Another oneshot, though it might expand (read bottom comments for more details). I wrote this when I probably should have been studying but oh well. This is a gift for all those who still have finals. Please enjoy!

Shizuru stifled a yawn while she waited for the elevator to take her down and out of her apartment building. For the next two months, the deadlines were going to be outrageous; Reito wanted the fall issue of Hime to be done by the end of August. Shizuru and the other girls were required to show up at the various sets extremely early and leave extremely late.

Despite her dislike of the long hours, there were many perks to being a model; the best having to be the clothes. Almost everything she owned came right from the pages of fashion magazines. Since Japan was in the midst of a hot and sticky summer, she kept today's clothing simple: a white blouse with black circles tucked into a mid-thigh navy skirt. She wore comfortable light brown sandals with a slight wedge to complete the outfit.

The elevator finally dinged open and she stepped inside. One good thing about her new schedule was that she had the elevator to herself—no one was ever up at the same time she was. This gave her time to herself, without having to worry about men leering at her or women commenting that she looked familiar to them. And since the elevator was a bit on the slow side, she considered it to be a part of her break time. The honey haired woman leaned against the back of the elevator and closed her eyes.

…Only to open them a moment later. Shizuru frowned at the lit-up floor display. Her apartment was on the 32nd floor and the lift had just stopped at the 31st. The doors opened again to reveal a bleary-eyed girl with a large mug in her hand.

She was slightly shorter than Shizuru and was wearing an obscure band shirt and slim-fitting black jeans, her feet jammed into a pair of scuffed Converse high tops. A black messenger bag rested against her hip. Though the fashionista in Shizuru wanted to write off her simple clothing, she couldn't help but stare at her. The girl was simply beautiful. Her dark hair was straight and went slightly past her shoulders, contrasting with her porcelain skin. Behind the clothes, Shizuru could easily picture a lean, fit body. Even though the girl was obviously tired, her green eyes were almost luminous as she took in Shizuru and reluctantly shuffled onto the elevator.

"Hello," Shizuru heard herself say softly. It was the first word she had spoken that morning and she felt like she couldn't have given it to a better person. Of course, Shizuru was around attractive people all the time but this girl…Shizuru felt some kind of magnetic pull towards her.

The girl squinted sleepily at her for a second before looking straight ahead. "Hey," she said just as quietly.

Shizuru noted the slightly husky edge to her voice. She wanted to hear it again. "I'm sorry to ask, but are you new to the building?"

There was another short silence before the dark haired girl answered. "Yeah. Just moved in last week actually."

Interesting. "May I ask for your name? I'm Shizuru Fujino." This was very unlike her, to start conversations with strangers, but she wanted to hear the girl continue to speak.

"Natsuki," the girl replied tonelessly. She took a giant swig from her mug and let out a sigh.

"And what are you doing up so early, Natsuki?" The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors creaked open.

Natsuki glanced at her for a moment before exiting. "School."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow at that. She could have sworn the girl was only a couple years younger than her. Did she mean university? Even that was a quite an age gap. Age gap? Why am I already thinking of such things? Nevertheless, she hurried to catch up with Natsuki but the girl had already gotten into a taxi.

That was a nice start to my day. I hope I see her again.

Shizuru's wish was granted, though not right away. It was a week and a half after their first meeting, late on a Friday night. Shizuru was quickly walking towards the elevator as the doors began to shut. "Please hold it!" she said loudly, hoping someone was inside to grant her request.

A pale hand reached between the door panels, forcing them to open again. "Thank you," Shizuru started before she realized who had helped her.

Natsuki nodded silently in response but her cellphone was pressed to her ear. Shizuru noticed that Natsuki seemed much more alert, almost twitching with energy and her eyes seemed even brighter than before. The girl furrowed her brow in concentration, listening carefully to what the person on the other end was saying. She tugged absentmindedly on her messenger bag's strap.

"Wait, the octopus was on the roof? But then where was Takeda?" She paused to listen again. "He was up there too? And while this was happening you were too busy to help, I presume." Natsuki rolled her eyes. "I disagree completely—it sounds like you were at fault, not the fisherman. Look, I'm almost home, I'll talk to you later. See ya, Nao."

Natsuki turned off her phone and shook her head in disbelief. "Always has the craziest stories…" she muttered.

Shizuru cleared her throat and Natsuki jumped slightly. It appeared she had forgotten that someone else was occupying the same space as her. "So…that sounded like a good time." Shizuru said, a questioning smile on her face.

Natsuki gave a bashful grin and blushed slightly. "Uh, yeah. Nao and her assistant are supposed to be doing research for her thesis but they're…not," she finished lamely.

Her voice truly is alluring. I could listen to it all day. And that blush…so cute. Shizuru thought, attempting not to stare at Natsuki. The lift stopped at the 31st floor. "Goodbye, Na-tsu-ki." Shizuru called out slowly once Natsuki stepped onto her floor, just to see her reaction.

The doors closed on a sputtering and quickly reddening girl. "Sh-Shizuru!"

On Sunday afternoon, Shizuru gave the 'Out of Order' sign on one of the elevators a disappointed glance. The weekend was the worst time for one of the two elevators on her side of the building to need repairs. People were coming and going at all times of the day.

Her need for fresh tea, however, overrode any rational part of her that suggested she wait another day. Tea is my one vice. I will not go without it, she thought resolutely. Since she was near the top of the building, the lift was empty. She gratefully got on and smoothed out her white sundress.

The lift stopped on the floor below hers and Shizuru held her breath. Sure enough, Natsuki was there though an orange haired girl was standing next to her. The pair got on and Shizuru tried and failed to reign in her curiosity. It's not like she could ignore them in such a small space anyways.

"I don't need any vegetables, Mai. I take vitamins." Natsuki emphasized the last word, as if they were a viable substitute for actual food.

Apparently Mai thought the same thing. "Oh, please. Those don't count. You just wait; I'll cook the most delicious meals and sneak vegetables into them. You won't even notice."

Natsuki gave a snort. "I'd know. Definitely."

"You haven't noticed for the past couple of weeks, have you?" Mai asked innocently.

Natsuki gave her a shocked look but before she could retort, a huge group of people from the 20th floor rushed in. Natsuki and Mai were separated and somehow the dark haired girl had ended up pressed tightly against Shizuru.

"My, Natsuki. At least buy me dinner first." Shizuru said demurely. Natsuki glared at her even as a blush came to her cheeks. Truth be told, Shizuru rather liked this position. The dark haired girl's face was tantalizingly close and one of Shizuru's legs was pressed between Natsuki's. While Shizuru's hands were at her sides, Natsuki's were planted on either side of the model's head for balance. "What would your girlfriend say if she saw us in such a scandalous position?"

Natsuki's eyes widened and a huff escaped her, blowing warm air against Shizuru's cheek. "Mai's not my girlfriend," she said as though the very idea was preposterous. "We're roommates." The lift stopped again and more people came on, pressing the women even closer together. Shizuru could feel the heat emanating from Natsuki and was tempted to dip down and capture her lips. It would be so easy, everyone had their backs to them so they wouldn't be noticed at all...

Shizuru shook herself out of her reverie. It really was ridiculous, how attracted she was to this girl. The chime rang and everyone got off, Mai waiting outside for Natsuki to come off. The orange haired girl's eyes widened when she saw Shizuru.

"Until next time, Natsuki." Shizuru said with a small wave. She stayed a few steps ahead of the roommates as they all made their way outside.

From behind her, she could hear Mai's hushed voice. "Do you know who that was?" she asked Natsuki, clearly excited.

"Umm, Shizuru? She's on the floor above ours." Natsuki said, sounding confused.

"No, idiot. She's a model. I saw her in Otome's spring issue. I heard she's shooting for another magazine now…" Mai's words faded away as Shizuru got into a taxi. A sinking feeling came over her.

Well. Now it was all over. People always looked at her differently, treated her differently when they found out her occupation—it's why nearly all of her friends were fellow models. Shizuru loved her job but sometimes the attention was tiring. As much as she liked her, Shizuru was worried Natsuki would treat her like all the rest. The very thought made Shizuru feel ill.

The honey haired woman pushed her way into the lobby two weeks later and discretely tried to get some of the glitter off her hands. Parties thrown in the model community were louder, wilder, and filled with more glitter than most others. This particular party had been thrown in honor of her having a spot on The Entertainer's 'Tokyo's Most Beautiful People' list. She couldn't help but be pleased at the results and neither could Reito ("Number nineteen, not bad at all!" He had said proudly); her manager was excited his agency would be getting more attention due to the article.

As such, he threw a massive party for her. Shizuru took the opportunity to look her best: her dress was a tight, dark red piece that showed a scandalous amount of creamy skin. Her golden hair was tied in an intricate bun though throughout the night, a few strands had come loose. Finally, her feet were adorned in beautiful black heels made her legs look even longer.

From across the lobby, she could see an already-familiar back. A pair of headphones were over the figure's dark hair and she was rocking out to her music while waiting for the elevator to arrive. Shizuru stopped behind her, amused at the display. From the back, Shizuru could see Natsuki's slightly wrinkled white lab coat flare out every time she moved her hips.

Natsuki was muttering along to her music and suddenly let out a loud, "She blinded me with SCIENCE!" as the elevator finally came to the lobby. She sidestepped onto the lift and twirled around, about to belt out another line when she took in the fact that she was not alone but rather had a beautiful woman grinning at her.

Her eyes widened and she pulled her headphones down around her neck. "How much of that did you hear?" Surprisingly, she didn't look too embarrassed.

"Enough to believe Natsuki should start her own band." Shizuru gave her a sparkling smile. "Such emotion in your voice…it almost made me tear up."

"I will not apologize for my voice—" Natsuki started hotly before absorbing Shizuru's words. She paused and narrowed her eyes, "Are you teasing me again?"

Shizuru leaned in a bit closer. "Oh, you would know if I were teasing you."

Natsuki swallowed hard and took in what Shizuru was wearing. "Mai was right, I guess you really are a model," she mused. She frowned at herself after the words were said.

Here it comes, Shizuru thought in a sort of anticipatory dread. The moment where she either becomes another fangirl or scoffs at my job. She leaned against the wall and waited.

Instead Natsuki, as if she could read her mind, said something completely different. "It must really suck, having people judge you all the time." The words were said slowly and thoughtfully. Natsuki hadn't even been looking at her when she said them.

"It can be." Shizuru was so taken aback at what Natsuki had said that she couldn't find anything else to say.

Natsuki continued on. "I suppose that's one reason I'm getting my doctorates in biochem—it's a relatively small community where everyone knows one another." She turned to Shizuru suddenly. "I don't think I could ever do a job like yours. The way you put yourself out there…it's pretty admirable, actually." Natsuki rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, realizing she may have said too much.

"Thank you, Natsuki." Shizuru said quietly. She looked deeply into the girl's bright eyes. "That means a lot."

Natsuki gave a small shrug. "I don't see any reason to think otherwise. Plus," she let out an excited grin, "My experiments were successful tonight so I'm in a very favorable mood right now. Enjoy it while you can." She stepped off onto her floor but Shizuru tugged hard on her coat sleeve.

The momentum sent Natsuki right into Shizuru's arms. Shizuru gave her a tight hug before letting her go. "Congratulations, Natsuki. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night."

"Y-yeah. You too." Natsuki said, stepping backwards until she bumped against someone's apartment door. She gave a small wave and Shizuru could have sworn she saw the beginnings of a flustered smile on her lips.

"What do you mean he was 'taken by pirates'?!" Natsuki nearly yelled into her phone. She gave an apologetic glance to Shizuru and lowered her voice. "This is the second time," she hissed.

Another call from Nao, Shizuru surmised. This was the fourth occasion she had heard Natsuki talk to the other person in the elevator and each time the scenarios seemed to escalate. The light haired woman was unsure how often the two of them talked on the phone but she knew she would never overhear one-sided conversations more exciting than these.

Natsuki shook her head angrily. "No, your research is not more important than your research assistant! I don't care how useless you think he is." A long pause. "Why the hell would you lower his grade over this? It's a wonder any of the undergrads want to work for you." Natsuki pinched the bridge of her nose. "Alright, this is what you should do…"

She gave Shizuru a small smile before stepping off the elevator and continuing her conversation down the hallway.

Shizuru shook her head in amazement. Natsuki sure has some interesting friends…I'd like to meet them someday.

Another photo-shoot, this one set to begin at six in the morning. To beat traffic, Shizuru was out the door at four thirty. The elevator opened up on the floor below hers to Natsuki and Shizuru's day was already made instantly better. She was wearing a black pencil skirt with a dark blue blouse tucked into it. Her slim legs ended in a pair of dark heels.

Natsuki slipped into the space beside Shizuru without acknowledging her in the slightest—not even any eye contact. Her mug was clenched tightly in both her hands and she stared down at it unblinkingly.

"Good morning, Natsuki." Shizuru beamed in an attempt to engage her. "Going to school again?"

"Thesis defense prep." Natsuki replied monotonously. Her gaze still hadn't left her mug. "Defense is later today."

While Shizuru wasn't exactly sure what that was, she figured it was important. "You'll be great, I just know it."

Natsuki's eyes finally focused on Shizuru's own wine-colored ones. "This is everything. I can't be great, I have to be perfect." Her mouth pulled into a worried grimace she tried to hide by taking a drink out of her mug.

There was a heavy silence until they reached the ground floor. The two walked towards the exit side by side, Shizuru occasionally glancing at Natsuki.

Once outside, Natsuki hailed a cab. Before she could get into it, Shizuru grabbed her. Impulsively, she kissed Natsuki on the cheek. The kiss was longer than she meant it to be but she became distracted by the warm softness of the skin as well as Natsuki's scent—a mix of coffee and a light, slightly sweet perfume. Natsuki turned her head slightly and Shizuru's lips became dangerously close to Natsuki's.

Shizuru pulled back hastily to see Natsuki looking at her in complete shock, any previous tiredness seemingly gone. "That was for luck," Shizuru said, hoping she sounded confident. "Now you're guaranteed to be perfect."

The taxi driver honked and both girls jumped. "I have to go," Natsuki mumbled before getting into the cab. Before she closed the door, she looked up at Shizuru. "Thanks."

Natsuki's taxi drove off, leaving a dazed Shizuru behind. She put a hand to her lips and let out a shaky breath. It's official, she thought numbly as she got into her own cab. I'm in love with the girl from the elevator.

Alyssa Searrs' 26th birthday party was exactly how she had wanted it: with every gorgeous person she knew in attendance and the best DJ money could buy playing for them. So it was no real surprise that she ended up completely wasted early into the celebration.

Shizuru had promised she would be her sober caretaker which is why she was half-dragging her blonde friend through her apartment's entrance at some godforsaken hour. "Almost there," she encouraged the other woman. Shizuru propped Alyssa up against the wall and pressed the 'Up' button.

The elevator soon opened and Shizuru got the two of them inside as quickly as she could, swatting at Alyssa's wandering hand. The blonde was touchy when was sober and even touchier when drunk. "You're like…the greatest friend. Like ever." Alyssa slurred, resting her head against Shizuru's shoulder. "And you're hot. Like…just super hot."

"Let's see how you like me when you're fighting a hangover tomorrow." Shizuru responded in mild amusement.

Alyssa turned slightly until she was leaning the front of her body against Shizuru's. Her breath was hot against Shizuru's neck.

The doors chimed open and Shizuru looked up at the sound of bickering.

"—meteor showers aren't lame, Natsuki. This will be one of the best ones this year!" Mai was saying excitedly.

"Yeah, well. I don't know why you had to drag me out of bed." Natsuki groused. Both girls were wearing what looked to be pajamas (Shizuru particularly liked Natsuki's baggy shirt and short shorts combo).

The two girls paused when they saw the elevator's occupants in what looked to be an intimate embrace. Natsuki's eyes narrowed at the display as she and Mai got on. She made sure she wasn't directly next to Alyssa and Shizuru.

"Hi!" Mai said to Shizuru, surprisingly chipper considering how late it was.

Shizuru smiled in response before the doors opened again on her floor. She took Alyssa by the hand and led her off. "My place is right down here."

Alyssa giggled. "Oh, Shizuru. I was wondering when you'd take me to bed."

The lift's doors closed before Shizuru could say anything to Natsuki.

Three excruciatingly long weeks passed with no sign of Natsuki. If asked, Shizuru would deny taking the elevator more than usual and sitting in the reception area for an inordinate amount of time (honestly, they just had really good magazines).

On this particular evening, a violent storm was raging outside while Shizuru flipped through the pages of an entertainment magazine. In the remnants of a lightning flash, the lobby doors opened to reveal a soaking wet and scowling Natsuki. Her slightly overlarge University of Tokyo sweatshirt was sagging with the weight of water. A party hat sat perched atop her head at an extreme angle and she carried a pair of sandals in one hand.

Not seeing Shizuru, she strode towards the elevator, leaving a wet trail in her wake. Shizuru stood up and joined her. "Forget your umbrella?" she asked conversationally.

She was not prepared for the near-venomous look Natsuki gave her. "No," was all Natsuki said in response. She impatiently pressed the 'Up' button a few more times.

"You know, that doesn't actually make the elevator come any faster." Shizuru pointed out. She gave a serene smile in response to Natsuki's glare at the statement.

The lift finally came down and the two hurriedly got on. Shizuru couldn't help but find the frustrated Natsuki completely adorable. Her pout made her look like a sad puppy and being completely wet from the rain made Shizuru want to towel her off (or at least get her out of her drenched clothes).

"That party hat is really cute." Shizuru said after a minute. Natsuki's scowl deepened and without breaking eye contact with Shizuru, she reached for the hat and crumpled it. She tossed the ball of crushed paper and string at the honey haired woman.

"Keep it if you like it so much," Natsuki growled. She crossed her arms and looked away from Shizuru.

The other woman gave her a curious look. She understood Natsuki might be angry that she was caught in the storm but she also seemed to be mad at Shizuru personally, which was strange since their last conversation had been completely normal (except that it had ended in a kiss).

Wait. Maybe that's why Natsuki was irritated. Even though the kiss had only been on the cheek, had it made her uncomfortable? What if her thesis defense fell apart because she was so distracted by what Shizuru had done?

As if feeling the negative energy of the two women, the elevator light dimmed for a moment. Shizuru ignored it and took a deep breath. "Look, I apologize if I stepped over some sort of line when I kissed you." Shizuru was not one to apologize often but her relationship with Natsuki, if she could even call it that, was tenuous at best. She didn't want to ruin it, even if it meant she couldn't touch Natsuki.

Natsuki whipped her head around. "You're sorry?" she said in disbelief. There was something behind the anger in her eyes, some emotion Shizuru couldn't read. Natsuki slammed her back against the wall. "This is bullshit," she muttered to herself.

At that, the elevator groaned and shuddered. The women looked at each other with fear and the elevator slowly ground to a halt. The light went out and a dull emergency bulb slowly flickered on.

After a few tense minutes, nothing else happened. Natsuki recovered first from the realization she was trapped in an elevator. "Are you kidding me!" she exclaimed loudly, slumping onto the floor. "Just what I needed."

Shizuru caught her breath and joined Natsuki on the ground, sitting in the opposite corner. "Do you have your cellphone with you?"

Natsuki let out a near-hysterical laugh. "Yeah, yeah I do. But I drained the battery earlier today when I was talking with Nao. What about you?"

"I…am in the midst of getting a new phone, so I don't have one with me right now." Shizuru lied. Her phone was where she had left it (on the kitchen counter) before she had come back down to the lobby and wait for a Natsuki sighting.

"This sucks." Natsuki said plainly. She shivered and wrung the sleeve of her sweatshirt out. Quickly giving up, she took her arms out of the sleeves and pulled it off. Underneath was a black tank top, making Natsuki's skin looking even paler than usual. She threw the sweatshirt aside and it landed with a heavy plop.

Shizuru tried to avert her eyes from the sight of the top clinging to the woman's body in all the right places but failed. Natsuki noticed her stare and glared in return. "What?" she asked, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"Nothing." Shizuru responded innocently. "Would you like to wear my cardigan?" She asked, already starting to take it off.

"No." Natsuki said, a stubborn edge to her voice.

Shizuru moved over until she and Natsuki were right next to each other. "Take it or I'll have to warm you with my body. We wouldn't want you to get hypothermia, correct?"

The tease didn't have the effect Shizuru had come to expect. Instead of turning red and acting embarrassed, Natsuki frowned. "Why do you keep doing that?" She asked, her gaze fixed on her shoes. "Why do you tease me?"

The words threw Shizuru. "I suppose I enjoy your reaction." She said, only half-honest. The teases were also said in hopes of Natsuki taking them seriously, but that seemed less likely than ever right now. "Now take this," she held the cardigan in front of Natsuki's face.

Natsuki ignored her and instead tried to get some of the moisture out of her long hair. Shizuru sighed and put the article of clothing on Natsuki's head, using it as a towel. "H-hey! What are you doing? That probably costs more than my whole wardrobe!" Natsuki craned her neck away but Shizuru cornered her and continued to dry her off.

"There is such a thing as too much pride," the honey haired woman murmured. The cardigan slipped and for a moment she was running her fingers through Natsuki's hair. She heard Natsuki's breath hitch but refused to look at her face.

"Sorry I've been a brat." Natsuki said softly. She caught Shizuru's wrist and her eyes finally locked onto the red ones in front of her. "I should actually be happy, all things considered."

"Why is that?" Shizuru asked. She made no move to take back her wrist, enjoying the feel of Natsuki's skin against her own.

Natsuki let out a small smile. "My thesis was accepted. I'll be graduating later this month. My supervisor, Mai, and few others threw a party for me…hence the party hat."

Shizuru reluctantly leaned back and put her hands in her lap. "That's quite the achievement, though you don't seem too thrilled."

"No, no. I am." Natsuki said carefully. She bit her lip for a moment before continuing. "I've been working towards it for the last few years and now I'm finally done. But…other things have been bothering me."

"Oh?" Shizuru cocked her head slightly. "What other things?"

To Shizuru's surprise, Natsuki's cheeks reddened. "Just…stuff," she said evasively.

"A blush? Does this mean it's about something romantic?" Shizuru asked lightly, though her interest sharpened. Was it a fellow student? Maybe even the mysterious Nao, who she always seemed to be talking to?

Her cheeks still red, Natsuki seemed caught between nodding and shaking her head. She settled on saying, "Maybe. I'm not really sure." She glanced at Shizuru. "How about you? I'm sure the love life of a model is much more interesting than that of a student who barely leaves the lab."

Shizuru laughed. "You'd be surprised. I too have long hours but…there is a certain someone I've had my eye on." Her heart beat a little faster at that admission and she wondered if this would be the time to tell Natsuki how she felt.

"Ah." Natsuki swallowed hard and nodded. "Would you be willing to share anything?"

"You seem very interested, Natsuki." Shizuru noted.

Natsuki shrugged. "It's not like I'm going anywhere."

She does have a point. Maybe she's just bored and is just trying to find something to talk about. It doesn't mean she's actually interested, Shizuru's conscience berated her for getting any false sense of hope. "Right you are. Let me think for a moment." Shizuru raised a hand to her chin, her gaze pointed towards the ceiling. "Well, she's extraordinarily beautiful. I met her not too long ago but I'm already much more interested than I should be. She's actually been on this very elevator with me before." There. That last tidbit would have to tell Natsuki that it was her Shizuru liked. What she chose to do with that information, however…

"Is that so?" Natsuki said quietly, looking downwards once again. "I'm sure she'll be happy to know you like her."

That wasn't the reaction Shizuru had expected. Did she really not know? "That's what I was hoping," Shizuru said, trying to figure out what Natsuki was thinking. "You really think she would be?"

"Urrghh." Natsuki groaned and rubbed her face. "I'm not the person to ask but by the way she was grabbing at you before, I'm sure she'd have no problem with your feelings." The words were let out in a frustrated rush.

"Natsuki, who do you think I'm talking about?" Shizuru asked curiously. She was growing more and more confused by how Natsuki was acting.

"That girl from before. The blonde one." Natsuki mumbled. "Can we just change the subject now?"

There was a sudden whirring sound and the elevator jerked slightly before the main lights came back on. The level display read '26'. "Thank god," Natsuki breathed. She got up and pressed the buttons for her and Shizuru's floors and the elevator started moving upwards.

Shizuru sighed in relief but was surprised to find that she wanted to stay on the lift with Natsuki. There was something wrong with what she had said. The blonde one…"Did you mean Alyssa?" Shizuru questioned after a few moments.

The lift chimed for Natsuki's floor and she stepped out, tossing Shizuru's cardigan back to her. Natsuki took a deep breath, and there was a hint of forced cheer in her voice. "Look, I'm…happy for you. I'm glad you potentially found someone. But…" her next words were so soft Shizuru could barely hear them over the sound of the doors closing. "I wish you hadn't."

"I wish you hadn't." Shizuru had pondered over the words for the last week. She and a handful of the other models had been hurried off to Kyoto to finish the last of the fall photo shoots. The photographers had accused Shizuru of being distracted and not correctly conveying the emotions she was supposed to be. The thing was, they weren't wrong. The normally composed woman had Natsuki's last words constantly running through her head.

Obviously Natsuki had misinterpreted her relationship with Alyssa, though looking back Shizuru could see how that was possible. She shifted uncomfortably in the taxi's backseat, eager to get back to her building after a long day of travel. I should have just told her. Why did I feel the need to be coy? she berated herself. But of course she knew the answer—she had wanted to test the waters to see if Natsuki felt the same way (which she apparently did by the way).

And that was the kicker; Natsuki did return her feelings. That explained her attitude after she had seen Alyssa clinging onto Shizuru. Natsuki was jealous. The thought thrilled Shizuru. She decided she would camp out in the lobby until she saw Natsuki again and tell her, point blank, exactly what she felt for her.

Hours later, she had gone through every magazine in the lobby and Natsuki still hadn't shown up. Her hours are about as odd as mine. Just about every time she'd seen the other woman had been at some absurd time.

Finally, near two in the morning, Natsuki came blustering in with her lab coat flowing behind her. She kept her gaze on the elevator with the same single-mindedness of a man stranded in the desert might look upon an oasis.

Shizuru put down her magazine and walked quickly after her. Natsuki was already leaning against the elevator's back wall when Shizuru reached her.

Natsuki's sleepy eyes widened as she took in who was with her. She quickly looked aside, her mouth twisting unhappily.

"Hello," Shizuru said as calmly as she could. "Long night?"

Still refusing to look at her, Natsuki answered tiredly, "I supervise the undergrads in the lab. They like to stay as long as possible."

"Natsuki, I have something to—"

"I'm sorry," Natsuki cut her off. "I have no energy to talk right now. I just want to get into my bed." And away from you, Shizuru could practically hear her think. Natsuki did look miserable and it was clearly more from just exhaustion.

Shizuru didn't stop to think of what she was doing before she pushed the emergency stop button. The elevator shuddered to a halt.

Natsuki seemed more alert at that. She looked between Shizuru and the button with wide eyes. "What the—"

"You said you didn't want to talk, so just please listen," Shizuru said with authority. She waited for Natsuki to give a small nod before continuing. "I don't like Alyssa. She's a friend of mine and she was drunk. She has a thing for one of the photographers and has absolutely no romantic interest in me." She stepped closer to Natsuki. "You are the one I like."

Natsuki's mouth dropped open. "B-but…" she paused, unable to speak though she was shaking her head as if something didn't compute.

Shizuru took another step forward until only a foot separated her from Natsuki. "I'm going to kiss you now," she whispered, staring into Natsuki's eyes. "If you don't want me to, just say something."

Natsuki stood stock-still even as Shizuru put a hand against her head and started to lean in. Her soft lips caught Natsuki's trembling ones and she inhaled the now familiar scent of coffee and perfume. Natsuki moved slightly to fit her lips better against Shizuru's, much to Shizuru's surprise.

She put her hands around Natsuki's waist, pressing them closer together. Natsuki's hands came up to Shizuru's shoulders and she ran her hands through loose golden tresses. Their tongues found one another and the kiss deepened. The two eventually broke apart for air after a few minutes.

"I like you too," Natsuki said, a huge grin starting to spread across her face. "If that wasn't obvious."

"Natsuki, please continue to kiss me like that," Shizuru very nearly purred, already pulling the woman back to her. Even though she was starting to redden, Natsuki gladly complied.

A couple hours later, the bored apartment security guard realized an elevator seemed to be malfunctioning. He went up to the sixteenth floor and wrenched the doors open. Much to his surprise, he found two beautiful women seemingly attached to each other by the lips.

The dark haired one noticed him first and broke the kiss. "About time!" she yelled at him while trying to readjust her shirt. "We've been in here for hours!" The other woman nodded solemnly in agreement.

"My apologies," the guard said, trying to contain a laugh. "Let's get to back to your apartment now."

The three of them got into the other elevator and the girl with the lab coat was about to press a button when her hand was taken by the light haired one. "Come up to my place. I'll make us some tea."

The guard decidedly did not notice that the dark haired one nodded shyly and their hands moved until their fingers were tightly interlaced. Nor did he pay attention to the fact that they were looking at each other like two love-struck teenagers.

The next morning, Natsuki and Shizuru left the apartment and headed down to the lobby together.

"So…" Natsuki started. "Thanks for letting me stay over. I've never seen so many clothes in my life."

Shizuru stood close to her and played with the girl's soft hair. "I assure you, it was no problem. Even if you were stealing all the covers."

Natsuki blushed but her defense was cut off when her phone rang. She checked the number and answered it. "Hey, Mai," she looked surprised at the response from her friend. "Oh. Thanks. I'll be back sometime today." Natsuki swatted at Shizuru when the golden haired woman shook her head in protest.

"What was that about?" Shizuru asked, now running a hand up and down Natsuki's side. The girl shivered at her touch. It's addicting, Shizuru thought brightly, how Natsuki reacts to my touch.

"Apparently it's my birthday today. Go figure." The lift deposited them in the lobby, and Shizuru shifted her hand to hold Natsuki's as they walked off.

She pouted. "It's too bad I don't have anything to give you…"

Natsuki laughed and leaned in to give Shizuru a kiss. "I'm sure you'll think of something," she whispered. The two headed out of the building hand in hand, a beautiful day awaiting them.

Yay! So as mentioned above, I might make this a two-parter. Here's the thing-it would consist entirely of Nao's journal entries from her time abroad and a bit when she comes back to Japan (Takeda will hopefully survive to come back as well). There would of course be ShizNat in the background. Even if no one is interested, I'll probably post it anyways since the idea amuses me so much.

I dedicated this story to Thomas Dolby's She Blinded Me With Science. Thank you for reading!