The Night Is Ours [ Social / Closed]

[Luke Clyburn]

Social between Luke Clyburn and Shizuka Sanamizu ✮

Why was he so nervous? Dipping his hands into the sink and splashing the water he cupped onto his face, Luke lifted his head to stare at his own reflection. Amber-colored eyes stared back at one another. Damp white and black bangs clung to the skin of his forehead and eyebrows. Lowering his hands and using them to lean against the sink counter Luke stared ahead at his reflection as he repeated the question in his head. Why was he so nervous? He had just gotten out of the shower. Steam was still present on the mirror. Using his hand he had cleared off a portion of the mirror to see his face so he could shave the growing stubble off his jawline. He was taking extra time tonight to make sure, especially sure, that he was well groomed. But why was he so nervous? This was hardly the first time he had done what he was doing tonight.

This wasn’t his first date with Shizuka Sanamizu. No, it was hardly the first. But he had the same nervousness and anxiousness that he did when he first asked her out. Despite how familiar he was with her, despite how close they were, despite the nights they spent with each other, despite their confessions of love… Luke was nervous. Anxious. Excited. He was taking Shizuka, that angel, the love of his life, out on a date tonight. A date. A simple date between the two of them. It had felt like it had been forever since they had done something like this. However, that feeling would be felt differently between the two. After all, the last couple of years had passed differently between each other.

Turning off the sink's running water, Luke took a long and deep breath. It’s just a date. Just the two of us going to dinner, having drinks, and just talking. Luke thought to himself in an attempt to calm his fired-up nerves. Why was he so anxious? He wasn’t like this the first time they had a date, was he? Had he been more relaxed and confident when they went and saw the fireworks? Or was there more to this on his mind? Was he just excited rather than anxious? He kept thinking about what they said to each other that morning, as well as what happened the night prior, and each and every time it was brought up in his head he felt warm and fuzzy on the inside. They confessed to one another. Despite how much drama their relationship had. Despite how many hurdles it had gone through… she told him she loved him. And he told her the same.

Luke’s ears felt warm again as he stared down at the emptying sink. He needed to get ready and stop thinking about this. Every time he did all it made him want to do was run to the floor above him and go see her. Pick her up, kiss her, and consummate their feelings all throughout the day. Chances are that was probably going to happen anyway tonight given their personalities and eagerness. But despite everything they had been through, despite all of the drama Luke had brought onto the relationship, Shizuka was willing to give them another chance. She had never let go of what she felt for him. The realization that she had never been able to forget about him while he was gone left him feeling upset. He had put her through a lot. Now he had the chance to make up for it. To do everything he could to undo the hurt he had caused her with his absence. A lot had happened between them and speaking of a lot had happened. Luke reached across his left shoulder with his hand and rubbed at the black-inked X tattoo that now decorated his skin. The marking that proved he had joined Xcution, Shizuka’s organization. He hadn’t expected he was gonna get an organizational tramp stamp when he agreed to work for her, but, here we were. Plus, speaking of a lot happening.

You’ve been quiet.

…

…

…

Not sure why you’re pretending that I don’t know you’re there.

”Hmph. And how long have you known?” a voice replied back inside of Luke’s head. A voice that Luke had thought he heard the night he had spent with Shizuka. The night that he had drank her reiatsu and fed on her soul while their bodies were intertwined. Ever since then, though, he had been quiet. Silent as a mouse. But Luke had known he was there. A presence occupying the previous emptiness of his mind that was unmistakable.

”A while now. I guess I was wondering who, between the two of us, was going to crack first and say something. When did you wake up?”

”While you were on top of that woman you are so excited about seeing. I was not shocked to find that the first thing you did after recovering was stick your meat in something. Least of all to see it was with that woman. Though, I suppose I should be grateful she couldn’t get over you. She’s a worthwhile meal.”

Was there a compliment in there somewhere?

”I’m saying that thanks to her and your… enthusiastic taste for her, I was able to regenerate.”

So that’s how it was. The voice inside Luke’s head was none other than Springflut. The very Doll that three years ago Luke had gone off to battle. To reobtain dominance and control over. During that battle, the two had critically injured the other. The injuries Luke had sustained should have killed him but before his life could end he was frozen and entered a regenerative hibernation. That’s where he had been for the last three years. For awhile Luke had wondered if he had succeeded. Was he able to convey his feelings to his Doll and remaster that aspect of himself? Well, given the fact the two were talking to each other… that was a maybe.

So..

So?

Are we good?

”Hmmm… why? Do you wish to go another round, boy?”

No, I’d rather not. Though I wouldn’t have any trouble taking you down if I had to this time.

”Hah. Survival has made you arrogant, boy. But I suppose we are ‘good’ as you say. You’ve heeded my words.”

Well, that was one less thing to worry about. Having finished what he needed to do in the bathroom while he had been conversing with his Doll, Luke opened his closet and began getting dressed. Since moving into the apartment and accepting his new position at Xcution, Luke had come into some money. One of the first things he did was fill up his closet with more than just jeans and sweatpants. He needed appropriate work attire. Shizuka herself had practically dragged him to a Mens Warehouse and made him try on everything she liked. Various business casual attire, suits, and other well-fitting formal wear were on one side of his decently sized closet, while the other half had his usual comfort, workout, clothing.

Because of the plans he had made tonight, Luke decided to dress in something formal. A red collared shirt with a black vest. Alongside that, he put on some black dress pants with similarly colored dress shoes. ”Black, black, and some red. You certainly only like two colors.” Luke heard followed by some light chuckling. It fits my color palette. Everyone has a color they look good in. he replied back, grabbing a dress jacket to wear once outside. Giving himself one final lookover Luke was satisfied. He fit into the outfit perfectly. He was a handsome devil when given some good clothes. Tonight was one of those nights he needed to look his best. Smell his best as well. Cologne alongside his bodywash.

Locking his apartment up, Luke couldn’t help but smile to himself as he thought about how everything had played out when he woke up. Finding the stairwell for the apartment Luke headed upstairs and made his way to the door to the penthouse. As he approached he felt butterflies in his stomach that he had to force back down. Lifting his arm up he banged his fist, firmly but gently, on the door and waited. When the door opened, Luke couldn’t stop himself from being stunned for a moment.

”Wow. You look beautiful.”

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

There weren't enough diamonds on this Earth that could outshine Shizuka Sanamizu tonight. Completely giddy, she thought back to the moment she and Luke had on the couch where he finally admitted that he loved her. He had been the first to say it between the two of them, but she knew she'd been thinking it for quite some time. Years, maybe. She never really stopped, actually. Luke had been the first person since Kento whom she really felt that connection with and actively believed with all her heart that she loved. It was a lot to process, though. He'd just woken up.

Despite that, she found herself excited beyond words. The man she'd believed to have been dead came back to her and asked her on a date! She couldn't stop smiling. Taking her time in the shower, Shizuka enjoyed every drop of insanely hot water against her skin as she remembered the night Luke returned, allowing her mind to show those memories as if they were a movie. He had been irresistible even if he didn't realize it. His eyes were mesmerizing. His body was solid with muscle and there wasn't a single part of it that Shizuka hadn't wanted to touch in one way or another. She enjoyed every second she had with that man.

It was still difficult, of course, because she felt as though she should be frustrated still. Yet, for some reason, that frustration was leaving her mind so quickly. She could have blamed it on the physical nature of their reunion, and part of that was likely very true, but there was more to it. It wasn't just the chemistry they had. It wasn't just the fact that the simple act of biting her neck had brought her more pleasure than she ever could have expected from such a thing. There was something about him that made it so incredibly impossible to stay angry. It was just who he was.

"Y'know, a lot of people would tell me that I'm insane. I can't even tell my friends that he's come back. They had to pick up all my pieces when his whole disappearance broke my heart."

Shizuka had finally gotten out of the shower after thoroughly cleaning herself and dried off, giving some attention to her dog, Nuggets. He was a sweet little puppy who Kaen had gifted her several months back. He was patiently waiting for his mommy to finish up in the bathroom and pet him properly, so he had used one of the bath mats as a bed while he curled up in a ball and stared at her as she talked to him. He was a good listener but that was probably because he never really talked back to her. He just sat there and looked cute.

"I mean, they would probably be so disappointed, right? Like, why would I ever go back to someone who tore me apart emotionally and then randomly showed back up out of nowhere just to be invited BY ME to bed and... well, you get it. You were just in another room at the time."

She wrapped her long, wet blonde hair up in her towel and found some garments to wear under a red dress. This dress was her favorite. Its length was only down to about mid-thigh, but the straps were thin over each shoulder and carefully led anyone's eyes down to the deep V-neckline. The portion around her torso fit snugly, showing off her curves and the physique she had spent years perfecting. The skirt of the dress, though, was quite loose and flowy. It was flattering for her body type, and she decorated the outfit with a golden necklace that housed a diamond as a pendant and matching golden hoop earrings. This made it easy for her to wear her Fullbring shoes without them looking out of place.

Though it took about forty minutes, Shizuka managed to finish putting her makeup on and checked herself in the mirror one more time before letting her hair down out of the towel that it was wrapped up in. She grabbed her hairdryer and a couple of brushes, making sure to keep her hair as bright and fluffy as possible as she dried it. This was her ritual every morning. She didn't always dress in such fancy clothes and typically kept up with a more business casual style, but Luke had specifically mentioned that they were going somewhere nice. She couldn't contain her enthusiasm and had to expend the energy somehow.

"What do you think?" Shizuka turned and asked Nuggets as she finished drying and styling her hair, letting it flow down her back like rays of sunlight. "I think he'll like this. And I got a new mascara so I think it makes my eyelashes look really voluminous!"

Clearly, Nuggets wouldn't care, but again, she needed to expend the energy. That, and she needed to look absolutely perfect. She had to face facts and acknowledge that Luke was basically a Greek god personified and she was desperate to match. She'd never felt particularly self-conscious about her looks before, but the closer she got to the time Luke had said he was going to come get her, the more nervous she felt and the more she kept looking at herself in the mirror and fixing something. She didn't understand why she was getting so worked up over this. It was a date, yes, but they'd been on plenty!

This was just... different. We're both different now. It's been so long. I must just be freaking out because of that. She wanted him to feel like he made the right choice in choosing her again with his confession. There was a small part of her who felt like she kind of egged him on because of her pouting. He may have let it slip the night before, but he was falling asleep and she barely knew what he said. Then he tried denying it once he was awake. So what if this was his way of letting her down easy? Shizuka had to stop thinking about this. She already felt her eyes start to ache as they began filling with tears that she promptly blinked away. She'd deal with that if it ever came up.

It was then that Shizuka heard a knock at her door, signaling her to quickly run over and unlock the deadbolt. Within a moment of opening the door, she looked up to see a man smiling down at her, looking so love-struck that she almost couldn't believe it. She was taken aback at the sight of him. Luke had dressed in formal attire and actually matched her, which was definitely not planned. Her eyes gazed up at his, then slowly trailed all the way down his body to his shoes. Once they made their way back up, she'd heard him say something that made her heart skip a beat.

”Wow. You look beautiful.”

She smiled and felt her cheeks get warm, warning her that she was likely blushing. "And you look so..." Sexy. "Sexy." Shizuka quickly slapped her hand over her mouth as her eyes widened with shock. "Oh my god, I meant handsome. You look so handsome! Jesus freaking Christ."

Turning around and inviting Luke into her apartment for just a second while she grabbed her bag, Shizuka said absolutely nothing after that. She was clearly frustrated with her mouth for betraying her like that and speaking what had been on her mind. She was just thankful in that moment that it didn't go further. There were several thoughts passing through that did not belong there yet when she saw him dressed in his fancy date clothes. His chest was just so broad and the shirt he chose flattered his arms very nicely, drawing her eyes down to his hands and fingers. She needed to not think about his fingers.

After she grabbed her bag, Shizuka pivoted back towards Luke and flipped her hair, fluffing it back up from being caught beneath her purse's shoulder strap. Now that she was completely ready, she could finally turn her attention back towards the man who was simultaneously causing a rich mix of feelings to house themselves within her body, ranging from somewhat embarrassed from her earlier comment to a familiar aching that she was desperate to choke down. She knew that was happening because he cleaned up nicely and knew how to dress to show himself off in the best way, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it.

"Well," she said, a smirk showing itself upon her face as she stepped closer to Luke, their bodies barely a foot apart from each other. "Where might you be taking me tonight?"

[Luke Clyburn]

Sexy.

Well, that was a compliment that Luke wasn’t expecting. It was one that he actually appreciated to hear. It made him smile sheepishly for a moment, along with bringing a red blush to his ears, along with some chuckling at her cute reaction. ”I’ll take sexy. Especially when it comes from you.” he said in response when she started correcting herself out of embarrassment. She just blurt out the first thing she thought. Accepting her invitation into her apartment, Luke took those few seconds to really appreciate how put together she was. She was wearing that red dress of hers that highlighted her body and how beautiful she was. It was his favorite dress of hers. Luke didn’t say it but he felt warm fuzzies on the inside looking at her. The way her hair bounced, the styling of her makeup and eyelashes, it all came together to really paint a masterpiece. Shizuka was beautiful. Luke couldn’t help but hold a longing stare at her as he watched her move about her apartment. He was lovestruck.

A part of him didn’t want to go out. Just like Shizuka, Luke was feeling something as well. Looking at her, seeing how dressed up she was, Luke wanted to wrap her in his arms and lift her onto the counter. The mental image of them locking their lips together, their tongues dancing around in each other's mouths, as he worked that dress off of her filled his head for a moment before he choked it down. Dangerous thoughts. He didn’t want to excite himself too much. Yet. They had a date. Maybe that would come afterward. Though when she got within only a foot of him those temptations sure came back with a fiery vengeance. ”Where might you be taking me tonight?”

It was Luke’s turn to smirk now. ”That’s a surprise. But you’re gonna love it.” he replied with a tilt of his head. Opening the door for her and letting her out first, Luke started walking her through the apartment complex. He was excited. He had spent the last week getting everything ready for tonight. Reservations, favors, research, the works. That was part of the reason why he choked down the growing desires and excitement inside him instead of spending the entire evening in Shizuka’s apartment with her. This was an opportunity for him to not only impress her but show her how serious he was about wanting to give their relationship another try. He didn’t want to lose her. So he needed to show her the level of effort he was willing to put into the relationship.

Leading her outside the apartment complex Luke could only grin with giddiness. Because once they were outside, Shizuka would see something waiting for them. Parked on the side of the road with a door open awaiting them was a long, black-colored, limousine. The chauffeur, dressed in a black suit with white gloves and a red tie, eagerly bowed to Shizuka and Luke in greeting. ”Surprise.” Luke said with a grin to his date. ”Considering where we’re going I felt it would be appropriate to arrive with some style.” he explained, offering her entry into the lengthy car first.

Inside was quite the sight. One side of the car's length was entirely taken up by a lengthy leather seat. The rear was likewise taken up by seating, but nowhere near as long as the right side was. Low lights lined the floor around the seats. The left side of the limousine was taken up by both a small drinking bar as well as a few more seats. ”There’s still a bit of time before our reservation so, I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if we just rode around until then. Have a little something to drink.” Luke explained once he got in with her and the door was shut. ”Can I get you something to drink?” he asked his date, motioning to the bar, as the chauffeur climbed into the driver's seat and activated the dividing window to rise, giving the two love birds a bit of privacy.

”This is certainly different than our first date, isn’t it?” Luke asked, pouring himself a bit of bourbon into a glass and sitting down next to Shizuka.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

So he wouldn't tell her. Lame! But she had to trust his judgment. She remembered a few of their dates from before he had disappeared very fondly, and he planned many of them all by himself. What people didn't always see of Luke was that he could be very considerate, and Shizuka loved that about him. In fact, he was quite thoughtful when it came to things they'd do together like this. If he said it was a surprise, then she was going to let him surprise her. She didn't want to ruin everything this man had gone and planned for them both.

After Shizuka graciously accepted Luke's offer to hold the door for her, she allowed him to take the lead again and bring her outside of the apartment. The two of them made it down to the main floor where she waved to her front desk clerk who smiled softly back. Since this building belonged to her, she knew every single member of staff. They were all personally hired by her and typically went to school near the area. Shizuka actually had quite a few high school students who would work shifts when they weren't at school and she'd let them study during their downtime. It was cushy for them.

Once the two of them approached the main doors of the lobby, Shizuka could see through the glass very easily and noticed a man in a suit waiting by a limousine. This thing was long, too. It wasn't one of the shorter ones. No, it was the kind of limo that would be expected to arrive at some kind of acting awards show. This was crazy! Shizuka couldn't help but smile like crazy and look from the limo back to Luke several times before finally getting close enough to even consider sitting inside. She couldn't find the words to respond to Luke, but he would see her excitement written all over her face.

"Aww, Luke, this is awesome! I can't believe you did this!" Shizuka slid herself into the limo carefully and started to explore, opening random things and looking at the glasses. "Y'know I don't even get limos to take me around to important events? This is, like, super special!"

Once Luke got settled, he explained that they had a little while before their reservation and hinted at Shizuka that they could go for a joyride. The chauffeur, almost on command, closed the privacy window between his area at the front of the vehicle and the massive space that housed the two others. With the offer of a drink, Shizuka thought to herself for a moment before opening up the cabinets of the bar and looking at its contents. It was clearly stocked with things the two of them liked, so booking a limo like this must've meant also giving instructions for alcohol.

"You had them put vodka and cranberry juice in here? Oh my gosh, Mr. Clyburn. You're trying to get me messed up."

She laughed but then reassured him that she wanted a glass of it anyway. This entire night belonged to them, after all. One or two, maybe three or so, drinks weren't going to hurt either of them. He'd be able to handle her if she got a little too rowdy. He's done it before, especially back when she lost control of herself when they'd agreed to spar together so many years ago. In terms of strength, Luke had her beat. She'd teased before that he wouldn't be able to handle her, but there was a part of her who felt a bit of anxiety when she thought that could be false.

”This is certainly different than our first date, isn’t it?”

"Aww, you mean the match back when we were pretending to be different people?" She turned her attention back towards Luke and took a sip from her drink. "I'm only kidding! I remember it. This is different, but still wonderful. I feel like we both haven't really changed much compared to how we were then."

Maybe power-wise they had changed, sure. But they were both the same people, or that's how she felt. The only major difference that she knew anything about was Luke's personality. He'd gone from this cocky but still very unsure boy to an incredibly confident and well-meaning man. Shizuka scooted herself closer to Luke and held her glass at her lips, deciding whether or not she wanted to finish her drink quickly and get another. Would it be in poor taste to be a little tipsy before going wherever it was he had planned? It certainly helped ease the nerves, and she suddenly became extremely aware of how nervous she actually was.

In order to fight that feeling off a bit, she took a few more sips that were considerably larger than the first couple, leaving only about a fourth of the drink in her glass. She hadn't eaten much at all that day, also due to the butterflies in her stomach, so she worried for a second about whether or not this would hit her sooner than she'd want. As soon as her shoulder touched Luke's and she felt his warmth against her skin, she mentally shrugged the concern away and slid her right hand over his thigh, giving it a soft squeeze.

"You really didn't have to do all of this for me, you know. We could have gone to look at appliances in Home Depot or something and I would have been so happy just because it'd have been with you. The effort hasn't gone unnoticed."

Shizuka finished her drink and leaned forward to place the glass on the bar before settling back where she was, cuddled right up next to Luke. She rested her head on his left shoulder and closed her eyes, listening to the music playing inside the car while the ambient noises from the outside dared to intrude. Despite how nervous she was, Shizuka had not been this calm in so long. It was as if just being right next to him was enough to keep her feeling safe and secure. Maybe he'd let her return the favor sometime with all of this planning he had done and she could treat him to a nice evening.

[Luke Clyburn]

Glad to see she likes it.

Luke thought to himself with a sly smile as he watched Shizuka excitedly slide into the back of the limo and begin exploring. It was a reasonable guess that she had previously ridden in a vehicle like this. After all, Shizuka was just that type of high-class woman. But it made Luke happy to see that she was excited nonetheless. Score one for me. Luke thought to himself as he climbed in after Shizuka, watching her explore the interior cabin. The man couldn’t help but smirk at her a little when she found the alcohol and dared to accuse him of trying to get her drunk. ”I thought you might like a little something to soothe the nerves. Getting you messed up though, well, we should save that for later.” he teased as he sat down beside her.

The Bount got himself a glass of bourbon. Only a little bit though. He didn’t intend to get shitfaced right now. Not before they even had dinner. The ice chinked in the glass cup as the brown liquid shifted a bit as the limousine started up and he took his seat beside her. Luke took a sip from the awfully strong drink held in his left hand when he felt Shizuka press her shoulder against him and rest her hand on his thigh. The touch brought another smile to Luke’s face as he looked at her, noticing that she was well on her way to relaxing. He couldn’t keep himself from chuckling when she brought up how they had first met. ”Life was different back then for sure. Still hard to believe I made a living out of a fighting ring for a while. Living in a club made out of an old prison… man, what a time. But I might not have met you if you hadn’t been there scouting out talent.” Luke said to her in a low tone as the fingers of his free hand brushed against the hand she left on his thigh.

He curled his fingers into her hand, holding it gently and sharing his warmth with her. Luke wasn’t much of a public display of affection sort of person. He had always been rather bashful when it came to romantic matters and displays. But like this, with her, he had no problem with holding her hand and sharing a moment of quiet intimacy with her. Luke looked at her with a soft and warm expression. Being with her like this was something he didn’t want to end. Maybe it was possible that the drive could go on forever. Being with Shizuka made him forget all of his problems. All of his anxieties and worries just went away when he was in her presence.

”Hah. I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” Luke chuckled in response to her joke. ”I may not have needed to, but, I wanted to. I wanted to do something special for you. Something as memorable as our first date.” Luke explained as Shizuka rested her head against him and closed her eyes. He smiled and took another sip of his drink, lowering the cup and stroking her hand with his thumb. Luke looked at her and decided to let the silence remain between them for a bit. She just looked so relaxed. Quiet moments like this between them were so rare these days. Luke simply looked at her, going through all the memories he had with her, as the car continued to drive around Karakura Town. The city lights bled into the car through the windows, painting Shizuka in a variety of different hues and colors from time to time. He was just stuck looking at her. Enraptured by how beautiful she was.

”Well, I certainly hope I’ve changed a bit.” Luke would comment after a few minutes of quiet between them, referencing what she had said earlier. ”The me from years ago could be a mess sometimes. But you certainly haven’t. You’re still the same angel I’ve always known. Still just as kind, as sweet, and as beautiful as ever. The same woman I love.” it was Luke’s turn to rest his head against the top of Shizuka’s. The smell of her hair product entered his nose, making him take a slightly deeper breath. ”Your hair smells nice.” he commented before pulling away.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

"You're such a sap," Shizuka joked, though the warmth in her face and the smile on her lips would betray her words, showing him that she actually liked what he'd said.

Pulling a small bunch of hair away from the rest of it, Shizuka played with the silky strands between her fingers and tried to avoid looking at Luke. They were alone in the back of this limousine and the privacy window was up. Her dress flowed nicely and wasn't very constricting below her waist, allowing the skirt to dance around as she moved in an effortless way. The cuteness of it was as intentional as the overall elegance she had gone for when preparing herself for tonight, but the thoughts that clouded her mind weren't going to win this time. Even though she wore something that could be moved out of the way if she ever found a reason, that wasn't going to happen yet.

All it took was a small lean forward to reach the bar that held the ingredients Shizuka needed to refill her drink. She mixed the cranberry juice and vodka again, taking small, feminine sips once she had finished making it. She crossed her legs at her ankles and settled herself back on the seat of the limousine, nestled right up next to Luke as she continued her sips. She really didn't drink very often, so even though only a short time had passed, she started to realize she already felt a bit less restricted by her mind as she had been earlier when she was stone-cold sober. Her date may have better self-control than she did, but she wasn't going to admit that to him.

"I was worried, you know." Hoping to distract herself, she started talking to Luke between sips. "When I saw your face again, I had so many thoughts racing through my head that it was hard to keep track of it all. I assumed you were going to tell me you were back and then that would be it. You'd disappear, but you'd be alive in the world somewhere. I don't know. I had all sorts of fears."

A moment of honestly and vulnerability made her feel so weirdly uncomfortable. She wanted to be completely open with this man, yet found it difficult to have these kinds of conversations. With this, she started to make an effort to become more transparent and tell him what was on her mind instead of bottling it up. All of these years doing what she did for a living taught her a few things, but the main problem she gained through it was not trusting people enough. Luke was different. She trusted him more than anybody. They shared something that was so strong, and she was sure he wouldn't use it against her. She knew others could be trusted, too, but she still feared that her weaknesses would be exploited somehow. She wasn't invincible.

She also had a terrible tolerance to alcohol. Before she knew it, she'd finished her second glass and realized the world lagged behind whenever she looked a new direction. That wasn't good. Shizuka took this as a great sign to stop and figured she'd just use her false courage to help her on her journey towards honesty that she was so desperate to complete with this man. Even so, she placed her glass on top of the bar and leaned back into the seat, pressing her side against his. She kept her hands to herself this time, tangled up within each other as they rested against her lap. Her eyes were closed, but she was still enjoying the smooth drive thanks to the highly skilled chauffeur.

"I missed you, Luke. I'm glad you're back."

[Luke Clyburn]

Moments like this felt so fleeting. What Luke wouldn’t have given to stay like this forever. Hidden away from the rest of the world with just Shizuka, right here, with him. He felt at peace. Anxieties that he had and was forced to confront and ponder over every day were nowhere to be found. Within the walls of the limousine, the feeling of the seat cushion at his back, and with the light weight of the woman he loved leaning against him, Luke felt at peace. He watched her lean forward to get herself another drink. Renting the one with the minibar wasn’t a bad idea. feeling rather content with his choice as he had that thought to himself. He didn’t have any issue with Shizuka indulging herself, though he only hoped she didn’t take it too far before dinner. The night was just getting started after all.

She confessed something to him that caught his attention, pulling him out of the comfortable silence that was persisting between them on the ride. Luke blinked as he listened to her words, gazing down at the woman with a patient glance as he waited for her to finish her thought. ”Hmm.” he mumbled, lowering his gaze a tad as he reflected on what she said. He didn’t know if he could ever truly know how much she missed him. He could only imperfectly imagine what she had gone through during those years without him. Confused, angry, hurt. Where had he gone? Why hadn’t he told her? Where was he? Questions that she undoubtedly asked herself over and over again for years. Until he finally showed up again. When his name flashed up on her phone and she saw his face again.

”Things were a blink of an eye for me. I remember a few hazy dreams but, for me, those lost years came and went like a nap. But you were stuck in the waking world.” Luke said, rocking his cup around a little to listen to the ice cubes chink up against the glass. ”But, no. Even if you hadn’t been willing for us to try again, I would have still tried to be a part of your life. Even as just a friend. I care about you too much to just abandon you over a breakup. I don’t plan on going anywhere.” Luke replied in an attempt to reassure her. This was a difficult subject for him. It wasn’t that having a serious conversation was difficult, no. It was that he couldn’t put himself in Shizuka’s shoes.

He could never fully understand what she had gone through while he regenerated. He put himself into a situation where if one thing had gone wrong then it would end in catastrophic results. For him to reacquire domination over his Doll, Luke alone had to be the one to face it. A battle where Bount and Doll's feelings were conveyed to one another through combat. The fact that Luke hadn’t died was a once-in-a-lifetime miracle. But that came with a cost. Losing three years of his life, hurting the people he loved the most, and having to live with those consequences. All he could do now was try to repair the things that had been damaged. His relationship with Shizuka being one of them.

What he put her through was what pained him the most about all of this. So he would do everything he could to make up for it. ”But I’m happy you’re willing to try again. I’m glad to be spending this time with you.” he said softly, referring to their relationship. Taking a drink from his glass, Luke placed the cup down somewhere there wasn’t any risk of it spilling. As he did so the partition separating the passengers from the driver lowered itself a bit. ”Ma’am, sir, we’re a little under five minutes away from your destination.” the chauffeur explained, notifying them before the window raised itself back up.

Luke couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that the ride was already coming to an end, but he was eager to move on with their date. He had paid the driver for the night already, so he would still be waiting for the two of them when their dinner was finished. ”I hope you’re hungry.” Luke said with a smile. Soon enough the limousine came to a stop, pulling up alongside the curb, and the door was opened for Shizuka and Luke. Stepping out into the night air, Luke fixed his shirt as he looked around. Out of habit, he extended his Energy Sensory out to the furthest limits it could reach. Maybe someone would call him paranoid and anxious, but Luke was just being careful. Considering how much activity there was in Karakura Town from the various factions that made the city their battleground, it never hurt to be careful. Especially when he was with the CEO of one of the major players in the faction war.

There were a few signals he picked up but none to be concerned about. A few minor flames of reiatsu that probably belonged to lost ghosts or spiritually aware individuals. Nothing to be concerned about at all. But what was odd was the one that he didn’t pick up on. The literal void of reiatsu that was Shizuka. When he tried to touch her with his mental sensories, Luke couldn’t pick up anything at all from Shizuka. As if she didn’t exist. Her level of power was something so supreme that he couldn’t detect her at all. Like she was a being on a higher dimension altogether.

Standing in front of a rather tall building, but not quite high enough to be a skyscraper, was a building with the name “Kozue”. ”I was able to get us some reservations here. They’re originally from Tokyo but recently put in a restaurant here in Karakura.” Luke explained, wanting to display a bit he had done some research. Stepping inside to the well-furnished entrance, Luke gave them the reservation name and in no time flat the two were led back to the actual restaurant. Brown wood was the name of the game. Dark, hardwood floors, and low lighting alongside hushed conversations gave this place a certain sort of atmosphere.

Sitting the two down at a table away from everyone else and with a window seat, the waitress asked if they wanted any drinks as they waited. ”I’ll have a hibiki on the rocks. With a kirin lager as a chaser.” Luke replied. Truth be told, Luke wasn’t much of a drinker. While he could handle his alcohol, possibly due to his Bount healing factor, he didn’t drink all that often. Sure, sometimes he would buy some beers after a week of work but it was very rare for him to actually get drunk. But on a special occasion like this, he would partake. It was all part of the date after all.

”I had a thought.” Luke said as the waitress left with their drink orders. ”How do you feel about taking a trip? Outside of Karakura. Tokyo or Okinawa.” Luke asked, wanting to know her thoughts about the idea. With how much time they spent in Karakura, maybe a trip for just the two of them would do the both of them some good.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

His words calmed her immensely. Or maybe it was the alcohol. She had been so nervous to go on a date with him, as if they hadn't been on tons of dates together before, and she feared she wouldn't be able to act like a normal person. Maybe it was a bit of a crutch, but only in this scenario. She was just trying to do whatever she could to not do or say something that would make Luke judge her too harshly. She never thought for even a second that it likely didn't matter to him how she acted so long as she just kept being herself. Shizuka felt lucky, smiling a bit to herself when she realized how good she had it with this man.

Not many people could easily say something like that about their significant other. Despite the fact that hers had left for three years without a word, she never imagined how safe she'd feel just having him back. It was a bit of a silly thing to think about, honestly. She was pretty strong all on her own, of course, so it wasn't like she needed anyone to save her like she were some kind of princess. Then again, having that as an option felt pretty nice. The idea of it was also quite pleasant, which brought a silent giggle to the surface. Maybe she'd play the damsel in distress one day, just for him.

Noting the small amount of giddy dizziness she felt, Shizuka took it upon herself to not say too much to Luke for the remainder of the ride until she got something in her tummy. Her cure for nervousness had worked a little too well and she found herself tipsy, though not in a bad way. She was having a lot of fun even if all they had done so far was ride in a limousine, but even that wasn't something she got to do very often. She had private drivers, but Shizuka tended to walk a lot or drive herself. She had her license, after all. She didn't mind doing something as simple as that. She hated the thought of inconveniencing anyone who wasn't Felicia.

Luke had stepped out of the limousine and Shizuka followed soon after. She gazed up at the elaborate architecture of the venue the Bount had chosen for the two of them and had a brief thought of curiosity over how he could have gotten this money so quickly. Regardless, he took care to figure out where would be the best place for the two of them and it showed immensely. She was proud of him, but he'd always been thoughtful. This was no different. Admiring the ornate designs etched into entrance, Shizuka approached the doors and gave herself permission to go inside. Had anyone said anything to her, she wouldn't have heard them. She was too distracted with looking around.

She had no idea how the two of them ended up at their table since she was preoccupied with all of the beautiful wood and glass fixtures. As the two of them sat down, Shizuka eyed the waitress who had asked about drinks and simply asked for some water. She was still looking at the drink menu, trying to decide whether she wanted a fruity adult beverage or not. She'd have to come back to that after she ordered because she didn't want to get anything that didn't taste right with whatever food she was destined to eat tonight. As Shizuka played with the edge of her menu, she was busy contemplating whether the salmon would taste better than the curry once Luke had spoken up to ask her a question.

"I had a thought. How do you feel about taking a trip? Outside of Karakura. Tokyo or Okinawa."

"Between those two options? I think Okinawa would be amazing! I've been to Tokyo before tons of times since that's where I graduated college. I wouldn't mind somewhere new."

A vacation with Luke! She desperately tried to fight back a smile that was even larger than the one she already had plastered on her face. She wouldn't be able to relax her cheeks even if she wanted to. Shizuka tried to think for a moment about what there could be in Okinawa that grabbed her attention, and she remembered she always did love the sakura gardens Japan had everywhere the trees would grow properly. They could do something like that, but she also knew that guys weren't always super into gardens. Flowers could be beautiful, but they're awfully boring for people who don't appreciate them.

"Why do you ask?"

[Luke Clyburn]

Well, she couldn’t hide how excited she was getting over the mere idea of what Luke was proposing. Watching her reaction was the confirmation he needed that this hadn’t been a bad idea. Even Luke softly smiled at her, thinking her reaction was cute. ”I’m just curious. I’m just wondering if you’d like to get out of this city for a little while. Get a reminder that there’s more to the world than just Karakura.” Luke explained softly, keeping his voice low in accordance with the restaurant's etiquette, as he eyed some of the things on the menu. Just as she was struggling to decide what she wanted, Luke was also left wondering if he wanted the beef cutlet more than an eel filet. Beef was always reliable, obviously, but Luke actually enjoyed the savory and deep taste of eel.

”I think you and I need a break is all. Just a reminder that there’s more to life than just our business and everything surrounding it. Okinawa’s been on my radar for awhile. You have those crystal clear beaches where you can find sea glass. There’s a lot of coastline walking trails, the restaurants, and it’s got the aquarium that’s got the-uhm-what’s it called again-” Luke struggled for a moment to remember the name of the fish, looking away from Shizuka as he rubbed his thumb and finger together trying to remember. ”...shark, shark… whale! Whale shark that’s the one. Wow how did I forget that.” Luke asked, chuckling at himself for that brain fart. ”That’s like me seeing an octopus and saying it’s a squid.” He joked with a light laugh. Luke was actively trying to be on his best behavior to match the vibes of the restaurant. Everyone else was also speaking in soft whispers, occasionally a laugh would be heard but was quickly stifled.

”I think it would be fun. Just you and I spending the day at the beach. Plus there’s gotta be some stuff there that’s also on your radar. What do you think?” Luke asked, tilting his head slightly quizzically as he asked her. This wasn’t an empty question. He was genuinely interested in taking Shizuka away from Karakura for awhile. Just some time alone for the two of them, away from everyone and everything else. A vacation. Luke was interested because he had so much lost time to make up for. He wanted to start making the memories with Shizuka that he should have been making these last three years. Start doing normal couple things with her again.

A vacation was the perfect idea for that. It got the two away from all the responsibilities that were resting on their shoulders. A chance to unwind, relax, and just focus on each other. Walking, talking, hanging out. Spend the day having fun together, seeing new sights, trying new foods, and then spend the evenings together looking out at the ocean on the hotel patio. He’d be lying if he said he also didn’t want to see Shizuka in a swimsuit, but the girl would have to work a lot of linguistic magic to get him to admit it here in public. But what Luke wanted to see the most was Shizuka in front of the water on a bright day. It wasn’t the swimsuit he wanted to see. He just wanted to see her smile. See her having fun. His imagination could only go so far.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Getting out of town for a while was exactly what Shizuka needed. She didn't remember the last time she took a real vacation and Felicia had been super strict regarding her boss' work ethic. She didn't even want to consider what the rest of the spiritual world must think of her. She tried to escape her job more often than not, which was precisely why she hired an assistant. Really, Felicia was Shizuka's keeper. But even she would agree that the Fullbringer was perfectly capable and very smart. She just liked having fun and enjoying her life to its fullest, however long it may be now. While that wasn't a crime, it did distract her from her work kind of often. So in order to get back on track and enjoy some time with the handsome man sitting in front of her, Shizuka really liked the idea of a get-away.

"I think you and I need a break is all. Just a reminder that there’s more to life than just our business and everything surrounding it. Okinawa’s been on my radar for awhile. You have those crystal clear beaches where you can find sea glass. There’s a lot of coastline walking trails, the restaurants, and it’s got the aquarium that’s got the-uhm-what’s it called again-" Shizuka smiled and giggled a bit at Luke's struggle to remember the name of this animal. "...Shark, shark… whale! Whale shark that’s the one. Wow how did I forget that."

He was so freaking sweet! Talking with him felt as refreshing as ever and it made any remaining hesitations the woman may have fade away instantly. He was so comforting to be around that it was borderline impossible for Shizuka to even recall why she was upset with him in the first place. After the short time they'd spent together after he'd come back, and even the thought of being able to escape reality for a while and go on a vacation like normal people, she truly felt as if she'd been swept back up into the craziness that their relationship was. Every laugh brought back another good memory. Every smile he made caused Shizuka's heart to skip a beat. She had utterly fallen for this man.

"I think it would be fun. Just you and I spending the day at the beach. Plus there’s gotta be some stuff there that’s also on your radar. What do you think?"

Cherry blossoms... The passing thought made Shizuka stop staring at Luke like a lovesick puppy for a moment. She lived in Japan and never actually got to experience a cherry blossom festival. Okinawa's happened during the last couple of weeks of January since their blossoms bloomed so early every year, so they'd missed their opportunity to go viewing this time. Still, it was the first thought that popped into her head and something she was absolutely desperate to see. So if not now, maybe later. It wasn't as if they couldn't take more than one trip, after all! But since that place was popular for its beaches, she loved the idea of the two of them goofing off and playing volleyball or something together. It made her feel very warm.

"I would adore that! But we should make it longer than just a day. We can do crazy American things like fishing or whatever those water surfer thingies are... Oh my god. What are they called. I genuinely have no idea! Do you know what I'm talking about? They're like boogie boards but they're connected to some motor thing and you kinda hover in the water while you ride them. I swear they're real, but I have no clue what the name of it is." Shizuka reached into her bag and pulled out her iPhone. "Let me look it up real quick." After a couple of seconds and a few movements of her thumbs, she found what she was looking for. "Oh, ha! They're literally called electric surfboards."

She took a few minutes to do some research on these things. They were interesting! She'd seen them being used a couple of times and that's what really snagged her interest. These boards hover above the water and can be kind of difficult to use, but once you get it, it's like you're floating! For spiritual beings, this probably wasn't as cool as walking on air or whatever it was they could do. Like, some people could actually fly and crazy stuff like that. But for normies, this was probably the best experience ever so long as they were comfortable with it. She'd seen several people fall off before and, while it made her laugh, she did feel a little guilty about it.

"We should definitely try these. We'd have to rent them and it's not the cheapest, but we'd be spending, like, thousands of dollars if we were to buy them ourselves." She turned the phone and showed Luke some of the prices before bringing it back to her own attention. "I don't pay you enough for that." Shizuka smiled at her last comment since she intended for it to be a joke, but then her brows furrowed a bit as she realized she actually probably didn't. Note to self: Give Luke a raise.

Exploring a bit more on her phone for a couple of minutes, she found some very nice, very private beaches that they could enjoy for a long weekend. There were a few resorts that were also private where they could rent out an entire villa, and that sounded amazing! They could relax, tan, get some massages together, go on some walks at night along the water, and plenty of other things that they probably shouldn't do but absolutely would anyway. Shizuka felt herself getting excited and knew that it would be written all over her face. She had to stop herself from daydreaming but kept Googling ideas for the two of them.

"Would you be okay with three days? I'm sure your boss would approve the time off!"

[Luke Clyburn]

Resting his cheek onto his hand, Luke simply watched as Shizuka excitedly went over her reaction to his idea. He couldn’t help his expression softening to one of bliss and comfort as he watched the woman of his dreams start scrolling through her phone. He loved seeing her so happy and excited. Just suggesting the idea satisfied him in this moment. As serious as he was about this idea, just getting to see Shizuka act so excited and cute left him with a content feeling in his heart. Luke looked at her absolutely love struck. There was no downplaying how lucky he felt being able to be here with her in this moment. Sitting across the table from her, watching her excitedly swipe through her phone, Luke couldn’t stop himself from forming a relaxed smile.

”Have I ever told you I know how to surf? When I was a kid and still living in the States, my family moved to Georgia for a bit. On the coast. I didn’t have any friends or much to do, but because we lived on the coast I wound up teaching myself how to do it. I didn’t even know you were supposed to wax the board. But I’d be down. Electric surfing sounds fun. I wonder if they do the parachute one too. Y’know when the boat pulls you and you’re wearing a parachute and get lifted into the air?”

It was funny. They were talking about things that would excite perfectly normal humans when they themselves could do these things and more. But maybe the fun came from doing things with the same constraints normal humans had. Even though Luke and Shizuka could fly, move faster than a race car, and battle monsters they could still have fun on a rollercoaster. ”You’re right. I don’t think my boss would mind at all.” Luke would say with a smirk and a wink, leaning into his hand a little more as his amber eyes looking directly into Shizuka’s two different colored orbs.

”Three days should be fine, but I don’t see a reason we can’t stay for four or five. If anyone desperately needed us we have our phones. But three days is fine. I can start looking into restaurants, reserve some activities for us, and find ourselves a nice villa or something. Maybe we can get ourselves a private beach. Just the two of us. Nobody else around to bother us.” Luke would say, the tone of his voice betraying what he meant by that. He was having a good time imagining her in a swimsuit and looked forward to seeing it.

”I’m glad you’re here.” Luke would suddenly say after a few moments of silence. He just looked at her. ”You weren’t the only one worried about how things were going to turn out. With everything we’ve been through. I can’t properly tell you how happy I am be here with you.”

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

He knew how to surf! Even Shizuka didn't know how to surf! She'd never even thought to try a day in her life, so it was exciting to hear that Luke could. Even if his skill was average at best, she loved being able to hear more about his past. She couldn't believe he lived in Georgia for a short time, too. Shizuka found it hard to think of any reason why anyone would ever want to go there, but she supposed the coasts were all the same. They could be very beautiful and very worth it. And then there was Luke's mention of going parasailing or parasurfing, whichever one it actually was. This made her grin with happiness, nodding enthusiastically to the thought.

Luke answered her comment with a wink and a very, very tempting smile. He could be extremely charming when he wanted to be, making it difficult for her to ever tell him no. His sweet face, one that anyone outside of these two would recognize as having gone through tremendous difficulties in life, looked at her as if she'd created the world for him. This made her heart race, but not in a nervous or anxious way. Instead, she realized she had almost forgotten the anger she felt towards him just a short while ago. Perhaps she was too forgiving, or maybe it was easy for him to sway her. Either way, she started to become thankful that she wasn't holding on to her resentment as much anymore.

"If anyone desperately needed us, they could screw right off because we're busy," Shizuka joked in response to Luke's statement.

She was too occupied with thinking about what he'd said at the end of it, too. They could have any private beach they wanted, meaning all the other people could just get the hell away so they could have their fun. That was something she'd never tried with him, not that she thought about it. Shizuka refused to let it show on her face that her mind was wandering so much, but something about how the man spoke to her made her feel like she wasn't the only one. The two of them were known to be a bit adventurous, though one thing that always made Shizuka laugh was how embarrassed Luke could get in public when it came to PDA and stuff. How would he handle being on a private beach with her?

"I’m glad you’re here. You weren’t the only one worried about how things were going to turn out. With everything we’ve been through. I can’t properly tell you how happy I am be here with you."

Words spoken after a brief silence between the two of them. Though they were comfortable being quiet around each other, she knew that Luke specifically wanted to say this. She could tell by how his face looked, his body language, and the glint in his amber eyes. Reaching out, Shizuka offered her hand to him in hopes that he'd accept it and hold hers. She didn't reply at first since she wanted to enjoy the moment. Whatever spark had ignited between them back when they first met never truly died. Despite Shizuka's efforts to move on, she couldn't. Maybe some part of Luke would feel a bit of pride or relief at that, but she hoped he understood it wasn't his fault. She was just hurt.

Still, despite this, he was back and they could pick up on things almost as if they never stopped. He was more willing to talk to her and share his thoughts and feelings with her, but she can tell he isn't fully comfortable with sharing absolutely every small detail yet. That was okay, though. Baby steps. For now, this would do. Should Luke have taken her hand, Shizuka gave his a firm squeeze and looked down at the interlocked fingers. His hands were so much bigger than hers, but they fit together like perfect puzzle pieces. She couldn't help but smile the entire time. She felt happy, and she realized for the first time that it had been a while since she experienced that.

"I want you to know that I understand. I get why you had to do what you had to do. I wish I could have helped you, but I know why you wouldn't have let me. I'm not... strong. Like you are. I mean, not really. I can hold my own enough, but it isn't the same. And while I totally get how that has nothing to do with what needed to be done, it became glaringly obvious when you showed back up. I don't have the same kinds of sensory abilities that others have, but even I could tell that you're different now. And you did all of that on your own. So... I guess what I'm trying to say is... I'm sorry. Not just for the fact that I couldn't be there, but also for how I treated you when you came back. I shouldn't have done that. I was definitely justified, but I shouldn't have done that, regardless."

Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was the atmosphere, but she felt the need to spill everything that was on her mind. She didn't want to hide anything from Luke anymore even if it meant saying these things to him. She wanted to be honest and let him know how she was feeling about everything. And, of course, that she didn't mean to hurt him. Shizuka was many things, but when it came to Luke, she was nothing but a little girl trying to impress her crush. She had said some very hurtful things out of anger and felt guilty about it. She hoped he would understand. Still, if all she could do going forward was improve, she'd have to do her best.

"So that's why I think us getting away will be nice! Let's go for a week. Or a month. Or however long you want, because I just want to spend as much time with you as possible to make up for what I missed."

[Luke Clyburn]

Her hand was so much smaller than his. This was something that always shocked him whenever they held one another’s hands. Despite their small frame, the smoothness of her skin, and the manicured nails this was the hand of not only the most powerful woman in the city but the love of his life. Without hesitation, he accepted her invitation once he understood what the gesture was. Interlocking his fingers with hers and receiving a squeeze in response, Luke smiled at the gesture and then returned his gaze to the blonde in front of him. Her hand was warm. The Bount stroked his thumb across her hands' skin, returning an affectionate gesture of his own back to her. Normally Luke would be blushing with embarrassment holding her hand in public. But maybe it was a combination of the ambiance of the restaurant and the drinks that helped him keep his cool.

Luke lowered his gaze though when Shizuka brought a few things up. Despite their conversations he understood why she felt the way that she did about what he had done. But Luke wasn’t sure Shizuka would ever truly understand. She had every right to be upset with him for what he had done and not asking her for his help. But Luke simply couldn’t do that. Not just out of the protective desire to not see her get hurt. But because he knew, he knew, that if Shizuka had helped him the results would not have been what he wanted.

The reality was that the battle between Springflut and himself was something that he, as a man, had to do. Luke had to prove that he was ready to confront the demons that enchained his heart with guilt and grief. To try and remove the weights that rested on his shoulders. Springflut was, in a way, a representation of that. The power that he lost control of because of his trauma. Luke would have never been whole again until he brought Springflut to heel. The goal had been to confront and them dominate the Doll. Luke only managed to do the former. The result? The man had lost three lives of his life. The life he wanted to spend with Shizuka. He had left her all alone.

But it seemed that the confrontation had paid off. He and Springflut were speaking again. His Doll seemed to accept that Luke was, in fact, his master. And ever since then Luke had felt good. His mind, his focus, his convictions were clearer. Had Luke not done this battle he doubt he would have ever joined Xcution, too morally confused to be clear about it. He might not have reached out to Shizuka, too afraid to deal with the consequences of his decisions. Luke smiled. He rubbed his thumb up and down across Shizuka and gave her hand a squeeze. ”I know you would have. And I know you would have kicked ass.” The man softly replied, hearing a gravely scoff in the far reaches of his mind. Someone was listening and that someone didn’t agree. Or was at least too prideful to agree.

”If I had asked you for help then the results would have been different. I wouldn’t have to regenerate for these last three years because, together, we would have won. But he wouldn’t have accepted it. It was a conflict between men. The sort of thing that only men would understand.” Luke explained rather poorly, but it was in a way that he understood perfectly. ”Springflut is something of a mirror of my own pride and confidence turned up to eleven. Until he was tamed I wasn’t complete. Had you helped, he wouldn’t have accepted the results and I would have still been a miserable mess. But I should have told you. And I should have better prepared.” With a shake of his head he concluded his statement, though listening intently to the rest of what she had to say.

”Shizuka, you are strong. Beautifully powerful. Our powers are just different though. You have this charisma about you. People are drawn to you. They want you to lead them. They put their faith in you. You have a power to lead that many, many, people just simply don’t. And I think that’s a greater power than something destructive. You’ve gathered together so many people from different races and backgrounds and who want to follow you. That’s not something I could do. Me though? It’s true I’m strong… but it’s not like yours. I’m like a hurricane. Destructive, uncontrolled, a force of nature. I show up, destroy everything, and hope my enemy is caught up in it. It’s a power that fits a soldier, not a leader.” Luke explained, eyes downcast a moment as memories flooded back to the surface.

”But it’s a power I’m thankful to have. And one we need right now.”

He’d whisper to himself before returning his attention to his lover. He smirked, tilting his head at her a little. ”Sorry for what? I think everything played out really well don’t you think?” he’d ask, rubbing his foot against hers. He was trying to make her feel better, lighten the mood a little, as he could tell Shizuka was getting a little self conscious about their reunion. ”You were more than justified though, hun. I’m not mad at you in the slightest.” He was surprised she didn’t bite his cock off in all honesty.

”I think we’d have to move there if we wanted to stay longer than a month. But maybe we can look into that. Let’s take three days to see the area and play. There’s a lot more than just Okinawa out there you know?”

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

The return of Shizuka's small gesture made her blush, filling her face with a familiar, welcome heat. She looked down at Luke's hand and noted the small nuances that other normal people may never notice. He had muscles defined throughout his wrist that flowed seamlessly into his fingers. Ligaments popped up, creating small valleys between them that could be so easily traced over with any of her fingers. The nails were short, no doubt kept that way out of personal preference, but a detail Shizuka had no problems with either. His fingers, though, were quite long. Not to the point where they looked abnormal, but certainly to the point where they would make any woman happy. And they certainly did.

Luke tried to reassure her, and to a degree, it worked. At least he understood that her help could have been a good thing even though the situation truly didn't call for it. For so long, she felt like she was fighting a losing battle with him over this. He was a stubborn man, and it wasn't often that he allowed her to do dangerous things anymore. Or, at least, it felt that way. It wasn't as if she felt like she was walking on egg shells or like he baby-proofed the penthouse, but it was just a weird feeling that she started getting lately. Then again, it was probably all in her head and didn't actually matter. She wasn't quite sure.

Luke continued to explain himself further, mentioning the name of the Doll who Shizuka recognized as the only one she'd never personally met. He refused to come out for whatever the reason, and while she didn't have too many complaints about it, she also felt like it was a bit strange. If all of his Dolls were a part of him, then why couldn't she meet the last one? And, too, what would their fight have been like all those years ago? If he didn't even summon his third Doll, was he even trying? Was he even taking her seriously? No, he was taking me seriously. He had to have been. He was in trouble when I lost control. Wasn't he?

Still, his compliments caught her a bit off-guard. She had just been feeling a bit insecure and it was as if he could read her mind. Or, well, maybe she had it written all over her face. When not on the job, Shizuka didn't use any of her training. She was an open book that Luke could read at any given moment. Actually, he knew her better than anybody at this point. Every small detail about her had to have been memorized by now, just as she'd tried to do the same. Yet, despite this, she still felt surprised at his comments. They were kind, of course, but then he goes on to describe himself as a hurricane. She never considered him destructive like that. Not the way he saw himself, anyway. He was a good man. And she was undeserving.

He picked up on her apology very quickly, though, and became playful again after the serious mood from moments before. His cocky smirk lit her up like a firework and her body responded to the gleam in his eyes immediately, causing her to grip onto his hand a bit harder than she'd meant to. Her eyes widened a bit before quickly glancing down at her hand, then back up at his eyes. She suddenly took her hand away and shoved it into her lap before breaking eye contact and looking around at the restaurant to find literally anything else that could catch her attention, because she knew that he knew what she was thinking. He'd said all of that on purpose.

She felt his foot rub against hers from beneath the table, causing her to give him a sheepish grin as she rested her chin against the back of her left hand. She returned her gaze to his and sighed, realizing he really meant what he said and forgave her. And maybe it was the fact that she'd been sipping on wine that she didn't remember ordering this entire time, or maybe it was that someone had turned up the temperature in the restaurant, but Shizuka soon came to realize that whenever she turned her head to look somewhere else, the world followed her eyesight very, very slowly. It was as if there was a delay between what she saw and what her brain was processing that she saw. With this experience came the realization that she was very drunk.

"I could just buy a house in Okinawa so we could go whenever we want..." Shizuka said under her breath before speaking a bit louder. "Or maybe I'll buy a place in the States so we can take Summers there." Somewhere along the East Coast or maybe California. She didn't know or care exactly so long as he was with her. The blonde gave a light giggle before slipping her shoe off and sliding her foot further up Luke's leg to just beside his knee. "If I'm with you, I don't care where we go."

Thankfully, these tables had very long cloths that covered them. The window next to them showed a view that was distractingly beautiful with a wide array of colors leaking through due to the world around them just doing its own thing. Shizuka blinked slowly, unsure of why her eyelids felt so heavy when she really wasn't tired much at all. Actually, the only feeling that she really had was happiness. That and warmth, honestly. A lot of warmth. Probably too much. A brief - very brief - thought of wishing this table were in a private room did pass through her mind, but they were having a very important conversation that showed Luke's vulnerable side. But, come to think of it, that could have been part of why she felt this way.

"If I'm with you, I think I could call anywhere 'home' and not worry about anything." Shizuka's attention was on the bustle happening from outside the window. She didn't look at Luke yet as she spoke. "I want you to know that I don't regret what happened when you came back. I'm certainly not apologizing for that, and I'm willing to bet that you might want that to happen again. Justified or not, I had a temper with you that wasn't cool. So... that's why I'm sorry. But I will never, ever apologize for appreciating you the way I did that night." Her eyes darted back at Luke's, a cocky grin of her own to mimic his from earlier painted itself on her face. "So, about this trip... When shall we leave?"

[Luke Clyburn]

Luke was relieved to see his positive reinforcement had worked. If only just a little. It always shocked him how a woman as powerful and wonderful as Shizuka would look down on herself. It really was true that you were your harshest critic. But he was glad he was able to reassure her if even a little. What’s more it seemed his playfulness had an effect on her. Shizuka suddenly looked sheepish and removed her hand from his, hiding it in her lap, and breaking eye contact with him. He could tell what was on her mind. Shizuka was normally forward and very aggressive, so seeing her shy and cute like this was different. Luke leaned his head a little, studying her facial expressions, before saying ”You’re cute.” Rubbing his foot against hers sure got her attention though.

Luke felt something rubbing against his knee. Didn’t take a genius to realize it was her foot. The Bount smirked at the gesture. She wasn’t the only one starting to feel something. He might not have been as far gone from alcohol as she was, but he was feeling a little bolder than he usually did. They really were such a mess. Couldn’t keep their hands off of one another no matter where they went. Even at work. While Luke wasn’t a fan of PDA, when the two were in private he’d return in double all the teasing Shizuka put him through. But what Shizuka said had caught his attention. She had said it under his breath but he caught it. The mention of buying a house in Okinawa made him blink.

”A house huh..” Luke would comment in return, removing his face from his hand and taking a drink from his glass. It might have been a casual comment but the idea touched on something Luke had also been thinking about. He was pulled from his thoughts though with her comment. That it didn’t matter where they went so long as they were together. Luke felt his ears get hot. It was such a short but sweet line. Luke felt the same. So long as he was with Shizuka it didn’t matter where they were. So long as they were finally together. She turned her attention away from him and cast her gaze outside the window. Without her eyes watching him, Luke lowered his gaze and smiled softly at something that popped into his imagination.

”I told you, it’s fine. But I understand. I wouldn’t want you to apologize. You weren’t the only one though.” Luke replied, noticing her smug little smirk. There was something he was thinking about though, something he wanted to say. ”I feel the same way, y’know?” he’d reply with a low tone. ”A house though-” Luke started to say with a hushed tone before his sentence was interrupted by someone approaching the table. ”Good evening ma’am, sir, are you ready to order?”

Luke looked caught off guard. He realized he had spent all this time talking to Shizuka and hadn’t looked at the menu hardly at all. He just blurted out the first thing that came to mind when he had peeked at the menu a few minutes earlier. ”The eel fillet.” He had never had eel before. When asked if there was anything else they wanted Luke would order pork gyoza as an appetizer, along with another glass of whiskey. Whiskey before beer and you were in the clear and all that.

With their orders taken and sent to the kitchen, Luke looked at Shizuka. She really was beautiful. Her makeup, her hair, her dress, the aura she carried herself with. She was perfect in every way. Luke was lucky to be here with her. That was all he could say. ”Y’know, I realized recently that I’m actually not bad at Japanese. Writing it is still a little tough at times but I have no problem speaking it. I sometimes think that if my life was normal I’d make it pretty far as a translator. It’s certainly a career in demand.” Luke said, lifting his cup to his lips and taking a drink. Luke’s head was starting to feel a bit fuzzy. Drinking strong alcohol on an empty stomach and all that.

”What about you? Have you ever thought about what your life would be like if you were like them? Or if you ever wanted a quieter life?”