A/N: This is the last installment of this story, as requested. Beth, I hope this last chapter pleases you, as it was truly a joy to write. I can't ever express that enough…

As a call out to those of you who like to discuss a vast view of pairings, from all spectrums, check out Upon Open Wings, a fan group that just enjoys fandom in general. It's a great thing to be a fan, don't you think?

Lilies and Lilacs
Part three of three.

Sentimental value was an obscure thing, detestable really, when she dug down into the heart of the matter.

In her furthest memories, she recalled a happy family. A mother who loved her, and father whose jovial laughter would ring though the house, even as the woman he loved sighed at his antics. She could recall this, and the inadvertent ruckus he encouraged with every fiber of his being. Her mother's admonishments were as kind as her praise, and her smile was something angelic. Wise, and always upon her face, until her dying day.

That's how Mai remembered her mother.

The gentle, yet very firm hand that nestled the fragility of the family deeply in her heart. Her songs were melodic, her cooking was delicious, and her hugs were always warm. Without her, the house grew quiet, and their father had to grow stern to rise his young children. He could no longer come home from work and pluck snacks from atop the fridge, nor could he pull the homework from under his children's noses and tell them to live a little.

Life had made sure to remind them of just how fleeting it could be, and, so it was not her choice to grow into the type woman she was. It was an absolute, dictated by life itself. Mai wasn't as bitter about that as maybe she should have been, but she stopped at nothing to keep what little family she had left together.

That's why she waited….standing at the bedside of woman she had no ties to, reading a book she could recite nearly by memory. It was not for the woman resting in bed, adorn with tubes out of every orifice. It was not for herself, the image was nothing to her. She waited for proof that life itself was worth fighting for, that hope was something to keep close…that it was not a futile effort made in vain.

Most of all she waited, because Natsuki waited…and Natsuki waited because Nao was not yet ready to let go and give up. As long as only one person continued to give a damn, all was not lost, until the angels themselves sang. So, while Mai waited for Takumi's own answer and clean bill of health, she turned the page to the book she held.

All she could do, was continue to read.

Promises were better left unspoken.

Dreams were best left in the dust between the state of sleep and reality.

Honesty was something best kept sharp, even if it was cruel.

Even if that selfsame barb, marred her gentle and selfless actions, tainting them the colors of the darkest desire.

Soft, supple lips that glistened with the faintest shimmer of gloss. Eyes so honest and candid, those wet pools of violet were often the vortex that drew her in the most. A tiny grin, washed away by sadness and uncertainty, only to be replaced when she least expected it. Her voice was decidedly feminine, girlish though, in the way words slipped off of her tongue. Such a thing collided with her womanly beauty, and it left an ache in those who could never attain her…

Shizuru knew it, and clung to her own morals. Indulgences were one thing…but letting herself get caught up in the life of another was a tangled web, best to be burned.

They'd spent increasing amounts of time together. There was indeed no doubt about Shizuru's desire to spend time at Mai's side. It wasn't charity, as Mai first expected, but rather, one of Shizuru's true intentions. However, as time went on, there were many moments that Mai suspected that maybe Shizuru wasn't as innocent as that. Even so, she kept a blind eye to it, and Shizuru seemed all too willing to do the same.

They went on, complacent, until one day when Shizuru's actions couldn't possibly be misconstrued. A simple conversation turned into a rabbit hole.

"Come on, there's no ways that guys haven't noticed." It was just a playful jibe, little more, and little less. Even so it was something that cut deeply, because for the wealth of conversation's they'd had in the past, this one was not something so easily thwarted. Mai was too candid for comfort. "You're too beautiful for them not to notice."

"I've never seen the need to amuse them." Shizuru replied slowly, closing her eyes. She tried to avoid seeing the amusement Mai kept within her own. "I've kept myself rather busy, you see. Besides that, it isn't as if I've been actively looking for someone to partake in my life in such a way."

Mai shrugged, taking one of the cookies from the plate in front of her. "You probably have guys stacking up left and right."

"Perhaps…I never really looked." Shizuru shrugged, feeling the disgust well from deep inside of her at such a thought. This thick tension could not go on any further, and Shizuru realized she'd never actually told Mai of her preferences before. She hadn't been trying to hide it, but, she hadn't exactly been open about the topic either. That would have to be amended. She doubted it would be a problem of course, but even so, she thought it best to test the waters. "Even if that was indeed the case, such a thing wouldn't suit me."

"Why, because you're so independent?" Mai asked her, tucking her chin into her palms. "I'd think that would just be a strike in your favor. They're probably a bunch of guys out there who don't want a clingy girlfriend."

Shizuru laughed gently at that. "I wouldn't know, I keep away from them." She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and regarded Mai slowly. "I've no interest in the male persuasion. That doesn't bother you, does it?"

Mai shook her head with a casual glance to the side, honesty showing through. "Well, then you must have had a girlfriend, haven't you?" Mai said without missing a beat, not at all bothered by Shizuru's admission.

"Well, it depends on what you mean by girlfriend." Shizuru told with a soft smile. "If by girlfriend, you mean a woman with whom I share a friendship, then yes. I've had plenty of those."

"You know what I mean." Mai said quietly, enjoying Shizuru's tell-no-tale gaze. "Spill..."

"Oh, please...it's not as if I go looking." A fawn eyebrow lifted at that, a sideways nod following. "Well, I have nothing grand to tell you, I assure you...a consort here and there, I suppose." Shizuru admitted then, sipping some tea. "I am only human after all. It never went anywhere, but, I never expected it would."

"That's rough." Mai sighed, she took another cookie from the plate, regarding it between two fingers. "You know you've got a lot going for you, so why not just put yourself out there?" She dipped it into the tea letting it soak, watching despondently as some of the crumbs fell to the bottom of the cup before popping it into her mouth. "Other fish in the sea, and all that...people say it, so it must be true to some extent."

"Only when there's a sea instead of a pond." Shizuru retorted, sharing in Mai's dour expression. Something so simple carried a heavily weighted implication. Shizuru knew it was probably nothing, and that Mai was merely bantering in her usual way, but it drew her in anyway. "It would be pointless."

"Only if you have your eye on someone." Mai said with a wag of her finger. "You do, don't you?"

"I'm on the fence." Shizuru said, trying to stop her beating heart from running wild. "I suppose, I have found a woman who mildly interests me. However, to say the feeling would be reciprocated is by far a long shot."

"You'll never know until you try." Such a statement, one that lingered in the air was something more than just casual words. Mai's tone a comfort in and of itself.

She seemed almost encouraging…almost, but not quite…and yet even still it was enough.

A brush of the hand, not so innocent in the way Shizuru ran her thumb ran over Mai's knuckles gave her away. It was too meaningful, perhaps accidentally so, when Shizuru leaned in closer than she should have. Instantly regretting it as she pulled away, she sighed. Her averted gaze and shameful frown gave every indication of what her intention had been.

"Forgive me." Shizuru said all too quickly, catching herself when she realized she longed for something more than a simple friendship with Mai could ever afford her. "It was not my intention to be so forward."

And yet, that's exactly what had happened…faced with the fact that the look in Shizuru's eyes hadn't been exactly platonic forced Mai to struggle. She tried to come to terms with that little detail. It was one thing to suspect Shizuru's sexuality might lean towards the fairer gender, and another thing entirely to have those suspicions confirmed and such affection aimed towards her. "No, please don't feel sorry for that…it was my fault, really."

"It was still inappropriate." Shizuru said as she gathered the dishes and placed them in Mai's sink. "More so than even I care to admit." She berated herself foolishly. "Please, excuse my forthrightness."

"It doesn't bother me." Mai said, sincerely, concern drifting into her voice. "I'm more worried about you." Unsure of quite what to do, she let loose a nervous laugh that died weakly as soon as it greeted the air. Reaching forward to Shizuru's shoulder uneasily, her fingers barely caressing the fabric. "I'd rather that we didn't ignore this."

"There is nothing to ignore." Shizuru said as she turned to look at Mai. "I understood fully the ramifications of our friendship. I promised myself that it would remain steadfast, and so it shall." She smiled, something that came easier than she expected it would even in such a difficulty. "You have nothing to worry about, so please…make it easy for me, look beyond this, and simply don't read into it."

"Is that really what you want?" Mai asked her, slightly in disbelief.

"Yes…it is." Shizuru said as forced her own disappoint back into the depths of her heart. "I want us to remain strong friends, it was my intention from the start to keep it that way. I enjoy a basic and relaxed life, where order and boundary are the stability I can count on." Anything else terrified her, but she didn't dream of confessing that to the woman in front of her. "I don't wish to complicate that any further."

"A-alright then." Something about that bothered Mai, but she just smiled and nodded in agreement, unsure of how to take Shizuru's words. "If that's the way you want it to be, then I won't question it."

Shizuru looked over at the clock. "Would you like a ride up to the hospital again tonight? I know you work a double on the weekend. It may be hard to find time to visit."

"Yeah." Mai told her, equally thankful for the change of topic, still feeling slightly unglued. "I'd like that."

The one thing Shizuru had always promised herself without a shadow of a doubt, was that she would never let herself forget the simple pleasures in life. Complication was a slippery slope best left avoided before drastic mistakes were made. A little forethought early on could save a person in so many ways in the long run.

Her father had taught her that, and the methodology of his normally rang true.

She decided she couldn't afford to put her heart on the line. She didn't want a dime store romance that started someplace between friendship and ended after a long, narrow road filled with angry sex, and riddled with heart break. She would not fall into that hell like so many others she knew about…she would not step headfirst into one of those hellish, unfathomable romances that even if she sought out, would eventually elude her.

That's why in the pit of confusion, she always turned to routine.

The unquestionable faith she had in herself came from knowing that she needed no one. Shizuru had always took her own matters upon her own shoulders, it was a marked sign of strength to do so. It was also much easier to shut out the world than to place blind faith in it. Calculated risks were always simply that, and everything she did was safely kept at a comfortable distance away from everyone.

So why am I sitting here in this damnable parking lot?

Shizuru figured at this rate, she'd ask herself that question all night long. There was a white paper bag on the floor of the car where a wrapped sandwich sat, a warm mug of tea in her cup holder, and the radio buzzing to her favorite station. By the looks of it, she was in for a long haul. Her fingers drummed softly on the leather clad wheel as she waited for Mai to come out from those double doors.

It was a waiting game deemed pointless from the very start.

She lifted the tea to her lips, turned off the car radio, and pulled the key out of the ignition, resting back as she closed her eyes. No sooner had a sigh left her lips that a harsh tapping pattered on her window. A woman cloaked in a hoodie gazed in, dark hair and shocking emerald eyes were enough to call her attention, and Shizuru lowered the window with the hand crank. "May I help you?"

A muffled curse slipped beyond the frown. "If you're going to sit around, do it inside." She growled, her hands stuffed into her pockets, as if that would somehow protect her from the slight nip in the air. "Mai doesn't need to be worried about you too." With aloof ease, she turned on her heel, going back into the complex. "Idiot…"

The abrupt, if not rude exchange forced Shizuru to once again gaze up into the room. Mai's carrot colored hair vibrantly stood out from where she sat, her back to the window. There was another woman by her side, one easily identified as Nao…the shorter, not to mention vicious woman, seemed to be amused by something if her overt display was any indication. However, that alone didn't merit entering into the hospital. Instead, it seemed to imply that Mai was indeed perfectly fine.

Again, Shizuru peeped at the clock radio and closed her eyes. Feeling more than a little stifled, she opened her car door to get some fresh air.

Inside of Takumi's room, Natsuki was ready to spit nails. "Who does she think she is anyway, loitering around down there? It's creepy."

"What, don't tell me you're afraid of some rich snob?" Nao said with a toothy grin. "Don't think Mai can handle herself?"

"I'm telling you, I just don't like it." Natsuki muttered, hands in her pockets as she paced back and forth. "It's not normal, at least I sure don't think it is."

"Huh, that bitch pissed you off good, didn't she?" Nao didn't quite know what to think of that. She knew Natsuki was quick to go on the defensive, but this was more than just paranoid caution. "Would you look at that, she's still out there too. Maybe Natsuki's right." Nao said, looking at the parked car sitting near the front of the lot. "Are you sure that she isn't a stalker?" Nao asked Mai with a hint of worry.

"She's not anything like that." Mai said, waving a hand as if to dismiss the claim outright. "Guys, she's just a friend. You don't need to freak out or anything." She took a sip of coffee from the can she'd bought not long before. "She's been only a good friend and nothing more."

"It's because she's Akira's friend too. I'm worried." Natsuki grumbled. "Don't you think it's strange...?"

"Actually, Akira's fairly popular." Mai shrugged, earning her two very skeptical glares. "In her own circles, she really is!"

"Whatever." Nao said as she crossed one leg over the other. "Look Mai I don't care who she's friends with…all I care about is that she doesn't go sticking her nose where it doesn't belong."

"Or that she doesn't think she can get cozy with you if you aren't comfortable with it." Natsuki added darkly.

"Easy pup." Nao warned her, but felt the same way. "Mai, if you don't want her around, I can go run her off." She flung a glance towards Natsuki and then returned her worry back to Mai.

"Not by yourself, you aren't." Natsuki's hand felt itchy, and she wanted little more to reach for her pocket knife...she didn't even have that on her, and mentally cursed. "Anyone who's a friend of Akira isn't exactly a pushover, Nao, you know that."

A shared silence fell between them, only the muted racket of the nurse's station reaching their ears. Mai looked down at the floor, swallowing hard. "Look, I know what it looks like." She said after a moment to gather her thoughts. "And if it were anyone but me, maybe you'd be right….but I'm really busy looking after Takumi, so it's not like I have time for something like that."

"Actually…that's what bothers me the most." Natsuki said having come to a long standing conclusion. "For the longest time you've been sort of blind to anyone who even looks at you. I mean, let's face it Mai, you are a woman and people know it." Natsuki sighed then, shrugging away her agitation. "Then this chick starts coming around, and you let her near you. Suddenly the Takumi excuse doesn't really stand up, because like it or not, she's still out there." Natsuki licked her lips, wondering distantly if Mai really was interested in the woman. "Don't tell me this is some weird experimenting phase, or something."

Nao grinned as she stood from her place, her hips swaying gently as she caught Natsuki in a gentle grip. "Chill pup, Mai's not into that. She'd rather the meat and veg, wouldn't ya Mai?"

"We are sooo not having this conversation." Mai blushed but shook her head, mostly from embarrassment. "Whoever I sleep with isn't anything you need to know about."

"So…you do like her." Natsuki said then, her tone husky and quiet.

"I haven't exactly thought about it…" Mai shrugged, her eyes falling to the floor. "It's not like I wanted to lead her on, or anything. She doesn't really want to say anything either, sooo..."

"Well, she's into you, that's for sure." Nao said carelessly. "Probably has all sorts of strange and crazy fantasies about doing you lovely."

"Didn't I just say that we aren't having that conversation?" Mai shot back before her brother came back into the room from one of his nightly walks with Akira. Her face was beat red, and she didn't like the fact that all eyes on the room were aimed at her.

"What conversation aren't we having, exactly?" He asked, confused as he edged himself back into bed, pulling the blankets up around his legs.

"I was just asking why Mai hasn't spread her legs yet. That chick that keeps coming around, and I figured there's gotta be something in it for her." Nao shrugged, not at all minding the looks that earned her. "She's a babe, anyone would want to screw her…well, everyone except Mai, I guess."

"I sure as hell don't think about that." Akira wasn't the only one to look appalled but she was the first to speak. "You are really something else, Nao." She said with a shake of her head, trying to force the image away. "Get your head out of the gutter."

"This from a woman who probably hasn't even had her first orgasm." Nao grinned, arms crossed, out for blood.

"I'd watch it if I were you." Akira took a step forward, her concealed glass weapon was only a moment away. "Just because Mai lets you talk to her that way doesn't mean I'm going to tolerate it."

"Hey, cool it guys." Natsuki said, knowing if she didn't speak up, Nao would try to stir up more trouble. She forced herself between the two of them. "Look, I don't want any trouble, we all have a good thing going. Drama free and all that, I don't want someone new coming in here questioning the way we go about things…we're not exactly normal." In fact, Natsuki knew the bonds they shared was the nearest thing most of them had to family. "I'm not going to compromise what we've got going all because someone doesn't like it…and if she's going to be coming around, she sure as hell can't be sneaking around and hiding." Blowing a jet of air angrily from her nose she crossed her arms. "She's either in, or she's out."

Akira lifted an eyebrow, but as she stood by her husband again, she realized that Natsuki had a point. They weren't a normal group of friends by far, and, Akira had grown used to it by circumstance. She hadn't been given a choice, because one had never been offered to her. Takumi was a package deal. He came with an older sister who was often over protective, and she came with two friends that were nosey and aggressive, but loyal beyond a fault. Akira had never felt the need to question it, she only went along with it because that was the easiest way to deal with things.

She had to admit, more often than not, the tightly knitted group helped to take a great load of stress off of her mind.

"Shizuru's trustworthy." Akira said slowly. "You won't have any trouble from her…she's not exactly in the position to speak about unreasonable behavior either."

"Anyone who camps out like she does is already unreasonable." Natsuki huffed, ignoring the fact that Nao was grabbing her butt, giving it a firm squeeze. She held her girlfriend closer as a result, but swallowed hard, thankful that no one could see it from the angle she stood at.

"Natsuki, come on… don't be that way." Takumi looked over at Akira, a small smile on his face. "My wife was an outsider to you once too, and you warmed up to Akira just fine."

"The difference is Mai didn't give us a choice." Nao said smoothly. "She threatened us with an inch of our loves and lunches if we even thought of trying." Lime green eyes searched violet. "Look, I don't really give a damn either way…but she hurts you, she's dead….that's all I'm going to say about it." The implied threat went without saying…Nao didn't want anyone nagging at her either.

"You'd have to get in line." Natsuki muttered, with a nod.

"Mai, what's really going on with you two?" Takumi asked then, his words gentle. He asked out of concern, little more, because his sister truly seemed bothered. Yet, he regretted it when violet eyes met his in shame…

Mai turned to look out of the window. She could see that Shizuru's car was still there, but the woman was actually standing outside, leaning against it. Crimson eyes seemed to gaze up at the endless sky above her, a soft wane of a smile on her features…looking sad, and maybe just a little confused. "I don't know." Mai murmured at the sight, her fingers resting on the cool glass, wondering what could be going on in the woman's mind. "I never really…" Mai smiled and shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

"What are you, stupid?" Nao barked, teeth clenched as she shook her head. "Christ, your tits really did eat your brain, didn't they!? Jesus what's wrong with you, if you care about her, just go get to it already." A firm hand on her shoulder made her pause, and when she turned to look at Natsuki, what she saw lingering in emerald eyes made her curse under her breath.

"Mai…" The low husk from Natsuki was weak, barely breathed. "Mai are you cr…" Natsuki couldn't say the word, and swallowed hard as she saw shaking shoulders. Concerned she moved forward slowly, coming to stand behind her. She didn't even have to turn Mai around, the reflection in the glass was enough to see the truth. "It matters." Natsuki said with a sigh and a shake of her head.

"It doesn't." Mai said, her voice cracking. "It can't."

Warm arms circled strong and unflinching, from all around her.

"It can." Natsuki at her back…the first real friend she ever had. "And it should."

"Don't be fuckin stupid, just admit it." Nao, the bad example at her left. Stuck to her like glue.

"Sis, you deserve to be happy too." Takumi on her right…her reason for everything in her life up until this point. Akira stood behind him, her usual stoic expression neither here nor there, but the fact that her eyes bore steadfast into Mai's own was enough…

It was late by the time that Mai could pull herself together enough to leave the hospital.

With a calm expression on her face, she kept her breathing even, trying her best to collect her thoughts and corral them into place. If only she could do that, she could find a reason for why she felt so compelled to seek Shizuru out. To desire the simple things, such as the sound of her voice, and that casual, occasional touch. She knew she had to do something to find her strength. It was a task made difficult by her own sense of doubt. Her thoughts dripped from every part of her mind, clouding her judgment.

Icy cold resolve melted between her fingers, and just like the emotions she cradled gently in her soul, she could not give a name to her skittering uncertainties. They howled like ghosts, monsters looming where she could not see…even that was her own willfulness.

She hadn't wanted to see it, her desires were something that should have been left in the dust of her already broken past. She didn't really care to think about them. Her world revolved around so many circumstances, she was afraid to add another one into it…especially one such as love. She didn't want to fall prey to that kind of weakness, least she tack onto it all of her other self-imposed misgivings.

Mai made a habit to think that she didn't deserve to truly be happy until she knew that all of the other factors in her life were well taken care of, but those factors weren't in her control. She couldn't just magically fix them, and that powerlessness scared her…it was that selfsame powerlessness that she found herself afraid of when it came to Shizuru. One look from the woman could warm her, while another could unglue her.

Thinking of that plucked away at the corners of her mind.

Especially when she knew that Shizuru, for some reason, some whim that the fawn haired women hadn't spoken deeply on, made her wait around…that such a whim enticed Shizuru to stay went beyond Mai's interpretation of what should happen…and, what it might mean.

The entire thing left Mai's head swimming, and unsteady.

Her footfalls alerted Shizuru to her presence, and tired crimson eyes opened to get a look at her. "Did you have a nice visit?" The gentle wafting voice asked, so fluid that it washed over Mai like a breath of fresh air.

Mai could have kept it simple, she knew it…but the waiting game would make her feel worse. "It was intense." She said slowly, her feet were suddenly interesting as she looked to the ground. "We all sort of had this really long talk…my friends are busybodies like that, so it's only natural. I guess you could say that on some level, I expected it to happen one day."

"I have friends like that." Shizuru nodded, as she opened her car door, but Mai remained unmoving. "Always hoping to be helpful, I'm sure…often times I find it a comfort, but every once in a while, I question it."

Mai slowly walked forward, and closed the door, leaning on it. "We…." She felt foolish and averted her eyes. "We should probably talk too." She swallowed hard.

Crimson eyes flicked up to where Akira stood, arms crossed gazing out of the window above. She nodded once before closing the blinds, forcing Shizuru to sigh inwardly to herself. "Is that something you want to do, or have you been goaded into doing it?"

"Pressured or not, we still probably should." Mai told her.

"To talk?" Shizuru asked then.

"Yeah…" Mai said weakly, lowering her eyes. "It's not that strange, is it?"

"To talk, no not at all." Shizuru laughed. "That would never be considered so." Even still, she didn't like the way her blood grew thick and slow in her veins. "You should start."

Mai lifted her eyes at that. "I would….if I knew where to begin."

Shizuru turned to her, reached her hand to touch the side of Mai's face. "You don't have to say anything." Shizuru said with a soft smile and a shake of her head. "What is there to say? Confessions and admissions don't particularly suit me."

"I-it's not like I really know how to do this…" Mai murmured, shame lingering there.

"Two august women under the moonlit sky, the entire idea seems a bit too much, wouldn't you agree?" Shizuru said, a lilt of amusement sinking in. With a breath of the crisp air, she let her thumb run over Mai's soft lips. "It's dreadful, when I think about it such as that." Yet, that was exactly what was going on, and Shizuru couldn't avoid the otherwise simple truth. She leaned in, taking Mai's lips for her own, the action silent, even as it idled between them.

Not even a promise left in its wake.

Breathlessness wasn't something that Mai had ever considered to be a good thing. It was normally a situation she encountered while filled with dread and sorrow.

Then Shizuru came along, and shattered her perceptions bit by bit. That casual touch, a brush of lips that was far too fleeting to grasp hold of lingered even hours after, leaving Mai with a feeling that wasn't entirely confidant in her own self-image. Shizuru took her home, and she went to bed alone.

There was a strange sense of agreement between them, unspoken, but seemingly reciprocated.

She looked at her phone…no texts, no calls, and she smiled at her own foolishness. A kiss didn't deem them lovers, it wasn't even something that spoke of promises for the future. Her fingers touched her lips, and she closed her eyes, trying to rekindle the feeling from the night before, trying to make sense of it. Her apartment door open and closed, and she could tell by the footfalls that it was Natsuki.

"I'm in the back." Mai called as she went to go get her uniform for work.

"Please tell me you're dressed…" Natsuki called lamely as she made her way towards the back of the apartment where the lone bathroom and the bedroom was.

"Dressed enough I'm sure." Mai said, as she hooked her pants together, fishing around for a clean shirt with the diner's logo on it. "You've seen worse back when we were in gym class."

"Don't remind me." Natsuki smirked, leaning casually on the door frame. "So, ended up alone after all, huh?"

Mai paused, shirt in hand, releasing a breath. "She kissed me." Mai admitted quietly, pulling the shirt over her head and tucking it into her pants. "Just once, and we acted like it didn't even happen afterwards."

"Probably for the best." Natsuki shrugged. "I should have gone slower, I think, when I got tangled up with Nao." Then with a self-deprecating smirk she shrugged. "Never was good with handling the rain, and back then, there was no way in hell I could hold my liquor either…" Thinking it appropriate to close the distance she stepped closer to Mai, taking the hairbrush from her to tend the short tresses. "Yamada caught us the next day naked and hung over, shook his head and muttered something about being a pain in his ass. He never did bring it up to me though."

"He's never been like that, not that I remember." Mai said with a soft laugh. "About you and Nao though…" Mai bit her lip, she'd never really questioned it. Nao's overt displays were enough to clue her in, and she didn't dare ask about it…now though, she felt like didn't have a choice. "Natsuki, what keeps you to her? It's not just the…I mean…" Mai shook her head. "Never mind, forget I asked."

"Go ahead, you can say it." Natsuki put the brush down, taking a casual stance as she picked up one of the new issues of clothing magazine she followed religiously. "It's not just about the sex, I can't argue that part of it though…" She flipped though a few pages, bored, and then put it down. "To be honest, I don't really know either. It just works…and it'll keep working until it doesn't. That's the way I got it figured out." She knew such an answer wouldn't help Mai though, and felt poorly for that at least.

"Well, nothing a day of hard work won't fix." Mai said with a smirk. "It was only a kiss, right?"

"I duuno." Natsuki said after a shrug, a question was beyond her nature, and beyond her ken. "If that's all you want it to be, then I guess so." She added with a laugh, uneasily wondering if Mai would be okay leaving it at that. "Let's go before Yamada blames me for you being late."

Once they got there, both of them went in through the back, splitting off without even a word to each other.

Natsuki had her university books crammed in a bag as she pushed the door open to go sit at the front counter. Mai began to pick up where one of the other chefs left off, washing a pile up of dishes before it got too cluttered. Yamada sat in his usual spot behind the counter, cigarette perched between his lips as he counted money and checked over paperwork.

It was like any average day, surprisingly so, although Natsuki was thankful for that. "Pops, you haven't done shit all day, have you?"

"Nope." He muttered dryly, fingering the bills in his hands. "Nothing besides the usual."

"You're such a jerk sometimes." Natsuki said with a smirk, as she hoisted the thick stack onto the empty place in front of her. "A righteous bastard others."

He looked up from his records, rolling his eyes as he got a look at the girl he'd raised into a young woman. "About time you figured that out." He grumbled at her. "The bike's fixed." He told her, sliding the keys across the counter top. "Don't mess it up."

"Thank god." She tossed him the keys to the truck, watching him catch them in his large palm. "Mai, hamburger, double mayo. It's exam crunch week."

"Gotcha Natsuki." Mai said as she saw Natsuki unload several large text books and spread them out in front of her. "It'll be about twenty, I've got some back prep to do first."

It was nice to sink into the unquestionable truth of her daily activities. They weren't hard on the mind, and yet, demanded focus. There was a comfort in that. Meanwhile, Natsuki mowed through her studies, food at her side the entire time to occupy her fast metabolism and restlessness.

This was normal, so routine that nothing seemed askew. The usual patrons came by to greet them, and the day sped by in an orderly fashion. Mai kept herself washing dishes on the off time, running the griddles and fryers, and occasionally cleaning up a mess made by less experienced co-workers. It was all so much part of her being that she didn't even notice when the front door rang and someone out of the ordinary came to also sit at the front counter.

Yamada lifted an eyebrow, seeing the beautiful fawn haired woman take a seat right beside Natsuki, who seemed to send the woman a dirty, angry gaze, before burrowing into her text books further. He thought better of saying anything to the sternness in emerald eyes. Instead, he studied the newcomer. "Would you like to place an order, miss?" He asked, as he lit a cigarette anew.

"Oh, yes." She said with a soft nod. "Tea please."

"Do you have to be right frickin' here?" Natsuki growled at her.

"It would please me to do so." Shizuru said as she began to place those agitated emerald eyes with the selfsame ones she'd caught a glimpse of the night before. "Am I bothering you?"

Natsuki chewed on her lower lip and sighed. "Mess with Mai, and I will kick your ass so hard, you won't be able to sit for weeks." She said as she turned a page. "And yeah, you piss me off."

"Pardon that one." Yamada said, pointing towards Natsuki as he placed a fresh mug of black tea in front of Shizuru. "More bark than bite, you understand."

Shizuru nodded, taking a slow sip. "Mai's recipe." She noted, the flavor hard to misplace. She enjoyed it so often in the comfort of Mai's apartment, although the woman refused to admit in her own skill.

Yamada mutter an agreement but didn't particularly bother himself with the substance. "It sells." He shrugged, flicking ashes away. His glasses were smudged with fingerprints, and so as he took them off to clean them, he looked over at the textbook Natsuki cooped herself up within. "You going to introduce me to your friend here?"

"Not now, dad." Natsuki bit out, knowing he hated to be called that, because truth be told, he wasn't actually her father by blood. "Not a word out of you, either." Natsuki glared, seeing the smirk on Shizuru's lips. "Damn exams."

"I wasn't going to say a word." Shizuru said, trying to hide her laugh, failing miserably.

Drumming his fingers on the counter, he looked up at the clock. Mai's hours would be up soon. Gathering that this young woman was here for her, and that Natsuki was going to be madder than a hornet until the woman left, he came to a simple conclusion. He turned towards the back. "Mai, get the rest of the dishes done and then get the hell out of here before Natsuki chases away the customers." He told her.

Violet eyes looked through the order window, smiling when crimson lifted from their own paperwork.

Purple was a strange color, it drew Shizuru in more often than not, and it tested her fortitude in ways akin to madness. However, as she tended to the flowers in the greenhouse she came to one startling conclusion about her own methodology. It was something small, and it didn't really matter, but, it came as a mild shock all the same.

"You really do care for flowers quite a bit, don't you?" Mai laughed as she walked by with two large watering cans.

"Perhaps." Shizuru shrugged, holding a potted lilac bush. "Although flowers to me are more of an explanation for the human condition, rather than something I fancy above other types of nature."

"That's an odd way to look at it." Mai laughed, but asked all the same. "So, why's that?"

"Why indeed?" Setting the plant down in a new location, she leaned on some of the brick that made up one of the larger troughs. "Flowers and humans are much the same in our reliance of others. Flowers, for example could not do without bees and other fauna. Without the sun and water, it would wither away. Humans need those things too, and just like flowers, our requirements are finicky, and often misunderstood. Flowers die outwardly, a show perhaps of their own weakness…people die on the inside after they've given up." Then, with a smile, she shook her head. "You for example, resemble a lilac."

"I doubt that." Mai told her. "I've never before been compared to a flower, and I don't think I should start now."

"Because you're afraid to be." Shizuru laughed.

"I am not." Mai scoffed as she mixed some plant food together with water. "Try me."

"They have varying colors, though, purple and blue seems most prominent." Shizuru nodded as she considered that. "Lilac shrubs have roots that run deeply into the soil, meaning they don't often enjoy being moved around. To them, home is home. However, strangely enough, they'll tolerate almost any soil, so it isn't as if they're picky. Invasive verities tend to grow long shoots and spread themselves thickly. That means that it would rather live in a thick cluster than be solitary. Also, they bloom in alternate years, meaning for every year they stand out beautifully, there is another that they simply don't, as if they're tired and need a rest."

The similarities amused her, and Shizuru smiled. "They may seem strong and robust because the bark can be made into strong wood. However, the flowers are fragile, and the blooms easily die if over treated. As such, they are a flower best loved gently, with as little interference as possible. That is not to say that one shouldn't tend to them of course, merely that one should consider each bloom carefully."

"That didn't answer my question." Mai frowned as she began to water the plants in front of her. "I mean, I guess I see some similarities, but not enough to really count."

"Your eyes." Shizuru murmured. "The way you treat your family and friends. The way you try to appear strong even when it seems impossible to be." It all drew Shizuru in, more and more. "You always seem to go with the flow, even though, deep down, you'll always hold onto the people and places that comfort you the most. You are always there, and you are strong. However, the situations around you are fleeting, and very fragile."

"I'm sure that can be said for many people." Mai asked, putting aside her task. "What about you then? If you were a type of flower, what would you be?"

"Some sort of bulb plant." Shizuru said after a moment. "A lily, or a tulip. Something that's often noticed as very easy to care for, but also easily forgotten about." With a shrug of her shoulders she brushed the thought aside. "Eventually, the bulb will flower again, with or without anyone's help. Then, people will take notice again, but only long enough to forget." With a smile she turned to Mai. "The ones who do tend to plants such as that understand that the bulbs are far more finicky than they let on, although it's in simple ways."

"I think that's very generic." Mai told her.

"So, it is." Shizuru wondered what might happen if she leaned in and took Mai's for her own. It was true that she liked to be very open minded, to the point of even her own emotions, which were far from black and white in terms of circumstance. "As it should be when it comes to myself, I'm sure of that."

"What are you thinking?" Mai's throat felt dry, and her tone reflected that as she grew quiet.

Shizuru wouldn't say it, wouldn't even think it as she turned away. "Don't ask questions that we both can't answer."

"Then don't answer it." Mai told her. "Just kiss me."

"You don't have to do this…" Natsuki said, her hands firmly placed on Nao's shoulders. "No one is asking you to put yourself in this position."

"She's not going to get better." Nao said quietly, swallowing hard. "Her brain isn't firing off the signals to her body the way they used to. She's turning into a god damn vegetable."

"Nao, if you sign that paperwork…" Natsuki bit her tongue, not wanting to say anything else, but her hands tightened just enough.

"We can wait." Akira said with a shake of her head. "We should wait…it would be a bad idea to jump to conclusions."

"It's been years." Nao said quietly, a cold sweat dripping down her body. "Even if she wakes up, what kind of life will she even have?" No one could answer that question. None of them dared to think of the deeper intention behind that answer. "I've been thinking about this…rolling it around in my head for a long time. She doesn't want this….who the fuck would want this?" Again, a question none of them had the right to answer. "It's been years…what if this was you?" Nao asked, turning to face her lover. "What if that person, laying on that bed was you…would you want to keep laying there, like that?"

Natsuki swallowed hard, closing her eyes…vivid memories of her past forcing her to swallow down her own bile. "No…" Natsuki murmured. She'd watched the situation go on and on, with no end in sight. If she were in the same position, she knew what she'd want. "No, I wouldn't."

"I wouldn't either." Nao hissed through clenched teeth. "And I would hate the person who kept me that way…"

"If you sign that crap, you're going to hate yourself." Natsuki retorted.

"I already hate myself." Nao shot back. "She's the same blood type, the tissue's got a high match rate…" Nao bit her lip. "The cardiologist told me that himself."

The memory of her choice, the feel of the pen in her hands, and the sting of the tears were the only thing she recalled after she scribbled her name across the several documents, blindly lettering the final choices that once done, could never be taken back. She had demanded Natsuki and Akira to keep their mouths shut.

The siblings were never to know just where Takumi's new heart was going to come from…it was her only order, even after the shock of her own choice subsided, and depression sank in.

Even the booze wasn't enough.

Nao hated to go home, to an otherwise empty house that left her filled with memories she would rather just forget about. It was that one and only reason that made her avoid going home entirely. The chairs at the hospital, the floor in Mai's living room, even the park bench she sometimes frequented were places more warm and comforting than the place she had been raised. Then again, there was one place preferable than all the rest, and though she would never say it to Natsuki, she was thankful for that unspoken spot that was hers.

No one else dared to lay on Natsuki's bed without an unhappy reaction…well, everyone except for Mai, who rarely came by anyway, and only stayed the night when things took turns for the worst…Nao hated those kinds of nights the most, and she always lay, waiting for the next terrible moment to come and go, just as they always seemed to do.

How many nights had the three of them huddled together when there was nothing else? Nao couldn't remember the exact number. She was thankful last night wasn't one of those kinds of night. She doubted she could face Mai, and tell the girl what she'd done.

Nao licked her lips, grateful for her numbed mind. Expecting it early meant she could pretend she didn't care…that at the end of the day, she really was as aloof and uncaring as she made herself out to be. A worthless façade, surely, but one she felt some strange connection with.

A fog slipped from her lips, clouding the air with toxins. Nao reached over to the nightstand next to her, leaving her pipe on the glass tray she had bought for that reason alone. She flipped her hair, pushing it out of her eyes as a sigh overtook her. "Sweet fuckin' Jesus, pup." She muttered between clenched teeth. It hurt to move, and she couldn't exactly recall what had transpired after they got to Natsuki's room. "The hell did we do?" Then she swallowed hard…. "What the hell did I do?"

Natsuki made a perturbed grunt as she lifted herself from her spot. Her body littered with bite marks, hickeys, and scratches. Two empty booze bottles littered the floor, and the thick smell of sex covered the air, mingling with the smell of tobacco. "Well, you didn't screw Jesus by the feel of it." Another grunt slipped past her lips, seeing the wetness in Nao's eyes, ignoring it.

She knew that's what Nao wanted her to do. "Who's up at the hospital?" She squinted at the clock, her mind fuzzy.

"Akira." Nao said as she sat up fully. "She has the day off, she's spending the day. We don't go up unless I get a text."

Natsuki nodded, as Nao leaned over, pushing her down into the mattress. "What?" Natsuki muttered, looking up into lime green eyes as her head hit the pillow.

"I kicked your ass last night, didn't I?" Nao laughed with a smirk that didn't reach her eyes. "I don't remember it, must have been black out drunk again."

"Wouldn't put it past you, you shit." Natsuki said, reaching up to tangle her fingers into the dark red locks. "Come here."

Nao grinned in such a way even the devils themselves would shiver, but even that was something forced. Her mask was breaking. "Make me." Even her voice fell under the weight of her turmoil.

"Nao, come here." Natsuki said, not wanting to play the game anymore. "Come on, lay back down with me." Her fingers slid down the side of Nao's cheek and over slender shoulders, trailing down to rest at Nao's elbows. When the red head further refused, keeping her playful grin as strong as she could muster, her lips trembling, Natsuki shook her head, wrapping her arms around Nao's torso, and diving on her, flipping their positions as she then pulled one end of the blankets over them in a cocoon. "I've got you."

Nao just sighed, the feigned smirk across her features now gone as she melted into the warmth of the woman holding her. "I hate you." She growled even as she buried herself into Natsuki's hold even further. "I really fuckin' hate you."

"Yeah…" Natsuki said softly. "I know."

"Why are you still here?" Nao asked then, unwilling to let Natsuki pull away. "Why stick around me?" There would be no way she would let herself be exposed.

"Don't know." Natsuki thought about that as she kissed the side of Nao's cheek, running her fingers again through those short, silky strands of hair. "Don't care, just am."

It was an easy excuse, and Nao took it willingly. "You're stupid, thinking about it like that."

"Maybe I am." Natsuki attested, she wouldn't doubt it. "Or, maybe you're just an idiot for thinking too hard." In the end of the day, Nao would still be there. "Either way, doesn't matter."

It didn't really matter, did it?

Nothing was really significant if a person clung only to that one thing. Life was a thing measured by both the quantity and quality of things experienced in an entire lifetime. It wasn't entirely one or the other. That's what Takumi believed. He fully intended to see the day where he could quantify life outside of his usual medical routine, which kept him ill as time went on. It was his position that made him realize the joys that many others would take for granted.

Even in this moment, he found significance, as mundane as it was.

Addled, Takumi allowed his mind to drift to things that had transpired right under his nose. He sat, magazine in hand, flipping the pages uneasily as he tried to figure out the foolishness of his sister. Wondering what had kept her quiet for so long wouldn't help him one way or the other, and even though he loved his sister, he would personally lock her out of the room if she came into day.

He didn't know why he felt so agitated at himself, but it nagged at him so much, that Akira finally sighed, looking up from the pen and paper she doodled on idly.

"Give it a rest." She told him as she shot her husband a pointed stare he couldn't escape from. Having been used to her directness, it didn't phase him, and yet, she never did return to her prior amusement. "You know, Takumi, when you get a new heart, you'll be able to have a normal life again."

"Yeah, I guess so." He went back to the article, uneasy and not liking the implication in her tone, distant as it was. She had been like that all morning. When...not if...but when...he began to wonder if she had lured herself into a false sense of security. "I'd have to get one first." He told her, and in order to have a working heart, he knew what that meant. The morbidity bothered him on a deeper level than he ever admitted.

"You will, one day...but even then, you'll have to be careful. I've been thinking about it, and since I plan to take over for my family, I can support the two of us." She told him, knowing that such a thing had always troubled him. "We can live comfortably, I'm sure, so I don't mind in the slightest."

"Akira, if I can get a new heart, then I'm going to be fine." He said, closing his book, hearing the things she struggled with the most. "When I recover…well, then I can get a job and help out a lot more. I never intended to be the type of person who sat around all my life…" Then he smiled, though some part of him still knew it seemed forced. "In fact, I've been taking it easy for so long, it'll be nice to be able to challenge myself a little bit."

"If you say so...but you would still need to be careful not to hurt yourself...and besides, sooner or later we'd have a family to raise, I'm sure...I'm not really the motherly type." Akira still didn't take heart to those words, discomforted as she returned to her drawing. "Are you hungry yet, I can go get you something."

"Not really." He toyed with the edges of his blanket. "I'm too worried about Mai."

"Well don't be. She can take care of herself." She ordered, as if that alone would actually be enough. "Watch a movie, or something."

"If you're tired you should go home and rest." Takumi told her, concern now growing for her too. "I know you were training late yesterday."

They were all tired, but Akira knew better than to say that. Instead she grabbed one of the books that Nao had left for her, before grabbing a pillow and a blanket from the shelves. "You want to be useful? Let's go down the hall, and you can read this while I take a nap across the air duct."

"Akira I don't think…" He quieted as she shot him a glance.

"If I wanted to know what you think, I'd ask you." She told him, as she tilted her head towards the door. "You coming?" She knew he would never know it, but the action alone would be his last time coming face to face with the woman. She hoped that he would never make the connection when the doctors would later tell him of the good news...

It was probably the worst news he'd ever hear if he heard the truth. He was too good a man to be that selfish. They all knew it...but he hadn't the slightest, and for him it was just another day.

He smiled at her, knowing he wasn't going to be able to talk her out of his, and followed behind.

Shizuru had spent the early part of the day reflecting, trying to piece together just exactly how she felt. It would have been easier to just put her heart into a box, pretending that it wasn't even there at all. Instead, for some god awful reason that she just couldn't understand for the life of her, she ended up waiting for Mai willingly. It was probably idiotic puppy love, and little more, a crush she would get over…at least that's what she wanted to believe, but Mai hadn't pushed her away.

She'd leaned into that kiss, nervous and awkward…so unsure of her own baited breath.

If that was all it was ever going to be, Shizuru knew she could go back to the old life and routine…but, if she were honest, she had no desire to. She wanted those expectant violet eyes aimed at her, those depths that damned her so…she wanted them to pull her in and sweep her away.

Even so…this…this was foolish. Yet she prepared a tray of snacks anyway as she entertained the notion of being the perfect hostess to Mai now that she was finding herself to be a houseguest. "I don't often entertain, so you'll have to forgive me." She said as she carried refreshments to the coffee table. "Perhaps I should look into changing that."

"Are you kidding, my pantry ends up bare because of how often my friends end up coming over." Mai shook her head with a soft laugh. "My apartment is like a soup kitchen and a boarding house all in one."

"Your friends come over often?" Shizuru asked, an upturned eyebrow showing her mild surprise. "I always thought they mistook your brother's room for a hotel." Then with a soft, worried glance she took a sip of tea. "Though the same could sometimes be said for you."

"At least I don't sleep sitting in my car." Mai returned, leaning in just a little bit.

"Touché." Shizuru breathed, feeling the intensity between them once again.

"Shizuru, what are we doing?" Mai asked, a twinge of sadness in her voice.

"I haven't the slightest." It was a heated admission. "A phenomenal question though." One Shizuru still hadn't had the answer to, so instead, she took Mai's face in her hands, crushing the woman's lips with her own. She could feel the uneasy tremble as they melted into each other, sighing as they parted lips for the first time. Drenching themselves in the wayward sensations filling their senses, fingers tangling into locks of hair and legs intertwined.

Mai gasped and pulled away, eyes wide as she fought to catch her breath. The intensity of that single kiss left a nagging desire to see more. Her teeth gritted gently, more out of worry than anything else, as her eyes slipped closed. She remained unmoving, even though she could still feel the warmth of the woman near her. So close, easily filing her being by the mere expression that Mai couldn't burn from her mind.

What to do eluded the both of them, denial was almost fitting…dashing aside that even such a scorching kiss happened between them was somewhat alluring in its own right…to just forget, move on, and find that renewed sense of balance once more.

"What do you want to do?" Shizuru asked her quietly, her hand lifting to that blushing cheek once more, her thumb playing over slightly parted lips and then fleeing away, trailing down Mai's chin, and then her neck. She watched, mesmerized when Mai inclined her head to welcome Shizuru's beseeching touch, violet eyes still closed, emotions concealed away to be left questioned.

Mai said nothing, her eyes opening slowly, her entire world still struggling to right itself. She didn't trust her voice as she licked her lips, almost wanting to lean in and savor another kiss. Hesitation shackled her into place, uncertainty bound her words, and that crimson eyes gaze froze her like a stone. A cold burn worked its way through her...the blood chilling reality that she wanted this woman, mingling with the fact that she had no idea how to give rise to the answer Shizuru seemed to need.

"Do you want this?" Shizuru murmured.

The question could go so many different ways, the outcomes themselves a crossroads that left Mai unwilling to make a statement. If that would be seen as an invitation or not, Mai was unsure, but she continued to say nothing as she leaned down, even the slightest bit, trying, and failing to force herself to move.

Crimson eyes narrows at that, her luscious lips thinning into a tight line. She too said nothing, leaning forward, matching Mai. Their breath once again mingling, not even inches apart. A waiting game.

Mai cracked, backing up only a little, but even that seemed as if were something she did only out of hesitation alone, weighing the implications that flowed through the air. Shizuru wanted her too, there was no doubt…and Nao's little barbs, crass as they were…could no longer be called jokes.

A beating heart waited in the palm of Mai's hand. So easy to crush and trample underfoot, and equally easy to caress and cradle in her hands.

Shizuru grew near, a pleading glance fracturing her mask again, a mere moment of expression something far deeper than words. Again, so close, and yet so far, a gap Shizuru wouldn't close so willfully. It was a question, permission being asked to do as she pleased. Noses touching, eyes meeting, and shallow breath suffocating the both of them.

Did she want this?

"More than anything." Mai said with a careful nod, barely there at all, their wishes granted in that single action.

...

From the looks of it, he wouldn't be getting his morning tea today.

From the open window, Reito shook his head as he stuffed his hand into his pockets, a smirk lifting from his lips as he descended from the front steps. "Good girl." He whispered to the closed front door, where the spider still perched in the door frame. Lifting his phone to his ear, he waited for the person on the other line to pick up. "You win, Akira, I'll pay for Takumi to fly to America."

"Don't bother." The husky famine voice said with her usual directness. "I didn't do it for you, or for Takumi…besides, we've got a heart…" The click entered his ear, the sound of her hanging up. He looked back towards the house, and his eyes narrowed, there was nothing he could do but keep an eye on Shizuru from afar. All of the money and power in the world could never buy her happiness, but he hoped that his desire for her to be so was enough.

She was Mai's worry now, and he could be content with that. With a smirk playing on his lips, he went off to work, leaving the two women to their slumber.

Such blissful heaven had an end, and it came when the morning sun trickled in through the window with blinding force.

At first, she thought she might be in some strange fantasy, but the breath upon the nape of her neck was tangible. The gentle smell of spices from the candle that had long since burned out, and the feel soft skin was the first thing Mai woke up to, wrapped up in a blanket and an embrace.

Shizuru held her near, sleeping soundly, her nose buried in the crook of Mai's neck, seemingly drowning in her scent with every breath. It was unusually warm, considering they weren't in a bed, but rather on that same lounge that they had perched upon the day before. It would have been temping not to move, but she couldn't rightly laze around all day.

Easing her way out of the embrace that held her close, Mai righted her shirt that sat askew on her form, cursing her breasts for being so large and hard to manage at times. It felt strange waking up in a home that was not her own, in the arms of another. She felt rested, and even more than that, safe. Comforted by Shizuru's nearness, even when every other part of her felt uneasy about what that comfort might mean.

She was unsure just how her life would change, if it would at all…and yet, the thought had yet to petrify her. Instead, it had only bound her resolve more tightly around her heart. Every moment spent near the woman of fawn tresses was a moment not spent in sadness, a moment not spent wishing for the world itself to end.

They were moments of hope, laughter, and tenderness. Things she had never knew she was so thirsty for until Shizuru had come along.

If Mai had learned anything from Nao and Natsuki, it was that love was a lot less magical than fairytales made it seem. It was warmth on the coldest days, and yet unstable, rocky paths the only ones to take. Even so, at that moment, it didn't feel so hard, and for the first time, she'd slept soundly. That alone was worth it, Shizuru's voice, the feel of her lips, and her easy going smile. The gamble was an easy choice to make. Mai knew that Shizuru kept a large, yet modestly stocked kitchen.

She leaned down to kiss the woman on the lips. It still felt like home, still the one place she belonged. It was with that truth that she took their cellphones and hid them in the drawer of the coffee table. The gamble of loving another had only just begun, and it was a risk she was willing to take as she went to go make breakfast.

Turnabout was fair play...


And so ends a fiction that was birthed from a conversation on Skype, and a 300 word document in notes. I hope you enjoyed it Beth...the epilogue we discussed will be coming in the foreseeable future...after real life calms back down a bit.

Going back to my little cubbyhole now, until next time.