Okay! This one is a lot longer than the last one so I hope you all like it. Some things were purposely left out of this chapter so that I could put it in the next one, so if some things seem missing or out of place, they'll be added/explained in the next chapter (to the best of my creative ability). The reason why I didn't put it all in was because it could beef up the next chapter a little and it would have taken longer to figure out how to fit it all in and conclude and work in one chapter. I admit the chapter seems a little poor for me, but i dunno, so tell me what you think!

Do not own Mai-HiME characters.

88888888888888888

Chapter 8: The Price for Being Me

Natsuki's eyes fluttered open and her nose wrinkled slightly as she heard a dull sizzling sound from afar. Before she could even think to bring herself up from the couch, Duran suddenly jumped off of Natsuki's body. She let out a small yelp as she felt claws slide hard against her covered skin. Hearing Duran run wildly out of the room and into another, claws now clattering and shuffling against wooden floors, she groaned as she brought herself up onto her arms.

Blinkingly looking around, she noticed that the fire had been extinguished and the room was now a warm tan-orange color. She turned and looked over the back of the couch, only to immediately duck back underneath.

"Uhh, oww… damn sun.." She groaned in response to the midmorning sunlight shooting into her eye from the window at the opposite side of the room.

Rubbing her eyes with her thumb and forefinger, she blindly forced herself to stand. Her first attempt failed as she rolled off the couch (realizing that her blankets somehow ended up on the floor which she landed on).

'Thump-bang!'

"Ow," Natsuki held her throbbing kneecap in her palm, eyelids clenched tightly shut as the first few painful throbs subsided. She opened one eye to glare at the leg of the coffee table that caused the pain.

Rolling onto all fours, she finally brought herself up to stand. Stretching her arms, legs, and back, she walked sleepily to the doorframe, hearing small cracking sounds from her stiff joints. Leaning her body against the doorframe for a few seconds, she slowly followed the sizzling sounds.

Duran barked and growled impatiently. "Hey now," She heard Shizuru laugh, "Don't worry, I'm getting your food." Natsuki followed the sounds that seemed to be coming from within the room just passed the curved staircase.

Feet padding against wooden floors, Natsuki stepped into kitchen. Silently leaning against the doorframe, her eyes wandered over rich cherry wood cupboards, and counters with black and gold granite counter tops. An island counter had metal-backed, black leather-seated stools around it. The appliances and even cooking utensils looked state-of-the-art without looking complicated and pretentious. It was as charming as the living room, except, of course, more built and arranged for cooking.

Natsuki watched as Shizuru, unknowing of her presence, laid a plate of food in front of the anxious and excited Duran, tail swishing wildly when he was finally able to dive in. The chestnut-haired girl's long, deep blue, silk robe wafted in the air as she strode to the stove to continue tending to whatever food she was cooking in the frying pan. She didn't look any different from last night - no imperfections after awakening, like Natsuki very often had – as her hair was neatly brushed and loose around her shoulders.

Natsuki folded her arms, observing while Shizuru slid the food around the hot plate with a spatula. She silenced the laugh that she felt in her throat which came when she realized that she enjoyed this – just watching her. She didn't care how long it would take Shizuru to notice her; for some strange reason, she found that this was very worth the wait.

After a few minutes, she decided to speak in her casual tone, "When did you learn how to cook?" She quirked a brow.

Surprised, Shizuru turned then smiled at the cobalt-haired girl. "Good morning, Natsuki." She started, "When, after the first suitor, they realized that I still had not much experience in cooking, my mother made our house cook teach me. My skills aren't totally perfected yet, I'll admit, but I'm still learning – or teaching myself now, really. I hope you slept well?"

"Yeah, I did, thanks." Natsuki got a pleasant smile in reply before the other girl turned back to continue cooking. Natsuki stepped closer and looked over Shizuru's shoulder curiously. "What are you making?" She asked as she watched Shizuru sprinkle grated cheese over a flat, fluffy circle of scrambled eggs.

"An omelet." Shizuru continued sprinkling diced pieces of meat and vegetables over the egg., bubbles of butter exploding around it. "I hope you like eggs, making an omelet was one of the first things I learned." She added cheerfully, slowly folding the egg over.

"Yeah, I like eggs." Natuki assured, already loving the aroma.

"You slept in rather well this morning, I'm glad." Shizuru commented.

Natsuki turned to look at the side of Shizuru's face. "Really? What time is it?" She asked, looking around for a clock of some kind.

"Ten-thirty." Shizuru answered before she could find one.

"Oh wow, yeah, I guess that is pretty late." For a moment she was surprised, but that diminished rather quickly since she did remember some times where she would wake up sometime in the afternoon after a night of drinking with Nao. Not knowing what to say for a moment, she let her eyes leisurely wander around while still having her chin hover just over Shizuru's shoulder. "How late did you sleep?" Unconsciously, she let herself gently lean against Shizuru's back. She thought she felt the other girl tremble for a moment.

"Ah… erm-till eight, I think."

Not catching the initial hesitancy of the response, Natsuki looked at her again with a quirked brow. "You waited two and a half hours for me? What did you do?" She asked, very curious and feeling slightly guilty.

Shizuru closed her eyes for a minute before she answered, "I took a shower, then put on some of my more comfortable clothes, and went through some more business-work concerning my family's company." She explained blandly.

Natsuki looked at her gravely for a moment before slowly turning away, sighing grimly.

"Is something wrong?" Shizuru briefly turned to her, being careful to not lose their breakfast.

"I…" Natsuki paused, hesitating to continue as she was afraid of what she might get in response. She forced herself, for her best friend's sake. "I'm afraid that I'm burdening you." She felt the bewildered crimson eyes immediately turn to her but refused to meet them, knowing that if she did, she'd probably lack the courage to keep going. "It may be just me, but… I feel like I might be in the way of something that… that may be really good for you." Surreptitiously drawing circles on the counter that looked like a starry night sky with her finger, she tried to ignore the intense eyes that felt like they were piercing through her. She couldn't blame Shizuru if she was mad or upset at her, but she couldn't help these feelings.

Shizuru was silent for a few seconds; pausing, just to observe and take in her best friend's distant and troubled expression. "Thank you, Natsuki," She started softly, gently, like she was comforting a child. "But, please, let me decide what may or may not be good for me. I don't mean to be rude when I say that, Natsuki. It's just that I already have enough people deciding what may be good for me, and I don't want you to be thinking like them as well." There was no sign of anger in that thick Kyoto-ben tone, just plea.

Natsuki nodded but still didn't turn to her and Shizuru could still see some uneasiness deep within those jade eyes.

Soundlessly, she took her chin between her fingers so that she would make those beautiful forest-like orbs look into her own. When she did, the younger girl was captured. "And Natsuki, always know that you will never be a burden to me." Her words were strong, confident; Natsuki could see it, and she was sinking in. Shizuru went on, "I have more trust in you than anyone else. In fact, to me, you are my greatest gift." Shizuru smiled her most beautiful, genuine smile.

Natsuki was left without words, only softened eyes and a faint blush. Shizuru still held her chin even though Natsuki had no intention of turning away now; she couldn't even if she wanted to.

"Th… thank you…" Natuski tried to speak, but she couldn't. She could only mouth the words. When Shizuru smile widened, she pushed away all of her resistances and laid her cheek against Shizuru's, as though to give an awkward hug or an attempt to lay her forehead against the older girl's.

Shizuru's eyes widened only slightly before her eyes and smile turned fond. She closed her eyes and leaned her cheek gently against Natsuki's, letting herself fall into the warmth. "The only reason why I would be disappointed or upset at you, Natsuki," She went on when she remembered the hesitancy Natsuki had when she tried to tell the chestnut-haired girl her feelings, "Would be because you thought that you are leading me in the wrong direction, and didn't think I was thinking for myself when I do." She spoke softly, idly playing with the tips of cobalt sapphire hair that had fallen over her shoulder.

Natsuki's eyes closed tightly shut for a minute – a pained expression of guilt and regret. "I… I'm sorry. I just…"

Shizuru shushed her, her breath caressing the other girl's ear, making her involuntarily shiver. "I know, and I'm happy that Natsuki cares so much for me and was just looking out for me."

Natsuki was about to assure her that she did care for her when she felt a small nose brushing against her own and found that her lips were no longer able to move – they were taken… by Shizuru. Her eyes opened when she felt warm, soft lips press gently against her own, mind trying to forego the initial spark she felt at the touch. Shizuru's eyes were closed, not in the hopeful, please-don't-hate-me-for-this way, but in a way as if she was dreaming and very comfortable, as if it was the millionth time that they had done this and were accustomed to it.

Though the younger girl did feel her heart beat grow more rapid, she didn't pull away but nor did she advance. She just stood there and let Shizuru's lips softly, chastely caress hers. After two seconds, she realized that she didn't want this person who meant so much to her to think that she was getting a negative impression back from her just because she her response to the kiss was neutral. With pinking cheeks, she fluttered her eyes shut and shyly moved her lips in time with Shizuru's, trying to find and keep the soft, slow rhythm.

Shizuru's lips curved into a mild smile and her brow lifted in surprise as she felt the other girl return her token of gratitude. She tried not to laugh when she noticed that the small but full lips were trembling nervously against her own. Even though she felt like she could do this for the rest of the morning and afternoon; even if she knew that her neck would surely become stiff from the way she had it craned round to Natsuki's childlike face; she decided to give the relatively inexperienced girl a break.

Shizuru slowly released Natsuki's lips, a soft 'smack' sounding from the gentle release of subtle suction of lips-against-lips. Opening her eyes, she giggled when she saw a flushing pink color speckled on the younger girl's cheeks. "That was a 'Thank you.'" She whispered when deep jade eyes finally opened to meet her own.

"I know." Natsuki's voice came out hoarsely, making Shizuru giggle again while her face pinked even more. She shyly looked away from the adoring eyes to try and bring herself back to reality. When she did, her nose wrinkled as she sniffed a distasteful odor. "Is something burning?"

They both looked down and gasped when they saw that Shizuru's creation was smoking and shriveling away. Natsuki hurriedly took the blackened frying pan and nearly threw it into the sink where she doused it in cold water, wincing as she felt drops of scorching butter explode and fly onto her arms. Backing away, she watched as Shizuru opened up the windows to release the smoke, helping it escape by waving a dish towel around in the air.

Natsuki coughed, waving her hand to try and get the smoke away from her face. When she was finally able to see the room clearly, she turned to Shizuru, who was leaning against the counter, panting slowly.

The older girl looked at her with an apologetic expression. "I'm so sorry about that. I should have paid more attention."

Natsuki shook her head. "It was both of our faults. No harm done anyway."

Shizuru approached her. "Are you okay? You looked like you had burned yourself." She asked concernedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just some specks of grease got on me, that's all." Natsuki shrugged as she rubbed her arms. "But it doesn't hurt now."

The other girl sighed in relief. "That's good. I thought you had hurt yourself." She turned back to the smothered remains of her breakfast for Natsuki and sighed again. "Oh dear… if only your lips weren't so tempting…" She said, still looking into the sink with a sorrowful expression.

Natsuki cleared her throat as her face flustered, her hand rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Well, erm, do you, um, have anything else?" She stammered, trying to change the subject so that she could bring the color of her face back to normal.

Shizuru turned to her with the apologetic look on her face again. "Fruit, toast, and bagels. Will that do?" She asked hopefully.

Natsuki nodded, "Yeah, that's fine. I don't need anything special." When she saw the morose look still on the other girl's face, she came closer and stroked her back with her hand. "There's always next time." She assured with a smile.

Shizuru gave her a small smile back. "Okay."

At the older girl's command, Natsuki seated herself on one of the stools by the island counter while she prepared their breakfasts for them. Ten minutes later, both girls had bagels, mixed fruit, buttered toast and tea/orange juice in front of them. Duran came up and popped a squat next to Natsuki's leg, staring up at her longingly for a generous hand.

"I guess there must always be a price for pleasure." Shizuru commented casually before taking a grape into her mouth.

Natsuki looked at her with a quirked brow. "What do you mean?" She asked with a full mouth, taking her a few minutes for her to realize what the girl on the opposite side of the table was talking about. She then blushed, quickly looking down and continuing to eat to hide it. "Uh, y-yeah, I guess so."

Shizuru just looked at her and started to laugh deep within her throat, making opposite girl very nervous since it always sounded devilish. "So, my dear Natsuki found our kiss to be pleasurable?" She didn't make it sound like a question.

Natsuki stared at her, getting redder and redder under playfully-glinted wine-red eyes closely observing her. Out of anxiety and pressure for what to say, her mouth seemed to open and close several times before she could finally make words. "I didn't say that." She stated bluntly.

"True, but you did seem to imply it in your answer just now." The older girl backed confidently, gracefully placing a sliced strawberry on her tongue.

Natsuki fumbled for a response, fidgeting as though she was sitting on something uncomfortable. She glanced away. "W-well, who doesn't find receiving a kiss pleasurable?" She went to stuff her face with fruit again.

"Someone who doesn't want it or didn't find it enjoyable," Shizuru answered with a knowing smirk. "And forgive me if I'm wrong, but it seemed to be neither for you."

Natsuki swore she saw the other girl mischievously lick the juice from a sliced pineapple on her fork. Surely, it was just her.. Blushing, she looked back down at her plate, playing with her fruit with her fork. "It was just a "Thank you" kiss, right? So, there's no need to delve so deep into the details." Her tone was purposefully stern and blunt.

Seeing what the other girl was trying to say – "please change the subject" – her mischievous smile formed into a more legitimate one. "You're right, forgive me." After a few more minutes of silence, Shizuru glanced up at her and grinned in amusement.

Natsuki glanced up, catching Shizuru's grin for the split-second she was able to see it before other girl looked back down again, continuing with her breakfast. The younger girl looked at her quizzically. "What? What's so funny?"

"I can see that you definitely did sleep very well." Shizuru commented, still grinning but trying to act casual. Normally she was very good at that, but in this case it was rather hard, especially since it was Natsuki.

Natsuki quirked a brow in confusion, eyes darting to the side then back to Shizuru with bewilderment. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think you want to know, but if you do," – she pointed behind her, near the stove – "use the microwave." She continued with her breakfast, the sides of her mouth still curving upward despite herself.

Curiosity overwhelming her, she held onto the edge of the countertop as she leaned herself and her stool deeply over so that she could look into the microwave. When she looked at it, all she saw was the black door. When she switched her eyes to look at it more shallowly…

"What th-aaAAAAAHHHH!!!" 'WHOMP-BANG-CLATTER!'

"Natsuki!!"

88888888888

"I told you that you might not want to know…" Shizuru noted as she weaved her way around the curvy roads back to the city.

"Yeeah bwell, ew cooda dot tolnd mbe!" Natsuki argued.

"Well, I didn't want you to become too embarrassed if you discovered how sleep-worn you looked by yourself, so I thought it'd be easier this way." Shizuru explained with a shrug.

"Uhhuh, bwell apparendly id wasen…" Natsuki winced in pain as she tried to shift herself more comfortably in the leather seat, muttering a low "ow."

"How's your nose feeling?" Shizuru asked, briefly turning to Natsuki to see how much pain the younger girl was now.

Natsuki let out a long, sigh-like groan as she removed the icepack wrapped in paper towels from her throbbing, multi-colored nose. "I think the feeling is starting to come back…" She answered before tightly closing her eyes while rolling her jaw and wiggling her nose like a rabbit. "Thanks for the-" She indicated the icepack by waving it in front of her so that Shizuru would know what she was talking about.

"No problem at all, Natsuki." The older girl responded kindly. "You had me so worried when I saw you fall over with your stool, I was afraid you had hurt yourself even more than this."

Natsuki paused, eyes looking at the road. "Emb sorry." Her voice was soft as she placed her icepack back onto her nose.

"It's okay, I'm just glad you're alright. I know it'll be something to laugh at later." Shizuru replied confidently, a smile grazing her face as she glanced at the girl next to her, who was back into her shirt and sweatpants, hair and face back to normal and not the wind-witch look they previously had.

'I'm surprised she still kissed me even when I looked like that.' Natsuki thought to herself, wanting to ask the other girl but not wanting to bring the subject up again. She remained silent on that thought but smirked lightly at the tawny-haired girl's comment. "Yeeah, emb surre id bwill be. Bwill Durand be okey alond ad yer house?"

"Yes, Duran will be fine. My neighbor, Miss Morisato, checks up on him for me when I'm out of town or can't be around to take care of him." Shizuru answered simply as she made her way off the ramp onto the city avenues.

"What are we going to do when we get back to your parent's house?" Natsuki asked, taking the icepack back off so that she could try to breathe again.

Shizuru shrugged then smiled. "Well, when you get dressed into some fresh clothes, maybe you could help me water the flowers of my favorite garden near the house?" She suggested warmly, turning to the girl next to her for approval.

"Okay, it looks like a nice day out too." Natsuki added as she pressed the side of her face against her window so that she could gaze up at the curved puffs of clouds outlined by rich sunlight.

Shizuru nodded in agreement, coming onto another ramp that led her onto an expressway and eventually to an exit onto the road that led onto the hill where the estate laid. The rest of the ride was spent in a comfortable silence until they finally came to the iron gate, which Shizuru opened with a handy remote she kept in her car.

Shards of sunlight swayed over the level path as they rolled through the curved driveway. Natsuki eyed the unfamiliar BMW in front of the mansion as Shizuru smoothly parked next to it. "Whose car is that?" She asked out of curiosity, somewhat blinded by the light reflecting from its impeccably polished surface.

"I don't know. I've never seen it before." Shizuru answered as she pulled herself out of the seat, Natsuki following suit. "Surely a senior associate from the company came to go over the books or business-matters with my mother and uncle." She assumed with a dismissive tone.

Natsuki didn't say anything as she heard the click-beep of a car locking behind her. "Does that happen often?"

For some reason the younger girl didn't know, Shizuru turned and gave her a strange look before acting as though she had realized something. "On cars, normally yes; it does that to tell you that it's locked if you use this thing." – She indicated the car remote on her keychain – "I didn't know Natsuki had become so attached to motorcycles that she completely forgot how a car works."

Natsuki gave her a really odd look before nearly face-faulting. "No, not that! I'm talking about the associate-guy coming over to talk about business!" She tried not to run her hand down her face. 'When did you become this blonde??'

Shizuru blinked. "Oh. Well then, rarely. My mother usually doesn't like to be bothered at home but will only allow it if it's truly necessary." She finally answered, muttering an apology for before.

Giving a simple nod with a skeptically-quirked brow since the start of Shizuru's explanation, Natsuki followed as the ocher-haired girl led the way to the door. Her slender fingers were two inches away from the door when it suddenly opened, making both give a slight jump.

Shizuru's uncle looked back at them (mostly Shizuru) in surprise, then delight. "Oh good! I was wondering when you were going to return!" By this time, he wasn't even glancing at Natsuki at all, which irritated her only a little but, at the same time, didn't really care either.

Shizuru gave him a curious yet neutral look. "Why would that be?"

The uncle didn't answer, only stepped to one side as he brought a very familiar face forward into the doorway. Purple eyes blinked at Shizuru in mild surprise before the face gave a charming smile. "It's been a while, Kaichou-san."

Shizuru looked back with equal surprise then smiled her own sweet smile as she respectfully bowed with the coal-haired boy. "Indeed it has, Kanzaki-san."

When Reito rose, he turned to the girl next to her and smirked in amusement. "I'm relieved to see you're just as rough and rugged as ever, Kuga-san."

Finally managing to bring her widened eyes back to normal at the sight of him, cobalt brows knitted together at his comment. Bewilderedly, she looked down on herself and pinked at the sight of her wrinkled and spotted clothes. "Heh, yeah well…" Natsuki muttered as she tried in vain to brush off the layers of dog fur. She ignored the uncle's accusing eyes.

The purple eyes observed her more closely. "Looks like you injured yourself rather badly." He commented.

Eyes widening as she remembered, Natsuki covered her nose uncomfortably with her hand. "Oh, well yeah, it's kinda a long story." She glanced away from his eyes, annoyed at her contusion.

"Well, what brings you to Kyoto, Kanzaki-san?" Shizuru inquired, sweetly tilting her head to one side.

The tall boy smiled purposefully. "You."

Suddenly nervous, Natsuki could feel her heart begin to beat faster as she just watched the two converse. 'Don't tell me…'

Shizuru gazed back at the very well-dressed boy in surprise. "I beg your pardon?"

Shizuru's uncle then moved to stand next to Reito proudly, laying a hand on his shoulder. "He agreed to be your next suitor!" He exclaimed, grinning.

Natsuki's jaw nearly hit the floor; she was left to only stare speechlessly at the three. Why was this all happening so goddamn fast?? 'Talk about springing news on a person! And why the hell is Reito going off agreeing to be Shizuru's next suitor! I mean, how the hell did that pop up?? How did they possibly get him!?'

The younger girl's thoughts were going a mile a minute: 'I knew that Shizuru's family would have plenty of friends to pull strings from, but I had no idea they had that many strings! And I know Shizuru didn't have a relationship with him while in school; I was the closest one to her all through high school, so I knew the truth because she told me! So why the hell does he want to pull the "May I marry you?" bit now!? Does he really feel absolutely no awkwardness by doing this!?' She tried to sigh as silently as she could, refraining from pinching the bridge of her nose. 'It's like I'm bordering the twilight zone here…'

"Natsuki?" Jade eyes darted up when she felt a hand softly squeeze her shoulder. Concerned eyes gazed back at her. "Are you alright? I called your name a few times and you didn't answer. Is something bothering you?" Shizuru asked gently, observing the other girl.

"Oh no," Natsuki's response was automatic as she quickly glanced away. "I'm fine." She looked around, noticing that Reito and Shizuru's uncle were gone. "Where'd they go?" She gestured toward the empty doorway with her head.

"My uncle went back to his office, and Kanzaki-san's waiting for me in the foyer. He hadn't been here long, so I told my uncle I'd show him around since he'll be staying." Shizuru explained calmly.

Natsuki gazed back at her incredulously. "You're not at all bothered that he wants to be your suitor? To possibly marry you? Are you serious in considering him??" She tried to keep her questions in and just go with this very strange flow, but she couldn't.

Shizuru released her shoulder and folded her arms over her stomach, gazing off into the trees. "I was rather surprised that he decided to do this; at least I'll have plenty of chances to ask him. I'll just have to see how this all goes. My uncle seems to already love him, so I know I have no choice… like the others." The younger girl caught the last words Shizuru muttered to herself but said nothing.

"So…" Natsuki fidgeted uneasily, suddenly finding an interest in the toe of her shoes. "I guess this cuts our day short."

Shizuru sighed dismally. "I'm afraid so. I'm very sorry about this; I didn't know he would come so soon." She went to hold Natsuki's arm and lay her chin on her shoulder but she expertly slipped away before she could wrap her arms around her.

"You don't need to try and give me the puppy eyes, Shizuru." She leaned against a support beam with her arms crossed over her stomach, giving the other girl a knowing look. "They don't work." She smirked. "And remember, I still have that motorcycle to work on anyway. Don't worry about it." She shrugged, although she wasn't sure who she was really talking to; Shizuru, or herself.

Shizuru just gazed at Natsuki for a second, surveying those aventurine eyes before giving a reluctant but calm nod. "Yes, that's true. Very well," Her gaze drifted toward her parked car, lingering there for a moment. "I haven't given you your tools yet. I recall there being some in the garage. Let me see if I can fetch some for you."

Natsuki watched as Shizuru descended the stairs and rounded to go one of the large doors leading into their garage on their house's lower level. Within a few minutes, Shizuru had returned with a lumpy leather sack. With a little effort of strength, she lifted it towards the younger girl, making the contents clatter. "I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I put in what I thought were the basic tools. I hope they'll do."

Taking the grease-stained bag, Natsuki peeked in the bag and nodded, holding it by the string. "I don't think the hammer will be very necessary, but thanks." She swung the bag over her shoulder, two fingers curled around the leather twine.

"You're very welcome, Natsuki." Shizuru smiled before turning to open the door. "I trust you know your way back to your room?" She asked as she gracefully slid it open.

"Yeah," Natsuki followed her inside, finding Reito sitting patiently by the center table of the foyer. He smiled at the two of them. Natsuki tried to return it.

"My apologies for keeping you waiting, Kanzaki-san." Shizuru chimed politely as she strode towards him.

He stood from his seat. "It's no trouble at all." He smiled again, surreptitiously glancing between the two girls just once. "Forgive me if I sound rude, but for some reason I find it quite the surprise to find Kuga-san here at a time such as this for you, Fujino-san."

"She asked me to come," Natsuki came in bluntly, a second after Reito had finished. "So I did." She fixed him with a cool stare.

Reito seemly shrugged, "I'm not at all complaining. It's a nice surprise to see you." His eyes gleamed with charm.

Natsuki just looked at him for a moment, as though unimpressed. "Yeah, you too." She turned to leave down a hallway. "I'll see you around. I'll have my cell phone with me if you need me, Shizuru." She added, glancing the older girl's way. After hearing Shizuru's approving response, she furtively listened to the other two's discourse of proceeding to show the new suitor around. Her fist unconsciously clutched and tugged on the inside of her pocket.

888888

"Let me talk a full look at you again…" Natsuki spoke allowed to no one in particular except the motorcycle. It leaned crookedly on its kickstand; grease and dirt smudges covered the shell and engine; the cracked headlight hung lifelessly by its multi-colored wires.

"Hmm..." She droned thoughtfully as she eyed it from different angles. "I don't know whether I should clean you up first or just get right at it… I don't want to accidentally ruin anything either way…"

She tapped her index finger against her chin as the debated in her head, then ultimately reached for the adjustable wrench. Squatting down, she went to fit the head onto the bolt when her phone vibrated in her back pocket. She jumped at the sudden feeling against her butt, nearly dropping the tool in her hand. Taking the phone out of her jeans, she looked at its face before quickly flipping it open and pressing it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, where'd you go? I haven't heard from you in a couple days." Mai's voice rang through.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I forgot to tell you Shizuru invited me to her house." Natsuki explained as she shifted herself so that she could sit with her back against the motorcycle.

"She invited you?" Mai asked as though surprised. "That seems kind of out of the blue." She commented.

"Yeah, well, she needed me for something." She wasn't sure if she should tell everything or just leave it vague; she didn't want to talk nor think too deeply about it, but at the same time, she did. Her gaze moved down to the floor where she had been rolling pebbles between her fingers. She inwardly sighed in self-defeat, "She's getting married so she just needed me to be here with her, so…" She trailed off.

"Fujino-san's getting married!?" Mai exclaimed in shock and surprise.

Natsuki heard her say other things but she tried to talk over her so that she could explain. "Well, she's not getting married now, but her family is making her date suitors and this is supposedly the last one. You'll never guess who this one is."

"Who?"

Natsuki wasn't so sure if telling Mai this was a good idea, knowing their history, but now she had no choice. "Reito."

The line was silent for a minute. "Oh… wow…" She sounded as though she was intrigued by this. "Hm, I never expected that…and Mikoto never said anything to me so she must have not known either…" She went on thoughtfully before continuing. "Are you okay with it?"

When Natsuki heard the worried tone, she fisted her hand as she roughly crossed her arm over her stomach, laying one leg over the other, brows only slightly furrowed. "Of course I'm okay with it! Shizuru is, so I will be too. I just find it a little weird after all that's happened, but I'll just let Shizuru decide what's good for her." She defended, remembering the older girl's words from that morning.

"Well, everyone did think that they made a cute couple at school even though the rumors were false…" Mai noted, trying to be helpful even though she knew it probably didn't help much.

Natsuki could feel herself tensing even more. "Yeah, but that's not exactly the point nor the issue here." Noticing that she was beginning to sound snappy, she tried to calm herself by taking a deep breath. "It's just, when I think about the festival and all, I… I just don't feel right." She admitted softly.

There was a beat of silence. "Well, you do know that Reito-san is no longer the Obsidian Lord, right? I mean, far from. So I don't see why you should be worried about that." Mai stated logically.

Natsuki found herself at a loss for words for a moment, she wasn't sure why. "Yeah, true. But what about you two? Didn't you-?"

"He knew that I had feelings for Tate, so we decided it was best for us to be friends." Mai interrupted, purposely omitting the details. "He is a good guy, you know." She stated honestly. "I mean, he's charming, patient, handsome, smart, thoughtful, swee-"

"Yeah-yeah-yeah, I get the point already!" It was Natsuki's turn to interrupt, nearly yelling out of her growing irritability towards the way Mai so generously described him.

There was another silence from the other end of the line, it felt like the longest so far to the younger girl. Mai finally though hesitantly spoke, "Now, I don't know the full history between you two – you and Fujino-san – only what you've felt comfortable enough to tell me and you know I've never pried, but…" There was another brief moment of hesitancy, which made the girl listening more nervous by the second. "Why does it sound like you are more afraid of them actually working as a couple than you are of them not?"

Natsuki tried to speak, to defend herself anyway she could, to say that the thought was just plain stupid and that she'd never wish such a thing for Shizuru. But she couldn't. She couldn't talk; she couldn't think; she couldn't move; she couldn't even breathe. "I-I… That… She…" She was angry at herself; that she couldn't do all of the things humans were meant to do just by the cause of hearing that question. It wasn't fair.

As Mai heard the other girl struggle, she wasn't sure if what she did was something really bad or something really good. "Why don't you just talk to her about it?"

Natsuki brought her legs up to lean one elbow on her knee so that she could rest her forehead in her palm. She closed her eyes, the bothered expression still tainting her face. "I… I can't." She sighed, annoyed at the whole situation; at her cowardliness. Her voice became softer and softer as she continued. "I have to let Shizuru decide what she wants to do; where she wants to go with him in the whole marriage thing. She asked me this morning to let her decide what's best for her, so I will."

There was a comprehensive beat of silence. "Yes, but her deciding what's best for her isn't the issue – it's your feelings."

Natsuki's face scrunched up, ready to rip her hair out in frustration. "Argh! Damn feelings! Why the hell were feelings invented in the first place?! 'Makes things a whole lot harder!"

"If feelings weren't invented, you and Fujino-san would probably never have met at all." Natsuki could hear the skepticism in the remark.

The younger girl's tensing shoulders dropped. "…Good point."

"Well, why don't you decide what's best for you to do, not Fujino-san, and do what feels right to you. Okay?" After hearing Natsuki's grudgingly-spoken "Fine", she went on. "I'm sorry to leave you like this, but if I don't start lunch soon, Mikoto will be gnawing at my ankles. If you need to talk, just call me."

"Alright. Thanks, Mai." Natsuki could feel her muscles start to relax.

"Hey, Fujino-san isn't the only close friend you've got to rely on, you know!"

Natsuki smiled to herself. "Yeah. I know. Thanks for the reminder. I'll talk to you later, bye." After Mai returned her goodbye, Natsuki snapped her phone shut and sighed again. She propped her cheek against her fist, trying to make her anxious mind rest. 'Now I'm more annoyed because I don't even know what to do at all anymore. I mean, I understand what Mai said of what I should do, I just have no idea how to go about it.'

When Natsuki found herself getting lost in thought, she quickly cleared it and went back to the bike. She didn't want to think about it and get worked up over something that could affect her mood for the rest of her stay; she didn't want to seem different to Shizuru even though she felt different inside; very different. But, it was just stupid emotions anyway…

88888

Sighing heavily with growing fatigue, she swung the bag of tools lightly into an empty corner of her bedroom. Her face contorted uncomfortably as she flopped herself on top of her bed; she could feel her back and shoulders paying the price she took on spending the rest of the afternoon hunching over the bike. Her body throbbed in pain but she loved the feeling of being able to actually lie down on a comfortable mattress after a long day like this.

When she turned to gaze out the window, something in her sank when she saw how rapidly dusk was aging to night. She hadn't heard anything from Shizuru since they had separated that early afternoon. 'I guess he's a very interesting person to want to spend this much time with him.' She thought to herself, unconsciously sighing aloud in a morbid fashion. 'I never really took the time to get to know him, so I don't know.'

She propped her head up on her folded arms behind her, aimlessly eyeing the ceiling. She wondered if she was ever going to see the older girl in the morning, or if she'll be too preoccupied with Reito. Shizuru had said that sometimes she'd be with a suitor from as little as three days to over a week; she dearly hoped that it wouldn't be the latter in this case. Natsuki understood that Shizuru would need the days to estimate the potential of a bachelor, but she couldn't help admitting that waiting for her would be torture - not in the way of boredom either.

The cobalt-haired girl ran a hand over her face. 'I have to stop doing this; it's making me go insane… but, I mean, seriously! What could she possibly be doing with him??' She made a growl-like sound at her burning curiosity and anxiousness.

"Tick!"

Natsuki's eyebrows knitted together in bewilderment as she heard a tapping sound.

"Tick!"

She shot up as she heard it again coming from her window. She approached as she heard a third and peered out through the glass. Her eyes wandered curiously over the trees until they followed the round object that flew up to tap against the glass again. She looked down and gave a befuddled look at the person below before pushing her window open.

"Good evening, Natsuki." Shizuru chimed from the grassy ground level, looking up at the girl whose hair was falling over her face as she leaned through the window.

"Shizuru, what the hell are you doing?" Natsuki asked the other girl with the oddest look.

"I'm trying to get your attention." Shizuru responded with a sweet grin as she released the collection of gravel stones in her hand.

"Well you coulda gotten it a little easier by just coming to my door!"

The older girl shrugged. "True, but I liked this idea much better. It's like one of those romance novels, is it not?"

Natsuki nearly fell to the floor, face beginning to burn. "What the hell are you? Twelve!?" She exclaimed. "And do you mean to tell me that you walked all the way around from the inside to this window?"

"No, Kanzaki-san and I were out here for a short while, and I figured, since Reito retired to his room and I was outside, might as well…" Shizuru explained, still smiling in a playful manner. "Come outside with me. We can catch up on where we left off when Kanzaki-san came."

"And where was that?" Natsuki asked skeptically, leaning her elbow on the window frame.

"Going to my favorite garden! I realize that it's a little too late in the day to be watering the flowers, but I can still take you through it." The younger girl could see the beckoning look in the crimson orbs even from the distance she was in. "I want to make up for lost time. Won't you please come?"

Natsuki sighed in defeat, even though she could feel something swell up in her chest as she went to grab a light jacket; something good, something that made her heart beat faster. "Fine." She replied exasperatedly, temporarily concealing the strange feeling in her chest. "I'll be there in a second." She shut the window, catching Shizuru's bright smile in the shadows of the growing night. The upwards-curve refused to leave her lips until she finally came within the tawny-haired girl's sight again.

Shizuru smiled her bright, genuine smile again. "Follow me." She started walking and Natsuki wordlessly obliged behind her. The younger girl noticed that Shizuru's stride was considerably slower than usual until Natsuki finally caught up at her side.

The blue-haired girl peered in Shizuru's direction, only to have her eyes meet the playfully-glinted wine-red ones. Natsuki sheepishly looked away, embarrassed that she had been caught. She pinked even more when she heard Shizuru giggle next to her.

"The last time you gave me a look like that was one of the first few times that we started doing things together in middle school." Shizuru noted, smiling. "Why so anxious now, Natsuki?"

"I-I'm not anxious!" Natsuki defended, looking away in a pout-like manner.

Shizuru laughed in her throat again. "Then why are your arms all tense?" She wrapped both arms around one of Natsuki's stiff ones, squeezing it as though she was trying to massage the muscles.

"I-I'm just surprised at how cold it is tonight, that's all." Natsuki stuttered again, trying to nudge the older girl away with her shoulder.

Shizuru slowly released her arm, her fingers unconsciously tracing the muscles. "Umn-hmn. I guess I hadn't really noticed, but you're right." The slightly taller girl had been wearing a very closely-fitting, v-neck cashmere sweater with another long-sleeved t-shirt underneath it, so it was just cold enough where a jacket wasn't necessary for her. She knew that it still didn't explain Natsuki's previous expression she had given her, but she decided to just let it go, thinking Natsuki was just being Natsuki (much to her delight).

They continued walking in silence, and this kind of silence unnerved the cobalt-haired girl to no end. Sure, the faint chirping of crickets and the rustling and swaying of leaves and grass and the faint moonlight might have set a rather relaxing mood, but none of it helped Natsuki's mindset; her mind was still buzzing for reasons she was only somewhat unsure of. One thing that she was sure of was that questions of her and Reito kept jutting into her head like a sharp knife stabbing a thick piece of meat repeatedly. It annoyed the hell out of her.

"Is something wrong, Natsuki?" Shizuru suddenly asked.

Natsuki turned to find the older girl gazing at her curiously as they walked. "No, why?" Now, she could feel herself becoming nervous; were her concerns really showing through that much?

"You just seem rather distant, that's all. You had a stern expression on your face, like you're troubled by something." The crimson eyes seemed to soften on her yet intensify at the same time. "It's been a long while since I'd seen that look on your face. I can't help but be concerned." She admitted softly.

Natsuki looked at her for a moment, then quickly looked away, trying to find and organize the right words to use. "Na-no it's nothing. I swear." She felt disgusted now, disgusted at herself and lying to her best friend; keeping things from her when she knew she shouldn't since she really did care about her and her feelings. But she couldn't help it. Remembering the things Mai said of her talking to her best friend about how she felt about her and Reito, she really wanted to do it, but she still had no idea how to express herself that way.

Soon they came to a field of flowers at the far back corner of the house. The flowers were an array of colors, most of which were crème-white. Japanese maple trees dotted the area; Natsuki guessed that it must be beautiful with the trees there to offer both shade and sunlight during the day. The sight alone, even at night, cleared her thoughts for the moment (something she was very thankful for). "This is nice." Natsuki commented as she walked closer to the edge of the field.

"Yes it is. I'm hoping the moon will be bright tonight." Shizuru responded as she started to cautiously step through the field to the center, surrounded by four leaning maple trees.

"Why?" The other girl asked curiously, trying to follow the older girl without crushing any of the blossoms.

Shizuru turned, and the playful glint was noticeable even in the shady darkness. "You'll see." She quirked a brow as she spoke deeply in her throat.

Natsuki growled; there were those merciless words again. Shizuru only laughed in return, waiting for the younger girl to reach her as she clasped her hands behind her back like she always did. When she did, Shizuru took her small but slightly rough hands and brought her down to sit next to her amongst the mixed flowers and tall blades of grass.

The tawny-haired girl couldn't help but smile at the girl next to her; she seemed nervous again, but in a cute way. Natsuki meekly fidgeted into a comfortable position, pressing the heels of her palms into the ground behind her while laying her legs out in front of her. Shizuru just tucked her knees underneath her into a rather lovely posture. The younger girl pinked as she noticed her eyes were wandering over her form under the light of the moon.

The younger girl moved again so that she was on her back, folding her arms behind her head again, forcing herself to look up at the slightly colored sky. "So, what did you and Reito do?" Speaking those words was like moving a life-size paper weight with bare hands – reluctant to move at all.

Shizuru sighed as she looked away, idly playing with her wavy ocher locks. "Well, after I showed him what there was to show of my parent's house, he suggested we go out to dinner in the Kyoto city, so we did. We talked for a little, caught up on each other and such, then walked through a bit of the city before we came back here and talked a little more while I took him through some of the more conservative gardens." She explained simply.

"Did… you have fun?" Natsuki cursed herself for hesitating, especially when she saw the brief flicker of curiosity on Shizuru's face.

"Yes, I did." Even though the answer came mundanely, the older girl saw Natsuki look away, disheartened. She gazed at Natsuki so intensely that she made sure the other girl felt it. "But I missed you." She whispered, bringing her body less then an inch away from that of the younger girl's.

Natsuki could feel the gaze; it was like a fire on her skin. She didn't look up, but just played with a blade of grass. She opened her mouth, but nothing came. She tried again, forcing her voice out. "I… missed you too." Finally forcing herself to peer up, her heart beat faster when she saw the deep, fond cherry eyes bore into her own. Her heart then began to race when Shizuru moved to lie on top of her, her head lying in the crook of her shoulder and her arm lying over the girl's stomach.

Natsuki tried to breathe as evenly as she could. "Mai called me today. She said that Reito's a really nice guy and would be a great husband." She noted almost shakily, feeling Shizuru's warm breath caress her bare neck.

Eyes closed, Shizuru pressed closer, absentmindedly nuzzling Natsuki's neck, making the younger girl gasp. "Mmmnn," she sighed, "I don't really want to talk about Reito anymore." She whispered. "I've spend half of a day with him, and even less of a day with you. Not disrespecting Kanzaki-san, I don't really care right now. Just you… again." Shizuru chuckled, but then paused as Natsuki remained still. The older girl looked up and saw the anxiousness back in the jade eyes. Afraid that she had done something wrong, she pulled away. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to make you uncomfort-,"

"No." Natsuki interrupted bluntly, making the girl on top of her look back down in surprise as she felt Natsuki's hand grab her arm to keep her still. Her ocher hair fell over her face as she looked down at the girl whose sapphire hair was spread beautifully over the grassy plane. "It's okay. I don't mind." Natsuki murmured passed her rapid breathing that she tired to calm. She gently pulled Shizuru back down on top of her.

Though slightly surprised, Shizuru complied gladly, laying her head back down near that of the other girl's. She sighed lightly before asking with mild curiosity, "So, what did you and Mai talk about?"

"Uh, n-nothing in particular." Nervously, the younger girl looked up to eye the flowers and tips of tall grass swaying leisurely over her head. After a few seconds of frantic thinking, she forced herself to speak again, trying to busy her free hand by running it through her hair a few times. "I… um… there's something I want to… uh, explain to you, but I don't exactly know how to put it into words." Natsuki could feel the other girl watching her, making her pause and hesitate as she tried to spill out whatever words she was able to. "I mean, I'm surprised that Reito hasn't even been here a whole day and I'm already… ugh! I don't know!..." She sighed exasperatedly, gently tugging a fist full of her hair in frustration.

Shizuru slowly brought herself up high onto her elbow so that she could gaze as deep into the other girl's tormented eyes as possible. Natsuki met her soft, warm eyes and read them; 'Tell me, Natsuki.'

'But I CAN'T!!' Natsuki's face contorted into anger: she furrowed her brows and gritted her teeth, growling loudly as she pushed herself roughly from the ground.

Before the older girl knew what was happening, hands brusquely took to cradling her face, holding her still as the girl in front of her lunged forward.

With her eyes clinched shut, Natsuki pressed her lips hard against Shizuru's. Her back strained as she tried to hold herself up to the other girl's level, not wanting to pull her on top of her; just to kiss her. Her body, her hands, even her lips were ridged as she stayed where she was. After a few seconds she finally let go, still holding Shizuru's beautiful face in her hands. She nervously peered into the other girl's eyes, which blinked a few times in surprise before turning even warmer and softer than before.

"Well, Natsuki, I have to say that I'm rather confused as to what kind of kiss that was…" Shizuru teased, trying to pull her grin back.

The younger girl's jaw nearly dropped from exasperation. "You know damn well what kind of kiss that was! Don't make me explain it!" She bellowed, not knowing whether to hold her or choke her.

The tawny-haired girl didn't flinch, only smirked and gazed at her playfully. "Very well. It's just always rather difficult to tell what it is Natsuki truly wants… especially when Natsuki's words come in a kiss…" She murmured softly, her eyes quickly playing over raven-haired girl's face (taking a second longer on her lips).

Natsuki gulped as she turned her eyes to the side. "Um… sorry. I'm not very good with words so… that was all I could do…" Her murmuring voice wavered as she slowly went to pull away.

Shizuru giggled softly, "I would have preferred that anyway." She reached up and took Natsuki's hands before they could retreat back to the younger girl's sides. Jade eyes snapped back uncertainly onto her face as she took her beautiful hands and laid them high onto her shoulders.

Leaning slowly closer, Shizuru smiled as she ran her hands up Natsuki's arms, trailing them down the sides of her lithe body until she was able to encircle her waist. Her eyes never left Natsuki's, and she could see that those eyes were becoming timid but accepting - something she was very happy about. She stopped coming nearer when she felt her body brush against Natsuki's; her smile widened as she felt her breathing rate slightly accelerate against both her stomach and her chin. Her lips were only an inch away from the smaller but supple ones, but she didn't go any closer; she just remained there, her eyes searching Natsuki's uneasy face.

"Are you okay, Natsuki?" Shizuru whispered in a low, innocent voice.

"I-I… um…" Natsuki tried to respond on her second attempt. She briefly clinched her eyes shut again and, in equal time, gripped Shizuru's shoulders; her rampaging heart rate almost refused to slow. Her eyes opened with a look of dead seriousness. "Don't tease me this way." She warned, not removing herself from the tawny-haired girl's embrace.

Shizuru's gaze upon her softened, her fingers gently caressing her lower back. "I may tease in many ways, but I'd never tease Natsuki about this." Her lips tenderly caressed Natsuki's lovely pink ones only once; it was enough to make the cobalt-haired girl unable to find her breath and bit back a soft moan.

"This is insane." Natsuki whispered breathily.

Shizuru giggled before whispering back, "Maybe it is, but that doesn't mean I dislike it." She finally opened her eyes to meet Natsuki's shy ones. "Do you?"

Natsuki shifted uneasily under Shizuru's gaze. "I don't dislike it." She confessed, holding her additional thoughts to herself: Shizuru's mother, uncle, and wedding were too much to think about at that moment, especially with Shizuru gazing at her the way that she was: the pools of silver light and shifting shadows of the night had a mesmerizing effect on the older girl's body, hair and eyes. Natsuki's cheeks flustered shyly.

Shizuru giggled again at the other girl's tentative behavior towards her. Wordlessly, she pushed Natsuki gently so that she lay fully onto the bed of tall grass. She loomed over the younger girl's body, studying the jade eyes a little longer before lowering herself. Though she chose not to press her body fully onto Natsuki's tense form, she remained propped up with her forearms pressing onto the grass either side of her shoulders.

"How's that nose doing now?" Shizuru asked with a smirk, purposely being cruel by switching the subject to something rather far off.

Natsuki just stared at her, her green gaze unclear as though her mind was someplace else. "What nose?" She replied seriously, her expression unchanged.

Shizuru laughed her soft laugh, amused but also surprised just how deeply Natsuki had fallen into this wistful state. Looking back five years ago, she would have given so much to see the look Natsuki had right now. She briefly wondered what exactly happened that made Natsuki finally act this way towards her, but not really craving to know the answer right at that moment.

"Nevermind." The tawny-haired girl finally answered, leaning forward only a small distance until her lips were only a centimeter away from Natsuki's: she let her figure out what to do next. It took a couple seconds, but Natsuki's diffident reply was well worth the wait.

The kiss was slow, soft and chaste, and Shizuru didn't mind it at all. She smirked as she wasn't sure whether Natsuki was trying to lead or just trying. Either way, she let the rhythm flow as she subtly slid one of her arms down so that it lay against Natsuki's side. Her hand cupped her ribcage softly; she felt the muscles underneath jump at the initial contact. Shizuru smiled at how sensitive she was. She briefly opened her eyes to let them wander over the younger girl's timid yet relaxed expression, like a child learning a new lesson.

Natsuki thought that her heart was going to pound through both of their cages; it was like facing your ultimate fear, yet not feeling afraid at all. The touch and warmth of Shizuru's arms kept her from wandering too far into the chasm of her trepidation. The girl on top of her sighed as Natsuki released her hold on her shoulders and wrapped her arms around her neck. In return, Shizuru carefully caressed the smaller girl's side from low on her hip to her bra line, her wrist brushing against the side of her breast. Natsuki gasped and shivered, tightening her hold on the body on top of her until the wave-like sensation subsided.

Shizuru smiled at Natsuki's reaction. Nearly inaudible moans reverberated from her throat as her lips continued their affectionate touches upon the other girl's until she dared to go down. With much reluctance, her lips tore from Natsuki's as she rotated her head to press them against the skin underneath her jaw. She moved down, her lips, breath, and tongue slowly caressing and teasing the skin as she took her time to get to the collarbone.

"Uhhnnn…" Natsuki finally groaned breathily, unconsciously turning her head to give more room. Shizuru shuddered at the younger girl's response, her excitement urging her to suck and nibble on her throat a little longer. She could feel the pulsating vein beneath her lips and tongue; she couldn't help but give it attention. "Oh…" The flustering girl panted, beginning to squirm beneath Shizuru's body as she held her closer. The older girl giggled huskily. After dipping her tongue into the hollow of Natsuki's throat a few more times, she finally made her way back up the other side of her neck with equal precision.

Curious as to what the younger girl would do, Shizuru kissed, nipped and suckled passionately on her earlobe and the sensitive skin underneath.

Natsuki craned her neck back, releasing a low, throaty moan as she tried to keep her hands from gripping at her soft sweater. She shivered every time she felt Shizuru's warm breath tickle her dry skin and cool her wet skin along her neck. Her clouded eyes opened as much as they could as she felt Shizuru's lips trail back to her own. When they touched, she finally closed them again and very tentatively nerved to trace Shizuru's lips with her tongue.

Shizuru laughed seductively before pressing her lips a little harder against the younger girl's, trapping her tongue so that she could caress it with her own. Natsuki gasped and panted again, holding back a groan at the sweet, soft warmth of Shizuru's tongue. There were no attempts at domination, just rhythmic motions as shared touches of affection. She absentmindedly held the nape of the older girl's neck with one palm; the other wandered down to the small of Shizuru's back, caressing it, utterly lost in the warmth of the embrace and seemly endless passion.

"Mmmnnn-ohhh, Nat-su-kiii…" Shizuru whirred hoarsely, gently biting and tugging on the cobalt-haired girl's lower lip.

Natsuki's eyes opened, broken from her deep trance at the sound of her own name being spoken that way. She pushed on Shizuru's shoulders, making the girl on top of her stop. Shizuru looked at her concernedly, "Natsuki? What's wrong?"

The younger girl didn't answer. She pushed herself up, making Shizuru get off of her and shift to sit next to her. Natsuki's heart was hammering, her face blushing to the point where she could feel the heat on her palms. She never knew this kind of passion; it scared her but at the same time revitalized her. It made her feel alive, needed, wanted, … loved. Her gaze lifted to Shizuru's - she saw what she felt.

Natsuki looked away, blushing. "I'm sorry, Shizuru. I just… it's all so real and I've never…" – She glanced in the older girl's direction – "… I've never felt this way, not with anyone, besides…" This time, she finally brought her jade eyes up to Shizuru's: they were deep with something that Natsuki still had trouble defining. "You." Not knowing what else to say, nothing else to conclude with, she just waited for Shizuru to speak her thoughts.

Shizuru looked at her intently, wishing that she could do so much; to make Natsuki feel so much right now and know exactly what it was, and not just simply keep guessing. "Natsuki has always been so sweet to me…" Shizuru whispered, holding her close. "It makes me wonder how I ever deserved to have you next to me like this…" She finished, resting her head against her best friend's shoulder.

Natsuki looked in the older girl's direction, only able to see the tawny hair falling over her shoulder. A smile grazed her lips as she stroked the locks softly with her fingers. They were silent for what seemed like an eternity, but both were very comfortable in their embrace. Eventually, Natsuki finally asked, "So, what happened to that 'You'll See' you told me about?"

Shizuru looked up at the sky again and frowned. "It looks like the moon isn't going to be bright enough, but that's okay. We'll have several other chances." With that, she laid the side of her face against Natsuki's neck.

The younger girl's pink (and still slightly raw) lips curved upwards. "I hope so. You keep making me really curious."

Shizuru giggled. "Hopefully in more ways than one…"

It took a couple minutes for Natsuki to understand what she was talking about. It was very easy to tell when she did: "You never ever quit, do you!?!?"

888

Girochi gazed down at the sight of his niece and her friend disdainfully. His office, which occupied a back corner of the house, was hidden in the dark apart from the moonlight spilling passed his windows, onto the carpet. He scoffed before finally turning away from the repulsive display, belligerently striding to his large, black safe. With an austere wrist, he turned the metal knob, the 'clicks' sounding the in the empty room. The vault's hinges hummed as it creaked open.

Reaching into the shadows, he mentally counted the files stored within and pulled out a single file. After closing the door, trying to silence the sound of the lock as much as he could, he walked back over to his desk and buried the documents under a small pile of papers. The moonlight was just able to touch the label on the file:

"FIRST DISTRICT – Subject: Fujino, Shizuru."

Girochi glanced back up to where his "honorable" niece held the girl in her arms. He sneered again with distaste as he silently turned and left the room.