Natsumi sat at the desk in her room, working on her assignments that were due in a few days. It was Saturday and a free day so she was using the time to catch up on her work that had suffered. She didn't mind the extra work, but being with Ryuu meant that she had to stay up later after getting home from work. So she was looking forward to a full day of catching up and then maybe a few hours to herself.

Her phone beeped and she glanced over at it frowning. Her mom was in the kitchen so who would be sending her a message right now? She reached over and picked up the pink phone, flipping it open to see the name at the top.

"When did he-"

Sumi I was bored so I thought I'd come bother you. I'm in the elevator and I'll be there in about three minutes.

Natsumi jumped out of her chair and ran into the kitchen just as a knock rapped on the front door. She ran up to it and pulled it open to see Ryuu standing there with a bored expression, until he saw her. He smiled and lifted his hand in greeting, but Natsumi frowned as she stared up at him in shock. Firstly because he was actually at her apartment. Second was because she had never thought she would see him in regular clothing. But his black jeans and the dark green T-shirt he wore fit him perfectly.

"What are you doing here?" She asked and he gave her a strange look as he pushed into her apartment.

"I told you. I was bored." He said as he slipped off his shoes and started walking down the hall, at ease as if he lived here as well. Natsumi followed him and placed her hands on her hips.

"When did you put your number in my phone?" She asked and he shrugged.

"One of the times you left to refill your obsession. I don't remember when it was exactly. He said as he entered the kitchen and said hi to her mom.

"Oh hi Ryuu. I didn't know you and Natsumi were studying today?" Her mom asked and Ryuu shrugged as he smirked back at Natsumi who was still glaring at him.

"We don't. I just wanted to spend the day with Sumi." He said with a grin and Natsumi felt her cheeks brighten, no matter how she tried to resist. His grin widened when he saw that he had succeeded in embarrassing her. It was only made worse when her mom 'awed' and called them cute. Natsumi rolled her eyes and turned on her heels, stomping back to her room.

"I don't have time to entertain you! I have work to do." She huffed and heard her mom laugh as she said,

"Aww~ don't worry sweetie, she's just shy about these kinds of things."

Natsumi wanted to bang her head on something...or better yet, Ryuu's head. She was still grumbling under her breath as she took her seat at her desk and began to attack her assignments once more. She felt a pair of eyes on her, but forced herself to not turn around. She heard him chuckle as he knew she was very much aware that he was in her room as he moved past her and sat on the edge of her bed. She continued to ignore him though and tried to focus on what she was doing.

After several minutes of silence Ryuu moved closer and folded his arms on the end of her desk and rested his head on them so he could stare at her. It was more distracting than if he had said anything and Natsumi groaned as she sat her pen down and turned her glare on him.

"What?" She hissed, but he only smiled and shrugged. She rolled her eyes and picked up her pen again, but only managed to write two words before her eyes flicked to him again.

"Stop trying to pretend you're not happy I'm here Sumi. You're a really bad actor." He chuckled and she made an attempt to flick his forehead, but he caught her wrist and laughed as she almost toppled over. She fought the smile that wanted to break through at the sound of his laugh.

"I have assignments that need to get done Ryuu. I really don't have time to entertain you." She said with a sigh and his smile softened as he released her wrist. He resumed his position at the end of her desk and closed his eyes.

"Then pretend I'm not here. I'll let you finish before I bother you again."

"It's impossible to pretend you aren't here Ryuu...Why are you here though?" She asked and he shrugged before his eyes slowly opened and he was staring at the wood under his arms.

"I just wanted to see you for some reason..." He whispered and it set her cheeks aflame as she turned back to her work. She continued to work with him sitting silently beside her for another hour before she decided she had gotten enough done for the day. She sat down her pen and stretched as she glanced down at Ryuu. He had his eyes closed again and she chuckled before poking the end of his nose to get his attention. He growled as one eye peeked at her.

"Okay. I'm done for now. So what do you want to do?" She asked and he sat up stretching. He shrugged and scratched the back of his head, ruffling his hair slightly.

"I didn't really have anything planned beyond coming to pester you." He said with a grin and she chuckled as she stood from her desk. She looked around her room, trying to think of something that they could do. Then she got an interesting idea and smiled down at Ryuu. He lifted a brow at her sudden excitement.

"I have an idea. But it's a surprise and you have to trust me okay." She said and he got an amused smile as he stood up and put his hands in his pocket.

"Alright Sumi. Lead the way." He said and she nodded as she walked out of her room, Ryuu right behind her. She told her mom what they were doing and that she'd be home later. Not that her mom worried now that she had Ryuu tagging along.

It took them a few minutes to walk down the streets that led to a small shopping district. When they got there Ryuu looked around confused.

"You aren't going to drag me into a bunch of girlie shops right?" He groaned and Natsumi giggled as she shook her head.

"No. I want to share something with you...if...if you want to that is." She stuttered, not knowing where these nerves were suddenly coming from. Ryuu glanced down at her and noticed the hesitation in her eyes, instantly reading her self-consciousness. He grinned and placed his hand on her head to get her to look up at him again.

"I'll go wherever you go Sumi." He said and felt something prick his chest, but pushed it aside as a twitch. Natsumi's mood instantly brightened and she nodded as she motioned for him to follow. She led him further into the shopping area and skipped up to one of the food vendors. The man seemed to recognize her instantly as he smiled and began to chat with her easily.

Stolen story; please report.

Ryuu took this chance to glance around the area. It was filled with many people shopping and vendors had set up stalls along the streets. The scene reminded him of how a festival would appear without the festive vibe that floated in the air.

He glanced back at Sumi to see her pointed at several things and as she smiled brightly. He grinned as he watched her relax once more. She looked nice outside of her uniform. The black, pleated skirt was slightly shorter than the school's was but she also wore blue leggings underneath so she didn't have to worry about falling and flashing the crowd. The red sweater she wore was simple, but on her he decided it added something, even if he didn't know what.

His eyes caught a group of boys looking at Natsumi as she bent over slightly to smell some of the food sizzling on the flattop. They were talking and jabbing one in the side as he had a spark of interest light his eyes. Ryuu growled and swiftly moved over to her side, blocking their view and sending them a cold glare.

"Here Ryuu. Try this." Sumi said getting his attention. He turned to see her holding up a toothpick with a Takoyaki ball at the end. He grinned and grabbed her wrist, lifting it up higher so that he could eat the offered snack. He chewed slowly and shot another look at the boys from before. They shuffled off, getting the message that this girl was off-limits.

"Um...R-Ryuu...You can l-let me go now." Sumi stuttered, her face really red. He chuckled and did as she asked. He didn't want her to know about the creeps that had been watching her so he decided to irritate her as a decoy.

"I wanted to make sure you didn't drop it or hit my nose with it. Since you're not the most coordinated person I know Sumi." He said and she puffed out her cheeks in irritation and growled at him. He only laughed and patted her head to calm her down.

"Settle down. They're good. Nice and spicy." He said and it distracted her from her annoyance with him as her smile once more returned. She nodded and turned back to the vendor placing an order for two. She smiled up at him as she said,

"I had a feeling you would like them. I remember having these once before with my dad and recalled how spicy they were. I know you like spicy so I wanted to see what you thought." She said and he felt a pleasant thrum at the fact that she knew this about him and took it into consideration. He nodded and patted her head again, making her pout because she hated when he 'pet' her. But that pout was the exact reason he constantly did it. Ryuu took the bag of food and paid for it before Sumi could react.

She thanked him and turned, looking for her next target. She grinned when she saw it and grabbed his hand, dragging him behind her. He followed easily as she hopped over to the next stall she wanted. This time she ordered a small batch of Sata andagi, most likely for herself as Ryuu wasn't a fan of the sweet balls of dough. She pulled him to several other stalls (all of which he paid for, despite her arguments) until he had five bags in hand. He made sure to keep his other hand free so he could hold Sumi's, not wanting to lose her in the growing crowd. Their last stop was at a small market where Sumi ran in and purchased drinks for them.

"All done. Now we can head out." She said with a bright smile, looking extra excited as she led him away from the crowds. He was extremely curious on where she was leading him as the noise grew fainter and soon they were surrounded by a calming silence. She led him up a hill, the buildings growing fewer as they entered a small park. It took him a few minutes to realize that even after they had left the crowd behind he had continued to hold onto Sumi's hand. He refused to release it though even after he realized it and she didn't seem to notice either.

"Here we are." She whispered and he glanced around to the place she had brought him. They were up on a tall hill, looking down at the city below them as the sun sat behind them. They were under a large oak tree that had been planted in order to offer people shade. Sumi pulled her hand from him, a faint amount of pink in her cheeks as she finally realized she had been holding it.

She settled herself on the soft grass and patted the spot next to her, indicating that she wanted him to join her. He sat the bags down carefully and sank down next to her.

"So where exactly did you take me?" He asked as he watched her pull out their purchased items and set them out picnic style. She smiled up at him, that faint blush still dusting her cheeks.

"Well...this is my favorite spot in the city to come and just...think. When I have nothing to do or I'm feeling down I come up here and watch the city below." She said and he tilted his head, trying to read what she wasn't saying. But as usual he couldn't clearly figure her out. She distracted him from his thoughts as she held up another piece of the Takoyaki. This time he grabbed the stick and fed himself. They ate the food in comfortable silence as the noise of the busy city drifted lazily on the wind around them.

"So what do you think about when you're up here Sumi?" He asked as he drank his soda, watching her as she hugged her knees to her chest, smiling softly to herself. The wind blew strands of her hair behind her in a gentle dance and Ryuu found himself watching the movement.

"A lot of things. Mostly about my future and what my life will be like after I get my teaching degree." She said as she turned her gaze back to him. Her smile warmed something inside him and Ryuu chuckled as he leaned back on his hands, subconsciously leaning closer to her.

"All teasing aside Sumi...You're going to be a great teacher." He whispered as he smiled at her and she returned the smile, gratitude shining in her brown eyes.

"Thanks Ryuu. It actually means a lot coming from you." She said, sighing as she let go of her knees and fell back onto the grass, not worrying about getting any stains on her clothing. Ryuu grinned down at her before following suit and laying on the grass with his hands laced behind his head.

"Hey Ryuu." Sumi whispered and he grunted as his eyes drifted closed, relaxing in his new position.

"Tell me something...Something no one else knows." She whispered. He opened his eyes and turned his head so he could see her expression. She was blushing once more, but her large eyes were connected with his.

"Why?" He asked and she bit her lip, turning her gaze away. She looked up at the swaying leaves and smiled.

"Sorry. I don't know where that question came from. Just...just forget I asked okay Ryuu." She said as she gave him a small smile. But he could see that it lacked it's usual glow. He sighed and looked up at the leaves before answering.

"I don't want to take over my father's company." He whispered and his answer seemed to startle her as she sat up and looked down at him with wide eyes. He waited for the expected response of how it was his responsibility though. Or that it was stupid and foolish for him to want to throw away such an opportunity that was being handed to him on a silver platter. But as it always was with his Sumi...She surprised him.

"Do you want to be a doctor?" She asked softly and it was his turn to shoot up and stare at her in shock.

"What makes you ask-"

"Those medical books you're always reading. At first I thought it was just a strange hobby. But after what you just said it makes more sense." She said with a warm smile and Ryuu was surprised to find that he found no censor in her demeanor or words. Sumi seemed happier hearing that he wanted to do something more with his life and time.

"You don't think it's selfish that I want to throw away what my father built for me?" He asked cautiously and Natsumi tilted her head.

"How could anyone think you're being selfish for wanting to save lives. I think it's wonderful Ryuu. Besides, I'm sure your father can find someone else to take over his company. He'd be happy just knowing you were living your dream." She said, giving him a bright smile. He chuckled and didn't realize what he was doing until she was pressed against his side and his arm was wrapped around her shoulders.

"You're something else Sumi...but my world doesn't think the way you do. Still...I feel more confident with your support. " He said softly and smiled as she leaned against him, relaxing as he held her. She closed her eyes and smiled as she whispered,

"Even if your world doesn't like the idea. I think you'd make a great doctor."

He felt that strange thrum in his chest again as he stared up at the sky and smiled, still hugging Sumi against his side.

"Who knows...but thank you Sumi."