Ten Years
How long had it been since Battle City? A week? A month? Kujaku
Mai really couldn't tell. It still felt so real in her nightmares.
Many times she would wake up and find herself drenched in sweat.
But her nightmares were becoming less and less frequent. She no
longer felt so hopeless. She owed that to the small ray of hope that
had guided her through the darkness.
Mai held the sleeping Kawai Shizuka in her arms just a little
tighter. Even though they were sleeping in the same bed, their
relationship was not sexual in the least bit. They had been in a
relationship for a few weeks now. At first, the blonde had been
uncomfortable at the idea of being romantically involved with a girl ten
years younger than she was, but then she figured it would be all right
as long as she didn't make any sexual advances toward Shizuka.
They kept their relationship a secret, but that grew harder with
each passing day. Every time Mai looked at Shizuka, she fell more and
more in love with the brunette.
The sun was rising now, so Mai felt more awake. She gently kissed
Shizuka's forehead and sat up. This had been the first night they had
spent together. Shizuka had told her mother that she was sleeping over
at a friend's and had given her mother Mai's address and phone number,
but she didn't mention that Mai was actually her twenty-four year-old
girlfriend.
Mai slowly got out of bed, being extremely careful not to disturb
Shizuka. She went to her closet to pick out something to wear, and left
her bedroom to head to the bathroom to get washed up and dressed.
Once Mai was done with that, she decided to make breakfast for
herself and Shizuka. But when she stepped into the kitchen, she found
Shizuka already making something.
"Good morning, Mai-san," Shizuka greeted, turning her head.
Mai chuckled lightly as she wrapped her arms around Shizuka's
shoulders from behind. "You don't have to be so formal," she pointed
out teasingly.
"But it's such a hard habit to break, Mai-chan."
"That sounds so much more natural."
Shizuka was finished with the eggs, and she divided them evenly
between her and Mai. After they sat down at the table and began eating,
the older woman remarked that these were the best eggs that she ever
had. That caused the young girl to blush uncontrollably. Once Shizuka
was done eating, she neatly stacked her dishes and went to get washed up
and dressed.
Mai leaned back in her chair. She was happiest whenever Shizuka
was near her. When the brunette wasn't, the blonde couldn't stop
thinking about the darkness Malik Ishtar had trapped her in and all the
loneliness and fear that she had felt. She truly did love Shizuka, but
a part of her wondered if she was just using the young girl for comfort.
The telephone began to ring, breaking Mai's train of thought. She
stood up and answered it. "Hello, Kujaku residence," she said into the
mouthpiece.
"Hello," greeted the woman on the other line. "May I speak to my
daughter, please?"
"Sure, hold on," Mai requested. She lowered the phone from her
face and called out, "Shizuka-chan, your mother's on the phone!"
"I'll be there in a moment," Shizuka replied from the bathroom. A
few seconds later, she stepped into the kitchen and accepted the phone
from Mai. "Hello, Mom," she greeted. There was a pause before she
spoke again. "I'm having a great time with Mai-chan. Don't worry, I'll
be home later so that I can get a good-night's sleep before I go to
school tomorrow." Another pause. "Thanks, Mom. I'll be good. 'Bye."
She hung up the phone.
Mai smiled as she studied Shizuka carefully. The young girl was
dressed in the black skirt and the white button-up shirt the older woman
had brought for her yesterday. "You look very nice in that," Mai
complimented.
"Thanks," Shizuka replied, blushing a little. "So what would you
like to do now?"
"I was thinking about a walk," Mai said, looking out the window.
"It does seem like a nice day."
Shizuka nodded in agreement, and then she and Mai put on their
shoes and stepped outside. They started to walk down the sidewalk,
their backs to the bright morning sun.
"Mai-chan, being with you makes me so happy," Shizuka admitted, a
bit unexpectedly.
"And being with you makes me happy," Mai replied. Because there
were few other people around, she was comfortable with wrapping her arm
around Shizuka's shoulders.
Shizuka had been the first person Mai had seen after she had been
freed from the darkness. It had been at that time when she had fallen
in love with the young girl. She was eternally grateful to Shizuka for
staying by her side. "Thank you, Shizuka-chan," she whispered.
"Huh?" Shizuka sounded, looking up at Mai. "Did you say
something?"
Mai just smiled mysteriously.
They were now walking down a tree-lined sidewalk. The leaves were
a spring green and the sun shone brightly upon them. There were no
clouds to interfere with the sun's light. This was truly a beautiful
day.
Soon Mai and Shizuka were sitting on an old, sturdy bench.
Because it was so out of the way and there was no one else around,
Shizuka rested her head on Mai's left shoulder.
"Mai-chan, can I ask you something?" Shizuka wondered.
"Sure," Mai allowed.
"Do you think I'm abnormal?"
"No, of course not. Why would you even ask that?"
Shizuka sighed. "Well, I'm only fourteen and I find myself
attracted toward another woman. I mean, how many others my age already
know their sexual orientation?"
Mai curled her arm around the back of Shizuka's head and stroked
the left side of the brunette's face. "You just matured faster than
most others your age," the blonde figured. "That's perfectly normal."
"Mai-chan, I really do love you. But you're ten years older. I
know I shouldn't worry, but how would everybody react if they found out
I was dating a twenty-four year-old woman? How would my mother react?
She would be so ashamed of me."
"You shouldn't concern yourself with the age difference. I
should, though, since I'm the adult." Mai paused for a second.
"Shizuka-chan, I was uncomfortable with the idea of dating someone as
young as you. But I couldn't stop loving you. You saved me from being
lost in the darkness. When I was afraid all my friends would leave me,
you stayed by my side."
Shizuka smiled. "Maybe there isn't anything for us to worry
about," she thought out loud. "Still, I don't want to tell my mother
about us yet."
Mai gently rubbed her lips against Shizuka's hair. "When you're
ready, I'll be there to support you," she promised. "You should tell
her soon, you know."
"I will, don't worry. I just need to wait a little longer."
After a while, Shizuka and Mai stood up and started to walk again.
It had been about an hour since they had left Mai's house, and the sun
was shining brighter than ever now.
Mai thought about how pretty Shizuka was. If the young girl was
this beautiful now, then the older woman could only imagine how
beautiful she would be when she grew up. Mai couldn't wait for that
time. And then maybe she wouldn't be so afraid to touch Shizuka.
Mai took Shizuka's hand into hers and squeezed just slightly. A
part of her believed it was wrong to love such a young girl, but she was
constantly shutting that part out of her mind. She wanted to love
Shizuka, for the brunette made her feel strong and worthwhile. And she
knew Shizuka felt the same way about her.
Suddenly, Mai halted and brought Shizuka into her arms.
"Shizuka-chan, I love you."
Shizuka returned Mai's embrace. "I love you too, Mai-chan." She
lifted her chin up, and she and Mai kissed. It was a small kiss, but
even the smallest of kisses could express all their love for each other.
After the sweet kiss, Shizuka tucked her head under Mai's chin.
"Mai-chan, I want you to meet my mother," she decided. "We'll let her
get to know you first before we tell her about our relationship."
"That'll be nice," Mai commented. She tilted Shizuka's face
upwards and kissed the young girl again. This time they savored the
taste of the other's lips.
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