Benedict? Florentine? Katsuragi Forest, Osaka Prefecture, Japan A luxurious sigh slipped by Ayane's lips as she began to stir. In a very odd way, odd considering that she was still deep inside the God-forsaken forest of Katsuragi, she had experienced the best sleep she could remember in quite some time. It stood to reason that there were many reasons to deny what had caused it and many ways in which to deny it, but Ayane couldn't bring herself to do that. Not now. The lavender-haired kunoichi held her palms against her chest and her nimble legs drawn close to her in a foetal position. Just as she opened her eyes the pretty chirps of the nearby woodland birds and the vivid rays of daybreak sunlight added an intense feeling of peace on Ayane's part. It was more serene than she could have pictured or articulated at that point. Why was it that such moments of tranquillity always found a way to reach their zenith against your will? As Ayane's eyes slowly parted she automatically reached out to her waist but grew alarmed when she no longer felt Kasumi's arms there. Her scarlet eyes enlarged and she immediately brought herself out of her giddy reverie, sliding up from the grass beneath her. Ayane urgently looked at either side of her then out into the foliage of the surrounding trees and the gaps between them. As her eyes rushed from side to side, an anomalous and very unwelcome feeling, one of apprehension, settled in the pit of Ayane's stomach. And then unconsciously the hand at her side started shaking. "Kasumi...?" The Woman Tengu shut her eyes angrily. "...Kasumi...?" The higher branches of the surrounding trees rustled but there was no strong wind. Ayane noticed it and immediately looked upwards. Darting between tress and narrowing in on the campsite was a flash of blue and white -- one with a familiar Ki signature. That blur dashed down in rapid zigzag lunges between two of the taller trees of the area until it landed on the unkempt grass and materialized into Kasumi. She arose from the crouched position and caught eyes with Ayane. And the expression on Ayane's face hurriedly changed from trepidation to relief and then to irritation. Kasumi noted the almost dramatic changes of climate in the other woman but said nothing regarding it. "You're awake?" Ayane's hands clutched into fists. "Where were you?" "I-I..." Kasumi swallowed at the brusque tone of Ayane's voice. "...I was just searching the area... for shinobi. Did I do something wrong?" Genra's disciple grabbed the hand off hers that was shaking and looked away. The urgent weight in her stomach had gone but the almost frightened quivering in her eyes had not. And a silence once again fell between the two. It didn't cease until Ayane stood from the patch of grass underneath her and remarked; "Why didn't you wake me before you left?" Kasumi wasn't normally the type to get defensive with people -- at least not in an emotional and verbal way. But that comment struck a chord. It was a bitter little chord that expressed the reason for Ayane's snap anger better than any admission ever could. "I didn't leave. I told you I was searching the area." Ayane locked eyes with her but remained quiet. "...You still don't trust me?" Kasumi prodded. Resumed silence. Kasumi's golden eyes narrowed at it. But Ayane's resilience lived up to its name. She looked away, almost indignantly, pressing one of her hands into her hips and running the other through her bangs. It wasn't until she looked back at Kasumi that she noticed the inquiring glare on her face... the one that was posed with that last comment as an actual question. Ayane made no attempt whatsoever to give her an answer. When Kasumi realized that her shoulders sagged in defeat. Her head lulled and cast a forlorn look and the earth beneath her. "What more must I-?" Kasumi closed her eyes sadly. "...Why can't you trust me...?" Because her eyes were closed Kasumi couldn't see anything. But after a prolonged period what she did sense were footsteps. Their mantra stopped shortly afterwards and a soft palm was pressed against her cheek in both a sensitive and domineering manner. Kasumi's eyelids fluttered back open and her eyes met firmly with Ayane's. They stared at each other for prolonged instances, almost unaware of what they were doing, how much their heartbeats sprinted, how shallow their breathing became, how Ayane flicked her thumb over Kasumi's cheek, and how Kasumi nuzzled her cheek so absently into that touch. Ayane lowered her head and produced an apologetic, albeit uncomfortable, but yet still apologetic frown. "I... I'm... sorry." She admitted. "...I didn't mean to..." The look she got from Kasumi in reply to that affirmed its success. Kasumi exhaled gently and shut her eyes once more, this time conscious of it, focusing on the sensation of Ayane's hand against her cheek, holding and caressing it with such tender possession. The weight in Ayane's stomach returned however when she found herself staring at that expression; that angelic expression upon Kasumi's face. The same expression she had seen when they had made love less than two days ago. Ayane's feelings ran in seven different directions when she saw it. And the ramifications of that brought with them terrifying clarity. Kasumi had power over her. As rivals and equals in combat as well as the shinobi arts there was nothing she felt Kasumi could do that she herself could not. But this was very different. When she looked at Kasumi's face at that point; at its Asiatic contours, at the pale cream of her complexion, her gentle button nose, the smooth moist texture of her lips; Ayane couldn't have been any clearer on the subject. She hated that face. It made her want to do stupid things. It made her heart throb. It made her resentfully miserable when she couldn't see it. It made her inexplicably aware of the sacrifices she was prepared to make to protect it. That expression upon Kasumi's face right at that moment was like a prison. Because Ayane's heart, she knew very well, could never bring itself to transcend the incarcerating chains of its seraphic beauty. And as time passed Ayane became more and more conscious of the simple fact that she didn't want to be free from them. She wanted those chains, that face, the body attached to it, the smiles she so rarely saw on it, the soul of the woman who owned it. The realization of all that made it all the more frightening. A few seconds later Ayane's face flushed with rouge and she snatched her hand back, startling Kasumi. Ayane turned her back to her and clasped the hand that had touched the girl. It was tingling. Kasumi blinked. "...Ayane...?" "...I..." She struggled to acclimate herself. "...I'm fine. What did you find when you looked around? Did you run into anyone?" By the perplexed look on Kasumi's face it was quite clear that she was not expecting to hear that comment of all possible ones. But she accepted it none the less. "I didn't see anyone. I didn't see any footprints either. There were disturbances in the branches, but... that was me." Ayane shook her head. "Right. W-what about a Ki spell?" "I can't do that as well as you can. But I didn't sense any residual Ki energy." "...Right." Ayane finally got herself under control and pulled a lock of her short lilac hair beyond her ear. She started walking towards the burnt-out campfire whilst saying, "We'd... better get moving then." "What about you?" Ayane stopped without looking back. "...What about me?" "The fall yesterday?" Kasumi reminded her. "Are you... alright like this?" Considering what she had been feeling up till that sentence, Ayane had genuinely forgotten about that. In fact just thinking about it now was embarrassing her. The kunoichi swept her bangs again then finally brought herself to look eye-to-eye with Kasumi. "I'm fine. I feel a lot better now. Okay?" "...Okay." Things went unspoken between them from that point. Kasumi went about dismantling all that had been set up in the campsite so that they couldn't be traced by any more ninja from the Hajin-mon. She stomped at the ashes of the campfire to embed them in the dirt and then threw the remaining bits of firewood into the bushes. She fluffed up the grass patch she and Ayane had slept on to make it appear that it was untouched, then she performed a minor shinobi conjuration to conceal whatever residual Ki signatures may be left behind by them. As she had stated before, she didn't have the same level of skill as Ayane did in that sort of thing but she found it was necessary to halt the advances of her pursuers. With all that was going on with Ayane, Kasumi's mind was skewered enough as it was. She didn't need more senseless bloodshed on her conscience. Once all the preparations were made for their departure Kasumi and Ayane left the site simultaneously, vaulting up into the towering heights of the trees and resuming their leaps between them, inching closer to the edge of the forest. The whole three hours it took for them to traverse the distance between the former campsite and the forest's edge was spent in complete silence. Kasumi tried not to dwell on what it would mean when they got there. But it didn't help with how Ayane's demeanour had been changing. There was a genuine air of insecurity about her -- all that confrontational energy of hers seemed to be exhausted for the time being. Now there was just detachment. Kasumi wanted to question her about it, she really did. As they jumped together through the trees she couldn't help but feel curious about that distant and dejected look on Ayane's face. Kasumi wanted to do something about it. But this was one of the things she sensed that she couldn't resolve for Ayane. Time dragged on in those circumstances but ultimately the two reached their intended goal. Kasumi and Ayane jumped out of the forests and into a fresh new clearing; a grassy hillock overlooking the industrial yet grandiose vision of the city of Osaka. The two women ninja landed. Once they did the silence between the was deafening. They could both see that the other was taking note of what lay beyond them and behind; and of everything that had happened inside Katsuragi Forest. The real question was what happened now. It couldn't be avoided any longer. Kasumi turned to her rival. "...Ayane?" There was a breeze unfurling from the east. It slowly waved at the tresses of Ayane's hair. It gave the distant look on her face a kind of contemplative magnetism. But the seriousness of its 'timbre' outshined its splendour. "...What?" "What happens now?" Ayane stared at the city dejectedly. "I'm supposed to kill you." "...I see." Kasumi pulled a sad smile. "...You know how I feel about you..." Then something odd happened. The silences between Kasumi and Ayane were often very uncomfortable. But this one wasn't. It was reflective and gentle; at least for the briefest of moments. Seconds after Kasumi completed the last syllable of her sentence, Ayane's shoulders rose up and down. Her head lulled and her bangs concealed her unstable crimson eyes. Kasumi stood transfixed whilst watching Ayane's reaction. It all reached its moment when Ayane's head wrenched back up furiously with an expression of rage, confusion, desperation and anxiety. But most of all that pleading glimpse of embittered sadness. Kasumi couldn't have had the words for it. "I can't stand it!" Ayane roared. "Why does it have to be like this?" It truly broke Kasumi's heart to hear that. "...Ayane, I..." "...I-I can't do this!" Ayane produced the two-fingered sign urgently. "I just can't!" Kasumi reached out to stop her but it was too late. Ayane stepped back and concentrated her shinobi powers, now free from the restraints of the forest. A cyclone of wind and leaves surrounded the Woman Tengu's body and rose upward into the sky. By the time that Kasumi reached out to touch her, Ayane was gone. The teleportation skill immediately took her from the scene and left an equally bemused woman to deal with the consequences. A leaf fell in Kasumi's hand. She smiled heartbreaking at it. Right before she tried in vain to suppress the wetness in her eyes. After a few moments Kasumi leapt off the rise of the hillock and dashed towards Osaka. In her prompt dash towards the city she began sobbing harder than she had ever done since her exile from the Mugen Tenshin Tenjin-mon. ---------- In running away from the ninja of the Tenjin-mon and the Hajin-mon, Kasumi didn't often concern herself with money. But there were times when even she couldn't bear to spend nights out in the wild on her own, especially after tense moments. And right now was one of those times. In her journeys she had managed to make small amounts of money for herself by participating in minor tournaments. None of them were quite so significant as the Dead or Alive Tournament (very few tournaments were) but they paid well and more importantly they didn't ask questions about what the prize winners intended to do with that money. Right now she had no intention with it other than to cleanse an already troubled mind. As soon as Kasumi entered the sprawling expanses of the city of Osaka she sought out the closest possible hotel she could find. Thankfully the one she did find was a five-star hotel that high powered businessmen often frequented. The people at the front desk were originally quite hesitant to allow Kasumi in because of that. But once she brandished the credit card into which she had implanted all her money, they made themselves scarce and prepared a room for her. It was on one of the highest floors of the building and gave a tremendous view of the Osaka metropolis, a view that couldn't be appreciated until night. But Kasumi was in no hurry to do anything after the events of the past three days. They had been as emotionally draining as they were physically draining. And the results... needless to say Kasumi wasn't really relishing them. The honey-haired ninja spent the majority of the early morning merely lying on the large double bed. Her thoughts were as scrambled as ever. And this continued up until morning became afternoon and afternoon became night. Eventually she grew tired of sulking and just needed to relax (if such a thing were possible at this point). Resolving herself on this Kasumi pulled herself off the bed and ambled toward the bathroom conjoined with the bedroom area of the suite. On the way there she passed by a stereo system complete with subwoofer built into a pine wood unit. Kasumi thoughtlessly stopped before it and turned it on, to a preset song on the memory. It happened to be a version of Ode to Joy performed by a Germanic choir and a nameless philharmonic; Freude, sch”ner G”tterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, But she was completely in the dark about it. Her footsteps led her into the marble floor tiles of the bathroom. There was a shower adjacent to the sink. Kasumi gently closed the door to the bedroom area and the music of Ode to Joy melted into the foreground. And after heaving another sigh she reached behind the shower curtain and fumbled to grab the four-pronged valve. She turned it and let a stream of hot water shoot down from nozzle head. For some reason the sound of the running water pattering against the shower compartment made her feel a little calmer. The shinobi then brought her hands to her clothes and removed them piece by piece. First came the short sword at her lower back. Then she crossed her hands over her stomach and pulled the upper blue and white ninja garment from her torso. She undid the white band around her waist and the two blue ribbons that held the lower half of her gear together. Then she rolled down the white leggings off her long sculpted legs along with her sandal-shoe variants. After that she unhooked the wrist guards from her arms and let them drop into a pile around her newly bared ankles. Finally she pulled the sunflower-yellow bow from her hair. It undid her ponytail and released the true length of ginger brown hair. Then Kasumi reached around her back and unhooked the clips of her bra. The article fell from her body and dropped to her pile of clothing. One arm she used to cover up her ample breasts and the other Kasumi used to pull her panties down the length of her legs. Her dainty feet stepped out of them and in the beautiful nakedness she had been blessed with, she drew back the curtain and stepped into the shower compartment. Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! At first she could only stand still with closed eyes and allow herself to be endowed with the warmth of the shower waters. The warm beads of moisture trickled down each curve and contour of her body. Along the arcs of her shapely hips, between the deep cleft of her abundant breasts, across the small globes of her pert hind quarters. The crux of her left bent as she slid her hands up face and into her rapidly dampening hair. In time she began to relish the cleansing ocean tide feel of the shower, if only for a moment, relaxing the Ayane issue to the back of her mind. Her soft hands ran themselves up the supple flesh of her hips and up the length of her statuesque body with subtle caresses, her fingers gliding so easily over her damp skin. Deine Zauber binden wieder, Was die Mode streng geteilt; The shower continued for the better part of an hour. When the door to the bathroom opened she emerged alongside a cloud of steam dressed in a white towel wrapped around her chest, waist and upper hips; as well as a smaller towel covering her damp hair. Kasumi exhaled whilst walking back into the bedroom but she didn't feel as depressed as she had earlier. That was a bonus, if nothing else was. She then went to the drawers of the bedroom and searched through the items that were lying in wait there. She soon found what she wanted, a hair brush. Kasumi unwrapped the head towel and then brushed her still mildly damp hair. She did this and walked through the second door into the living area continuously. Finally she sat down on the nearby black leather couch and tried to calm herself again. After only a couple minutes of sitting back and brushing her hair, a knock was heard at the door. Followed by; "Room service." The former Tenjin-mon kunoichi rolled her eyes. "...I didn't ask for anything..." "...Huh?" Kasumi raised the volume of her voice. "...I-I-I said I didn't ask for anything!" A gargling sound followed from behind the door, like the bellboy was choking on saltwater or something. Kasumi stood up from the couch and marched over to the door irritably. Only to sense pure danger from beyond. A stern look crossed her face and she bolted out of the way. Alle Menschen werden Brder, Wo dein sanfter Flgel weilt! A long and bloodstained sword cut through the door into Kasumi's suite with four swift and rabid strokes. It was kicked down thereafter. Three grey-suited ninja zipped past the bloodied corpse of the bellboy and his overturned cart of luxuries. Kasumi chucked the hair brush away from her and assumed a fighting stance near the window as the three Hajin-mon ninja surrounded her from the remaining three sides. "You're ours, traitor!" Hajin-mon Ninja #1 bragged. Hajin-mon Ninja #3 unsheathed his own long sword. "Master Genra won't be failed..." "...How did you find me?" Kasumi demanded. "You don't hide your Ki signature well, kid." Said Hajin-mon Ninja #2. "I can't believe someone so careless was actually thought of as a substitute for Hayate." For some gloomy reason, hearing these inconsequential lesser-men mumble the name of her brother, set Kasumi off in a way she hadn't been since the days of Raidou. The runaway ninja's honey gold eyes thinned out right before she charged across the suite at the first of her assailants. Deine Zauber binden wieder, Was die Mode streng geteilt; He swung his blade up and slashed directly at her. That blade cut through a blurred image of Kasumi which dissolved instantly. Moments later she kicked him brutally from the right, grounding him with a gruff cry. Hajin-mon Ninja #2 launched himself at her after seeing his comrade go down; and swiped and slashed at her repeatedly. Kasumi effortlessly ducked and dodged each attack with swift movements so perfectly woven together it appeared a dance to the senses. Hajin-mon Ninja #2 made one final slash which Kasumi bolted around. She shoved her fist into his stomach, winding him, then grabbed both sides of his cloth-concealed head. With a powerful battle-cry she pulled his head down and thrust her knee up. Bone shattered and blood was ejected from the collision of Kasumi's knee-attack and Hajin-mon Ninja #2's face. Alle Menschen werden Brder, Wo dein sanfter Flgel weilt. He was flung back screaming and landed on the carpeted ground. Then Hajin-mon Ninja #1 suddenly rammed into Kasumi from behind with his fully bared sword. A cheerful snigger came after skewering her with the blade and he shut his eyes with victorious arrogance. Yet directly afterward he heard a second feminine cry and cracked his eyes open. Now hanging off his blade was a wooden log. Kasumi flew into his back with a diving kick that sent him sailing in the direction of the bloodied but rising Hajin-mon Ninja #2. The first was thrown into the second and both were knocked straight through the double-glazed glass of the window. A loud crash of broken glass echoed into the distant night as both shinobi were sent plummeting to the deaths. Kasumi then mercilessly turned her attentions on the third and final attacker. Seid umschlungen, Millionen, Diesen Kuá der ganzen Welt! Hajin-mon Ninja #3 bolted towards the shattered window and jumped out through it out into the night, ascending in leaps along the side of the building. Kasumi growled angrily and followed him in the exact same way. Her torso, still dressed only in that thin bathroom towel, bounded through the hole in the window and defied gravity, leaping up and off the wall in pursuit of the last of the shinobi. He made it to the top of the building -- the roof -- with Kasumi on his tail. She flipped up over the steel railing by means of an arm and landed barefoot upon the cold stone. But there was no sign of disorientation now. Hajin-mon Ninja #3 backed himself up and assuming a fighting stance; as did Kasumi. "You'll pay for this..." Warned the Hajin-mon warrior. Kasumi spread her feet. "...I'm so sick of the fighting... of the running... of the fear... of the blood... and the death... and the hatred... why must I suffer this?" "Silence!" Yelled the ninja. He plucked up his courage and ran at her. Kasumi grit her teeth to wait for his attack, but lost concentration when she heard the distinct incantations of a shinobi conjuration. "Zen! Rin! Geki! Tachi! Kaji! Mizu! Tetsu! Moku! Setsu!" The darkness of the roof was briefly but very brightly illuminated when a savage and forceful blast of spiritual power was shot from the east of the roof directly at Hajin-mon Ninja #3. The man shrieked horribly and was bombarded with the forceful might of the attack, hurling him off his feet and shooting him clear over the far edge of the building, his torso burning with white hot fire. A stunned Kasumi opened her eyes once the blinding light regressed. Standing in the direction from which the conjuration had been cast was Ayane. The lavender-haired kunoichi locked eyes with Kasumi in one instance before jumping off the railing she stood upon. She landed with a flip upon the stone of the roof and pulled an ofudo talisman from her bow, holding it with one hand and making the two-finger sign with the other. She closed her eyes and the Kanji symbols upon the talisman started glowing gold. The three attacking shinobi (the first two of which had landed on the balcony of a suite three storeys down and the other still plummeting) were surrounded in fiery Ki energy. Those three flames engulfed themselves and imploded into nothing but wafts of smoke, taking the three shinobi with them. Ayane dropped the ofudo and caught her breath. It was an imperative of the clans to dispose of the bodies of their victims before they were discovered by the public. Another one of the reasons that Ayane disliked urban combat. While she caught her breath from the depletion of her Ki, Ayane stared at the silent Kasumi. "...You're... so... careless." She said between breaths. Kasumi was rigid. "W-what are you doing here...?" "...I don't know." Ayane shut her eyes. "I just... I followed you after... I... just..." It was sudden and awkward at the same time; and neither Kasumi nor Ayane could find the words to describe the situation. Ayane finally got her breathing back under control and saw Kasumi shivering in that bath towel. It was a far colder night tonight than it was yesterday and the day before. In the heat of battle you tend to forget things like coldness and distance. But once that battle and its adrenalin rush were over the reality of surroundings took on a superior role in the mentality and function of the body. You'd have thought that someone as gifted as Kasumi would have learned that by now. Groaning bemusedly, Ayane's hands reached out for the large gold and crimson bow around her waist. She untied it with a smooth stroke and then marched to the cold girl. Kasumi looked on in surprise as Ayane furled the decorative bow around her shoulders to keep her warm. "Idiot." She remarked. "You wanna die from hypothermia?" Kasumi stared at her with earnest. "Why are you here...?" "...I couldn't not be." There were no words for that. No words that Kasumi could bring herself to utter, at least not coherently. But they couldn't stay out here all night. Kasumi clutched Ayane's bow closer to her body because of the cold and padded across the roof to the stairwell compartment at its centre. Ayane didn't move an inch. When Kasumi reached the door she pressed her hand into the doorknob but looked over her shoulder at her. Thus arrived the 'are-you-coming-or-not?' face. Ayane's took its green light modestly and followed her. Kasumi opened the door and they descended the stairs. About seven floors down that very tall building was Kasumi's suite. The bloodied corpse of the bellboy was still lingering before it. Kasumi winced at the sight and Ayane quickly pulled her aside. "I'll take care of it, okay?" She said, holding Kasumi by the shoulders. "Just go inside." She nodded wordlessly and entered. Ayane brought up her hands for another ninja spell. They could at least be thankful that no one else had found the body. The Woman Tengu closed her eyes and once again made the two-fingered sign with her right hand. She pressed it into her left fist and started muttering an ancient Mugen Tenshin Hajin-mon incantation in hushed and abrupt tones. Just as her body smouldered with supernatural luminosity so too did the corpse of the boy at her feet. Briskly the skewered torso was encircled with wind and leaves. It lifelessly rose from the floor by the strength of this howling zephyr; until Ayane shot her right hand down and opened her eyes. The corpse vanished into thin air along with the overturned cart and all the remains of its food. Finally Ayane's spell allowed the blood to be absorbed into the fabric of the carpet like water, and the blood splattered over the door faded away. With that Ayane released a heavy breath and leaned up against the wall. It had been quite a while since she had last used so many conjurations back to back like this. She took steps to acclimate herself, first catching her breath then relaxing her eyes and muscles to harmonize her Ki. With body now under control, Ayane leaned off the wall and entered Kasumi's suite, closing the door behind her. By now Kasumi had changed into a bathrobe and stood in the living room area, looking out the window. Ayane noticed that the window was smashed and remembered that the fight was probably started in here. Ayane clutched her wrist. "Are you okay?" "...Not really, no." She admitted. "...I'm sorry..." Kasumi turned to face her. "I can't stand it... Ayane..." Ugh. Ayane's hand pressed into her abs. She hated that cheerless look on Kasumi's face. Seeing it actually made her feel awful. All of a sudden that weight in her stomach could be attributed with connotations that were somewhat less than amiable. Kasumi's sadness. The lilac-haired warrior walked up behind her and pressed a hand into her shoulder. "Look, don't stand there. There's broken glass everywhere." Kasumi didn't say anything in reply but followed Ayane's ushering into a separate room. It was the bedroom area. Both women walked into it and closed the door to block out the cold breeze weaving its way into the hotel room from the broken window. The stereo system was still playing that same song of Ode to Joy; Seid umschlungen, Millionen, Diesen Kuá der ganzen Welt! Brder! šber'm Sternenzelt Muá ein lieber Vater wohnen! Ayane scowled at it. "Will you turn that shit off?" Kasumi crouched down to the stereo and did just that before rising up once more and walking to the bed. She sat down with a sigh and tried her hardest not to ask that question of 'what happens now?' as she did earlier. Ayane just crossed her arms and checked the place out. "This isn't bad. Mints on the pillows and everything. Has it got a mini-bar?" Kasumi pointed to her right. "Over there." Upon a closer look Ayane saw it. She smirked and walked up to it before cracking open the small fridge-like door and observing its innards. "Not bad..." "They... really overcharge you for that sort of thing..." Ayane withdrew an alcho-pop and sniggered. "I'm not the one paying for it." To be fair, Ayane's humour struck Kasumi's in a very dull way. And it once again voiced a clear difference between the two. After a battle, particularly one in which someone (friend or foe) died, Kasumi was very unfurled and rigid. Ayane wasn't like that. There was a strength of will in her that allowed her to cope in such circumstances. It might have appeared to be no more than indifference to the lives of others. But it wasn't that straightforward. Ayane's spiritual mastery of herself was quite simply put; outstanding. At times Kasumi actually envied that. If she had that reflexive ability to adjust then maybe this current situation would have made her less nervous. Ayane took up the bottle opener next to the mini-bar and flipped the bottle cap off. She then gulped some of it down and leaned back on the wall. "How much?" Ayane asked abruptly. Kasumi blinked. "Excuse me?" "For the room." She put forth. "How much is it?" "...About 135,000 yen." Ayane winced. "Ugh. You're being gouged." This idle chat didn't sit well with Kasumi. "Why are you here?" "I told you, I-" "You didn't tell me anything," Kasumi corrected. "If you did then why am I so confused? About you? About us? Why are you making this so difficult?" Ayane sipped from the bottle. "...I-I don't know." "Ayane-" "I said I don't know!" She yelled loudly. "I don't know why I'm making it hard, alright? Do you think I want it to be like this? Do you? I'm Genra-dono's successor, I just killed three men of my clan and yet all I'm thinking about is you! This isn't any easier for me!" Kasumi cast her pleading eyes. "But you can make it easier..." The Female Tengu set the alcho-pop down and clammed up. All that emotional and spiritual control went right out the window when she was dealing with Kasumi. It was becoming harder and harder for Ayane to lie and hide her feelings. She clasped one of her hands into a fist and shut her eyes. "...I'm... afraid. I've never felt like this before... I can't just... take it all in... and with you... looking like that... and being like that... making me feel this way about you. It's too much..." Hayate's sister stood up from the bedspread wordlessly. She strode up to her rival and lover and clasped her hand. Kasumi took Ayane's hand and pressed it against her chest as tenderly as she possibly could. The Hajin-mon kunoichi opened her eyes, ignoring the tear running down her cheek and swallowed at the feeling of Kasumi's heartbeat. It was racing. Kasumi just reached out with her other hand and stroked Ayane's cheek. "You don't have to do this alone..." Kasumi told her. "You have me..." Ayane's bangs concealed her hastily dampening ruby eyes. "But I'm afraid that you won't... be there when I..." Kasumi shushed her and leaned in, whispering softly, "Please just... trust me..." Their lips connected thereafter. It wasn't the same as the hungry kiss that acted as precursor to their lovemaking two days ago. This was something entirely different. Ayane breathed in soft whimpers and automatically wrapped her arms around Kasumi's thin body, claiming her in an embrace that said all the words they needed to say. Kasumi placed her palms upon her lover's chest and trembled at their kiss. All the emotions and feelings of the past three days now overtook them in tides of realization and longing and desperation. And as they kissed all the reluctance and barriers finally began to fall. It was time to seek happiness, not run from it. ---------- It was a glorious morning that following day. Thin beams of early morning light cut through the minute gaps between the curtains of the windows. Those beams illuminated the bodies of two women who lay in bed together after a night of consummation and validation in the most sensual sense of those terms. Ayane lay on her side with Kasumi spooned against her from behind in that same position, their long legs interlocked, feeling each other's flesh, pleasing each other's senses. Kasumi had been awake for a few minutes now and lay peacefully against Ayane. Her arms held onto the Woman Tengu's waist and she nuzzled her face against the other woman's hair. It had the most winter-like smell of lavender, just like its colour. Kasumi then heard Ayane moan. "...Are you awake?" Ayane moaned once more and shifted herself around in Kasumi's embrace until they were face to face under the covers. She smiled. "I am now." "So... what do you want to do today?" Ayane couldn't help but note how giddy Kasumi sounded, like a child who had just opened their Christmas present. "I didn't have any plans." "Start with breakfast?" The crimson-eyed beauty ran one of her hands through Kasumi's hair. "Like what?" "It's up to you. Eggs Florentine, Benedict?" Ayane scowled playfully. "Are you kidding? Do I look like some bourgeois Anglo-centric asshole?" Kasumi giggled for a moment, then turned blissfully poignant. "I'm glad you're here." "Yeah," Ayane replied. "I am too." End of 'On Earth as it is in Heaven' Kaiser's Afterthoughts Sorry, y'all. I did agree to make this longer than three chapters; but I have exams coming up and I'm going to need to focus on those first and foremost. But as a compromise, I'll get cracking on a multi-chapter K/A story based on what happens after this (Hayate and Genra's reactions, how their relationship pans out, what pitfalls, etc) as soon as my exams are done. The lyrics to the song Ode to Joy (at least the small portion of them used here) pertain to the 1996 performance of it by the Royal Philharmonic Opera. The arrangement of it differs from place to place, so if the order of certain verses struck you as odd, you know why. The shower scene thing was pure fan service (sniggers).
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