A/N: Ahaha I swear I was soooo close to finishing this chapter when I got addicted to The L Word XD So sorry about that... Speaking of which, I had no idea how much the Getsumei arc resembled season 4. Haha anyways, the song that comes up in this chapter is Goodbye by Asobi Seksu... I seem to always use music in all my fics XD It's the filmmaker in me; literature misses out on the audio.

Thanks to everyone who reads this story! I'm sorry about how long it takes me to update T-T.

Chapter 20: Yes

It had finally come. It was the day of the festival Natsuki had been working on for so long. Despite the fact that she was swamped with work that was piled all over her desk, she was still excited. She had put a lot of effort into it and couldn't wait to see it in action. Both she and Yukino had been preparing for it in the student council room all day, and were now into the final stretch of supervising tasks.

The blunette took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair only for a moment before shifting forward and diving back into the papers. Just then a large man carrying a load of boxes came in.

"Excuse me, but where would you like these?" he asked.

"Oh, I'll help you, follow me," she replied, surprising him with how strong she was, capable of carrying quite a bit of the load for him.

Yukino smiled, as did the few students Natsuki passed in the halls. They found it odd that the Kaichou, who was pretty much in charge of the school, would help out with manual labour; but it was a good feeling. It wasn't to say that their previous Kaichou was unkind, but no other before Natsuki had done so. The blunette still couldn't, and wouldn't, put herself up on a pedestal over the students, and would do whatever work needed to be done. Even though there would be many who would do it for her, the girl felt it was part of her responsibility.

When she got back, Yukino was still smiling and looked over at her.

"You know, stuff like that gains you quite a bit of popularity."

"Eh?" Natsuki asked, still a bit flushed from going up and down stairs, "Like what?"

"Taking care of things yourself, and not having the executive committee do it. They like it," she paused, becoming nervous with the other girl's silence, "Ah! Not to say that Fujino-san was incompetent! Actually it wasn't her fault that the council didn't do such things, Haruka-chan would just take every opportunity to show off… You know how she is…"

Natsuki chuckled as she sat back down.

"Haha, still, I doubt Shizuru minded not having to do the work," she changed her voice to mimic her lover's, "'Why do it when someone else would do it for me?' Or something, she'd say with a smile."

The brunette laughed too.

"Indeed she would…" they sat in silence for a few minute, working, until she spoke again, "By the way, your accent is perfect; I suppose that's a consequence of living with her?"

Natsuki blushed a little at this, smiling nervously and rubbing the back of her head.

"Eheheh… I guess so…"

"Actually, you have been changing your vocabulary a bit too… I didn't really notice until you changed your voice just now but," she chuckled, "You've slipped some Kyoto-ben into your speech."

At this Natsuki blushed again, harder, and froze for a few seconds in embarrassment, "Oh my God… I must seem like a ridiculous love struck girl from a shoujo manga… Who follows her lover around like a puppy and copies them just to be closer or something like that."

"... Shoujo-ai manga," Yukino corrected, causing Natsuki to cover her face with her palm, "Don't worry though Kuga-sa- I mean, Natsuki. I'm sure Fujino-san finds it cute."

"Holy crap you think she noticed?!" emerald eyes widened in shock.

"Eheh…" Yukino smiled sheepishly, "Well, you know how perceptive she is."

Natsuki's head fell like dead weight onto her desk.

"Ah! I didn't mean to make you nervous! I just thought it was interesting to note…"

"I know," the blunette replied, regaining her composure, "Now that I think about it, it is funny. I always admired her and wanted to be like her, and now I'm even picking up on her dialect," she took a deep breath and straightened a pile of papers, "Now let's finish this before school ends!"

--0--

"Na-tsu-kiiiiiiii~~~!" a familiar voice chimed from down the hallway before opening the student council room door and skipping inside.

The blunette raised an eyebrow at Shizuru who practically tackled her in a hug. She was unusually happy today, but Natsuki wasn't about to try stopping that. Smiling and hugging her back, the younger girl laughed and caught her breath.

"You came to pick me up?"

"Mm!" Shizuru replied, grinning as she sat on the now cleared desk, leaning on her side in a rather provocative position and pulled Natsuki closer by her collar.

The younger girl looked away uneasily, but couldn't help becoming taken in by the kiss given to her; although she pulled away a bit sooner than she would have liked and shook her head, then spoke with a voice crackling from surprise.

"-Alone," she gulped.

"What?" the chestnut haired girl inquired.

"Not. Alone," Natsuki blinked and pointed at the brunette sitting at the desk nearby.

Shizuru looked at her fiancée, confused and then looked over her shoulder like the girl's finger had guided. She was almost as shocked to see Yukino sitting there as the latter was to see her after so long, and in such a mood.

"Ara, I'm sorry Kikukawa-san. I was caught up in seeing my dear Natsuki," though she could hold her composure a lot better than most, Shizuru was actually rather embarrassed at this predicament. In the many times she had envisioned and rehearsed her "reunion" of sorts with old acquaintances, she had never thought of it happening as she was in the middle of coming onto Natsuki. She sat up straight and sat on the edge of the main desk, crossing one leg over the other and keeping up her normal smile.

"Umm… would you… like to be alone?" the brunette asked nervously.

"No no!" Natsuki said, "It's fine, we only have a little bit of preparations left," she turned to Shizuru, "Then we can get ready alright?"

The girl nodded.

"So, why are you so cheery?"

"Because!" Shizuru beamed, "Today is the festival you've been looking forward to showing me! I can't wait to see what surprises you have in store!"

"S-Surprises?" Yukino asked the Kaichou, who quickly gestured to not say anymore.

"I didn't tell Shizuru much about this year's festival because I want her to see my work for the first time when it's a hundred percent complete," she grinned, but then gave her lover a curious, "Hey, you didn't come early to spy on my plans did you?"

"Of course not!" her crimson eyes rolled and looked away, guilty of the accusation; if only in part, "Really, I only wanted to see you."

"I'm glad… I wanted to see you too."

As the Kaichou went back to tying up all the loose ends of her project, the other two in the room had been silent to each other. Despite having spoken lightly before, now that the awkwardness of Shizuru's entrance had passed, they had moved into the awkwardness of their inevitable meeting.

Yukino was undoubtedly a little more frightened than even she expected, fidgeting constantly with her pencil. Shizuru on the other hand was catching every bit of her movements and wanted to express her regret over her past actions. Even though by now she had done quite a bit of repenting to all those whom she cared about, and even to herself to some extent; one thing Shizuru wasn't good at was handling guilt. She sighed and continued to look away from the girl on the adjacent side of the room.

Natsuki was well aware of the tension nearby and that it was on the rise with every minute spent not coming to terms with what they all knew they were thinking. Putting down her work, which she had finished, the blunette stood up from her desk and shifted her gaze from one girl to the other.

"Okay, I know this is a sensitive matter for us all, but nothing can continue if we don't lay out the facts. The most important of which is that both of you would like to move on peacefully correct?" they nodded, "And both of you don't hate the other, correct?" this time, instead of a nod, Shizuru was a bit startled at the comment. She looked at Natsuki, and then at Yukino, who took a deep breath and showed her agreement.

"You… don't hate me?"

"No…" the brunette tried to occupy herself by fiddling with papers, "You were only doing what you thought was best, and we all were… We were all saved in the end, so I don't see a reason to continue blaming you… when I only wished I could have done the same. I... I envied you for being able to protect the one you loved while I failed."

The older girl was a bit taken aback by the bold statement. To think of this shy little girl wanting to become the demon she had been was odd, and she didn't know how much of it she should take as a compliment. In the end, their discussion had drawn to a simple close. It was still too soon for them to become best of friends, if they ever would, but it was refreshing to Shizuru to know that it wasn't only Natsuki who forgave her, even if she was the most important of her victims.

With the work completed though, it was time to leave and prepare for the school's festival. Natsuki packed up her bag and carried it over her shoulder, while Yukino gathered her belongings as well.

"We'll see you tonight right?" the blunette asked.

"Ah… Umm… I don't think that would be wise," she looked away, "Haruka-chan will be with me, so… unless it's absolutely necessary, we should not cross paths."

"I see…" Shizuru muttered, "Well, I expected as much," her expression returned to a smile, "Come Natsuki! I want to take you out to dinner before we go since I know you intend to purchase far too much treats tonight."

"Haha alright alright, I'm coming," she turned off the lights and locked the door, "It's… a date."

Shizuru blinked at the declaration, but grinned contentedly.

"Yes!"

--0--

After both girls had eaten a nice meal by the sunset, courtesy of Natsuki, they strode hand in hand back to their apartment. The blunette what smiling proudly at the fact that Shizuru was impressed with their date. It was only just beginning too. The younger one had made plenty of exciting plans for tonight, and couldn't wait for it to happen.

After quickly heading up the stairs to their specific apartment, Natsuki could barely hold back her smile.

"I got you something special," she tossed her bag aside and led Shizuru to their room, covering her eyes with her other hand. Once inside and standing in front of the bed, she removed her hand, "For you."

Shizuru stared at what lay neatly on the bed, surprised indeed by the gift. Side by side, there were two yukatas. One was black with blue flowers, and the other was that very same blue, with complementing violet flowers. Both were very detailed, but the colours were soft and easy to look at.

"Natsuki… It's beautiful…" she said happily, picking up the garment adorned with her colours and holding it close, "I love it…" She pulled the blunette in close and kissed her forehead before whispering in her ear, "And I'm going to love seeing you in yours as well."

Of course Natsuki turned red at this but she continued to smile at the soft nuzzle they were giving each other. Slowly, she extended her arms up over Shizuru's shoulders and around her neck, pulling her closer for a kiss.

"Tonight is for us…" the girl whispered.

"Really?" Shizuru asked with her mischievous tone, "Then we should get dressed, I wouldn't want to miss a minute of what Natsuki has prepared for me."

The blunette pulled back and nodded firmly, returning her expression from one of serious love, to one more innocently happy. Together they changed into their traditional outfits, with Natsuki receiving some help from the older girl. Though to be fair, she only got into trouble since just as she was nearly finished Shizuru had slid her hands under the fabric to pull Natsuki into another kiss, causing the top part to fall down the blunette's back.

The couple shared a laugh and looked into each other's eyes for a solid moment before Natsuki turned away to pick up a small drawstring bag. She hung it on her arm, and then looped her other one Shizuru's.

"Come on," she grinned, "Let's have some fun!"

"Mm!" Shizuru nodded with a bright smile.

--0--

"Wow..." the elder of the two girls muttered as they stood at the shining gateway to the Fuuka academy grounds. Shizuru's mouth was gaped slightly and her eyes were wide with awe. She couldn't believe that all of this was really the school's festival. It was so elaborate and colourful, not to mention loud and busy.

"Natsuki... You've really done an amazing job..." she said, still distracted by all of it, "It's so popular!"

The blunette Kaichou merely grinned and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. Even she was surprised at how many people had shown up, but was very relieved that all of her work had paid off. However, all she needed to prove that was Shizuru's smile. Her emerald eyes gazed into the scarlet ones that were still observing the entranceway to the festival. Natsuki always loved to see Shizuru happy, even from when they first met. It was always like a special treat to see her have fun; the only difference was that now it made her heart skip beats and her temperature rise.

"And this is just the beginning," she replied with a confident expression as she pulled her lover ahead by her hand, "... Just wait until the grand finale."

"Hm?"

"Ah! Nothing!" Natsuki blushed, she didn't expect Shizuru to have heard her, "What would you like to see first?"

"Oh, shouldn't we wait for Mai-san and the others?" the chestnut-haired girl asked innocently, only to get a giggle and smile in response.

"It's a date remember?" Natsuki stepped closer and took both of Shizuru's hands in hers, "We haven't gone out alone for a while, so tonight we won't be interrupted," and before she knew it she was enveloped by the taller girl's arms.

"You are too kind... always..."

Natsuki let them stand in silence for a few more seconds before breaking it with a wide grin.

"Yes, yes I am!" they both laughed, "Now, lead the way!"

"Hai!"

--0--

The two of them roamed the school grounds for a few hours, starting off with taking in the sights of it all rather than playing much of the games. Natsuki still got in a few rounds of ring toss in, but each time it ended in frustration at the fact that while her aim was dead on, she would always throw the ring too hard and knock everything down instead of landing softly on it. Shizuru stood behind her, chuckling.

"Hey! It's not funny!" Natsuki pouted, "I want to come away with at least one win tonight! ... Even if it is a date..."

"No worries Natsuki, seeing your cute expressions is enough for me to call this the perfect date," was the melodic reply as she wrapped her arms around the girl from behind and rested her grinning lips beside her ear, "After all, your competitiveness is extremely attractive."

The blunette gulped down her embarrassment and blinked in time with the butterfly kisses that were left on her cheek.

"Y...Yours too," Natsuki mumbled shyly, "Oh look! A shooting game!" she shouted before she could fall victim to Shizuru's inevitable teasing retort to that. The girl practically sprinted ahead a few booths and then to the counter of the shooting gallery. Once more the older of the two rolled her eyes at the cuteness of her fiancée, following her path at a much more appropriate pace. By the time she got there Natsuki had already knocked down half the items effortlessly.

"You really do love showing off your skills don't you?" Shizuru asked rhetorically before sighing humorously.

"W-wait! Are you not having fun?" Natsuki turned around quickly, worried that she had gotten to self absorbed, "Sorry..."

"Ara? No no, I love watching you have fun. Although..." her attention was caught by something, "Wait here, I'll be right back."

Natsuki blinked.

"Ah, okay?"

Despite enjoying herself at the shooting game, the girl chose to wait off to the side in a more quiet area, knowing Shizuru would still be able to see her. Once one was behind the stands and walkways the noise of the festival lowered significantly. It was useful to avoid getting a headache so early in the night simply from over excitement. Natsuki had made her way to a set of rocks at the perfect height for sitting on beneath the canopy of the autumn leaves that fell gently as wind blew the branches.

On cue, Shizuru returned, the soft glow of fire light colouring her beautifully as she walked past the stands and into the forested area behind them. What caught Natsuki's attention though was that her arms were behind her back, clearly hiding something. However the look in Shizuru's eyes told the girl not to question her actions and just enjoy it. The first hand to show itself held a beautiful white flower. Jade irises followed the beautiful petals as far as they could before the flower had moved out of her field of vision, behind her, and was gently slid into her midnight mane.

Shizuru then took a moment to admire the beauty of her love, her smile a peaceful one, but then slowly turned into a more mischievous one. Natsuki raised an eyebrow as the second hand showed itself, holding two masks; one of a wolf, and one of a snake. She chose to continue remaining silent, certain that from now on any words would break the spell of intense emotions sparked by simple actions. The girl sat still as her mask was placed on her and then watched Shizuru wear her own. Taken by the hand, Natsuki was led through the grass and trees, and then through the remainder of the crowd.

Huh...? This is the masked ball! She thought, taking note of their surroundings, But, this is mostly pop music... What is she thinking?

Natsuki didn't have much chance to keep that though, because the next song began with a fast drum roll only seconds before the main melody; upon which the blunette was swung onto the dance floor and forced to be completely extended for a moment as she held onto Shizuru's hand. She let out a gasp but was silenced with a soft kiss during the slower verse as they swayed back and forth.

I never knew she could dance to this kind of thing...Natsuki thought, Hell I can't even dance to this! Oh my God we're gonna screw up so bad!

However, just as that thought entered her mind, the chorus began and she was turned around with her back now pressed into Shizuru's front. She could feel the way her fiancée moved; even with their formal clothes on she was quite the dancer. Once more the taller of the two softly pushed out with one hand, sending Natsuki into a twirling set of steps back, and then by holding onto her hand she was able to reel her back with a spin.

Emerald eyes shone with surprised happiness.

It looks like I'm in good hands though...

As the song started climbing into its climax, the pair's dance also increased in momentum. In spite of her previous lack of confidence, Natsuki followed Shizuru's movements perfectly even into the final moments of the guitar solo. She was pulled in close one last time, and on the beat was dipped back. Again the girl gasped, but this time in awe of the overwhelming feelings in her heart. All she saw were her lover's eyes, and all she felt were the strands of soft hair falling at the sides of her face. The girl couldn't help it anymore. Using all her core strength she stood upright again and grabbed Shizuru's face with both hands and kissed her more passionately than ever before; and they remained entranced by it until the music faded...

--0--

Almost an hour since the couple's dance the festival was drawing to a close. The two had spent their time strolling around the pathways hand in hand, admiring the event.

"So... How come I never knew you could dance to non-traditional music?" Natsuki asked curiously as she readjusted the mask that she now wore on her sleeve.

"Hmm... It never came up I guess," Shizuru replied while looking up with her usual thinking pose.

"It was fun," the blunette said quickly, wanting to make sure she got it out before her shyness would come back, "I... We should... We should dance more!"

Shizuru looked at her with a raised eyebrow, though the curiosity was more directed at the girl's expression more than anything else. Wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders to embrace as they walked, she rested her head on hers.

"Yes."

Just then a familiar voice, Yukino's, came over the PA; calling everyone to the main stage for the final words. Natsuki's stomach did a flip as she remembered the speech she was supposed to give. This night was so exciting she had forgotten the certain things she had planned.

"You should be on your way then, I'll be in the crowd," Shizuru said as she started to step away, although she was caught by her sleeve.

"Wait," Natsuki urged, "Come on stage with me."

"Ara?"

"I want you to be beside me when I'm up there."

There was a moment of silence and then the ex-Kaichou's special genuine smile.

"Yes."

It took a while to make it past the crowd, even though they went around by the back way. Everyone was in a hurry to get to the stage to hear the words from the student council. Eventually the couple made it, albeit last as usual, but not technically late. Yukino, some members of the executive committee, and some of the night's most generous donors were also present, and going in order of importance, each began to give what speech they had prepared. The crowd was now quite settled by the time Yukino got her chance to speak, though she didn't say much. Only typical thank yous and credit to all those who helped. Now, at last it was the Kaichou's turn, and this was probably the speech she was most nervous about in her entire life.

There were so many people there, she knew that from the beginning but now they were all here, in front of her, waiting to hear her speak. A part of her considered running away right then and there, for a few reasons, but after a glance back at Shizuru's courageous way of being, she was able to look back at her audience.

"First of all I would like to thank you all for being here. This could never be done without students and the city coming to participate," she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, then gave herself a little chuckle.

Hah... I should have known I'd throw out what I prepared as soon as I got here... I always work best spontaneously.

"Something I've come to notice about festivals is that a lot of the people attending are couples," the crowd laughed a bit, "It's true, you always hear about this kind of thing in stories right? Some places make the feeling just perfect for romance."

"Holy crap... Natsuki's talking about romance on stage..." Mai muttered to herself as she stared jaw dropped at her friend on the stage in front of her, "Wait a minute... Oh my God... She's-!"

Meanwhile Natsuki was still speaking, looking over all the people once more before looking down and stopping briefly. She wasn't frozen or afraid, but she wanted to make sure that she got this right.

"Tonight..." she took a deep breath and looked back up at the crowd, "It felt like I was falling in love with her all over again, and that made me all the more sure. We can always fall in love with each other, over and over, forever," she reached onto her pocket while turning back to meet crimson eyes.

"So now, officially... Shizuru, will you marry me?"

Both girls had tears in their eyes as Natsuki presented the fast approaching Shizuru with a diamond engagement ring.

"Yes!"

And the audience roared with applause, competing with the booming of fireworks lighting the scene around them.

--0--

Omake:

Notori: Yay you're officially engaged! Now I need to think up a bunch of wedding planning humour...

Natsuki: We were still engaged before...

Notori: I know, but now everyone knows.

Natsuki: Yeah, thanks for that by the way, now I'm gonna be killed by fangirls.

Shizuru: I'll protect you! -glomps Natsuki-

Notori: Don't worry about the fangirls... they're too annoying for me to write so they won't show up much lol. Most of your conflicts will come from within for now.

Natsuki: ...Wait... do you mean we're not gonna be happy?

Notori: ... Yeah... like I'd make you guys have a depressing engagement. No what I meant is that the humour is gonna come from a whole bunch of weird things that you guys do involving the wedding... I just don't know what they're gonna be yet so... not much to say there.

Shizuru: When is it going to be?

Notori: Still no idea, I'm a slow updater nowadays and my settings depend on the weather around me.

Haruka: I STILL WASN'T IN IT!!

Notori: Sorry! But if you're in it then there'll be some angst and possibly another bitchslap fight -laughs to herself at that-

Haruka: Stop laughing!

Notori: -Ahem- Now if you'll excuse me I'll be off to return to my ever-present quest of finding the incredible amount of erotic subtext in pokemon XP

All: ... O-O HUH?!

--0--

NEW OMAKE:

All: YOU'RE ENDING THIS!?

Notori: Just for now! This is more of putting the story on hold for a while and it will come back as a "part two"

All: ...Oh...

--0--

-.-.-The Temporary End-.-.-

A/N: Again thanks to everyone for reading. I've edited this chapter to become the end for this story. Don't freak out though, there will 99 percent be a sequel to this, continuing from here, I just don't know when it will be, and would rather have some more structure for it so the writing is better. I figured this is a good place to put things on hold for now while I work on ym other stories and come up for the plan of the sequel.