author's note: I'm back! It's my weekend. I'm starting off my weekly celebration by churning out what I hope will be a fun chapter for you guys. Let me know what you think! (By the way, this is unedited because I was rushing.)

How May I Assist You?

hot range, cold range

At 6:30AM the next morning, Natsuki was half asleep in the back seat of Toyama's car. The man had arrived at 6AM on the dot to pick her up from her home, which hadn't surprised her in the least. What had surprised (and somewhat relieved) her was the fact that the interim Fujino chauffeur was alone.

After loading Natsuki's single duffel bag into the trunk, they had pulled out of the apartment complex driveway and onto the main roads.

"Fujino-sama apologizes that she could not make the commute with you," Toyama explained after a few moments of polite silence, glancing at his passenger in his rearview mirror. "She wanted me to advise you that she had other commitments to address prior to her own departure, and would meet you at the resort."

"Sounds good to me," mumbled the sleepy girl in the back seat, her head bobbing to the side as she tried to will herself to stay awake.

The drive itself wasn't long, but was enough to take them out of the stifling city confines into the countryside.

After an hour of occasional idle conversation peppered with far more frequent spats of quiet, Natsuki began to perk up, realizing that the blur of urban lights and city noise had begun to recede. Rolling down one of the automated rear windows, she peered out through the crack, taking in a deep breath of the air that whistled by. The air was clean – sweet, even – and promised open dirt tracks, quiet roads, and flush greenery. The growing smile on Natsuki's face faltered a bit when she recalled the entire reason behind her unanticipated "vacation."

"We're here," Toyama spoke over his shoulder, the all-black car slowly turning into a crisp asphalt driveway that was framed by heavy foliage.

As they approached the gates that headed the long entryway, Natsuki looked out once more, fingers pressing against the window's glass. The resort that had been chosen for the retreat appeared simple from the outside, but spoke of its wealth in the volume of beauty that encompassed its gardens. A large variety of plants flourished throughout the compound, a painstakingly chosen selection that bloomed with color and life; several ponds could be seen dotting the surface, accompanied by wells of rocks enshrouded by towering trees and thickets of moss.

The resort itself appeared to be a mix of traditional Japanese architecture combined with the luxuries of the present. Modeled after traditional Shinto and Buddhist designs, the flowering of buildings before them excelled in conveying a sense of surrounding serenity and billowing calm, delicately placed raised porches accenting against cream-colored tatami and shoji. Sakura trees hovered over opened decks, pink blossoms scattered across the darkened wood's surface to land on stilled ponds, several feet away. Though its outward appearance whispered memoirs of a time nearly lost centuries ago, its interior spoke of something else.

Toyama had told Natsuki earlier on during the drive that the resort strove to appeal to both the traditional concerns of its clientele in addition to their high-efficiency business needs. Rooms came equipped with enough technology to power a small working force of stockholders, the resort's business center coming equipped with some of the most advanced technology available at this age. Intermingling with tea houses that were scattered throughout the property were hidden conference rooms, isolated from the areas dedicated to relaxation and filled to the brim with expensive leather seats and mahogany tables with glass tops. Ultimately, the resort had managed to establish itself as one of the top-rated centers for executive retreats, attracting influential persons not only from the local area, but also, from across the globe.

Impressed in spite of herself, the blunette leaned back in her seat, drawing in a lengthy sigh as she felt the car draw to a smooth halt. Moments later, her door was opened from the outside.

"Welcome to Katsura Resort, Kuga-san," Toyama spoke, bowing his head slightly as Natsuki stepped out of the car. "If you go ahead and speak to the receptionist to obtain your room key, I will take care of your luggage and will have someone notify Fujino-sama of your arrival."

"Thanks," Natsuki tossed over her shoulder before heading inside.

-x-

After grabbing her key from the receptionist at the front desk, Natsuki wandered down the lengthy hallways that spanned throughout the main building in the resort, silently mouthing each room number she passed to herself. It wasn't long until she realized that the room that had been selected had probably been chosen for its privacy in addition to its size. After a while, the clutter of rooms seemed to recede, leaving only suites standing ahead of her. Feeling her spirits lifted at the thought of being away from the noise and mess of probably far too polished business persons congregating in an enclosed space, Natsuki finally came to a halt at the last suite located at the end of the hall.

Carefully sliding the key card into the door, a small whirl and click sounded before the lock gave way. The blunette opened the door cautiously, first poking her head in to peer at the interior's surroundings before stepping in herself. As the door closed silently behind her, she let loose a low whistle in despite of her pride. The room was yet another testament to the underlying wealth of the resort.

Wandering into the first room (as the suite appeared to be built to mimic a lavishly adorned apartment more than a hotel room), she noticed that her duffel bag had arrived before her and was politely placed on the nearest counter top. Beyond that was a lounging area, complete with a large flat-screen television, several couches, and a smoothly designed bar. A dining table was off to the side of that, connected to a nearby kitchenette composed of marble and dark woods. Beyond these open spaces was, she presumed, the bedroom.

Green eyes darting to the left, Natsuki wrinkled her nose slightly when she noticed a briefcase casually leaning against a chair's legs. Shizuru had probably arrived before her, and either was silently sneaking about the bedroom or was out at some early morning meeting. Deciding her best bet was to sit and wait, the woman plopped down on the couch, flipping the television on to a sports channel. Just as she began to scoot into a more comfortable (albeit inelegant) position, the sound of the bedroom door opening came from her back, Natsuki's eyes quickly snapping over towards the movement… before slamming to a stop.

Before her stood Fujino Shizuru, wearing… absolutely nothing.

"Ara…" the woman began, a look of barely contained amusement and slight surprise flickering over her features. Her hair – wet and leading trails of water that slid smoothly over her clavicle to continue their journey south – hung in dark tresses about her shoulders, some held carefully in place by a towel that Shizuru had been working across its soaked surface. Her skin nearly glistened, flushed by a presumably hot shower, dotted with specks of moisture that reflected in the dim light of the morning sun, forcing emerald eyes to dart from lithe and slim forearms to a toned stomach that led to curvaceous hips, traveling down further to impossibly smooth legs.

Natsuki, already a stickler for modesty, felt as though her head was going to literally explode.

"Natsuki's here," Shizuru began with an unbearably low murmur, before it was interrupted by a gasp…

…Natsuki fainted.

-x-

Her head was full of fluffy visions of white clouds swirling around silhouetted bodies, fog fluttering in billowing bunches about feet. In the distance she heard a voice calling – it sounded familiar, and oddly beautiful, almost melodic, alluring. The woman felt the world shudder then, slowly – the clouds began to shake, dissipate, flashes of light and jolts of feeling interrupting the calm. She opened her mouth to deny the removal of the fluffiness that was somewhat relaxing, when she was met with a vision of red eyes.

…no, not a vision. Real red eyes.

"Natsuki," Shizuru spoke again, a little more forcefully, as she gently ran fingers through the blunette's hair.

Groaning, Natsuki blinked once – twice – before trying to sit up, her own hand gently brushing Shizuru's to the side as she held her head.

"What the hell happened?" she muttered, her fingers moving to touch at a dab of wetness by her nose, coming back with spots of red.

"Natsuki fainted," the executive stated patiently, a worried smile pulling at the edges of her lips. "And appears to have gotten a nosebleed."

"Shit," the girl grumbled, sitting a little straighter as she grabbed for a tissue, moving to press it against the sluggish flow of red from her nose. It was then that she remembered the reason for her complete shock, and her eyes bolted back towards Shizuru's near (and hopefully no longer naked) figure.

Fortunately for Natsuki's senses, Shizuru had at least the decency to wrap her towel securely around her, hiding some of her form from view. Following Natsuki's stare to her own body, Shizuru looked back up at her assistant and smirked.

"Don't say a word," Natsuki warned, scooting further back into her seat on the couch, eyes flashing towards Shizuru's own as she felt a warm flush take over her cheeks. "I've had enough already."

"Enough of what, Natsuki?" the woman replied, coyly. "Enough of my modesty?"

"No!" Crumpling the tissue and tossing it into a nearby wastebasket, the assistant forced herself to her feet, wobbling a bit as the blood rushed from her head. Shizuru, standing with her, quickly placed a cautionary hand at Natsuki's lower back while grabbing hold of one of her hands. As the dizziness subsided, Natsuki shook her head, slowly extracting herself from Shizuru's hold.

"Thanks, I'm fine now," she muttered, her lips pulling into a grimace as she forced her eyes away from Shizuru's barely clad form and towards anything other than the Fujino.

Shrugging, Shizuru took a step back from her companion, walking around the couch as she headed back towards the bedroom.

"I'm glad that Natsuki has recovered," she spoke smoothly. "It would be disastrous if my dear companion was unable to attend the first executive brunch of the retreat."

"What? I have to go to what?"

Shizuru glanced over her shoulder as she paused in the threshold to the bedroom. "Brunch. It's not for several hours, so I'm sure you will have adequate time to prepare. I have furnished the closet with several outfits that may suit Natsuki's taste, should she choose to wear them."

As Shizuru disappeared into the bedroom, carelessly leaving the door open behind her, Natsuki roughly sat back down on the couch, burying her face in her hands with a defeated sigh.

Fingertips pushing hard into her temples, she squinted her eyes shut as she cursed. With luck, the outfits that Shizuru provided were nothing like what she had been forced to wear at the gym.

-x-

"I look stupid."

"Don't be silly. Natsuki looks simply enchanting."

"So you're saying I look like a weird episode of 'My Little Pony'? Because that's what ponies and unicorns do; they enchant people."

"Another word for enchanting is 'ravishing,' Natsuki. And I do not wish to 'ravish' a pony."

As Shizuru and Natsuki waltzed into the opening brunch of the weekend, Natsuki tried vainly to hide what felt like a permanent blush that stained her cheeks as Shizuru slid into "elegant Fujino executive" mode. A polite smile garnishing her features, the woman began to breeze about the room, softly greeting various dignitaries with Kyoto-ben laced "good mornings" and graceful inclines of her head. Natsuki, in the meantime, simultaneously embraced Shizuru's shadow while shooting darkened scowls at the multitude of men that looked her way. For some reason, every time Shizuru placed her in an outfit, it resulted in her feeling entirely too exposed, and entirely too awkward.

The outfit was simple but dramatic in its own way, a black pinstripe get-up complete with a pencil skirt and a form-fitting short cut suit jacket. Her undershirt was a deep crimson, which – unsurprisingly enough – matched the color of Shizuru's eyes while providing stark contrast to her own. Grudgingly, she had to admit that she probably looked pretty decent in the get-up, but that still didn't remove the sense of discomfort she felt any time she could feel a breeze working at the long slit in the fabric that dragged up her thigh.

The one argument Natsuki had always implemented in the past against wearing pencil skirts was that they impeded her movement. Shizuru had effectively shut that down by selecting a skirt that was tailored with a professionally opened slit on the side.

After drifting about for a while, Shizuru finally settled at a table near the center, gesturing for Natsuki to take a seat beside her. Doing so, Natsuki distantly noticed that the other executives (some of which appeared to have dragged their assistants along, as well) followed suit, some throwing casual banter about amongst themselves, a group of others flagging down a circulating server for a new pot of tea. A podium at the front, lit in a disk of light, soon found several men and women gathering next to it, murmuring to each other as they exchanged notes. It appeared they were in for a line of speeches as the meal began.

As the crowd began to settle and one man stepped up before the others, a voice penetrated Natsuki's thoughts.

"I apologize for coming late," a man stated, somewhere to Shizuru's left. "Quite the place, isn't it?"

As Natsuki stared holes into the black-haired man that sat at Shizuru's side, the Fujino gently grasped her shoulder, squeezing it softly as she gestured to the latest arrival.

"Natsuki, this is Kanzaki Reito."

-x-

As the presentations went on, Natsuki found it difficult to focus on the food being placed before her and instead found herself staring unflinchingly at the man that sat quietly at Shizuru's side. So engrossed was she in her highly critical examination that she remained oblivious to Shizuru's curious glances, swept over her assistant during brief pauses in the opening speeches.

The last presentation was dwindling to a close when Natsuki was finally shaken from her reverie by Shizuru's soft hand pressing over her own. Jerking slightly in her seat, Natsuki rapidly yanked her glance away from Reito to connect with Shizuru's stare.

"I believe that is more than enough mayonnaise for tamagoyaki," the woman spoke playfully, eyes briefly flickering to the growing pile of the condiment on Natsuki's plate.

"Uh, I-…" Staring down at the mess, Natsuki grimaced. Of course she would have to lose herself in her thoughts in the middle of depositing the stuff on her food.

"Kuga Natsuki, right?" Reito asked, leaning forward to look around Shizuru. When Natsuki didn't reply, instead resorting to stare bullet-holes into Reito's forehead, the man continued, seemingly ignorant of the lack of response. "How is it, working for Shizuru-san? I hear that she can be quite the slave driver."

Natsuki, grinding her teeth at Reito's casual addressing of her employer, felt her lips battling against the urge to draw into an obvious growl. The battle was quickly interrupted by the tingling feeling of movement down her leg. Blinking, Natsuki's eyes drifted downwards, catching a glimpse of Shizuru's hand – mostly hidden under the medium-length table cloth – casting reassuring fingertips across the top of Natsuki's thigh. As Shizuru continued the soothing caress of the woman's leg, she spoke in Natsuki's silence.

"I do not push Natsuki so," she reprimanded lightly, smiling easily at Reito. "She is an asset to my productivity. I do not know what I would do if I did not have Natsuki."

Natsuki, despite feeling indignant by Reito's loose approach towards her profession, couldn't help but feel the weight on her chest lessen after hearing Shizuru's words.

Reito laughed, reclining in his seat. "Maybe I should introduce Takeda-san to her then. He could use some help in that aspect."

"Is he here for the weekend as well?"

"Yes," Reito nodded. "He overslept, so he missed this first event. I'm going to have to remind him that the whole reason I'm paying him is so that he can suffer as much as I do."

As they both laughed, the doors to the room opened, and the crowd began to stand from their seats, intermingling as they meandered towards the exits. Also standing, Reito offered a hand to Shizuru, which she refused with a gentle shake of her head.

"Natsuki and I will be taking advantage of our complimentary meals for a little while longer," she explained, privately excusing the lie in her head.

"Of course. Well, if you happen to have time later, we can discuss the details of the ceremony then. Have a good morning, Shizuru-san."

Shizuru smiled a farewell, inwardly taking note of the sudden stiffening of Natsuki's form beside her.

-x-

After watching Natsuki shove the food around on her plate in what Shizuru could only describe as a "moping" manner, the blunette finally moved to stand, looking expectantly at her boss beside her.

"Well?" she asked, impatiently. "I know you have something planned. What are you dragging me to next?"

Elegantly arching an eyebrow, Shizuru followed suit, getting out of her seat before heading towards the door. "Natsuki makes it sound so torturous," she murmured, eyes smoothly sliding to follow her assistant's movements.

"Because it is," Natsuki grumbled, thoughts tumbling back to the casual conversation between Reito and Shizuru, a factor that irritated her even further because she couldn't even explain her anger behind it. "Meetings, making appearances… not really my thing."

Shizuru stopped suddenly, nearly causing Natsuki to collide with her back. As the green-eyed woman jerked her head backwards, Shizuru turned, a soft hand alighting upon Natsuki's cheek. Natsuki's eyes widened in surprise as Shizuru smiled at her, head tilting to the side.

"And I appreciate Natsuki accompanying me," she spoke earnestly, fingertips trailing blazing paths over pale skin. "Just think of how lost I would have felt, coming alone."

Though a part of Natsuki's mind screamed some nonsense about how none of it was true, her future husband was there, for God's sake!, another part of her felt the words sink into her chest and melt a bit of ice that she harbored close. As Shizuru pulled away and began walking once more, Natsuki realized she was still standing in one place, like an idiot. Blinking rapidly, Natsuki kicked herself into motion once more, moving quick to catch up to the woman before her.

"After the last conference for today, we'll do something more aligned with your tastes," the honey-haired woman promised, Natsuki only issuing a sarcastic snort in return.

She found it hard to believe that Shizuru would be interested in doing anything that a Kuga would consider a blast.

-x-

The day had been filled with nothing but meetings, meetings, meetings – even a few things that weren't technically "meetings," but still were treated the same, being filled with people all looking to make a good impression. After a while, Natsuki realized that executive retreats were less about "retreating" and more about establishing a presence with fellow dignitaries. Though some were given relief by not being in their offices, the relaxation could only last as long as the breaks in between various events created with the intent to bond and network amongst other big wigs.

By the time 6PM rolled around, Natsuki was beat. The heels that Shizuru had given her were killing her feet, and her stupid skirt with its stupid pencil style and stupid slit were doing nothing to make her feel comfortable and at ease. When Shizuru mentioned something about going back to the room and changing into something more comfortable before the next event, Natsuki couldn't help but let a sigh of relief fall from her lips.

Thirty minutes later, Natsuki found herself in comfortable jeans, a t-shirt and a hooded jacket, while Shizuru, much to her chagrin, was in short denim cut-offs with a tight fitting v-neck long-sleeved shirt.

"Oi! Do you always have to show everything off?" Natsuki whispered heatedly as the pair walked through the front lobby towards the front exit.

"I do it not for my benefit." Tossing a leisurely glance at her companion, Shizuru let a sly smile slide onto her lips. "After all, I am being seen in Natsuki's company, am I not?"

Until you're married to that idiot, Natsuki shot back in her thoughts.

As the pair stepped out of the front doors, Natsuki – head snapping to the left – had to resist the urge to jump around like an overexcited fan girl. Hopping over four steps at once to land on the ground, she jogged forward, coming to a stop by a cleanly polished Suzuki Hayabusa, decked in reds, blacks, and strips of white.

"Wow," she murmured, a little bit breathless, as she touched careful fingertips to its body, letting them slide over the cooled surface of the metal. "This thing's amazing."

"Does my Natsuki like it?" Shizuru spoke, arriving at Natsuki's side.

"Yeah, definitely," the blunette returned, lost in her visual exploration of the machine. "I wonder who it belongs to. Those suits look too stuffy for something like this."

"And that's probably true," Shizuru mused, arm wrapping around her midsection as she touched a considering fingertip to the corner of her lips. "That's why it's mine."

"What?!" Head whipping back to lock green eyes onto Shizuru's red ones, Natsuki openly stared, mouth left agape. "Yours? What do you mean?"

Eyes filling with silent laughter, Shizuru nodded, slowly. "I purchased it just recently and had it delivered here. I figured that Natsuki would enjoy it if we traveled to our next destination in a means that would be deemed more… 'Kuga acceptable'."

Mouth working a few times before she remembered to snap it shut, Natsuki repressed the urge to lift Shizuru and swing her around in a gripping hug. Instead, she giddily hopped onto the bike, hands wrapping around the throttle and tightening in excited experimentation. Lifting her head to grin widely at Shizuru, Natsuki suddenly realized something, and her smile turned hesitant.

"I…" she started, pausing, before continuing again. "…am driving, right?"

Laughing outright, Shizuru nodded as she slipped onto the motorcycle behind her Natsuki, going to pull a helmet over her head before wrapping her arms tightly around the blunette's stomach.

"But of course."

-x-

The ride to Shizuru's destination of choice was only ten minutes long, but that was likely due to the speed Natsuki took everything at. Shizuru wondered at her own degree of trust for the dark-haired girl as she took curves so deep that Natsuki's knee nearly touched the pavement, bursting forward on straightaways with such force that she could feel her breath leave her. She supposed it was the overwhelming sense of underlying confidence that Natsuki laced into her steps, though it seemed that the woman was unaware of it. Each and every one of Natsuki's movements – including her flailing ones, which would send her in a heap into a potted plant – was filled with a sense of controlled power and dominant grace.

If Shizuru had to choose one person to trust her life to, select a single entity that she deemed capable of protecting it with all of their resources and abilities, she knew, without a second thought, that it would be Natsuki.

"Where are we?" Natsuki asked, pulling her helmet off of her head before letting it hang off the handlebars.

"A range," Shizuru spoke placidly, walking around a lone building's side to head towards the back.

Natsuki, trailing behind her, could only echo her confusion. "A range?"

"You'll see."

As they rounded the corner of the small structure, Natsuki was greeted with a row of stalls separated by wooden slats, each with a small table held off to the side and several benches. A long stretch divided the first area from another section further back that held a row of silhouettes, some dotted with a mixture of large and small holes. At the center of two stalls stood a man that held a duffel bag, smiling as Shizuru lifted her hand in a wave. As Shizuru walked forward to talk to the man quietly, Natsuki was left staring at the targets that lined the dirt yards away before them.

Shizuru had taken her to an outdoor shooting range.

"Natsuki!"

Looking away from the targets spaced out before them, Natsuki glanced at Shizuru as she gestured her over, the uniformed man walking away from the honey-haired woman with empty hands. As Natsuki carefully walked towards her employer, Shizuru unzipped the duffel, pulling a single case from its confines along with several boxes.

"Have you shot a gun before?" Shizuru asked when Natsuki arrived beside her.

Scoffing, the Kuga crossed her arms indignantly before her chest. "Of course."

Smiling at Natsuki's tone, the woman popped the case open, bringing out a two-toned 9mm, offering it barrel first to Natsuki. As the blunette took it and began to examine it, Shizuru drew out a few magazines, sliding open one of the boxes that held bullets next to her.

"It's a compact model. I have others as well, but this happens to be one of my favorites," Shizuru explained. "It's not standard issue, but it fits my tastes quite well. Are you familiar with handguns?"

Smirking, Natsuki put the gun down on the table, grabbing a magazine and loading it within record time. Instantly snapping the gun back up, she cleared the chamber, slapped the magazine in, cocked it back, and leveled it forward.

"How about instead of answering that," the woman stated, grabbing and putting on a set of earmuffs as Shizuru did the same, "I show you. Hot range!"

With the final warning, Natsuki let loose, emptying the magazine before slamming in a second, repeating her prior performance with remarkable speed. As her second magazine dropped, emptied, to the ground, she heaved a sigh, taking a step back as she pulled the earmuffs from her head. Shizuru, looking serene regardless of the shockingly loud display that had just taken place, appraised Natsuki's performance with a pleasant smile.

"Cease fire, cold range," Natsuki muttered to herself, already working to reload the first magazine.

As Natsuki started on the second magazine, Shizuru picked up an untouched silhouette before heading downrange. Pulling the first free from its hold and replacing it, she brought it back, holding the target before her as she examined it.

"How did I do?" Natsuki called as Shizuru approached, placing the filled magazine on the table next to her.

"Very well," Shizuru surmised, stopping in front of the blunette to hand her the target. "Excellent grouping," she added, smiling again as Natsuki pumped a fist after taking hold of the silhouette, then poked her hand through the fist-sized hole that stood at the target's bull's eye. The ability to shoot multiple magazines full of bullets at a single target and hit with all of them dead on had been something she had perfected over the years. Having reached a bullet deployment speed that was often considered impossible and landing all of her hits within a two-inch diameter from 50 yards back with a gun usually favored for 15 to 25 yard shots, she knew her abilities with a firearm - handguns in particular - were borderline unreal.

As Natsuki continued to pour over the target with her critical eye, Shizuru grasped the 9mm, loading her first magazine before gesturing to Natsuki to step back. Raising an eyebrow, Natsuki moved to the side as she went to pull the protective earmuffs back over her head.

"You need me to show you anything?" she offered, struggling and failing to hide an overconfident grin that had lit over her face. "How to look down the sights, a proper stance… anything?"

"I think I can figure it out," the honey-haired woman returned. "Range is hot."

The ten shots of the magazine rang out, not nearly as rapid as Natsuki's display, but still at a speed deemed faster than most. Down dropped the first magazine and the second came up, another set of ten bullets screaming through the air before slamming through their destinations. As the echo of the shots faded in the emptied range, Shizuru calmly removed her earmuffs, a hand raising to casually comb through mussed locks. Natsuki, frozen in place, could only stare.

"You may check my aim," Shizuru offered, throwing an informal look over her shoulder. Natsuki, remembering she was capable of speech, managed a grunt in reply before stiffly moving forward.

Though Natsuki had amazingly accurate aim when deploying a flurry of speedy bullets at 50 yard range, Shizuru, it seemed, had a deadly singular shot. Instead of keeping to a single target before her, the executive had fired a single shot into the head of each silhouette remaining downrange before repeating the process from left to right with the second magazine. When Natsuki reached the targets, she saw that each bullet had traveled through the direct center of the silhouettes' foreheads, with barely any indication that a second had followed its partner, each having landed remarkably close to the first bullet's mark.

Having not bothered to remove any of the targets, the Kuga trudged back.

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?" she demanded.

Shizuru, as placid as ever, gave an elegant shrug. "My father insisted," she murmured, eyes colliding solidly with Natsuki's own. "He recognized that any of us could become a target, what with our family's high profile in society. I've been around firearms ever since I was able to load one myself, and have kept up with the practice since leaving home."

Flashing a brilliant smile at her companion, Shizuru quietly excused herself, moving to get water from an outdoor refrigerator left near the back door. As she watched the executive walk away, Natsuki shook her head before turning back towards the partially emptied box of bullets next to her.

Maybe Mai's right, Natsuki thought, a little perturbed, as she pushed bullet after bullet into the clip. If that wasn't fucking hot, I don't know what is.

-x-

After firing off a multitude of rounds at the range, Shizuru and Natsuki finally headed home, getting back to the resort by 8PM. As Shizuru showered, Natsuki – already cleaned up and dressed in a close-fitting tank top and pajama pants – appraised their sleeping quarters. With an inward groan she let her eyes sweep over the single bed that resided in the master bedroom, agitated regardless of its king sized mattress. A part of her brain supposed that she shouldn't be surprised that Shizuru had booked a room that only had a single bed.

By the time Shizuru came out of the bathroom, Natsuki was huddled on the room's couch with a pile of pillows and a scratchy blanket that she had pulled from a nearby closet. Eyes widening, Shizuru clucked her tongue, going to sit by Natsuki's feet as the blunette flipped about in discomfort, movements quieting as she felt Shizuru gently place a hand on her lower leg.

"What is this?" the woman asked, softly.

"This is my reaction to someone's brilliant idea to get us a room with one bed without realizing that there are two people in here," Natsuki replied, before quipping out a muffled curse as her head bumped into a particularly uncomfortable part of the couch's arm rest.

Shaking her head, Shizuru lifted a hand and tugged the blanket off Natsuki's form, ignoring the woman's mumbled protests. As Natsuki darted a hand out to try and grab the blanket to yank it back, Shizuru caught it and held it in place.

"Don't be silly, Natsuki," she chided, pulling the blanket further out of Natsuki's reach. "Just sleep in the bed. Tomorrow's itinerary is full; I would hate it if the entirety of the day was spent listening to my companion moan about the crick in her neck."

"Tch," Natsuki scoffed as she sat up, rubbing her neck before jerking her hand away, realizing she was proving Shizuru's point. "So where would you sleep?"

Shizuru's smile exuded patience. "In the bed."

"…so we'd both be—…"

"Yes," the woman concluded, standing as she folded the spare blanket, placing it back onto the top shelf of the opened closet. "I'll be back in just a moment."

As Shizuru went back into the bathroom and turned on the sink's faucet, Natsuki forced herself off the couch, moving with apprehensive steps until she sat on the edge of the bed. After sitting there for thirty seconds mumbling to herself about how everything in her life appeared to be presently composed of bad ideas, she flung her feet off the ground and onto the bed, burrowing under the blankets before curling up in a tight ball near the edge. Wrapping the sheets around her form, the blunette settled into place, grudgingly realizing that the bed was, in fact, a million times more comfortable than the couch. It wasn't long until her eyelids began fluttering shut.

Placing her toothbrush carefully on a towel that lay on the counter, Shizuru flicked the bathroom light off, closing the door behind her. Circulating about the room, she turned off the few lamps that remained on before retiring to the bed, carefully sliding in between the sheets, crimson eyes resting heavily on Natsuki's form. Her assistant's body remained immobile in front of her, deep and even breaths quietly drawing over her peaceful figure. A small smile forming on her features, Shizuru laid down on her side facing towards the dark-haired woman, slender arms going to wrap around the Kuga's midsection.

"Nn…?" Natsuki mumbled in her half-asleep state, a tiny frown marring her features.

"Shh," Shizuru whispered, breath a hot caress across the back of Natsuki's neck, sending gentle shivers down the woman's spine.

Distantly recognizing the soft voice at her back, Natsuki's body relaxed, curling into a tighter ball as one arm went to loop over Shizuru's own. It wasn't long until Shizuru's own eyes fluttered shut, the soft smile remaining on her lips.

-x-

author's note: For anyone that's in Hurricane Sandy's path, please be safe; my thoughts are with you. Other than that… I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter! So much easier to write on my days off… ugh. Work was painfully stressful this past weekend. Got to love time off.

Some notes on the gun part: I know it may look like Shizuru's a better shot than Natsuki, but really... she isn't; they're equal, just with different skills. Firing a single shot long range with ridiculous accuracy may make you a great sharpshooter, but it's entirely different than unloading a full two magazines into a small grouped area focused at someone's midsection (this coming from someone that shoots). Usually, when you fire full speed, the kickback throws your aim off, especially since you're not taking the time to look down the sights before each shot... so you'll go from shooting at the center to slowly traveling up (unless you're overcompensating mid-firing, then you'll start shooting down). The best way to explain it is to state that Shizuru would be your best bet if you needed to call in a SWAT sniper, while Natsuki would be ideal for first entry into a locked down house, firing a 9mm at close quarters. Just threw this in here after realizing that - as someone pointed it out - I may have made it look like Shizuru is completely dominating Natsuki at everything... but really, that's not what I intended to express! :] (Not in this chapter, anyways... haaaa. Or maybe not. Or maybe so. We'll see.)