After Graduation - A Shizune/Hisao story (post good route)

[Minion of Chaos]

Question. Were any sort of tablets around in 2008 (when I'm assuming graduation would have been, since the regular VN takes place before graduation in 2007ish)? I'm usually not a stickler about technology and timelines when it comes to these things, but the tablet bothered me for some odd reason. Just curious is all

[bhtooefr]

I own a GRiDPad SL made in 1992, that has Windows for Pen Computing 1.00a (which is basically Windows 3.10 Tablet PC Edition) on it. It's basically a much thicker, heavier version of the form factor we know today as a tablet.

And, I've had a ThinkPad X61 Tablet (convertible from a laptop to a tablet) made in August 2007 that had XP Tablet PC Edition, and I have a Fujitsu P1620 (another convertible) made some time in 2007 that currently runs Windows 7.

Now, the trick is, with the exception of the Fujitsu, those devices weren't touch screens, they were pen screens. (I could've ordered the X61 with a touch/pen combo screen, but that option wasn't available with the 1400x1050 LCD that I wanted. And, the Fujitsu is a resistive touch screen, which generally sucks.)

And, normal people did not usually own tablets back then. They were running ordinary Windows with pen (not touch) support grafted on, and were therefore quite clunky to use (unless they were convertibles, and then they were basically like having a Wacom tablet built into your laptop's display, and you could swivel the screen to a tablet form factor). The typical markets were either very specific business applications, or consumers that took a LOT of written/drawn notes (I still say that OneNote was the killer app for a Windows tablet) or used them for artwork (the whole integrated Wacom thing). Tablets certainly weren't popular until they started running scaled up smartphone operating systems.

You could also argue that the Newton MessagePad was right on the PDA/tablet line, with a modern view, but it wouldn't have been thought of as a tablet in 2008 (although it was a pen computer, yes, which was also the old (pre-XP) name for tablets as well as pen-based PDAs), as tablets usually had 10-12" displays and ran full desktop operating systems in 2008.

[Minion of Chaos]

Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking. I wouldn't have considered a pen computer a tablet, so the older devices like Palm Pilots, pre-smart phone Pocket PC's, as well as their counterparts in Japan wouldn't have counted in my book. I do agree though, that someone from today could call a small computer with a (pen) touch screen from back then at least tablet-like

I wasn't trying to be an annoying nit-picker (hate doing those things) or anything. Just seemed off to me.

[bhtooefr]

Mind you, I'm talking about something like this:



And, actually, a bigger reason why tablets weren't popular until they became scaled-up smartphones, instead of laptops with Wacom tablets, is the cost. Given that you needed a keyboard available at least, you were looking at a convertible (or the HP tc1100, although that was an older one - it had a clip-on keyboard), and a decent config of that X61 Tablet was $2500-3000ish, which was completely typical in the tablet market. If you didn't care about build quality that much, you could get a similarly performing 12" laptop for $1000. Obviously cost wouldn't be a matter for Shizune, though...

[inthewind]

Nitpicking in support of, but I got my HP TX2500 series in 2008, which is a consumer-grade convertible tablet/laptop with both touchscreen and a Wacom pen (active/passive digitizer). 16:10 widescreen, other nonsense. It wasn't the first in its model line (HP had business models similar to this for a while, and there was at the very least a TX2000 before this in the consumer line.), and pre-tax, the cheapest configuration was still under a thousand.

(And yeah, OneNote was/is the best. I still use my tablet-top for a lot of music notation/creation/destruction.)

However, battery life started bad and quickly became abysmal; with weight such a defining factor on these almost-clipboard style notebooks, everyone was trimming what they could, and these shipped with a six cell or four cell battery as a standard, which for multimedia use would last about ninety minutes. Chess-clock Risk!

... anyway, it's feasible to have something like that in the storyline, but actual tablets themselves less so. We're good at tangents!

[AntonSlavik020]

Really enjoyed the banter in this chapter, especially Hisao turning everything Shizune is saying into a euphemism.

[sg1cat]

Another great chapter I really like the way you wrote shizune

Thanks much, it's great fun writing her and Hisao. I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!

Small grammatical question:

I thought I had recognized the colorful display its presenting right now

Should the its be an it's

Otherwise, another great chapter.

Thanks for pointing that out, I'll go back and fix it.

I appreciate the compliments, too!

Question. Were any sort of tablets around in 2008 (when I'm assuming graduation would have been, since the regular VN takes place before graduation in 2007ish)? I'm usually not a stickler about technology and timelines when it comes to these things, but the tablet bothered me for some odd reason. Just curious is all

... anyway, it's feasible to have something like that in the storyline, but actual tablets themselves less so. We're good at tangents!

Regarding all the tablet discussion, I'm not going to debate the factual this or that. (For one, you all did such a great job of it already! )

Mirage_GSM called that out in his review of my chapter before I posted it, but I made a conscious decision to not change it. Main reason being, it was just a plot device. What's important in this story is the characters and how they interact with one another. The state of technology is peripheral at best.

From what I've read in 3 of 5 routes (I still have 2 to go) there's nothing that really binds the story to 2008. As such, I'm taking a little literary license where it's convenient to me as an author.

Sorry if that bothers some folks, I hope the rest of the story makes up for it!

Really enjoyed the banter in this chapter, especially Hisao turning everything Shizune is saying into a euphemism.

Thanks so much, as always, Anton. It's always great to read your replies.

Thanks again also to Mirage_GSM for the proof-reading. It is ever a huge help and greatly appreciated.

As a note to those following my story, I want to give a word of warning - there's a chance my pace will slow in the weeks ahead. Things are getting busy for me as the new year rolls on, but rest assured, I will not be stopping my work any time soon. If I go dark for a time, be patient - I will write more whenever I can.

Knock on wood, this warning is not needed, but I didn't want folks to think I abandoned the story if I am not able to keep up with the pace of it in the future.

So, we'll se how that goes.

But for now, here's the next chapter!

[sg1cat]

Shizune sits across from me, her brow furrowed in concentration as she looks at the game board on her computer tablet. For the last hour, we played without words. At first, my girlfriend attacked with wreckless confidence, taking control of half of Africa and much of the Southeast. She stretched her troops too thin in doing so, however, so I was able to assert myself and blunt the force of her attack, conquering all of the Americas in the process. I feel like I'm in a really good position, although with her dominating Europe and most of Asia, we're actually pretty evenly matched right now.

Still, when I took the Western half of the map she stopped silently gloating with her haughty looks and instead focusing on the game with savage intensity. I'm really proud of myself that I've managed to give her such a challenge, given this is only my second game.

Of course, it helped that I'd done some studying about strategy on the web after our first game, when she trounced me so thoroughly.

That, and a few lucky rolls of the dice, have made it a very even competition. I watch her from across the board. She keeps her focus on her move, attempting to gain control of the rest of Africa. The rolls of the dice aren't favorable, though, and she can only take another couple of countries.

Shizune glances up at me after finishing her move, scowling. I grin at her, signing, [I'll give you the rest of Africa and won't kick you back out if you surrender your control of me for the rest of the train ride.]

Those dark blue eyes of hers flash at the offer, her frown deepening. [Not a chance, Hisao!] she signs sharply. [You're not in a strong enough position to make such a one-sided offer as that,] she chides. Her lips curl up into a slight smile as she adds, [I don't think there's much of anything you could offer me that would be of greater value than keeping command of you for the rest of the day.]

I chuckle as I proceed with my turn. I position all of my troops to take back the rest of Africa, but only manage to conquer a couple of countries, leaving the continent still in contest.

Shizune grins wickedly. [Any last words before I proceed to hand you a crushing and humiliating defeat?]

I lift an eyebrow at her, glancing down at the tablet, then back to her. [It's a little early to be gloating, isn't it?] I ask.

Her smile only deepens. [But this is the turning point!] she exclaims, then adjusts her glasses. [I've been studying your tactics, and I know your weaknesses now. Your luck has run out!]

I chuckle at her answer, making a grand gesture. [By all means, do try,] I tell her, intentionally egging her on. She grins from ear to ear and makes her next move.

Within about twenty mintues, she's won the game.

Damn.

Oh well, there's always next time.

I look up from the board as the computer declares her the winner, then watch as she does her customary fist pump. [I win!] she proclaims, staring into my eyes with a gleeful smile.

I grin at her in spite of myself. Her happiness is contageous, even though she just beat me. [So you did,] I sign with a nod, adding, [Congratulations.]

Shizune smiles back at me, signing, [you played a much better game this time, Hisao. You're definitely improving.]

Chuckling, I answer, [Well, I did do some research after the last time, so I could have a chance at beating you.]

Shizune's eyes gleam at this, her grin twisting into a smirk as she looks at me with a keen gaze. [Is that so?] she asks. [It made a difference. I am impressed. We'll have to play more often, it's even more interesting than the first time we played.]

[Thanks. I'd like to play more with you,] I answer, feeling very proud all of a sudden. That's high praise, coming from Shizune.

Not having much else to say, I simply fold my hands and watch her across the table. She stares back into my eyes, smiling slightly at first, but her smile slowly vanishes the longer I stare.

[What?] she asks, a little annoyed.

[Nothing,] I answer with a grin, [can't I look at my girlfriend?]

[You're not looking, you're staring,] she protests.

[No, I'm admiring,] I answer, my smile unwavering. [There's a difference.]

She fidgets, uncomfortable and clearly unsure how to react.

[Tell me about your parents,] she signs suddenly, staring sharply into my eyes.

I sit back, slightly surprised at her words. [Well...they're going to pick us up from the train station when we arrive...] I say with a cheesy grin.

She frowns at this, staring sharply into my eyes as I chuckle. Sighing, I ask, [Okay, what do you want to know?]

[Everything,] she answers.

Lifting an eyebrow, I sign back, [that's not very helpful.]

Pursing her lips slightly, she signs, [You're my boyfriend, so I want to make a good impression. But, I know nothing about them.] She looks slightly uncomfortable. [It's important I please them. You know I don't like being unprepared.]

I smile from ear to ear, again struck with how adorable she is when she's like this.

[Well,] I sign as she starts to glare at me, [my parents both work long hours. I spent a lot of evenings home alone, because they were still working.]

She nods, watching me with an intent stare. [A strong work ethic, that's admirable.] She pauses then adds with a wicked smirk, [So why didn't you get one?]

I frown at her words, causing her to giggle silently behind her hand. [Go on,] she prompts me. [What are their interests? What were they like when you were growing up?] She leans forward in eager anticipation as she waits for me to answer her.

My hands start to move, my intent being to tell her that my parents are a fun loving couple and that our house was always filled with laughter, even if we never had much money. But something stops me before I begin. I watch her for a moment or two, and she starts to fidget at my hesitation, furrowing her brow while frowning slightly.

[Actually,] I say, smiling, [I'm going to let you find out for yourself.]

Shizune's eyes widen in fury at this, her back growing rigid as she blinks at me in surprise at my refusal to answer her. [Hisao, I asked you to tell me!] she signs emphatically. [You lost our bet, you have to do what I say!]

Nodding, I acknowledge with an amused smirk, [I do, that's true,] I sign, adding quickly before she can interject, [but consider this before you compel me...] She hesitates, her hands wavering, though they still stand poised to act.

[Misha told you that you need to be more spontaneous, remember?] Shizune's scowl darkens at this. [Meeting my parents with no advanced knowledge or preparation is the perfect opportunity to start with that,] I tell her, keeping my eyes locked on hers.

She frowns, [that's not being spontaneous, that's being unprepared.]

I sign back to her, [being unprepared is the first step on the road to spontenaity. Think of this as practice.] Grinning, I add, [don't worry, I'm an expert at the art of impromptu. I'll teach you.]

Glaring at me, she answers with slashing motions of her hands, [I know how to be spontaneous!]

Meeting her gaze, I reply, [Misha's advice to you suggests otherwise, as does the several months that I've known you.]

Shizune shifts uncomfortably at my words, unable now to meet my gaze as my words sink in. I pause, waiting for her to look at me again. She hesitates, then gives me a petulant gaze and signs, [You should let me pick when I want to start being spontaneous.]

I laugh heartily at her words, the sight of which causes her to blush profusely. [You want to plan to be sponataneous? Sweetie, you know what the word means, right?] I sign as she glowers at me, clearly unhappy with the humor I'm finding in her answer.

She crosses her arms in a huff as she stares at me over her glasses, giving me her best intimidating look. I only laugh more, though, watching her with an adoring gaze. Naturally, this only serves to infuriate her more.

Finally she tosses her hands up and signs, [Fine. We'll do it your way, I'll meet your parents without any preparation.] I'm still chuckling at her answer, and what she says next only makes it worse. [But if I make a fool out of myself, it'll be all your fault!] She crosses her arms again beneath her breasts, glaring at me as I almost double over in laughter.

Shaking my head, I watch her with a wide smile. [You have nothing to worry about,] I sign while still giggling. [My parents are going to adore you.]

Shizune shifts a little in her seat at my words, her frown lessening just a little. She unfolds her arms, looking at me with an uncharacteristically uncertain gaze. Lifting her hands, she hesitates, then asks [You really think so?]

I nod, [I know so,] I answer confidently.

She lifts an eyebrow, asking, [Why?]

[Because you're a smart, wonderful, amazing girl and we've fallen in love with each other,] I answer. Her smile lights up the cabin as she stares at me.

She signs, [So why would they think that is so wonderful?]

Furrowing my brow I ask, [What do you mean?]

She replies, [Well, tell me more about them so I understand why that will make them adore me.]

I pause at her question, dumbfounded that she'd try something so overt. Crossing my arms, I glare at her. She looks back at with a slight smirk.

[Seriously?] I ask her.

She shrugs, her smirk growing.

[Yeah, nice try, Shizune,] I tell her.

She giggles silently at this, covering her mouth with her hand. [Hey, you can't blame a girl for trying,] she signs.

[Sure I can,] I answer with a grin.

She giggles all the more at this, watching me with an amused gaze while she does her best to look cute. I shake my head to make it clear I'm not budging on this one.

Shrugging, she signs with a smile, [it was worth a try.]

Smirking, I reply, [it was a pretty lame effort.]

Lifting an eyebrow at me, she signs back, [lame, was it?] She chuckles, [you're awfully bold for someone who's at my beck and call for the next five hours,] she points out.

I chuckle, staring back into her eyes. [Well, it hasn't been that bad so far,] I sign.

Grinning wickedly, she answers, [okay then, it's time for you to give me a foot rub.] With that, she stands up and seats herself next to me on the bench. Slipping her shoes off, she puts her feet in my lap, crossing her arms and watching me with an expectant gaze.

Chuckling, I look down at her bare feet in my lap and back over to her. [Is that the worst you can do?] I asks. [Making my girlfriend feel good by touching her body isn't much of a punishment.]

She huffs, ignoring the sexual innuendo and then signs, [we'll see if you say the same thing after your hands are too exhausted to keep going. Maybe I'll let you stop, or maybe I won't. It all depends on how much you please me.]

I laugh again, answering, [Ah, so cruel! How did I end up falling in love with such a mean girl?]

Narrowing her eyes, Shizune signs, [less talk, more rubbing.]

With a laugh, I dutifully go about my task, meeting her gaze as I do.

Yet another competition, this one a test of endurance.

I only hope my bravado hasn't written a check that my hands can't cash.

[Oscar Wildecat]

Shizune's eyes gleam at this, her grin twisting into a smirk as she looks at me with a keen gaze. [Is that so?] she asks. [It made a difference. I am impressed. We'll have to play more often, it's even more interesting tahn the first time we played.]

The "tahn" should be "than".

Otherwise, another fine chapter.

[bhtooefr]

And the Congradulations should be Congratulations, and the sponatenous should be spontaneous.

[AntonSlavik020]

I have a difficult time imagining Shizune being spontaneous. It should be interesting seeing how it goes with his parents.

[Oddball]

I have a difficult time imagining Shizune being spontaneous

Shizune is often spontaneous. She just plans it out ahead of time and doesn't tell anyone.

[sg1cat]

Shizune's eyes gleam at this, her grin twisting into a smirk as she looks at me with a keen gaze. [Is that so?] she asks. [It made a difference. I am impressed. We'll have to play more often, it's even more interesting tahn the first time we played.]

The "tahn" should be "than".

Fixed.

Otherwise, another fine chapter.

Most appreciated, thanks much!

And the Congradulations should be Congratulations, and the sponatenous should be spontaneous.

Thanks, fixed. I forgot to run the spell checker one last time... :-\

I have a difficult time imagining Shizune being spontaneous. It should be interesting seeing how it goes with his parents.

Indeed...it's coming, stay tuned!

I have a difficult time imagining Shizune being spontaneous

Shizune is often spontaneous. She just plans it out ahead of time and doesn't tell anyone.

Exactly! Planned spontaneity is the best kind, isn't it?

[sg1cat]

I'm really not sure how much time has passed since I started rubbing Shizune's feet, but it's been quite a while now. I can tell because of the burning sensation I feel from my fingertips all the way to my shoulders and my back. I'm not about to breathe one word of complaint, however. Those dark blue eyes of hers keep looking into mine, checking for any sign of surrender. I'm not ready to give her that satisfaction.

Though I fear I'm not far from it. The burning is quickly getting worse.

In spite of the exertion on my part, it's not been an unpleasant experience. Quite the opposite. It's been rather romantic, fatigue aside. Since I couldn't speak to her, she didn't make any effort to talk to me. Instead, we stared into each other's eyes, content to just watch each other. At first she was a little uncomfortable with this, blushing slightly, sometimes looking away. However, the more I rubbed her feet, the more she seemed to melt into the bench as she sat next to me. It wasn't long before she completely relaxed, smiling at me as she watched me rub her petite feet.

At one point, I even caught her nodding off. She quickly woke back up, though, jumping slightly in her seat and looking at me with an accusing stare, as if I'd done something wrong. I only smiled and continued rubbing. It wasn't long until she settled down again and watched me with a contented expression, looking away to stare out the window, smiling dreamily at the scenery rolling by. The sun had vanished behind endless clouds at some point since I started, leaving the outside dreary and gray. A few droplets of rain spattered across the window and it got darker outside, the light seeming to diminish, the further the train rolled along the track.

That was several minutes ago. Now she keeps looking back at me, catching my gaze to check on me, then going back to watching out the window as the train noisily makes its way through the gray, wet countryside. I struggle to keep going, but the burning is becoming too much.

Okay, I'm done. I don't care if she wins this one, if I keep rubbing her feet my arms are going to fall off.

I stop, too exhausted to even sign my surrender. She looks over at me from the window, smirking at her victory. A heavy sigh escapes me as I look back at her, defeated. She lifts an eyebrow at me. All I can do is shrug.

Even that is an effort.

Her smile softens as she looks at me. Sitting up, she slides next to me in the seat, taking my hand in her's. I furrow my brow as I watch her. She starts to rub my hand, starting from my fingertips then up to my palms, slowly caressing every inch of my hand as she looks into my eyes. I smile at her now, watching her face as she lazily starts to move up my arm. The firm touch of her fingers upon my sore muscles feels simply heavenly. She takes her time as she moves up, caressing the length of my arm in turn.

After she makes it all the way up to my shoulder and rubs that for a while, she then takes up my other hand and does the same thing. The whole time, we never look away from each other. When she gets to my other shoulder she has to reach across my body, which puts her face very close to mine. After a few moments of staring into her eyes while being able to feel her breath upon my face, I lean in to press my lips against hers. I hear her suck in her breath as she starts to kiss me back deeply.

Wrapping my arms about her waist, I pull her into my lap as our tongues entwine. She presses her body against mine, kissing me eagerly. Her hands rub over my cheeks and into my hair. We linger for a while, losing ourselves in each other.

My one hand slides up her body to start caressing her breast. She puts her hand over mine, hesitating before she starts to push me away, though it feels like a half-hearted and reluctant effort to me. I try to resist just a little, but then she gets more forceful, taking my hand in both of her's and moving it away, breaking the kiss while she does.

I look into her eyes as she pulls back, a little concerned.

[I'm sorry,] she signs, [I really want to, but we shouldn't.]

Furrowing my brow, I ask, [Did I do something wrong?]

She shakes her head vehemently, covering my hands with hers. [No,] she answers with a sharp motion. [No, you're fine,] she signs further. For emphasis, she leans in and cups my face, kissing me deeply again, but then pulls back just as quickly.

[You said your parents are picking us up from the train station tonight?] she signs, looking to me for confirmation. Confused, I nod. She moves her hands to say more, but pauses for a moment.

Finally, with crimson cheeks she signs, [After a long day of travel, I'll probably be barely presentable as it is. I really don't want to meet your parents for the first time with both of us smelling like stale sex.]

Looking into her eyes as she signs it, I struggle to keep a straight face at her words, but find it's impossible. Her face flushes all the more as I start laughing, my body shaking against hers as I hold her. [Not funny!] she signs with a furious gaze, but this only makes me laugh harder. As I keep laughing, her hands go from signing to punching me just below my shoulder, at the top of my chest.

The instant she does, our eyes meet and her face goes white as a sheet, my laughter likewise stopping suddenly. I feel my heart pounding heavily in my chest for a beat or two, but I'm pretty sure it's only due to my utter surprise.

[I'm sorry!] she signs suddenly, looking panicked. [Are you okay?!] she asks with shaking hands as she stares into my face with a terrified expression.

I draw a deep breath, looking away from her for a moment while I take measure of my chest. Everything seems in order, and I look back into her eyes with a nod. [I'm fine,] I tell her. I'm about to sign more when she starts moving her hands.

[Hisao, I'm so sorry, I can't believe I did that.] She looks thoroughly chagrined, blushing all the way to the tips of her ears and down to her chest. I see anger in her eyes, and realize that she's furious at herself. There's still a measure of fear and panic, too.

Covering her hands with mine, I lean in to kiss her tenderly. Though hesitant at first, she soon hungrily rubs her lips against mine, cupping my face in her hands. Her body trembles slightly as I wrap my arms about her. We kiss for a long time, Shizune nestling herself into my embrace as I hold her tightly.

When we finally part, she buries her face against my neck, stroking my cheek lovingly. I keep her wrapped tightly in my embrace, smiling as she kisses my neck now and again. When I run my fingers through her hair she snuggles up against me all the more.

Eventually she sits up, gazing at me with an anxious, worried stare. I lift my hands to sign to her.

[Shizune, I'm fine, really. It's okay.] She nods at my words, resting her forehead against mine. She kisses me tenderly, then buries her face in the crook of my shoulder again. I slide my arm over her back, rubbing her firmly as I watch the passing scenery out our window. The rain is falling harder now, it's a steady downpour. The drops strike the glass noisily, filling my ears. As content as I am with her curled up in my lap like this, I don't want her to continue beating herself up over an innocent and honest mistake.

Caressing her cheek, I nudge her to silently get her to sit up. Reluctantly she does so, looking at me with a hesitant gaze. I need to derail her train of thought.

I sign to her, [I've gotta say, I'm really enjoying all the affection you've been showing me since yesterday.]

She blinks in surprise and blushes slightly, clearly not having expected that. Her hands hover motionlessly, then she gives me a coy smile and signs, [I'm glad...] Again she hesitates, then adds, [I've been enjoying it too.] Her dark blue eyes stare into mine as her hands make the words.

I grin, meeting her gaze intently. After a pause of my own, I ask, [so, why the change?]

She shifts uncomfortably, furrowing her brow. [What do you mean?] she asks, unable to look into my eyes now.

[Well, you weren't like this throughout the school year,] I sign. [It was only yesterday when you started being so loving...]

Her expression falls, and I start regretting my words. [Shizune, I'm sorry,] I start to sign, but she covers my hands with hers, shaking her head.

[No, you're right,] she signs, [I've been a lousy girlfriend.]

I grab her hands, scowling. [That's not true, and that's not what I said,] I sign with slashing motions of my hands. [You've been a wonderful girlfriend.]

She frowns at this, shaking her head vehemently. [No, I haven't,] she says in a very matter-of-fact manner. [We barely went on any dates. I was always too busy with Student Council work or spending time with Misha to be with you. Like you pointed out, I almost never showed you this kind of affection before yesterday.]

[You showed me some affection,] I protest.

She glares at me, [having sex is wonderful, amazing really, but that's not what you were talking about when you brought this up, and you know it.] I sigh as she continues, [I basically ignored you the rest of the time. I certainly didn't treat you like a girlfriend should.]

[Shizune,] I sign, but she plows on instead of letting me get a word in edgewise.

[That's why I'm being so much more affectionate now,] she signs. [I know I've been lousy to you, and I want to make up for lost time. When you told me yesterday that you love me, something finally clicked inside.] I smile at her words. She hesitates, and I wait patiently, sensing she has more to tell me. Soon her hands move again, [but, I can't really take credit for that epiphany,] she signs. [Just a few days ago, Misha and I had another fight. Only, this time, it wasn't about me and her, it was about you.]

I furrow my brow in surprise, but wait for her to go on. [She basically confronted me with how bad I've been to you. It was kind of more of the same from our last fight, when she was so down on herself, but this time it was only about you and I. She said that in the past few weeks, since the last time she and I had argued before, I hadn't done anything about it. She told me I was being stupid and I would lose you if I didn't make an effort to be a better girlfriend. She said that I needed to show you and tell you how I feel, a lot more, that I needed to make time for you and not be so focused on only my ambition.]

She watches my face intently as she goes on, studying my every reaction with that analytical stare of hers. Her hands pause now as she waits, looking to see if I'll affirm Misha's words or not. I hesitate.

It's times like this that I'm thankful we can only communicate in sign. I can choose my words carefully.

[Shizune, I love you,] I start to tell her. [I can't deny that I've been sad that we haven't had more time together, or that we haven't been more affectionate, but I'm just as responsible for that as you are.] Her eyes drill into mine as I continue, [I could have taken the initiative more, I could have asked you out on dates. I could have tried to show you more how I feel.] Her gaze softens at my words, a smile starting to find its way onto her lips. [I understood when you were so consumed with Student Council business. I knew what I was getting into when I asked you to be my girlfriend. I helped you prepare for both festivals before that, remember?] Her smile starts to show itself more as she watches me, her countenance growing more happy as I go on.

[But none of that is important anymore,] I assure her. [What's important now is this moment, and every one that follows.] I pause from signing to caress her cheek. She closes her eyes and leans into my hand, but I'm not done. Withdrawing, I wait for her to open her eyes again. When she does, I go on. [What's important now is that we know and acknowledge to each other that we both need to do better. What's important now is that we want to do better, and are ready to make the necessary changes to see it happen.] By the time I'm done, she's smiling from ear to ear at me.

[I love you, Shizune Hakamichi,] I sign forcefully. [I've decided that I want to be a part of your life, no matter what.] Her expression cracks and her eyes start to glisten. [I'm willing to take a back seat to your ambition, from time to time,] I smirk as I go on, [so long as you don't forget about me.]

She draws in a deep breath and watches me intently, staring into my eyes. Cupping my cheeks in her hands, she leans in and kisses me deeply, passionately. My hand roam over her back and into her hair as I respond in kind, squeezing her against me. I taste her tears, my heart aching as I kiss her all the more hungrily.

Finally she pulls back and looks at me, her cheeks stained with tears as she signs, [Hisao, I could never forget about you.] She caresses my cheek with a sweet smile before signing again, [and I'll never again let you feel like you're neglected because of my ambition, or any other reason.] I smile at her, but I'm not convinced that she'll be able to deliver on that.

She must have been able to read my thoughts on my face, because she goes on, [I know it'll be a challenge...my lust for power is somewhat insatiable...] she wiggles a finger at word "somewhat", smiling sheepishly at her own words.

[But I promise you, Hisao,] she goes on to sign with strong motions, [my desire to be with you is just as strong as my ambition now, even stronger. I don't want to make you feel unwanted or unloved ever again.] I smile widely at her, happy beyond words.

[But!] she signs with a glint in her eye, [as you said, I'm not the only one at fault.] I lift an eyebrow at this, meeting her gaze. [You were never very assertive through the year. I often expected you to kiss me or try something dirty, but you never did. I confess that disappointed me.] I clear my throat uncomfortably. I think I'm blushing, and the amused look on her face seems to confirm that. [You asked me, so now I'm asking you. Why didn't you?]

I shift somewhat uncomfortably, forcing myself to keep my eyes on hers. I wasn't expecting this to get turned around on me, though I can hardly blame her. My brow furrows as I think about my answer.

[I think I was scared,] I say honestly. She furrows her brow slightly. [I don't know if you realize, but you can be rather intimidating.] Now it's her turn to blush, to which I smile as I go on. [Besides, I'm as new at this as you are. I've never had a girlfriend before, so I was a bit nervous about it, and here you are, the Class President.] She giggles silently as I sign further, [Combine all that with how aloof you were, and I didn't want to push my luck by making you uncomfortable with unwanted affection.]

Shizune frowns slightly, looking a little sad. [I'm sorry,] she signs.

Shaking my head, I cover her hands with mine, squeezing them affectionately as I do. [You have nothing to be sorry for,] I sign. [I could have been bolder, but I chose not to be. Like I said, all that doesn't matter now. We're turning over a new leaf, and just in time, too.] She starts to smile, as if she knows what I'm about to say. [We have all of break to enjoy each other's company like this.]

A happy sigh answers me as she leans in to press her lips to mine sweetly, wrapping her arms all the more tightly around my neck as I pull her against me again, my arms snug about her waist.

We kiss, my ears filled with the rattle of the train as it carries us forward, the sound punctuated by the constant tapping of the rain against the window. Shizune is warm in my arms, her lithe body pressed against mine as we kiss endlessly.

How I do love this woman.

[OutofBlues]

[I know I've been lousy to you, and I want to make up for lost time. When you told me yesterday that you love me, something finally clicked inside.] I smile at her words. She hesitates, and I wait patiently, sensing she has more to tell me. Soon her hands move again, [but, I can't really take credit for that epiphany,] she signs. [Just a few days ago, Misha and I had another fight. Only, this time, it wasn't about me and her, it was about you.]

Shizune was never very likely to make a massive change in her behavior out of the blue unless she had her face rubbed in the fact that she was committing the most horrible of mistakes...not being the best at something. Misha pointing out that she could lose Hisao due to her own negligence seems like the kind of thing that would kick her into high gear.

Mind you, it never really bothered me one way or another why she had a change of heart at the end of the year, but that you managed to explain it in a way that remains truthful to what we know about Misha and Shizune's character is really impressive. I can't think any other Shizune epilogues that remain faithful to the characters like that.

Also, update is full of d'awwww.