After the Flood
<please be nice to me, this is my first attempt at this type of genre
(and perhaps my last, depending on what mood I'm in afterwards) and I
know there are serious holes in my writing style even when I'm treading
familiar waters. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated, and most
likely replied to. Send anything and I'll be sure to read it. If you
want to use this on your web-page or put it up somewhere then it would
be nice if you could email me first, but I'm pretty likely to say yes
to pretty much anything>
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Night had fallen over Seiyun high school.
While at day, the all-girl's school managed to maintain a
traditional and mothering image, it turned into something much more
sinister and dangerous when the shadows began to lengthen. The almost
Victorian design of the school, with its marble walls and wide
courtyards, took on a decidedly gothic hue without the sun to brighten
its environs. Not even the Sakura trees helped to alleviate the
atmosphere, their beauty hidden by shadows cast by the towering walls.
It was at this time that the less reputable students started to
make their moves. Having slept quite soundly throughout most of their
classes in the day, they were fully charged and ready to go by the
time curfew set in. Most kept to the shadows, or gathered in the more
isolated dorms, but the bolder ones stalked the main courtyard in full
view of whoever cared to watch.
As it happened, the main reason for the teachers' apathy was
standing by the main gates of the school at that very moment. Aoi
Himezaki, or just plain Zaki to those who knew better, was perhaps the
only girl in existence who could make a school uniform look
intimidating. When students from Gedo had besieged Seiyun under the
command of Kurow Kirishima, it was a simple matter for the headstrong
Zaki to rouse the students to the school's defence and when the
attackers found the masked girl's troops to be even dirtier fighters
than themselves, the fight dispersed quickly.
Zaki let out a loud sigh as she checked her watch for the third
time in as many minutes. The night was uncomfortably cold as it was
without Akira being quarter of an hour late, and the tall girl's
patience was being stretched past its limit. Akira had decided to meet
up with a couple of old friends from Gedo High over the weekend and
Zaki had opted to see her off, temporarily forgetting about Akira's
problems with being on time for anything.
Most annoying of all, Akira would probably just put on that
annoying innocent grin of hers and make Zaki feel really bad for
getting the slightest bit upset at her. Life could be a real bitch
sometimes.
"Zaki?" hissed a quiet voice behind her.
Zaki gave a low snarl and unconsciously flicked her chain into her
fingers in one quick motion. Twisting around on her left foot, she
raised her arm, poised to strike, and found herself met by a rather
bemused looking Yurika.
Zaki shook her head angrily and sheathed her chain, trying to
regain some of her lost dignity.
"Don't go doing that again! You want to get hurt or something!"
snapped Zaki, narrowing her eyes menacingly at the ghostly figure
before her.
Yurika flinched noticeably at this and took half a step back,
directing her gaze at the floor. A hurt expression appeared on her
delicate features.
Zaki cursed inwardly. She had always struggled when it came to
Yurika. She knew the young musician possessed hidden reserves of
willpower behind her submissive demeanour, but if it wasn't for her
siding against her brother the previous spring, Zaki would never have
guessed she would so much as speak out of turn. Without Akira around
to put Yurika at ease, she just didn't know how to treat the girl.
Zaki softened her gaze and leant casually on the gatepost, trying
to give off a less hostile aura. "Look, it's not that I'm angry at
you, or anything…. It's just….you know… I sometimes can't control how
my body reacts when I'm threatened," she said clumsily, "and, hell,
Akira would probably have all of Gedo breathing down my neck if
anything happened to you."
Yurika relaxed considerably at this and smiled gently. *Good*,
thought Zaki, *I'm doing something right here.*
"Are you here to say goodbye to Akira?" The musician asked quietly.
Zaki nodded curtly. "She was supposed to be here twenty minutes
ago. You'd think she would have at least some of her brother's
discipline, wouldn't you?"
Yurika's look darkened, and Zaki could feel the hairs standing up
on the nape of her neck. The sharpened tip of the musician's violin bow
seemed to sparkle in the moonlight.
"Akira is not Daigo…" Yurika hissed, her eyes narrowing, "the same
way I am not Kurow."
Zaki fought to keep her pulse under control as the pale girl's gaze
bore into her. Despite Yurika's insistence, the masked girl knew there
was definitely some of Kurow's deadliness sealed deep within her frail
body and it scared her. Any mention of the assassin's name to Yurika
sent the girl into either a deep depression or a cold rage. She seemed
as eager to distance herself as far from her nefarious brother as she
was to take all of his sins unto herself, and it was something, Zaki
thought, that wasn't going to be resolved any time soon.
The cloud passed quickly though, and Yurika reverted back to her
normal self.
"I can only hope she is safe. I was never comfortable with the idea
of Akira spending any length of time in Gedo, even if she does have
friends there." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"She'll be fine. I'm sure she's going to worry much more about you
than herself," Zaki quietly replied, looking up into the night sky.
Yurika nodded. "I know," she sighed, "that's why she insisted on my
not going with her: she thought it would be too dangerous for me."
"She's always thinking of other people… I suppose that's why she
has friends in so many different places."
"Yes… I suppose it is…" Yurika trailed off, losing herself in
memories of the young biker girl. In her mind's eye, she saw Akira
battling fearlessly against the crazed Kurow to free her friends from
his mind control and then leading the fight against the demonic Hyo,
despite the terrifying power that was leaking from every vein in his
body.
She then saw Akira running to meet her when she finally came back
to Seiyun High School, her smile one of unconditional friendship and
devotion. Yurika had felt truly happy for the first time in her life
when Akira pulled her into a welcoming embrace that made her long
years under Kurow's command seem a distant memory. As long as the
young brunette was there for her, Yurika felt as though there was
nothing beyond her reach.
Zaki watched Yurika with some interest, the musician having
retreated into a world of her own with a dreamy smile playing on her
clear features and the faintest of blushes beginning to show on her
cheeks. Zaki shook her head; she couldn't help but feel just slightly
nervous about where Yurika and Akira's relationship was headed. They
did seem pretty much besotted with each other since Yurika's return.
The sound of heavy footsteps on the gravel of the courtyard jarred
both girls out of their respective reveries. They looked up to see
Akira, fully clad in her biker's gear, with her helmet tucked loosely
under one arm. The brunette's face broke into a broad smile when she
saw her two friends waiting for her, and jogged the last few steps to
the gates.
"So you're finally here," murmured Zaki, sharply, checking her
watch again for effect. Much to her annoyance, Akira either didn't
hear her or pretended not to, and instead ran straight up to the now
glowing Yurika.
Akira set down her helmet, placed her gloved hands gently on
Yurika's arms and looked up into the taller girl's eyes, her smile
softening until it took on an almost pained quality. "Yurika," she
chided gently, "I thought I told you not to wait for me, I don't want
you to lose sleep on my account."
Yurika opened her mouth to answer, but found herself temporarily
stunned into silence by both Akira's touch and warm gaze. The biker
girl had the same, dark, smouldering magnetism her brother Daigo had,
but where Daigo's features were hard and cruel, Akira's were much more
soft and forgiving. Her eyes held the same depth, but were large and
inviting.
Strangely enough, Akira didn't seem to mind the extended silence
between them and waited patiently for Yurika to answer, her gaze not
shifting once from the musician's face, whose rapidly growing blush
contrasted sharply with the paleness of her skin.
Eventually Yurika spoke. "I… couldn't rest without seeing you one
more time," she stammered uncertainly, "to know you would leave
without my seeing you off first… it was too much for me to bear… I had
to see you."
As Yurika spoke, Akira's eyes closed halfway and she could feel the
prickling heat of tears threatening to burst through at any moment, her
smile growing broader with each word the white-haired musician spoke.
When Yurika finally stopped talking, Akira crushed the taller girl
into a powerful embrace, leaning forward on the tips of her toes so
she could rest her cheek against her friend's.
"Yurika…" Akira whispered, marvelling at how delicate the
musician's slender body felt, "…thank you."
Yurika stood, completely thrown by Akira's sudden display of
affection. It seemed no matter how many times the biker embraced her
like this, she would always be completely overwhelmed by the rush of
warmth and excitement it created in her. She hesitantly raised her
arms and returned Akira's embrace, but just as she felt herself
starting to relax, the brunette disentangled herself from her and
turned back towards Zaki. The masked girl had been trying to keep her
eyes respectfully on the ground during the exchange, but couldn't help
but throw the odd curious glance in the couple's direction.
Akira gave a short, apologetic bow to Zaki, her expression suddenly
serious. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, I decided to nap for a
couple of hours and ended up over-sleeping," she said flatly.
Zaki rolled her eyes, deciding she really couldn't be bothered to
persevere with her anger. "Let's just get going, come on," she growled,
striding purposefully off down the wall.
Zaki continued until she reached a small red cross that had been
etched into the stone. She rapped on the wall three times with the
back of her hand and gave a low whistle: after a small pause, a ragged
looking rope ladder was thrown over into Zaki's eager grasp. She gave
two sharp tugs on the ladder to check it was secure and then dragged
it across the wall to Akira, who had since donned her helmet.
As she took hold of the ladder, Akira turned to Yurika, only her
eyes left visible underneath the dark material of her visor. "You
know…" she murmured wistfully, "You still haven't ridden on my bike
yet, I'll have to take you one of these days."
Yurika smiled shyly. "I would like that a lot. Thank you, Akira."
Akira hesitated before finally tearing her gaze regretfully away
from Yurika's beautiful features. Mounting the first rung of the
ladder, she turned back to Zaki.
"Thank you, Zaki," she said, her sincerity obvious from the tone of
her voice, "this isn't the first time you've gone out of your way to
help me, I'll have to pay you back one of these days."
Zaki's gaze softened. "You can pay me back by coming back in one
piece, Akira," she said, chuckling slightly.
Akira nodded and shot one last smile in Yurika's direction before
climbing gracefully over the wall, leaving her friends behind in the
courtyard. They both stood and watched the wall for a short while
before Zaki let out a loud sigh and placed a gloved hand on Yurika's
shoulder.
"Come on, Yurika," she said quietly, "let's get inside. Standing
out here in the cold won't make Akira come back any quicker."
Yurika nodded sadly and followed the masked girl silently back into
the main building.
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Akira's bike hummed gracefully along the long stretch of road to
Gedo, doing a brisk, but steady twenty-five miles an hour over the
speed limit. There was little traffic to get in the way and it felt
good to have an open road ahead of her, as it allowed her mind to
wander a little without any danger to herself or other drivers. About
a year back, Akira had been a no-nonsense daredevil, mercilessly
weaving in and out of rush hour traffic and jumping bridges without a
second thought: but now she was perfectly to happy to just sit back
and enjoy the ride for what it was, preferring to admire the scenery
than break her neck.
The brunette couldn't help but wonder what it was that had caused
this new change in her. She had initially thought that she had no one
left to impress anymore, including herself, but thinking back, she had
never really cared about how technically good she was on the bike: the
rush was all that mattered.
But as she thought back to the sending off that Yurika and Zaki had
given her, she slowly realised that the reason was probably that she
now had something to live for. Before, she had just been Daigo
Kazama's little sister, who, despite hanging around with the tougher
students of Gedo, had always felt slightly below everyone else and
somewhat useless, only there for the ride, or to make up the numbers.
At Seiyun though, she felt as though she was worth something. As a
close friend of Zaki, the students treated her with more than a little
respect, and their reverence was only tempered by the fact she had
played the deciding role in turning Gedo's onslaught. What really
mattered though was not the admiration of strangers, but the happiness
of her friends. Her relationship with Yurika had finally brought the
musician out of Kurow's thrall and given her the will to live her own
life on her own terms, and to her, that was her greatest achievement.
Akira smiled as she thought of Yurika. The white haired violinist
was, without doubt the best thing that ever happened to her. When
school work, or life in general started to get on top of her, Yurika
was always there: her calm nature and unfailing friendship soothing
her troubled soul and making everything else seem insignificant. *It
was so unfair* Yurika thought, *that she had to suffer like she did. No
one on this world could have deserved it less.*
The loud blast of a horn shook Akira violently out of her thoughts
and she had to swerve sharply to avoid a head-on crash with a
particularly large and unfriendly looking truck. The bike nipped away
so quickly that Akira was able to miss to the barrage of incentive
thrown at her by the driver and she continued on towards Gedo, trying
now to keep her mind on the road.
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Gedo was a dangerous place to those who didn't know it well.
Hostility infested the school like a cancer, and the general rule was
the tried and tested formula of strike first, talk later: conflict was
inevitable so it always helped to draw first blood.
Akira had lived a relatively straightforward life at Gedo due to
the fact that most students made it a priority to keep at least half a
mile between them and Daigo Kazama; but she had never been one to sit
back and be protected and had frequently gone out of her way to spark
trouble, which had irked her brother as much as it had made him proud
of his sister's spirit. Although initially sneered upon for being
female, Akira eventually managed to earn a grudging respect among the
boys there due to her honour and courage.
Eventually, Akira came to a stop at Aoharu Station: one of her old
hangouts when she was still at Gedo. The place had not changed
physically over the months, except for one or two of the streetlights
that had now been fixed, but, for lack of a better word, the 'soul' of
the place had long gone. The rebelliousness that it was a home to now
seemed impotent and unnecessary in the new era of peace that had
descended upon the city. Akira sighed to herself, a sudden feeling of
sadness rising within her; it seemed that not everything had turned
out for the best. Daigo had disappeared yet again and the normally
irrepressible Batsu had become solemn and withdrawn following Kyosuke's
departure, but she had been so content with her own life at Seiyun
that she found it all too easy to forget about what had happened to
the others involved in Kurow's machinations. Akira felt deeply upset at
her own selfishness as she parked her bike and slowly dismounted,
beginning to wish that she had never came.
"Hey, boss!"
Akira's face lit up immediately when she recognised the voice.
Looking in the direction it came from, she noticed a scruffy looking
figure with mile-high blonde hair trotting towards her. Akira grinned
and shook her head: wondering if Edge would ever be rid of the
ridiculous broom hairstyle he insisted on wearing.
Akira eagerly ran up to Edge and clasped his hand in greeting. "I
can't believe it's been this long!" She said, laughing brightly.
The hood gave his trademark smirk and playfully punched Akira on the
arm. "Yep boss, we've all been lost without you down here," he
replied.
Akira laughed again. Since Daigo had left the leadership of Gedo in
the hands of Edge and the colossal Gan, neither of them had been
willing to officially take on the title of 'boss', seeing as the title
had become almost with synonymous with Daigo Kazama. The result of
this was that Edge started to jokingly refer to the young Biker by the
title and after a short while, it stuck and now several Gedo students
had picked up on the nickname.
Edge had changed greatly in a very short period of time. Although
the responsibility of leadership had been split evenly between him and
Gan, Edge's greater initiative meant that he generally took on a great
deal more. The responsibilities of keeping Gedo under control had done
a lot to dull Edge's more violent and unpredictable tendencies, and
had made him a much more controlled and thoughtful individual.
Edge whistled loudly and two scruffily clad Gedo students stepped
out of the shadows.
"If anything happens to the boss' bike," he snapped, unsheathing a
knife from his pocket and twirling it menacingly, "you'll both find
yourselves on the wrong side of my friend here, make sure nothing
happens!"
The students swallowed nervously, but didn't complain. Edge then
turned his attention back towards Akira and grinned mischievously.
"Come on boss, there are people waiting." He said, trotting off
down the street with Akira following close behind.
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Later that night, Akira entered Edge's house feeling utterly
drained. She had found herself having to make small talk with just
about every Gedo student who knew who she was and although she was
comfortable enough with those she called her friends, she was very
uneasy in most social situations. Gan had also been absent, having
gone to visit relatives in Osaka for a week, which made things even
worse. She had also found herself having to deflect several painful
questions about Daigo.
Edge came in after Akira and locked the door behind him. He looked
noticeably tired as he slouched over towards his couch and, with a loud
grunt, gambolled clumsily over one of the arms onto his back, ruining
his hair in the process. Akira shook her head sadly as she watched the
young hood stare blankly at the wall opposite him. Gan had quit Gedo
to start working full time, and as Edge no longer lived with his
family, he had suddenly found himself alone with everybody.
"You know, Akira…" he murmured quietly, "standing in for the boss
just isn't what it's cracked up to be. I can see why Daigo vanishes so
frequently."
"Daigo hates having to leave Gedo, he considers it to be running
away from his duty."
"Yeah… Daigo always had that… his duty," Edge replied, sounding
slightly riled. "He had his sense duty to all the Gedo students here,
but unfortunately, that's something I don't have."
Akira frowned. "If you're unhappy here, then why don't you leave?
Just go your own path? Daigo may have left you in charge, but he'd let
you go in an instant if he knew you did it unwillingly."
Edge gave a short laugh, but there was no humour in it.
"Where would I go? I sure as hell ain't going back to my family…no.
I have nothing to live for right now except what the boss has left me,
and I know there's nothing left for me here anymore… just as there's
nothing left for you, Akira."
Akira nodded gravely: she had never really wanted to leave Seiyun
and come to Gedo, but she felt as though she owed it to her friends to
visit them. She was genuinely pleased to see Edge once again, but
apart from that, there was nothing here except a overwhelming feeling
of futility and she found herself wanting to urgently get back to
Seiyun where she could begin living again. Throughout the night, she
had been worryingly constantly about Yurika, and how the girl was
coping on her own. Although she frequently told herself that the
musician was perfectly capable of standing on her own two feet without
her having to hold her up, she knew Yurika needed her there… and it
felt good to be needed: especially by someone as beautiful as Yurika.
Akira snapped out of her reverie and turned back to Edge, who had
raised the knife he was holding high above his head; with a careless
flick of the wrist, the blade spun seamlessly through the air and
straight into the centre of a target that Edge had drawn carefully
onto the wall. Akira noticed that there were no marks more than a
centimetre away from the bullseye.
"You should have come to visit me at Seiyun, instead. It would do
you good to have a change of scenery," she remarked, suddenly feeling
brighter.
Edge snorted.
"No thanks. That masked girl scares me even more than the boss in a
bad mood, and don't even get me started on that Kirishima girl… I
don't even see how you can bear to be with her so often, especially
after the whole Kurow thing."
Akira felt a powerful rage growing within her. Her eyes narrowed
and her voice lowered to a menacing whisper. Before the biker even
said anything, Edge felt the air grow much heavier and he stiffened,
hand instinctively moving over his knife belt.
"Yurika… yes, she does have a name… has been through more than you
can possibly imagine, and in the end she did come through for us, or
have you forgotten that already?!" Akira ground her fingernails into
the palms her hands, not shifting her gaze from the back of Edge's
head. "She has been there for me when no-one else has… and anything
you say to her, you say to me as well!"
Edge swallowed nervously. He had seen Akira get angry many times
before, but this was the first time he actually felt true rage coming
from her, and it scared him. He was not one to cower, however, and got
up to face the smouldering Akira.
"Dammit Akira! I'm showing some fucking concern for you here!" he
snapped, struggling to meet her glare, "I express my doubts over one of
your friends, who has screwed you over once already, may I add, and
you turn on me like I murdered your entire family!"
A voice inside Akira told her that Edge was being perfectly
reasonable in what he was saying, considering what he had seen, but
the brunette was too angry to notice it: "Yurika is my family now… and
you, and the rest of Gedo, are not, and never will be again!"
Before Edge could protest, Akira ran over to the door, and, finding
it locked, she simply raised her leg and slammed her foot into it with
enough force to break the lock completely. She disappeared out the
door, yelling obscenities as she went.
Edge stared dumbly at the broken door for a few seconds. Defeated,
he curled up into himself and closed his eyes, feeling the chill
coming in from the night outside. *She's right*, he thought, *I have
lost everything. Gan…the boss…and now her…what the fuck am I supposed
to do now?*
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Akira rode recklessly fast down the road back to Seiyun, tears
stinging painfully in her eyes. She was already regretting her harsh
treatment of Edge, but couldn't bring herself to go back to face him
right at this moment: his comments about Yurika and her own
embarrassment still ringing in her ears.
The biker had elected not to wear her helmet, but the cold wind
blasting in her face did little to cool her rage. She had been
terrified by her own actions and was confused and upset as to how she
could react so violently to someone who had been so down to begin
with. But when she had heard Yurika slighted so much, something within
her had just snapped and suddenly Edge had become her most hated enemy.
Akira slowly shook her head. She had to see Yurika, then maybe she'd be
able to sort her head out once and for all.
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Dawn was starting to break, and Seiyun was gradually starting to
return to its normal, safe appearance. Zaki and her cohorts had long
since returned to their respective dorms, their business for the night
over and done with. One or two girls that had no lessons during the
day still kept watch though: Zaki made a point of keeping a twenty-
four hour look out at all times, much to the annoyance of many of the
students.
The morning sun bathed everything in a warm, orange glow, but the
air was bitingly cold. A slow, but insistent breeze wound its way
through the branches of the blooming Sakura trees, dislodging the odd
petal here and there, but never threatening to break into any kind of
cascade.
Akira parked her bike by the wall in what she hoped was an
inconspicuous place, and, standing on the seat, was just able to reach
the top of the wall and hall herself up and over. As she fell down
into the courtyard, she misjudged the distance to the floor and landed
heavily on the side of her left foot. It throbbed painfully, and would
probably continue to do so for the next few days, but Akira had too
much on her mind to pay any real attention to it, and limped groggily
onwards towards the main building.
Two unfortunates had been burdened with the daybreak shift today,
and they both sat motionlessly by the main doors of the dormitory
building. One was a girl with short blonde hair who Akira had seen
around the school several times, but had never spoken to, while the
other was a tall, elegant looking girl who Akira recognised as being
from Yurika's music class. Through their mutual acquaintance with the
violinist, they had talked a couple of times, but as both were rather
reserved and untrusting individuals, they had never really become
friends.
The girl raised an eyebrow as she saw Akira limping silently
towards her, her cheeks reddened with tears and her eyes fixed
unflinchingly to the ground.
"Kazama," she said, flatly, in greeting.
"Ishikawa," murmured Akira in reply, not lifting her eyes from the
floor. She was making to walk straight past, when the girl suddenly
grabbed her wrist. The grip was not tight or threatening in the least,
but it did stop Akira in her tracks.
With great effort, the biker raised her head and looked the
musician directly in her face.
"What do you want, Mai?" she asked, with a voice that was more
tired than threatening.
"Zaki said you wouldn't be back for at least two days… did
something happen at Gedo?" Mai's eyes went down to Akira's injured
leg, "was there some type of fight?"
Akira shook her head, "no, not exactly… I must see Yurika, please,
let me past." She said, flatly.
"Not exactly? What type of answer is that? Was there or wasn't
there?"
"It's personal. Don't worry, there's not going to be a big fight
anytime soon… I need to see Yurika, please." Akira paused. "As for the
leg, I messed it up coming over that wall, no big deal."
Mai's look darkened. "I hope you're not dragging Yurika into any of
your Gedo dealings, the girl's been through enough already without…"
The musician was cut short by the incredulous look on Akira's face.
"I…I would…I could never do that," Akira whispered quietly: genuinely
hurt at the idea that someone could accuse her of harming Yurika.
Mai hesitated for a second, and then removed her hand from the
biker's wrist.
"Okay," she said, "but I will have to tell Zaki of this, you know?"
Akira nodded, and walked wordlessly into the dormitory building.
------------------------------------------------------------
Akira had been standing outside Yurika Kirishima's room for a good
five minutes, debating with herself whether or not to go in. She was
desperate to see the pale girl, but couldn't quite bring herself to
wake her up at such an early time.
She was just about to leave when she heard the sound of footsteps
coming along the corridor. Knowing there would be trouble if she were
caught, her choice was made for her, and she rapped nervously on
Yurika's door.
"Come in." whispered a tired voice from behind the door. Akira
started. Yurika was still awake?
Akira turned the handle and stepped quickly into Yurika's room. All
the lights had been turned off, but a single antique lamp that sat
elegantly on Yurika's bedside table, glowing softly in the darkness.
In the lamplight, Akira could see the young musician sitting upright
in her bed, wearing a gossamer thin nightgown that would have shocked
anyone who was used to her normal, uptight appearance. Her hair was
loose and fell gracefully down her shoulders in thin white strands,
shimmering slightly in the lamplight. Yurika's tired eyes flickered
with a mixture of both overwhelming joy and concern at her friend's
arrival, her delicate features softened even more by the low lighting.
For a few moments, Akira just stood, stunned by Yurika's beauty. As
she thought back to the events of last night, she felt herself
becoming more and more angry at Edge for what he had said.
*Anyone who could be so cruel to someone so kind and delicate…* the
thought trailed off as Yurika's lips parted.
"Akira…?" she whispered, the one word sending shivers down the
biker's spine and filling her with a gentle warmth that made
everything else fade into insignificance. She needed Yurika now,
badly.
Akira ran forward and fell into Yurika's waiting arms, sobbing
freely into her shoulder. The musician instinctively crushed the
smaller girl to her and ran her fingers soothingly through her hair,
trying to calm her shattered nerves.
They remained in the same position for several minutes as Akira
slowly stopped crying and relaxed into Yurika's embrace. All that the
brunette could feel was the soft warmth of being held by someone who
cared for her, all her troubles fading into nothingness.
Akira snuggled closer to the musician's delicate body, breathing in
her rose-like scent. "I'm sorry," she murmured quietly, not moving
from her position.
Yurika smiled reassuringly. Even if she was frightened by what was
troubling Akira; it felt good to have her strength back with her again.
"You never have to apologise to me; I'm always here for you," she
whispered quietly, "what happened to you? You're back so soon."
Akira lifted her head from Yurika's chest so she could look her
directly in the eyes. Raising her arm, she slowly placed her palm
against the pale girl's cheek. Yurika started at the touch, her breath
coming quicker as Akira's smouldering eyes burnt deeply into her own.
There was a passion burning there that left her transfixed.
Akira held her gaze for a few moments and then closed her eyes, not
moving her hand from Yurika's face. She didn't want to tell the
sensitive young girl what Edge had said, but Yurika deserved to know.
Akira couldn't hide anything from her.
"They…Edge, implied…well, said that I couldn't trust you. They
thought you would betray me." Akira felt her eyes stinging with tears
as Yurika looked sadly away, hurt written clearly across her face.
Desperate to keep her friend's spirits up, Akira continued, "I told
him he was wrong, though, that you had always been there for me. I was
so angry I left immediately to come back to you, I couldn't stay
knowing that he felt about you that way."
What little colour there was returned to Yurika's face as Akira's
words slowly sunk in. She didn't care what other people thought about
her as long as her beloved Akira was always there for her. Deciding
she had been without the brunette's warmth for too long, she hugged
her again, nuzzling the smaller girl's hair affectionately.
"Please, Akira…stay with me tonight." She whispered huskily.
Akira froze, images of herself and Yurika tangled breathlessly
together under the sheets flashing unbidden through her mind. She drew
slowly back from the musician, not quite breaking the embrace, and
looked deep into Yurika's dark, yet innocent eyes. Akira's head spun
as she fought the emotions rushing through her. *What are you
thinking? This is Yurika you're fantasising about here! Another girl!
Another girl that needs you… you can't… you can't think like that about
her… you can't…*
In her confusion, Akira quickly lowered her eyes from Yurika's
face, blushing furiously, but looking down meant her attention was
focused on something much worse. The musician's almost sylvan figure,
and much more, could be seen perfectly through her nightgown and the
brunette's blush grew even more; an uncomfortable fluttering sensation
beginning in her stomach, and she became suddenly aware of a slow
throbbing ache starting between her legs.
Swallowing nervously, Akira quickly looked up and found herself
again entranced by Yurika's beauty. *She is so perfect…* thought Akira
to herself, as she unconsciously started to lean in towards Yurika,
one hand gently caressing the girl's cheek, and the other one playing
with a strand of loose white hair.
"Akira?"
The biker snapped painfully back to reality with a jarring thud and
found herself with her face mere centimetres from Yurika's. The
musician had turned a deep crimson colour, and was panting heavily, her
breath dancing teasingly on Akira's lips.
Akira pulled back instantly. *I… was going to kiss her…* she
thought, shivering. *Why? What the hell is wrong with me… I…*
"Akira?" the voice was more fearful this time.
The brunette turned away, ashamed and hurt by the concern in
Yurika's voice. *There can be no other explanation… I… I'm in love
with her.*
Akira sobbed quietly at the unfairness of the situation. Why did
this have to happen? Why couldn't Yurika and her just be friends
forever and live out happy, uncomplicated lives? How could she fall in
love with her? How could she not fall in love with her…
"I'm sorry…please…forgive me!" Akira stammered, dashing towards the
door. With shaking hands, she somehow managed to open the latch and
then flew out into the corridor and back to her room.
Meanwhile, Yurika fell back onto her bed, crying quietly to
herself. She knew Akira had sensed what she was thinking and was
disgusted by it. After the brunette had been there for her so many
times before, she had betrayed her trust completely and tried to…take
advantage of her grief over her. Edge had been right, she was no
friend to her beloved Akira.
------------------------------------------------------------
The next day came and Akira sullenly went about her daily
business, glad for once that she didn't share any lessons with Yurika;
she didn't think she could face the musician after last night.
Although the biker was careful not to give any outward signals that
there was something wrong with her. One or two of the more perceptive
students did notice the despondent aura that seemed to hang around her
like a dead weight, though, and one of them was Aoi Himezaki. The
masked girl had been informed of Akira's sudden return and insistent
desire to see Yurika, and the ever-thinking Zaki had put two and two
together and come up with a scarily accurate picture of what happened
last night. Although Zaki was basing all this upon her previous
assumption from Akira's departure, she was confident enough to confront
the brunette with it. And anyway, if she were wrong, what harm would
it do?
Zaki relaxed on one of the benches in the courtyard, lazily
watching the students go about their daily business. She knew Akira
would have to walk past sooner or later, and was keeping her
impatience on a tight leash, trying to resist the temptation to go
looking for her.
"Zaki?"
Zaki almost jumped out of her seat; she knew only one person in the
whole school who could surprise her like that. She looked up to see
Yurika standing perfectly still before her, her face giving nothing
away to even the trained Zaki. The musician slowly walked over to the
bench and sat down beside the masked girl, not looking once in her
direction.
After an uncomfortable silence, Zaki decided she had had enough
already, and decided to go straight for the jugular.
"This about last night?" She asked, curtly.
Yurika silently nodded. Zaki sighed and roughly ran a gloved hand
through her long red hair.
"Look, if… if it's got to this stage, then you can't just run away
from each other all the time. You've got to resolve this one way or
another."
Yurika looked questioningly at the older girl.
"And don't play dumb with me, Yurika. It's pretty damn obvious
what's going on, and you're just as bad, if not worse, than Akira. I
can read you like a book. Perhaps you could fill in the blanks about
what actually happened."
Yurika briefly considered lying to Zaki, but quickly thought
against it.
"She… rejected me," the musician replied, her voice completely
devoid of emotion. "She realised what I really felt for her and she
ran away. She was disgusted with me…"
"Do you really believe that?" snapped Zaki, the sharp sound causing
the pale girl to look up. "You're both so maddeningly in love with
each other that neither of you can believe for the slightest moment
that the other could feel the same way."
Yurika didn't respond, her face still expressionless as Zaki
continued.
"I've watched you two for a while now, long enough to know that
Akira feels the same way… if she comes around this way, I'll see what
I can do, but until then: don't run away from her."
The musician's eyes closed and she remained deep in thought for a
short while. Eventually, she opened her eyes again and looked straight
at Zaki, treating her to a grateful smile.
"Thank you," she said, her voice sounding human again once more
"I," she hesitated, "I'm surprised to hear that off you, Zaki."
Zaki gave a nonchalant shrug. "Well I've either got to put up with
you two being unbearably mopey all the time or unbearably cheerful all
the time… I suppose it's in all our best interests to have the latter,
don't you think?"
Yurika's smile simply grew even broader.
------------------------------------------------------------
Akira had left school as quickly as possible and had occupied
herself by going to the secluded grove where she kept her bike hidden.
Doing routine maintenance on the bike was not greatly challenging for
the biker by any means, but it helped to keep her mind off the
problems that were assailing it. Right now, she just didn't know what
to do with herself. She considered staying in this grove forever, or
perhaps running away so she didn't have to face Yurika again. But
while she felt extremely guilty about having to face her feelings for
the girl a second time, the idea of not seeing her friend…no, her
love… ever again stung even more.
She froze as she heard footsteps closing unflinchingly in on her
position. Although she had no way of knowing who it was, every nerve in
her body was telling her it was Yurika. Glancing around, she quickly
looked for a hiding place. There were several places where she could
easily hide, but for some reason her feet were glued to the spot. She
was unable to move or escape from her approaching fate; her need to
see her love again was just too strong. Fixing her eyes upon her bike,
the only convenient thing there to stare at, she crouched, and waited.
The footsteps stopped.
"…Akira." It was Yurika, there was no question about it now. Akira
tensed even more, tears starting to force their way through her eyes.
Yurika advanced a little further, just into the biker's field of
vision. Akira noticed to her dismay that the musician's hair was once
again loose, its shimmering length and her pale skin contrasting
sharply with the elegant, strapless night coloured dress she was
wearing. Even when there was no obvious occasion, Yurika always managed
to look breathtakingly elegant; it was something that was part of who
she was.
The musician was desperate to find her way back into her friend's
heart again, but she also knew that she didn't want to push her too
her far. Walking up to Akira's bike, she rested her hand on the
handlebar, admiring the shine and luster of the metal; although Yurika
knew little about bikes, she could tell straight away it was well
looked after. Akira still hadn't moved from her position on the ground,
staring unflinchingly at the bike.
Yurika moved her gaze from the bike to look directly at Akira. The
biker's tension was only serving to heighten her smouldering magnetism
and it was starting to affect the musician, the proverbial butterflies
starting to stir in her stomach.
"You promised me you'd let me ride on your bike one day." Yurika
whispered quietly.
Akira's gaze finally moved from the bike to look at Yurika. She
still remained completely silent, her breath coming in quick ragged
gasps.
"I'd like to ride with you, Akira…now…please…"
The desperation in Yurika's voice hit Akira like a brick. She knew
if she didn't do something now, then she would only be deepening the
wounds she had already inflicted. Raising her head to look at the
musician, the sight before her broke her heart. Yurika's hands here
clasped firmly together over her chest and she was shivering gently, a
solitary, unnoticed tear had slowly wound its way down her cheek and
sat precariously on her jaw-line, her white skin had paled even more to
the point where Akira could have sworn she could almost see through
her.
The biker's resolve hardened: Yurika needed her, and she wasn't
going to let her down.
Standing up, she grasped the handlebars of her bike and leapt on to
the saddle; turning to Yurika, she smiled broadly, the colour
returning to her features. The musician almost fainted with joy when
she saw Akira's smile; she was starting to fear that it was something
she would never see again.
Yurika placed her hands gently on Akira's shoulders for support,
lifting one of her legs over the bike so she could mount the saddle.
Nestling her body up close to Akira, she wrapped her legs tightly
around the smaller girl's hips and rested her head upon her shoulder,
taking in the heavenly scent of the brunette's hair. Her right hand
found its way up to Akira's cheek, her finger tracing its slow way
across her skin and down to her jaw, drawing forth a sensuous sigh
from deep within the biker's throat. Meanwhile her left hand snaked
its way down her ribcage, tracing the line between her small, but
well-defined breasts; the biker feeling every nuance of the musician's
touch through her thin tank top.
Eventually, Yurika's hands stopped their exploring and her arms
wound tightly around Akira's waist. "Let's go," she whispered
excitedly.
Akira smiled and turned on the ignition.
------------------------------------------------------------
The bike purred seamlessly along the road at a leisurely pace. The
sun was now low in the sky, and the familiar orange glow had returned
to Seiyun, but this time it was accompanied by a warm breeze that
played teasingly with the hair of the two girls, who were too wrapped
up with each other to notice the passing of time.
Yurika lay contentedly on Akira's shoulder, the biker's warmth and
steady rhythm of the bike slowly lulling the musician to sleep. Akira
noticed her friend's tiredness and started to head back towards
Seiyun, but Yurika placed a hand on her arm, motioning for her to
stop.
"I don't want to go back somewhere just yet… could we stop
somewhere, please… just for one second?"
Akira nodded and pulled off the main road, driving down a little
known path that led directly down to the lake's edge. There were one
or two unpleasant bumps along the way, but the biker's skill prevented
any serious accidents from occurring and the couple made it down to
the lakeside quite safely. The setting sun illuminated the water with
a gorgeous fiery crimson, and the air was completely silent, except
for the occasional chirping of the crickets. Sieyun, being situated in
the middle of a lake, was mercifully isolated from the bustle and
danger of nightlife.
Yurika slowly dismounted, reluctantly releasing her grip on Akira,
and walked on ahead, watching the water ripple hypnotically in the
oncoming twilight. Akira paid no attention to the lake whatsoever
though; captivated as she was with the way Yurika's hair glowed red
with the colour of the setting sun. The musician sensed Akira's gaze
and turned around to meet it, eyes dancing in the sunlight.
Akira slowly dismounted her bike and strode purposely towards the
pale girl, her dark eyes burning with unhidden desire. Yurika sank
slowly to her knees, and watched quietly as Akira drew gradually nearer
to her. The brunette leant down, and gently brushed the musician's
hair back behind her ears before cupping her chin with her other hand
and drawing her up into a breathtakingly soft, simple kiss that
nonetheless left no doubts as to the feeling behind it.
Akira drew back and calmly watched Yurika's face, all of the
tension and fear of the past day had long since vanished and now she
could study the musician's beautiful features without any feelings of
guilt and confusion, watching with unashamed admiration.
Yurika's eyes remained closed for a short while longer; a look of
complete bliss replacing her normally pained expression. Opening her
eyes, she met Akira's gaze with a pure and contented smile.
Akira closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, finding the
strength within her to give words to the feelings inside her.
"I love you." She said quietly.
A single tear escaped from Yurika's eye as she raised her hand to
clasp Akira's.
"I am forever yours, Akira…" the two kissed again, this time for
slightly longer, enjoying the feeling of utter completeness they felt
when their lips met, "I love you too."
Akira slipped her arm protectively around Yurika's waist as she led
her in silence back to the bike.
------------------------------------------------------------
Yurika woke up in her bed the next morning to find herself with
Akira's arms wrapped tightly around her. Looking up at her lover's
still sleeping face, she smiled; it was a good feeling to wake up in
someone's arms; she felt more comfortable than she had ever felt
before in her life, and she found herself actually looking forward to
the day ahead. With Akira at her side, she felt she could achieve
anything.
Leaning over, she kissed the brunette softly on the forehead;
Akira's eyes slowly flickered open and a broad smile spread over her
features.
"Morning?"
Yurika smiled.
"Yes, it's about 8:50, but it's a Saturday today and we don't have
to get up for a while now."
Akira shook her head, still smiling.
"I wish I could stay longer, but I've got work to go to, and people
to apologise to," she kissed Yurika once before disentangling herself
from her and climbing out from under the sheets. Yurika watched
Akira's athletic form intently as she stretched in the morning sun; it
was a sight she wasn't going to get tired of any time soon.
Akira noticed Yurika's rather droopy gaze, and laughed lightly.
"You should go back to sleep. You look absolutely shattered!" she
chided.
Yurika pouted. "How am I supposed to sleep without you here?"
"I'm sure you'll find a way. I'll be back at about 4:00, and from
then on, I'm all yours!" Akira smiled as she finished pulling on her
tank top. She bent over Yurika and gave her one quick parting kiss
before heading to the door. "See you later!" she said, as she left the
room.
The musician smiled, it felt good to have Akira back to normal
again, and it felt even better to know she had somehow earned the love
of the strong-willed young girl. Closing her eyes, she drifted slowly
back to sleep, to dream of her love until she returned.
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