Rawr! :D I thank thee for reading this far and I'm glad you like the previous chapter. It's my favourite. Heh.

This chapter is not as long as I would have liked but I thought that it was time I posted something. Just two days too late to post on Natsuki's Birthday, awww...I blame that on exams and umm...my slowness. :X

As always, thank you very much for the reviews! I hope you enjoy. :)

Golden hair that shined so brightly under the mighty Sun. Red eyes that seem to bore depths of crimson so rich it was like blood; thick and dark. Beautifully sculpted hands of pale yet pinkish skin, folded neatly on her lap. And an all too dazzling smile upon her lips. Such was the visage of my companion; her countenance capable of yielding the utter fascination of many. Including myself.

She did not hide the inquisitiveness in her eyes as they peered into mine by the mere mention of 'Kaya'. Having been the one to bring up such a question from scrutinizing the photo between her fingertips, she was brazen in her desire to obtain her much wanted answers. An act which compelled me –more so with her gaze upon me in such a close proximity- to tell her anything she wished to know despite my weariness on touching that particular subject.

So thin were my defenses against the face she pulled at me. I have little doubt that you would have done the same in my stead; she had a certain charm that could not be ignored even with the roughest of individuals. Then again, there was something in me that made me feel that she deserved to know especially with the events that have taken place. It was only right after blatantly using her like that without prior notice or consent.

At the end of my tale, she was reticent; her face unreadable and lips pulled into a thin line. Her brows lightly creased while fixing a passive look upon her entwined fingers. As I eased back onto the polished oak behind me, I closed my eyes to gather myself. Talking about the past was not easy at all. So many emotions still lay beneath the layers upon layers of memories I wish not to forget. I was getting better at controlling my feelings, I noticed. It did not hurt as much when I think of Kaya now.

How did it feel like to see a carbon copy of yourself? To hear of a life different to your own even if you share the same face?

I cannot even begin to imagine what was going through her head right now. All that I am sure of is that whatever she was thinking of could not have been something as simple as 'Cool! There is someone who looks like me!' I would imagine myself thinking if I was experiencing the same thing. I am confident of that for two reasons:

One, she would never talk like that. It just doesn't feel right with me. Plus, I have a feeling that she has never said the word 'cool' in all the years since it's invention. Think about it, a woman with her elegance and stature? It would be hard to believe such word would fall from her lips. Awkward at best.

And two (a much more serious answer than my first which, now that I think about it, kinda sounds like a joke), the news could hardly be that simple to her if it could invoke such a distracted expression upon her features. Yes, distracted. I know for a fact that she hides her emotions well and that the staring off into space look I was getting is far from the 'everything-is-dandy' smile she would often have. Ah, another thing similar to my wife. Hiding behind a smile. I wonder how many similarities there are apart from their beautiful faces.

Those wine red eyes which I previously had seen so unfocused before suddenly shimmered darkly and I found myself at the receiving end of an attention grabbing stare. What was it about these kinds of rose-coloured eyes that has me mesmerized by a mere look?

"Your wife is a very lucky woman."

Shizuru was staring at the photo once more, her eyes soft as a finger traced lightly the enthralling image similar to her own. Though she had never done her hair that way nor had she ever smiled so beautifully before, it was irrefutable that the person in that photo looked exactly like her. From the brown honey locks to the rare crimson irises to the shape of her nose, chin and mouth; every facial feature unique to her own was imprinted exactly the same and she couldn't help but laugh at the thought of her 'rare' beauty often praised as one-of-a-kind being not so. Ah, but considering that only she was alive at that moment, the title still held; not that she took pleasure in thinking that or anything. In fact, she didn't really care. It was just a fleeting thought amidst the thousands upon thousands of musings running through her currently overworked brain.

"Why do you think that?"

She had almost forgotten that she had even said anything, having voiced the statement impulsively. Furthermore, the seemingly long interval before her companion spoke did nothing in keeping her thoughts from wandering off. She did not turn her head to address the question but instead remained at the face she probably had been looking at for almost the entire time they were seated there.

"Her smile, it looks like one of absolute happiness."

She wished she could smile like that. Had a reason to smile like that. What was it that enabled her to express herself in that way? For sure it was not money because she had plenty of that and yet she did not have what her copy had. Both her parents had more money than they could have imagined and yet she did not remember ever seeing such a spectacle from either of them. Surely this woman was lucky for finding it.

"She also has a lovely wife such as Natsuki."

Shizuru did not say this with the intention of eliciting a blush (though she did find it a bonus), she really did mean it. Natsuki is a very devoted wife; that much she had gathered. For one, she still wore the ring they exchanged on their wedding day. This was an assumption on her part seeing as it looked far more expensive for anything other than that and she doubted the woman would go through all that trouble earlier if she had a fiancé. And there was that time when they had first met; to lose her senses just from a mere touch (a peck on the lips actually) which she now assumed was because she looked very much like her wife. It definitely showed how much she still loved her wife dearly.

Deep inside, she felt a flicker of envy coursing through her. It was a startling and unfamiliar feeling and had caused an internal debate to ensue within the confines of her mind. She was aware of its presence but questioned its origins; turning from one thought to the other. Was it perhaps jealousy towards that woman? A woman who not only had her looks but also something else? Yes, that woman was lucky. She was lucky to obtain what she, Fujino Shizuru had sought but have yet to procure.

"May I ask you one thing?"

Her eyes had already drifted away, the photo left forgotten on her lap. Suddenly, it was as if the trees straight ahead were much more interesting but her mind had not been there. The question prompted the emerald-eyed woman who was quiet with a blush before to place her attention upon her pretend wife.

"Shoot away."

A grin she gave with her answer, the rosy colouring leaving her cheeks rapidly. Shizuru watched as it faded away before she asked, the beginnings of a smirk tickling her lips.

"If you knew that those ladies were going to hound you like that, why did you not ask Duran-san to accompany you?"

Puffing a breath of air, she made herself more comfortable as she straightened her back. Crossing her arms, she peered at Shizuru with a relaxed disposition.

"While I knew they were going to bother me, I had no idea they would be so nosy about my love life."

She chuckled a little, a hand going to her face as she shook her head. Shizuru found herself nodding along to her words. She had been to many parties like these by the insistence of her parents (strengthening business relations and whatnot) and the women were mostly like that; always meddlesome in her affairs especially when it came to choosing a date and in worse cases, a marriage partner. She was fortunate her parents didn't care much for that and left her to her own devices when it came to who she associated herself with. They did not believe in marriage for business and were powerful and experienced enough to say that even if she did marry any one of them, it would benefit the other family more than it would them. They would probably be nothing more than opportunists anyway.

"Besides, I don't think bringing Duran here would be a wise choice. His mere presence alone would cause uproar even if he is well behaved and is not likely to attack."

"Attack? Does he have anger problems?"

"Eh, no. He only attacks when he senses danger but other people would think otherwise regardless because just by seeing him they are already scared. With this pompous lot of people, it's definite."

"Ara, what is it that scares them when they look at him? Is he famous for being rough or something like that?"

"…why do I get the feeling that there is something wrong with this conversation we're having?"

Natsuki scratched her head, confusion evident on her face. Going over what Shizuru had said previously, she then realized something the brunette probably had not; which obviously meant that Shizuru was now likely clueless and befuddled with what she had just said seemingly out of the blue.

"You have not seen Duran, have you?"

She answered with a shake of the head; unable to see where this was going yet curious at the same time.

"What do you think Duran is? What is your perception of him?"

"He is kind and quite strong. Having saved me when I was lost in the forest, I would think so…"

Her hand went to cup her cheek. She couldn't think of much else since she had not seen him neither had she heard of him other than that one time in the forest. There was something else but she didn't really think it was relevant anymore seeing as her companion did not seem like she was attracted to the opposite sex now that she had heard a little of the woman's history. Again, this was just an assumption; she didn't really know for sure.

"You are quite right about that. He surely is kind and very much strong. Is there anything else?"

Egging her to continue, she almost looked like she was holding in a chuckle to Shizuru. What was it that she missed? She tapped her cheek lightly in thought, disliking slightly the feeling she had that the woman was purposely withholding something. 'Out with it,' she would have said if she didn't have any patience and self control. Seeing as there really wasn't anything she could say, the thought she had dismissed earlier was let out for the fun of it. Because saying nothing would be too boring.

"I think he is quite… a nice man. Is he a boyfriend, perhaps?"

Just as she had suspected, her companion was indeed holding in her mirth because the minute the words left her mouth, she had erupted in laughter. She would be lying if she said it didn't irk her –though just a little. Shizuru was not used to this setting as it usually was the other way around.

"I am glad Natsuki is enjoying herself at my expense. Now please tell me what is it you find so humorous?"

"…boyfriend? My relationship with Duran could never develop into something like that. And that is not because he is male. While he is nice, he is not in any way a man other than in spirit, maybe."

Lifting an eyebrow, Shizuru could not hide the curiosity from showing in her face as her eyes brightened under the Sun. It had overshadowed the joy she felt at the confirmation that the woman before her really was as she assumed; though it was no surprise since it would take a lot to convince her otherwise.

"Ara, then what is he then?"

She had grinned widely from ear to ear like that of the Cheshire cat Shizuru remembered seeing in a movie once as a child. It made her look mischievous which she thought was very fitting for it described perfectly Natsuki's behavior at that particular moment. Will she finally reveal her thoughts now? Or will she continue to dance around the subject? Frustrating as it was, she couldn't deny that she was enjoying herself.

"Why don't you guess? I'll give you a clue: Red Riding Hood."

"A wolf?"

"Yes, that is correct! Here is your prize."

Suddenly, Shizuru found herself being patted on the head and her cheeks florid involuntarily. Even her parents had rarely (if any) done that to her when she was younger. It was a nice feeling she reluctantly admitted but made her feel like a child. Maybe that was precisely why she had never seen anybody do that to a fully grown adult.

"Ara"

"…I expected a kiss if anything."

That had earned her a pinch on the shoulder and she daresay a blush though minor but still pinkish enough to be seen. Seeing past the mock anger, she was pleased to note that her jest did not offend her. In her subconscious, a strange feeling of calmness disseminated it itself upon her without notice; her features relaxing ever so slightly that even as Natsuki sat across from her on a bench which probably from the looks of the space between them could only fit a rather small child and not anything bigger, she did not notice the face was any different than it was. Neither did the owner herself.

"That is not something to be given out so easily just like that!"

'Which makes it all the more enticing to me.'

It was true. The woman in front of her seemed much more desirable than she had been before when Shizuru had first met the dark-haired beauty. She didn't know it yet but her interest in the woman was starting to develop into something else. It was funny how both Shizuru and Kaya, similar as they are characteristically, also had the same taste in women; or in particular, a certain someone named Kuga Natsuki whose indescribably enchanting qualities captured their attention almost immediately and unknowingly, their heart as well.