It was her phone that woke them early on a Sunday morning. They'd had a concert the night before followed by a late night dessert date at an all-night diner.

"Don't answer it," Shuuhei mumbled as he pulled her close, brushing his lips over her shoulder.

Kana already had the phone in her hand. "I have to answer it. It's my mother."

He sighed. Shuuhei wasn't sure about her mother's opinion of him. The first time he'd met Emi, he'd been shirtless. He had been getting ready for work, and he thought the banging on the door was Kana. In his rush to answer the door, he hadn't put on his shirt. Kana had arrived back at the apartment a few awkward moments later.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Emi said when Kana answered her phone.

"Tell you what, Mom?"

"That you were dating Shuuhei. It's all over the tabloids." Emi was staring at a picture of her daughter in a passionate embrace with the man.

"Oh. Well I..."

"How long have you been keeping this from me?"

"We've only been dating a couple of weeks. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

'A month,' Shuuhei mouthed at her.

"Are you sleeping together?"

"Mother!"

"I'm almost at your apartment."

"What? Now?" Kana asked, shocked.

"Kana, are you still in bed?" Emi scoffed at the thought.

"We had a concert last night. We didn't get in until late." They hadn't gone straight to sleep when they got in either.

"That is no excuse. I'll be there in a few minutes." Emi disconnected the call.

Kana jumped up out of bed and ran to her room to get dressed. Shuuhei put on workout pants and a muscle shirt before following her to her room.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked.

"I should probably talk to her alone. She's not happy with me." Kana sighed.

"I'm happy with you," Shuuhei said as he kissed her. "You don't have to do this alone."

"I know, but I need to."

"I'll be downstairs in the gym if you need me." He kissed her again and left the apartment just before Emi arrived.

Kana opened the door and invited Emi inside.

Emi looked around the apartment. "You could be living with me," she reminded Kana.

"I like living on my own."

"Kana, you're living with a man. A man you're now dating." She studied her daughter. "I thought Rolling Star was more important to you."

"Rolling Star is important to me. It's important to Shuuhei too."

"What happens when this thing fizzles?"

Kana shrugged. "I don't know. I would hope we could remain friends."

Emi shook her head and wondered how her daughter could be so naive. "You can't remain friends with a lover. Is Shuuhei still friends with his past girlfriends?"

Kana thought a moment. "We haven't really talked about his past girlfriends." Although she knew he wasn't still friends with his last girlfriend.

"Have you told him about her?"

"I didn't have to. Shuuhei met anKa. He realized it on his own not that long ago."

"If he can, others can...and will. Of course, he could tell the press himself."

Kana shook her head. "Shuuhei told me that it's my story to tell. Why would he tell anyone? If anything happens to me it affects Rolling Star."

"Money is a strong motivator."

"Shuuhei doesn't need money. He makes good money writing, and Rolling Star is about to take off." Kana grinned. "We wrote the best song. It's going to be our first single off the album."

"You're recording? You didn't mention that to me."

"Not yet but soon. Kyoraku wants us to tweak a few more songs before we start recording." Kana looked at her mother. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my relationship with Shuuhei. I wasn't intentionally keeping it from you. We're still getting used to it. Things have changed but they're still the same."

"Kana, Rolling Star comes first. You've worked too hard."

"It does, Mother. It really does."

Emi looked at her watch. "I have a few minutes before I have to leave. Tell me, are you sleeping together?"

"Mother!" Kana exclaimed, ready to deny having a sexual relationship with Shuuhei. The flush on her cheeks, however, gave her away.

...

Kana gave herself a few minutes after her mother left before she went down to the gym. She found Shuuhei running on the treadmill. He wore headphones and listened to music on his mp3 player.

She walked over to his machine and pulled on the headphone cord lightly. "Are you running away from my mother?" Kana teased.

"I'm not going anywhere," Shuuhei grinned as he turned off the music. "Is she still here?"

"She just left. She had an appointment."

Shuuhei turned off the treadmill. "That's a shame."

"I think I prefer it that way," she replied with a grin.

Taking her hand, Shuuhei walked with her back up to their apartment.

"Shuuhei, my mother's biggest concern is that you'll distract me from Rolling Star's success."

"I doubt that. I want Rolling Star to make it just as much as you do."

"I know. I told her that." Kana looked at him. "What happens when this fizzles?"

"When what fizzles?"

"This. Us. Will we be friends still? Are you still friends with your ex-girlfriends?"

Shuuhei ran a hand through his hair. He didn't want to think of the possibility of losing Kana. "Except for Rangiku, yes."

"Will you ever be friends with her again?"

"I don't know, Kana. She didn't just break my heart; she shattered my trust in her." Wrapping his arms around her, Shuuhei held her. He needed her more than he realized.

"I don't want this to fizzle," Kana admitted quietly.

"I don't either." He kissed her and picked her up. Shuuhei sat on the edge of his bed with her wrapped around him and kissed her. After a while, he laid back on the bed with her on top of him.

As the morning light streamed into his window, he made love to Kana knowing that he was in love with her and unable to stop himself from sinking further.