Sora cupped the tea cup in her cold hands. Her adrenalin had subsided, and that rush of excitement during training no longer warmed her limbs. She glanced to the right, over at Layla who seemed so composed after their intense training. Sora sighed and thought, "Layla's so strong, she doesn't even look tired." "Are you sleepy already?" Sora bolted upright at Layla's question. "Umm... no..." said Sora as she grinned to hide her surprise. She reached forward to pour herself a third cup of tea. The tea pot gurgled until it filled half her cup and splashed out a few more drops. She decided to change the topic. "Who do you think is badder? A robber or a pirate?" Layla gave Sora a puzzled look. She thought for a second and said, "Perhaps a pirate... a pirate pillages and plunders and then makes off with the loot." Sora nodded in agreement. She sipped a bit of tea. "Do you like being a pirate, Layla-san?" "Are you saying that I'm bad?" "No, no, no... I mean, whenever you're on stage, you look like you're ready to pillage and plunder." Layla smiled. "I hope so! I wouldn't be much of a pirate if I can't show our guests that I am!" "Oh yeah!" Sora giggled. Layla giggled as well. "So if I'm the pirate, that makes you a robber." she declared jokingly. "Yeah, I guess so... but compared to you, I'm not such a good robber." said Sora ruefully. "Why do you say so?" asked Layla. "Because I haven't been able to steal anything from you!" Sora smiled widely. Layla let out a little laugh in spite of herself. She leaned back and sighed as she glanced at the clock. "Mm. I suppose I should let you sleep." she said remorsefully. Their previous conversation had been interesting and she felt so comfortable sitting and sipping tea together. "Umm... Layla-san, if you still want to train, I'm up for it." said Sora brightly. If Layla was going to stay up and train, she will too. Layla's eyebrows went up with her declaration, and she smiled inwardly at Sora's enthusiasm. "I think we've done enough for today." Layla stood up. "But sleep always helps performance, so we better get some." Sora downed her tea quickly and gagged with her scalded tongue. "Hakk!!!" She stood up abruptly and at attention. "Yes!" Layla watched Sora with a bemused expression and suppressed a chuckle at Sora's behavior. "We can sleep below deck. There are two beds down there." Layla and Sora put the dishes away since the ship occasionally rocked from side to side. Then they made their way down to the lower deck. "There's a cabin over here by the stern and another one by the bow. If you need to brush your teeth, the bathroom is over here." Layla gestured to each location. Sora nodded and quickly gauged the size of the bed in each cabin. "Umm... I'll sleep over here." Sora hefted her duffel bag and made her way to the bow. Layla nodded and went to the cabin at the stern. She opened her suitcase on a table and discovered that she forgot to pack the pajamas that Sora lent her. Unsure of what to do, she paused for a few moments. And then it dawned on her that she was not in Sora's room tonight. She pulled out the negligee and felt its silky softness in her hands. "Father knows how to spoil me", she thought. She put it on and went to check on Sora. "Sora... did you need anything?" She paused on the threshold of Sora's cabin. "Umm... I'm okay. Ehehehe... " Sora said nervously as she buttoned her shirt. Her voice caught in her throat when she saw Layla in her negligee so close. The cabin was much smaller than her room which made Sora more conscious of Layla's presence. Sora's tone of voice was odd and Layla thought something was amiss. She took a step into the cabin and felt her foot slide a bit. Layla looked down. "Water on the floor?" she thought. Her eyes searched the room and noticed that one of the hatches was ajar. She strode to the bed and felt the covers. "It's soaked." She made a note to reprimand the crew later. Layla yanked on the hatch, but it wouldn't close all the way. "you can't sleep here. You'll catch a cold." "Umm... It's okay. I'll just sleep on top of the bed with my sleeping bag." replied Sora. Layla had done so much to train her, and she didn't want to be a bother anymore. "No. I won't allow it." Layla said firmly. Sora felt her cheeks warm up. She began to protest, "But it's alright... really..." Layla grabbed Sora's hand. "She's cold." she thought. "I guess the tea wasn't enough to warm her up." She turned in the direction of the stern and tugged insistently at Sora's hand. "Come. You can sleep on the other bed." Sora's heart began to race. She didn't dare to hope. "Bu-- but where will you sleep?" she asked as she followed Layla to the other cabin. Layla tilted her head to one side. "Here." She let go of Sora's hand and closed the door behind them. The door clicked closed with finality and Sora felt her knees weaken and her stomach flip over. She swayed slightly. She watched as Layla pulled the bed covers aside and crawled to the other side of the bed. The slit of her negligee revealed the soft curves of her leg as she crawled. Sora had seen Layla in her leotard and tights many times, but somehow, the negligee made her more... feminine... more... alluring. Sora shook her head. She looked around quickly. "I hope Fool isn't here..." she thought. Layla slipped under the covers on the other side of the bed. She glanced over at Sora. "You can take this side." Layla patted to her right. "The switch is behind you. Turn off the lights." Sora flicked the switch and swallowed hard. "Al-right." She put her arms in front of her and moved towards the bed in the dark. Suddenly, the boat lurched and Sora was flung forward. "Aahh..." She landed on the bed face forward onto something soft and warm. The scent of cologne tickled her nostrils. She felt something around her head. Layla felt something land on her chest. She felt it with her hands and recognized hair. She guessed that it was Sora's head. "Are you ok, Sora?" she said as her hands moved down to Sora's shoulders. Sora realized where she was and blushed in embarrassment. She didn't want to be any more of a burden to Layla. She lifted herself away from Layla's breasts. "I'm fine." She began to move away. "Wait." Layla held Sora's shoulders. "There's one more thing we can synchronize." "What?" asked Sora. She peered into the dark to figure out where Layla was. "Our breathing." Layla rolled to her right to face Sora. "Lie on your side, please." Sora did as she was told and lay on her left side. She could sense Layla's long body in front of her. There was a slight breeze near her face. Then Sora realized that it wasn't a breeze, but Layla's soft breath. Sora felt Layla's hand move from her shoulder and down her arm. It stopped at the nook of her waist. She sensed Layla shifting her weight and a subtle increase of warmth in front of her. "Try and match my breathing." instructed Layla. Sora closed her eyes and tried to focus on the breeze before her. It was so soothing and comforting. She tried to follow along and began to relax. "Not quite there yet... Come closer." Sora shifted herself forward. "Closer." Layla slid her hand behind Sora and pulled her against her body. She sensed Sora's bangs before her. Smiling, she leaned forward until she pressed her forehead against Sora's. "Ah, she's much warmer now." she thought. Sora was at a loss. A wave of sensations were overwhelming her. The soft breaths, the rustling of Layla's negligee against her pajamas, the scent of cologne and Layla's shifting movements against her body were all assaulting her senses. Her stomach did several somersaults. Sora fought hard to still her racing heart. Her skin tingled with every subtle brush against Layla's silky negligee. Her cheeks burned as sensed Layla's forehead against hers. "This is soooo not easy." thought Sora as she swallowed again. "Don't tense up. Relax." said Layla. She had to say it to calm herself as well. Holding Sora so close to her was nothing like she expected. She felt giddy and unusually happy to finally hold Sora in her arms. "Finally?" she thought. "Why would I want that... why does she entice me so?" Layla pushed the thoughts away and tried to focus on synchronizing with Sora. She unconsciously hugged Sora closer. An odd tingle raced up her spine. Her nipples tickled as they pushed against Sora's chest. "This is the first time I've felt like this... what's going on with me?" she thought. Calmed by Layla's voice, Sora took several deep breaths and tried to focus on Layla's breathing. Sora took one more deep breath and released it slowly. She relaxed against Layla and sensed Layla's breathing. She felt Layla's chest rise as she inhaled and sink as she exhaled. Sora followed each motion and breath to the best of her ability. Soon, she was able to sense a rhythm. "Good... keep that up." whispered Layla. "Until we fall asleep." "Yes..." Sora replied softly. Her body glowed with warmth as she held Layla against her. Soon, her consciousness slowly slipped away to a vision of her and Layla in each other's arms floating in a sea of light. When the storm broke, they made it in time for the performance. Though they dueled each other on the boat, they partook of a dance whose rhythms were known only to the two of them. It was a fiery dance that defied the storm and whose heat can only be matched by the growing flames in their hearts.
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