The Way We Are (part 11 of 20)

Overcast Yet Sunny

I was on the way back to my dorm and I just couldn’t get the question out of my mind. Just hours before, Natsuki had paid me a surprise visit in the student council room to investigate the new transfer student, Tokiha Mai, but of course she wouldn’t tell me why. Was I jealous of Natsuki’s interest in the girl? Maybe a little, but that wasn’t my main concern. Tokiha-san had only been attending our school for a few days, and already a couple of strange things had occurred, and she was seemingly involved with both of them.

First off, she was initially discovered in the front courtyard of our school, a dying ring of flame around her and an unconscious girl, a path of destruction leading directly up to the spot where the two were lying. Suzushiro-san tried to question her about the situation, but apparently she didn’t know how she had gotten there. Then, the very next day, a section of the forest on the mountainside had been completely burned to the ground. Forest fires weren’t common in our area to begin with, but on top of that, the section burned was in a straight line that suddenly stopped near the peak, almost like it had been controlled.

How did I tie Tokiha-san to the mountain incident? The initial clue that grabbed my attention was the fact that this destruction, like the first, involved fire. Second, because they had both occurred in such a short time period, she was immediately included in the list of suspects. And last but not least, because Natsuki had come asking about her the very next day at school. These three things were about all I needed to pin Mai-san to being somehow involved in the forest burning.

Now the real question was just how did she do it? The only display of power I had seen that could manage something such as this was my child, Kiyohime. Was it possible that this girl was a Hime too? If that were true, did Natsuki know about the Himes as well? Was she…could she possibly be…one of them just like me? These were, without a doubt, exaggerated speculations, but they weren’t totally out of the question either. For now I couldn’t be sure, but I would certainly keep my senses on full alert for any traces of the truth.

So why couldn’t I just ask Natsuki about it? Honestly, I think I was afraid. I was afraid that if I asked her if she was a Hime she would inevitably figure out that I was one as well, and in turn, distance herself from me. Well, distance herself more from me than she already had, I suppose, and I knew in my heart that I wouldn’t be able to handle that. I wouldn’t take that chance by asking, but that also meant that I would have to be extremely careful if I were to go out and about with my child. Yes, if I were to keep an eye on Natsuki with Kiyohime’s help, then I would have to remain totally out of sight.

Stealth, keeping to the shadows…I would live in a world of complete darkness if it were for Natsuki’s sake.

There was always a ten-minute break between the end of school and the beginning of our meetings to give the members time to take care of anything they needed to do before hand. This allowed me to get to the room before anyone else almost every day, but it was especially nice since it gave Natsuki the time to use my computer before the other members arrived. I never knew when she would come, so I made it a habit to get to the room as quickly as possible every day.

I was doing just that when I heard the girl call out to me. I turned around to see my raven-haired friend jogging up to me and I smiled genuinely, “Natsuki, so you actually made it to school today. I’m so proud.”

“Oi, that’s not a very nice ‘hello’, Shizuru.”

“Gomen, Natsuki. So what brings you here? Do you need to use my laptop again?”

“Eh, no, not today. I was wondering…if maybe you’d want to go do something this afternoon…I don’t know, just run around town or something.”

I was rather taken aback by her words, my calm features breaking temporarily before I drew them back together, “Ara, what brings this about?”

“Huh? Well…I just…kind of needed a break from everything…” she began, averting her gaze to the floor, “and I thought maybe you’d—”

“Of course,” I answered before she could even finish, “But you do know that I have a meeting right now. It’ll probably be about an hour before we let out.”

“I can wait.”

My smile broadened, “Alright, it’s a date then.”

“H-hey! I didn’t say it was a…” Natsuki released a defeated sigh, “…I’ll be waiting out back…”

I watched the girl’s retreating back until she turned the corner before finally entering the student council room.

I wonder what brought this about? She did seem rather stressed the other day…I guess it doesn’t really matter at the moment. I’m not going to press her for answers she doesn’t want to reveal; all I can do is be here for her now when she needs me.

Soon enough the meeting began.

I got us in and out in exactly thirty-seven minutes.

After everyone had finally left, not quickly enough if you asked me, I made my way downstairs and to the back exit of the building. I pushed my way out the doors, swiveling my head back and forth in search of my friend. When I spotted Natsuki a little ways down lounging under a tree, her bike not too far away, I quietly walked over to her, leaning over her dozing form to get a better look at the girl.

It wasn’t long before one of her green orbs peeked open to look at me, “Hey. Done already?”

“We didn’t have too much to discuss today,” I answered as I watch her get to her feet.

She immediately headed for her motorcycle, “Sorry for being so short notice, I kind of spontaneously gave myself a day off I guess.”

Trailing her, I could only shake my head, “Don’t apologize. It wasn’t like I had anything planed. I’m quite excited, actually. It’s been such a long time since we’ve spent time together outside of school.”

“Yeah…sorry about that,” she apologized again despite my previous words, a small frown on her face as she handed me the helmet from the storage compartment on the back of the bike.

“Let’s not think about it, how about we just enjoy today, alright?”

I watched as the frown on her face faded, replaced by a small smile before Natsuki sliped on her helmet, “Right.”

Placing my own helmet on my head, I took my usual position on the back of Natsuki’s bike once she herself has straddled it. Slipping my arms around her waist, I had to bite back the urge to let my hands explore her muscular frame. It had been such a very long time since I had been this close to her…Our bodies being so near to one another was intoxicating.She was intoxicating. I didn’t even notice my ever-tightening grip until Natsuki’s voice snapped me out of my daze.

“Hey, watch it, Shizuru. Your nails are digging into my stomach.”

“Sorry…I guess I’m always a little apprehensive before we take off,” I mumbled the fake excuse while loosening my grip.

I could hear her quietly laugh at me before she started the engine, and in a few moments, we were cruising down the main road towards the city.

We had just reached the first stoplight leading into the downtown area, which just happened to turn red right before we could pass through, when thunder could be heard off in the distance. At the sound, both Natsuki and myself turned our gaze to the sky.

“Mmh…” came the muffled throaty noise from the girl in front of me.

“Clouds…” I followed up, voicing what we both saw.

About a mile down the road the rain began to fall. It only took a few minutes for it to start pouring down. I could hear Natsuki curse under her breath as she turned onto another road and into a parking lot in front of a tall building. She was swift to shut her bike off and promptly dismount before helping me do the same.

“Come on,” she ordered, motioning towards the nearby building before she took off towards its entrance. I quickly followed.

Once inside, Natsuki proceeded further, pushing a button on one of the walls before finally turning to me, removing her helmet before speaking, “This is where I live. We’ll just have to wait out the storm in my apartment, I guess.”

I had just taken off my helmet as well when the elevator dinged, the silver doors sliding open to reveal an empty car. Natsuki and I stepped inside and she immediately punched the number six button. The door closed leaving us alone together for the silent ride up.

When we reached the top floor, my friend led us straight ahead, stopping at the first door on our right. After she had unlocked the door, she trekked on inside.

“It’s a bit of a mess…” Natsuki stated, flipping a switch on the wall to illuminate the room.

Stepping through the door, I took in my unfamiliar surroundings. Natsuki’s place was really more of a loft than an apartment. Giant windows spanning from floor to ceiling covered the wall directly in front of us. If it weren’t for the ever-darkening clouds outside and the giant curtains that blocked what little light would be coming through, the windows would have provided ample lighting for the entire room. A large floor table resided in the middle of the room, a few stray dishes adorning its surface. It seemed lonely with nothing else nearby. Over to the left was an entertainment center against the wall, decked out with the latest technologies. A large leather couch along with two comfy-looking matching chairs, one on either side of the couch, sat before it. By the left side of the couch stood a small table with a lamp sitting on top. Further down a room bulged from the wall. I could tell it was a kitchen due to the bar-like setup that consisted of the wall facing me. Three stools were lined up in front of it. On the right wall, directly across from the kitchen, was another room, a bathroom it seemed, since the door was open revealing a small sink. Connected to it was a smaller closet that held a washer and dryer that could be hidden by sliding doors but weren’t at the moment. In the right corner of the room resided a thin metal staircase that led up to a railed walkway that clung to the wall. A wall blocked the upstairs, so as to what it contained, I had no clue.

Natsuki was right though…the whole place was a mess. There was trash everywhere ranging from food wrappers and bottles to cardboard boxes and packaging. Tools, motorcycle parts, and random articles of clothing accompanied them. Before I could even begin to comment, the girl interrupted me.

“We’d better change out of these wet clothes before anything,” Natsuki stateed, walking towards the staircase, having already removed her shoes.

I hadn’t even noticed how cold I had become until she said this. My clothes were soaked through and through, chill bumps spreading all over my body. After slipping out of my brown loafers, I silently followed her to the second floor. A stack of boxes rested right in front of us in the corner of the room, but turning the corner revealed to me a bedroom area. There was a single full-sized bed, its head against the wall that faced out over the bottom level, to its left a small nightstand with a lamp and a digital alarm clock. A computer desk was pressed against the opposite wall, it’s side touching the wall of the bathroom next to it. The door to the bathroom was just around the corner, and diagonal of it was the door leading to the giant walk-in closet.

Natsuki weaved her way around the furniture to her closet, me close on her heels. She opened the door for me, beaconing me inside, “Just take whatever you want, I’m sure you can find something that fits.”

At that, she turned, grabbed some clothes off of her bed, and confined herself in the bathroom to quickly change out of her damp clothing. Closing the closet door, I hastily shed my own drenched uniform. I sifted through the room, which was honestly too big for the items it housed, and eventually found something that…fit my tastes.

I waited until I heard Natsuki exit the bathroom before opening the closet door and slipping outside.

“Did you find something to—!?”

Having just bent over to pick up some stray articles on the floor, I turned and nearly dropped the growing bundle in my arms. Shizuru was standing before me…clad in only a white button up dress shirt that barely reached the middle of her thighs. I could easily see her black lacey lingerie beneath the thin white material.

The chestnut-haired beauty was currently finishing buttoning up the shirt at the top when she looked up at me, “What’s the matter with Natsuki? She’s all red…”

You know very well why I’m all red…

“Th-that’s not all you’re wearing, is it?! You just came out to ask me something, r-right?!” I nervously stuttered, pointing straight at her with my free hand.

“Is there something wrong with my choice of attire?” the girl questioned, looking over herself as she started to roll the right sleeve of the shirt up past her elbow.

“Uh, yeah, I think you’re missing something important…”

“Hm?”

“Pants! Normal people wear pants, Shizuru,” I practically yelled.

“Mou, Natsuki…but it’s hot in here…”

“I-I’ll turn up the air conditioning then!”

Finished with the first sleeve, Shizuru turned her attention to rolling the other, “I wouldn’t want you to have to do that…”

“It’s no problem! No problem at all!”

“Is Natsuki really this upset about my choice of clothing?” The girl let out a sigh, “Fine, if it’s bothering you this much I’ll put something else on…”

At that, right then and there, Shizuru began unbuttoning the white shirt.

I quickly turned away, “Gah! No! Fine, wear that!”

“Okay then. I really wish Natsuki would make up her mind though,” the burgundy eyed girl teased, leaving her work where she was, the top two buttons undone.

Huffing, I stormed away back towards the stairs, “Grab your uniform, I’ll throw it in the dryer for now…”

I could plainly hear Shizuru quietly giggling behind me all the way back downstairs.

Once we were back in the living room, I trudged over to the dryer, opened the door, and tossed my damp bundle into the machine before taking Shizuru’s from her arms and doing the same. In the time it took for me to get the thing up and running, my friend had ventured across the room and taken a seat on one of the bar stools, her legs crossed and resting on the bottom tick. Her elbow was on the bar’s metallic surface, her delicate hand propping up her head as she watched me.

I blushed slightly when our eyes met, but clearing my throat, I advanced forward and into the kitchen, “So, uh, do you want anything? I’m afraid I don’t have too much to choose from…I haven’t been the store in about two weeks…”

“If you have water that’ll be fine,” Shizuru replied.

“I think I do…” I stated, as I went to search the fridge.

“So this is all yours?” the girl inquired, making light conversation.

When I returned with the bottle of water, I saw that the brunette was looking over her shoulder back at the open room of my apartment. Setting the thing in front of her, I leaned against the counter, “Mmh, yeah.”

“You really should clean up every now and then, you know,” she commented while turning back to face me.

I cocked an eyebrow, “Lecturing me already?”

Shizuru simply shrugged at me, her calm little smile evident, before she sipped at her water.

“It’s not like I’m here all that often anyway…” I childishly protested.

“Oh?”

Rather than explain myself, I gave in with a sigh as I made my way back into the living room, “I see what you mean though…I could take better care of this place.”

“Then why not do it now?” Shizuru asked, standing from her seat to walk up to me.

“I don’t want to make you help me clean…”

“I don’t mind. Do you have any trash bags?”

“Huh…that didn’t take as long as I thought it would.”

“See? Now we just need to figure out what to do with this pile…”

I looked over at the girl to see her crouching near the pile of clothes we had composed from around the apartment, cringing when I watched her pick out a particularly girly looking pair of panties to inspect…the newest addition to my ever-growing collection.

“A-ah! Don’t touch that!” I screeched.

Lunging at her, I latched on to the piece that Shizuru has in her hands, but the girl didn’t let go and a small-scale tug-of-war pursued.

“Is this Natsuki’s?” Shizuru prodded as we continued to wrestle over the undergarment.

I’m not sure how or when we etched closer to the couch, but the next thing I knew the two of us were falling. Apparently Shizuru had stumbled back over the armrest, and by some chance or another, pulled me down with her. The feeling of soft warm flesh against my cheek instantly made them flare and when I finally summoned up the courage to open my eyes, after I had picked my head up mind you, I was met with crimson orbs that looked just as equally shocked as mine must have appeared.

A deadly silence filled the room, the only audible sound being the rain that continued to pour outside.

“A-are you okay?” I hastily questioned once I had found my voice again.

“Y-yeah…” Shizuru responded somewhat shakily.

I oddly and clumsily managed to roll off of her and onto the floor, sitting with my back to her and the couch, “S-sorry about that…”

“It was my fault, really…but you still haven’t answered my question…” the girl said as she draped the item of our little tussle on my head.

I quickly snatched the item.

“It’s part of my collection…” I mumbled, barely audible to hear.

“Collection?” the russet-eyed girl echoed, amused curiosity evident in her tone.

“…Yes…”

“You…Kuga Natsuki…collect lingerie?”

“…Yes…”

Another spell of silence took over the room before Shizuru spoke again, “That’s…so cute.”

“Cute?!” I practically shouted, turning to look at the girl on the couch who was currently all smiles.

“It’s just…I wouldn’t expect you of all people…” my friend tried to speak through her laughter.

“S-shut up!” I exclaimed, scampering to my feet to gather up the pile of clothes and throw them into the washer as quickly as possible.

Shizuru just continued to laugh at me, “Honestly…Natsuki is just so adorable when she’s blushing like this.”

Once the clothes were safely out of sight, the sudden realization that my little secret could be exposed causes a wave of nervousness to spread through my entire body. Hurdling the couch, I plopped down beside the hysterical girl, grabbing her by the shoulder with one hand and shoving the index finger of the other over her mouth, hushing her instantaneously.

“You. Can’t . Tell. Anyone…ANYONE.”

The chestnut-haired beauty just nodded stiffly, completely baffled by my sudden seriousness.

“Promise me.”

“I promise, Natsuki,” Shizuru swore to me, still quite perplexed by the whole thing.

Squinting at her momentarily, I decided to just take her word for it, “Good.”

Now that that was settled, hopefully, I returned to the kitchen, but paused before entering to gaze out the window.

Doesn’t look like it’s going to let up any time soon…So much for going out and doing something...It’s probably better this way. At least at home I know that no one’s watching. I really shouldn’t have asked Shizuru to do anything…but…just one afternoon isn’t too much to ask, is it? Just a little time to forget about the First District and the Himes…

Shaking the thought and continuing on to my original destination, I glanced at the microwave to see that it was already past seven. I heard the television in the living room come to life and I raised my voice slightly, “Hey, are you hungry?”

“Is Natsuki offering to make me a candle lit dinner?”

“Who said anything about candles?!...I don’t think I have any anyway…” I murmurred at the girl’s playful teasing as I looked through my cupboards.

“I was just kidding,” Shizuru replied back in her singsong Kyoto accent.

Concluding my futile search, I reemerged from below the counter, slamming my finds on it’s surface, which caused Shizuru’s burgundy eyes to turn in my direction.

“Peanut butter or instant ramen, take your pick.”

“That’s all you have?”

“That’s all I have.”

Shifting on the couch, Shizuru crossed her arms on the armrest before resting her chin on top, a bemused little grin on her face, “I haven’t had peanut butter in a long time.”

“Peanut butter it is then,” I stated, placing the package of ramen back in the cupboard while searching for the bread. That search didn’t last long, however, as I quickly realized that I didn’t have any. Heck, I barely managed to locate two spoons, which I hastily washed off, before grabbing us both a bottle of water and lumbering back over to the couch.

Falling back onto the soft leathery cushioning with a sigh, I shoved one of the silver utensils in Shizuru’s face, “I’m out of bread.”

“Seriously?” she questioned, taking the thing from me.

“I don’t even have any mayo…” I grumbled before unscrewing the lid to our pathetic excuse of a dinner.

“So we’re just going to eat it…out of the jar…?”

“Yep,” I curtly responded, digging out a spoonful of the sweet substance.

“Is that oka—Mmf!”

Before she could finish, I shoved my spoon in her mouth, effectively silencing her, “Just eat.”

Shizuru began to flail her arms as she tried to swallow the giant mass of peanut butter that I had just lodged in her mouth, making little whiney noises the whole time. Seeing this new side to the generally composed Kyoto native, I immediately burst into a fit of laughter, winning a playful slap on the arm as the girl grabbed her water off of the floor.

Once she had downed some of the clear liquid, she was finally able to speak again, “Mou, Natsuki! That wasn’t funny!”

Despite her words, she laughed right along with me.

“Oi! Wha-What are you doing, Shizuru?!”

“Cuddling,” I calmly replied as I inched closer.

“Well, yeah, I can see that, but…uh…why? Isn’t that something that…couples do?”

“That’s not untrue, but friends do it as well.”

“Really…like two guys would be caught doing something like this…” Natsuki’s tone was quite skeptical as she shifted awkwardly.

I chuckled at her words, “I didn’t say that men do it, but girls do every now and then. Especially when they’re looking for someone to consume an entire carton of cookie dough ice-cream with after they’ve just broke up with their boyfriend.”

“Oh…Did you just break up with your boyfriend?”

“No, baka,” I replied, flicking her on the forehead, “I don’t have a boyfriend…but I do have someone I like…”

Curiosity sparked in her emerald eyes, “And who might that be?”

“Mmm…I’m not telling.”

“What?! Oh, come on, Shizuru…”

“Natsuki has her secrets and I have mine.”

That certainly took the steam out of her engine, and she was quiet for a moment before finally responding.

“…Bah, fine…I bet it’s Reito.”

Now it was my turn to sound absolutely shocked, “What? Why him?”

“Well, you two are around each other a lot because of the council…you’re both oddly calm all the time and enjoy sipping tea and—”

“It’s not Reito-san,” I interrupted her before she could continue.

“Then who is it? If you don’t tell me, then I’m going to assume it is him.”

I wanted to yell at her right then and there. I wanted to tell her the truth that it was her that I loved, but I knew I couldn’t. Not yet. Would I ever be able to? Was there ever going to be a right time? It troubled me to think I would never be able to tell her of my true feelings, but if that’s what it took for us to remain friends, friends who could spend time together like this, than I would do just that.

Not allowing any of my internal debating to show through, I playfully glared at her for a moment before speaking, “Fine. Natsuki can think what she wants, but I know the truth.”

“Uh huh…” Natsuki simply muttered, thinking she had won our little dispute.

“If you’re asking me, then who is it that Natsuki likes?”

“I don’t have time for relationships,” came the vague reply.

“That doesn’t mean that you can’t like someone.”

“I don’t though.”

“What about Takeda-kun? I hear he has a crush on a certain freshman delinquent…”

“That bumbling sword-swinging idiot just gets on my nerves—Hey! Who are you calling a delinquent?!”

I have to admit that I was relieved to hear Natsuki say she wasn’t interested in anyone. Not that it was all that hard to conclude from observation, but hearing it from her own mouth, and the adamancy of her tone when she said it, certainly set it in stone for me.

I chuckled at her brashness, “Clearly I’m speaking of Natsuki.”

The emerald-eyed girl grumbled and pouted irritably at my accusation, or maybe more at the truthfulness of it.

I took the pause in conversation to change the subject, “So, what do you want to do now?”

“Hmm? Oh, I dunno…there really isn’t too much to choose from…”

Glancing over at the entertainment center, I noticed a little black device, “Is that a Playstation?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

“So Natsuki likes video games?”

“I play when I have the time, which isn’t that often. What about you?”

“I’ve never really played any…Maybe you could teach me?”

“I guess. I don’t have too many games though.”

“Just put something in.”

“That means you’ll have to move first…” the girl flatly stated.

After I reluctantly shifted out of her way, Natsuki rose and walked over to the television, crouching before it to set up the gaming system. Once she’d plugged in two controllers, unrolled the cords, and placed the disc into the device, she returned to her seat and handed me one of the black controllers.

“So what are we playing?” I inquired after taking the item from her.

“Soul Calibur 3. It’s a fighting game.”

Natsuki tried her best to teach me the controls, but in the end I just decide to press whatever I deemed worthy at the moment. After I’d completed a few warm-up matches against the computer, Natsuki and I foght against each other. Oddly enough, I beat her on the first try…and the second…and the third…

“Are you sure you haven’t played this before?” my friend questioned me a little harshly.

“I’ve never even touch a Playstation before…Beginners luck maybe?”

Natsuki squinted her eyes at me before shaking her head, “I think you’re just one of those types who are good at whatever they do.”

“Is Natsuki complimenting me?”

The girl blushed slightly, “…Take it however you like, but we’re going to test my theory first.”

After setting up the game for me, Natsuki handed me her controller. I scanned through the characters, eventually choosing a tall white-haired woman simply because she used a weapon resembling my own element.

I played through the entire story mode without dying once.

“Yep, I was right,” the raven-haired girl stated while standing and stretching.

“I’m just pushing buttons, Natsuki. I don’t think I’m very skilled at all,” I retorted, placing the controller beside me on the couch.

“Button mashing is a skill in itself, one you seem particularly advanced in,” my friend pointed out, trying to sound scholarly as she strode off towards the kitchen, stopping at the window to gaze out into the black abyss.

After turning off the television, I too made my way over to the window, walking to her side, “I can’t believe it still hasn’t stopped raining.”

“Mmh.”

A comfortable silence filled the room as the two of us stood side by side listening to the rain falling down, thunder roaring before our faces were illuminated by lightning flashes.

Before I can even catch it, a silent yawn slipped passed my lips. I covered my mouth with my hand, but it wasn’t enough to fool Natsuki.

“Tired huh?”

“A little,” I admited.

“I guess it is getting kind of late…Come on, you can have my bed.”

Trudging up the stairs, the girl in front of me flipped on the lamp and then continued onward as I stopped at the bed, sitting down on the fluffy mattress.

“I just changed the sheets yesterday, so they’re clean,” Natsuki informed me from her place in the closet. When she reemerged, she was holding a blanket in her arms, “Well, goodnight.”

Making her way around the bed, she was about to turn the corner before I stopped her, “Where are you going?”

“Back downstairs…”

“Why?”

“To sleep on the couch,” she remarked, sounding like she was stating the obvious.

“I don’t want to kick you out of your own bed.”

“You’re my guest. It’s supposed to be that way.”

“But the couch can’t be that comfortable…”

“It’s only one night, and it’s not like I haven’t done it before.”

“I’m not sleeping here if Natsuki is sleeping downstairs,” I plainly announced, no questions asked.

“But—“

“The bed is big enough for the both of us, you know.”

“Yeah, but—“

“Isn’t it the logical thing to do then? Unless Natsuki hates me that much…”

“What?! I never said—“

“Then you’re staying up here, right?”

Natsuki glared at me, arguing with her eyes.

I answered with the saddest looking puppy-dog eyes I could manage, and it seemed to work as she made a gruff little noise before sitting down beside me, “This is my side.”

Pleased with my work, I complied and crawled over to the other side of the bed before slipping under the covers. The raven-haired girl tossed the now useless blanket on the floor before doing the same. The bed shook as she leaned over to turn off the lamp on her nightstand, and in an instant, the room was immersed in darkness.

The girl had her back to me, and my face was buried in her shoulder blades. My left arm was strung across her waist, the bare skin of our legs touching as my body was formed to hers.

I bit my lip.

Natsuki…

I stealthily removed myself from her, holding my breath and praying that I wouldn’t arouse her, fearing what she would think or say if she were to know how we had been sleeping. After I had successfully done so, I rolled over onto my other side, looking away from her peacefully dozing form.

Will there ever be a day when I can wake up with you in my arms and not be afraid of your reaction? Am I just dreaming for something that will never be?

The sound of sleepy grumblings coming from behind me tore me from my thoughts, “Shi..zuru…?

Wiping away my tears, I composed myself before turning onto my back to look at my friend through drowsy eyes.

“Good morning, Natsuki.”