Hello once again! :D

I miss Shizuka. Do you?

This is just something I got the sudden urge to write. And it's short. I'm sorry. OTL

Do let me know what you think and if it's bad; I'm so so very sorry. :(

Since I have some time, I'd like to take a moment to reply to your reviews for the last chapter:

Garrita salvatrucha: I am so very honored you feel that way. Makes me feel like I am doing something right with the story. Thank you so much reading. :)

SangLune: Sorry it's short. This one too. I'll try my best to make it longer next time.^^

oOYuuOo: Hahaha. Maybe. Do you think it would be too cliché if it was?

And lastly to anonymous (cause you really didn't leave any name nor any way of contacting you): It was my intention to lighten the mood a bit but I didn't think it would ruin the story. I still have a lot to learn it seems. Sorry I ruined it for you. :( As for the Sandman part, I honestly have never heard of John Blund till you mentioned it. It does fit the description very well. But it was wrong of me to assume that every one might know of the Sandman as I thought. I'll be careful next time. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it very much. :)

"You misspelled a word there"

Natsuki was sitting in the living room facing her laptop on the coffee table when Shizuka broke her concentration. Suddenly, her train of thought was lost and she blinked back the immediate blank that came after; distracted momentarily from the document she had been working on with the seriousness of a tigress watching her prey for the past two hours. Her hands stayed motionless on the smooth keyboard as her mind tried to break from the disorientation she was experiencing; her body doing just the same, making her look as if she was a statue one would see in a park.

Shizuka's arms were wrapped around her neck while her legs locked onto her midriff. Clinging like a koala, her grip was strong upon her person and she had only just noticed. Engrossed as she was, she did not notice the extra weight even though it had already been ten minutes since Shizuka clambered onto her lean frame. And even if she did, she wouldn't care as it was a normal occurrence in the Kuga household. Since the time Shizuka had been born into the world, Natsuki always held an affinity to holding her daughter. Perhaps it was because it kept her close and was like a form of skinship; a way of bonding through physical contact.

The first time she held her in her arms, tears had immediately formed rivers from the joy. There in her hands was a miracle born from the love she shared and as the warmth spread through her fingers from a single touch, the connection came in an instant. The upward curve of her lips had been instinctive at that moment, spreading from ear to ear and completely unstoppable. It stayed there till her cheeks throbbed with pain having been stretched to its limits in the hours in which it was spent. However as the curve slowly dissipated, it did not rid her of the bounce in her step nor the cheer in her voice. Not one word could describe perfectly the happiness she experienced.

"The misspelled word; do you see it?"

Little incandescent eyes were not upon the screen when she repeated her words to provoke movement from the still figure caught in her hold. Head angled to a position where there was space between their faces, she could see the edge of the unfocused green alight with the comprehension of what she just said.

"Where?"

Her body moved unconsciously from side to side as her eyes tried to pinpoint the exact location her daughter was hinting at. The little koala on her back was moved along with her movements, its clutch on her tightening at times but not distinct enough for her to notice.

"Over there."

A tiny hand moved from under her neck to point at the screen where her eyes spotted a red jagged line. Chuckling at her mistake, she clicked the mouse to where her finger was and erased the accidentally added consonant there.

"I'm lucky to have an extra pair of eyes to help me," she uttered thoughtfully, earning a happy expression from the girl who hugged her closer.

Brunette strands tickled her nose as a breeze flew by from a nearby window. With her hands occupied at the moment, she blew them away with her mouth before she got the urge to sneeze. After typing a bit more, she saved the document and closed the laptop. Standing up, the grip upon her tightened for a moment and relaxed again once her stance was more balanced and straight. Taking a few steps around the carpeted floor, the little koala showed no sign of wanting to come down from her tree.

"I'm guessing you don't plan on getting off me anytime soon?"

"Nope."

"What should I do then…hmm…"

Sitting right back down, Natsuki mumbled to herself, a hand moving under her chin in a motion that seemed like she was stroking a well-flourished beard. A giggle sounded next to her ear as she caught the little hand that had wandered too near an exposed cheek.

"Oh? What do we have here, eh?

She blew upon the trespassing hand before pretending to pull it closer to her opened mouth.

"I'm going to eat you~!"

"No! Mama! Iyaaa."

Little legs wriggled at her waist (putting up quite a fight for the other hand that was desperately trying keep the girl from falling which, during her excitement, she had forgotten of) as the little girl tried to extract her hand away with all her might. But of course her strength could never be a match for her mother. That, however, didn't mean she wasn't going to do anything to avoid her fate. Kissing her mother's cheek frantically, she hoped to surprise her enough to loosen her grip. It had worked but not in the way she thought it would.

"Guwahh…how did you know…that…was…my…weaknessssss…?"

Staggering in her step left and right with her whole body dramatically –wriggling hands included- she acted like she was slowly losing her strength and it made Shizuka chortle as she was carried along, her previously captured hand tucked tightly beneath its twin around her neck.

With her back bent low, she took an appearance similar to that of a humanoid robot that had just ran out of battery juice. Then she took her knees to the floor, her hands supporting her from falling face down on the ground and stayed motionless as the girl on her back laid her head gently on top of her with closed eyes.

"I miss this."

Her soft whisper was just loud enough to be heard but too soft to be carried further than the ears she spoke to. A hum was the only response she had gotten and was the only thing she needed and expected to hear. There was no need for more words to be spoken between them.

Having had her fill, Shizuka carefully found her footing on the carpet beneath her. Taking care to not lose her balance, she still kept her grip on the cotton sweater before completely removing her weight on her placid looking mother. With a quick kiss to the cheek, she quietly excused herself to her room where Duran the plushie would keep her company for the rest of the day as her mother got back to the work she so graciously distracted her away from.