Author's note :

Hi everyone ! Thank you so much to everyone who has either read, favorited or followed this story, this means everything to me ! Here's to a new chapter ! Please leave reviews if you have anything to say, I'll read and reply ;)

Enjoy...

Chapter 3 - The start of something

Mitsuri checked her appearance one last time in the mirror of her bedroom. She had to head out soon. But when was that, exactly? She had no idea how college parties worked here, not that she had attended many in her life before switching universities.

In the years before, she had made very little effort to blend in with her classmates or other students in general. She had felt like she didn't need to, after all, she had had everything she could ever want. Everything she should have wanted. A loving, supportive family and the picture-perfect boyfriend waiting at home. Why would she need friends when she had it all already?

But that was all in the past and Mitsuri had gotten here with her mind set in simple goals : meet new people, make a few friends, have some damn fun.

Well. She had reached the first goal already. Over the course of the past few weeks, she had tried to get out of her comfort zone and launch herself in conversations with the students who went to the same classes as her. They had to have at least a few things in common considering they had chosen to study similar stuff, right?

It had gone pretty well, all things considered. More and more students greeted her when she came into the classroom, and some even happily started talking with her. The topics of discussion remained all kind of basic, but it was all fine with Mitsuri.

Baby steps were steps nonetheless and she had made more progress in her social interactions in a mere number of days than she had over the two years she had spent in the university that had been closer to her family's home.

This night, though. This party. It was destined to push her limits to a point of no-return. And while the possibility of meeting so many new people with so many different backgrounds was making her very panicky, she felt ready to overcome any obstacles that would arise before her when she got there.

All but one, obviously. Mitsuri had started reflecting on her sudden interest for Obanai shortly after they last saw each other. Such a visceral reaction was something she had never dealt with before. And she had been engaged to her previous boyfriend.

She had said "yes" to a man who had asked her to marry him without having ever felt anything remotely close to the clawing need she had felt the second her and Obanai Iguro had met. What the fuck was she supposed to do with that now? Had she ever even loved her ex at that time? All the feelings she thought she had felt paled in comparison to the whirlwind of raw emotions that awakened in her when she was standing close to him.

Mitsuri quite simply had to question herself when it came to Obanai. It was just so dangerously powerful, this attraction. And it knew no limit, had no boundaries and saw no approaching end. A combo that was mesmerizing as much as it was possibly ruining.

Mitsuri couldn't help but feel like she was standing in the eye of a cyclone. All was calm and quiet as long as she didn't venture a single foot in the storm. And she wanted to do just that, oh but she had never wanted to do anything as much as she wanted to step both feet inside of this particular storm.

When she saw him, however, all of that became background noise. When their eyes met, her heart settled and her thoughts quieted, everything was just so calm. For the shortest of time, they just existed in their own private world, without interference.

How could anyone not question something like that? How was she supposed to have trust in herself when so many things seemed to be out of her hands? What would happen to her if, no - once she found out all these feelings were one-sided and he had never even been close to interested in her?

She couldn't help but think that way. After all Mitsuri had been through, having all her confidence shattered into a thousand tiny pieces, all her love rejected with such disgust, her whole safety-net ripped to shreds from under her feet. Leaving her to fall, and fall, and fall into a bottomless pit of despair from which she still - to this day - felt like she was crawling out of.

And why couldn't she just stop thinking about any of that at all? It was supposed to all be in her past, she had sworn to herself that she was going to move on from everything and be done with the person she used to be, the same person she would never get to be again.

Now she was just walking around with the scars of her past etched onto her soul, and on her heart which was undoubtedly the piece of her that had suffered the most throughout this ordeal.

She could never forget, not after all the pain and the heartbreak. Now she was coming face to face with a situation that could rip the barely holding stitches from her wounds just to dig the wound even deeper. How was it that she couldn't even run away? How was it that after having taken all the aforementioned into consideration, she still wanted to risk it?

She had to quit with the overthinking anyway, Mitsuri was not about to jump Obanai anytime soon, maybe not ever. There was absolutely no reason for her to keep obsessing about the possibilities when nothing of substance had ever happened between the two of them.

Mitsuri's phone lit up on the table and she heard the audible sound that notified her of an upcoming text. She quickly went to fetch it and saw it was a text from Obanai. Her heart started hammering in her chest all over again and she unlocked the device to read what it said.

I'll be heading out soon, see you there? Was what it read. Mitsuri took a few calming breaths before quietly tapping her answer. I'm going now, meet you there!

She kept telling herself to stop freaking out, it was just a text for God's sake, it wasn't like she was hitting on him, not even close. She pocketed her phone and looked at herself one last time.

Her long hair was freely floating down her back, for once, and she felt happy with the relaxed look it was giving her. She had done a small eyeliner trait on her eyes in the hopes of deepening her gaze, it was all she could do without messing up everything on her face.

She had put on jeans this time, not her usual de facto style but definitely more convenient for a chilly night out. She had gone more than all-in with her top, though, to compensate for the basic bottom of her outfit. It had a deep neckline and a lacy back, it was definitely more revealing than the items she usually wore, but this was a college party, the first one she went to since she got here. Maybe she wanted to feel more confident with this, maybe she wanted to feel sexy, desirable, things she hadn't thought she could ever be described as in the past.

Maybe the prospect of Obanai being here and seeing her like that was making her brave, or maybe she was finally discovering her own value, outside of what other people generally attributed to her. It was probably a bit of both, to be honest.

Mitsuri put on her shoes and walked out of her small apartment, it was too late to turn around now, she had to own up for herself because she had learned the hard way that no one would do it for her.

When Mitsuri reached the house where the party was supposed to be, she took a few seconds to compose herself. Music was being blasted somewhere from the inside and a lot of people were coming and going all around her. Yes, this sure was one hell of a party from the looks of it.

Not really her scene, not that she had a scene, per se. She had never gone to any event that looked like this one, she didn't have any reason to judge what was going on in here. Maybe it wasn't that bad, she thought, maybe she was the real problem here. The anxiousness she felt was only due to her own inaptitude at handling social events, after all. And going to this one might help make her feel better about going to others in the future.

Now or never. She just had to go already and stop overthinking everything until she was so stressed out she wanted to crawl in a hiding hole. People kept walking around her, groups of friends chatting as they headed for the side of the house, there probably was a backyard there where people got to hang out together.

A deep sense of longing settled inside of Mitsuri. She had never had a group of friends like that, had never gotten to join her best friends and go to a huge party together just to danse and maybe flirt with some boys. How she resented the secluded life she had lived up until this point, she hated the loneliness that was ingrained in her very soul. She knew what she had to do if she wanted the situation to change, if she wanted her life to change.

With one last deep breath, she walked up to the door and knocked. She didn't know if she was even supposed to knock, what if no one cared that people came and went in and out of the house all night long. She was about to grab the handle and make a go for it when the front door flew open and she was met with a petite woman with short black hair and deep, dark purple eyes.

"Hi there!" the woman chirped up with a gentle smile "We've never met before! Welcome to the party!"

Mitsuri felt all but lost at the welcome, this girl was so gorgeous it was just unfair, and she was nice too?!

"Hi!" she finally managed to get the words out from where they appeared to be stuck in her throat. "I'm new here, actually, but I was told to stop by for the party" she awkwardly rambled. "I'm Mitsuri Kanroji" she said with the brightest smile she could muster, hoping to God the other girl wouldn't find her too weird.

"It's so nice to meet you, Mitsuri! I'm Shinobu Kocho, come on in!" The black-haired girl - Shinobu - stepped aside and gestured for her to come in. Mitsuri climbed up the last step leading her to the house and finally came in.

The music was definitely louder now that she was actually in, but she liked this genre, so it didn't bother her. To her left, there was a huge room that looked like a living area with different couches lined against the walls with people sitting on them and chatting lively among themselves. Further in the room was an area that acted as a dance floor for many others who looked lost in the rhythm of the tune they were dancing to.

Shinobu grabbed her hand and led her to a room on their right, it was a big kitchen where people seemed to go get their refill of alcohol beverages. Different people came in together, filled their cups with whatever was left around and went back out again. Mitsuri's senses were kind of overwhelmed by everything happening around her, the loud music, the strong smell of alcohol and smoke and the heat of so many bodies crammed up inside a small space.

Relax, she kept telling herself. This is what a party looks like, this is normal, you're the one that's not normal if you don't fit in a little more. Shinobu suddenly let go of her hand and went behind a counter to get a new red plastic cup out.

"So what can I get ya, Mitsuri?" she had to talk even louder than before to make sure the other girl would understand what she was even saying.

"Oh, uhm… I don't know?" she awkwardly offered. Ridiculous, she thought, she wasn't going to fit in very well if she couldn't even answer some basic question about a drink. "What are you having, Shinobu? I'll take the same!" Yes. She had found herself a way out, she just had to follow the steps of people who seemed to know how to navigate such events.

"I'm taking a beer, I want to start light" she easily supplied.

"That's fine by me" Mitsuri answered.

Shinobu got two bottles out of a mini fridge that was under the counter and used the corner of it as a makeshift bottle opener. She handed Mitsuri her bottle and clinked them together with a joyful "Cheers!". Mitsuri drank a big gulp, just to settle my nerves, she convinced herself.

"My, but I gotta say, you are absolutely stunning Mitsuri, I love the pink hair!" Shinobu told her with a big smile.

Mitsuri stared at her for a second before she felt her cheeks redden and she finally got out of her stupor. "Oh my God thank you so much Shinobu!" she squealed with delight, "It's my first ever college party and I had no idea what to do but now I feel so much better!" she ranted like a lunatic and couldn't help but go on, "And you're one to talk! Just look at you! I don't think I've ever seen someone so pretty before, I love your hair and your dress, too!"

Shinobu was wearing a black mini dress with heels that were strapped all the way to her thighs. The definition of "sexy", in Mitsuri's mind, and something she would never wear. She didn't have Shinobu's lean legs and elegantly petite stature. She was more of a cow in disguise, in her mind, and her thighs were definitely thicker, way thicker.

The shorter girl smiled shyly and was now sporting a tiny twinge of pink on her cheeks too. "I like you, Mitsuri Kanroji." She finally said before adding, "Want to be my friend for tonight?"

"Oh yes, absolutely, let's do that, please!" Mitsuri ranted before taking another big gulp of beer. Maybe this night wouldn't be so bad after all, she had already made a new friend, and wasn't that an exploit in and of itself?

"Let's go, then. I'll show you around and maybe introduce you to some of my friends" Shinobu kindly offered.

"That would be so cool!" Mitsuri replied. It was sure going to be much easier for her to meet new people if she was being introduced to them by someone they already knew. She wouldn't look like such a weirdo and people would be much more opened to the possibility of talking to her than if she came up to them by herself.

"Thank you so much for doing that!" she doubled down, feeling grateful, "I would have had a hard time at getting to people myself, it's very kind of you, Shinobu". She hoped as all hell that this girl meant what she had said and that Mitsuri wouldn't be such as burden throughout the night.

"It's no problem, really, there aren't many girls in our group of friends except for my sister, but she's a bit older and I'd love to hang out with someone new." Shinobu answered in all honesty. She then turned her face and gazed at Mitsuri with a puzzled look, "I'm sorry to ask but, if you don't know anyone here, how did you get the address for the party?"

"Oh, actually, I was talking to a friend and this guy named Tengen came up and invited me to come" Mitsuri supplied truthfully before adding, "You probably know him, right? Tall and muscular and very outgoing?" she hoped that this guy was truly a friend of the one that was hosting this party, otherwise she had just crashed without anyone actually knowing who she was.

No, she remembered now, Obanai knew of him and hadn't looked surprised at the idea of the gathering happening here. Then again, Mitsuri wasn't the kind of person people came to when something needed to be remembered, she had a terrible memory. Plus, her brain felt like it was in a permanent daze when a particular dark-haired man stood nearby.

"My, my. So you met Tengen!" Shinobu had a mischievous glint in her eyes now, "What did you think of him?" she went on, clearly hoping to make a blush erupt in Mitsuri's face. What she didn't know, was that even though she could truly appreciate Tengen's beauty - he was, after all, a very tall and gorgeous guy - Mitsuri's whole attention had been captured elsewhere the whole time they had been discussing earlier that day.

Captured by someone with magnetic eyes and a considerably smaller stature, both of which had an immediate and devastating effect on her body. She craved Obanai Iguro, and him only.

"Yes, he was very nice actually" was all Mitsuri said while steadily nursing her beer. Shinobu had taken her all the way to the back of the house now, indicating where the bathroom was and where she could find something to eat if she got hungry - if only she knew. Mitsuri thought of her never-ending appetite and promised herself she would keep it together for the duration of the night before devouring something when she got home.

They had reached the door leading to the patio where people had gathered on lounging chairs or were standing close to the massive swimming pool. None of them were actually in it, though. Summer was close to ending and the air was considerably fresher now, especially at night.

The two girls went to a couple of chairs that were vacated and sat down comfortably. Mitsuri kept drinking tiny sips of her beer, hoping to not finish it too fast and get drunk. After a few back-and-forth questions between the two, she finally found the courage to ask the thing she had wanted to ask ever since she had arrived.

"Uhm, Shinobu…" she started before she could help herself, "Since you seem to know most of the people here, do you know if Obanai is here, yet?"

"Obanai?" the purple-eyed girl repeated questioningly. She seemed so surprised by the question that Mitsuri even believed for a moment that Shinobu didn't even know of him. She quickly composed herself and answered honestly, "I'm not sure.." She seemed to be in thought for a few seconds before finally saying "He usually doesn't come to our parties, though. Are you sure we're talking about the same person?"

"I think so, yes. He seemed to be friends with Tengen when we met earlier today, he told him he'd be there as well." Mitsuri felt anxious again, what if he didn't come? She was still happy that she had gotten to meet Shinobu but she couldn't help the feeling of disappointment from taking root inside of her at the thought of not seeing him that night.

"Do you know Obanai?" Shinobu asked at last, looking confused at the idea even as she asked the question.

At that, Mitsuri couldn't help the huge smile that crept up on her face. "Yes!" she answered excitedly, "He helped me a lot because I always get lost since I'm new in this campus, he's been so nice to me!" she wanted to say so much more, even though she barely knew anything of the guy, theirs was a relationship that entailed the possibility of a strong connection. "I think we're friends" she said on the heels of that thought.

"My, but this is getting interesting!" Shinobu exclaimed in clear astonishment before righting herself and taking another swig of her beer. "There's more to you than what I thought, Mitsuri Kanroji, we're definitely gonna be friends!" She was now laughing with pure glee. Mitsuri wandered if the alcohol had already gotten to her, she was much smaller than her, after all, therefore she had to be less resistant to inebriation.

Mitsuri kept blushing at that, hoping her little - ok, big - infatuation with Obanai wasn't that visible on her face. "So anyway… I was just wandering if he was there yet but…" Mitsuri was cut in the middle of her sentence by a crashing sound right behind her.

"Yooooo… Shinobu!" some guy came barreling down on them from inside the house, he had more than crashed through the door. He went straight to them and Mitsuri couldn't help but wonder how a guy like him could be friends with a girl like the one sitting beside her.

He had messy bleached hair, strands pointing like antennas in every direction, and a huge scar slashing through his forehead. The not-so-sane look he sported in his eyes was not something she got to take into consideration until he was much closer.

"Hi, Sanemi" was all Shinobu replied before adding "Why don't you take a seat with us, I have someone to introduce" but even as she said the words, he had already plopped down on the ground right in front of their chosen seats.

Um… Mitsuri thought, his name kind of rang a bell inside her memories, but she couldn't for the life of her remember when or where she had heard of him before. She glanced at him once he settled on the ground but found he had already fixated his unmoving gaze on her person. Shit.

"Oh, er… Hi! I'm Mitsuri, it's nice to meet you!" she supplied with what she hoped was a cheerful tone.

Before she could add anything else and before he could even try to formulate an answer, Shinobu grabbed his attention by saying "Yes! Mitsuri's my friend now!" she casted a hopeful smile in the pink-haired girl direction before quickly returning to the topic at hand. "You'll never guess who invited her here!"

At that, Sanemi fully turned his attention to the woman speaking, he took a big swig of his drink before answering "And who might that be?"

"It was Obanai!" Shinobu was practically shaking from the excitement of what she was saying, "They're friends!" she felt the need to add with a dramatic voice.

Mitsuri was beet-red. Now everyone was going to realize that she had a massive crush on him, and she couldn't do anything to stop the events that were about to unfold. "It was Tengen, actually!" she had to try and keep her composure before she looked like a complete idiot - which she was. "He was the one who invited me here…" she pitifully supplied.

By that time, Sanemi's piercing gaze had already swiveled back to her, pinning her in her spot. "Obanai, uh. He really your friend?" he asked her with a sluggish voice. It was probably like that because of the alcohol he had ingested before coming outside. His glass was filled with a brown liquid, something like whisky… or rhum, maybe?

"Yes!" Mitsuri immediately replied, "I mean, we haven't known each other for long but he's always been so nice to me." She couldn't help but say as if it would support her statement of them being friends.

"Nice?" both Sanemi and Shinobu exclaimed at the same time. They looked at each other with a strange glint in their eyes. Then they turned in sync to Mitsuri and stared her down for a moment or two. Oookaaay… this is getting really weird, she thought. Were they really talking about the same Obanai? If so, why did they look so surprised at the mere idea of the two of them getting along?

"Is something wrong?" she finally found the guts to ask when she couldn't take the suspense between them anymore.

"No!" Shinobu exclaimed, "Not at all! I'm so sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Mitsuri!" she went on before patting her hand in a comforting gesture. "We're just glad Obanai has found someone like you to be his friend, he's usually more…reserved" she finally concluded with carefully picked words.

Sanemi was still looking strangely at her. He then raised his glass and silently asked her to do the same with her beer. She complied without a word and when they clinked, he simply said "It's nice to meet you, Mitsuri. Welcome to our group."

When Mitsuri finally registered his words, a warm feeling spread all throughout her inside and went all the way to the deep, wounded crevices of her heart. At that moment, she felt like she could one day, hopefully, fill these wounds with so much love that they'd be healed.

She turned to Shinobu with the brightest smile and cheered another time with her as well. It was just a start, she thought. But these people had the potential to offer her a new home, all of them were so different - yet complementary - she couldn't help but think that maybe - just maybe - they'd find a place in their group for her to fit in. Maybe she didn't have to change either, she could simply be herself and still be accepted, be wanted by the people around her.

It was just a start, yes, but it was definitely a good start.