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Pedigree.

Two-Shot.

Natsumi searched through the endless crowd of suits and dresses worriedly; Endou, she knew, was a sensitive man and although words didn't usually effect him too much, the ones Dai had spat had seemed to hit a cord within him.

The way Endou had contained himself like that, was also something of concern; it was obvious that when Dai first started, that Mamoru was about ready to bit his head off, but then that fire had sudden died. She had never seen him deplete like that before and it made her cringe in remembrance.

Her heart was beating faster and faster and until it stopped on seeing brown, spiky hair near the bar, which she immediately rushed to as fast as she could in high heeled shoes. When she reached him, she planted her hand on his shoulder, which he abruptly turned to, a startled expression marred his face as she had just given him the shock of his life.

"Ah, Natsumi, it's just you" he sighed, as one of his hands came up to his beating heart, before he schooled his features into a pained smile.

"O-oh, I'm sorry if I surprised you" he snorted, but shook it off. They stood in silence for a moment or two - the noise of the crowd and music washing over them as neither paid attention to their surroundings; it was really the least of their worries and they really couldn't care less.

"Endou…I think-" Natsumi was going to tell him that they could just go home - that there was no point in staying, but before her words could get out, they were interrupted.

"I-I just ask one of the barman to clean up the glass I broke, they weren't too happy about it but one of them were going to go brush it up…." his voice trailed as his forcibly happy tone was fooling no one "…I'm sorry if I made you wait, and…where's Kidou?, you didn't leave him with your…um, friend did you?"

Natsumi sighed, and with a shake of her head, pushed the fingertips of one of her hands over his mouth; she was going to say this whether he liked it or not "Endou, it's time to go home"

Said brunet tried to talk, but Natsumi added more pressure behind her digits to make sure he kept quiet, though she couldn't stop the shake of his head or the frown of his brow "I was asked to come in stead of my father - to make an appearance, just that; nothing else was asked of me. So I can leave whenever I want to"

Mamoru looked ready to protest "Endou, I just want to leave, we don't usually stay too long anyway, what's an hour?. Besides I'd much prefer to just go home with you and watch boring television" he said truthfully. Although she didn't usually watch it much, she always in enjoyed her downtime with Mamoru; it kept her steady.

"B-but won't-"

"Nothing bad will happen if we leave a little earlier, I bet hardly anyone notices" she smiled, as her free hand went over to their larger counterparts, squeezing it reassuringly "come one" she gestured with her head to the exit.

"Lets make our escape"

The Cinderella exit - meaning suddenly leaving a party before it was time - didn't go accordingly, surprisingly. They were too early and their driver wasn't their to pick them up, but Natsumi couldn't just go back in, not when she knew how much he wanted to leave, so had decided that they would walk the distance.

Endou had suddenly looked at her as if she had two heads, but Natsumi was stubborn and nothing he could say would change her mind. So they walked, and walked.

After all was said and done, it was around one-forty until they managed to make it back to Endou's rented apartment, and by then they were both panting and sweating. Mamoru had handled it a far cry better then Natsumi had as she had twisted her ankle in her high heeled shoes - which she swore to never wear again, which meant that Endou had carried her the rest of the way, despite her protests.

It wasn't just that she was putting him out and that it was embarrassing, it was because Mamoru could injure himself, now although walking there and back wasn't too much to worry about, him carrying her while walking that great length was.

He was a goalkeeper, he relied on his upper body a lot, and Natsumi couldn't stand to think that she would be the cause of taking, not just his future but something he loved away from him - it would kill her.

But it wasn't just the fact that they had to walk miles that had Natsumi cursing, was that it had started to rain and that they were now dripping wet.

Endou weakly fumbled his key as his trembling hand jammed it into the lock, while he ignored Natsumi and balanced her as he turned the knob and opened the door with a kick of his foot. He used the same method to close the barrier as he continued on down the hallway and onto the living room and joint kitchen, where he gently, and unsteadily lowered Natsumi onto the sofa.

Her collapsed next to her for a moment as he felt his muscles pulse and ache, before he lifted himself up and wobbled over to the kitchen where he start rummaging through draws, until he found the right and picked up what he had been looking for; the first aid kit.

He staggered back to Natsumi and collapsed by her feet as he unbuckled the box before he his eyes searched until he looked at the spray that had been used many a-time for his ankle and that of his team-mates when they had injured themselves.

Lifting the spray out of the kit, and placing it on the floor, he went about looking at Natsumi's ankle; it was slightly red, but otherwise, it looked fine. Mamoru sighed in relief before he reached for can and shook it lightly before he turned to Natsumi's foot and pressed the spray can's head down.

A hissing sound took over as the context was released. Natsumi grunted as the spray made contact with her skin, but didn't try to talk as everything else she had tried to say hadn't been heard, which meant that Endou was in his own little world again.

Natsumi watched through sad eyes as he put the can down and went for the white bandages, as he started to open the clean plastic bag and start to wrap it around her foot - from the start of her toes to the end of her ankle.

"Endou…are you -" her autumn eyes met deep chocolate pools as he looked up, Mamoru smiled a small smile before he got up and wobbled out. Natsumi slumped in the sofa, the life drained out of her was she sighed deeply; she really shouldn't have gone.

Natsumi spent sometime time thinking; she really couldn't think of how to undo what Dai had said - she swore the next time she saw the arrogant guy she'd hit him again, just to be spiteful. She decided that she had spent enough time planning Dai Domek's death, and dragged herself off of the sofa and went to Endou's bedroom.

Only as she started to walk, did she notice that she was soaked to the bone, but ignored it as she nudged his door open and gingerly slipped in, Endou was lying flatly on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling. Natsumi cringed as he walked in, stepping past the socks, bow tie and dinner jacket as they were the only clothes he had managed to rip off of him before he had flopped on the mattress.

"Endou?" gradually, he glanced her way, Mamoru smiled slightly as Natsumi went deeper until she was sitting on the end of his bed, where she sat in silence as their continued to stare at each other.

Endou swallowed thickly "Natsumi…?" he asked, said redhead blinked at his hoarse voice but nodded with a smile of reassurance.

"What is it?" she inquired softly, as she tilted he head to the side, while some of her free stray hair followed her movement and fall to the side.

"…I" he murmured, in a oddly un-Endou like way, which made Natsumi reactivated her death warrant for a certain as she tried to keep her kind and patient expression "…are you happy, with m- with us…?" he asked.

Mamoru wouldn't lie, when he first met Natsumi, he had never really thought of her as anyone who was trying to destroy his team, later on their weird relationship had turned to friendship. And the next thought which would come to mind would be love, wouldn't it?.

No, he honestly never knew what that felt like; he never really paid attention to it, he was always busy or preoccupied with other things to notice anything that may or may not have been forming, that is until Natsumi dropped a bomb on him.

They had been dating since then, and if his memory served him, it had been five years, and in all that time of growth, he had finally gained some understanding for what else was around him - he truly did love her, but what that Dai said…

He knew he wasn't much; he wasn't especially intelligent, and he wasn't even much to look at - the only thing he had ever been any good at was soccer. That was it. He didn't have much to offer her.

Natsumi stared at him in shock, she was really at a lose at what to do; he didn't know mean that, did he? "Endou…?" her eyes were wide and her skin paled.

Endou sat himself up and pushed his back up against his headrest "What…are you talking about?" Natsumi said breathlessly, as her heart beat in her throat.

"Are…you happy, with me?" Endou asked carefully.

Natsumi frowned as heat washed over her "A-aren't you happy?"

Mamoru shook his head "No - no!, t-that's not what I meant!" he said all at once "I mean, do you- do you still, I mean…" he made a disgruntled noise in his throat as he completely ran over his words; there have only ever been a handful of times that he's ever been so tongue tied, and it was always when it was something of importance.

Natsumi watch as the brunet face palmed and looked as irritated as she had ever seen him. She chuckled at how hopeless he was acting and that earlier emotion of panic disappeared. Natsumi wiggled further onto the bed, until she was right next to Mamoru, who had regained himself and was staring at her, and graphed hold of his hand.

"I don't want you to worry about what he said" Natsumi murmured, as she brought her face closer to his, until they were only inches apart. She knew that a lot of people looked down on him, and wondered how the hell he had managed to get her, but she thought that they were blinded.

Because in all honesty, she never thought she'd be loved by someone like him. Natsumi smiled, and leaned in so that their lips touched just barely, she could feel Endou's breath hitch and his body tense "I…I waited a long time, Endou. And I think, that I know what's good for me" she whispered against his lips, before she straddled him; their wet clothes coming to together in a cold sandwich as their warmth bleed through.

It sent shivers down both of their spines. Natsumi continued to lay herself on his body until she was out flat with her arms around his neck "I…" his voice was barely left his mouth, but with Natsumi so close, she heard and pulled back slightly.

"I wasn't lying" she murmured, before she brought her mouth near his ear "I wasn't lying"

When they had first gotten together, they had made no promises about it - there had been no 'I love you' or 'we're going to be together forever' No, a lot of time had been spent to make their relationship going and strong. They had said nothing they couldn't back and had done with 'I like you' and 'I'll try my best with us' and that had made them last.

Endou had frozen like a statute on their usual movie night when those three words had left Natsumi's lips without her meaning to, she had stilled to; she didn't know what to do - it had just come out. So the film left forgotten as they both stared wide-eyed at each other, for what seemed like forever until Endou smiled widely and brought his arm around her before returning her words with his own.

It had been a mistake, but it hadn't and Natsumi really didn't care what other people thought of Endou, because her thoughts on the matter was that if they weren't jealous, they were crazy and not worth caring about.

She just couldn't see herself falling out of love with this man - he was just…everything, for her.

Mamoru stilled; he knew from years of being around Natsumi, what she was implying and after a few long moments, wrapped his own arms around her waist and sighed in relief as he slowly started to feel her warmth on his cold skin; he really had been sitting in these wet clothes for too long.

"I…I wasn't lying either" he said, before Natsumi smiled and pressed her lips against his once again and his senses were overridden with her; with her scent - the perfume that he had given to her for Christmas. Her weight on his stomach and how he had missed the feel. How strands of her hair dangled and tickled his collarbone and neck. The way her eyelashes would brush against his face. Her heartbeat.

Everything about her was slowly starting to make him feel better.

Natsumi pulled away again, with a playful scowl on her features as she pouted "Then what's the problem?" she asked in fake announce.

Natsumi blushed as something she hadn't seen in awhile appeared right in front of her. Endou smiled - a big, wide, stupid, smile; it's usual brightness was there and her heart skipped a beat; a lot of things had been worrying Mamoru lately and although he would still grin, it had been a good two weeks since she had seen this.

Their foreheads joined as they looked in each others eyes, before they said something that was reminiscent of movie night, all that time ago -

"I love you"

"I love you too"

A/N-

So, here is what I promised you oh so long ago. I feel kinda mean that I couldn't get to this before for you, but I had writers block on it and wasn't all that sure what I wanted to do with it. Sorry about that, but I've managed it now and hope that it was worth the wait...

Now, I'll be going away for my birthday soon, and I'm actually updating all my stories, yeah all 33, so I'm kind of rushing through (not in writing) in getting these uploaded, so I'm really, really sorry if there are any mistakes in this. I'll get back to once I get back to check probably, promise : ).

Also, if you left an anonymous review and you want to read the reply, then I'm sorry to say your going to have to come back to this page in a couple of weeks for awhile - I promise I'll get to you!.

I Apologise if there are any mistakes in my spelling/ grammar, or if you find anything I have written offensive.

Thank you to everyone who added 'Pedigree' to their favorites/ alerts or who took the time to review, you also have my gratitude for reading this chapter.

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