Time will tell.

A/N: My new fanfic. I am writing the story based on my memory of the book that I read a while ago. It's a good story and I hope I got it down right. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Summary: AU. Natsuki works at the Yuuichi family mansion. Shizuru meets Natsuki there and they become friends. An incident occurs that causes Natsuki to get fired and hated by the Yuuichi family. Natsuki goes away and is reunited with Shizuru 5 years later. But time has changed them both. Shiznat, MaiTate,

Ch1. Introduction: Mai's memories

"I can still remember the moment I laid eyes on her like it was yesterday."

"My mother had been dating with a rich businessman and for her it was love on first sight. He was a widower from Kyoto with a daughter one year older than me. I was only 10 then but after seeing my mother so happy every time she came home from a date, I thought he was the one for her."

"My beloved mother. She had become a widow 5 years ago when our father died in a car accident and she had worked hard to support me and Takumi, my brother two years younger than me. She deserved her own happiness, so I didn't protest much when she invited us to join her date with Mr. Fujino and her daughter Shizuru."

"From what I heard from mother, Mr. Fujino was the kindest, nicest man in the world. I always wondered if she was telling the truth or was simply exaggerating. When you re in love everything looks nice and perfect. But reality can be cruel. Maybe he was a mean man or something. Of course, I never told my mother what I thought. She wouldn't have believed me anyway. A woman in love wouldn't believe such words from anyone especially her own children."

"I always wondered if we were a burden to her. Of course we were, having to take care of two small children and doing house chores and working all at the same time would tire anyone. But mother never complained. Whenever she came home from work, she always greeted us with a warm smile as if she was not tired at all. It wasn't until I was a bit older before I realized how much she sacrificed for us, so I tried to help her out with the small things, washing the dishes, clothes, cleaning the house, whatever I could. As time passed by, house chores were my duty. I learned to cook. It turns out I'm a better cook than mom now. But sometimes I ask her to cook, I miss her cooking."

"Anyway, back to the point. Mr. Fujino was a successful businessman who had a large company. His wife had died 3 years ago, also in a car accident. His daughter was also in the car when it happened but she simply suffered minor injuries. He simply adores his daughter. Mother said he talks so much about her every time they meet that she feels that she can't wait to meet the girl in person. I can't say I felt the same way. I was really nervous to meet the Fujinos. Would he be able to accept me and Takumi? Would he be a good father? Could I be friends with his daughter? Is she a spoilt girl? Is she a nice girl? So many questions flooded my mind. But for my mother's sake, I chose to endure it all. I'll make them like me. I'll try to be a good daughter. I'll make Mr. Fujino's daughter like me. I told Takumi to be on his best behavior. He was a good little brother anyway. Everyone wanted to be his friend. He has a small body for his size, everyone wanted to protect him. When I say everyone, I mean girls AND boys. He has that kind of appearance."

"The day of the meeting came. I can still remember how nervous I was. I could see Takumi was too. We asked each other how we looked so many times. We were in our best clothes, I was in a nice, clean pink dress that was only worn on special occasions and Takumi wore a new blue t-shirt and jeans. Mother didn't look so nervous but she kept sneaking a look towards us that I knew she was a bit worried that Mr. Fujino might not like us."

"We arrived at the restaurant and mother went to the counter. After introducing herself to the receptionist, we were led to a VIP section. The decorations of this part of the restaurant was very beautiful, I had never seen anything as beautiful as this. The tables, chairs, everything looked beautiful. We reached a table and there was a handsome man and a young girl a bit older than me already there."

"The man did not look old at all. He gave a sense of authority and power, a dignified person. He had brown eyes and brunette hair. He wore a black suit that seemed tailor made for him. But what made my eyes widen the most was the beauty of the young girl beside him. She had dark red, sort of crimson colored eyes that were looking at me with interest. She was a brunette. Her skin was as smooth as porcelain that it looked like she was a doll. She wore an expensive looking purple kimono that suited her well. Her beauty took my breath away. In front of her, I felt I was insignificant and very small."

"She must have noticed my discomfort because she immediately stood up and came up to me. She turned to her father and asked him if we were the people they were waiting for.

He nodded and she took my hands in her. She introduced herself to us."

"Nice to meet you. I am Fujino Shizuru."

"I must have stuttered when I introduced myself because she told me to calm down".

"Please relax. There is no rush. Please take your time."

"Truthfully, I was amazed at how nice and gentle her voice was with her Kyoto accent. Thinking back to it now, I think I didn't make a good first impression. I wonder what she thought about me. I hope I didn't look too bad in front of her. Takumi introduced himself in the same manner but her smile made me feel calm. I thought she was a nice person. I scolded myself for thinking that she might be a mean person. But there was a part of me inside that said not to let my guard down yet. First impression can be misleading. Her father then stood up and introduced himself."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Fujino Kyou. You can call me Uncle Kyou if you want. Please have a seat."

"We sat down and the waiter came and took our orders. While waiting for the food to arrive, Uncle Kyou asked us some questions about what we liked and other things He seemed to have real interest in us that I found myself opening up to him. Takumi spoke more casually to him; it seemed Uncle Kyou had won his trust. I snuck a few looks at Shizuru and every time she was staring at me or one us with interest and a smile on her face. She asked a few questions to me and I grew to like her. I did the same and she told some things about herself to me. It turns out she went to the same school as I did but it was weird that we had never crossed paths before."

"Then our food arrived and it was divine. I had never tasted such delicious food before. I savored each bite and decided to remember the ingredients. Maybe I could cook up something like this myself. We even had dessert; a unique type of ice-cream that I had never tasted before. I must have quite an expression that showed how much I loved the ice-cream because uncle Kyou ordered another scoop of ice-cream for all of us."

"Finally, mother decided it was time to go home. Uncle Kyou paid for the bill and we all left the restaurant. Mother had a quick conversation with Uncle Kyou that left me and Takumi alone with Shizuru. She stood beside me and we talked a bit. I was happy when she said this.

"I hope all goes well with father and your mother. I really like your mother, you and Takumi. We can all be a big happy family."

"I felt the same way towards uncle Kyou and Shizuru."

"We left and went home. I told mother what Shizuru said and mother was really happy. She said that she liked Shizuru too. A few days later, mother came up to me ecstatic and told us that Uncle Kyou had proposed to her. I asked her how she reacted. She said she accepted her proposal. I was so happy that I immediately hugged her and I almost knocked her down. We were going to be a big family. I was going to have a father and a sister. I could not think of anything better."

"The marriage was grand. It was done in a hotel and was perfect. We invited all the relatives we could even if it was on short notice. Many managed to come from both sides. I and Shizuru wore beautiful white dresses. Of course, Shizuru looked more beautiful than me. We held hands during the ceremony. She was as happy as I was, perhaps even more. She told me she always wanted a sister and brother. Takumi wore a white tuxedo, specially tailored for his small body. He looked handsome. We teased him and he admitted that he felt a bit embarrassed. Uncle Kyou and mother looked really happy. They were kissing each other and holding hands all day."

'That night we stayed in the hotel, uncle Kyou and mother in their wedding suite while the rest of us stayed in another. We barely slept that night, all three of us asking about each other and talking. I learned more about Shizuru. She is like a real traditional Japanese lady. She could do flower arrangement, tea ceremonies, sew, cook. She is even a kendo fencer and knows aikido (Japanese martial arts) but she admits it's only because her father asks her to learn them. She reveals she loves to read books and is hoping to be a writer. I tell her I love to cook and aspire to become a great chef. Shizuru tells me she would like to taste my cooking as do I to her cooking. Takumi joins in by telling us that he wishes to be a pastry chef. I tease him by telling Shizuru that he can bake delicious cakes and cookies. Shizuru says she can't wait to taste a cake baked by him."

"A few days later, we move into Uncle Kyou's house. To say house is an understatement, it's actually a mansion. It's huge. It is a Japanese style one story mansion with many rooms. Both Takumi and I have our own rooms. There are rooms for every function, studying, meeting, Uncle Kyou's work room, a large room for baths together, a large garage that can fit 5 cars, dining room, game room. It had a large kitchen that made me squeal with excitement of all the delicious things that I would make in it. The garden was beautiful with a large pond in the middle. There was still a lot of land and trees surrounding the mansion. I felt as if I was dreaming being in the presence of so much luxury. I had never imagined uncle Kyou was this rich."

"It took a while getting used to being part of a new life and Uncle Kyou and Shizuru were very kind and gentle with us. I can see now that they are really nice people who love us. I love them too. "

"Having the name Fujino was a bit hard to adapt to. People treated me differently, some with respect and some with contempt. Some people approached me when they found out I was now a Fujino but I stayed close with my old friends, people who had been with me since I first moved to Fuuka a long time ago. My friends are happy for my happiness and I thank them for that."

"I met some of Shizuru's friends and they have accepted me. But I feel Shizuru is different from them. I can see she doesn't say much but simple plays along with them. I can see she has always been lonely. Now I understand why she was happy when we became part of her family. Another thing I have noticed is that Shizuru acts differently when she is with her friends and when we are at home. It seems that she opens up at home, perhaps because we are family. Who knows? But I hope I can be there for Shizuru. I owe that much for this family that accepted ours with open arms."

To be continued.

A/N: How is it? Please review and give me your comments. If your waiting for the appearance of Natsuki, I think she might come up in the next chapter or in the third. But I must warn you, Natsuki is going to be a bit cold. She doesn't know Shizuru yet. Btw, Mai's mother's name is Kyoko. I haven't had the chance for her to use her name as she is being called mother by Mai in this chapter. Takumi and Mai call Shizuru's dad 'Uncle Kyou' ,while Shizuru calls Mai's mom 'Auntie Kyoko'.