Dinner, Part 2
The table was covered with many colorful, overflowing dishes
consisting of and not limited to several differently prepared fish (such
as sashimi and tempura), shrimp, steamed rice, fish soup, and four
different vegetable dishes. Adding to the finely decorated plates and
bowls, Makoto had placed various flowers and leaves, ensuring the
vibrant colored atmosphere of the food and enhancing one's taste buds.
As everyone settled down to the table, Makoto cleared her throat
drawing three sets of eyes towards her.
"I just wanted to apologize, once more, for the trouble I caused
everyone." She turned earnest green eyes towards the two blue haired
women, in turn, causing the youngest to blush and look away briefly,
"Especially you, Mizuno-sensei, for your inconvenience of having to
leave in the middle of work. I hope you can find it in your heart to
forgive me."
Smiling, Hitomi waved her hand dismissingly, "You're making this
out to be something bigger than it is, Makoto-kun. But I do appreciate
your apology." Night blue eyes rested gently on the chestnut haired
girl. "If you really want to make me feel better, allow me to dig in.
This all looks very scrumptious."
"And charming." The younger Mizuno spoke quietly, as though the
fear of interrupting the scenic feast kept her voice from becoming too
loud. Baby blue eyes once again met up with the rogue's stunning green
and the two girls shared a brief, but solid moment.
"Itadakimasu, then."
The clinking of dishes and background music were the only noises
heard for several minutes as the four women began into their meals.
Emerald eyes kept glancing anxiously towards baby blues, which were
shyly making eye contact for short seconds a time before returning to
the dishes in front of them.
"Oh my goodness, this is excellent Makoto!" The guardian smiled
pleasantly and approvingly towards her younger charge causing Makoto to
grin in spite of herself in return.
Hitomi swallowed a rather large bite, nodding in agreement with
the dark haired woman before being able to make her own remark, "It is
wonderful Makoto-kun, where DID you learn it?!" The doctor narrowed her
eyes towards the teen, her facial features becoming hardened with a
glint of curiosity.
Ami shifted in her seat as she looked at her mother and knew this
was not good. She recognized that face, it was the same face used
countless times at the hospital, a face used rarely at home, a face well
known with the higher-ups in the medical world as one that would put
members of the CIA to shame. This was the expression the doctor used to
get information out of anyone and everyone whom she needed, or wanted,
information out of.
The younger Mizuno had only had one encounter with it, when she
was much younger—she didn't even recall the reason her mother used it or
the information she got out of the young girl, but she did recall the
look on her mother's face. It was pure determination and a will that
was prepared to go all the way for her goal. The genius usually never
thought much of that look when used on others; but she feared what it
would do to Makoto.
As far as she could tell, Ami knew the rogue's personal life to
be, well... personal. The chestnut haired girl rarely, if ever, shared
anything about her past, her feelings, or even her current state. Being
that patience was a virtue, the short teen never felt compelled to
actually dig too much into the world that was Kino Makoto, because she
felt that if she were privy to such information, then in time the rogue
would share it with her.
Baby blue's met up with magenta eyes and Ami knew that Setsuna was
thinking along the same lines. Though the genius did not know how
obstinate Makoto could be, unlike Setsuna. The dark haired woman had
watched that stubborn and secretive resolve dig its heels in or stomp
off in fury after being only mildly questioned.
It was gasoline playing with fire and neither Ami nor Setsuna was
looking forward to the tomboy's reaction.
Makoto swallowed a bite of fish, raising her eyes to meet up with
the probing doctor across the table. The two women seemed to square off
a moment, causing the other two to tense up momentarily.
Softly curling her lip upwards, the rogue appeared to smile and
sneer at the same time, speaking not a moment after, "Shinozaki Bar and
Inn."
Both Setsuna and Ami held their breath at the answer and looked
covertly between Hitomi and Makoto. The doctor's chuckling broke
through the taut air and the genius slowly brought her trembling eyes
towards her mother.
"Of course! Of course, I remember now. My ex-husband used to take
me there a lot when we were first dating. They used to prepare their
Kaiseki-ryori the exact same way as you do." The doctor smiled bringing
relief to Setsuna and allowing the small teen to breathe normally.
Makoto merely nodded and brought a bowl of rice up to her lips.
"It was a quaint little place," Hitomi began into babbling mode
and the dark haired woman to her left smiled contently as she watched
the woman. "An old man and wife ran the kitchen while their son and his
cousin served the floor. The son was recently married and his wife was
helping out at the register, one weekend. She was very pregnant, I
thought she'd burst any moment. And it just so happened she did; my
first delivery ever! They named the boy Kenji. I think I remembered
that much because I thought it odd, them just being married and naming
their son a name which means 'strong second son'..." The woman began to
laugh lightly, Setsuna joining her.
Having had enough of the rice for now, the rogue had set her bowl
down and was eyeing the young girl to her left curiously. She listened
to the doctor's story, but felt as though it were part of the background
music compared to what lay in her vision. Emerald eyes gazed fixedly,
watching as the genius ate from the various bowls slowly, but with
careful ease. Ami would bring a bowl up to her lips, supplying her
luscious pink lips with a morsel from it, her cheeks becoming flushed
and eyes hazy as she savored the taste. Every time she tasted, she
smiled, and every time she smiled, the rogue felt more and more drawn to
her.
"Did you ever get to meet Kenji when you worked there,
Makoto-kun?"
"He was working as a server with his father's cousin." For her
part, though she was slightly breathless as she responded, Makoto
slipped easily into the conversation as though she'd been listening
attentively the entire time. Setsuna raised an eyebrow at the young
girl, as though she suspected something, but did not voice any thoughts
of her own on the subject and continued to listen to the conversation.
"Really?" Hitomi turned and rested her hand atop Setsuna's, her
night blue eyes becoming hazy with nostalgia, "We should go there
sometime, I really think you'd enjoy it." Both women smiled at one
another, their hearts fluttering and a rose blush crossing their faces.
Letting loose a loud sigh, Makoto spoke quickly, happy to
interrupt the two 'lovebirds', "Don't mean to burst your bubble, but it
shut down three years ago. Oji-sama was in very poor health and decided
to retire."
"Oh, oh, that's too bad." The older Mizuno became crestfallen at
the news and decided to finish the rest of the wine in her glass so she
could pour another.
Setsuna leaned back from the table a moment, taking in all the
sullen quiet faces before her. She closed her eyes briefly pondering
how such a pleasant evening could turn sour so quickly; but it wasn't
completely forgone yet and the dark haired woman vowed to give back the
cheerful air.
"Ami-chan, it has become known to me that certain professors and
administrators at Tokyo U are pushing to get you enrolled by this March.
You must be very excited about such news." The tall woman smiled at the
nervous and blushing young girl across from her. She turned towards
Hitomi, "And you must be extremely proud."
The doctor beamed under the gaze of magenta eyes, "I am very
proud," she said and turned towards her daughter resting a hand on the
young girls shoulder. "But you still haven't made your decision yet,
have you Ami-chan?" The older Mizuno's face became slightly anxious for
a fraction of a second, turning into a loving smile just after as she
stared at the teenager. Makoto, who'd been studying Hitomi's reactions,
very gravely noted that anxiety.
Setsuna sat back up, reaching for the small bowl of rice as she
spoke, "There's no rush, I believe. You're only young once so you
should enjoy it while you can." Her features were genuine and earnest
which comforted the small blue haired girl before her, enabling her to
find her voice.
"I think I've already decided. I still have so much to learn and
I'd miss my friends dearly if I went so quickly to college." Ami's
voice was trembling slightly due to the courageousness of having made
such a decision without consulting her mother before hand. The two had
spoken of it briefly over the summer ending in the doctor telling her
daughter she'd have to make a decision before Christmas, but that she'd
give her time to think it over. Unbeknownst to her mother, though, the
genius already knew where she belonged. It was simply a matter of
telling her.
"Oh, I hadn't realized you had decided. If you think that's best
for you, then you should go that route. But getting such experience so
young would ensure your status and career in the future..." The older
blue haired woman scrunched her eyebrows together, giving her a look of
skepticism and disappointment.
Makoto's vibrant eyes narrowed to some extent as she considered
the doctor before her. There was a piece missing from the woman's
puzzle and the rogue felt it on the tip of her brain...
Night blue eyes shot towards the tomboy suddenly, "What would you
do, Makoto-kun? If you had the opportunity that Ami-chan did?"
The rogue's features relaxed as she tilted backwards looking
upwards as though in thought. She let her gaze wander around the room:
first along the ceiling, down the walls, jumping to her guardian—who was
currently sipping at her wine—and finally resting on the blushing teen.
Ami appeared to be torn, again, about something, and those wonderful,
serene baby blues would not look up for the rogue.
Finally breaking her gaze from the shy genius, Makoto looked once
again back at the doctor, ready with her answer.
"I'd go."
Hitomi smiled triumphantly at the sound of the news and turned to
her daughter preparing to encourage her in the opposite direction. But
she was cut off abruptly as the rogue continued on with her train of
thought.
"I'd go... but I'm not Ami." Makoto shrugged as she spoke. "I
don't have Ami's tight circle of friends, I don't have Ami's supportive
family, and I'm definitely no genius. For me, it'd be the opportunity
of my lifetime. But for Ami," the rogue's emerald eyes gazed
comfortingly towards the small girl, "For Ami, it's just a small step up
a long fight of winding and forking stairs. Her opportunities are
endless; there's no need for her to limit herself so quickly."
During Makoto's talk, the shy teen raised her eyes slowly to find
her classmate's contented look. As she listened and watched, Ami felt
something stir within her—a stir so powerful she felt her body shudder
despite the tight rein she was enforcing. She felt her lower lip
tremble slightly and quickly smiled in order to hide it. The smile
developed into a look of pure joy and baby blue eyes watered slightly,
threatening to drip tears down the teen's round face.
Feeling slightly shocked at the possibility of crying, the genius
quickly closed her eyes several times, looking away from her tall
classmate as she did so. As she looked down, Ami felt her heart
thumping rapidly and she was certain everyone at the table could feel
the vibrations coming from it.
When Hitomi was certain the rogue had finished, she responded
softly, "...I see." The doctor smiled and patted her daughter's
shoulder causing the young girl's eyes to find her mothers. Watery baby
blues looked innocently into warm night blues.
"You're sure?"
The genius' eyes went doe-like, "I-I..." Ami trailed off slightly
and looked downwards. Taking a deep breath, she brought a much more
determined face to meet her mother's equally determined gaze, responding
this time more forcefully, "I'm absolutely sure."
Hitomi grinned, "Good."
------------------------------------------------------
After dinner, the two older women retired to the living room
leaving Makoto and Ami to clear the dishes from the table. Though the
guardian and doctor protested heavily to this, Makoto shooed them off
obstinately after hearing the quiet voice of the shy genius wishing to
help her. Neither spoke as they cleaned up the remnants of dinner; the
only sounds heard were the quiet voices of Setsuna and Hitomi, and
Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata from the stereo.
Truthfully, the small blue haired girl felt she couldn't speak
even if she'd tried. Her body felt surged with energy and her movements
were extremely taut, to the point where her movements often became
erratic whenever the tall, chestnut haired girl came close to her.
Ami's emotions were reeling after what had occurred during dinner; while
she felt as though she wanted the rogue as near as possible, something
in that want, that desire, scared her clear out of her boots.
Had she ever felt something so powerful in her entire life?
The genius thought if she only had some time to sort this out,
logically and systematically, she wouldn't be such a slave to these
pulling emotions and she could respond to Makoto's advances properly.
What was the proper way for the blue haired girl, though? Was she to
somehow inform the tomboy of her feelings? Or was that not proper? If
she were to believe Minako, then the rogue definitely returned these
feelings. But how strong were her emotions about Ami?
Ami placed three small bowls in the sink and reached up to massage
the bridge of her nose. After several seconds she took her glasses off
and rubbed taxingly at her face, exhausted from all the thoughts running
freely through her mind. So immersed she was in her actions, that she
barely noticed the tall figure moving in close behind her.
"Daijoubu Ami-san?"
Much to her dismay, the genius jumped slightly at the sound of her
classmate's voice and turned reflexively towards the roguish girl. When
all she saw was a blurred form of brown, black, and white, Ami realized
she hadn't put her glasses back on and reached behind her, patting the
counter uncertainly, not taking her eyes off the hazy person in front of
her.
The genius spoke uneasily as she felt for the glasses, "Hai,
hai... I'm fine. Y-your dinner was great, Makoto-san, truly wonderful."
Ami breathed in sharply when she noticed the blurry form moving
closer and ceased her movements altogether, unsure of what to do as the
rogue came nearer. Holding her breath, the blue haired girl didn't move
an inch, being extremely cautious and aware of how close Makoto was.
The genius looked up towards where the tall girl's face was and
attempted to focus on it, trying to read the other girl's expression.
The tall girl's body was merely centimeters from Ami's own when
she finally stopped moving in. Baby blue eyes looked cautiously towards
the other girl's face, which was quickly coming into focus. Ami, still
having not moved, stared innocently and anxiously into Makoto's blazing
emeralds becoming easily mesmerized. Nothing else seemed to matter; the
blue haired girl could feel was the warmth coming from the rogue's body
and she realized how much she wanted Makoto to gather her in her arms,
to kiss her with vigor.
Blushing deeply at the thoughts, the shy girl opened her mouth
slightly, her lower lip trembling slightly, and she knew her body wanted
the same thing. She gasped as she sensed the rogue's arm move past her,
still not breaking her eye contact with the girl. Makoto seemed to
cease her movements momentarily at the gasp, but continued onwards to
her objective.
"Here." The usually rough, tenor voice of the rogue was now
slightly breathless and gentle as she spoke to the small girl. Ami
looked quizzically into her classmate's eyes until she felt her glasses
being pressed into the palm of her hand. Tightening her grip on the
frames, the genius nodded, and felt her body doused with disappointment
as she watched Makoto move quickly away, back into the dining area to
collect the last of the dishes.
The young Mizuno looked towards her hand, her face and mind
evident with confusion and frustration. Finally, letting out the breath
she'd been holding, Ami sighed unhappily as she placed the rimless
glasses back upon her face. She was unsure of whether or not to wait
for Makoto or join her mother and Setsuna in the living room; neither
seemed very appealing at the moment, but the small girl stood her place
nevertheless.
Her baby blue eyes looked around the kitchen for something to
distract her, but found nothing of interest. Compared to those stunning
emerald eyes, everything else looked bland, lacking in color and
passion. Ami berated herself silently for thinking such thoughts, but
at the same time, she knew them to be the truest sentiment of feeling
she'd felt that night. She again sighed, with much more frustration
this time; she wished she could excuse herself for several hours so as
to sort out all these strong feelings.
As if on cue, the source of all those emotions came walking back
into the kitchen, but not daring to make eye contact with the blue
haired girl. Feeling somewhat rejected, Ami looked away as well,
scrunching her eyebrows together and attempting to keep the anger from
showing on her face.
Placing the last of the bowls in the sink, Makoto moved warily
towards the small teen, stopping a few feet away. Her green eyes
scrutinized the young girl, making Ami shift uncomfortably.
"Well... come on then."
Baby blue eyes shot towards the rogue, watching as the tall girl
exited the kitchen. Ami breathed in, deciding she had better follow,
and took off after the chestnut haired girl. The genius walked quickly
through the doorway and down the hall. She'd kept her eyes on the floor
and was therefore surprised as she bumped into Makoto's stopped figure
at the entrance to the living room.
"Gomen!"
The rogue looked back and smiled at the blushing girl, then turned
back towards the living room speaking in a monotone voice, "Ami-san and
I are going to my room. I want to show her some stuff, we'll be in
there for a bit if you need us for anything."
Ami could not see over the tomboy's shoulder and only heard
Setsuna's listless response, "Alright, we'll be in here."
Nodding, the chestnut haired girl turned to find a very confused
but still ever cute young Mizuno looking perplexedly at Makoto. Makoto
moved her hand, gesturing for the shy teen to move down the hall. She
chuckled silently as the blue haired girl turned abruptly, moving
cautiously and looking back every two seconds at the rogue.
"That's the bathroom, right here, should you have a need to use
it." The genius' eyes followed the rogue's hand towards a door on her
left and nodded in understanding. "My room is right up here on the
right."
Shyly, Ami moved in front of the closed door and stood patiently
as Makoto came up next to her. She wished the tall girl had asked her
first before initiating her intentions to Setsuna, but nothing could be
done now as Makoto opened the door to her room, entering it and flicking
the light on as she did so.
The genius took a deep breath as she followed her classmate
hesitantly through the open door way. Her baby blue eyes become wide
with amazement when she saw what was inside. To her right, the entire
wall had been converted into bookshelves, though they were not yet full
of books, there were still very many of the shelves filled. She felt
her jaw hang open as she eyed all of the books before her.
"I haven't read them all yet. The bottom two shelves are the
newest stuff Setsuna-san has brought home. I just haven't had time to
get to them." Ami felt her eyes drawn towards the nonchalant voice of
the rogue and finally noticed the rest of the room as she moved.
A twin sized bed with built in dressers underneath filled the back
left corner of the room. The frame of the bed seemed to be made of oak
and the genius noted, with a smile, the dark green blanket tucked
messily around the mattress with a few books lying atop. There was a
night stand below the window to the bed's right that held an alarm clock
and lamp. Moving her gaze along the walls, Ami saw only two posters:
one System of a Down and another, a wall scroll, of some anime girl she
did not know, posing with a rifle in her hands.
On the left side of the room was a desk with a computer and
various stacks of paper which Ami assumed to be stuff from school. She
noticed the tall girl leaning against the wall next to her desk with her
emerald eyes upon her and blushed lightly, smiling as she looked towards
the brown carpeted floor. The room looked like it had been hastily
cleaned and the closet door was shut firmly, Makoto looking like she was
protecting something inside with the way she was leaning against it.
Finally looking up, the genius exhaled and spoke, "Your room suits
you, Makoto-san."
The rogue only smiled at her, shifting forward from her spot
against the closet. She began to walk towards Ami, not taking her eyes
off the girl as she spoke, "We're past formalities, aren't we... Ami?"
The small girl merely swallowed as her response, her eyes becoming
large as the tall girl neared her. Ami began to back up in pace with
Makoto's walk and bumped into the door behind her, causing it to close.
Panic swept through the small girl's body as she pressed her back and
hands against the door behind her, baby blue eyes still not leaving the
captivating emeralds. She swallowed again, holding her breath as the
rogue closed in on her with an almost predatory look.
"Makoto..."
If the tomboy heard the soft whisper coming from Ami, she
dismissed it and continued to close in on the blue haired girl. As if
on reflex, the genius brought her hands up to stop the rogue from coming
any farther, pressing her hands against the other girl's chest whose
body was now mere millimeters away from Ami. The blue haired girl
gasped when she'd realized what she'd done. Her lower lip trembled as
she gazed at Makoto, only vaguely aware of the tomboy's arms moving up
and resting themselves on the door behind the small teen.
"Does it bother you?" The rogue had her head bent downwards as
she stared into the sweet and innocent baby blue eyes which were looking
also wide and alarmed at the moment. They squinted a moment, as though
confused by the tall girl's words, for which Makoto laughed and asked
again, "Does my binding bother you?"
Ami barely registered anything of what was being said and when the
chestnut haired girl asked again, she blushed when she realized what she
felt underneath her quivering fingertips. Shaking her head back and
forth, the genius wondered why Makoto asked about something so
insignificant. She inhaled, shuddering with pleasure as she did so
because the rogue had moved, if possible, even closer now, and Ami could
feel the girl's warm breath on her lips.
Makoto's breath, though still smelling of the dinner, had a bitter
mint to it as well, which the genius found to be an extremely alluring
and pleasant mixture. Her eyes began to glaze over as every part of her
body tingled with anticipation; her breathing becoming ragged as she
pressed her hands gently against the rogue's chest, feeling the rapidly
beating heart beneath.
"If it does bother you, I can always take it off..." Makoto's
voice was husky and almost as breathless as Ami's and the genius thought
if she were to blush anymore she'd set the room on fire. Both girls'
foreheads were nearly touching now as the rogue continued pressing
against her shorter classmate; the electricity in the air was buzzing
wildly.
The genius whimpered wantonly against the friction created from
the tall girl's body against her own and closed her eyes as her senses
were filled with nothing but the rogue. Taking this as a cue, the
tomboy, whose lips were just a fraction of a second away from the other
girls, closed the gap for that sweet kiss. She never quite made it to
that kiss though, as she noticed the tears streaming down Ami's cheeks.
Pulling her head back, green eyes looked over the small girl
worriedly and panic swept through the tall girl's body. Makoto brought
her hand up to Ami's cheek and began a futile attempt to brush the tears
away; her discomfort showing, the rogue did not know what to do.
"Ami," the tomboy began to speak only to be cut off when the small
girl thrust her body against her own, wrapping her arms around the tall
girl's midsection. Ami softly wept against the rogue's chest, holding
her tightly as though she were afraid of the tall girl going away.
Still feeling very shocked and confused, Makoto hesitantly wrapped her
arms around the fragile body before her, rubbing against the small
girl's back.
Makoto barely registered that Ami was speaking, as the small girl
had her face pushed into her chest.
"What was that?" The tall girl spoke quietly and as comfortingly
as she could.
Turning her head slightly to the side, the blue haired girl spoke,
her voice shaky from the crying, "Gomen... gomen Makoto. Gomen...
gomen..." She continued to sob and went back to pressing her face into
Makoto's front.
Smiling sadly, the rogue wrapped her arms even tighter around Ami,
kissing the top of her head.
"It's okay. I'm here; just take your time, I won't go
anywhere..."
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