"Somehow I found a way to get lost in you."

Summary: Reito and Shizuru have been together for quite a while, but when Reito's best friend Takeda introduces his new girlfriend Natsuki to the happy couple, things become chaotic. ShizNat AU

Beta: Ivy Rose Thorn

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Disclaimer:Mai HiME is property of Sunrise.

She Came at Dawn

Chapter 1 – The new girl

Most people at the party fell silent for a split second as the three college students entered the apartment of their friend who was throwing one of his famous 'semester-out-parties'.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this." sighed the boy on the right. His short jet black hair was neatly formed into spikes that were standing out in all directions.

"You better get used to it fast, Takeda-kun." The other boy said with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" His face went beet-red.

"Ara, is there something I need to know?" The girl, who had silently stood between the guys tossed in with a strong Kyoto-accent.

She obviously seemed to be the reason for the party-guests to look at the small group longer than usual. Her deep-red eyes and her silky chestnut hair were rounding the flawless appearance to a breathtaking sight that let some of the male students earn angry glances from their girlfriends. But they soon got repaid when the boy on the left of the Kyoto-beauty was giving one of his stunning smiles away that melted down the hearts of most females in the room. He was a bit taller than the girl but just as good-looking. Only by taking the hand of the crimson-eyed beauty, the attention was drawn away from them as they both made clear that they were already taken. One of the girls angrily whispered 'Of course such gorgeous people would be a couple…' after the tall boy had kissed the girl passionately on her lips.

"Hasn't Takeda told you that he has a girlfriend now, my love?" The boy asked after breaking the kiss.

"No, he seems to distrust me. Shame on you, Takeda." She said as she gave him a sad look that instantly made Takeda panic.

"I'm sorry Shizuru. Don't be mad. Reito is only telling you half of the truth." He said trying to find an excuse before he faced the other dark haired boy again. "And thanks for outing me, by the way. It's good to have a best friend like you." He paused before bringing his attention back to Shizuru again. "There is a girl, yes. But we're not together. We've been dating for a week and I hope that it might work out."

"Good for you, Takeda. Do we know her?" Shizuru said in her sweetest voice, truly happy for her usually not so lucky friend.

"No, I don't think so. She just moved here." He answered while they started walking over to the bar.

"So, how is she?" Shizuru was good at being curious without showing it. Reito smiled when he watched his girlfriend skillfully directing the conversation.

"A real looker. Almost too good for my best friend here." Reito tossed in with a sarcastic voice.

"Oh, so you have already met her?" She turned her attention back to her boyfriend.

"No, Takeda showed me a picture."

"Really? Can I have a look too then?" She quickly brought the attention back to the poor boy.

"I don't have it with me, but…"

"But what?"

"She might be coming over to pick me up later."

"I see…" Shizuru smiled in delight before turning around to exchange a sly grin with Reito.

"So of course you will introduce your best friends to her, right Takeda-kun?" Reito said nonchalantly while the crimson-eyed girl nodded in agreement. Not able to resist Shizuru's perfect smile, Takeda stuttered. "I… I guess…"

"Good, we're looking forward to it." Reito said cheerfully. "And now for that beer…"

After a few hours of drinking and chatting, the friends said their goodbyes and made their way outside. All of them were slightly boozed, and so the stairs were more troublesome than earlier. When they arrived on the already busy street, they noticed for the first time how late it really was. Given the light at the horizon the sun would rise in a few minutes.

"You know guys…I have to tell you something before you meet her."

"What is it, Takeda?" came the sweet accent.

"Don't tell me the picture was a fake and she's ugly in reality." The wording was a clear sign that Reito might have had too much fun at the party and Shizuru felt a bit sorry for their already troubled friend.

"What?! No, not at all. She's the most beautiful person I've ever seen." His eyes were shining as if he was talking about some kind of goddess.

"So what's the problem?"

"She is a bit… odd."

"Odd like crazy odd?" Reito asked with a stupid grin.

"No, more like cold and distant odd."

"That's to be expected after just moving here, isn't it? She might be insecure, but don't you worry. Your good friends will help you warm her up." The diplomatic words of Shizuru interrupted the conversation of the boys for a second.

"Yes, we will break the ice. No! We will melt her heart." Reito joked but Shizuru was quick to bring him back to earth.

"Now that's enough. You, sweetheart, had too much beer."

"My my, I only had… I don't remember."

"And that's a sure sign of too much, hon."

When they stumbled outside to the crowded street, Takeda scanned the area for a sign of the object of his affection.

"Maybe she forgot about you?" Shizuru said bluntly.

"Or maybe she found someone better." Reito added chuckling like a little boy.

"You always get way too mean when you're drunk, pal." Takeda countered.

The roar of a motorcycle that was parked on the side of the street caught their attention, and suddenly Takeda's expression changed completely.

"There she is." He said with an unknown happiness before he started to run over.

Shizuru and Reito looked at each other with puzzled eyes and decided to wait a few more seconds. They watched the figure descending from the bike. The elegant movement left no doubt that it was indeed a girl and neither did the tight leather-suit. The bike reflected the morning colors and Shizuru had to admit she was a bit amazed about the appearance of the girl. They could see Takeda gesturing nervously in their directions, and so they followed his hint to come over.

The closer they got, the more Shizuru had to admit that at least the body of that girl was in a nice shape. The black leather-suit didn't leave much room for imagination, and now she was even more curious if the face held what the curves promised. She knew that her boyfriend might have a stupid grin on his face by taking in the sight of Takeda's choice, but sometimes you just have to accept that there are other good-looking girls out there.

"Reito, Shizuru…I would like to introduce you to the most beautiful woman on earth. This is Kuga Natsuki." Takeda's heart was about to burst as he proudly announced the name of the girl next to him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Masashi." was the cold response. The voice sounded very husky for a woman, but Shizuru had to admit that it fitted the whole appearance just perfect. Finally, the stranger took off her helmet and showed what everyone had been waiting for. Silky strands of long black hair fell out of the helmet and scattered across the shoulders of the girl. Shizuru could hear her boyfriend inhale sharply, and turned around slightly to send him a dangerous glare before bringing her full attention back to observe the new face in front of her. She instantly found herself staring into the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. The deep emerald-color was just like a wild ocean. The sad lonesome look, which Shizuru had never seen before in anybody else's eyes, was taking her breath away for a second.

"It's nice to meet you, Kuga-san." The voice of Reito swept Shizuru out of her trance.

"Natsuki."

"Excuse me?" Reito asked not sure if he understood what the girl meant.

"The name. It's just Natsuki."

"Ah, yes. She doesn't like to be so formal." Takeda tossed in, trying to explain the rudeness with a nervous chuckle.

"I can talk for myself." Natsuki growled back at him.

Shizuru was still stunned about the sight in front of her and had some trouble keeping her composure. Maybe I should have skipped that last beer. I am having strange thoughts…

"I would like to say that Takeda-kun had told us a lot about you, but sadly I heard of you for the first time tonight." What am I doing here? Making Takeda look like an idiot at the first encounter. "But at least he was right about you being quite an eye catcher." Shizuru added, trying to save the conversation.

"Idiot." Natsuki mumbled towards Takeda, unable to hide the blush on her cheeks.

And now she looks even more gorgeous. Where on earth did Takeda find her?

"Can we go now?" The raven-haired girl said bluntly.

"Of… of course. I'll talk to you guys later, okay?" He jumped on the motorcycle.

"Yeah sure, don't forget our billiard-match tomorrow." Reito said waving.

"Shoot! I already made plans with Natsuki."

"No problem. You are free to go." The biker girl said coldly and Takeda looked at her like a beaten dog. Shizuru pitied her friend and was quick to save the situation.

"Why don't we make it a double date? I am free tomorrow and I always wanted to play my precious boyfriend over here. We should show the guys how to play pool." Sending one of her perfect smiles along with the alluring Kyoto-ben, Shizuru was sure that she could help her friend.

"I don't know. Natsuki, are you okay with that?" Takeda asked shyly.

Natsuki took a moment to consider and so Shizuru spoke again. "You don't have to if you are afraid of losing."

"The hell I am! Count me in!" The green-eyed girl said with enthusiasm and a second later Takeda bowed to Shizuru as a silent 'thank you'.

"Alright you two, see you tomorrow." Shizuru waved with a grin right before Natsuki started the engine to speed away into the night.

"You just had to do that, didn't you?" Reito said, approaching her from behind.

"Of course. Look at Takeda. He's needy."

"You're too good to be true, and I love you for that." He whispered into her ear.

"I know." Shizuru smiled before Reito turned her around to draw her in for a kiss.

A/N: Yeah, I know all the heterosexual stuff is disgusting ;-) But the story has to be built up first. So be patient. I just noticed: This is my first AU story. Yay, new challenge. I needed something more romantic to help me deal with the huge amount of drama from my other fics. And for once it is really ShizNat without Nao interfering. She doesn't even exist in this story. Now, we just have to get rid off the boys.