A/N: This is my favorite chapter so far, I think; we're moving right along as tentatively scheduled lol. I love writing this story so much wow. Um, I'm not fishing for reviews or anything, but if you read this, it would be so great to hear from you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Chapter 3

Finally

For the first time since being reunited, they are truly alone.

Mirai feels restless and a little bit embarrassed - why is she still wearing the stupid maid costume? Ai-chan and Ayaka-san had left to go out for dinner after Mirai had finished her modeling work that afternoon. They'd asked if she would be willing to watch the shop for them while they were gone, to close it at the appropriate time, and she agreed.

Akihito didn't seem to mind it either - he'd tagged along to watch her work today - but he wasn't looking at her the way she hoped he would. She is still in costume - doesn't that appeal to him at all? Isn't that why he buys the photos of her? It sucks that she doesn't know what to say to him. Anticipating a moment where it's just them and now that the moment has arrived her tongue is silent and her heart is erratic.

"If you want to go and change, I can close up the shop, Kuriyama-san," Akihito says, breaking her frantic thoughts. She clutches suddenly at the choker on her throat and looks to him, her blush beginning to make its appearance. His eyes widen at her hectic look, and her chest hurts because her heart is beating so fast as he quickly becomes adorably confused. "What's with the look?"

"U-um," she stutters, dropping her eyes to the table. Why doesn't he get it? It's too embarrassing to say out loud! "S-Senpai? When we're a-alone, could you. . ." She swallows thickly, feels how hot her face has become. "Could you c-call me by my f-f-first name?"

She peeks at him over her glasses to see him jerk back in surprise, feels her heart skip a beat when his cheeks redden in color. Her hand clenches harder against her chest and she wonders why loving him hurts so much. Is it supposed to feel so painful, here, where her heart is? Does he feel it so strongly too?

"S-Sure," he says finally, eyes fixated on her. "And you ought to do the same, uh, you know. Mirai."

Goosebumps raise all over her skin; his mouth caresses her name the way she always hoped it would. "O-okay," she replies, her blush crawling toward her forehead. "Um. I'll go change." She rises from the chair she occupies and begins to make her way back into the photo studio where her school clothes sit folded on a table.

"Wait." He reaches toward her hand as if to grab it before he also stands and lets his hand fall back to his side. Akihito is really tall, she thinks, curling her hands over the hem of the fluffy skirt. She wants him to lean toward her; she can't kiss him unless he bends down in some way, no matter how far she stretches on her toes. Why isn't he touching her? He was going to grab her hand, but he hesitated. She's so frustrated - she doesn't know how much longer she can stand being treated like eggshells.

"What?" she asks, trying not to scowl as she meets his gaze.

His cheeks are rosy; he scratches the back of his neck. "Uh, well I just wanted to say that you look really cute. In that outfit, I mean."

"Are you being perverted again?" Her voice is accusatory but an incredibly flustered part of her hopes that he is.

She watches his face go blank for a moment, eyes flickering as he sees something that isn't in the moment and he blushes, grinning as he re-focuses back on her. "Well, I wasn't until you said anything."

"Then. . ." her voice wavers and she has to dig down deep to pull the words out of her. "Then, why don't you kiss me?" She leans back against the table, dropping her eyes, feeling like her heart is going to explode right out of her chest. "You haven't even tried," she says softly, growing louder with each word. "Not since I've been back, and I. . .I want to kiss you! I want you to touch me! I'm not breakable, I -"

He grimaces, eyebrows drawing in sharply and she knows that he's upset. "I know!" he exclaims, pressing his hands to the table on either side of her. "I know you're not; if anyone is going to break here, it's going to be me," he says and something in his voice turns forlorn and she aches at the sound. "Two times, I reached for you and you splintered into pieces both times. And it's not an excuse but I can't afford to lose you again."

The walls are down now. She grabs one of his hands and presses it over her chest, where she can feel her heart beating the strongest. "I'm here," she tells him earnestly, placing her hand over top of his, holding him against her hard. "I promise I'm not a dream; please don't be afraid."

He smiles painfully at her, leaning toward her slightly, hand still pressed to her heart. She is embarrassed that he can feel how fast it is beating, but when she reaches forward and wraps her arms around him, placing her head against his chest, the pace of his heart matches hers exactly. Mirai grins and clutches him close, sighing when he returns the gesture with just as much fervor.

His arms are tight around her, binding her against him so that she can barely breathe. She doesn't want to breathe. She hopes he leaves bruises. It's the first time he's felt so solid and real against her since she returned; the first time his hands hold her like she is flesh and bone and not glass. His mouth presses to the side of her head before he drops his forehead to her shoulder and sighs shakily against her. His breath is hot and she shivers.

Mirai isn't sure how long they stand there - could have been seconds, could have been months - before he finally releases her. She holds on for a few moments longer, and when her arms finally drop to her sides, neither one of them tries to step away. He smells like clean cotton and the spice of his soap, that distinct youmu scent underlying it all. Though usually her senses scream danger with the smell of a youmu, she is utterly at peace and she is so happy.

"How about you change before Ayaka-san and Ai-chan come back?" he suggests softly. "They shouldn't be much longer."

She tries not to smile against his shirt. "S-Sure," she agrees, turning around to leave before remembering something. The blush is inevitable. "Um. . .A-Akihito?" she mumbles gently, staring at the floor. "Could you undo the buttons back there?"

"Y-Yeah," he replies. His fingertips touch the top of the costume, sliding over her skin just fractionally and she holds her breath as he quickly loops the buttons out of their holes. She steps away and flashes him a smile over her shoulder as she walks toward the photo studio.

"Thank you. I'll be right out!"

Mirai changes as fast as she can manage without tripping over herself and contemplates what she should do next. After donning her pink cardigan, she sits on the bench next to the folded maid costume and stares at her phone. It's a Friday night, spending time with Akihito isn't a bad idea, right? Sakura would understand, wouldn't she?

It doesn't take long to convince herself - Mirai shoots the text to her roommate and smiles as she pockets the device, making her way back to the front of the store. Ayaka-san stands in the hallway talking to a bright-eyed Akihito when she emerges from behind the curtain and Ai-chan grins.

"Thank you for looking after the store, Kuriyama-san," Ayaka-san says in her graceful way.

Mirai smiles and waves her hands in front of her. "It wasn't a big deal. I hope you both had a good time."

When both Mirai and Akihito have said their goodbyes, they slip into their coats and out into the street. A memory assaults her when she sees the snow falling, the dark grey sky that is fading into night, and her chest suddenly feels tight and cold. Ducking her chin into her scarf, she tries to shut out what she recalls of her lonely days Beyond the Boundary, how empty the nights felt when she had existed there, and instead reaches for Akihito's hand.

He glances at her in surprise but then grins and threads his fingers through hers, the tips of his ears glowing red. She smiles and forgets the awful memory because he holds her hand tight and she is so happy that he's learning to trust himself with her.

"So," he says. "Where to?"

Her shoes slip a little in the snow, but his hand anchors her. "I texted Sakura. She doesn't expect me home anytime soon."

He smiles, his eyes glittering with sudden excitement. "Dinner, then? I'll pay."

Something in her stomach jumps. "Yes please."

::::

Mitsuki does as Akihito suggested. Instead of lying around her house eating snacks and watching movies on this particular Friday night, she decides to do some digging. If Hiroomi won't tell her what's going on, then she's going to figure it out for herself. Besides, she's willing to do anything to alleviate the strange ache of anxiety in her stomach. Something is not right here, and she's desperate to understand. Better to be prepared, anyway, than to not see it coming.

Her best bet, she figures, is the library in the basement. If she's quiet, she might even be able to take a peek at the study down there. Hiroomi has not yet returned home for the evening - that she knows of, anyway - so with Yakiimo on her shoulder, Mitsuki quietly hurries to staircase that will lead her down into the dark spaces under her manor.

Once she reaches the door in the basement, she nervously looks over her shoulder before raising her hand to unlock the cage. "Keep your ears open, Yakiimo," she says softly as she opens the door. It swings on its hinges soundlessly and then she's facing a vast room that smells like old books and old magic. Cautiously - she's only trying to be quiet, so quiet - she steps into the room and allows the door to swing shut behind her.

"Alright, Yakiimo," she says, petting the little youmu on her shoulder, "we're looking for anything that seems new or out of place. Think you can do that for me?"

He rubs his head against her hand in understanding and then leaps off of her, running through the shadows. Mitsuki follows him through the aisles of the bookcases, still being as quiet as she can despite thinking that she's absolutely alone in the basement. Her stomach jumps with nerves however when she spots the study door ajar, light pouring from the crack in the opening.

Hiroomi must have been down here before she even got home, she figures, sticking to the shadows as she approaches the door. But it's been hours. And he's been doing work since lunch time at school. A frown pulls at her mouth as she presses her back to the wall near the door and strains her ears. Yakiimo crawls back up to her shoulder.

There's a heavy sigh and the shuffling of papers, before he speaks. "You have yet to tell me exactly what you want me to do about this." He sounds tired, frustrated. Mitsuki's eyebrows furrow as another voice speaks - he must have his telephone on speaker.

It's a woman's voice, crisp and cold, like the first day of winter. "As I keep telling you, Nase-san, your family is not in good standing with those of us at the Society of Spirit World Warriors. There is too much suspicion surrounding your older sister."

He grits his teeth at the not so subtle accusation. "As if you have room to speak against my sister. Do you honestly expect me to believe that Miroku Fujima was only posing under your name?"

The woman becomes disgruntled. "Do not speak down to me."

"Or what? The way I see it, you threaten me either way." He knows, anyway, that she is only saying that because he has hit the nail on the head. She's trying to divert his attention in the conversation. A small smile tugs at his mouth; she has said more than she meant to without ever saying anything at all.

She sighs heavily, though her voice remains icy. "Your cooperation is necessary."

"I'm not particularly interested in cooperating with the Society." You're all corrupt, he thinks venomously. He doesn't have the means to prove it yet, but that's why he's been so hard at work this past month. Hiroomi can't even trust his own leader - the man who lives here in the basement of his home.

"You don't want to make us your enemy, Nase-san." She's becoming angry now.

"And you don't want to make my family yours," he retaliates as calmly as he can. "If you'll excuse me, I have a pressing matter to take care of." Mitsuki hears the click of a button and then the phone line is disconnected and she stands there in the darkness, holding her breath.

"Mitsuki." Her brother's voice carries out from the crack in the door and she goes very still for a moment before cursing under her breath. It makes sense that he would realize she's there - he must have felt the ripple in the cage when she unlocked it to enter the library.

Steeling her expression, she opens the door and stands in the sudden pool of light. "Why didn't you tell me anything?" she asks harshly.

He's collapsed into a chair behind the desk and she thinks he looks more disheveled that she's ever seen him before. His scarf hangs loose around his neck, eyes tired yet full of fire. "With everything that's happened with Kuriyama-san lately, I didn't want to worry you further," he states.

She stares at him, frowning. "You failed at that."

A smile curls at the corners of his mouth and he laughs humorlessly. "I suppose I did."

Mitsuki steps further into the study until she is standing directly before the desk. "What do they want from us?"

He sighs. "I don't know yet."

She's frustrated by his short answers. "Are you sure it's okay for you to be talking to them like you were?"

Tiredly, he rubs a hand over his face and averts his eyes to the ceiling. He looks like he's contemplating on what to say to her and she hopes that he goes with the truth. What's the point of him covering anything up anymore, if she heard that last conversation between him and the Society anyway? "Mitsuki, I don't think Fujima was acting of his own accord when he came after Akkey. At least, not at first."

She blinks at him. "You think the Society is after Akihito?"

He returns his gaze to hers. "We have to be very careful, little sister. Trusting the Society at this point is out of the question."

"Don't you think we should tell Akihito?"

"He just got Kuriyama-san back. Akkey deserves some peace of mind for more than a week, don't you think?"

"Yes, but if he's in trouble. . .Aniki, he can't afford to be oblivious if the Society has intentions like Fujima did."

Hiroomi stares for a moment and then smiles into his scarf. "Right, as usual, I see. I'm proud to have such a smart little sister."

Ugh. She begins to pull her cell phone from her pocket, hearing the consent in her brother's voice.

::::

Mirai is very glad that she is alive. In fact, she is sure that she has never, ever been more glad that she is alive than she is in this moment as her eyes slide shut and Akihito's mouth presses against hers for the first time, very, very softly. They are sitting on his bed - its completely innocent, she swears! - their backs pressed against the wall, the croon of music playing on his iPod in the corner.

His thin fingers tangle in the short wave of her hair, her glasses skewing awkwardly as he presses himself closer. She trembles, reaching for the collar of his shirt so that she can hold onto something. Kissing him is everything she thought it would be and she thrills as he pulls away before kissing the corner of her mouth, her nose, her chin.

"Finally," she murmurs as he reaches for her glasses and plucks them from her face, setting them aside.

He grins and flattens his mouth against her cheek. "Finally," he agrees. Eagerly, she pulls him closer to her and wraps her arms around his neck .

"Don't ever make me wait like that again," she scolds lightly. "It's unpleasant."

He laughs and she can feel the vibrations of it in his chest. "Geez, go easy on me, Kuriyama."

"No," she says and kisses him. His hands run up and down the sides of her rib cage, underneath the cardigan she wears. "A-and you said you'd call me Mirai."

"Mirai," he answers, pressing his lips against hers hard. "Mirai." His hands curl around her waist. "Mirai."

She shivers and smiles into his mouth, blinking in surprise when he pulls away suddenly, his face distressed.

"Why are you crying?" he asks, reaching for her wet cheek.

Her hand presses to the other and feels the tears, abruptly aware of the tremor in her jaw. What can she say? She thinks that he needs to know how wonderful and essential he is, how much importance he holds in her life because he changed her. He made her see the beauty in living, the beauty in her blood and she doesn't know how to say that, so instead, she grabs his hand. "I'm just really happy," she whispers.

A grin splits across his face, relief in his coffee-stained eyes. "I'm happy too." He's just leaning back in to kiss her again when suddenly his phone vibrates in his pocket. Peculiar. Akihito rarely gets any calls, especially on Friday nights.

He frowns and pulls the cell from his pocket, raising an eyebrow at the number.

"Who is it?" Mirai asks, watching the expression on his face. She can't explain why, but she feels very anxious all of a sudden.

He turns to her, looking bewildered. "It's Mitsuki."