Sylia used a wire hookup from her hardsuit to Linna's in order to power her armor up enough for her to return to the layer. They arrived first, Nene and Priss arriving shortly thereafter. Sylia warily allowed her suit to flow off her and walked to her locker, Linna following behind her. As the leader of the Knight Sabers finished dressing, she looked over at Nene. The blonde had been strangely quiet the entire way back, and Sylia was worried about any injuries she might've incurred while out on the field. As she stood before one of the lockers pulling up her panties, Sylia came over. "Nene, how's your side?" she asked as she was now able to get a good look at the black and blue marks left behind when the youngest Knight Saber had been knocked into the girder. As Nene was putting her bra back on, Sylia gently took her wrist and began to raise her arm as she placed the fingers of her other hand at the base of the blonde's ribcage to see if she'd cracked any of her ribs, "Tell me if this hurts and I'll..." she was cut off as Nene let out a shriek, pulling away from her and backing into the locker behind her. "Nene!" Linna gasped as she came over, "What's wrong?" "N... Nothing," she answered as she stared at the floor, "I... guess I'm ticklish," she added as she tried to use her arms to cover herself in front of the two. Priss, observing the scene from a few lockers away, came over. "Nene," she said tactfully, "I'm going to the hospital where Daley took Leon. You can ride with me and get looked at if you want." "Ride with you?" Nene asked, "On your motorcycle? The way you ride?" "Well," Priss smirked, "It's either that or Sylia could..." "Okay, I'll go with you," the blonde answered quickly. "Good. Get dressed and wait for me upstairs." Nene quickly did as she was told, putting her street clothes on and heading for the elevator. As the elevator door opened, Sylia called after her, "Nene, there's a mandatory meeting tomorrow evening at eight. I expect you to be there." Nene didn't answer her. She looked away as the doors closed and the elevator began its ascent. Priss meanwhile turned to Sylia and Linna, her thoughts once again returning to how she screwed up. "Sorry," she mumbled uncomfortably. Linna walked over to her. "It's okay," she answered, "You were there when it counted." "Besides," Sylia added as she gazed at the elevator doors Nene had just passed through, "Something tells me we have a more immediate concern." She then turned her attention back to Priss, "You're taking this all rather well." Priss shrugged, "I'm a singer," she replied a bit nonchalantly, "I've played in bands with musicians who were gay, and I've been approached by more than one female fan. Besides," she said with a smirk as she looked back over to Linna, "I had country girl here pretty much pegged shortly after she joined the team." Linna blushed, "Was I really that obvious?" she asked. "A bit," she answered as she turned towards the elevator, "I suppose I should go take Little Miss Cyberpunk to the ER to get her ribs looked at," she said as she headed over and pressed the up button. As the doors opened, she got in, turning back to her two teammates. "Give Nene some time. It'll work out," she said as the doors closed and the elevator headed up. Linna stared at the elevator thinking about what Priss had said. She wanted to believe that things would work out, but what if they didn't? The last thing she wanted was for her relationship with Sylia to hurt the team. She was brought out of her thoughts by a pair of arms encircled her from behind. She closed her eyes as she placed her hands over Sylia's, leaning back into her love's embrace as they interlinked their fingers together. For a moment she forgot about the night's misadventures as she enjoyed the sweet sensations of intimacy and safety in those strong yet gentle arms around her. She turned around, and saw a tear forming once again in the corner of her leader's eye, "Sylia," she asked as she cupped the older woman's cheek, "Sylia, what's wrong?" Sylia looked into Linna's eyes with a pained expression, "I thought you were dead," she whispered, "I saw you lying there on the ground and I... I..." She quickly pulled Sylia over to her, holding her tightly as she started to weep on her shoulder. She began to run her slender fingers through her soft silvery hair. The scene would've been unthinkable not too long ago; Sylia Stingray did not show weakness in front of others, and she certainly did not cry in front of people. For her to do so now, when she and Linna were alone, was a sign of loving trust that was not lost on the younger Knight Saber. "It's alright," she said softly as she continued to hold her, "I'm alright Sylia. You saved me," she added as she placed her index finger under her chin and tilted her head up. She kissed Sylia on the forehead as she looked into her beautiful grey eyes, "How's your headache doing?" Sylia looked sadly back at her, "Not so good," she admitted, adding, "I'm afraid I'm not going to be much company tonight. At least not like last night; I'm exhausted." Linna smiled sweetly, "It's okay," she reassured as she kissed her tenderly, "I'm a bit worn out and sore myself. We can just go to your bed and lie together, if you'd like." Sylia smiled as Linna brought her hand up to wipe the tears from her eyes, "I'd like that," she answered wearily as she kissed her back. She joined hands with Linna and together they headed for the elevator. As they stepped on, she turned back to her, "Linna?" "Yes?" she asked. "Could... Could you say it again?" she asked, "Please?" Linna gazed at her leader silently for a moment before coming closer to her. "Of course," she said tenderly as she leaned in, "I love you." Their lips came together once again as the elevator doors closed. A short time later both women lay in Sylia's bed with Linna's arms wrapped around Sylia as the leader of the Knight Sabers closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Elsewhere in the city that night, a boomer receptionist in an ER waiting room was being given a hard time by a biker who wanted to know what her boyfriend's condition was and why her blonde friend had yet to be looked at by a doctor. -The Next Day- Nene sat in front of her computer terminal as she absentmindedly ate a bag of chips. When she finally got in to see the doctor last night, she was told she just had two bruised ribs and to be careful for a few days. She looked over to her right where a green disc lay amongst a pile of other such computer discs. As she turned to reach for it, her torso tilted just right for her to grimace in pain. "Ow," she whimpered as she grabbed the disc and slid it into her computer terminal. Sitting back in her seat, her mind once again returned involuntarily to last night and the... the kiss. There was Sylia and Linna kissing one another in front of everybody. She'd been a bit suspicious of Linna of course, and the way Sylia sometimes acted around her customers and the other Knight Sabers Nene realized she shouldn't be too surprised that she would date a woman. So why was she so uncomfortable around her two teammates all of a sudden? "Hey kiddo, you okay?" Nene looked up to see Daley, smartly dressed as always, smiling down at her. "Okay, I guess," she answered unconvincingly. He studied her silently a few seconds before he turned to his right and grab an empty chair, bringing it over so he could sit next to her. "Are you sure?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. Nene nodded. She then looked around with a puzzled look, "Where's Leon poo?" "After last night's adventure he's out due to his shoulder injury," he explained, adding "But he'll be able to make it to Sylia's little get together tonight." "He's going to be there?" the blonde asked. "We both are," Daley said, "I think she and Linna wish to address what happened last night." Nene looked away from him, "Daley," she asked apprehensively, "What do you make of all this? I mean, Linna and Sylia..." "Hmmm... Well Linna's a very sweet girl, and as far as Sylia goes other than her penchant for hijacking police helicopters I don't really..." "I'm serious!" Nene grumbled, "I mean I..." she paused as she lowered her voice nervously, "I've undressed around them. And yesterday Sylia..." Daley let out a groan, "Nene," he asked, "You and Linna landed from orbit on a small island in the Pacific, right?" "Urgh, don't remind me. We were on that stupid thing for two weeks with no clothes, surrounded by nothing but water and mean old clams." "Mean old clams?" Daley asked with a raised eyebrow. He quickly shook his head, "Whatever. Look, you two were all alone on an island together naked for two weeks, right?" "Yeah," she answered nervously, wondering where Daley was going with all this. "And during all that time you two were on that island alone and naked, did she ever try to make a pass at you?" Nene looked at him silently for a few seconds before she looked down at her hands. "No," she finally admitted. "And in all the time you've known Sylia, has she ever tried to take advantage of you?" "Well, she sometimes acts flirty..." "Nene, she flirts with everybody. Hell, she even flirts with me. You should know better by now than to take her seriously." Nene continued to look down at her hands as Daley let out a sigh, "Nene," he said as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "This may come as a shock to you, but gay people aren't out to convert all straight people into being gay too." "I know," the blonde muttered, "It still feels weird though." "I know it does," he answered sympathetically as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Just try to remember though; they're still the same Sylia and Linna. They're still your friends. They're just dating one another now. Besides," he said, lowering his voice as he leaned over to her so no one else could hear, "Weren't you the one who said the Knight Sabers stick together?" With that he stood up from his seat. As Nene watched in silence, he put the chair back and left the AD Police computer control room. She looked back at her computer screen as she thought of what he'd said before an idea popped into her head. She immediately began a search through various search engines, smiling to herself as she came upon a foreign website... ------ "Me?" Leon asked as Priss came in with two sandwiches on paper plates, "Why would Sylia want me to come with you tonight?" "She probably wants to address what happened last night," Priss said as she put the two plates on the coffee table in front of the couch Leon was sitting on. As she turned back to the kitchen to get them both something to drink she added, "After all, last night kind of took everyone by surprise." "I'll say," he answered as he grabbed one of the sandwiches and bit into it, "I mean, Sylia and... Blech!" he exclaimed as he made a face, "What in the hell is this? It tastes like mustard and horseradish." "It is mustard and horseradish," Priss answered with a smirk as she came back into Leon's living room, "You just took a bite out of mine; yours is over there." "Yuck," he said as Priss handed him his beer and sat next to him, "How can you stand that?" "Meh, it's an acquired taste," she answered with a shrug. More seriously she added, "How's your shoulder?" "Hurts like hell," he grumbled as he reached up to once again readjust the sling his arm was resting in, "I took some of those stupid pain killers the doctor prescribed, but it still throbs..." he stopped when he noticed the look of amusement on Priss' face, "Alright, what's so funny?" "Just that I'm supposed to be the woman in the relationship, and you're whining way more about your arm than I ever did about mine." she answered. "Oh har, har." "Seriously though," Priss said, "I think Sylia and Linna want everyone there tonight so they can clear the air. The fact they're seeing one another wasn't exactly revealed under ideal circumstances after all," she added as she bit into her sandwich. "Yeah, I'll say." Leon muttered, "And I wasn't whining." "Oh, poor Leon," Priss teased as she leaned over towards the AD Police officer. Their lips came together as she closed her eyes. A few seconds later, Leon pulled back with a grimace. "Ugh," he griped, "Next time you eat one of those things, brush your teeth before kissing me." Priss chuckled a bit as Leon tried to use his beer to wash the taste of horseradish and mustard out of his mouth. -Evening- Nene arrived at the Silky Doll, gingerly getting off her scooter as she tried not to upset her injury again. She picked up her backpack and headed for the door, where she was greeted by Henderson. She followed him to the elevator, watching silently as he pushed the down button. "Henderson," she asked, "Is Priss here yet?" "Yes," the butler answered, adding, "As are Master Mackie and Officers Daley Wong and Leon McNichol." "Mackie is going to be there too?" she asked. "Of course," Henderson said, "And so will I." The elevator stopped and Nene followed him to the large dining table where the others were already sitting. Mackie looked over at the blonde and smiled as he offered the seat next to him. She went to sit down as Henderson left to go into the kitchen. "Hey Mackie," Nene said as she carefully set her backpack down and sat beside him. "Hey Nene," Mackie answered, "Do you know what tonight's meeting is about?" Nene looked a bit surprised, "Sylia didn't tell you?" "No," he said as he shook his head, "Sis only told me she wanted to explain something to me tonight along with everyone else." Leon started to snicker, "Oh, this is going to be good," he whispered to Priss out of the corner of his mouth, "The shock will probably send him rogue... Ow!" he yelped as she pinched him hard in the side. As Henderson came in from the kitchen to pour coffee for everyone, the elevator doors opened again and Sylia entered the room, followed by Linna. As the younger woman took a seat, the leader of the Knight Sabers turned to her butler. "Henderson," she began, "Could... Could you please take a seat?" The butler looked at her questioningly, "Madam?" "Please," she repeated as she motioned to an empty seat next to Daley. As he sat down, Sylia stood in front of the seated group like a chairman of the board addressing shareholders, "Alright, as you all know yesterday the battery in Linna's suit failed, causing me to go out under less than ideal circumstances." She looked down at Linna, both women exchanging glances before she looked back up and continued, "And, with the exception of Mackie and Henderson, most of you were also there for the night's... other incident." "Other incident?" Mackie asked. Daley held his finger up to his mouth to let the young boomer know to be quiet as Sylia took a deep breath and continued. "Over the last few weeks, during my recovery, Linna has been there for me more than anyone. And in the process of helping me, something happened," she said as she held out her hand to Linna, who reached up and took it tenderly in hers, "We fell in love." Linna stood up nervously as she now spoke, "I... I realize this comes as a bit of a shock," she said, her eyes involuntarily glancing over to Nene, "But as far as the team goes, this changes nothing. Sylia is still the leader of the Knight Sabers, and I don't expect any special treatment from her or any of you," she quickly added. "Now then," Sylia said as she eyed the faces looking at her and Linna, "Any questions or comments?" "Just one," Daley spoke up, "How public do the two of you plan on being about this?" The two women looked at one another again before Sylia answered, "I think I speak for us both when I say that everyone who really needs to know we're dating is in this room." "If she moves in," Mackie asked, "Will she be getting my bedroom?" "We'd probably share the same room," Linna answered before blushing profusely at what she'd just said. "Oh. Okay," Mackie said with a smile, "In that case, congratulations." "Thank you," Sylia said before turning to her trusted butler, "Henderson?" she asked. "Madam," the old man answered, "It's hard enough for anyone to find love nowadays. If you've found it with the charming Miss Yamazaki, then of course I'm happy for the both of you." Sylia smiled warmly at him, "Thank you." Everyone's eyes now came to focus uncomfortably on the young blonde sitting next to Mackie. Nene could feel their silent stares as she took a deep breath and turned to address her leader. "Sylia," she began, "I... I never really knew any gay people where I grew up. I mean, of course I heard plenty of jokes growing up in school, but..." her voice died off as she thought of the right words, "Last night, when I hurt myself, you tried to check up on me to see if I was okay, and I freaked. But after talking with Daley at work today I... I guess I want to apologize for last night. I mean, this is going to take some getting used to, but you're both still my friends, and we're still Knight Sabers, which means we stick together." Sylia allowed a smile to slowly appear, "Thank you," she said softly, "That means a lot to us Nene. And we understand that it's going to take some time, for you as well as everyone else." "Thanks Sylia, I... Oh, I almost forgot!" she said as she carefully reached for her backpack, "I felt bad about how I acted yesterday, and I wanted to make it up to both of you. I did some research online to see what sort of gift one should give to two women who have started dating, and a foreign website suggested this," she said as she pulled out a gift wrapped box. She stood up and passed it over to Sylia. "Nene," Sylia said, visibly taken aback by the kind gesture, "I... I don't know what to say..." "Well I do," Priss chimed in, "Open it!" Sylia smirked at the remark as she ripped at the gift wrap, "This really wasn't necessary, I..." her voice died off as she got a look at the gift. "A toaster?" she asked, exchanging a confused look with Linna. "I don't get it either," Nene admitted, "But according to the foreign site I logged onto, it's some sort of traditional lesbian gift." "That's what you get for getting gift-buying ideas from gaijin," Priss quipped. Nene turned to the singer and stuck her tongue out at her, the tension in the room evaporating as everyone began to laugh. An hour later, as the last guest left, Henderson cleared the table of the coffee cups and straightened out the linen. He then turned to Sylia, "Will there be anything else, madam?" "No," she answered, adding with a smile, "Thank you." The butler returned the smile as he bowed to her. He then turned to the elevator and left, leaving Sylia and Linna alone in the room together. As the older woman turned around, she saw her fellow Knight Saber examining the toaster. "Well," Linna began, "I still don't get it, but at least it appears to be a top of the line model. You can toast up to four slices of bread at a time," she said as she read the side of the box. Sylia came over and put an arm around her shoulder. "Linna," she said as she leaned toward the younger woman, "Remember last night when all we did was sleep because I was feeling so lousy?" "Yeah," she answered as she put the box back down on the table, "Why?" "I don't have a headache tonight," she purred in a sultry voice that made Linna's hair stand on end. Their lips came together as they tenderly explored each other's mouths. After a few minutes their lips separated, both women gazing lovingly at the other. Finally, Sylia held out her hand. Linna smiled ever so slightly as she took it, leaning her head on her love's shoulder as they headed for Sylia's bedroom. -Finis- End Notes- Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. I'm glad you all enjoyed it so much, and I want to especially thank Breaktherules for being kind enough to beta read some of this chapter for me. This chapter is therefore dedicated to her. Oh, and the joke with the toaster is that supposedly whenever someone converts somebody into becoming a lesbian, they get a toaster. It originated in an episode of Ellen and has reappeared several times since.
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