Spring (part 3 of 6)

a Shoujo-Ai Mascots fanfiction by Toweringman

Back to Part 2
Arine yawned and streched. Her back ached and her left arm felt numb. 
She must have slept in a awkward position. Opening her eyes, she saw Mia 
lying at her side, breathing the slow breaths of deep sleep. Her arm was 
resting on Arine's, which explained the numbness. Gently loosening her 
arm, careful not to wake Mia, Arine massaged it with her other hand. She 
smiled, looking at her friend's face. Running her eyes over Mia's 
eyebrows, over her dark lashes and her pretty nose, her lips, Arine felt 
like she was living in a dream. Just a few days ago she had been 
sleeping here alone, looking forward to walking on the shore alone. Now, 
if someone were to take Mia away from her, she didn't know what she 
would do anymore. But no one was going to do that. Mia liked her as much 
as she liked Mia, and she wouldn't go away.

Arine could have gotten up to eat, but she just lay there looking at 
Mia's peaceful, content face. Once, Mia clutched the pillow with her 
hands and frowned, mumbling in her sleep. Arine gently smoothed her dark 
hair for a while, and she relaxed, breathing peacefully again. Arine 
felt captivated by the cuteness of Mia's face and her pointed ears. Mia 
was sweet enough awake, but sleeping she was so adorable that Arine 
didn't even want to move for fear of waking her. She didn't know if it 
was all right to like this girl so much, but there was nothing she could 
do about it.

She must have lain there for at least an hour when Mia finally flexed 
her arms and took a deep breath. Arine watched with affection as Mia 
opened her eyes, blinking a few times before focusing on her.

"Have you been watching me for long?", Mia asked in a sleepy but warm 
voice.

"Mm-hm", Arine answered.

Mia closed her eyes again, smiling, and wrapped her arms around the 
pillow. "I want to sleep here every night", she murmured, hugging the 
pillow fiercely.

"Now listen, you", Arine exclaimed, sitting up with a big grin on her 
face. She pulled the blanket off the dark-haired girl, ignoring her 
faint protests, then grabbed Mia under the arms and pulled at her. "How 
do you think I would get any work done with you sleeping almost till 
midday, looking so adorable?" She managed to pull Mia into an upright 
position, which meant that Mia was practically sitting in her lap, her 
dark hair in disarray and her eyes blinking from the bright mid-morning 
light.

Mia looked at her through her lashes, still half asleep. Arine suddenly 
felt her face colouring, realizing that her left arm was firmly pressed 
against Mia's full breasts and the other one tangled in her dark hair, 
and that Mia's hips were resting comfortably and tightly between her 
legs. Her smooth skin, still hot from the warmth of sleep, felt all too 
good against Arine's thighs. Not to mention that the two of them were in 
the perfect position for a kiss.

Shaking her head, Arine laughed. She wouldn't have imagined she'd ever 
get so close with anybody that she'd actually physically drag them out 
of bed in the morning. Her own bed, no less. Mia looked at her sleepily, 
wondering what she found so funny. She didn't seem to mind being held in 
Arine's arms.

"You getting up on your own or not?", Arine asked her, still chuckling.

"Mmh, if I have to", Mia murmured, rubbing her eyes. Arine loosened her 
arms from around Mia and scrambled up. She tossed aside her nightshirt 
and put on her clothes while Mia sat on the bed, blinking and 
stretching. The girl was too adorable, and what was worse, Arine would 
start feeling sleepy again if she watched the yawning, drowsy Mia any 
longer.

"There's a hairbrush in the drawer", Arine said, pointing at the small 
table beside the bed as she opened the door.

"Thanks", Mia said, sounding a bit more awake.

             .......

They had a big breakfast, and Arine lit a fire to the oven so that she 
could bake bread later. After that, they both went to the workroom and 
Arine taught Mia a little spinning. The girl had nimble hands and was 
soon making passable thread, laughing in delight. An hour passed quickly 
as Mia helped her with the work. When a knock sounded at the door, 
several new balls of thread were already piled in a basket. Arine opened 
the door and welcomed Mia's uncle in, showing him around the house. 
Canje asked if Mia hadn't been too much of a bother to her, and Arine 
shook her head happily. He told the girls that he would be travelling 
the road a lot for the next few weeks, so Mia could come as often as 
they wanted. He also invited Arine to their village, an offer which 
Arine accepted eagerly.

"Mia", Arine said when Canje had stepped out to turn the cart about. She 
looked into her friend's eyes, seeing in the clear dark depths the same 
feelings she felt. She wanted Mia to come again soon. Every day was not 
too often. Smiling, she pulled the girl into a fond embrace. "Have a 
nice day", she said, then looked at Mia's face, brushing a strand of 
hair from Mia's cheek.

"You too", Mia said, then turned and walked to the cart, hopping onto 
it. Canje smacked his lips and the horse set off at a peaceful pace. Mia 
waved her hand and smiled, then turned to chat with her uncle. Arine 
closed the door, sighing happily again.

             .......

The beatiful spring days passed like in a dream. The sun climbed higher 
and higher in the sky, and countless flowers bloomed on the meadows. Mia 
came almost every day, and Arine often visited Mia's village. Her family 
was pleasant and unbelievably good-natured, and took an instant liking 
to Arine. She walked the thick woods around the village with her Mia, 
and sometimes others joined them. Arine found herself making many new 
friends, and she enjoyed discussing spinning and weaving with other 
craftspeople, learning new techniques and teaching a few. She would 
often glance up while in the middle of a deep conversation about the 
best ways to twist a certain fiber, and see Mia fondly looking at her, 
smiling happily when their eyes met.

No matter how much she talked with Mia, there wasn't an end to the 
things they found to talk about. And no matter how much time they spent 
just lying together on a sunny hillside, it never felt awkward to not 
say anything. Holding hands or embracing Mia where others could see 
didn't feel strange at all. Rather, it made her feel all the more happy 
when people accepted their affection with a smile.

This beautiful dark-haired girl made everything in her life feel better. 
She would do anything to make Mia smile and laugh, anything to feel the 
happiness that glowed in her chest when she looked at Mia's sleeping 
face beside her.

             .......

Lying on a sandstone crest, a mostly-empty lunch basked in the grass 
near them, Arine turned to look at Mia's face. Her friend was lying on 
her back with her eyes closed, arms folded under her head. Arine lay her 
gaze on Mia's lips. Her beautiful and delicate, soft lips. She couldn't 
have counted how many times she had looked at Mia's lips and wondered 
what it would feel like to kiss her. After meeting Mia, so many things 
had changed. The sandstone didn't feel at all the same as a month 
earlier. The paved road running from Falow to the town now only brought 
joy to her. Everything reminded her of Mia, from the purple seashells to 
the scent of her own bed. She wanted to give Mia as much happiness as 
Mia had given her. Mia was her friend, her best friend that she could 
tell anything, who comforted her and soothed her worries. Everything 
blended into a soft sweet dream when she was with her. Arine didn't know 
what she really wanted. Looking at the girl from so close, she couldn't 
help thinking what it would be like to press her body gently onto Mia's, 
to bury her hands in Mia's hair and kiss her passionately, kiss her 
until the sun set.

She raised herself on one arm and reached to Mia with the other, then 
pulled herself next to the girl, wrapping both arms around her and 
squeezing tight. Mia opened her eyes and turned to face Arine, their 
noses touching.

"Listen, you", Arine said with a playful smile, "you're turning my life 
upside down, you know that?" She shifted her legs on the stone and 
heaved with all her strength. Mia squeaked in surprise as she was turned 
on top of Arine's body, then onto the ground again on the other side. 
Arine giggled in delight as she rolled the dark-eyed girl into the dry 
grass in a cloud of rustling leaves, finally landing on top of her. Mia 
laughed too, and grabbed Arine's shirt to wrestle her down. Arine's eyes 
widened in surprise at the strength in the girl's slim arms, and she 
didn't have time to react before she was lying face down in the grass, 
Mia sitting on her back. She spit a leaf out of her mouth to reach 
behind her and shove Mia enough to get back on her knees, then lunged at 
the girl, sending them both down with a thud that knocked the breath out 
of her. Laughing so much that her eyes watered, she rubbed at her dusty 
face with a free hand. She opened her eyes to see Mia's face smudged 
with dirt, her hair full of dried leaves. She was laughing as hard as 
Arine.

Arine sat up on Mia, managing to catch a breath. "Now look what you 
did."

Mia's eyes glinted with a dangerous light. "Me?", she exclaimed, smiling 
incredulously. "That's not how I saw it..."

Arine grinned. "You were looking so cute that I couldn't help it, so 
it's your fault. But that's okay." Mia looked at her questioningly. 
"Because now you'll just have to go swimming with me", Arine said with a 
sweet smile.

They walked down the slope to the shore and set the basket on the sand 
beside a rock. Arine walked to the waterline and dipped her bare foot in 
the water.

"How is it?", Mia asked from where she was standing in her dusty 
clothes.

"Really warm", Arine said with a grin, turning back to Mia. It was 
actually quite fresh. She walked back to the rock where Mia's shorts 
already lay neatly folded. Arine pulled her shirt off. Even her 
underwear was so dusty that it would have to be washed, so it didn't 
matter that she swam in them. She unbuttoned her pants and took them 
off. Finally, the first swim this year. And with Mia. She beamed with 
joy. Glancing at her friend, her eyes met Mia's nude body as the girl 
took off the last of her bracelets.

"You brought a swimsuit?", she asked. She had thought of bringing one 
herself, just in case. It was always more enjoyable to have a separate 
suit so that there was a dry set of underware to change into.

Mia looked at her in puzzlement. "I always swim naked", she said. "Does 
it bother you?", she asked when Arine stared at her.

"No, not at all. Nobody usually comes here, so it's okay", she said with 
a smile. This girl was just so different. "Let's go. There's no turning 
back now." Mia nodded and dashed towards the water. Arine started 
running too. After all, it was easiest to get into the water if you 
didn't drag your feet too much.

Mia squeaked when she splashed knee-deep into the water. "You said it 
was warm", she yelled at Arine.

"It is", Arine shouted back, laughing. "Come on!" She dove into the 
waves, the cold water tingling her body, then turned her head. Mia was 
also neck-deep in the water, twigs and leaves still sticking to her dark 
hair. Arine raised her arm and splashed water onto Mia, and immediately 
had to shield herself from the return shower. She laughed and swam 
further from the shore. The nearest small isle was only fifty yards 
away. She pointed to the isle, still covering herself with the other 
hand, keeping herself up with her legs. Mia nodded and stopped her 
barrage.

Swimming peacefully towards the isle, Arine glanced at Mia, then turned 
her head to look at the sky. The waves were a little too big to try 
floating face up on the water, but she could look at the clouds when 
they reached the isle.

Grabbing a hold of the smooth sandstone, Arine heaved herself from the 
water. Turning, she took Mia's hand and helped her up. It took a bit of 
practice to get onto the isles, especially if the waves were strong. Mia 
sat on the stone beside her, panting a bit, and looked around her. The 
isle was perhaps twenty yards across, and had a higher crest on one 
side. Arine stood up and pointed to the crest.

"There's a really nice sheltered place up there", she said.

Mia got up and walked with Arine to the crest. There was one point where 
hands were needed to get up, but it was not too difficult. At the top 
was a smooth expanse of stone, and a ridge that blocked most of the 
wind. The rock was hot from sunlight. Arine gave a delighted sound and 
sat on the stone. Mia got down beside her, then lowered herself to 
sprawl in the sun, sighing happily.

Arine looked up at the clouds. They were white and big, summer clouds at 
their best. The sky was a deep blue, and birds wheeled high, almost too 
high to make out. She turned her head to look at Mia, lying at her side 
with eyes closed and a smile on her face.

She had caught glimpses of Mia a few times when she dressed, but this 
was the first time she really laid eyes on her nude body. Her breasts, 
rising and falling gently with her breaths, were beautifully round. 
Arine let her eyes wander freely over Mia's stomach and her slim hips, 
down between her legs. Her adorably tempting pubic hair was the same 
deep colour as her hair. She was the image of a goddess of love risen 
from the sea, although no goddess Arine had ever seen pictured in a book 
had looked as beautiful. Her soft, supple sody looked like it would 
endure long days of work and longer nights of making love.

Mia opened her eyes and saw that Arine was openly admiring her. "You did 
say you would get me back sometime", she said, shading her eyes with one 
hand and smiling.

"Mmm, yes... This will do nicely", Arine said, smiling back. She lowered 
herself to Mia's side and lay her head on the warm sandstone, looking up 
at the clouds. "Would you mind if we lay here for a few hours?", she 
said, turning to look at Mia. Her dark brown hair had lost its adornment 
of twigs and leaves, and was beginning to dry in the sunlight.

"Certainly not." Mia felt around with her hand until she found Arine's, 
squeezing it lightly. Arine turned her head back to look at the sky, 
watching the clouds slowly move across it.

             .......

Arine popped the last piece of bread into her mouth and drank a little 
water. She had already changed into her nightshirt. Wonderful, dreamy 
days just seemed to follow one another in an endless string. It felt 
like the day she met Mia had been years ago, even though it was only 
three weeks. She got up to brush her teeth. Tomorrow, after she finished 
her day's work and Mia hers, they would go walking again. She couldn't 
get enough of Mia. Even winter would be a happy time if she could spend 
the long evenings with her friend, and visit her village often.

Stretching her arms, Arine stepped into her bedroom and closed the door. 
Mia had stayed overnight four times already, but usually she had to go 
back so that she could start her own chores early in the morning. The 
room felt empty without Mia, but Arine wasn't sad. She'd see her friend 
again tomorrow. She put out the candle and slipped under the blanket. 
Mia's pillow was beside her own. She didn't want to put it away, partly 
because she hoped Mia would soon sleep by her side again, partly because 
it smelled of her. Arine buried her face in the pillow and hugged it, 
then gave a deep sigh. Images of Mia flashed in her mind. Mia smiling at 
her while they made their picnic lunch, Mia laughing as she wrestled 
Arine in the dry grass on the hill. Mia running into the blue ocean, her 
dark hair flowing. Mia lying happily in the sun, drops of salt water 
glittering on her naked body.

It was not as if she should necessarily do anything about her wandering 
mind. She believed in thinking things through, because that way they 
wouldn't bother her later. And it was only natural that after spending 
days upon days with the same person, her mind would explore the 
possibility of enjoying her friend in another way. Taking Mia's head 
gently into her hands and caressing her lovely ears, looking into her 
dark eyes and pressing her lips on Mia's. It didn't mean she really 
wanted to do it, or that she would enjoy it at all. It was just 
something she could not help wondering about. How it would feel. How 
soft Mia's lips were, what her tongue would feel like.

Arine grimaced. Was it really fair to fantasize that way about her 
friend? It was okay to think about a small kiss on the lips, but 
imagining Mia passionately kissing her, clinging to Arine's shoulders 
with her pretty hands... She should think about something else. She 
didn't feel sleepy after all, so she lit the candle again and took a 
book from the small shelf.

             .......

She tossed around in bed. She had read for an hour before putting out 
the candle again, and lain there in the dark for a long time, but she 
still couldn't get any sleep. Mia wouldn't leave her mind, a tempting, 
sexual Mia who looked into her eyes as if trying to see if Arine was 
interested in her that way or not. She was regretting looking at Mia's 
body so thorougly, even though it should have nothing to do with whether 
she felt that kind of desire for her. Her cheeks burned when she 
remembered sitting in the sun and looking between Mia's legs. But Mia 
had shown no hesitation at watching her undress, either. Still, it was 
not the same. She turned to her other side. Her body felt hot. Spending 
the entire day in the sun, feeling the warm breeze on her skin, the cold 
water and the baking sandstone, had made her feel more sensual than for 
a long time. That sensuality had to direct to something. Arine turned 
her cheek back to the other side, lying still for a long while. It was 
no use. She wouldn't sleep for the whole night if her body and mind 
didn't find a release. She was sure that this whole thing would pass if 
she just stopped taking it so seriously. The next time she saw Mia 
naked, she could handle it better. Right now, she would let her mind go 
where it wanted, and then forget about it.

She let her hands slide down to her panties, her fingers pulling the 
white cotton down her thighs. Bending her legs, she took the panties 
off. Her left hand glided back up along the inside of her thigh, over to 
her hip, up her side and under her shirt to gently caress her breast. 
She let the images of Mia spin in her mind. What would she look like, 
burning with desire? How would her beautiful voice sound filled with the 
pleasure of making love? Arine imagined herself gliding her hands over 
Mia's round breasts, kissing her slim neck and delicate ears, her dark 
chestnut hair. Her other hand drifted up her thigh and between her legs, 
and she pictured herself feeling Mia's pretty pubic hair, sliding her 
hand slowly down her mound. Her finger felt wet, and she gently pushed 
it inside the warm tightness. Caressing Mia's breast, she pressed her 
lips on Mia's and kissed her passionately.

Onwards to Part 4


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