**I have edited this story since it's original uploading in Nov. 2012. Also, because I love where the story is currently in the manga series, I am continuing from where the anime left off and adding some plots here and there that stem from events in the manga series.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Library Wars: Love and War. However, this story is the product of my own imagination and it would upset me greatly to see it copied and republished without my permission.

Footprints in the Sand

By: Smash41KMF

Chapter One: A New Beginning

Iku sighed, gazing out at the vast ocean blue and swinging her bare feet back and forth as she sat on the edge of the old pier and waited for her boyfriend to return with their ice cream. It had been nearly two months since his full recovery and, in addition to his promotion, the entire unit had been given a two-week vacation as a reward for their services. Major Genda, however, being the stubborn-as-a-bull man they knew he was, refused to go along because Orikuchi-san couldn't join them, while Tezuka opted to stay behind until Shibazaki was given off, and Komaki claimed that someone needed to stay behind and train the new recruits. As a result, Iku and Dojo were sent ahead, despite their protests.

It was obvious, though, that the real reason for sending the two ahead of the rest of the team was to give the couple some much-needed alone-time. However, neither Iku or Dojo felt inclined to satisfy the wishes of their conspiring co-workers. Instead, the pair planned to use the extra time to simply relax, and today, they had done just that: relaxed, together.

Iku tipped her head back slightly and gazed up at the darkening blue skies, the early-evening stars just starting to show themselves. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes as the gentle ocean breeze swept over her. It was several hours past lunchtime, closer to dinner really, and they had decided to go for a walk along the pier, sitting down on its edge as they recalled their own childhood summers. The memory wasn't even a day old, but something about it made Iku chuckle. Maybe it was because, since she joined the Library Forces, she never imagined spending an entire evening laughing and reminiscing with Lieutenant Atsushi Dojo, her "short," demonic drill sergeant. However, nor had she ever expected going to the hospital every day following the Ibaraki shootout just to read to him his favorite books. She remembered thinking about how much one of the protagonist was like him - reckless and stubborn, but loyal to his peers - and, even though he wasn't able to hear or see her, she had wanted to be there with him. Even now, she remembered how helpless she'd felt, waiting day-after-day for him to recover. And she felt it again this time too, after he was shot during the Task Force's security detail for the author Kurato Touma. However, it was funny how everything seemed to work out, because, after fearing she'd lost him, during both the shootout in Ibaraki and the incident in Tokyo, the relief of having him back made her realize that it really was him, Atsushi Dojo, that she loved, not the prince she'd met in the book store nine years ago. And so, here they were, nearly six months since the Media Betterment Act was revised to forbid the use of fire arms, together at last.

Iku smiled at the memory, she had surprised even herself that night by staying at the hospital. The staff had allowed her to stay with him through the night, answering every one of his questions and eventually falling asleep beside him. When she woke up the following morning, she had felt disoriented and surprisingly warm, but it wasn't until she heard her "pillow" grumble and shifted beside her that she realized what had happened, and that they weren't the only ones in the room. Standing in the doorway was one of the nursing staff's younger volunteers, a bright pink blush painted on her pretty face. Iku, though she was equally as embarrassed to be found waking up in bed with her superior officer, couldn't help but pity the girl, whose eyes shyly darted between the waking Dojo and every other inanimate object in the room. Unlike Iku, who was a member of the Library Task Force and had seen many well-built men shirtless, the girl couldn't have been more than a junior or senior in high school, and therefore, probably hadn't seen men like Dojo before, whose hard muscles showed through the thin, loose hospital garb as he stretched. It wasn't until the man flinched and withdrew in pain that the young girl went to work, shoeing Iku out of the room. However, when she had moved to get out of the bed, Dojo caught her by the wrist.

"You'll come back, right?" he had asked softly, waiting for her to nod before releasing her hand and watching her leave the room.

Looking back, his actions reminded her a bit of lost child that didn't want to be left by themselves. The analogy made her smile as she looked down at her feet, her toes grazing the cool ocean water and sending a slight shiver through her body.

"How could you possibly be cold in this weather?"

Iku's head shot up and she looked over her shoulder as Dojo handed her an ice cream cone with strawberry ice cream before sitting down beside her with his own, light-blue colored ice cream.

"I'm not. I was just thinking." she said softly, taking a bite of her ice cream before glancing at him. Her boyfriend's actions made her pause, worry growing in the pit of her stomach as she watch him look out across the ocean with a forlorn expression. "Is something wrong?" she asked, but he shook his head and took a bite of his ice cream.

"No, just thinking." he said with a soft chuckle, grinning slightly when Iku glared at him out of the corner of her eyes. The brunette sergeant let out a small huff in response and continued eating her ice cream as she looked out at the ocean, the sky turning a vivid shade of orange as the sun began to sink below the horizon and the resort lights reflected beautifully off the water's surface. Dojo, amused by the woman's reaction, smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side.

"Thinking of what?" Iku couldn't help but ask as she carefully pulled her legs up and leaned gently against him, fighting the blush that started creeping onto her cheeks. Dojo looked over at her with a small smirk before leaning over and pressing his lips against the crown of her head.

"Everything. Nothing." he replied nonchalantly, catching a glimpse of her slight pout. He always enjoyed teasing her, so when she was about to eat the last piece of her ice cream cone, he snatched it from her hand and popped it in her mouth.

"Hey! That was mine!" she exclaimed, pulling away and folding her arms over her chest as she turned to face him.

"But I paid for it, Iku, so technically, it's mine." he argued playfully, watching her scowl before offering her the rest of his ice cream. "Here, try it, I think you'll like it." Iku took the last of the blue ice cream and cone and looked at it suspiciously.

"What is it?" she asked, looking at it curiously, before her boyfriend took it from her again. Iku opened her mouth to protest when Dojo placed the food in her mouth, closed her jaw and ordered her to chew. Annoyed, Iku did as she was told and smiled when she recognized a familiar flavor.

"It's blueberry!" she exclaimed happily, and he nodded, carefully pushing himself to his feet before leaning over and offering her a hand up.

Iku looked at him, she never knew what he was going to do when they were in this position, but she took his anyways and he pulled her to her feet and into him. Iku let out a small yelp, but Dojo silenced her quickly, leaning up and capturing her lips as his hands came to rest gently on her hips. Shyly, Iku moved to wrap her arms around his neck, but Dojo released her just like that, leaving her at a loss and feel frustrated.

Dojo chuckled and took hold of Iku's hand, interlocking their fingers as he ignored her scowl and led them away from the pier and back towards the hotel.

"Thank you for coming with me, Iku." he said quietly as they climbed the stairs to the third-floor room they were sharing for the trip. Iku simply nodded, swinging their hands as they walked side-by-side.

"You're welcome, sir-" Iku froze, a hand coming up to cover her mouth as they came to stand in front of their hotel room. From the moment they had started dating, he had told her not to call him 'sir' outside of the workplace, but she still slipped up. "Sorry..." she apologized, and Dojo sighed, unlocking the door and pushing it open before following her inside.

"It's alright, old habits die hard, I suppose." he said with a shrug, removing his shoes before flopping down onto the double-sized bed that sat in the master bedroom of their small, one and a half-room hotel room.

"Atsushi..." she whispered, causing him to sit up and look at her as she took a small step towards him. The sound of his name rolling off her lips made him grin, he liked the sound of it.

"It's alright, you'll get the hang of it," he said gently, smiling up at Iku as he reached out and gently took hold of her small hands. Rubbing his thumb gently over the backs of her hands, Dojo felt her inch closer until she stood was merely inches from him. Standing up, her hands still resting in his, Dojo met Iku's shy gaze and gently pulled her towards him, releasing one of her hands to cup her cheek, the pad of his thumb gently stroking her cheek.

"I really am trying," she whispered, looking away as her lips curved into a small frown, obviously upset with herself for slipping into formal language with him again.

Dojo gave her tender smile and gently lifted her face, forcing her to meet his gaze as he spoke. "I know," he whispered, leaning up and pressing a soft kiss against her forehead before continuing, "I know you are, Iku."

Iku blushed slightly, still not used to hearing him address her by her first name. Dojo, however, simply chuckled at her shyness and pulled her closer to him, the hand on her cheek slipping around to cradle the back of her head as drew her into a kiss. Iku breathed in sharply, her heart thumping in her chest as Dojo held her against him, both of his hands falling loosely around her waist as he slowly pulled away.

Iku opened her eyes and carefully glanced at her boyfriend. She was surprised to see him grinning, however, the next thing she knew, Dojo flopped backwards on the bed, pulling her with him. Iku let out a small "eep" as she landed on top of Dojo. He, however, simply laughed and leaned up to kissed her, holding her to him as he rolled them over.

Iku could feel her heart crashing against her ribcage as Dojo lifted himself onto his hands and knees above her, his knees pressing into the outside of her thighs. Suddenly, however, Dojo stood up from the bed and walked over to the door. Iku blinked and sat up, unsure of what he was doing until she heard the click of door's dead bolt and watched him close the curtains and the blinds, all before returning to the bed. Iku's eyes widened slightly and Dojo gave her a mischievous grin. Planting his hands on the bed on either side of her hips, he leaned forward and reclaimed her lips before carefully lowering her back onto the bed.

And so, the paradise begins.

Okay! So, this was the re-written version of chapter one! As you can all see, there are still many similarities to the original chapter! I hope you all liked, however few viewers I may still have! Anyways, it's finally summer break, so hopefully, I'll have the time to write some more! Until then, please shoot me a review or something to let me know what you all think! Thanks again for reading this story! It really means a lot!

~Smash41KMF