All's Fair in Love and War...?
“Ah! Mina-chan, no! That's wrong! Don't do it like that! Geez, you're impossible... what the, hey! Get off me!”
“But Rei-chan! How am I supposed to learn if I don't practice? You're my teacher aren't you?”
“You would think being a Senshi would do something productive but... you're starting to take after the Princess.”
“Rei-chan...! I am not! AH! Wait a minute, did you 'teach' her too?”
“Mina... a girl like that, she can't be taught- she is what she was born to be. Same goes for you, but apparently, you aren't as gifted in this. Come on! Get it right this time! It's not a very hard maneuver you know. Heck, Haruka and Makoto could do it in their sleep! Can the Senshi leader, the Senshi of Love, be so easily outclassed?”
“Love and War don't work as well in one person. Rei-chan, can we play that-”
“No. Absolutely not. If you can't get this right, I see no reason whatsoever to reward you for it. All right, come at me again- and this time think before you do it.”
(Doesn't it just make you wonder what they're talking about? - All right, I'll clue you in.)
“Rei-chan... Why are you being so stubborn about this? You're the one who has a blade-”
“And I know how to use mine. Makoto won't be using one, but she at least knows how to. Haruka might as well have been born with a saber as an extension of her hand, she's a complete natural. You, on the other hand, can't even jab straight. For some odd reason, every time you lunge forward, the blade goes skyrocketing up, and you fall on top of me.”
Mina grinned lightheartedly. “Aww... can't you tell? I don't want there to be any weapons in our relationship- I just want to be close to you...” As if to prove her point, Mina crawled over on her hands and knees from the position Rei had pushed her into.
A hand came up and tapped her nose when she came close enough. “You promised, Mina-chan. You should already know that I don't like the idea of whirlwind romances. Too common... too quick... too... painful if the other leaves you...”
As Rei's voice and gaze trailed off, Mina's smiled waned until it formed a concerned frown. And then she remembered, and her whole expression turned to mush from its already softened form. “Rei-chan... you have to let him go. And I'm not just saying that because of our... situation. They were betrothed from birth. If you feel anything towards him... or even her for that matter... it should only be a happiness for their well being. A lot of couples with arranged marriages could never say they love each other as much as those two do. They-”
“I know! You don't have to tell me... I already know. And... I am happy for them. But maybe... I don't know. I...”
“Can I hold you? I know what I promised, but please, can I?”
At that, Rei looked up into Mina's eyes, and the love overflowing from them... radiating from her aura... Before she even realized what was happening, Rei felt herself give a small smile and nod, and then slowly, those delicate, silky arms enveloped her again. So soft... was she always so soft... ? And this fragrance... it isn't anything of this world... it's... it's the scent of her love... the love she wants me to claim as mine. So enraptured was she by the sensations, it took her several minutes before Rei realized where Mina had actually placed her head, and upon doing so, blushed a furious crimson red.
“Mina... what...?”
“I can't give you the love they have, Rei, but I know I can make you happy if you let me show you my love. If I said it once, I can say it again, and a million times afterwards, and it'll always be true. I love you, Rei. I want to be with you. If you're happy, I'm happy. If you're in pain, I want to soothe your wounds. I can't force you to be with me- no- I won't do that to you ever, but... if you can return my feelings... if you can confirm what I feel deep within you... you'll make me the happiest goddess incarnate to ever walk the Earth.”
“I do love you Mina. Love you with all the passion my heart and soul could give. But... something inside me... there's a small part of me that just can't let it happen... I don't know what it is but... can't you at least wait until I can sort it all out?”
A soft sigh escaped Mina's lips before Rei felt them on the crown of her head. “You're the only one for me. If you need time, of course I can wait. But I'll be honest, my feelings for you... they send me into overdrive. Normally, I could wait, I would wait completely, but... now that my body knows how you feel... I... I need to get rid of the excess energy. Mother told me once... before she died... if I ever find someone to love... really love... my body will automatically kick into this overdrive. If I can't contain it, if I let overflow... she said I'll probably go insane.” Mina paused, but soon finished, “I'm not asking you to accept the full brunt of my love for you, right now, but can't you allow me, help me, to let go of the water that overflows the goblet of my love?”
There was a long silence before Rei softly responded, her head refusing to move from its soft pillow, “What would you do?”
“Only what I have been doing. A few kisses here and there, maybe a few more hugs, cling to your arm like I did even before this trip started... joke a little...”
“If I reciprocate those little things, will that be enough, for now?”
“Would you?”
As answer, Rei carefully lifted her head, and pulled Mina's down to kiss her. In that one kiss, Rei could sense the energy she felt earlier break off and flow into her own body. Her love makes me feel so warm... even more so then the fires I grew up with...
“Rei-chan... I... feel so tired...” Rei glanced down to see that both of them were lying on the deck, with Mina's head resting between her breasts now.
Stroking the fine strands of blond hair, Rei sighed and leaned back, “Then sleep. It's been a long day... The night will be warm enough. I'm actually starting to feel sleepy too...”
The last thing Rei heard before she drifted off, was Mina's quiet murmur. “Thank you, Rei-chan.”
“Awww... Mako-chan look! The lovebirds slept together on the deck. Hmm... I think it would have worked better if they'd taken their clothes off first but...”
“Shh! You'll wake them up!”
But it was a mite too late for that. Rei popped open one eye, blinked a few times, and opened both of her eyes. Without moving her head, Rei looked around, first at the body draped over her like a heavy blanket, then at the pirate duo standing in front of her. Making sure she didn't wake up Mina, Rei whispered, “What time is it?”
Makoto squatted down and winked, “Dawn. You can go back to sleep if you like, the sensei is allowed to sleep in. Especially considering you got what, fifteen lessons into one day? Granted they were all very long or anything, but together... You might want to relocate though. The crew will be up and about soon, and they're fairly loud to compensate for having to wake up early. It shouldn't bother you if you're in the captain's cabin, but here...”
“I understand. Mmm... just give me a minute or two.”
Rei then proceeded to take several carefully measured breaths, ignoring the tickling sensation when she felt Mina breath softly, and flexed her hands. Once she was sure her limbs were working properly, she slowly bent over, and positioned her hands at Mina's back and knees. Scooting up to a wall, she stood up holding Mina in what might be considered a bridal position. Mina murmured slightly in her sleep, but only cuddled closer to Rei. Sighing softly in relief that she had succeeded in standing up, Rei proceeded to where she knew that captain's cabin was. Years of practice allowed her to walk without disturbing Mina significantly, much like a lady attempting to balance books on her head while walking.
Upon setting Mina down underneath the covers- Makoto had pulled them down a few seconds before- Rei sighed again and sat down in a nearby seat. Carefully, she regarded her two pirate Senshi. “When's breakfast?”
Makoto looked at the position of the sun before answering, “Give the cooks an hour or two more to finish up making it. Breakfast is a loose time frame since there are so many little jobs to be done all around. The crew comes in little spurts whenever they have time, so it might take four or five hours for the breakfast window to close. So we don't announce it with the bell. You can feel free to come down whenever you want.”
Her gaze still trained on the sleeping features of the Goddess of Love incarnate, Rei murmured, “If it's not too much trouble... could you bring some dishes here for us? Now that I'm awake, I'll stay awake, but I want to watch her sleep a little longer...”
Haruka grinned knowingly. “Of course. Mako-chan as good as owns the kitchens, it won't be a problem.”
Makoto nodded in agreement. “Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll bring some over as soon as everything is finished cooking. We'll leave now, if you don't have anything else...”
“Wait.” Rei paused, biting her lip hesitantly before she said, “Today's lesson plan. This is the second day, but I've already covered most of the little details. Today, is all about learning how to use different weapons efficiently. You can get started on that on your own; I still need to work with Mina-chan on her basic blade skills. Is that all right?”
“You're the teacher, Rei-chan; of course it is.” Makoto grinned before turning her heel, Haruka close behind. “Well then, see ya later.”
As the door closed, another sigh escaped Rei's lips. Her hand slowly traveled up to caress Mina's cheek, which remained a rosy hue from the night before. Rei didn't completely understand what had happened with that one kiss, but it made her feel so good... maybe... despite this feeling inside her... she could accept it all... Rei let out a small gasp as her fingers trailed over Mina's lips, and a tongue slithered out to meet the digits. At the contently slumbering look in her expression, Rei couldn't be sure if Mina was dreaming, or if she was simply a very good actor. But if indulging her a little kept her from losing her sanity... it was all right... wasn't it?
A dreamy look crossed Rei's eyes as she took in the beauty of her one and only. Her luxurious golden hair, the soft wave of her bangs... the perfectly toned hue of her skin... her dainty little nose... those beautiful, rosy lips... “Sleeping Beauty... can I awaken you from your slumber...?” Rei trailed off, her attention fully on capturing the taste of those sweet lips again... the taste of Mina's love... the taste she would find nowhere else. She was only minimally surprised to find that Mina was returning the kiss, but she didn't care, because it meant the love was flowing through her again.
When they broke apart, Mina lazily opened her eyes, a sappy, drunken grin on her face. “Can I wake up like that every morning? I'll be more than happy to return the favor if I wake up first...”
A similar grin was plastered on Rei's lips. “We'll see. Think of that as advance reward. For today's lessons. I will get you to use a sword properly.”
A cute pout revealed that Mina had sobered... somewhat. “Rei-chan! Of course I can use a sword! Don't you remember back in primary school, they taught us all to use them! And I was given an award for being the best in the school! It's just that I can't hurt you, Rei-chan!”
Rei chose to return to stroking Mina's cheek as she mused aloud, “And what if I was taken and brainwashed by the enemy...?”
Mina smiled again as she answered, moving her own hand up to cup Rei's, “Simple. First of all, I know you wouldn't allow yourself to get taken and brainwashed in the first place. Second, well, all I would need to do is get you to look into my eyes... can't you see the love swimming around inside me?”
“You say that like your love can be compared to sea creatures.”
A softer smile graced Mina's lips as she closed her eyes, whispering, “'The Goddess of Love is an entity completely doused by an eternal sea of love. The one she deems worthy of her personal love, those emotions float on the surface, for everyone to see, to be acknowledged by all.'”
“Wow...” Mina peeked open an eye, surprised to find that Rei was attempting not to laugh. At her questioning gaze, Rei broke into a fit of giggles, preceded only by a mere comment of, “I never thought I see the day that Aino Minako succeeded in perfectly quoting something!”
Knowing she was only teasing, Mina huffed likewise. “Oh come on! I got one right yesterday too, didn't I?”
“You mean the one where you said, 'No pain, for the insane?' (Translation: No pain, no gain)” Rei continued to giggle, her cheeks beginning to flush with the activity.
“Hmmm... did I miss a funny joke?” Both girls turned to see that Makoto was at the door, four trays balanced between her two arms. “Rei doesn't normally laugh this much.”
As Makoto set the dishes down on the table, Mina sat up and crossed her arms over her chest. “Rei-chan says she never thought she'd see the day when I quoted something accurately.”
At that, Makoto chuckled slightly in understanding. “Well, you know, you did make an awful lot of sour attempts yesterday... What was the one you said while we were washing dishes? No sense in crying over spilt onions...? And then when we were learning about the lookout post... Something about having a bat's eye view...?”
Mina sighed, giving in to the point that her quotes could use more work. As they all sat down around the table, Rei added, “I know you learned a lot of sayings, Mina-chan, but don't use them if you can't say them right.”
To which Mina replied, another light bulb idea flashing, “What if I want people to quote me instead?”
“Only the Kingdom's jokers would want to do that Mina-chan.”
“Ah, that reminds me! Mako-chan, where's Ruka-chan?”
Makoto looked up at that, wondering how the two could possibly be related. “She's taking care of some business below decks. She all ready ate. Is this enough for you two? I can get some more if you like.”
Mina and Rei instinctively shook their heads and answered with the phrase expected of them from the Kingdom. “No, this is plenty. Thank you for the food.”
Once they realized what had happened, they laughed it off, Rei lightly scolding Mina, “That isn't very pirate-like of you Mina-chan.”
Grinning, Mina responded, “Of you either, Rei-sensei.”
“Don't think I haven't forgotten you know. Lessons will begin as soon as we finish up with breakfast.”
“You aren't supposed to exercise after eating though.”
“Who said we were exercising?”
“But the sword training-”
“I remember that award you won Mina-chan. And I believe you haven't lost your knack for it. So... we're going to play a little game... one I know you've missed for a long time.”
“Rei-chan, what...?”
“You'll see, Mina-chan, you'll see. Now hurry up and finish breakfast.”
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