Ohoho, I don't know how it escalated to this but Shizuka is starting to scare me now. This is my first chapter without ever writing a rough draft on paper first. Completely done spontaneously in front of the computer. I do have notes here and there to guide me along but writing it out is a different matter all together. Keke. It was fun though to write this part. (n* w*)n

Mighty thanks for the reviews. Especially to Garrita Salvatrucha. Your review made me positively beam :) Though I didn't quite understand the last bit. Is it spanish? At times like this, google translate can be quite useful. And to oOYuuOo too. Your answer was very helpful. :D

Anyways, let me keep you no further. I hope you enjoy. :)

She kept hearing those words in her head. Replaying over and over again. She was glad she had managed to keep the redness in her cheeks to a minimal at that time but felt depressed as well for the lack of mental power she had to block the images and words that seem to float back every few seconds. And it had already been quite a long time since that day.

Had she not thought that it would've been pointless and probably made her look like some weirdo, she'd be pounding her fists in frustration right now (particularly at the noggin which was doing the heinous deed). Instead she chose to hold her head in a fierce grip with shut eyes and will it to go away. Just like all the other times unwanted memories or thoughts would invade her.

Gah!

Get out of my head!

It had been on impulse when she patted Shizuru on the head. Natsuki did not know she had done it until she felt the familiar softness beneath her fingers. Her hand had been shaking as soon as she forced it away, hiding it away from Shizuru's vision. Oh how relieved was she that the woman didn't notice! She wouldn't be able to explain herself. Neither would she be able to save her poor self from further embarrassment.

There was something about Shizuru that made her lose herself momentarily; her composure going out the window. But that was not what she feared. It was something else. What she feared was that this giddiness she felt around the woman had nothing to do with how she looked. True, there were times where she would do things she would normally do with Kaya on impulse around her but there were also times where she noticed something else. What she noticed was, even as it had been like how she usually treated her late wife, it was still different.

Traitor.

Her body was a traitor.

No.

Her body was her own.

She was the traitor.

And it scared her.

Yet, even with the fear, it was still not enough to keep her away. The woman would hop right back into her vision and she would be then drawn by some invisible force towards her like a moth to a flame. The fire would burn her and yet she would stay regardless. But if you were to ask her why it was so, you wouldn't get an answer. Her body was ahead of her mind and it had always been that way as far as she could remember; at the very least, when a certain brunette was concern.

It would be a couple of hours later when she finally calmed down, forcing the feeling away as the need to pick Shizuka up rose. Today was a weekend and it was today that she had sent her daughter to play with her grandparents. She knew that if Shizuka was with her at the moment, she would not have been able to hide her thoughts from her.

Exposed.

Shizuka could almost always read her like an open book and it was with this thought that she pretended to not see the look Shizuka gave as she dropped her off on Emiko's and Gensou's doorstep. There was a fear that one day her thoughts would cause her daughter to hate her. Leave her. True, she knew that Shizuka would love her no matter what as she had said many times before. But there was no guarantee because regardless of how good of a mother she was, if her daughter saw the ugliness inside of her… she dare not think what would happen.

She did not want to lose that light in her daughter's eyes whenever she saw her.

The love and adoration she had towards her. The pride in being her daughter.

It would break her heart if it was lost and all that was left was disgust and shame for having her as her mother.

Because she meant the world to her.

Shizuka loved cookies. Chocolate chip, buttermilk, jam-filled and the likes. She loved baking them and the people who taught her to. But as much as she liked all these things, her thoughts would always lead her towards her mother who haphazardly left her in the home of her dear grandparents. Note the haphazard way she had done it. She had still been sleeping when her mother burst in the room, cleaned her up, stuffed a piece of bread in her mouth and dropped her off for breakfast with grandpa and grandma without her.

It was a cause to be concern; the way she was acting. Who wouldn't be suspicious? Despite being half asleep, she still managed a pout and something of a reproved look on her face. She had been looking forward to mommy-daughter time as was with the usual plans on weekends. And to be ignored! Her mother was sorely wrong if she thought she didn't notice that she pretended not to see. She saw, she was sure of it!

Munching on a freshly baked cookie- courtesy of Emiko- the wheels in her mind turned. Her brow had been furrowed and Emiko thought a good chocolate chip cookie would be enough to remedy that. But the Kuga genes stayed strong. Distracted with her thoughts, the furrow was stuck until she decided that perhaps she shouldn't pursue it any further. Her mother had a reason and she would let her be. For now.

Gensou ruffled her hair as he passed her to get one for himself. His hand was smacked away by his wife who warned him that this batch was for their lovely granddaughter to take home to eat.

"One couldn't hurt, love. Don't I get one too?"

"Of course you can have some; just not these. The ones you can eat are still in the oven."

"But… that will take awhile before it's done."

"Patience is a virtue my dear and by waiting you get to eat Shizuka's personally made cookies. She had made them all by herself. I'm sure you will be delighted to taste them, right?"

"All by herself? My little pumpkin?"

"Yes, grandpa gets to taste my first attempt at reproducing grandmama's famous choco cookies."

"Oh dear, how much you have grown."

He hugged her and pinched her cheek before taking a seat at the dining table to watch the sweet smelling cookies in the oven, Shizuka sitting beside him as was Emiko.

'Not as much as I would have liked to though.'

It was not enough. It was too slow. Much too slow. She wanted to grow faster. Much, much faster. She needed to be older. There were just so many things she could get done. So many opportunities to make use of. Almost all the things she wanted to do now only could be done if she was older. Much older. If only there was a way to grow rapidly in a short span of time. But it was impossible. Damn impossible.

So she could only do things that were possible with her current self. But that wouldn't mean that she would limit herself to what people would normally think a child like her could do. No, if she thought she could do it then she would. She won't stand by other people's standards. No, she will not. All that mattered was what she thought. Because she and only she, could know where her limits lie.

Rules be damned!

Who says that just because she was so young she doesn't get to comfort her dear mother?

To chase the baddies away?

To prevent her heartbreak?

How could she just sit by and watch it before her eyes? She knew. She knew her mother was troubled. And she knew the cause of it. It was obvious. She already anticipated as much – though she had hoped it wouldn't come to this. Nothing had been said yet because she only chose to turn a blind eye. Because it would only trouble her. And she knew that there was a right time for everything. She would get her chance. It was only a matter of time.

She didn't have Alyssa's or Konrad's support this time. A call could fix that but she didn't want to. They were busy people; that much she knew. They would visit often otherwise. She also knew they would drop everything for her if needed but that was not something she would be pleased with them doing. Shizuka rather preferred to take the road with the least number of inconveniences given to the parties involved. Better yet, not a single trouble to anyone but herself. It was selfish to bother other people with her own selfish desires. Well, that was what she thought anyway. Konrad or Alyssa could care less; as long as she and Natsuki were happy. They would fly to the moon to get a moon rock if they asked.

And because she didn't want them to worry, she told the both of them they (Natsuki especially) were fine. It was within a range that was manageable even for her was what she had said over the phone (yes, she does call them sometimes or rather, Alyssa insists she keeps them updated). Because that was what she believed and also because telling them that her mother was completely fine so soon would have been too suspicious. They weren't dumb. In fact, they were very intelligent people. So she was very careful with her words. She'd liked to think that she's been quite successful thus far… but who knows what those two were really thinking.

By eleven Natsuki was already at their doorstep, rapping her fist upon the solid wood in front of her. There she was the perfect picture of a calm, confident woman to strangers' eyes. If you looked hard enough though, you could have seen the smile on her face falter just for a second before she had made herself known to the occupants of the house.

Combing her hair with her fingers in a gesture of nervousness, she exhaled a quick breath before someone came to answer her knock. It was Emiko who stood there with her hand upon the door, happily greeting her and then pulling her in with a hand upon her wrist. Shizuka did not come to the door for her like she had thought she would or usually did. Suddenly, her stomach didn't feel too good anymore.

When she saw the smile on her daughter's face and her hands covered in cookie dough, she exhaled another breath quietly. The weight upon her stomach fluttered away and her mood brightened immensely. Returning the expression, she bent down to speak with her daughter face to face as she excitedly told her of her morning in the kitchen and her surprise waiting on the table and also in the oven. After her successful first batch Shizuka had decided to make another; a different type but still another of Emiko's ancestral legacy. Recipes handed down from mother to daughter were now being handed down from grandmother to granddaughter. But it will still take awhile before the fledgling could master all 48 recipes and be able to pass it on to the next kin.

Mischievous as Shizuka was, she couldn't help smudging her finger on the skin displayed so nicely for her. The almost whitish skin was the perfect canvas for her dough covered hands. And it was the perfect thing to make her feel better; for her mother's absence and also for leaving without a word. The reprimand afterwards was nothing short of merriment as her mother pinched her cheek, rubbed her dirtied cheeks on hers and laughed aloud.

And now the two of them looked like a tornado just passed through a bakery and they were in it; which of course, prompted Emiko to send them to the bathroom to get cleaned up before they brought the mess somewhere else or on someone else. It took effort to get her home to look prim and proper. Messing her house is a no-no; not even if it was endearing to watch them. Though, they did get out of an earful of lecturing.

"This cookie is great!"

Gensou's head peeked from the kitchen into the living room, cookie crumbs all over his face. Pushing his head back into the kitchen before the crumbs fell on her clean carpet, she expertly directed him back to the kitchen table where he then took another cookie to his mouth. Handing him a napkin, she smiled before sampling one herself. Her granddaughter was really turning out to be quite the apprentice!

Feeling pride sweep through her, she planned what she should teach her next; calculating the amount of effort needed and required of the small but bright young student and taking the much easier ones into consideration rather than the harder ones. Age was not the reason she thought Shizuka shouldn't take on the much difficult recipes in her arsenal. That was not what she had in mind. It had to do with her lack of experience. Sure, her body could prove to be a challenge but Emiko believed the girl could do it despite that. She had seen the girl in action and boy, could that girl make it look as if it wasn't even an issue. Nevertheless, Emiko did keep a watchful eye and help her here and there every chance she got. There was no way she could not worry even if she knew how capable Shizuka could be.

Shizuka observed her every move with bright sparkling eyes from the moment she took a piece from the plate to the second she took it to her mouth. They were still on her as she sampled the warm brown cookie and when she gave a hum of approval. It was only after she took the last bite that she turned to meet her stare, her eyes curious and her mouth still chewing.

"Like them?"

"You did great princess!"

Natsuki had replied with a mouth full of cookies and it earned her a pinched on the ear for her bad manners by none other than Emiko herself. Covering her mouth to hide her giggles, Shizuka watched as her mother gave a quick apology and nursed her wound. Recovering fast, Natsuki was back to eating the delightful confection in a matter of seconds.

The cookies felt strangely nostalgic but Natsuki kept the thought to herself. There was a slight distinct taste to them, differing from how Emiko's were like but still mostly the same. Something like how different hands could produce different things; each person could follow the same recipe but still the end result could have differing qualities to them. That was how she felt. Even Kaya's were different from the both of them. Still, she loved every one of them. They were great cookies, there's no denying that. Not just the taste but also the love and care that was put into them.

After a long day at her parents-in-laws' house (Emiko insisted that they stayed for lunch and dinner because it was not often when they came to visit), Natsuki was tired despite feeling quite happy. Shizuka was the same, nestled quite comfortably on her back, fast asleep. She quickly put her to bed as soon as she got the sleepy little girl to brush her teeth (with help from her mostly lest she wanted the girl to have a face full of toothpaste). Kissing her lightly on the forehead, she wished her sweet dreams for the night before she too retired to her own bed.

That night, she dreamt of cookies, mayo and a kiss.

In a garden surrounded by sunflowers, she watched as the clouds moved in the bright blue sky; her jade eyes lazily recognizing familiar shapes. Beside her was her ever faithful companion, Duran the Wolf version 2.0, his eyes pointed to the sky to watch the same vast scene.

"Oh, another rabbit!"

Her finger came up to point towards it, her voice filled with excitement directed towards her friend. Hugging him closer, she looked towards him to make sure he saw before going back to the scene of her newly discovered 3rd rabbit of the day. Funny how most of the clouds seem to look like rabbits today. There must be a pile of carrot clouds up there somewhere, she thought to herself. Sharing that thought with her companion, she got a laugh from him which she managed to stop by pulling his ear. Letting go of the cotton ear, she saw him point his tongue at her teasingly.

"Meanie."

She whispered in rebuke, pushing him further away from her and pouted. Crossing her arms, she turned her head away from him in a show of displeasure. It was at the moment that she heard him apologize that she finally faced him and hugged him tightly. He said something that made her smile and she forgave him entirely, giggling as she spread her body across the soft green grass surrounded by the pretty flowers her grandmother had planted.

"Natsuki-chan!"

Instantly she got up at the sound of her sister's voice, looking towards the door leading into the house. Getting to her feet, she ran towards the blonde and then was picked up and lifted from the ground into her sister's inviting arms. Looking up towards her blue eyes, she remarked how they were similar to the sky she was just admiring moments ago until she noticed the slightly suspicious look Alyssa was giving her. Quite instantly after that she felt an impulse to get off from the arms that held her; her instincts sending minor warning signals.

Run!

Just as her sister mentioned the word "bath", she got herself free and ran as fast as her little legs could take her. Now, it was a game of hide and seek and she was determined to hide as long as she could to prolong the imminent. In her haste, she spotted a bunch of bushes and dived right in, catching leaves in her long dark hair. Squatting down with her back to where she came from, she caught her breath; surveying her surroundings for any useful ideas to make her capture harder.

"Shiro!"

She shouted not so quietly before covering her mouth just as fast, her eyes wide at what she had so carelessly slipped. Natsuki hadn't meant to scream but the dog had caught her by surprise, appearing suddenly from his hiding spot just a little away from where she sat. She thought it was Alyssa coming to carry her away but as soon as she spotted his long white bushy fur she corrected herself. He came towards her and pulled at her checkered blouse, pulling her towards to where he came from. Giggling at his antics, she gave no resistance to his actions and followed like a good soldier.

The sight that he brought her to was nothing short of 'coolness' - as she would have put it so eloquently having picked up the word from her dear sister and molding it as her own. She smiled at the excited puppy that swished his tail back and forth as she inspected his present. There was a hole just big enough for her to slip through, which, with all the endless curiosity made to fit into her one tiny body, seemed to ignite the all too familiar spark in her. An adventure right before her eyes! Not a chance in the world that she will ever pass an opportunity like that.

She ducked her head in to inspect it just after rewarding her friend with a pat to show her gratitude and pride for him. From her position she could peek at the light coming from beyond the fence, giving way to another place, one that she had been just a little bit curious to find out having heard voices before that reflected good humour and sometimes playfulness coming from there. It sounded like people she could see herself playing with. However, she still needed to make sure that they were as nice as their voices seemed to be.

And so her adventure began with following the footsteps of Alice from 'Alice in Wonderland' by going through the hole. Though, she had not been led to the hole by a clothed white rabbit but by a white clothesless dog and she had also crawled and not fallen like her predecessor had done. Nevertheless, what awaited her beyond the hole under the fence was not lacking in any excitement for the small dark haired girl.

Safely behind the fence, she grinned at the thought of escaping her sister's clutches in the process. Not that she would hide from her too long; she wouldn't want to her to get too cross with her. Peeping through a small hole further along her side of the fence, she made sure her sister was unaware of where she had gone.

Exactly at this moment not too far from where she was, stood a blonde sighing to herself in resignation.

Alyssa was not amused. After searching for a solid ten minutes with no luck, she decided she would just retreat for now and come back later when her little sister was more willing to get herself cleaned up. Really, she didn't understand why it was so difficult to get the girl to bath; it was not like she hated it or anything. What she didn't know (and probably the girl herself) was that the reason why Natsuki avoided baths was that usually after having a bath she was not allowed to go back outside and play around in the dirt. So she tries to prolong it as soon as she can to be able play as much as she can until she is satisfied or till someone catches her.

Feeling satisfied with what she saw, the girl backed away from the peephole planning to turn around and explore. But she was stopped by a voice which called to her; unless of course the name 'stranger' was meant for another unexpected guest in the very same lawn she decided to intrude on.

"What is Stranger-san doing?"

The voice was very near. And very amused. It was a girl and sounded very much like the one she heard just the other day.

"Nothing."

"Stranger-san doesn't want to tell me? How mean."

The other girl looked sad and having turned around, Natsuki caught it and she frowned.

"No, no. I meant that it was nothing interesting!"

She tried to convince her; feeling bad for unintentionally upsetting her and also a bit sulky for being called mean.

"I'm not a meanie. Look."

Pulling a funny face at the girl, she hoped to get her to at least smile. Hearing her laugh, she mentally pats herself on the back and thinks to herself how nice it is to hear such a sound. Grinning amicably and quite roguishly, she placed a hand before her to which the other girl takes and grips firmly, she too mirroring her expression but with more gentleness and grace. Immediately a friendship was born between them and they wasted no time in getting acquainted with each other; the other girl leading her towards where she was playing earlier.

There was a tea party going on but there was nobody else except the girl beside her. Yet, there were two plates and two cups waiting on the table as if she had already expected company on that fine sunny afternoon. Natsuki had noticed this but did not raise a question to the girl – imaginary friends were not foreign to her as were with many other children her age. While Natsuki usually liked to spend her time running around and getting herself in often dirty and dangerous (for a child) situations, she did quite like the quiet and peaceful atmosphere when it came to having a friendly conversation with someone; as long as it was interesting and did not involve the ridiculousness that came with silly little girls and their need to talk about silly little things like how their dad managed to spoil them by buying some new doll which could amazingly, poop (how they would find that amazing she really couldn't understand).

Her new friend thankfully, was not like that –they had clicked quite well with each other, finding similar interests between them - and it made her glad that her assumptions earlier were correct. This could turn out to be quite a friendship, she thought happily. She only knew the girl for a few minutes and already she felt like she knew her whole life.

Laughing at what the girl had said, she was about to partake in the refreshments placed between them when the girl suddenly stood up with a wide smile on her face and her hands clasped together. A question raised with a lift of her eyebrows sent the brunette before her to stare at her with a glimmer in her eyes but with sealed lips. Seeing that she was being kept out of the loop, she pouted, only to inspire a bout of quiet giggles from the girl who shook her head and whispered that it was a surprise.

Not too soon after, she found herself anxiously waiting for her companion's return. The brunette had gone inside before telling her to wait patiently as she prepared. Whatever it was, she did not say; leaving Natsuki to ponder and imagine what it might be. Drawing circles absent-mindedly, she cradled her head on a palm and stared at nothing. Only a soft gentle voice would manage to shake her out of her reverie and claim her attention, an inquisitive look in her eyes towards the unexpectedly blushing and nervously fidgeting girl she had been waiting for. A smile crept up to her face as the girl lifted up her hands with an interesting looking cookie nestled on top of them.

"For me?"

She could barely remember anyone other than her family who had given her a present personally made or picked for her. It was very thoughtful and it touched her; filled her insides with glee. A 'thank you' instantly flew from her lips immediately after the girl nodded her head. She took it in her hands but did not eat it straight away. Somehow she just knew that the girl had something important to say.

"Umm, my mama always made this for me when I'm especially good. I want to share this with you. It's special to me."

If she wasn't extremely flattered before, she certainly was now; garnering a similar blush upon her cheeks. Suddenly feeling quite bashful, she took a curious bite into her gift, her eyes staring anywhere but the brunette's own. Letting the taste sink in, she was unable to hide her expression on the shock to her taste buds and the girl noticed.

"You don't like it?"

"...I love it. It's…special."

"It's okay you don't have to lie."

"No, I really like it."

She stuffed the rest of the cookie in her mouth to convince her. It wasn't really that bad really; quite pleasant in fact. Just that she was not used to it. A new experience.

"I've only ever seen her do it once."

The brunette admitted, nervously staring at the ground. She took what was the closest looking and the nearest at her reach to emulate what her mother had made but in her rush and excitement, she did not think to taste it first. What was supposed to be on the cookie was cream. But what had ended up on the baked treat was the white creamy substance that went by the name of…

Mayonaise.

Natsuki was at a loss at what to do to cheer the girl up. Her protests did nothing to get the girl to look at her and smile like she wanted her to. Suddenly she felt the need to go closer towards her and force the brunette to face her. What she did next was totally brave to her and totally unexpected to the brunette who could not beat the slight pink that claimed her cheeks. With her friend's arms hugging her tightly, she found it impossible to not believe the words that left her mouth.

"I really, really, really like it. Please believe me."

"I would never ever lie."

Her friend hummed in response, feeling quite comfortable in the embrace and embarrassed for not believing her at first. They stayed like that for a bit before Natsuki noticed the sky getting darker and realized that she should probably head back before Alyssa would frantically look for her seeing as she was not in the compound of their grandmother's house. She pulled herself away and was about to leave towards the hole after having said a goodbye reluctantly but had been stopped as she neared the fence.

"Thank you."

She was about to respond but had been stunned to find the girl coming closer and something warm and soft touched her lips.

"…what?"

"Mama says that a kiss is for someone you like."

"…and I like you."

Feedback is very much appreciated! Especially if it can help me improve. :)