Under The Red Moon
Aika sat on the side of her bed in a Nasrad hotel room and sighed. She and Fina had been there at least a week, and while the job at the bar was paying reasonably, the heat of the Nasr summer was getting to Fina, which worried her. She also feared for Vyse’s safety, and hoped he was not in the hands of Valua or worse, dead.
She got out of bed and pulled on her clothes, heading down to the bar. Fina's shift had started a little earlier than hers, while the day was still hot, and Aika hoped she was holding up all right. She pushed open the saloon doors and gasped.
Men were standing around Fina, waving money at her, demanding topless dances in an angry tone that suggested they would not be happy if she refused. Aika felt a hot-blooded rage fill her senses, and wished she had brought her boomerang with her.
"Get off her, you creeps!" she yelled, and they all turned to face her. She stood her ground, even though she was unarmed and the four men looked strong. Fina was naive and had no idea what the men were demanding, and Aika was enraged that the men would take advantage. The four men descended on her, and she gulped, thinking she had taken on more than she could handle, when one of them cried out.
"Ouch! What's that?" The four men whirled around to see Fina and Cupil behind them, Fina with a rare angry expression on her face. Aika took the opportunity and grabbed a bottle, hitting one of the men over the head with it before they descended on Fina again.
Just then the saloon doors opened and the owner arrived with four strong Nasr guards in tow. They grabbed the men and dragged them away.
The bartender sighed, "I'm sorry, Fina, for leaving you alone with them. I should have sent you to get the guards."
"It's okay," Fina said, "Aika saved me just in time."
Aika blushed a little, "Well, we can handle ourselves. We didn't get this far without learning how to fight."
"Well," said the bartender, "I think I'm going to close up for today. Aika, take Fina back to the inn. Have the night off. I'm sorry about what happened."
"No harm done," said Aika, "Thanks for the night off." Fina took her arm for support, since she was still shaken up, and they left.
Outside, the day had cooled off, and night was descending. Aika and Fina could see the Red Moon, high and bright in the sky.
"It's beautiful," said Fina in awe.
"It sure is!" said Aika, still hyped up from the fight.
They got back to the inn and lie down on their beds, looking up at the ceiling.
"Do you think we'll ever see Vyse again?" Fina asked thoughtfully.
"Why wouldn't we? I'm sure he's fine. He's probably waiting for us somewhere." Aika replied, "Why do you worry so much? I grew up with him. I know he'll be fine."
"I guess…" Fina sighed.
"Fina?" Aika wondered, "Do you love Vyse?"
"He's like a brother,” Fina said, “What about you?"
"We grew up together. He's like a brother to me too." Aika replied. Was that relief welling up inside her? She pushed it aside, sighing, "It's sure hot in here!" Restlessly, she got up and opened the window and was relieved to feel the cool evening air soothing her burning red cheeks. She leaned on the window frame, looking out over Nasrad, and when she stood again she realized Fina was standing next to her, studying her, blushing. Aika pushed it aside, thinking she was just hot, and moved aside to let Fina get some fresh air.
"Thank you," Fina said, "for rescuing me today. I don't think Cupil and I could have held them off alone, and I don't want to think about what those men could have done to me."
Aika blushed, "It was nothing, I was just in the right place at the right time. I'm glad I was! I wouldn't want anything to happen to you, Fina."
Fina blushed and let Cupil fly out of the window to go and look for chams. "I hope you're always there to protect me," she said, standing up and looking at Aika. Aika looked back. It was turning out to be a weird day indeed, she thought. Aika knew that Fina was prone to sentimental outbursts after being saved, but to always be her protector? Aika realized she wanted to do that, very much. Her feelings for Fina were complicated, and had been troubling her for some time. She looked away from the Silvite. She knew Fina was naive, and prone to saying things without really analyzing their meaning, yet she wanted to believe that Fina held a place for her, deep in her heart.
She'd never thought in a million years that Fina might make the first move, and was shocked when Fina's hand caressed her face, those green eyes looking into her soul.
"Aika," she said, "You are very dear to me."
Aika was terrified. She had faced all kinds of dangers with Vyse and Fina, had escaped from the Valuan Empire, had battled monsters and guards, jumped onto a train roof, but this new adventure frightened her more than anything else, this new journey into uncharted territory…
Like Vyse, she had to face it unafraid. He would say to follow her heart; he'd give her his approval, a thumbs-up to whatever made her happy. She didn't know if she would ever see him again, but he was always with her, her big brother advising her on all things in life, even though he was also still learning about the world.
Aika took Fina's shoulders in her gloved hands and pulled Fina close to her in a deep hug. Fina returned the embrace, and they parted, looking into each other's eyes, drawing closer until they kissed, a chaste kiss at first that went deeper, slowly exploring each other. They were clumsy at first, inexperienced, having never kissed anybody before, but they let instincts take over.
They parted, trembling, afraid. Aika remembered waking on Clara's ship in bed with Fina, wishing she could remain in that moment, watching Fina's beautiful sleeping face beside her, and she wanted to save this moment too, in case it never came again.
"Fina," Aika said, almost in a whisper, "Can I touch you?" She blushed and turned away, embarrassed. What if she was moving too fast? Fina was not the type to say no, but was it what she really wanted?
Fina blushed too, "Please," she said, but neither of them moved.
"Are you sure?" Aika said? "I want you to be sure. We can always wait…"
Fina shook her head, "I want you to touch me," she said.
Aika unbuckled her belt and slipped it off. She turned around and Fina unzipped her dress, slipping it gently off her shoulders. It landed in a heap on the floor. She slipped off her boots and removed her panties, blushing, and turned to face Fina.
Fina blushed from her head to her toes. She wanted to touch Aika, to fondle her breasts and make her moan. Her body tingled with desire and she quickly removed her sleeves and the veil in her hair. Turning around, Aika unzipped her dress and it fell to the floor in a pool around her feet. Her legs were still covered, but Aika couldn't resist squeezing her breasts, admiring the shape and form of them. She ran her hands down Fina's body to her stockings and rubbed her through them, eliciting an embarrassed moan.
Aika gently guided Fina to the bed and lay her down, peeling off her stockings and underpants to expose her naked form. Aika grinned and tossed the clothing aside. It was just the two of them, on the bed, naked, and Aika took her time, kissing Fina lovingly down her body, stopping at her breasts to suck on the hard nipples and rub them with her hands, kissing down her flat stomach to her sensitive areas. Parting Fina's legs, Aika nervously explored the area with her fingers, thinking of what felt good when she touched herself. Fina moaned in response, and Aika knew she was doing well. Still, there was something she wanted to try, something she'd heard the men talking about when they thought she wasn't around. Putting her arms under Fina's legs for support, she gently licked Fina's wetness. Fina cried out with surprise and Aika stopped for a moment and smiled at her, admiring her flushed red face. Yes, she'd dreamed of this, she'd wanted to see Fina lose control. She buried her face in Fina and continued to lick, speeding up the motions of her tongue as Fina moaned louder and louder. She was aware of her own desire, the tingling need between her legs, but she hoped she would soon be fulfilled also.
Fina near screamed when she came, and Aika lapped up the wetness there. Aika crawled up to lay beside Fina and held her tightly as she regained her breath. She was surprised when she felt Fina's hand probing her sensitive areas, investigating and exploring her.
"Please, Fina," she moaned, encouraging the Silvite girl, "Touch me."
Fina needed no more encouragement. She copied what Aika had done to her, spending lots of time on her breasts, which fascinated Fina. Aika moaned as she sucked on her breasts while fingering her. Fina also worked down her body until she licked Aika. She probed Aika with a finger while licking her, making Aika scream in delight.
"You're amazing," she moaned, "I thought you hadn't done this before?"
"I dreamt about it a lot," Fina said, “I copied you as well."
Aika chuckled and sharply moaned as Fina continued her assault on her senses.
"Please, Fina, touch me more there," she cried, and Fina did. Aika came with a wild scream, and Fina moved up to lie beside her. The wind caressed their bodies as Aika kissed Fina, their tastes mingling in each other's mouths.
"Thank you," Fina said, "Aika, I…"
"OI!!!" came a yell from outside their window. Aika covered herself with the blanket and leaned out of the window to see what was going on.
"You up there, pack it in! I can't get any sleep with you two screaming like that!" a man cried up from the street.
"Sorry!" Aika called back, only half sorry for screaming so loudly at Fina's touch. She closed the window and turned to Fina, and they giggled. A gentle tapping at the window ended their laughter, and Aika turned around and let Cupil fly in. He went and perched himself in the corner, and Aika returned to Fina's side, holding her tightly all night, hoping that things wouldn't change between them when they finally found Vyse.