Sorry for the update gaps, been busy with school and other crap. Anyways, this chapter is pretty short because I wanted to get it out ASAP. Hope most of you guys are still reading. And tell me what you'd like to see or if there's anything I'm deviating from. :P

More updates in the future, hopefully. I will include a summary in this chapter because of the long update gap. Usually when I follow other people and read a new chapter, I sometimes forget things that happened before.

Summary

Continuing from the last chapter, Natsume had recently made her first friend on her own. But as Natsuru's unexpected jealousy built up after some time, he grew restless and became hostile towards Natsume. Heated, he decides to take a walk to cool his head off where he meets the two Black Kampfers; Shousuke and Nanami, as well the hostile White Kamfpers.

Chapter 9 - Idiot

Natsuru is in quite a bit of a bind. Not only was he ambushed by the Whites who had appeared out of nowhere, but on top of that, his power is only a fraction of what it was without Natsume around. Although the situation is dire, all hope is not lost as Natsuru ran into Shousuke and Nanami, the other Black Kampfers.

"Hey, Natsuru," said Shousuke. "Don't even think about fighting, you won't stand a chance."

"Then what am I supposed to do?!" shouted Natsuru.

"You need to get back to wherever your partner is, as fast as possible. You know where she is, right?"

"Yeah, I left her at home."

"Alright, I'm assuming she was also left alone. This could be very bad, for all we know, we just fell right into their trap."

"Does that mean they've targeted Natsume too?!"

"Most likely. We'll make it out of here alive if you listen to me, got it?"

Natsuru nodded silently, eyeing the numerous enemies that surrounded them on the street and the rooftops. Without his power, he was dead weight for Shousuke and Nanami, but there was nothing he could do. His stomach dropped as the Whites charged them at once, with the sound of magic being cast, blades hitting against one another, and gunshots ringing through the air.

Natsume watched Natsuru from the porch as he walked away, disappearing behind a corner. She had never seen Natsuru act this way before, even when he first got the Bracelet of Oath. She stood outside for a little while longer before going back inside as she was not wearing much to keep warm against the cold night. She stepped into the kitchen and turned on the lights, stopping for a moment to listen to the piercing silence of the house. She made herself some tea and sat on the couch with her legs tucked up to her chest, taking sips here and there. She turned on the television and left it on a random channel. Now, she started to think. She thought about how Natsuru was acting and concluded that he was jealous of her new friend. That much she knew, but she didn't know the reason for it. There was no way that she was at fault, right? Wouldn't the person that tells you that they care also wish for your own happiness?

Small drops of tears fell from her eyes as she became more and more frustrated and confused. 'Do you not want me to have my own friends?', she thought. There was much she did not know of this world and inner workings of the human being, but she did know that she was not wrong. She knew this and yet, she was only feeling more and more distressed. She continued to sip her tea and tried to focus on the t.v., trying to take her mind off of it. Before she knew it, her right leg twitched as she felt a pain that came from her thigh. Natsume scowled as she leaned forward and clutched her thigh as the excruciating pain made her immobile. 'Natsuru!" she thought as she struggled to overcome the pain. The pain was slowly starting to fade, Natsume took the opportunity to grab the house phone and go through the recent calls list. She didn't know anyone's phone number by memory. She cycled through the list of calls until she found a familiar name, 'KOUNDOU, MIKOTO'. She quickly dialed the number.

"Hello? Natsuru? What's u-," answered Mikoto on the phone.

"Mikoto! It's Natsume, come to the house quick! It's an emergency!" pleaded Natsume.

"O-Okay! I'll tell everyone else too! You sound like you're hurt, are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, just hurry!" said Natsume as she hung up.

Natsume dropped the phone as pain ran through her abdomen, as if she was stabbed by something. She doubled over and fell to the ground, trying to hold back screams of pain as she clutched the area where the pain was coming from. She whimpered under her breath and cursed herself for being so helpless. Even though she knew that Natsuru was in trouble, there was nothing she could do.

Natsuru breathed heavily, his hand clutched his lower abdomen where a large stain of blood could be seen. He was barely able to get away from the Whites thanks to Shousuke and Nanami, but was stabbed in the process. He didn't know whether or not the two made it out alive as well, his mind was dazed with pain and fatigue from running. Was this the right direction to his house? It didn't matter, his fight or flight mechanism overtook him, compelling him to just get the hell out and keep running. Natsuru stumbled over as the wound took its toll on his body, grunting in pain as he tried to brace the impact with his hands. He turned over onto his back as he gasped for air and laid still. The blood from his wound seeped through his shirt and onto the floor, making a small puddle under him. He was starting to get a little cold. Much to his dismay, he heard footsteps walking towards him from the direction he was running from. His stomach sunk as a feeling of hopelessness fell over him from having barely made an escape to end up in this situation.

"Looks like you didn't get too far," a female voice chuckled. She leisurely walked over to Natsuru and stomped on his wound. He yelled out in pain, grabbing her foot in an attempt to lift it off his stomach. "Time for you to die!" said the White as she brought her sword above his body. Natsuru gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, preparing himself for the deathblow. A scream was heard, followed by the sound of the sound of a blade twisting through flesh, and finally a thud. Natsuru did nothing but lay still and continued to breathe heavy breaths. He felt his arm being lifted up and propped over what felt to be someone's back as he was lifted off the ground. This person carried a familiar scent, a scent that he once grew to fear and eventually come to like.

"Shizuku…?" said Natsuru weakly.

"Quiet, don't speak," she said with coldness and worry in her voice. "You've already lost a lot of blood."

"Ah…sorry about that," said Natsuru. The two continued their trek back to Natsuru's house at a steady pace, with Shizuku supporting Natsuru as he limped with every step. A couple minutes had passed until the silence was broken as Natsuru collapsed to the ground, unable to support himself with his legs any longer.

"Natsuru!" said Shizuku as she carefully moved him over to a nearby bench. She slowly set him down on his back and inspected his wound that was left unattended. She quickly tore off the jacket she was wearing, using the pieces of torn cloth to bandage the wound. She wrapped several layers over it, tightening the last layer as to cease the flow of blood. Natsuru grunted as she finished tying the makeshift bandage.

"Thanks," he grunted.

Shizuku stood up and looked down at him with a smile before taking out her phone and pressing a few buttons. "Hey, it's me. I found him...He's wounded but he's alright for now, it wouldn't be a good idea for him to move around so much though…Right, I'll call an ambulance," said Shizuku, closing her cellphone.

"Who was that?" asked Natsuru.

"Akane, she and I were out searching for you."

"I see…what about Mikoto and Natsume?"

"Mikoto stayed behind to guard Natsume."

"Ah…what a relief…"

Natsuru looked up at Shizuku, who was standing next to him. She was on her guard, surveying the area for any more enemies as she looked around.

"Hey Shizuku…thanks," said Natsuru with a laugh.

Shizuku smiled back, "I'm surprised you can still laugh with a hole in your stomach."

"Ah…yeah…I guess it kind of hurts."

Shizuku chuckled, turning her body towards him, she swiftly lifted Natsuru's head and rested it on her lap. Natsuru's face took on a shade of pink as their eyes met, her purple eyes that seemed to glisten from the streetlights caught him in a trance. He quickly looked away, bewildered by his own thoughts.

"By the way Shizuku, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"I don't know why I've never noticed it until now, but…do you have feelings for me?"

Shizuku was surprised that he brought up such a topic. "What a ridiculous question…would it make any difference if I give you an answer?" she said with a hint of sadness.

"I supposed you're right," said Natsuru. "I never really gave you a chance or properly looked at you. And for that, I'm sorry."

"You really are a dense idiot, you know that?" said Shizuku as she made her way towards his lips. She planted one of her signature kisses, sneaking in her tongue as she normally would. She continued her assault for several more moments before retracting her lips with a sigh of satisfaction, leaving Natsuru staring at her face in paralysis.

"But I think I'm the biggest idiot here."