Episode XXIV: Our New Path
Asuka Honmisei squinted her eyes as the blasting, infernal heat of the desert sun fanned down upon her entire body, especially her eyes. Not only was the light intolerably blinding, but also the fire coming forth from the golden sphere was nearly unbearable. She personally didn’t know how anyone could endure it for long, let alone the rest of their lives, but it had been within that very “oven of the world” where her lover Brinna had grown up: the streets of Egypt.
Aside from the heat and the light bearing down upon her, Asuka’s pointed ears picked up nearly every sound available to her as she traveled through the streets, her elbow linked with Brinna’s as the dancer guided her. This included the dozens of merchants singing out to strolling shoppers, wailing about their new wares and weaving wild, impossible tales of the magnificence of the objects of their trade. The babble pf people filled the streets like water, becoming mixed up and confused, even though Asuka understood their language. There were also animals running around free: chickens, camels, mules and other small pack animals, as well as a few stray dogs and exotic cats.
The smell of the desert city was the most diverse of them all, almost making the heat and the noise bearable. The scent of human bodies ran through the whole place, many of them covered with sweat and the good stench of work and travel, others masked with erotic perfumes and pleasant incenses. The liquid smell of fruit and the wafting scent of warm bread were among the competition for air, and sand and baking stone gave the atmosphere a fiery glaze, the smell of centuries of work and toil under the same sun, and of course many millennia’s worth of history behind it all.
“Tell us one more time,” muttered Asuka as she shielded herself from the sun. “Why are we here again?”
“I just have a few things to take care of,” repeated Brinna in her most patient voice. “I have a few errands to run and some minor debts to pay off. Besides, I haven’t been home in years, so I thought I could afford a visit. We’ll be staying at my brother’s home while we’re here.”
“Brother?” mimed Asuka, giving the native of the desert land a questioning look. “You never told me you had a brother.” Brinna smiled cheerfully and hugged her lover’s arm closer.
“Oh yes, a twin brother, twenty minutes older. He’s the most wonderful, sweet, kind, and generous man I know of-- (and just between you and me, he’s also the most gorgeous!)”
“Huh?” Taken aback, Asuka stared at Brinna even more confused than ever. The copper-skinned woman giggled.
“Yeah! Oh, but don’t give me that look, Sukie; we’re a very close family. You’ll love my brother when you meet him, really!” The half-elf shook her head, giving her girlfriend one of her doubtful looks. She had learned perhaps too much about the beautiful dancer than she really wanted to know.
“All right, if you say so. Hey, where’d Storm go? And Tara and Shel? This isn’t the kind of place they can just wander around in.”
“Don’t worry, they’ll be all right,” replied Brinna, touching her arm in reassurance. “After all, I grew up here. The people here know me and love me. They’ll be fine on their own. Lantariz and Shellby are probably just spending some sweetheart time together, like us.”
“Yeah, probably,” Asuka muttered. “I’m not worried about them, though--it’s Storm that concerns me. I’m worried that he’ll scare a few people into doing something they’ll regret.” Brinna gave Asuka a very warm smile, her almond-colored eyes brimming over with adoration. Asuka knew what that look meant.
“You’re so cute when you worry.”
“According to you, I’m pretty damn cute everywhere.”
“You are,” whispered Brinna, giving her girlfriend a kiss on the cheek. “You’re just the sweetest thing in the world, Asuka Honmisei. How could you not be such a cutie?” Asuka snorted, even though she was blushing because of the attention. Of course, this made her look even cuter. Brinna chuckled and gave her half-elf lover another kiss, and continued to guide her, by the elbow or by the hand, towards the house where her hitherto unspoken-of twin brother resided. Asuka wasn’t exactly squealing over the prospect of meeting her lover’s family, but since they were part of Brinna’s life, she would willingly go along with it.
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Lantariz Tornheart and Shellby Blake had indeed gone out on their own, deciding to explore as much of the city as possible. Neither girl was used to the arid heat of the desert, as they spent most of their time exploring space, so they suffered greatly in a short amount of time. Their canteens had to be filled every fifteen minutes, it seemed, and they had brought a large umbrella to share so they could be shielded from the sun. The people of the land didn’t pay them much attention, even though they were openly holding hands and displaying subtle expressions of love. They had apparently seen stranger things than two girls in love, and even if they hadn’t, the duo moved through the town quickly.
“Oh, we’ve got to buy something while we’re here,” murmured Shellby, crossing her arms studiously as she walked through the streets. “There’s so many great things here, but it’s impossible to figure out what’s best.”
“Yeah… but ah don’t feel comfy wanderin’ around with all these people here,” murmured Lantariz. “Sorry… ah don’t do too well in a crowd. Ah’ll probably end up embarrassin’ you again.”
“Oh, nonsense,” smiled Shellby as she kissed her girlfriend. “If anything, it is I who will make an ass of myself. In fact, I’m surprised you haven’t demanded that we both go indoors, or to the ship. This sun has to be murder on your skin.”
“Ah can’t help it if ah’m a little pale,” muttered Tara, raising her arms for Shellby to see. Both sides were a little on the light side, unlike Shellby’s skin, which was a rich chocolate color, wonderfully edible whenever she and Tara became very intimate. The taller of the two chuckled and nudged the shorter.
“You know, you would look really cute with a tan line. Maybe we can catch a few rays while we’re here.”
“Too damn hot,” moaned poor Tara miserably. Shellby chuckled and hugged the cute space explorer she loved so dearly.
“Aww, poor baby… I know it’s hot, but Asuka and Brinna have some things to take care of, and since we’re still ferrying them around, we have to hang around here until they’re done. But we don’t have to be miserable, darling; I just wanted to look around.” Lantariz, even though she was feeling miserable, couldn’t help but smile a little as she looked up into the pretty face of her girlfriend.
“That’s my Shellby, all right… An explorer freak just like me, always wantin’ to go to the next place and look under the next curtain. Dang, how did a girl like you ever get into mah life?”
“I saved you by thwacking that burglar on the head with my guitar, remember?” Lantariz chuckled heartily as she remembered the humorous way she had been introduced to her girlfriend, and gave the older woman in spite of her sour mood.
“Oh yeah! Gawd, what was goin’ through your mind, Shel? That musta been one’uh the craziest stunts I ever did see!”
“Well, I couldn’t leave a pretty girl in danger,” she replied slyly. Lantariz blushed, giving her girlfriend a shy look that she knew drove her wild.
“Thanks… You’re my hero now. Maybe I should buy you a present for being so good to me.”
“Only if I can repay the favor,” whispered Shellby, kissing Tara on the ear. Tara shivered with delight, and squealed in protest.
“Aah! What’re you doing, Shellby? Ain’t we gonna go somewhere private if we wanna be sweet with each other?”
“Ah, what a rascal!” Shellby hissed into her girlfriend’s ear again, tickling her side until Tara laughed out loud.
“Aaah!! Hahahahaha!! Shellby~! Gawd, girl, at least take me somewhere where people won’t stare! ACK!!”
“Okay,” sang the older woman, and to Lantariz’s sudden shock, Shellby actually picked the petite girl up and carried her elsewhere, both of them laughing all the way, not caring how much attention they drew.
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Brinna waited patiently in front of the door, Asuka off in another world as she looked around the area. It opened quickly, revealing a young man on the other side, who screamed for joy as he saw the dancer standing there. She squealed too, and the two embraced fiercely as if they had not seen each other in years (which they hadn’t). Brinna placed a big kiss on each of his cheeks and a quick peck on his lips as she smiled and hugged him.
“Ah, Yule! It’s so wonderful to see you again!! I’ve missed you so much!”
“Little Brinna!” he replied ecstatically. “My little baby twin sister! Ahh, ohh, it’s great to see you! Ahh!” He hugged her again, and the two laughed out loud as they were reunited after about three years, or so Brinna had said. They stared at each other for a long time, blissfully unaware of everything else around them, until finally a very patient Asuka got their attention with a cough. Curiously, Brinna’s twin brother looked at her.
“Hmm? Brinny, who’s this?” Brinna smiled and gestured towards the woman with her head.
“This is my girlfriend, Asuka Honmisei. Asuka, this is my big brother, Yule Ptolemie.” Asuka nodded curtly, and Yule performed the precise same action. He didn’t look exactly pleased to see that his little twin sister had brought home yet another potential (but ultimately disastrous) girlfriend.
“…Oh. Brinna, I thought you had learned from your past mistakes. I was sure that you’ve experienced enough heartbreak for one lifetime. What sets this one apart from all the other lovers you’ve had, besides her ears?”
“What?” Halfway confused and halfway offended, Asuka gave the olive-skinned man (who resembled Brinna but not very closely) a rather peaceful snarl. Yule set the record straight for Asuka.
“Listen, my little sister’s had her heart broken in the past by a few other women. Now it doesn’t bother me at all knowing that she’s a lesbian, but it does bother me when other people make her sad. I’m probably the only person who’s ever really loved her in her life, and it’s a damn shame that’s the way things are.” Asuka snorted, less peacefully this time, but Brinna stood up in her lover’s defense.
“Oh, Yule, please do be quiet, precious. Asuka’s very different from all those other rotten women.”
“How so?” Brinna gave him sad eyes, and clung onto the half-elf’s arm gently.
“This woman has saved my life, at the expense of her own. She risked her own safety for mine, and for that alone I am grateful. She has protected me ever since, and has been a very dear companion, a trusted confidante, and a sweet, loving, kind, caring, wonderful individual, even though she herself doesn’t believe it. Besides, unlike those other whores I thought I loved, she understands my true passion in life.”
“Does she, now…?” Yule crossed his arms and gave the shorter woman a studious gaze. Asuka was able to return it and intensify it easily.
“Yeah… I guess so.”
“She seems very rude and bitter,” muttered Yule. Asuka’s nostrils flared angrily, but she made no other move. Once again, Brinna stood up for her.
“That’s only a front she puts up because she doesn’t trust everybody. She can be very gentle and loving if you give her a chance, and she has a heart of gold. You may think that she is unworthy of me, dear brother, but I sometimes believe that I am unworthy of her.”
“That’s bull,” snickered Honmisei. Yule was still doubtful of her as he kept his eyes on the half-elf, but for the sake of his sister, he let the subject drop.
“Well… I’m still a little reluctant to accept her. You’ve just been hurt too many times in the past. I don’t want it to happen again.”
“It certainly won’t,” said Brinna, assuring him with a pretty smile. “Now really though, Yule, we didn’t come all the way here just to talk about that. I have a lot of things to do, and we need a place to stay while we’re here. We have a few other friends of ours as well, who helped us travel around, so they’ll need a place to stay.” Yule Ptolemie sighed and shook his head, unable to resist the request of his little sister.
“Well… I suppose I could be the gentleman and do as you request. All right, you and your companions may stay here for awhile.” Brinna squealed out a thanks as she ran over to hug him again, kissing his cheek lovingly. Yule could not stay sour for long when his sister did that to him, so he hugged her back and invited them inside. Asuka, still sensing his distrust, nodded her head as she passed him.
“You know, she was right about everything,” she told him. “I may not know much about love, but I know that I want to love your sister. I’m… not very good at being sentimental, but… well… she kinda grew on me. You may as well get used to me, Yulie; I might just end up being an in-law.” She then gave him a cool smirk, winked, and followed Brinna inside, leaving Yule blushing.
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“Are you feeling okay, honey?” Hugging Lantariz from behind, her hands gently rubbing the smaller girl’s tummy, Shellby Blake nuzzled her girlfriend’s neck as she whispered to her. Lantariz had been out of it ever since the debacle at the North Pole, and even though that had been three days ago, the trauma still lingered. Lantariz managed a smile and rubbed her girlfriend’s bare arms.
“Yeah… Even though she was a witch and all, she was still… the woman who gave birth to me. Ah mean, ah hated her really bad, and ah don’t usually approve of hatred. That woman was just evil, Shellby, but even then… She was the woman who bore me. Ah… ah may sound crazy, but a part of me wanted to save her from her own madness…”
“…I know what you mean,” whispered Blake, giving Tara’s neck a kiss. “But she’s dead, and there’s nothing else we can do. If I believed in reincarnation, I’d like to say that she would come back as someone very good and pure, who would be given a second chance at life. I don’t, but… it’s a good concept to think about.”
“…Yeah…” Lantariz sighed, and entwined her fingers with Shellby’s, letting her pale spacer skin mix in with Shellby’s brown. Her fingers felt absolutely wonderful, probably because of the divine spark of musical creativity that flowed through their nerves. Lantariz raised the hands to her mouth and kissed them softly, over and over again.
“You’re so sweet,” she whispered, unable to hide her tears anymore. “So, so terribly sweet… like an angel… Ah bet you’re a real angel, Shellby Blake, and that you’ve come down to guide us humans away from our barbaric natures and into a world of peace. You say you ain’t exactly human, and… maybe that means you’re an angel. So why, Angel, would you want to ever spend time with me?”
“Because you’re a fox,” giggled Blake, hugging her girlfriend tightly. Lantariz blushed and squealed.
“Shellby!”
“It’s true,” continued the taller girl, chewing on Tara’s ear. “If you were a hog, I’d have nothing to do with you.”
“Shellby!!” She chuckled heartily.
“I’m just kidding, sweetie! I mean, even if you looked like a hog, you’d still be cute, because piggies are cute. But really, I love you because… well, because I just grew to love you ever since we met. I mean, I wasn’t really attracted to other girls before (even though I don’t remember much about my previous years), but when I saw you… there was just a spark.”
“A spark?” Shellby nodded her head and began rubbing Tara’s shoulders lovingly.
“Yeah. It was like I finally found what I was looking for. You’re a brave, sweet girl, Lantariz Tornheart, and you’ve got a good, empathetic heart that I love so dearly. You’re a kind woman, who even wanted to extend her kindness to her bitterest enemies, and you’re just fun and adventurous and so many other things. And oh yeah, you’re amazingly gorgeous.” Poor Lantariz turned red in the face, giggling uncontrollably as Shellby pined over her.
“Gawd, Shel… what did ah ever do to deserve--” Shellby quickly turned the woman around, interrupting her sharply as she stared into her eyes. Tara was absolutely frozen as she peered back into the mysterious blue orbs of her girlfriend, paralyzed and definitely not wanting to be freed.
“Don’t ever think that you had to earn my love, Lantariz,” whispered Shellby, stroking the woman’s face softly. “Don’t you ever. That’s not something you can do, I don’t think. Even I know that. I love you because I chose to love you; you feel the same way, don’t you?” Lantariz was speechless for a while as she looked into the angelic face of the woman she loved so dearly.
“Ah…… More than you can ever imagine, Shellby…” Blake smiled and held her girlfriend’s face in her hands.
“Good. Don’t you ever doubt me ever again, okay? I love you because I want to, and because I want you to love me too. You’re the most important thing in my life, and I think--no, I know that you’re more special than you give yourself credit for. Sometimes, chickadee, I wonder whether I deserve your love or not, because as you know, I’m a huge bitch and an ass.” Tara laughed softly, the tears coming freely from her eyes by that point, and a few even scarred Shellby’s face as well.
“Yeah… but that’s why I love you. Oh, precious, don’t cry…” Tara leaned forward and kissed the tears away, sending wonderful sensations across Shellby’s entire body and soul, and their mouths met in a deep, sensual, loving embrace that expressed their shared love.
“Why not?” whispered Shellby, still crying. Tara grinned and wiped the tears of joy away.
“Because angels don’t cry, love.”
“You’re crying.”
“Ah know. Ah’m such a hypocrite.”
“We both are, love…” Shellby and Lantariz chuckled in spite of their loving joy, pressing their foreheads together as they embraced and cried and proclaimed their love for each other. They kissed again and again, lost in each other and never wanting to find their way out.
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Brinna breathed in the beautiful scent of the desert evening as she leaned against the railing of the balcony, situated on the western side of her brother’s house so that it could look at the sun. As the burning orb crawled further and further down into the horizon, the clouds began to turn blue and purple, red and pink, and the sky grew dusky and golden, becoming orange in some areas and gray in others. The music of the town surrounding the house rose up to her ears, giving the perfect music to the perfect sunset.
She heard the door opening, and from the sound of the light footsteps, she knew it to be her girlfriend and bodyguard, the beautiful pointy-eared angel who came out of nowhere to sweep her off her feet (only after knocking her down on them, of course). Brinna smiled with joy, anticipating the embrace she knew would come, and waited for Asuka to make her presence known. The half-elf didn’t even touch Brinna as she joined her, but she could tell that she wanted to. Brinna grinned, and scooted closer so that her hand was covering Asuka’s.
“Hey. Beautiful evening, eh?” Asuka gave Brinna that same mysterious, dusky smile, the one with a hidden sense of deep sexuality in it.
“Yeah.”
“So do you like my brother?”
“Yeah.”
“And the city?”
“Yeah.”
“Would you like staying here a little while longer while I do my things?”
“Yeah.”
“And what do you think you’ll do once we leave?” A pause.
“Yeah.” Brinna laughed out loud.
“Asuka!! You’re not being a very good conversationalist!!”
“…Yeah.” Brinna laughed out loud again.
“Asuka!!!” Asuka chuckled as well, and suddenly took Brinna by surprise by taking her face in her hands and leaning forward to deliver a very soft, very loving, very long kiss. Brinna was caught off guard for a second, but quickly melted into the embrace, moaning softly as she returned the kiss with as much love as she dared. As the two parted, she could see the gentle sparkle in Asuka’s emerald eyes that she had come to know and love as a sign of the woman’s true gentle spirit.
“I love you so much,” she whispered. Brinna gasped a little bit, her face flushed and red from the random actions.
“Asuka…”
“I may not know what love is--but I suppose that not many people do. I do know that you’re the one I want to love, and I’ll do anything it takes to prove it. You’re… you’re the woman I love, Brinna… You’re the one who saved me from my own bloody past, the one who took these stained hands into her gentle fingers and kissed them, calling them clean. You stared into my face, a stony rock of apathetic belligerence, and sighed as you said it was beautiful. You gazed into my callous heart, uncaring and cold, and told me that it was a soft object made out of purest gold. You love me, you really love me… For all of my murders and sins and past tragedies, you love me…”
Asuka could take no more, and finally broke down in tears. She shivered uncontrollably, no longer feigning strength as she allowed her barriers to break and the “weakness” to flow out. Brinna, overcome by the sudden display, gasped in awe and took the woman she loved so desperately into her arms.
“Oh, Asuka… Precious… don’t cry. Please don’t cry, precious…” Brinna was shedding tears herself as she hugged Asuka firmly, her mouth instinctively going for the woman’s chapped lips, and her hardened face, and eyes that had once been dry. Asuka disobeyed her lover’s request and continued mourning, unable to stop despite having once considered crying a grievous weakness. She held Brinna fiercely, whispering the woman’s name as she shivered and wept.
“Brinna… Brinna… I love you so much…”
“It’s okay, Asuka… it’s okay… Just let it out, honey… just let it out…”
She did so, for about three minutes.
Finally, Asuka stopped weeping, and sniffled everything back up again. She looked down at the beautiful copper-skinned woman, the one who had done more for her than anyone else, and found the fiery glint of love in the woman’s sweet brown eyes. Asuka smiled weakly, touching her lover’s face as gently as she knew how, and let her heart become vulnerable and open again.
“I must look like a wreck,” she managed. Brinna shook her head and held Asuka’s hand close to her cheek, caressing it softly.
“You’re the most beautiful creature in all of existence…”
“Yeah, I know…” Asuka’s whisper didn’t contain any selfishness in it or any egotistical boast; it was an admittance of her own beautiful self, the side of her that had been lost for far too long. She gave Brinna a grin, and kissed her nose.
“Such a cutie-pie,” smiled the dancer. Asuka chuckled.
“I know. Not as cute as you, but pretty close.” The two of them smiled, and for good reason, since they had finally found the lost part of themselves, the last piece of their own puzzling, confused lives that had been previously spent in violence and heartbreak. As opposite as the two women were, when it came down to it, their hearts and their souls were precisely the same, in synch with each other’s down to the last throb of their pulse.
As Asuka and Brinna kissed gently under the graying sky, the clouds broke open and a rare fall of rain came down. Brinna froze as she felt the wet drops fall on her body, her mouth still attached to her lover’s.
“Damn,” she whispered. Asuka chuckled warmly, now no longer afraid anymore to show her happiness.
“Yeah, the weather around here sucks. We’d better get inside before we get wet.”
“It’s too late for that,” said Brinna with a saucy grin. Asuka gave her a confused look, and the dancer elaborated. “You know… because the rain’s already falling. It’s making us wet.”
“Huh? Oh yeah…” Asuka smiled duskily and took Brinna back inside the house, where they tried to shake off as much of the unexpected rain as they could. Brinna let out a gusty sigh as she looked outside and saw a rare storm brewing.
“Goodness, it almost never rained this hard when I was here! It must’ve been preordained by the heavens to get us to come inside.”
“Maybe,” shrugged Asuka. She gave Brinna a smile, and couldn’t help but stare at the dancer as her wet clothes clung to her body. She matched the half-elf’s smile and sauntered over to her with an erotic glint in her eye.
“Hey, Sukie… What say we get out of these wet clothes?”
“I’m all for it, lover.” The two of them hastily began removing their dripping outfits, laughing and giggling uncontrollably all the way, until they found each other’s embrace once again.
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Bored to tears and dripping wet, Bloodstorm grunted out a sigh as he shuffled through the upper levels of the town. Despite what his comrades thought, he had not been spending his time wandering around scaring people, or making a spectacle of himself. Truth be told, the cyborg had found a pleasant way to occupy his time whilst in Egypt: he took it upon himself to catch thieves and pickpockets and turn them in to the merchants they had raided. He performed all his actions for free, stating that it was somewhere in his programming to intercept a criminal after they performed their crime. But the rain ceased this action, so he just took a walk.
As he walked past a certain door, his ears picked up the sound of two people kissing softly and passionately. Curious, he peeked through a crack in the door and discovered Lantariz and Shellby, locked deep in a passionate embrace, softly moaning and laughing. He raised his eyebrows and hastily forced himself away.
“Whoa! That was something! Wow, it was a good thing they were completely dressed or I would have been in trouble!” He was referring to one of the codes built into his design that forbade him to engage in any sexual acts with any creature, consensual or otherwise. Voyeurism was one of them, but since the girls were merely kissing and little more, he was “safe”. Shaking his head, he moved on across the rooftops, but soon came to another noise as the rain softened and grew tamer. Warily, he descended down and pressed his sensitive ears to the other window, wondering what it was.
To his surprise, he could clearly make out the voices of Asuka and Brinna, yelling and moaning softly as they engaged in some kind of intense physical act. Upon further “inspection”, Bloodstorm could hear them shouting out each other’s names, and whispering sweet nothings to each other, and proclaiming passionate sighs of love. He could hear them kissing, and screaming in erotic pleasure, until the sounds of their passionate lovemaking overwhelmed him. He backed away, shaking his head even more, and chuckled darkly.
“I’ll be damned… I’m surrounded by horn-dog lesbians! Huh! Humans! What a strange and bizarre species! I’m glad I’m not that weird!” Snorting, he dug his hands in his pockets and began to whistle as the rain slowly dried up and the cold evening sky folded overhead, revealing stars.
Closing comments: Mucho sweetness for those who felt this story didn’t have enough shoujo-ai, with emphasis on a few of the more developed couples. That’s the last I’ll write about Asuka, Bloodstorm, Brinna, Lantariz, and Shellby (with a respective nod to the girl’s father and mother), so draw your own conclusions and enjoy the next chapter. Preview of… well, you know: Jack Lazarus and all his employees return to Lazarus Mechanics, where they rest and relax and try to get back to a normal life! Of course, is anything really normal in that place?
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