First Date ------------------------------------------------------------ “Nancy?” Yomiko asked softly. The two young women were sitting again, and drinking a bit more tea before Nancy left. “I was wondering, when did your clone take your place?” Nancy smiled sadly over at Yomiko. “After you visited me in the hospital,” Nancy answered softly. “Do you remember earlier on the sub, when we were talking about love?” Yomiko nodded eagerly, “Yes, I gave you the bookmark.” “I was graced by a visit by my ‘evil twin’ just after that. She reminded me to keep my mind on business, and to not let you distract me,” Nancy said. She looked up and smiled over at Yomiko, adding “Too late for that.” Yomiko blushed a bit, then smiled. “That’s why I was so short with you later, when you wanted to talk. I was trying to be all business again,” Nancy admitted. “And then?” Yomiko asked. “I was supposed to throw the fight. Let the Great One escape with the book, then bring you to Ikkyu.” Nancy shook her head, and said “But he was seriously trying to kill you there, and I found I couldn’t let him.” “So they took you from the hospital, after I visited you,” Yomiko said softly. “I was taken back to Ikkyu and his Ijin army’s base. I begged him for you life, but when I realised he intended to kill you anyway...” Nancy shook her head sadly. “I remember the clone, when her blood stained hand came out of your chest,” Yomiko said softly. “It almost felt like she was trying to kill me, too.” “As I dropped through the floor, there was only one thought in my mind: I had to save you, no matter what,” Nancy said firmly, looking into Yomiko’s eyes. “I was so glad to see you, when your twin tried to kill me,” Yomiko said softly. “I didn’t want to leave you.” “You had to stop Ikkyu, Yomiko.” Nancy grinned slightly, “I still remember the look on his face when he saw you clinging to the window of the rocket.” Yomiko blushed a bit, “Well, he did still have my book.” Nancy laughed softly at that. “You and your books,” she chuckled. “I’m sorry I scared you, then. I needed Ikkyu to trust me, so I pretended to be the ‘evil twin’. Otherwise, he would have killed you with that bomb.” “One more question,” Yomiko said softly. “Why did you let go of my hand, and stay with the rocket?” “I did love him,” Nancy said sadly. “I didn’t want to leave him to die alone there. And,” Nancy continued, blushing a bit, “I worried the parachute you created might not be strong enough for two people.” She looked up and saw Yomiko’s stunned expression, adding “I wasn’t going to risk your life any more than I already had.” Yomiko looked over at Nancy, her eyes wide and tears glistening in them. “Oh, Nancy-san!” Yomiko said, and hugged her fiercely. A little while later, Yomiko smiled shyly up at Nancy, and asked “So you’ll pick me up at seven?” She didn’t really want Nancy to go, but Yomiko could understand. Besides, they weren’t going to be apart too long. “Yes,” Nancy answered smiling. “And you don’t need to dress up, but...” Nancy smoothly reached over and gently stroked down the tuffs of hair Yomiko had sticking up on her head. Yomiko blushed a little, and began trying to push them down herself, as she answered “Yes, Nancy-san!” “I first saw you like that,” Nancy reminded her gently. She smiled impishly as she admitted, “Actually, I thought it was kind of cute.” Nancy leaned forward, gently kissed her, and then reminded her “I’ll see you at seven o’clock.” Yomiko watched Nancy go, smiling fondly. She looked down at her watch and cried “It’s four o’clock! I only have three hours to get ready!” She ran back inside and barreled through the rooms, sending piles of books flying. She yanked open dresser drawers looking for something to wear, even as she picked up a brush from a end table and began to try and tidy her hair with it. She stopped, and exclaimed “Shower!” She rushed into the bathroom, dropping clothes on the floor as she went. From the bedroom, we can hear the water starting, then a cheery voice singing rather off key “Nancy... Nancy... you tickle my fancy...” and other improvised words. It’s all very sickeningly sweet, but very cute. The object of her heartfelt if unskilled musical tribute smiled happily as she unpacked in her hotel room. ‘Things went so much better than I hoped,’ Nancy admitted to herself. She had almost expected Yomiko to slam the door in her face, not for her to open it wide for her. ‘But that’s part of what I love about her,’ she mused, ‘that steely innocence, and openness.’ She smiled wryly, really understanding why Yomiko’s friends were so protective of her. Even the normally gruff Drake! Shortly before she was to check out of the hospital, he had come to see her. Dressed in his typical construction worker’s outfit, toque and all, he stood right in front of her and hadn’t held back in what he said. “Yomiko thinks she’s in love with you, lady. And if you take advantage of that to hurt her in any way, I swear, I’ll hunt you down and make you pay. Understand me?” “Yes,” Nancy said, slightly dazed. And that was apparently it, as he left right after he said his piece. Of course, she got much the same from Joker, and even his secretary along with some of the office staff had chimed in. “We all love Yomiko-san,” she had said levely, leading the pack of office ladies, “and we’d be very upset if you hurt her.” A bit of overkill, overall, but Nancy understood. Bringing herself back to the present, she opened her two cases and put neatly away most of her clothes. She left a garment bag on her bed, as she began to strip, laying her clothes on a handy chair. Growing impatient, she ‘goes deep’ and the clothing drops to the ground. She steps in for a fast shower, then emerges with a towel wrapped around her. Thoroughly dry, she begins to dress. The matching set of underwear first, just in case. White blouse, then the gray, ironed pants. The gray suit jacket, and finally the tie, done with a slightly rakish angle. She looked into the mirror, and hoped she wouldn’t disappoint Yomiko. Sitting carefully, she picked up a book and began to read, and kept a careful eye on the clock. Finally, a half an hour to seven, she tidied her clothes and headed off to pick up Yomiko. She went to the front door, exactly five minutes to seven, knocked gently and waited. There were the sound of quick footsteps, and Nancy felt her breath stop when the door opened, and she beheld Yomiko. Yomiko smiled up at her shyly, her hair neatly combed, with a braid down each side, like Nancy had done with it. The dress was black, and hugged generous curves that had been hidden by her normally conservative close. A hint of makeup brought out Yomiko’s eyes, and the color of her pale, beautiful face. “How do I look, Nancy-san?” Yomiko asked, worried by Nancy’s silence. “You look wonderful,” Nancy answered in a throaty voice. Yomiko was admiring Nancy too, her eyes wide at the fine figure Nancy cut. Thankfully, their outfits went well together, something Yomiko didn’t normally have to think about. Of course, Yomiko found herself thinking a lot of things she hadn’t thought about before, most of them involving Nancy and herself and the things they could do in private. Nancy offered her arm in a gentlemanly was, and Yomiko curtseyed and took it. “Thank you,” Yomiko said softly as they walked together to a waiting taxi. “For what ?” Nancy asked, and delicately helped Yomiko into the back seat. She closed the door and went around to the other side, sitting by Yomiko. “I’ve never been out on a date like this before,” a fiercely blushing Yomiko admitted. Nancy looked over at her in disbelief, then shook her head. “Their loss,” Nancy said gently, “and my gain.” She slid over on the seat and put her arm around Yomiko’s shoulder, and Yomiko snuggled in happily. All too soon they reached the restaurant, and Nancy had to let her go. ‘Hopefully, I won’t have to let her go very often,’ Nancy thought with a smile, as they walked in together. The meal and the conversation was a blur to Yomiko, she had only one thing on her mind, and it wasn’t eating. ‘At least, not eating this,’ she thought, looking down at her meal and blushing. ‘I don’t know how much longer I can stand this,’ Yomiko thought. If she was honest, she had been thinking about this since the time on the sub, when Nancy had sat so close beside her, braiding her hair. It had taken all her will to seem oblivious to her, and continue to read. She had found the passage in the footnotes about love and began to read aloud, hoping Nancy might understand she was begining to feel those emotions as well. “I want you to love me,” she had said quietly, sitting forward on the couch, “Today... yesterday... how many times I’ve cried for you...” she had stood suddenly, “You are... you are my life! Oh, please keep your love for me!” And Nancy had looked up at her standing there, surprise and... something else in those beautiful eyes. “What are you thinking about?” Nancy asked her archly, bringing her back to the present. “Your face is all red.” Yomiko blushed brighter, “When you braided my hair, on the sub.” She smiled shyly over to Nancy, “I noticed everything then, even if I didn’t seem too.” “What do you want to do next?” Nancy asked her, in that same throaty tone of voice she had used when she saw Yomiko in that sinful black dress.. Yomiko’s face nearly glowed red as she said “Go home, together.” Yomiko couldn’t bring herself to say the rest, but from the longing look on Nancy’s face, she didn’t think she needed too. Nancy reached across the table, her hand lightly caressing Yomiko’s then she leaned over to kiss her once, softly. “Bill, please,” Nancy said as she pulled back, her eyes locked to Yomiko’s. They left together, Nancy hailing a cab and telling him to get them to Yomiko’s address as quickly as possible. Yomiko nearly dragged a laughing Nancy inside and upstairs, only slowing as they neared the bedroom. Yomiko opened the door and ushered Nancy in, who gasped softly in surprise. The bed, normally covered in a pile of books, was nearly perfectly clear. “I hope you don’t mind, Nancy-san.” Yomiko said to her softly. “Thank you, Yomiko,” Nancy said softly, realizing what it meant. Yomiko was offering to make a place in her book filled life for Nancy. She picked up a single book that had fallen onto the bed and moved it aside, as she gently took Yomiko into her arms and eased her down on the mattress . Coincidentally, the book’s pages flip open, until it comes to rest on a single page. As the soft sound of zippers lowering and snaps being undone is heard, we zoom in on the words on the page: Read or Die: Aftermath, the End.
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