"Nothing is so strong as gentleness and nothing is so gentle as real
strength."
-Ralph W. Sockman
"Her solace, her refuge..."
"Konban wa Rei-san!" Makoto's cheery voice broke the terse and
tense silence that had wafted across the room after the raven haired
teen's less than elegant greeting. Utena's eyes went wide with shock
and she wondered if the rogue had gone mad. Minako, on the other hand,
picked up quickly where Makoto left off.
"You're back!" Her voice, though strangely stiff, was just as
cheery as ever, and the pink haired girl could tell she was trying to
remain as relaxed and laid back as possible. "We've already started in
on cake and ice cream, Rei-chan, why don't you and I go get you some?!"
Minako was about to rise to her feet when the look on the raven haired
teen's face stopped her.
The miko's nostrils flared threateningly, her chest huffing as she
threw daggers at the tomboy with her eyes. Makoto smirked, winking at
the girl as she slid her arm behind Ami's head, letting it rest on the
top of the couch. The basketball player was looking between the two
rivals and saw the chestnut haired girl's movement, Is she baiting her?
She wondered with slight agitation. This would not bode well.
Before Rei could blow her top again, though, a charming and deep
voice spoke from behind her, accompanied by two long arms encircling
her, "Rei! Cake and ice cream!" Haruka picked the sexy girl up and
twirled her around, singing off key, "Cake and ice cream, lets eat cake
and ice cream!" She drawled out each word, emphasizing the words 'cake'
and 'ice cream' through high pitches.
"ARGH! PUT ME DOWN HARUKA!" The lavender eyed girl began to kick
at the blonde's grasp, though it did her no good as the racer carried
her down the hall past several wide-eyed girls. From down the hall,
they could hear Rei continue to scream and oddly, giggle, from what they
assumed, was Haruka's torturous tickling.
The blue haired girl sighed, her shoulders drooped a little,
obviously relieved as she leaned back into the couch. She was rather
glad that the blonde tomboy came at the moment she did and thanked
Kami-sama a thousand times over in her head. Her eyes had not left Rei
the entire time, fearing what the girl would do to Makoto, and so she
inadvertently missed the rogue's near fatal mistake. Utena, on the
other hand, was scowling at no one in particular, but rather at the
chestnut haired teen's obvious intent to arouse the miko's anger.
She knew that Makoto would defend herself, going for the jugular
if necessary, but she'd never actually seen her start a fight. The
basketball player hoped that the rogue would at least be the bigger
person when Rei came back inside. It was inevitable-after all-that the
two would have a showdown; especially since the tall girl all but
invited herself to the party.
Several girls reentered the room wearing slightly perplexed looks
on their faces and murmuring about how cute Haruka and Rei looked
together. One of them nudged Minako and quietly asked if Rei was
screaming about Makoto being here. Minako nodded, still recovering from
her near fatal heart attack at having the two intense and huge
personalities in the same room at the same time. The blonde was hoping
the raven haired girl would be a little longer outside giving her time
to marshal the troupes behind the tomboy so Rei would have no choice but
to grudgingly allow her at the party.
"Ami, can we step outside a moment?" The roguish tomboy no more
than finished her question when the blue haired girl practically jumped
out of her seat, already heading for the door. Makoto raised a chestnut
eyebrow, but said nothing as she placed her half-empty plate on the end
table, rising to follow the genius.
Minako found her voice as she watched the two walking out of the
room, "Wait, Mako-chan, that's not a good idea..."
Twinkling emerald eyes found the blonde girl on the floor, "Don't
worry, I'll have her back in one piece." She nodded before leaving the
room.
Utena sighed and set her bowl down in her lap, reaching up to rub
her forehead, "Rei's going to flip," she mumbled just softly enough for
her girlfriend to hear.
The volleyball player frowned, agreeing silently.
"Neh, are Makoto-san and Ami-chan an item?"
Minako turned to the other redheaded guest and scrunched her
eyebrows together as she replied, "I... Well, if they are, I haven't
heard anything. But don't they make a cute couple?" The blonde was
grinning again now, happy to have a slight subject change away from
anything about Makoto and Rei.
Unazuki dipped her head, blushing lightly, "I... I guess. It's
just that, well, do you think Makoto-san really likes Ami-chan?"
Dazzling blue eyes blinked several times, watching the older girl
curiously, "Um, I'm..." She paused a moment, feeling her girlfriend's
stormy eyes on the back of her head. Realizing that a spot so near the
pink haired girl probably wasn't a good idea for what was about to be
said, the volleyball player moved away and more towards the green eyed
girl. "If you're asking me, I think Mako-chan is totally into our
little genius. And to top that off, I think our little genius
reciprocates those feelings."
"Minako..." Utena started.
But the volleyball player just ignored her, scooting closer to her
sempai as she continued, "But really, those two, they're so private and
withdrawn from everyone else, it worries me sometimes..." Tapping her
finger on her front teeth, Minako looked up at the entrance to the
living room, "Wouldn't it be easier on both of them if they were to just
be open, instead of being all secretive?"
She had mumbled the last part mostly to herself and continued to
stare in the same direction, obviously lost in thought. From behind,
Utena watched Minako with a frown; she hadn't heard what the voluptuous
teen mumbled, but she assumed the girl was simply worried about her
friend. The basketball player could relate in this regard; Makoto had
shown yet another side of her personality tonight and it had upset her
slightly.
----------------------------
"God damnit, Haruka, put me the hell down!" She gasped when the
tall teen began to tickle her with long nimble fingers, her once
screaming erupting into angry giggles between words. "I ... MEAN... IT!"
"Aw, and here I thought no girl could resist my charm and good
looks." The racer chuckled, stopping the tickling but continuing her
hold on the hot tempered Miko as she walked into the kitchen. Lavender
eyes shot towards the meatball head blonde inhaling her cake like a
vacuum and drooling tempestuously over what was left of the rest of the
cake.
"LEAVE SOME CAKE FOR THE REST OF US ODANGO!" Rei screamed
defiantly, despite her current position.
Haruka chuckled at the raven haired girl, one track mind. Usagi
jumped back away from the cake she'd been eyeing and slowly inching
towards with her fork when Naru wasn't looking.
The redhead heaved a sigh, shoving her own piece of cake in front
of the blonde girl, "C'mon Usa-chan, follow me back to the living room,
c'mon girl." Both the racer and Miko sweat dropped as the blonde girl
followed Naru and the cake with eager wide eyes out the door and down
the hall.
"Put me down now," Rei's voice was considerably calmer, though
Haruka could sense she was still very angry and tense.
The blonde tomboy sighed, "I'll put you down, but you have to
promise me not to make another scene. It's Ami-chan's birthday for
crying out loud, Rei." All Haruka received in response was a growl and
some incoherent mumbling.
"Now now, Rei-chan, You of all people need to be supportive of
Ami-chan."
The racer turned, Rei still in her arms, and the two found an
amused Michiru standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Haruka
charmingly smiled towards her girlfriend, lifting the girl in her arms
up a bit as though proud of her 'catch' and wanting to show off. Aqua
eyes twinkled at the scene, a smile crossing the elegant girl's face as
she walked towards them.
"I suppose you can put her down now, Haruka, we've given her
something to think about, at least," drawled the artist.
Shrugging, the tall teen allowed her victim to slip from her arms
and back onto the floor, receiving a dangerous glare from the girl in
response. Rei turned and was about to march out of the kitchen when the
blonde girl moved swiftly in front of her, blocking the only exit.
"What the hell-..." The Miko was interrupted by the obstruction.
"Rei, seriously, don't ruin this day for Ami-chan, just let Makoto
stay." Haruka's voice was unusually stern and her eyes were showing
their true stubbornness.
The raven haired girl looked down at the floor, her fists clenched
tightly and her teeth noticeably grinding together, "I am supportive of
Ami-chan... and the best thing for her is to keep her away from that...
that..." She closed her eyes and began to breathe through her nose and
out her mouth, executing meditative techniques in order to calm herself.
Michiru frowned as she watched the fiery teen fighting something
internally and stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on the girl's
shoulder, "I know you want to protect her, she has that innocence about
her that makes everyone want to shield her from the harmful things. But
I think she really does like Makoto... and Makoto likes her. As her
best friend, despite your own personal feelings, you should support her
decision." Michiru squeezed the shoulder, "Be there for her, Rei."
Shrugging out of the musician's grasp, the Miko trudged angrily
towards the window and stared outside into the darkness. She wanted so
much to tell Michiru and Haruka and all the rest of them about what that
mysterious boy said to her, but she hadn't yet looked in the envelope.
It was true, she didn't want to spoil the evening, which is why she hid
the envelope in her room before joining the others; she decided she
would make her decision later.
But she hadn't counted on Kino being with the group and though she
did know better than to react how she did, it couldn't have been helped.
She leaned her head against the window, mumbling softly, "Ami likes
her..." She didn't want to admit it; she never wanted to admit it. Ami
was supposed to be hers, she put in the time, the effort, and she knows
Ami probably better than the girl knows herself. "Why does Ami like
her?!"
Haruka and Michiru shared a frown as they listened to Rei choke
out the last part with a sob. Silently, the aqua haired girl moved up
behind the raven haired girl and enveloped her in a hug. Being this
close to the girl, the artist could hear the quiet sobs coming from her,
and she couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards the girl.
"She's supposed to like me... I'm supposed to be the one... It
can't be her..." Her voice was muffled by her arm as she tried to keep
herself together; but feeling the older girl's arms around her, Rei
wanted nothing more than to break down crying right there.
The blonde sighed, running a hand through her cropped hair.
Glancing back towards the door and down making sure no one was coming
in, Haruka moved over by her girlfriend, "Rei, get a grip. Pull
yourself back together... at least for tonight."
Pulling out of Michiru's grasp, the Miko turned towards the two
surprised teens showing a tear-streaked red face, "YOU DON'T
UNDERSTAND!" She raised her voice, only to mentally hush herself, and
continued to speak in a loud, raspy whisper instead, "You don't
understand! Everyone looks at this brute and sees a charming beast, but
she's really just a beast! She's a bad person! She's... she's..."
No matter how much she tried, the hot tempered teen could not
bring her self to say it; and she wanted to, oh how she did. Revealing
that damned devil hiding underneath the skin of the cool and popular
Kino Makoto would bring such ease to her suffering and allow Ami to be
hers again. But she just couldn't do it. It wasn't the right time for
it; Rei felt something wasn't right, that the contents of that envelope
needed to be checked first. That was it.
Taking a deep breath, the lavender eyed girl walked away from the
concerned Haruka and Michiru and grabbed a napkin from the table, wiping
away the remnants of the tears on her cheeks. Tonight was for Ami-chan
and she was not going to lose to the rogue. Makoto may have made an
impromptu visit and the genius might actually like her, but when push
came to shove, it would be Rei who would stand victorious in the end;
with or without the envelope's help.
She looked back at the artist and her girlfriend, "You're right,
this is Ami-chan's night. Gomen."
--------------------------------------------
The stars were shining brightly and proudly in the dark sky,
illuminating the earth below in a quaint gentle glow. It was finally
quiet on the shrine grounds, with just the small rustle of leaves from
the occasional wind and the sounds of the forest animals that gathered
in the small forest. Despite the lateness of the evening, the air was
still warm but not too warm to the point of being uncomfortable; it was
warm enough to be just right. Ami thought the only thing missing that
would make this moment nearly perfect was a full radiant moon; it was
merely a sliver at the moment, so dull even the stars out shone it.
From behind her, the small girl was acutely aware that Makoto was
enjoying a view other than the night sky and that view no doubt had blue
hair. A smile crept onto the genius' lips as she sat down on the steps
of the shrine, wrapping her arms around her legs. That smile became
larger when the chestnut haired tomboy slid down next to her, emerald
eyes not moving from their point of interest.
"Happy Birthday again, Ami." She reached over and placed a small
wrapped box in the girl's lap. "Open it later."
Unconsciously, the short teen felt goose bumps crawl over her skin
at the closeness and sound of Makoto's tenor voice. She blushed,
looking down at the present in her lap. "Arigatou, Makoto..."
Sensing that the rogue was moving closer, the blue eyed girl
turned abruptly meeting a pair of widened emerald eyes. She felt her
breath catch at how close the tall girl was and inhaled the intoxicating
scent that could only belong to Kino Makoto. Catching her self from
falling too deep, Ami shook her head and blinked her eyes several times,
trying to clear away the fogginess.
"I... I want to thank you for last night." Her eyes fell
downwards to Makoto's corduroys, studying how the folds of pants fell
around the tall girl's legs as she continued, "I feel a lot better."
A smile crossed over the tomboy's lips and she stopped moving
towards the genius and turned to look up into the night sky instead.
"That's good." She was startled slightly when she felt a soft hand
enclosing around her own; her gaze shot back down to see the small girl
scooting closer. "A-ami..."
It was the blue haired teen's turn to smile. She had never heard
Makoto stutter before and for some reason, this act gave her an odd but
very satisfying thrill. How many times had the rogue been caught off
guard? Ami would bet that this a rare moment indeed. Taking a deep
breath, the small girl mustered up what was left of her courage and
stared right into the tall girl's usually intense, but now curious, and
perhaps a bit shaken, gaze.
Despite the night's occurrences and Rei's hot temper, the genius
felt things were much better and less confining; she was doing these
things because she wanted to, not because she merely desired to be away
from the unpleasantness. The day was spent sorting things out
emotionally and deciding what she really wanted because as Makoto
suggested to her last night, she should just try to do the things that
she wanted to do, not what was expected of her.
Ami knew she knew all of this, but having someone tell her it was
okay, being reassured that no matter what someone would stand by her
decisions, it seemed to give her an air of confidence she lacked before.
The rogue made her confident... Makoto gave her strength. Letting go of
the tall girl's hand, the small girl reached up and grazed her fingers
across tanned cheeks, sighing happily when that cheek pressed into those
fingers and against her hand.
"Where did this Ami come from?" Makoto's voice was soft and
gentle, her eyes closed as she reveled in the touch of her blue haired
classmate.
The small girl giggled, her face reddening when she realized how
bold she was being, but not stopping her tender caress, "Your split
personalities must be contagious."
Emerald eyes peeked out through half open lids watching the cute
girl before her blush embarrassedly. Deciding that while being on the
receiving end of such wonderful ministrations was fun, Makoto wanted
desperately to reciprocate, but still felt ambivalent after last night.
She still couldn't predict Ami's reactions and the girl was often too
fidgety for her own good. But it seemed, when the chestnut haired girl
allowed her to take the lead, she was calm and unusually courageous.
Still, curiosity got the better of her and she slowly moved her
hand up towards the girl's round, pale face, stopping her fingertips
just short of parted, light pink lips. Before Makoto had a chance to
gauge the small girl's reaction, those lips pressed themselves into the
rough pads of her fingers, eliciting a quiet throaty gasp from the
tomboy. A smirk appeared on the genius' face upon hearing the reaction
and she dragged her lips down the long appendages, resting them in the
middle of the rogue's hand.
Makoto could only watch and swallow deeply at this new feeling;
she felt her eyes glaze over with lust in watching the actions of the
supposedly innocent blue haired girl. Not to be outdone, though, the
tall girl brought her free hand up, touching the sides of the small
girl's face, bringing about another blush. She grinned at this and took
hold of the glasses on the girl's face. When she received only another
burning kiss into the palm of her hand in response, she pulled the
glasses off the girl's face and stared directly into pure baby blue
eyes.
Ami's vision became blurry when the glasses disappeared from her
face, but she didn't mind the least bit because she knew Makoto would
look after her. On instinct, she began to lean forward, watching as the
tomboy came more in focus with each inch she moved. She stopped when
she heard Makoto speaking.
"Are you sure?" The rogue's voice was clearly hesitant, probably
due to what happened yesterday when she tried to kiss the small girl.
Feeling somewhat guilty about her actions yet again, the blue haired
girl closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. Makoto was so
close now she could feel the hot breath on her lips and it made her
shiver uncontrollably. Where the tall girl was warm, the air now
suddenly felt cold; she wanted to close the gap and get out of the
frigid air and into the warmth of the girl in front of her.
As her answer, Ami leaned forward and pressed her lips against the
tomboy's, holding them there for several moments while she basked in the
softness and strength. Her senses became enflamed in the kiss, the
world around her dissolved into the starry night above so that it seemed
like it was only she and Makoto left, just for one another. She
received another pleasant jolt of feelings when the tomboy began to move
her lips against the small girl's and softly moaned into the kiss.
When the emerald eyed girl heard that moan, it only fueled her
desire to deepen that kiss and she began to softly ravish the genius'
gentle and inviting lips, nibbling and sucking on them until she thought
she would pass out from the sheer pleasure it was bringing her. Makoto
had only ever kissed one other person in her short life, but for some
reason, she felt as though this was where she belonged, this was what
she was made for. Ami was her solace, her refuge... and the mere
thought scared her.
Something like this, something so great and so wonderful, surely
the rogue was not allowed to partake in it, not with her past, not with
her future. She slowed her ravishing, realizing she needed to breathe,
and pulled away feeling her heart tighten painfully when the blue haired
girl followed, still desiring to hold that kiss and pecking at Makoto's
own lips. Resting her forehead against Ami's, the tall girl quietly
caught her breath, secretly reveling in the soft caress of the small
girl's hand still on her cheek.
"Wow," Ami was breathless as she spoke and the smile was evident
in her voice as well.
Makoto smiled in return, though she felt a twinge of sadness with
it, and her heart wrenched once again. Quickly, she leaned forward and
gave the blue eyed girl a long, gentle kiss, pulling away slowly with
Ami following her yet again.
"I'm going to be gone for the next three days or so."
The genius' eyes softened, a gloomy smile plastered on her face as
she looked into cloudy emerald eyes. "Okay," she said, though a part of
her wanted to ask the chestnut haired teen to stay, she also wanted some
time to sort this out on her own.
Makoto brushed her thumb across the small girl's lips, "Just okay,
hmm?" She smirked.
Ami giggled and leaned forward against the thumb on her lips,
kissing it softly. She wondered silently when she became such an
affectionate person, especially around this brutish, multiple
personality, secretive rogue. Shaking her head, not wanting to consider
such things at the moment, she spoke softly, "Skipping classes isn't
going to be good for your grades... but you're going to do what you want
no matter what, right?" Looking earnestly at the tall girl, she
continued, "Just be careful."
Unable to resist the cute look on the girl's face, Makoto leaned
in for another chaste kiss, "I'm always careful," she whispered in the
girl's ear after pulling away. With much reluctance, the tomboy backed
away from Ami and stood up. "I better go now."
Baby blue eyes looked slightly crestfallen, but understood why;
the raven haired reason was not too far away at the moment.
"I'll call you when I get back."
The blue haired girl smiled, grabbing up the present in her lap
and standing up as well, "I'll look forward to it."
Makoto nodded and turned to walk down the steps. She paused after
a few steps and looked back towards the porcelain face at the top, "You
really should talk to her, Ami. I know I can't force you into doing it,
especially so quickly, but it might clear up a lot of things for you."
Ami felt her head droop downwards, a small frown forming on her
features. She made a noise of understanding as she stared at the
wrapped box in her hands. Makoto nodded and continued her descent back
down the steps. When the small girl realized that her classmate was
leaving, she looked back up quickly and watched the tomboy until she was
enveloped by the darkness.
With a small sigh, the genius sat back down on the steps and
looked back up at the sky, whispering to the stars, "I'll try,
Makoto..."
---------------------------
At the bottom of the stairs, the rogue was greeted with a familiar
face stepping out from in front of the gates of the shrine.
"Hotaru, how's the hand?"
The dark haired girl rolled her eyes at her the tall girl, "I
still can't believe that idiot, honestly." She moved next to Makoto,
who was currently looking back up towards the shrine building, "Nice
kiss?"
The tomboy grinned, "Who knows..."
Hotaru chuckled a moment before becoming completely serious,
"Makoto, Rei has something..."
Emerald eyes narrowed at the underclassman, "What happened?"
The two began to walk down the sidewalk while the photographer
conveyed to her everything that had gone on between Rei and the
mysterious chubby boy earlier, not leaving a single detail out. Makoto
remained silent during it, only nodding from time to time, but never
letting any surprise or emotions show. When Hotaru finished, the rogue
continued to walk on in silence for several minutes, still not ready to
respond.
"Let me go with you tomorrow..."
Makoto shook her head, "No, you're my alibi."
The purple eyed girl growled, "We'll make a different alibi! With
this boy around, it only confirms that they really are watching us."
The two girls stopped at an empty intersection and waited for the
signal for them to walk across. Turning to the small girl, the chestnut
haired girl began to speak calmly, "We do know they're watching us...
but I feel like this incident, while not entirely unrelated, isn't
something directly correlated with them." She shrugged and turn back
towards the intersection, "I've made lots of enemies being who I am...
these enemies don't necessarily know about The Abyss, so there's a good
chance that I'm probably just being attacked for what I've done and not
who I am."
Hotaru sighed, but nodded in understanding.
"You stay, keep an eye out for anyone that might fit the
description of that boy or anyone suspicious around Ami and Rei... he
might go to the school if he's been trying to warn Ami," Purple eyes
glanced down to see the tall girl's fists clenched.
"You think Ami-san is in danger?" She asked Makoto hesitantly.
The signal changed, indicating for them to walk across. As they
walked, the rogue crossed her arms over her chest, staring ahead
emotionless and she talked, "I doubt it... not yet at least. Rei's the
one really in danger now; if it's true what's in that envelope... they
aren't going to like that."
Hotaru closed her eyes and sighed.
"Anyways, I better go. I'll check back in three days, no matter
what happens. If you don't hear from me by then... it's more than
likely they've gotten a hold of me. If that's the case, you better
run."
The photographer nodded, "Hai." She watched as the tomboy turned,
walking in the direction of the school. Sighing once again, Hotaru
rubbed at her forehead, mumbling in irritation, "Rei... damnit."
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