AN: My apologies for how delayed this chapter was. I had intended to have two chapters for April but a combination of a death in the family, moving, and a sprained wrist prevented me from working on the story as I had planned. I hope you are all well and that you enjoy the chapter!

Driving Me Crazy

Early morning of July 28th...

The first thing she became aware of was that she had just previously been unaware. Shifting slightly, noting how comfortable she was, Rui sighed as the fog of sleep slowly lifted from her and as she became increasingly aware she felt an arm holding her securely around her waist as small and steady breaths brushed against the back of her head. She smiled as she brought a hand up to rest atop the aforementioned arm as she wiggled herself back against the form behind her, her smile only growing as Natsuo unconsciously tightened his grip to hold her closer.

Not being in any hurry to wake him up Rui laid there, content in their closeness. As she did the memories from the previous night cleared: after parting ways with their friends at the festival they'd returned home where they took a quick bath before Natsuo kept good on his promise to give her aching feet a massage... but after that there was nothing. "I must have dozed off during the massage," she thought to herself as she slowly stretched her feet and wiggled her toes, satisfied with how much better they felt compared to last night.

After a few moments when it became clear that she wouldn't be dozing back off, Rui cracked one eye open to check the clock they had started keeping on the nightstand. Seeing that it was still early relieved her; they rarely got a morning where they could laze about and enjoy some quiet time together cuddled in bed. Usually one or both of them had to get up right away for work, school or some other obligation. Other times they were so tired that when they did both have the day off they slept until nearly noon and then had to rush to take care of whatever needed doing that day.

It wasn't too long before she noticed a slight change in Natsuo's breathing, along with subtle movements from the arm he was holding her with. Knowing he was slowly waking up she spoke out in a gentle, sing-song voice, "Good morning sleepy head."

"You're one to talk," Natsuo grumbled back in his half asleep state.

When his arm started to retract from her she gripped it firmly before pulling it back around her waist as she said, "Don't get up yet. It's still early, and I'm way too comfortable like this."

Opening one eye to also check the clock, Natsuo kissed the top of her head as he readjusted his hold and replied, "Your wish is my command, I'm certainly not going argue."

Rui began tracing patterns on his arm as they simply enjoyed their comfort before she asked, "So how quickly did I fall asleep last night?"

This question earned her a full chuckle from Natsuo before he answered, "You were out cold before I even finished with one foot. Snored up a storm."

Playfully reaching up to smack his head lightly she retorted, "I do not snore."

"Oh yes you do."

"Do not!"

"Do to," Natsuo punctuated by leaning forward to kiss her cheek.

This ordinarily innocent show of affection had unintended consequences that both of them quickly became aware of. When Natsuo had leaned forward, Rui had instinctively leaned back into him, resulting in her butt pressing into his groin where a sudden bulge pressed back into her in response. She let out a quiet gasp which caused Natsuo to inhale sharply as his hand gripped her hip tightly.

She felt her pent up desire flaring up in that moment. She thought about it for only a fraction of a second before she rocked herself against him, feeling his body react to her, as she moaned, "Natsuo..."

Having received all the permission he needed Natsuo reacted to her movements in kind while moving his face to plant kisses on the side of her neck and his hand inched up from her waist and under the t-shirt she'd thrown on after her bath. His hand slowly slid upwards across the smooth skin of her stomach until he found what he was seeking. Silently thanking she'd elected not to wear a bra to bed he slowly massaged one of her breasts, then the other before gently teasing her now erect nipples.

As Natsuo rocked against her, kissing her neck and playing with her chest Rui alternated between moaning and panting in pleasure as she reached up with her hand to run her fingers through his hair. Her need for him building, she rocked herself against what was no longer simply a bulge, but a full on erection. She quickly, if somewhat frantically, maneuvered herself out of the shirt to allow him easier access – this action freeing the arm he had slept on to also encircle her, that moving down between her legs and under the hem of the panties she'd worn to bed.

Realizing this was more than they'd managed up until now, her heart raced as she twisted her head around and using the hand that had run through his hair she pulled him into a frantic kiss. As they all but shoved their tongues down each other's throats she moved her hand down, confirming her suspicion he'd only worn boxers to bed, and slid her hand inside the loose garment before she took hold of him, laughing into the kiss when he gasped at the feeling of her hand closing around him.

Noticing that his hands had stopped moving she ordered between kisses, "Don't you stop." After telling him what she wanted she emphasized it by beginning to move her hand up and down along his length, causing him to shudder before he resumed his own ministrations to her. The couple were lost in each other, in the sheer bliss they shared in this moment. Her neck beginning to ache from the awkward position, Rui untangled herself from him long to enough to roll him onto his back as she straddled him.

"You're amazing..." Natsuo said quietly, his eyes widening at the sight of her atop him. Rui's only response to this was a hungry growl as she leaned down, pressing her bare breasts against his chest as she captured his mouth in another frantic kiss as she ground herself against him roughly, his hips bucking upwards in response as his hands clenched onto her hips tightly.

Not wanting this to end, Rui sat back up and took hold of his hands to bring them back up to her chest where Natsuo eagerly began massaging her breasts while teasing her nipples with his thumbs. As she let out another gasp at the sensations and shuddered atop him... she noticed he'd suddenly stopped moving. She looked down in concern as she asked, "Natsuo...?" She frowned at what she saw: the distant look in his eyes that told her that he wasn't there with her anymore, he was back in the woods that night.

Knowing what was about to happen, Rui quickly climbed off of him just before his eyes widened and he rolled towards his side of the bed to grab the small garbage bin they'd started keeping there. Sitting on the edge of the bed he began to dry heave over the opening of the bin, his whole body shaking as Rui carefully moved behind him and began to gently rub his back.

Several minutes passed before his shaking and heaving stopped, at which point he let the bin clatter to the floor as he leaned forward to let his head rest in his hands as he muttered, "I'm sorry Rui..."

Scooting forward to embrace him from behind, Rui kissed his shoulder as she replied, "None of that. You have nothing to apologize for, it's not your fault."

"I just... I thought I'd be okay this time..." he stated dejectedly.

Squeezing him tighter, Rui responded, "I thought so too. But look at it this way: that was further than we've gotten so far... we're making progress. It's just a matter of time until you're back to normal."

Sighing heavily he admitted, "I want you so much... it's driving me crazy."

Not being able to contain the giggle his blunt admission caused she said, "Oh I know, and trust me: the feeling is mutual." Chuckling at her own admission, Natsuo sat up slightly and allowed his head to gently rest against hers as he brought a hand up to cover hers where it rest against his chest. They remained like this for a few minutes more and when Rui noticed that his heart rate had calmed back down she moved away and patted the bed and said, "Here, lay back down."

Turning in confusion Natsuo weakly argued, "But I'm feeling better already."

"Shush you. It's still early, and I want to enjoy our morning some more. So lay down with me," she insisted. Smiling at her Natsuo acquiesced and laid back down on his back before she quickly snuggled up to his side and rested her head on his chest as his arm closed around her and she pulled the covers back over them. Once she'd gotten comfortable she teasingly asked, "See? Isn't this better than getting out of bed?"

Giving her a squeeze with the arm around her, he smiled and answered, "I admit, this is much better." A moment of silence passed as Rui absentmindedly drew shapes on Natsuo's chest with her hand before he asked, "Was there anything you needed to do today? Other than the food you offered to make for Tougen-sensei?"

Shaking her head she replied, "No just that... though I will need to head to the store to get the ingredients... can you come with me for that?"

"Of course," he quickly answered, "We can have a lazy morning together then go out for lunch before heading to get the ingredients. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," she responded before leaning up slightly to plant a kiss on his cheek and settling back into place. The couple returned to their comfortable silence, relishing the chance to spent the morning cuddling in bed after both having such busy weeks. Though she was quiet, Rui's mind was drifting to what she'd have to do later that day, "I need to tell him about what happened with Hina-nee... I'm sure he's worried about it... It can wait until we're done making that food though."

That afternoon – At L'Amant

"Thank you for coming! Have a great day dears!" Kobayashi called out as one of the last groups from the brunch/lunch rush exited the cafe, the bell over the door signaling their departure.

"You too!" responded one of the patrons just before the door closed behind them.

The volume of the chatter in the establishment decreased, now only a few stragglers remained finishing their food and drinks. Letting out a relieved sigh, Fumiya started wiping down the glasses that Misaki had collected from the now empty tables, while she took the opportunity to sit down for the first time since she arrived to help open the cafe. Seeing Kobayashi approach the bar while humming, Fumiya spoke, "I was only gone for a week... why does this feel so tiring?"

"To be fair: that was an unusually busy morning and lunch... a lot of new faces too besides the regulars," Misaki commented as she tried to stretch the aching out of her lower legs and feet.

As he sauntered into the kitchen area to start the afternoon cleanup Kobayashi replied, "I daresay we attracted a lot of new customers from the festival yesterday! All thanks to our very own resident Yuki-Onna!"

As Fumiya shot Misaki a look that said "Why'd you let him talk you into that?" she simply shrugged in response before responding to their boss with a laugh, "I'm just glad I was able to put my hair color to good use and not be mistaken for an elderly woman."

The trio continued the midday cleaning, Misaki seeing to the remaining customers as needed. Once the kitchen had been tidied up to a satisfactory level Kobayashi returned to the counter just before the bell over the door signaled a new arrival. Turning to greet the customers he called out, "Welcome to – Oh! Hina-chan, Fuji-san, welcome!"

Misaki and Fumiya both turned to glance towards the door at this and sure enough there stood Hina and Tsukiko, both looking a bit weary as they waved in response and made their way towards the counter.

"Hi Mari-san," Hina said with a sigh as she sat down on one of the stools, "How have you been?"

"Good afternoon, it's good to see you again," Tsukiko added as she sat down beside her daughter.

"I can't say I have any complaints," Kobayashi replied with a smile, "Business is booming and I have the best staff I could ask for. But you two look rather tired, anything I can get for you?"

The two women gave him their orders, but before Kobayashi could go to the kitchen to start the food prep Fumiya interjected, "I've got it Boss. You've been working the kitchen since opening."

Kobayashi glanced to where Misaki was wiping down a table, she gave him a simple nod to signal she could handle the rest of the cleaning out there herself. Turning back to Fumiya he replied, "I think I'll take you up on that, thank you. I'll take care of their drinks at the very least though."

"You're the boss," Fumiya replied with a chuckle as he disappeared into the kitchen.

Once the drinks were prepared and in front of them Kobayashi asked, "So how are you both? It's been some time since either of you have been here, though Akihito-san has become something of a regular."

"He's always raving about how good the food and atmosphere here is, unfortunately my schedule doesn't allow for such frequent visits," Tsukiko replied with a laugh before taking a sip of her drink, testing its temperature.

Hina glanced away slightly as she sheepishly answered, "I'm doing well, sorry for being out of contact for as long as I was."

"No need to apologize to me Hina-chan. Though I assume with you two being here together... you've already talked about what happened?" Kobayashi probed cautiously.

Hina nodded, but it was Tsukiko who responded, "We have. I want to thank you for doing what you could to help Hina through everything... and to apologize for you having to be in that position in the first place."

"Now now, no need to for that. In all honesty I feel like the eccentric uncle that people confide in when it's tough to talk to anyone else," Kobayashi said reassuringly before he turned to Hina and added, "Though at this point it would seem I'm the one slightly out of the loop for a change of pace."

Hina took a breath before she said, "Last night at the festival... I talked to Rui one on one. I told her everything."

His eyes widening almost imperceptibly, Kobayashi smiled sadly as he replied, "Good. How did it go?"

"About as well as it could have..." Hina answered with a somber smile of her own, "Then I left the festival and went back home and waited for mom and Fuji-san to get back so I could explain it all to them too."

Tsukiko nodded in confirmation before she added, "We'd already suspected the reason why she left, and from the sound of it so did Rui and Natsuo-kun."

The three were silent for a moment before Kobayashi asked, "So what now?"

"For now... Rui asked that I give her and Natsuo-kun some space, which I fully intend to do. She's going to explain to him what we talked about, and when they're both ready we'll meet up so I can explain myself. In the meantime I'm getting back to work and looking for a place of my own," Hina explained calmly.

"We had intended to get here a bit earlier, but viewing some of the apartments on Hina's list took a bit longer than we expected," Tsukiko added with a sigh of her own.

Giving a reassuring grin Kobayashi responded, "Call that a blessing in disguise: it was so busy here earlier we wouldn't have been able to have this chat. So, finally leaving the nest Hina-chan? Better late than never huh?"

Hina laughed in embarrassment at his taunt before she answered, "I figured it was about time, I don't want to keep being a third wheel and crowding mom and Fuji-san. But... I also don't want to make things awkward for either Rui or Natsuo-kun if they drop by to visit. I think it's best for everyone that I find my own place."

Smiling at her response Kobayashi said, "I'm glad you're taking this approach Hina-chan. I know things will be difficult but I think you made the right choice."

Before Hina could reply she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Misaki smiling at her before she said, "Same here, and if you're looking for a roommate to help out with costs I need to find a place to stay too. I was going to start looking today after work since my time at the facility is almost over."

Tsukiko, piecing things together, spoke up, "You must be Ogura-san. I owe you thanks for being there for Hina as well during all this." After saying this she got to her feet and gave both Kobayashi and Misaki a bow of gratitude.

"Please, you don't have to bow like that. It's the least I could do after the mess I dragged Hina and Natsuo into," Misaki pleaded, eyes widened in surprise.

"Be that as it may: you were there for her when we couldn't be. So thank you," Tsukiko insisted, continuing to bow.

After a moment Hina spoke up, glancing at the other customers still present and looking their way curiously, "I think that's enough mom, I think you're starting to make Misaki a bit uncomfortable." Once Tsukiko had relented and returned to her seat Hina turned to Misaki and asked with a laugh, "Are you sure you'd want to be my roommate? You didn't learn your lesson from before?"

Returning the laugh, Misaki shot back, "Of course I would! And besides, someone needs to keep an eye on you so you don't drink too much or burn the place down trying to cook."

As the two exchanged a few more playful barbs with one another Kobayashi turned to Tsukiko and said, "Well I think it's a great idea! Fuji-san, I actually know of a place nearby with some vacancies. I hadn't thought to mention it since I believe it's a little on the higher price end, comes with the extra space they offer. But I think if these two are splitting the costs they'll manage, I can give you the information so you can check it out after you have lunch." As he finished speaking he pulled out his pen and order pad to jot the address down.

"Thank you, that would be appreciated," Tsukiko paused to smile and Misaki and Hina's antics, "In all honesty I'm glad she has a such a good friend willing to stay with her, I was worried about her being on her own again."

Handing the piece of paper over with a smile Kobayashi responded, "I can understand why. I was worried about Misaki-chan being able to find a place too, but it looks like it won't be an issue... though I suppose her offer to be roommates might eliminate all of the places you already checked out today?"

"That would be the case... all the places we went to were one bedroom," Tsukiko answered with a tired sigh.

Thinking for a moment, Kobayashi checked the time before calling out, "Misaki-chan, you haven't taken your lunch break yet right?"

Pausing mid-sentence Misaki turned to him and replied, "That's right Boss, it was too busy up until a bit ago."

"Right then," Kobayashi said with a nod, "Take your break now, and because it's been such a busy day we'll extend it. Take that extra time to go with them to check out the apartment."

"Are you sure that's okay? The program rules -" Misaki started but was interrupted.

"They won't mind. As your guardian I can vouch for Hina-chan and Fuji-san making sure you stay out of trouble. Besides, you have to find a place to stay for when the program is over," Kobayashi said reassuringly.

Before anyone could say anything Fumiya exited the kitchen with the two plates of food and jokingly asked, "And when's my break Boss?"

Waving his hand Kobayashi replied "You can take yours now too. It should be slow enough until dinner for me to handle things on my own for a bit. Extend yours too, I'll not be accused of playing favorites after all."

"Well then," Tsukiko turned to the younger women, "Looks like you'll be joining us Ogura-san, glad to finally meet you."

Giving a smile in return, Misaki replied, "Likewise, glad to finally meet you too Fuji-san."

Mid-afternoon at Natsuo and Rui's apartment...

Pressing the rice into a plastic container and pressing the lid down securely, Rui let out a satisfied sigh as she took stock of the several similar containers with various healthy foods spread out on the table. Turning to Natsuo, who was cleaning the dishes that had piled up in the sink and declared, "That's the last of it."

Looking over his shoulder to her and the table, he smiled at the sight of her proudly beaming over the stockpile of food they'd prepared. Turning back to the dishes he responded, "He'll definitely be surprised by how much there is; you only made about half as much last time."

"That just means it'll last longer, assuming he freezes it and doesn't eat too much at once. I think there's at least a week's worth of meals here," she stated as she loaded the containers into carrying bags and then moved those into the refrigerator. Once they were in she asked, "Are you sure you don't need any help bringing all this over tomorrow?"

"I'll be fine. Besides, you're on the dinner shift tomorrow so you'll be busy. If I need any help I'm sure I can ask Kuwaba or Fumiya for a hand," he replied reassuringly as he continued cleaning.

She watched him with a smile for a moment before she asked, "I'm going to go sit down for a bit, join me when you're done with that?" Receiving an affirmative from him Rui made her way out to the sitting area where she sat on the floor chair she recently gotten – she had no issues with sitting on the floor but found that after a long day at the restaurant the back support really help, and turned on the TV to pass the time while she waited.

It wasn't too long before Natsuo finished up and made his way out of the kitchen and sat beside her, arm around her shoulder and asked, "What are you watching?"

Leaning into him she answered, "Oh just another of the those cooking shows. Nothing super interesting on this one though." As she finished her reply she picked up the remote and turned the TV off before sighing as she leaned further into him.

Knowing the signs of her having something on her mind he gently asked, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah... it's just..." she trailed off before taking a breath and finishing, "I need to tell you about what Hina-nee and I talked about last night."

"Are you sure you want to right now? You don't have to if you don't want to," he reassured her with a slight squeeze and a quick kiss on the top of her head.

She nodded silently before she answered, "It's not that I want to, I need to. Besides, you may not have ask me right away but I know you're worried about it."

"I can't deny that... as long as you're ready to talk about it Rui," he confirmed before waiting for her to speak.

Her voice came silently, barely above a whisper, "We were right."

"About?" he asked, sensing her reluctance to speak despite it being her idea.

"About why she left... she was – she still is in love with you. She left so that she wouldn't do or say anything she'd regret according to her. She said she realized it after you and Boss saved her and Misaki from those goons," she explained, her voice steeling the more she spoke.

His eyes widening slightly, Natsuo sighed before he responded, "Ah... yeah that would make sense. It's the kind of thing you'd see in a romance story: the damsel in distress falling for her savior... or in this case realizing she already had those feelings. It was only a few days later that she left..."

"She also said she never meant to lie to us: that she genuinely wanted to support us after she saw how happy we were together. She thought that by doing whatever she could to help us that she'd eventually get over her own feelings. She even admitted that she was there that night at the hospital... that she wanted to be there for you, but when she saw that I'd gotten there first she realized she was jealous of me, so much so that she turned around and left," Rui said, her words becoming faster and more agitated as she progressed, her hand gripping his knee as if he'd vanish if she let go.

Seeing these pent up emotions coming out, Natsuo moved his hand so that he could gently rub her back as he leaned against her slightly, to let her know he wasn't going anywhere.

Rui took a moment to take a breath and collect her thoughts, Natsuo's gentle rubbing of her back loosening the tension that had built in her shoulders and the grip on his knee relaxed slightly. When she'd managed to calm slightly she continued, "But... she did promise me that she has no intention of trying to get between us. She doesn't want to ruin what we have. I warned her that if she ever did anything like that I wouldn't be able to forgive her... not again."

The couple were silent for a time while Natsuo continued to rub her back gently. He then asked, "Rui, do you trust me?"

"Of course I do!" Rui exclaimed as she looked up at him, "If you wanted to be with someone else you would have already. It's not like there weren't opportunities for you to do exactly that while I was away."

"Do you trust Hina-nee to keep her promise?" he asked carefully.

Rui's voice caught in her throat as she tried to reply, she frowned in thought for a moment before saying, "I... I want to trust her but... I just don't know if I can."

Nodding in understanding Natsuo said, "Nobody can blame you for being unsure of that, what with what happened before. I don't doubt for one second that she loves you though, and if she decided to be honest with you about all of this and made that promise to you... then I think she at least deserves a chance to prove to you she can keep it. And I promise you: if I ever get the feeling that she's crossing a line I'll let you know right away. I love you, and only you. I'll tell her myself if I have to."

Rui shifted from her seat to onto his lap so she could embrace him, her arms around his neck as she kissed his cheek and responded, "Thank you."

He reciprocated her show affection by giving her a kiss on her cheek as well and returned the embrace before he said, "You're welcome." The couple enjoyed their closeness for moment before he asked, "So what do we do now?"

"I'll talk to Hina-nee," Rui answered confidently, "I'll set up a time for the three of us to meet up so we can all talk. Until then she promised to give us space, so for now let's try not to worry about it. We still have a good chunk of the day left together after all."

"Would you like another massage? I noticed you were walking a bit slower after a while when we were out shopping," Natsuo offered earnestly.

Unseen by him, a wide smile formed on Rui's face as she she replied, "I'd love that."

Without a word Natsuo scooped her up, eliciting a small "eek" from her as she suddenly found herself being carried to their bed. Chuckling at her he teasingly asked, "Think you can stay awake this time, or will you grace me with your snoring partway through?"

"Shut up!"

AN: I've enjoyed writing this section of the story, mostly because I no longer have to have all of Natsuo and Rui's interactions be through text and calls. My plan right now is to have one more chapter in this section before having another small time skip to move the story along. Per my current plan there will be three more sections: Fall, Winter and Spring, and as we know from the canon this time period has a lot happening in it so I don't know how long each section will be. As I've said before I have a list of bullet points that I want to meet but the gaps between are sometimes filled in as I go.