(I do not own FB. But if I did Shigure would definitely be with Mii.)

Chapter 8: A name and a fear of touching

Shigure returned a little while later with two cups of tea. He handed one to his editor who sighed and accepted the drink. Shigure sat beside her as she looked at him.

"Thank you, Sensei, for being so kind." She said softly. She was quite relieved that he had opted not to torment her, although she never should have thought he would. The novelist enjoyed his hijinx, but he wasn't a monster.

"Now, now, Mii. I consider you a dear friend." Shigure smiled at her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I may enjoy teasing you, but that's how I show I care!"

Mii gave him a small smile and placed her hand over his on her shoulder, "Of course, Sensei."

He gave a small laugh. Her hand on his, her smiling at him, sent his heart a flutter. The laugh actually slipped out do to his slight nervousness as opposed to the idea that something was funny. Mii gave him a quizzical look, unaware that anything was amusing, and he quickly tried to get her mind off his slip, "You know, Mii, you really don't have to call me sensei."

His editor began to try and argue. Calling him sensei was just her way of maintaining her professionalism around him. It reinforced the barrier she had put up to keep from falling for him. If she let that barrier crumble, especially now that she was vulnerable, who knew what would happen, "Oh, I know, but-"

Shigure shook his head and interrupted the girl, "But nothing. You know, I think I've only heard you say my name once. Back when we first met. And you've never addressed me by my name! Now, come on. Let's hear it. Call me Shigure."

Mii let out a small nervous laugh of her own now, trying to play this whole thing off as being ridiculous, "Now Sensei, I hardly think-"

"Tsk, tsk! Now Mii! What did I just say about calling me by name?" He quirked a brow at her, slightly curious as to why it was so difficult for her to say his name.

"Fine…Shigure…" She said his name softly, as though embarrassed to address him in such a manner, "I hardly think it matters what I call you though."

Without her noticing, a light blush crept over her cheeks. There wasn't really a reason to be blushing, but something about saying his name struck her as embarrassing. Calling him anything but sensei was closing a gap she had been guarding for two years; calling him by name seemed downright intimate.

"Mii…" He said softly almost questioningly as he looked at her. Something in her tone had struck him as being…well, he didn't know, but he had never heard his name said in quite that manner. And was she blushing? Why should she be blushing? "Mii, you seem flushed, perhaps you are getting ill? You should probably stay the night; I don't want you driving if you are not feeling well."

There was a soft birdcall that revealed that dawn was already just around the bend. They had spent the whole night talking. Mii gave him a small smile, almost a shy smile, "I think we talked the night away…thanks anyway."

"Oh, I guess we did…" Shigure laughed awkwardly, her nervousness catching, "well, stay for breakfast then? I'm sure Tohru wouldn't mind setting an extra place. And then you can feel free to sleep a while on the couch, Can't risk you falling asleep at the wheel."

"Thank you for the offer, but I think I'll be ok…Shigure" Again she felt awkward calling him by name. But even more awkward was the idea of sleeping in his home.

"I insist! I would feel simply awful if in an attempt to drive home you were in an accident and harmed!" The novelist commented sincerely, giving her a look to tell her he wasn't taking no for an answer.

Still feeling very awkward, and slightly uncomfortable the young editor smiled up at him in silent thanks. She sighed softly and bit her lip. She should give him some genuine sign of gratitude. He said they were friends, and she knew how friends would thank one another. Most likely, a hug. But she had never been one to feel comfortable with such physical contact, and such an action would only make it that much harder to keep her walls up.

"Is something the matter, Mii?" Shigure questioned on hearing the sigh. His editor simply shook her head, "are you certain? If I have done anything wrong, I apologize."

He was beginning to worry he had somehow offended her. But again she simply shook her head, fiddling with the empty tea cup still clutched in her delicate hands. He glanced at the cup in those beautiful hands. She seemed so nervous for some reason. The air in the room was thick with the tension between editor and client.

Shigure gently placed a hand over hers. She blinked in surprise looking up at him. The novelist was smiling softly at her, and she suddenly felt a little more comfortable, though she blushed lightly as their gazes met. She cleared her throat a little nervously and taking a quiet breath, moved to hug him, "Thanks again, Shig-"

Her sentence was cut short as he quickly stood to avoid the approaching embrace. "Not a problem, let me take that empty cup out into the kitchen."

With a small sigh she relinquished the cup and settled uncomfortably back into place. How silly of her, to even attempt such a thing.

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Shigure hurried to the kitchen and set the cups in the sink, then sighed, leaning against the counter. In one moment, had he not noticed what was going on, the curse could have been revealed. Only one person had ever found out about the curse and not had her memory wiped clean. He didn't want for Mii to find out, just so she could forget.

He wouldn't have minded the hug to be honest, it would have been awkward to say the least, but he wouldn't have minded having that moment of embracing her.

He needed to simply take a few moments alone in the kitchen to pull his thoughts together, and come up with some form of apology for dodging her attempt to hug him.

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"You're here awfully early, aren't you?" Came a young voice from behind Mii, "Where's that idiot Shigure at anyway? Hiding from you again?"

Mii turned around to see the orange haired boy who had just entered the room, "Oh…I…" She wasn't sure how to explain her presence here so early in the morning to this boy, so she moved on to the question of where Shigure was, "He's in the kitchen at the moment. Quite possibly attempting to hide." The last part was muttered under her breath.

"Huh? Well, if you know where he is, why not just go get him? Geeze." Kyou wasn't the brightest bulb in the drawer, and he didn't notice that she seemed a little upset and embarrassed. He plopped down on the floor against one of the walls, and looked at the woman, finally noticing that she was wearing his older cousin's clothes, "What the…never mind, I don't even want to know."

He immediately crawled back to his feet and walked out of the room, pushing past Shigure who was just reentering, and casting him a disgusted look that told the man exactly what his cousin thought had transpired.

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Shigure blinked at the look he received from Kyou, but didn't bother to correct him just yet on the actual occurrences of the night before. He made his way back into the room, and looked sheepishly at Mii, "Umm…I'm sorry about that…"

Thinking he was apologizing for the orange haired boy's actions Mii simply shrugged it off, "No big deal…"

"I shouldn't have pulled away from that…erm…hug." The novelist was nervous; it was odd for him to be so uncomfortable…ever. Mii blinked up at him as she realized what he was saying.

"N-no, I shouldn't have, I mean, I made you uncomfortable…" She stammered out nervously.

"No, I just...too much physical contact makes me a little nervous is all." The man explained. Mii laughed some.

"You? Nervous about…anything!" The idea just struck her as funny, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes well…I'm not all I pretend to be." Shigure chuckled softly as he sat beside her, smiling at her.

She laughed and smiled back. God she had a beautiful smile. He just looked at her, and she blushed under his gaze, suddenly nervous due to how he was looking at her. Shigure inched his face a little nearer hers, nervous, but acting without really thinking through what he was about to do.

Mii blinked wide eyed at him and blushed brighter. She swallowed hard trying to get her heart to stop beating so fast.

Suddenly a timid and obviously surprised girl's voice cam from the entryway to the room, "O-oh! S-sorry if I…interrupted!"

Shigure's brown haired tenant was blinking at the two on the couch in embarrassment and surprise at what she had just walked in on. Shigure blinked and pulled quickly back from his editor. Pulled back into conscious thought, he couldn't believe what he had nearly done.

"Oh, good morning Tohru!" He blushed lightly as he looked at her. "You didn't interrupt a thing!" He lied as he laughed nervously, "By the way, Mii will be joining us for breakfast."

Mii simply sat there blushing brightly in silence as Tohru nodded and went to begin breakfast preparations.

(( Ok, chappie done! I hope you liked! I'm trying to fluff it without making it so sweet you'll get cavities. See, I have you're best interests at heart! Lol!))

Eden: Glad you like the pairing too! I don't know if I can manage 50 more chaps though!

HiroNakano305: I shall update whenever possible, but I have chronic writer's block. Ritsu's cute too, but he's way to much like me, lol!

Hatori Obsesser: Yeah, the guy was a jerk, wasn't he! Grr, men can be idiots! Lol!

Dragonjewel24: Yay! I've created another fan! maniacal laughter

Shary: Bet you really liked this chapter lol! And back off Shigure! He's my bitch!

TaijiyaSango2498: Wee! Fluff! There, I updated!

Skyedragonknight: I'm gonna work in as much fluff as I can and still stay IC.

Prettypinkpeacock: Thank you!