-awake hand over her face as she got off the large futon and rose to her feet. She spent a few seconds staring blankly at the digitally displayed time, wondering why on earth she had set her alarm for 6 AM on her day off, then remembered that Natsuki was picking her up at 8:30.
That thought perked her up significantly, and it was with a sense of renewed determination that she exchanged her sleeping kimono for her workout clothes – a simple white gi and black hakama – tied her hair back and proceeded down the second floor hallway. At the very end of it, she opened a door and stepped into what had only recently become her gym; a large, rectangular room with smooth, pale wooden flooring and walls painted a faint shade of dark green.
Originally, this had been the master bedroom of the house, mostly evident from the doors that opened up to a decently-sized balcony and the large windows that overlooked the gardens outside and allowed for plenty of light. Shizuru, however, had no use for quite that much space just to sleep and dress in, and so had the furniture cleared out and replaced with a few select pieces of fitness equipment, all of which stood off to one side and left the better part of the floor open.
She pulled open the balcony doors to let in the sounds and scents of the early morning, then turned her attention to the machines after adjusting the loose pants so the material wouldn't end up getting caught in anything.
Fifteen minutes on the rowing machine for a full-body warm-up. Two sets of leg presses, shoulder presses, abdominal crunches and lunges, with each set consisting of fifteen repetitions of each exercise. It was a routine she was long used to, and one she went through religiously every single morning unless she didn't have the option at all, or was so ill that she couldn't get out of bed. It was followed by a few minutes of stretching to make sure that her body was properly loosened up, and only then did she free the bindings on the hakama and walk over to the opposite wall to carefully remove the polearm from its mounted position there.
Anything that had the potential to kill you deserved to be respected, if only grudgingly. But she knew that she felt more than respect for the naginata; a weapon in the use of which she had been trained since she was a child. Admiration would be a better description, although if she truly was to name the emotion as well as she could, she would likely call it affection.
There was a sense of comfort in the solid familiarity of closing her hands around the staff... of skillfully positioning her grip until the weapon was so perfectly balanced that it became simply an extension of her body. Security. Confidence in the fact that this deadly tool wouldn't hurt her as she led both it and herself into an intricate dance. And no one knew better than she just how deadly a weapon it was.
Her thoughts faded out as she closed her eyes and focused on the movement of her body. The morning calls of birds from outside followed, and soon, all she heard was the rustle of fabric against her skin and the soft swish of the ever-sharp blade slicing through the air.
Block low. Attack high. Evade. Cut. Those motions, along with their brethren, started out slow as always, and gradually picked up speed as the sun rose higher in the sky and sent its golden beams across the floor. Eventually, both blade and staff were a blur, as were her arms and legs as she moved through a series of kata that were as familiar to her as the act of breathing, only stopping when she felt the tell-tale, pleasant ache in her muscles that told her that she'd pushed herself sufficiently.
A glance at the clock on the room's wide wall told her that it was now slightly after 7. Her heart rate, she noted idly, was only slightly elevated from the vigorous exercise, and she gave herself a mental pat on the shoulder as she meticulously made sure that the weapon was cared for and set it back into place.
What, she wondered, as she closed the balcony doors and left the room once more, did Natsuki's fitness regimen consist of? Did the younger woman even have one, apart from chasing after the odd grade-schooler? Given the obviously fit state of her assistant's body, she guessed that she probably did. Her shoulders were a little wider than she remembered, and while Natsuki's frame – much like her own - simply looked healthy and fit rather than overly buff or bulky, there was more muscle tone to it than there had been during their high school years; most easily noticed in the way the younger woman walked and moved.
And a very nice walk it was, too.
Oh, stop that, she chided herself half-heartedly. You aren't eighteen anymore, remember?
But the heart never forgot, and she suspected that a part of hers would forever belong to the sullen, adorably shy girl she'd met that one day in the Director's garden. Even if that girl had grown up, just as she had.
She isn't the girl you remember, she reminded herself for the Nth time as she crossed through her bedroom and into the pale, salmon colors of the adjoining bathroom, absentmindedly freeing her hair from its bindings. Natsuki is a woman now, and you need to recognize that and stop projecting your feelings for a 17-year old onto someone who is almost 24.
Hopefully, she considered as she studied her sweaty reflection in the mirror, that would become easier as she got to re-know Natsuki better.
But the attraction... Shizuru sighed and set about brushing her teeth. The attraction was something she would probably just have to live with. For that, at least, she couldn't blame herself too much. Natsuki, after all, was nothing short of gorgeous, and any living, hot-blooded human being would notice that.
Water splashed in the marble sink, then onto her face as she cleared the last remnants of sleep from her eyes. Then the large shower set into the corner of the room - a few feet away from an equally large bathtub – was turned on, and she let the fabric of her clothing settle on the edge of the tub before stepping under the warm spray.
Apart from the steady patter of the water and the occasional click of the airconditioning unit turning on and off, the house was silent. And that silence, she lazily reflected as she went through the process of scrubbing herself down, was something she was still getting used to. As was living on her own.
Even though the house had belonged to her family when she lived in Fuuka as a teenager, she had really made use of it very rarely; staying instead in the academy dorms. Partially due to sheer indolence, she admitted with a small smirk. Why travel miles when she could instead walk across the school campus and get to the main building in a matter of minutes? Living on campus had been easier; not only because she had eventually been the seito kaichou.
It had, of course, also made her more unusual extracurricular activities easier to keep up with. Any situation involving the HiME had tended to center around the academy itself, and racing across town by whatever means – her Child included - when something did happen just... wasn't practical.
After that, she had stayed at the dorms at Kyoto University for the six years she'd spent there, then moved back home for the duration of the last year. Dorm life had, indeed, been a good deal more noisy than life at the Fujino mansion in Kyoto, but even the large house up north had been filled with servants milling around at pretty much all hours of the day. And professional though said servants had been, she had always sensed their presence... even when she couldn't outright see or hear them.
Going from constantly having someone nearby to suddenly having no one was certainly a change. A slightly disconcerting one, she privately admitted.
"But I believe," she told the frosted shower door softly. "That I shall have to adapt."
At least, she decided as she ambled through the house in jeans and a bra a while later, it also meant that there was no one to inadvertently scandalize. Not that any scandalizing she'd previously done had actually been inadvertent, but...
Shizuru hummed softly to herself as she turned into the large, well-stocked kitchen and set about preparing some breakfast. Nothing fancy, since she did have to leave fairly soon, and it would, after all, not do for her to have to refuse anything that Yukimura-han's family might offer simply because her stomach was full.
But still, if she was so hungry that Natsuki would be able to hear her stomach growling on their way over... Well, that wouldn't do, either.
So with that in mind, she prepared herself a simple meal of brown rice and a bit of fish, with a cup of tea to wash it down with. She ate standing up, one hip resting against the cooking island in the center of the room while she watched the morning news on the small TV-set placed on one of the granite counters... and took care to not accidentally spill the hot food on her bra-clad torso. She'd learned that lesson the first time it happened, and wasn't in any hurry to repeat the experience of picking steaming rice grains out of her cleavage.
Her gaze scanned the ticker that rolled across the bottom of the screen while she idly listened to the anchor chatter on about whatever the station had deemed important that morning, and felt her eyebrows lift as the most recent stock market updates showed up.
"Ara, ara..." She felt her lips shape a sly smile and bit down lightly on her chopsticks. "Up two points, hm? Not bad... not bad at all."
A low, satisfied chuckle sounded as she rinsed her bowl in the sink and dried her hands off with a small towel. The TV was left on, and almost drowned out the sound of bare feet padding across the tan tile floor and into the hallway beyond. The laundry room yielded a few clean, ironed articles of clothing that she had yet to return to her closet upstairs, and she tugged a cream-colored blouse into place over her shoulders as she returned to the kitchen and filled her teacup once more.
The newscast had ended during her brief absence, she noted, but she still had some time to kill before her assistant was supposed to show up. And surely there were worse ways of doing that than watching old anime reruns.
Even if that was a bit childish.
Shizuru smirked and sipped her tea as she sat down on one of the tall stools next to the island. "Moon Crystal Power... Make Up!" she muttered right along with the television.
Exactly two cups of tea later, the episode was over, which left her with just enough time to rinse off the cup and poke her head out of a window to determine the temperature. The air outside was still cool, but it was the kind of cool that promised summer-like warmth later on in the day, so she snagged a light, pale gray jacket from the dumbwaiter next to the front door and shrugged into it, and only just managed to slip her shoes on before there was a knock at the door.
And really, she decided as she answered it and was met by the sight of Natsuki leaning comfortably against the doorframe on one shoulder, that leather bodysuit looked far too good on her. It just wasn't fair that her poor hormones had to deal with that kind of input this early in the morning.
But perhaps, she considered, it was possible to even the odds a little if she were to really take in the sight of her assistant. Judging from her experiences with this version of her old friend, Natsuki wasn't very likely to outright take offense, and if nothing else, she should be able to get a blush and a scowl out of it. Maybe even a few embarrassed stutters.
And that potential prize was just too good to pass up.
She started from the top, as it were, and studied the smoothly sculpted planes of Natsuki's face... the small, warm smile of greeting on her lips and the few locks of long, dark hair that wafted in front of her on the breeze and obscured said smile slightly... the elegantly curved eyebrow that arched curiously at her silence.
Then came the slender neck that vanished beneath the collar of the bodysuit and trailed off into strong shoulders and long, tightly outlined arms. The one Natsuki was leaning on had curled across her flat belly, while the other hung comfortably along her side; its hand clasped loosely around the chin guard of a full-face helmet. Well, the grip was mostly loose, but had taken up twitching slightly since she'd begun her little perusal.
I wonder why? She chuckled mentally, and quickly flitted her eyes back up to the younger woman's face. There was a definite, knowing look in Natsuki's eyes now, as if she'd figured out exactly what Shizuru was doing... or at least was close to it. And yet, there was only a mild hint of reprieve in those green eyes... no growl to stop her and nothing that indicated that Natsuki wanted to move and shield herself. Instead, the pose continued to carry the same sense of comfortable, almost arrogant confidence.
Araaaaa...
Now she was the one who had to fight off a blush. By now, Natsuki should definitely have figured out what she was doing – have realized that even she wouldn't spend so much time in studying her without there being an underlying sense of attraction. So why wasn't she stopping her?
This just might backfire.
Shizuru considered that notion for a while, then shrugged her figurative shoulders and decided to throw caution to the winds for the time being. If Natsuki was willing to indulge her, then she certainly wasn't about to let the chance pass her by.
By the time her gaze had made its way along the entire length of the leather-encased body and back up to the younger woman's face, she found the light blush she had expected. But much to her surprise, Natsuki wasn't scowling. Instead, she had simply kept that one eyebrow raised and was... smirking?
"Take a picture," was the dryly amused comment. "Trust me, it'll last longer."
Oh, dear.
Yes, that was definitely a smirk, Shizuru decided. And as she felt her own cheeks redden a touch at the teasingly flirtatious words and glanced off to the side, she saw it widen to a crooked grin out of the corner of her eye.
"Y'know something?" Natsuki chuckled and looked down to watch the toe of her boot scuff against the wooden porch below her feet. "It's pretty nice to be on the other side of this particular fence, for once."
"Ara?" Shizuru pushed past her temporary surprise and folded her hands in front of her. "I didn't know that Natsuki was a fence-jumper," she offered bemusedly, and took care to keep her voice as innocent as possible, even if she didn't bother to hide the twinkle in her eyes.
Ah, yes. There was the scowl she'd been looking for. With a groan as an added bonus.
"Honestly..." Natsuki sent her a half-hearted glare. "The second I think I've finally managed to one-up you, you just put another one over on me and unbalance the score all over again."
"It wouldn't do for Natsuki to get bored with me."
A snort. "Right. Like that would ever happen." The helmet was held out to her as Natsuki straightened and pushed away from the wall. "C'mon. If you're done ogling me for now, then let's get going."
Exactly when, Shizuru wondered as she took the helmet and locked up the house, had her old friend grown so comfortable in her own skin? The words that had just passed between them had definitely been from the 'flirting' category – friendly flirting, yes, but still... It was strange to see a side of Natsuki that was so in touch with such a subject. Not that she honestly minded all that much, even if it did mean that she'd have to work harder to earn any blushes down that particular path.
Thankfully, it also meant that she didn't have to be quite as subtle when sneaking glances at the younger woman from now on. And speaking of paths... She felt her head tilt a little as she watched Natsuki precede her down the short one that led from her front door to the curb. Or, more specifically, watched a certain part of her do so.
A gloved hand moved into her field of vision and snapped its fingers twice in front of the object of her study. Then the index finger pointed skywards.
"Eyes up, Fujino."
Shizuru chuckled as the wind blew the dark hair aside and allowed her a glimpse at a conspicuously red neck. That's another point for me, Natsuki.
And it really was a nice walk to watch.
-----
She loosened her grip on the leather-clad waist as she felt the bike slow down, then stop completely, and lifted her head from the strong back in front her to see a large, white-brick house next to the driveway they were currently sitting in.
It seems we're here.Shizuru unbuckled the chin strap of her helmet and tugged it free of her head before holding it out to the woman in front of her, who wordlessly took it and hung it on one of the handlebars.
Natsuki had yet to make a move to remove her own helmet, and the CEO spent a few seconds wondering if maybe the younger woman wasn't a bit uncomfortable with their physical proximity. She really hadn't needed to hold on as tightly as she had, and she was quite sure that Natsuki was aware of that, deep in thought as she seemed to be at the moment.
It had been a temptation she'd been sadly unable to resist, though, after having spent so many years without even hearing her voice. And now she watched as her friend sat frozen in front of her, her neck bent slightly and her grip on the throttle tightening almost reflexively.
Shizuru thoroughly chastised herself as she dismounted the bike, and old insecurities came back to haunt her even in spite of their comfortable banter from earlier. Yes, it had felt good – wonderful – to feel Natsuki so close again after everything that had happened, but it really hadn't been worth upsetting the young woman over it.
In a lot of ways, Natsuki was exactly as she remembered her. Easily bored and easily angered if you were to push the wrong buttons, but also just as easy to calm right back down if you pushed the right ones in turn. Much like a mountain stream that roared after a heavy rain, but fell back down to a slow, gentle trickle before long. Cool and intense, and forever finding its own, obstinate way forward while growing ever larger, no matter how many rocks you laid in its path.
That was exactly what Natsuki had done, she realized as she stood beside the bike, mutely studying the colorful garden in front of her. She had grown in strength both physically and mentally... from an angry, distrustful teenager with no roots to speak of, to a woman who was set on her path and content with her place in the world.
And for a brief moment, Shizuru wished that she could have been there to witness the transformation in person.
"So this is Yukimura-han's home, hm?" She smiled, but felt it falter somewhat as the visor was lifted and a pair of inscrutable, emerald eyes pinned her to the spot.
Uncomfortably, she looked away. "Well... shall we let them know that we're here?" She turned to head for the door and heard the younger woman dismount behind her, but only managed to take a few steps before a gloved hand grasped her wrist.
Natsuki had removed her helmet, she noticed as she turned back around, but the expression on her friend's face was still as unreadable as it had been before, and a trickle of nervousness ran down her spine at the intensity in the gaze. "Natsu... ki?"
She felt the hand on her wrist loosen its grip and slide a little lower along her skin until the smooth leather was lightly clasping her own hand. "Akiko told me.... about the letter," the biker murmured as the green eyes dropped to watch their now entwined fingers. Had her voice been any softer, Shizuru probably would have missed it. "Is it true? You... you sent it to her?"
"I..." She tried to find the words. Tried, but failed as those eyes lifted again and she realized just how close the younger woman was. Even in the still-cool morning air, she could feel the heat from the sturdy body in front of her, and all she could see was clear, brilliant green.
"Yes." She was surprised at how steady her voice was. "I did."
Then another glove cupped her face, and she noticed how the scent of leather mingled with the scent of Natsuki herself... a mixture of the clean aroma of shampoo, a faint hint of spice and something that inextricably reminded her of the air on a cold, clear winter's night. And she forgot to breathe as soft lips pressed against her cheek, the contact gentle, but lingering.
"Thank you."
She barely felt the lips move against her skin as the whisper was emitted, but there was no mistaking the sensation of Natsuki's arms winding around her neck as she was pulled into a tight embrace. For a heartbeat or two she stood frozen in surprise, but then raised her own arms and let them curl around the younger woman's waist.
So the silence hadn't been because of the close contact between their bodies, she realized as she closed her eyes. Not if the hug she currently found herself in was any indication.
You were simply trying to decide how best to bring that question up, weren't you? she silently asked of the woman in her arms. Wondering how to do so smoothly, is that it?
Silly. Her lips shaped a fond smile. But I suppose you did figure out that I wouldn't mind your bluntness.
She didn't know if they stood there for a second or an eternity, as all she could focus on was the leather-clad frame pressing into her own and the warm sensation of gentle breathing against the side of her neck. Eventually, however, the younger woman pulled back, though her arms remained loosely wrapped around Shizuru's shoulders.
"Whatever you think your debt to me is," Natsuki was saying. "... consider it paid in full, with interest. I'm the one in yours now." A crooked smile pulled at the pink lips. "Except I don't think that I'll ever be able to pay you back for this one."
The executive felt her eyes sting as she rested her forehead against that of the other woman. "You don't owe me anything," she whispered, hardly noticing the fervent tone in her own voice. "If Natsuki is happy, then that's all I want."
"Obachan!"
They both turned their heads as the call interrupted them, and Shizuru recognized the child that came barreling down the path to the driveway as the little girl from the day before.
The arms around her shoulders gave her another brief squeeze, and then Natsuki quickly extracted herself from their embrace and reached out her hands as the smaller body outright took off from the ground and catapulted itself towards her. From the easy way in which she caught the girl and held on as both arms and legs wrapped around her, it was clear to see that this type of greeting was one she was used to.
"Hey there, Squirt." She was obviously addressing the child in her arms, but her eyes rested on Shizuru as her lips shaped two more words, though no sound came out.
I am.
Yes, I think you are, she considered as she watched Natsuki whisper something in the little girl's ear, resulting in a soft giggle from the child and an answering grin on her assistant's face. And if I somehow had a hand in making you that way, then this sight is the only repayment I need.
"Shizuru." A familiar voice broke into her thoughts, and she tilted her head as the younger woman shifted her hold on the azure-headed girl who had buried her face in her shoulder. "I'd like you to meet my niece, Yukimura Kaguya. Kaguya, this is Fujino Shizuru. She's a very good friend of mine."
Amiably, Shizuru bowed. "I'm very pleased too meet you, Kaguya-chin," she told the child with a smile, wasted though it was as the little girl didn't lift her head.
"Sorry," Natsuki muttered while she gently stroked her niece's back. "She can be kinda shy around strangers."
"Really?" She wasn't in the least bit offended... far more bemused. "I wonder what side of the family she gets that from? Certainly doesn't sound like anyone I know."
A faint, twitching smirk was Natsuki's acknowledgment of the verbal prodding, and the green eyes gave her a dry look before turning to the light blue locks that rested on the biker's collarbone. "C'mon, kiddo," she softly coaxed. "You gotta say hello properly unless you wanna be rude to a guest."
It took a few more seconds of her aunt's gentle nudging, but Kaguya eventually turned her head enough that she could peer out at the newcomer from under Natsuki's chin.
"Hello," she said quietly.
Goodness. Shizuru blinked as her gaze was suddenly met and held by a pair of very familiar-looking eyes. A soft chuckle drifted by on the breeze, and she glanced up and into a matching set of emerald-green orbs, which twinkled amusedly at her.
"Yeah, that was pretty much how my face looked, too," her assistant told her with a slight grin.
She looked back and forth between Natsuki and her niece a few more times, then shook her head slowly. "The similarities are uncanny," she commented. Really, it was no small wonder that she'd initially thought the girl to be her friend's daughter. Had she been close enough to see the child's eyes, chances were that even Natsuki would have been hard pressed to convince her otherwise. "Does Yukimura-han or her husband..." she began, but trailed off when the younger woman shook her head.
"No." Natsuki's voice softened as she settled the girl against her hip and watched her own hand brush a stray lock of hair behind Kaguya's ear. "No... she gets those from her grandfather."
"Ah." Shizuru recognized a sensitive subject when she saw one, and wisely decided against asking any further questions on that particular matter.
For now, at least.
"Aren't you getting a little too big to be using your poor old obasan like a set of monkey bars?"
Natsuki glared at the tall, blond man who was now approaching them, hand in hand with a shorter, dark-haired woman. "Who are you calling old, ya big lug?"
"Did I say old?" The man regarded the young woman thoughtfully, and gave the girl in her arms a wink. "Must've been a slip of the tongue."
"Uh huh." Natsuki shook her head, then turned to the executive once more. "Unfortunately, this 'charming' fellow is my brother in law, Yukimura Morio," she introduced with a roll of her eyes. "Only reason I put up with him is because he apparently comes part and parcel with Kaguya and her mother." She jerked her head toward the woman, whom Shizuru noticed was studying her surreptitiously. "My sister, Akiko."
Shizuru had to struggle to keep her lips from twitching into the amused grin they so desperately wanted to shape at the sound of the exasperated tone. But she managed – somehow – to maintain a polite, yet friendly smile as she bowed in greeting.
"A pleasure to meet you both," she offered. "Thank you for opening your home to me."
"Not at all, Fujino-sama." The woman – Akiko, she reminded herself – returned the bow, and her choice of honorific made her ears pick up slightly.
Ah, that's true. They both work under me as well, don't they? she considered as she exchanged greetings and pleasantries with them, then fell silent and watched them welcome Natsuki, who had studied the proceedings of the initial meeting in thoughtful silence and now looked mildly disconcerted.
Hardly surprising, she decided, given the fact that if they were all going to stand on ceremony around each other the entire day, the visit would be stilted, at best.
Well. She watched as her assistant sat Kaguya back on her own two feet, then wandered off slightly with both the girl and her father in tow.
"Fujino-sama?"
There was the definite scent of a set-up in the air, the executive recognized bemusedly as she found herself left alone with Akiko. Or as Natsuki would probably put it, she reiterated mentally, 'I smell a rat'. But perhaps both Yukimura-han and I can get something useful out of this. Let me see...
"Please, Yukimura-han. No need to be so formal." She gave the older woman a smile, and consciously allowed her mask to slip a little. "I'm not here as the CEO of the company, after all. Simply as a friend of Natsuki's."
"Shizuru-san, then?" Akiko waited for her to nod, then smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way. That should make what I'd like to tell you a lot easier."
She felt her eyebrows lift a fraction in inquiry, and was about to open her mouth and ask for clarification when she felt herself being pulled into an unexpected hug for the second time that day. And it's not even nine in the morning yet, she realized, privately amused. I think I'm starting to see exactly how Natsuki became so comfortable with physical affection, if this is how a stranger is treated here.
This hug was different from the last one, she noted, mainly because it wasn't nearly as tight as the embrace Natsuki had given her. There was also enough difference in the individual statures of the two women – Natsuki's frame was taller and of a more slender, though no less sturdy build - for her to be able to make an easy distinction between the two of them. Nevertheless, it was just as affectionate, and felt surprisingly comfortable.
For some reason, Shizuru felt oddly as if she'd just been invited to become a part of this little family. What was even more odd than that was that she didn't even consider turning the invitation down.
"Thank you," Akiko told her, and gave her shoulders another squeeze before stepping back. "For giving my family something that we didn't even know was missing."
Quite uncharacteristically, the young executive found herself at a complete loss for words. What did one say to something like that?
"You're welcome, Yukimura-han," was the best she could come up with, insufficient though it sounded even to her own ears. But the older woman seemed satisfied with it, at least.
"Please." She watched as a hand waved dismissively at her. "As you said yourself, no need to be so formal. Akiko is fine."
She nodded. "Very well. Akiko-han, then."
The sound of giggling caught her attention, and she glanced out across the lawn to see that her assistant had once again been relegated to monkey-bar duty, crouched as she was on the grass with a very cheerful child hanging onto her back like a baby koala. As she watched, Natsuki then rested her hands on the ground and sprang forward in a leap that reminded her of a frog, much to the delight of her niece, who squealed excitedly and rolled off upon landing, only to pounce on her broadly grinning aunt from the front in a game the two of them had obviously played before.
Natsuki was prepared, she noticed, as the young woman simply caught the girl under the arms and fell back onto the grass, settling the soles of her feet against the child's front and effortlessly hoisting the small body into the air with the use of her legs. She did a few presses that way while holding onto Kaguya's hands for stability, then apparently felt the gaze that rested on her and turned her head.
I think, Shizuru considered, that maybe I gave her more than I even realize. A strangely sobering, though no less heartwarming thought struck her as Natsuki grinned at her, then returned to playing with her niece under the amused regard of the child's father, who was standing off to one side and shaking his head slowly. She never did get the chance to be a child for long, did she? But I think she has the opportunity now... to make up for lost time.
And the knowledge that she'd played a part in that – however small that part was – made her feel incredibly good.
"Why?"
Akiko's voice stirred her out of her contemplations, and she faced the older woman again as she pondered the question.
"Because she deserves happiness," she eventually said. "Not solitude."
"Oi!" The sharp cry of surprise made both of them turn their heads. "Put me down, you idiot!"
Shizuru bit the inside of her lip to stifle her laughter. Morio had apparently snuck up behind the biker and lifted her up by wrapping his arms around her waist, and as she watched, he proceeded to toss the young woman over his shoulder as though she were no more than a sack of flour.
"Ack!" Dark hair fanned out in the breeze as the man then spun around in circles, his deep laugh easily carrying over the short distance as he playfully fended off his giggling daughter.
"For crying out loud, Morio!" Natsuki's hands thumped against the broad back she was facing. "I don't care what my sister's been telling you, your butt is not that nice to look-- nonono, bad idea, Brat." Her voice grew noticeably more alarmed. "Kaguya, I don't think you sh-- Yahh!"
Kaguya had – in what Shizuru deemed to be a remarkable show of sisterly solidarity – resolutely wrapped herself around her father's legs, knocking the tall man off balance and sending all of them tumbling onto the grass in a pile of wildly flailing arms and legs.
She heard a sigh from her left hand side.
"Kids." The executive had to chuckle at the exasperatedly amused tone in Akiko's voice as they watched the two other females turn on the man with gleeful ferocity. "I have three of them."
-----
It had certainly been an interesting day so far, Natsuki decided as she stood by the sink next to her sister and peeled carrots, of all things, while Akiko diligently chopped her way through an assortment of other vegetables. Behind them, Morio had busied himself with a knife, cutting board and a slab of meat, which he was meticulously slicing. Lunchtime was approaching fast, and she'd been roped into helping with the preparations rather than continue hanging out in the back yard with her friend and her niece.
Initially she'd objected, which had been an incredibly bad idea, because Akiko had no qualms whatsoever about embarrassing her in front of anyone, let alone a woman who had seemed to click right into place in the small household within a matter of hours.
So she'd ended up being dragged into the house by her ear – much to her own chagrin and Shizuru's thinly veiled amusement – but she found a small sense of victory in the fact that she at least hadn't blushed. And in the fact that Kaguya had grown comfortable enough around the executive to playfully use the woman as a shield to hide from her mother. She'd had to smile at the sight, although the insistent tugging on her ear had quickly turned it into a grimace.
Which in turn had made Shizuru laugh and send her a playful wink as she laid an arm around the child's shoulders and waggled her fingers at her.
And that, she considered as she picked up another carrot and turned it over while studying it pensively, was probably the most interesting part of this very interesting day. The flirting. The appreciative glint that had started showing occasionally in the executive's eyes when the red gaze landed on her.
She didn't really mind it. Had, in fact, done nothing to shy away from the very thorough 'elevator-look' she'd gotten that morning at Shizuru's front door, and thus ended up raising the bar for what was considered acceptable conduct between the two of them. It had surprised her a little at first just how comfortable she was with it, given how the lingering glances she sometimes got from strangers in the street tended to irk her. But when she had thought about it... well, Shizuru was her friend. So what was wrong with a little friendly flirting?
Not a thing, she decided with a small smile. Their recent interactions had certainly made the executive more relaxed around her, which was something Natsuki was only glad of. Besides which, she wasn't so blind that she couldn't see that the older woman was nothing short of stunning, and the thought of someone who was that good-looking finding her attractive...
Well, it was flattering, honestly.
"Ne, Imouto," came Akiko's amused voice from next to her. "If you keep staring at that carrot so intently, you'll make Shizuru-san jealous."
Of course, every ray of sunlight had to cast a shade somewhere, Natsuki decided as she rolled her eyes skywards and heard her brother in law snicker. And this recent development had given her older sister a whole new subject to tease her about.
"Oh, shut up." She gave the twinkling brown eyes a glower and went back to her peeling. "I told you... there's nothing going on."
"Could've fooled me," came the playful reply. "The two of you certainly looked cozy before Kaguya interrupted you this morning."
"For the millionth time, I was just saying thank you."
"Is that what they're calling it now?" Morio interjected. "I'll have to do something nice for your sister so she can 'thank' me properly later on."
Natsuki growled and waggled the peeler at the smirking man, feeling slightly vindicated when a bit of carrot-peel came loose from the metal and landed squarely on his cheek. "That was way more than I needed to know, big guy."
"Oh, I beg to differ." Morio glibly picked the soggy peel off of his own cheek and deposited it on her nose instead, which earned him another growl as she yanked it right back off. "When it comes to that, there is no such thing as too much information." He grinned. "I have a feeling you'd need all the help you can get."
Natsuki wasn't quite sure, but she had a feeling that the subject had shifted beyond hugging and kissing. She also got the distinct impression that she should probably be offended. Before she could act on that impression, however, she heard the familiar, rapid patter of feet speeding down the hall.
"No running in the house!" Akiko called out just as Kaguya skidded through the doorway.
"Sorry, Mama." The girl had the good grace to look apologetic, even if she couldn't keep it up for all that long. "But Fujino-san said that she'd play video games with me, so can Natsuki-obasan come too?"
"Excuse me?" Natsuki felt her eyebrows lift. "Since when did I lose the right to decide that kind of thing for myself?"
"Presumably since you agreed to help with preparing lunch," came the reply from a few feet behind Kaguya, where Shizuru was now leaning against one side of the doorway; arms folded and a small, amused smile on her lips.
"I did not agree," Natsuki reminded her boss. "I was coerced."
"After which you agreed," her sister pointed out.
"You were about to pull my ear off!"
"Oh, details." Akiko waved a hand at her. "In any case, you did agree. Eventually."
"Grr."
Sadly, the only effect that her best growl had was to draw laughter from the others in the room. Or in Kaguya's case; giggles. I get no damn respect around here.
Still, she wasn't truly upset, and she supposed that it probably showed somehow.
"Tell you what…" Natsuki shifted her glance from her niece to her sister and back again. "I'll come play with you and Shizuru once I've finished helping your Mama and Papa."
"But, Obachan..." Kaguya looked at her sadly.
Oh, crappers... I know that pout. Natsuki watched her niece's lower lip poke out in a very familiar manner, and couldn't decide if she should cringe or just snicker hysterically. Caught as she was between those two reactions, she settled for raising her head and meeting a pair of wide, innocent-looking crimson eyes with a scowl.
"What the heck have you been teaching her?" She pointed a half-peeled carrot at the giggling child. "Trust me, that is the absolute last thing she needs help with."
Shizuru grinned and wordlessly waggled her pinky at her, and she heard Morio's deep, soft laugh from behind her, which her sister joined in on.
Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Yes. Yes I am," she confirmed. "Which is exactly why you..." This time the carrot pointed at the executive and bobbed up and down a few times. "... don't need to give her any extra ammunition to work with."
Her boss chuckled, and apparently decided to change the subject while she was still ahead of the game. "Is there anything I can help with?" she instead asked.
"Nope," Natsuki replied before her sister even got a chance to open her mouth. "You're a guest, and as such don't get to do anything but enjoy the fruits of our labor."
A mild, crafty look entered the crimson eyes. "Ara, really?" Shizuru wondered aloud. "But isn't Natsuki a guest, too?"
She set the peeler down and dried her hands on a nearby towel, then plodded over to the doorway, grabbed the executive by the shoulders and turned her until she faced the hallway. "I'm family," she told her. "I don't count. So scoot." A light push. "Go play games."
Another chuckle. "As you wish." The executive turned her head and held a hand out. "I'm fairly certain that Kaguya-chin can tutor me in that area, can you not?"
"Yup!" the child cheerfully agreed, bounding over and taking the outstretched hand. "Don't worry, Obachan," she then told her aunt seriously. "I'll take good care of her."
Natsuki felt the smile want to come forth and let it, ruffling the soft, azure locks with one hand. "I know, kiddo. Have fun, alright? I'll join you as soon as I can."
"Okay." Kaguya amiably began leading – or dragging, rather – a very bemused CEO down the hall. "We'll start with Guitar Hero!" she called back.
"Alright," Natsuki responded, shaking her head as she headed back to the sink and claimed another carrot.
"She certainly didn't take long to warm up to Shizuru-san," Akiko commented from beside her.
She finished peeling the carrot in silence, then rinsed it, set it aside and grabbed the next one. "Most don't."
"Mm." A pause, where the dual sounds of blades clacking against wood were the only fillers. "Even you?"
There was the faintest of twitches at the corners of her mouth as she switched the peeler for a small knife and deftly snipped off the ends of another vegetable. "I'm the exception to a lot of rules, Nee-chan."
"And so modest, too," was the dry remark from behind her.
She pointed the knife over her shoulder, but didn't turn her head. "You hush, carrot boy."
They all shared a chuckle, then fell into companionable silence as they went about their individual duties. As the three of them sharing the task of preparing food was hardly a new occurrence, they moved around each other with ease and finished in short succession.
"Well." Natsuki dropped the last handful of carrot peels into the trash and set about washing her hands and rinsing off the sink. "That's that. Anything else I can do?"
"I think we can take care of the rest," Akiko told her as she claimed the rest of the carrots and started chopping them, too. "Go on."
She untied the plain, white apron that had kept her clothes from getting stained and lifted it over her head, but kept her hand on it for a few seconds after hanging it on a hook next to the refrigerator. "You sure?"
"Natsuki..." The brown eyes gave her a mock-stern look. "Out. Before I change my mind and have you clean the front porch with a toothbrush."
She snapped to attention and gave a sharp salute. "Yes, General!"
As she turned to leave the room, the end of a towel hit her in the seat of her pants and made her hop forward with a startled squawk. "Hey!"
"Is for horses," her sister told her. "Get out of here, will you? Go play with your girl." The teasing note in her voice made it painfully obvious that she wasn't referring to Kaguya.
"My g--" She turned on her heel and sputtered. "Wha... you... Shizuru is not my girl!"
Akiko hummed softly as she sliced the carrots.
"Oi!" Green eyes glared at the older woman's back. "Are you even listening?"
"Imouto?" She shifted her gaze to the side and met Morio's amused look. "The guitar is next to my side of the closet, as always."
Natsuki scowled, but took the unvoiced 'give up, already' for the sound advice that it was and stalked out of the room. "Meddling little..." she grumbled softly. "Telling me that... why, I oughta... such a stupid idea.... biggest pile of bulls--"
"Language," rang the sing-song reminder from the kitchen.
A sigh. "Yes, Akiko-mama," she called back, and picked up on the slight amusement in her own voice. Ah well. She knew better than most that there was no dissuading her older sister once she got a hold of some prime teasing material, and she supposed that Akiko could have latched on to her relationship with worse people.
Takeda from her days at Fuuka Academy popped into her head, and she felt her eye twitch sharply. Mental note; don't ever mention him to Nee-chan, she decided as she crossed into the neatly tidied master bedroom and easily found the green and white electric guitar. Ever.
She claimed the instrument with one hand and eyed the miniature amplifier that sat on the floor, sparing a thought for her own, larger one back home, which could produce a much more significant amount of noise than this little thing.
Which, she considered, was probably part of the reason that Morio had given it to her a few years ago... shortly after Kaguya had first figured out how to turn the dial to 'Max' at the most inopportune times.
The gentle, slow notes of an electric guitar traveled over the expanse of the back yard from the wooden porch, where Morio was playing a children's song. He had pleasant singing voice and was using it to good effect, much to the delight of the young girl seated on the planks in front of him.
It was another warm summer evening in a long series of them, and Natsuki enjoyed the peaceful setting as the music and Kaguya's laughter drifted over to where she and her sister were sitting on a pair of plastic lawn chairs with a small table between them. The table held a pitcher of sweetened tea with several ice cubes, and she took a sip from her glass before setting it down.
She chuckled at something Akiko said, and opened her mouth to reply.
BWOOONNGGG!
"Yahh!" Natsuki felt her world tilt as the way too loud note scared a flock of sparrows out of a tree in the yard behind them and set every dog in the neighborhood to barking frantically. She oofed as the back of her chair hit the grass, and heard her sister yelp in shock just as Akiko's arm jerked and emptied the contents of her glass onto her face.
But at least the older woman managed to stay upright, she decided as she regarded the fallen, softly clucking pitcher laying next to her on the lawn.
Slowly, she raised herself up on her arms and peered warily over the now vertical seat of her chair. Morio was sitting cross-legged on the porch with the guitar in his lap, and had the most perfect 'oh shit' expression on his face as he stared dumbfoundedly at the two of them. Next to him was Kaguya – one small hand wrapped suspiciously around the amplifier's volume knob while she studied the speaker with a look best described as utterly enthralled.
In the very loud silence that followed, Natsuki shifted her gaze from her sister's lightly dripping form to Morio's wide-eyed face, and then on to the now excitedly clapping and laughing Kaguya.
"Again, Papa!"
"Uh..." Morio blinked once. Twice. "Sorry, honey," he sheepishly told his wife.
Next thing Natsuki knew, she was curled up on the grass next to her fallen chair, grasping her sides for dear life and laughing so hard that she could barely breathe.
"Morio..."
Oh, somebody was in trouble, she managed to realize through her near-hysterical amusement. Knowing that it wasn't her only made her laugh harder, and the blurry quality of her vision told her that she probably had tears running down her face from the force of it.
"That is the FOURTH time this week," Akiko told her husband as she picked up the now half-drained pitcher. "And that thing is out of here. Tonight. Before I end up dropping and breaking every dish and glass in the house."
An odd sound came from Morio's throat as he swallowed a laugh, but he couldn't quite keep his lips from twitching. "Yes, dear." His voice was half-choked from trying to hold back his mirth.
"Obachan!"
"Humph!" Natsuki felt her lungs empty themselves rather abruptly as her excitedly giggling, four-year old niece landed on her back, but even having to spit stalks of tea-flavored grass out of her mouth couldn't make her stop laughing.
"Kids... do the darnedest things," she somehow got out.
That set Morio off. At least until Akiko poured the remaining ice tea – with cubes – over his head and down the back of his shirt.
"Hey!"
"In sickness and in health, darling."
Then her sister started laughing, too.
Even now, the memory made Natsuki chuckle as she perched on the edge of the double bed in the room and idly strummed the guitar string by string. It had been a little while since her brother in law had last made use of the instrument if the slightly off-key sound was anything to go by, and she adjusted the tightness of the individual strings before trying again.
Much better. A satisfied smile came forth, and she rose to her feet and picked up the small amp before heading for the door.
-----
Rock, Shizuru privately considered as she sat on the edge of the single bed, generally wasn't her preferred style of music. But she had to admit that there was something appealing about the genre, even if she wasn't certain whether that appeal stemmed from the energetic beat of the music itself, or from the enthusiasm displayed by the young girl playing along to it. Perhaps it was a combination of the two.
It certainly was both an amusing and impressive sight to watch someone so young shift her hands as fast as this particular song required. And from what she had seen earlier, Kaguya was only playing on the second out of a total of four skill levels, while the executive was fairly certain that she herself would end up failing rather miserably even on the easiest level.
The song ended with much pixellated fanfare, and she had to smile as the girl let out a cheer at her success. "Well done, Kaguya-chin."
"Thanks!" The young girl grinned cheerfully at her and lifted the controller that hung from her shoulders slightly. "Do you want to try, Fujino-san?"
"Certainly," she agreed, much to the girl's delight. "But I would like to ask you a question first, if you don't mind?"
"Sure." Kaguya immediately removed the strap from her shoulders and put the controller away, then sat down on the floor in front of her and rested her chin in her hands, giving the executive her undivided attention.
Not many six-year olds would do that, she idly recognized. Especially not with the lure of such a clearly beloved game just feet away. A remarkably mature response, certainly.
"I was wondering," she began, folding her hands and settling them on her knees. "Kaguya-chin seemed very reluctant when we first met this morning, and yet now, you seem to feel very at ease around me. Your mother led me to believe that it's unusual for you to do this as soon as you have in my case." A pause. "May I ask why?"
The azure head tilted in a manner that made her have to smother a smile. Was that motion, she wondered, an inherent family trait, or simply something that the child had unconsciously picked up from the aunt that she obviously held in such high regard?
Oddly familiar eyes peered at her for a few seconds as Kaguya seemed to consider the question.
"I love Natsuki-obasan. You do, too," the girl then pronounced, and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "And Natsuki-obasan loves you."
That... hadn't been the reply she expected at all, and Shizuru had to take a breath as simple words spoken with such innocent conviction hit her in a not entirely unpleasant way. "Is that so?" she murmured absently, and felt something prod at the back of her mind. Something about the mouth of babes, wasn't it?
Her choice of words earned her an odd look, as if the girl felt that it should be obvious. Perhaps it was. "Sure," she said. "When they said on TV that you were coming to Fuuka to work, her eyes got all wet. I thought she was sad, but she said she was just really happy."
Wet? It took a few seconds for her distracted mind to translate the meaning. Natsuki... cried?
It was an unexpectedly revealing moment, and as the door to Kaguya's bedroom opened and the subject of their conversation entered, it made the executive regard her in a whole new light. The fact that Natsuki happened to be lugging around an electric guitar and an amplifier – which certainly wasn't anything she had seen the younger woman with before – only added to it.
"Well... isn't this a pleasant surprise?" Natsuki remarked as she bumped the door shut with her hip. "I was expecting to get blown down the hall from the force of the sound waves once I got here. What are you two up to?"
"We're having a conversation," Kaguya happily informed her aunt.
"Ooh, I see. I certainly hope you'll forgive me for intruding, then." The aunt in question grinned and sent Shizuru a wink as she put down her cargo, then took a seat on the floor and chuckled when she immediately found herself with a lap full of six-year old. "So what was this very serious, very mature conversation about?"
"We were comparing notes," Shizuru now spoke up, and did her level best to keep her lips from twitching. "About Natsuki's ticklish spots."
Both of the dark eyebrows shot up at this. "'Scuse me?"
"Yup." Kaguya gamely picked up the proverbial ball and poked her aunt in the side, giggling when Natsuki twitched at the touch. "See? There's one, Fujino-san."
"Ara, ara... it seems you're right." Shizuru rested her chin on her folded hands and let the small, mischievous smile come forth at last. "Can you find any more?"
"Sure!"
"H-hey!" An odd little grunting noise escaped the younger woman as Kaguya's fingers found another mark. "C'mon now... I'm not a walking enter-- ack!" Another poke garnered a squeak. "Entertainment system, here!"
Sadly – for Natsuki, at least – her words had no effect other than to make her niece search out yet more ticklish spots all the more diligently, and from her seat on the child-sized bed, Shizuru watched in amusement as the two of them eventually ended up wrestling playfully in a full-on tickle fight.
Part of her was tempted to join it. But another part, the one that was still drifting in a strange haze of wonder at the earlier revelation, drowned it out and made her decide to just bask in the warmth that those news had generated for a little while longer.
"Whew." The sudden, slight bounce in the mattress snapped her out of her thoughts, and she turned her head to see Natsuki sitting next to her. "That woke me up."
A quick survey of the room showed that Kaguya was busy near the shelving system that held the TV and the gaming console, apparently plugging in the amplifier. Natsuki, meanwhile, had reclaimed the guitar and now had it resting on her crossed legs.
"When did you take up playing that?" she asked curiously.
"A little over two years ago, when Junior over there first started playing Guitar Hero." Natsuki paused and tilted her head as she strummed two strings, then adjusted one of the knobs at the end of the fretboard slightly and sent her a wry look. "Didn't take me long to figure out that I play this a lot better than I ever could that. Kid kicks my butt every time."
Shizuru studied the game controller, eyed the five colored buttons, then shifted her gaze to the actual guitar that her assistant was holding and immediately gave up calculating the number of combinations possible on that.
She quirked a single eyebrow.
"Yeah, I know." The younger woman scratched the side of her neck sheepishly. "You'd think the game would be easier than the real thing, right?" She shrugged one shoulder. "I dunno. I think it's because there's just not enough buttons for me to keep track of, especially since given the interface, I always know what's coming up next. My mind ends up drifting, and the da... darn thing just falls apart on me."
Shizuru felt her face twitch into a smile. "It really is quite amusing how you change your way of speaking around her."
"What, not cursing?" Natsuki waited until she nodded, and then smirked. "Yeah, well... if she ends up picking that up from me, her Mama's gonna do a lot-- ah, thanks, Squirt." She took the cord that Kaguya now held out, and plugged it into the guitar with a small, electric crackle. "A lot worse than just dragging me around by the ear."
The executive chuckled.
"Ready, Obachan?" Kaguya had the controller back in place against her belly, and was watching the two of them impatiently.
"Almost, kiddo." Natsuki dug a pick out of the chest pocket of her polo and used it to play a quick scale of notes. "Yup, good to go. Just stay away from the last set. I'd like to be able to actually use my hands for the rest of the day."
Shizuru took care to catch the child's eyes, and grinned as the girl immediately picked up on her unspoken words and pouted at her aunt.
"Oh... fiddlesticks." The light push against her shoulder only made her grin wider. "Stop teaching her that!"
Carefully, she schooled her expression into one of utter innocence, and heard Kaguya giggle. "Whatever does Natsuki mean?"
A deep, put-upon sigh. "Incorrigible." Natsuki shook her head. "Come on, Kaguya, pick a tune."
A series of chugging noises came from the TV as the girl agreeably scrolled through the list of songs and settled on one. Another noise followed, and the loading screen popped into place for an instant before the game itself began.
"Mm." The dark eyebrows lifted in approval. "Good choice."
Those words were the last ones spoken for a while, and Shizuru idly kept an ear on the music, though most of her attention was focused on watching the two people playing the game – each in her own way. While one was standing and facing the TV and the other sitting, head bent to the guitar in her lap, the expressions on their faces were absolutely identical. Mainly concentration, sometimes with a light furrow appearing between the eyebrows – and occasionally a brief scowl of dismay when one of them missed a note or a chord.
But for the most part, the music coming from the TV-set was in perfect concert with the clear notes flowing from the amplifier, and the executive spent a few moments watching slender fingers slide back and forth along the strings with deceptive ease.
Remarkable.
She shifted her gaze to the younger of the two, and found herself wondering if perhaps she wasn't getting a glimpse of the girl Natsuki could have been if the Fates hadn't intervened in her life so cruelly.
Truly remarkable.
The song came to a victorious close, and she startled slightly as Natsuki let out a piercing whistle of triumph.
"Yeah!" The young woman held up her hand, and grinned as her niece slapped it.
A knock at the door interrupted them, and Morio poked his fair head in. "What did the two of you end up naming the band in that game?" he asked curiously.
"Kiyohime."
Shizuru felt her eyes widen almost imperceptibly at Kaguya's reply, and flicked a glance at her assistant who, she noticed, was carefully keeping her attention trained on the strings she was idly plucking at.
For the briefest of moments, Natsuki looked up. Crimson met emerald for a half-second that still seemed to last a lifetime before the green eyes dropped and the faintest trace of pink appeared on the younger woman's cheeks.
... Kiyohime?
A squeal made her blink, and she turned her head to where Morio had picked up his daughter and slung her over his shoulder much like he'd done to Natsuki that same morning.
"I'll leave the two of you to your devices," he told them. "Squirt here and I have been commissioned to set the table, so if you'll excuse us." He reached up a hand and tipped the brim of an imaginary hat. "Ma'am." This to Shizuru. "Sir." That, with a twitch of his lips, to Natsuki.
Natsuki raised an eyebrow at him, and mimicked the motion. "Thick-headed old lug."
Mario snorted and ambled out of the room. "Don't forget to 'thank' our guest for her assistance," he called back over his unoccupied shoulder.
And for some reason - Shizuru felt her eyebrows twitch in curiosity - that remark instantly made her assistant turn scarlet.
"Shut up, carrot boy!"
"Yeah, yeah." A chuckle floated down the hall and through the open door. "Everybody's a critic."
-----
End notes:
Lordy, but that was a long chapter compared to the earlier ones. I make no promises as to whether or not I can keep that up, but I hope it'll help make up for the long break. 'Till next time, and Happy New Year. Stay safe, now.