Peaceful.
That was the only word Rinako thought of that could describe the
feeling she was going through right now. Peacefully drifting up from
sleep, with Ayane’s strong yet soft arms holding her so gently. It was
even more special for Rinako, particularly after their previous night
of tender lovemaking.
Just as beams of light peered through the gap of the curtains, Rinako
felt their warmth on her cheeks and lightly her eyes fluttered open.
With a happy smile, the purple-haired girl rolled over to observe her
sleeping love.
Ayane.
It was so strange. Rinako couldn’t understand why, but all of her
sentiments of hatred for her were gone. Their break-up was down to
Ayane in the first place. To be honest, nothing really had changed
except that they both realized that they still loved one and other.
But then, Rinako really thought about it.
{...Maybe...what’s changed is that I realized...that I still loved
her. What’s wrong with me? Why didn’t I see this before? But I guess
it doesn’t matter anymore. She loved me...I guess I can forgive her
mistakes...}
Rinako edged closer to Ayane, and placed the lightest of kisses on her
cheek. It was enough to be around her. It was not Rinako’s intention,
but Ayane slowly started to awaken.
A small smile pulled at Ayane’s lips as her eyes adjusted to her long
lost angel. “...Good morning.”
Rinako smiled back. “Morning. You sleep well?”
“The best time in two whole years.”
It wasn’t hard for Rinako to deal with that. Mostly because she felt
the same way as Ayane did. Rinako snuggled up closer to her lover, and
nestled her head gently on Ayane’s shoulder.
“I’d forgotten how much I missed just being here with you.” Rinako
grinned with deviousness as she added, “And how much I missed making
you my willing sex puppy...”
Ayane coughed a little, from embarrassment. “You know, we probably
shouldn’t stay like this forever.”
“Like what?”
“Undressed and clung together in your bed, Rinako. I am still in CBL
territory after all.”
Rinako had forgotten about that. For the first time, Rinako was around
Ayane and she had not thought about the CBL-SBA war at all. It just
wasn’t important at the time. But it was a pressing issue at the
moment.
“I can sneak you out.” Rinako said hopefully. “Just let me stay like
this for a few more minutes...”
Ayane hugged her Rinako-angel a little tighter. There were still so
many things to iron out now. For one thing...
“Rinako...” Ayane began. “What about...Aoba?”
Rinako blinked. “Y’mean, Keiji? He and I...broke up the day before
yesterday. Right after he gave me that ring. I felt that I wasn’t
ready for a commitment, but...I guess the truth is that I wasn’t ready
to commit to anyone other than you.”
Again, Ayane managed a smile. Though she felt sorry for Keiji for
being dragged into her affairs with Rinako, she was partly glad that
he was out of the way. Absently, Ayane began to run her long fingers
through Rinako’s silken locks of dark lavender hair.
“You know...I just now realize that you have been leaving your hair
loose. Why?”
Rinako thought about that, while Ayane continued to play with her
hair. “I don’t know really. I knew that you didn’t like it when I left
my hair out, so I did it to spite you, I guess.”
“It isn’t that I did not like it...it just attracted a lot of
attention from the other students at the dojo. And I was...”
Rinako giggled. “You were jealous?”
Ayane didn’t like such a term for it but... “Yes I suppose I was.”
Though it was a jovial moment, a cloud of silence passed over the two
lovers. The dojo was where it all started. Three years ago, Rinako and
Minato’s father, Genzo Ikatsuji, travelled to Osaka to visit his good
friend, Yumi Yosukube. When Genzo visited Yumi he also met her young
15-year-old daughter, Ayane. Even from then, Genzo could see promise
within Ayane as a martial artist. He was convinced that Ayane could
even become as strong as Rinako. After Yumi gave her consent, Genzo
took an eager Ayane to be trained at his illustrious martial arts
school, the Ikatsuji Fighting Institution.
This was a large compound just on the outskirts of the former
Kamakura. It was a legendary training facility that few had ever had
the privalege to study under. When Ayane was brought to the school to
train, she instantly developed a friendly rivalry with Genzo’s
youngest (and ironically the most skilled) student, Rinako. Even
though they were always competing against each other, they had a
caring friendship between them. Little over nine months later, things
were beginning to change between Ayane and Rinako. They were
growing...attracted to each other. Rinako couldn’t understand why this
was happening, and Ayane was reluctant to face up to it.
Fortunately, their hormones did the work for them.
It was only a matter of time before they pushed their relationship to
the next level, and before they knew it, Rinako and Ayane were a
couple. Of course, they kept this a secret, and did so successfully
for the next three months.
But then, just like that, Ayane broke up with Rinako. She declared
that she didn’t love Rinako and never had, leaving the dojo and a
broken-hearted Rinako in the process. From then on, Rinako’s broken
heart bred a sense of overwhelming hatred. Hatred for letting someone
hurt her like that, and hatred for Ayane for stringing her along.
The angry Ikatsuji re-doubled her training and improved her skills, so
that one day, when she and Ayane met once more, Rinako could repay
Ayane for her betrayal. So when her sister Minato called from her
school in Tokyo (Minato was not the fighting type, so lived in
Tomeishuu with fortnightly visits from Genzo) Rinako decided to
transfer to Tomeishuu and as fate would dictate, Ayane had gone there
as well.
As soon as Rinako and Ayane took up leadership of the two major gangs
in Tomeishuu, the war between the Cross Blade Lancers and the Spring
Breeze Assassins was re-ignited with fierce new passion.
Rinako remembered all of that with reluctance. But something was still
bothering her. Why did Ayane finish it with her? It was something that
would keep bothering her until she knew.
“Ayane...” Rinako started. “Why...why did you...break up with me?”
Ayane squirmed a little. She was afraid that Rinako would ask her this
at some point. “Do you need to know?”
“I can’t put it behind me until I know, Ayane.”
Ayane sighed. “If... If I tell you, do you promise not to get angry?”
“...Okay. I won’t get mad.”
Ayane prepared to reveal the one secret that had been haunting her for
the past two years. “Back at the training compound...when we were
together...do you remember that time when you and I kissed, just
before Ikatsuji-sensei taught us the Compression Blast technique?”
Rinako nodded without fail. “Of course I do. How could I forget? Dad
nearly caught us together.”
“Well...he did see us.” Ayane admitted.
“He did?”
Ayane ignored Rinako’s shock and continued. “...Later that night, your
father approached me while you were out. He...ordered me to end my
relationship with you. He said that if I wanted to do right by you, I
should finish it. You know I love you with all my heart, Rinako. But I
did not want to get in between you and your father. I never really
knew my father, and a part of me regrets that. I did not want to spoil
it for you as well. So I told you that I never loved you. I knew that
if I told you the truth you would never let me go. I had to make sure
that you would not try to save our relationship. After your
reaction...I felt so guilty. And I could not stand the idea of being
around you without...holding you, so I left. And I came to Tomeishuu.”
Rinako was stunned into a short-lived silence. “...You...mean...this
whole thing was my dad’s fault? I’ll kill him!”
“Rinako!” Ayane said haltingly. “You promised me that you would not
get angry!”
“I know, but...” Rinako’s eyes shook as she looked up at her love.
Then it dawned on her. “All this time...you’ve been...protecting me.
All those times I...hurt you...all the things I’ve said to you...oh,
Ayane I’m so sorry...”
Ayane placed her palms on Rinako’s cheek. “Please...lets not think
about all of that right now.”
“But, Ayane-“
Rinako was cut off once more. “I want to look to the future, Rinako.
Not the past...I cannot change the time we have lost but we can make
up for it.”
A bright smile beamed across Rinako’s lips. “Okay. I guess I just...
got a little crazy there. But dad had no right to do that. But then...
how can I blame him? I did the same thing to Minato. The proverbial
apple doesn’t fall far from the proverbial tree.”
“Do not say that.” Ayane said. “You know your sister will forgive you
for it. Just let her have her own choice, Rinako.”
Rinako nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. I’ve got a whole lot of
apologizing to do. Especially to Mishizu. God, I feel like such a jerk
for the way I’ve been acting. And...the dual of control is approaching
soon. What are we gonna do?”
Ayane smiled, holding Rinako a little bit tighter. “What we always do.
We’ll fight. Not as enemies, just two fighters who want to enjoy the
thrill of a battle. But no matter which one of us wins...we still have
one thing that we need to do.”
Rinako knew exactly what that meant. “The war. We need to end it,
right?”
Ayane nodded. “Yes. It is tearing this school apart, Rinako. And we
have been fuelling it for the past two years. It is not fair on them
and it is not fair on us. We need to do something about it.”
Rinako grinned as Ayane finished her sentence. “Listen to you, Ayane.
You’ve changed a lot these past two years. You’ve kinda developed a
personality...it’s sorta sexy...”
A blush was painted on Ayane’s fair cheeks as she looked away from her
love. “...You are...embarrassing me again...”
Just then, a rustling sound heckled at the lock of the door. Rinako
and Ayane both froze. What if someone caught the two of them like
this? Then what would happen? The rustling came to an end as the door
swung open. It was Minato.
Minato spoke thoughtlessly as she walked in, not even realizing that
Ayane was lying naked next to her older sister in bed. “Rinako, I need
to borrow your History text book.”
“Eh...” Rinako started. “This isn’t a good time, Minato...”
“Look, I’m not asking you for much I just need-“
Minato cut herself off as she looked over to Rinako’s bed. Suddenly
all her ill feelings towards Rinako just didn’t seem to be relevant.
Rinako was in bed with Ayane.
Hey blue eyes went wide with shock as she took all of this in. Rinako
was in bed with Ayane. The last thing Minato remembered seeing was an
urgent look on Rinako’s face as the blood rushed her head, and her
sight went blank.
**********
“How are you feeling, Minato?”
Wrapped in the plain sheets of her bed, Minato sighed and tried to
lift up her head from the pillow. Standing just to the right of her
was Rinako. Minato sighed a bit, relaxing her gaze on her sister.
“Rinako.” The blonde began. “I just had this crazy dream. You and
Ayane were in bed together...is that crazy or what?”
Rinako scratched her head. “Um...Minato...it wasn’t a dream.” She then
pointed over to Ayane, who was fully dressed in her school uniform at
the other side of the room. “Ayane and I...well...”
Minato was incredulous. “Holy cow! Are you serious?! You and Ayane?
But you two hate each other! And how did she get in here!?”
“That’s a long story that does not need addressing.” Ayane crossed her
arms. “But I think Rinako might have something to say to you.”
Rinako looked over to Ayane. “You’re not staying?”
“No.” She replied. “I think it’s best that I leave. You and Minato
need some time to talk about this and besides, I have to get out of
here before the rest of the Cross Blade Lancers wake up.”
“Okay.” Rinako walked over to Ayane just as she was about to leave,
and gave her a tiny peck on the cheek as a goodbye. Minato just stared
at the two of them. This was surreal. Of all the people whom Minato
could not see together, Rinako and Ayane had to rank *way* up there.
Ayane then stepped out of the room, leaving behind two confused and
questionable Ikatsuji sisters.
Minato was the first to address this. “So...you and Ayane, huh? Since
when?”
“We were in a relationship a couple years ago.” Rinako began. “It
didn’t work out and we’ve sort of been having a little anger between
us since then. Just yesterday we worked it all out.”
“Do you love her?”
Rinako nodded, honestly. “With all my heart.”
“So then I assume you have a good excuse for telling Natsumi that she
can’t see me anymore.”
The brown-eyed girl had thought about that. She knew that she was way
out of line for doing that to Minato. Rinako walked back over to
Minato’s bed and sat down on its edge, kicking her feet about as she
sat down.
“Look, Minato. I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting these past few
days. And I’m sorry for getting in the way of you and Yakume. I was
just so angry with Ayane and at the time I felt resentment towards
anything connected to her. It’s childish I know, especially since it
got in between you and me. But trust me, Minato. I never did this to
hurt you. Part of me was worried about what would occur if the same
thing that happened between Ayane and me happened to you and Natsumi.
But I guess, part of me was also a little thrown by the way you’re
growing up so fast, y’know? You’re my baby sister and I wanna be there
for you.”
Minato giggled a little. “You’re only a year older than me, Rinako.”
“I know.” Rinako said. “But I never got to be there for you. Ever
since mom died, you’ve been studying over here in Tokyo and I was in
Kamakura training with dad. These past two years that I’ve spent in
Tomeishuu have been great. Not because of the fighting or the war, but
because you were here. I love having my little sister around and I
guess I... thought that Natsumi might get in between us.”
Minato smiled. So this was what it was all about. She pulled herself
out of the covers slowly, walked around to the other side of the bed
and plastered her arms around Rinako. There was no way she could stay
angry with her big sister after hearing that.
“Oh, Rinako. You’re such a dummy.”
The older Ikatsuji girl just sweatdropped. “Not exactly the kind of
comment I was expecting...”
“Sis, do you really think that Natsumi could get in between us?” Asked
Minato.
“I don’t know...” Rinako admitted that. “I’ve been neglecting you for
the past two months, what with all the exams and the Cross Blade
Lancer stuff. Then the Yakume girl comes around. You’re sneaking out
to see her, making out with her in private and whatnot. I don’t wanna
sound possessive or anything but I got the feeling that we’d drift
apart if you started dating her seriously.”
“Don’t be silly, Rinako. I love you. You’re always there for me and
I’m so grateful. But I’m in love with Natsumi. I really am. I feel all
weak in the knees when she smiles at me. She makes me laugh and she
always knows how to cheer me up when I’m feeling blue. I was really
lonely before I met her. I used to see you and Keiji sometimes and
you’d look so happy together. I wanted that for myself. Then Natsumi
came and all these feeling just sprung up. If it means that I have
been acting a little differently then I’m sorry. But I can’t stop
these feelings I have for Natsumi. She’s so important to me.”
Rinako pulled back a bit and looked at Minato. There was the dreamy
smile on her face. “You’re... you’re really crazy about this girl,
aren’t you?”
“Uh huh.” Minato confirmed it. “She’s the one for me, Rinako.”
That was all Rinako needed to hear. If Minato was this serious about
the Yakume girl then... “Minato... you can go out with her again. I
won’t try and stop you.”
“Really?”
“Yep.” Rinako said. “She obviously makes you happy. And you’re right.
At the end of the day that really is all I want. When you’re happy,
I’m happy. But if she hurts you I do have permission to kick her ass,
right?”
Minato giggled again. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”
Rinako just smiled and pulled Minato back into her hug. “I love you,
little sis.”
“I love you too, big sis.”
**********
Ayane sighed. It had been a couple hours since she had left Rinako at
her room to talk to Minato. Hopefully, they sorted everything out
between them. Currently, the leader of the Spring Breeze Assassins was
in her Japanese History class. Learning about the Asuka-Naru period of
pre-Edo Japan was more than a bore. But at least for Ayane, she had
made plans to see Rinako.
It was impossible to get any real privacy with Rinako until the war
was resolved, so they had to either see each other during classes or
wait until night time, when they could sneak out and get as far from
Tomeishuu as possible. That way, nobody would be able to see anything
and tell the gangs.
It made more sense to Rinako to just drop out of the Cross Blade
Lancers and the Spring Breeze Assassins, but Ayane opted to stay put.
If they backed out now, then they wouldn’t have had the influence they
needed to put an end to the war. This was a priority. To end the war
before it got out of hand.
So until that day would come, Rinako and Ayane would have to keep
their relationship a secret. Fortunately, Rinako had devised a plan.
While the teacher continued his speech, Ayane thrust her hand into the
air, to call for attention. The teacher looked over to her.
“Yes, Miss Yosukube?” He said. “Can I help you?”
Ayane shuffled a little. She didn’t like to lie, but... “Sir, I need
to use the washroom. I’m feeling a little... well let’s just say it’s
that time of the month.”
The teacher ignored the childish giggles of the rest the class. “Go,
Miss Yosukube. But be quick as you can.”
Ayane nodded and quickly walked out of the classroom. As soon as she
got out she breathed a sigh of relief. But regardless of her feelings
about lying, Rinako was waiting for her. They had agreed to sneak out
of classes to see each other, the only place in school they could do
this was unfortunately, the toilets.
Ayane quickly jogged over to the double doors of the first hall, and
then went down the left staircase, eventually reaching the student
toilets. She peered inside and looked around. There was nobody else
there. But Ayane had to be sure. She walked over to the cubicles, and
then tapped on each of them four times. If Rinako were in there, she’d
use the signal of five taps in reply. Ayane came up to the last
cubicle at the end of the room, and tapped four times.
In reply, the door was tapped from the inside five times.
{Rinako.) Ayane thought.
Without hesitation, Ayane pulled open the cubicle door and stepped
inside the huddled space. Rinako was there, as expected, with an
annoyed look on her face.
“Geez, I’ve been waiting here for ages!” Rinako said. “What took you
so long?”
“Shush!” Ayane stressed, holding a finger to her lips. “Please be
quiet or we’ll be discovered by just about anyone.”
Well, Rinako could accept that. Rather than dwell on something that
could not be changed, Rinako pulled Ayane closer to her, and draped
her arms around the ashen-haired woman.
Rinako’s bright russet eyes bolted onto Ayane’s gold ones. “I missed
you, Ayane.”
Ayane rested her hands on Rinako’s hips. “It has only been a few hours
since you last saw me. But I suppose I should feel honoured in that I
leave withdrawal symptoms on you.”
Rinako grinned deviously as her lips came closer to Ayane’s. “So you
should...”
A bolt of thunder-like joy ran trough Ayane’s body as Rinako’s soft
lips kissed her own. Rinako lowered her embrace around her love, one
arm snaking up to Ayane’s lush locks of hair, the other came to rest
snugly on outline of Ayane’s breast. The gold-eyed girl quaked at
Rinako’s passion and moaned happily as the Ikatsuji girl’s tongue
slipped into her mouth. Before long, Rinako was backing Ayane up
against the inner wall of the cubicle, pressing her smooth thigh
between Ayane’s legs. This continued for several joyously long
minutes, their tongues fumbling sweetly with each other. Until
Rinako’s hand slipped secretly under the fabric of her lovers’ school
shirt. Ayane broke off the kiss with a breathless gasp, just managing
to look at Rinako through half-lidded eyes.
“R-Rinako...” Ayane stammered. “We... have to get... back to classes
soon, do we not...?”
Rinako breathed in quickly, not alternating the position of her hand.
“I know, sweetie. We’ll have to save all of this until another day.
Just promise me this’ll all come out in the open soon?”
Ayane’s hands ran up from Rinako’s hips, and came to a standstill at
the small of Rinako’s back. The gentle motion allowed Rinako to rest
her head lightly on the white-haired girl’s shoulder.
“We will tell people, Rinako.” Ayane managed to say. “Just as soon as
we end the war...I’ll tell everyone about how you make me feel.”
**********
Later that day, over in the late hours of the night, a foreboding wind
swept through the quiet streets of Tokyo suburbs. In the far distance,
three figures stepped through the chilly night air. One of them, a
young woman, with tall flowing locks of dark jade hair, had a bright
yet devious smile on her face.
“So this is Tokyo, huh? I’m not impressed.” She said.
One of the other two men stepped closer to her, taking in the same
sight. With an elegant flick of his hand, the young man flipped his
black hair out of his eye line, with a quiet smile.
“You are far too difficult to please, Shizuku.” He said.
“Hmph. And you aren’t, Ranji?” Shizuku merely waved him off, and then
she turned to look at the taller man standing next to her. “What about
you? How do you feel about this new town, Zanga...?”
This hulking but broad man, with his spiky brown hair and bright
crimson eyes, studied the surroundings. “This place is interesting. We
will have our way here...”
Shizuku piped up. Things could go well here for all their plans.
“Yes. Tokyo better get ready for the Kyoto New Force Strikers...”
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