Barley Tea and Tatami

A oneshot from the Water Lilies universe.

Barley Tea and Tatami

Makoto sat on the tatami floor of the living room with her legs crossed. The wide sliding doors of the traditional house were pushed open to let in the summer light of the early Friday afternoon. Scents of various flowers from the inner courtyard rode in on light breezes that flowed through the rooms and corridors of the house every so often. It was a lovely day to be outdoors; but in spite of that the botanist was trapped inside for the duration of the report she was currently working on. The nodding flowers and whistling birds could not compete for her attention because there was something much better in store. It was not the completion of the report she was looking forward to but the fact that she would soon be free to spend the rest of the day with a certain blue-haired doctor.

Her emerald gaze was glued to the notebook screen perched on her lap. A smile appeared on her lips as an image of a smiling Ami floated in front of her mind's eye while her fingers flew furiously fast over the keyboard. For the past week she had been away due to work. She could have stayed and completed the report in Hokkaido while enjoying the heavenly weather but ultimately she preferred the comforts of home and especially the comfort of Ami's nearby presence. The smile morphed into a joyful grin as she typed the very last sentence.

"Aaaaaannd done!" The pleasure in her voice was hard to miss. Ami's soft footsteps could be heard padding down the hallway. The brunette looked up in time to see the doctor appear carrying a tray with two tall glasses of what could only be barley tea.

"Someone sounds very excited," Ami said with a smile as she gracefully bent low while placing the tray upon the nearby coffee table. With the beverages out of the way Makoto arched her neck upwards and Ami lowered her head to meet the brunette halfway.

"Behold! A beautiful goddess arrives with all the answers to my prayers emanating from a parched throat." Makoto murmured before lightly brushing her lips against Ami's.

"Flatterer." Ami answered when their lips parted. In spite of her reply Makoto could clearly see the smile on the doctor's face. Cool fingers brushed through her auburn bangs and grazed her face and she welcomed the touch.

"So...all done?" Asked Ami as she lowered herself to the floor within reaching distance to the brunette.

"Just one more thing," Makoto muttered as she quickly composed an email and attached the file,"okay, now I'm finished!" She closed the notebook, the click sounding rather final as she placed it on the coffee table and picked up a glass of cold barley tea. The refreshing taste of roasted barley with a hint of honey washed through her mouth and danced over her taste buds. Over the rim of her glass she could see Ami doing the same. The doctor did not typically sweeten the barley tea she made but Makoto liked her own tea slightly sweet. The smaller woman had made her drink exactly the way she liked it. She took another long draught of tea before placing it back on the tray. As if a signal had been given, Ami placed her own glass on the coffee table before scooting onto Makoto's lap.

The brunette heaved a sigh of contentment when she felt the arms of the smaller woman encircle her neck. She placed her arms around Ami's waist.

"Thank you, Ami." The words Makoto uttered were sincere and heavy with meaning. Their faces were only inches apart and the botanist could see in Ami's oh-so-blue eyes that the doctor did not need an explanation. Makoto had come to love this woman so very much.

Her eyes closed as her forehead tilted before gently coming into contact with Ami's. The cool scent of the doctor surrounded her and she breathed in deeply. Even in the heat of summer Ami reminded her of a waterfall and its cool mists.

"I missed you so much."

Ami said the words Makoto thought. They brought a smile to the tall woman's face and her eyes opened again. "Me too. It was difficult going to sleep every night without you."

"I wore your t-shirts to bed." Ami admitted with flushed cheeks. Makoto's grin grew wide as she imagined Ami in one of her t-shirts.

The doctor continued,"The smell of you made me ah..."

Makoto drew back, "Oh? Then we'll have to remedy that right-" Whatever else she might have said died on her lips when she felt Ami's lips on her throat. A second kiss was placed directly above the first. A third kiss landed, and a fourth until they became a trail leading to Makoto's lips which she gladly surrendered to the smaller woman. Her eyes shut once more when Ami kissed her deeply. She could feel herself falling backwards and did nothing to prevent it.

When her eyes opened again she was staring up at the dark, wide ceiling beams, her entire body stretched out and relaxed upon the tatami floor. Ami lay partly atop her, the heat and weight of the woman a pleasant feeling. Through the wide open doors the blue sky stretching away into forever.

"I have to go back to Hokkaido for some meetings next month. Will you come with me?" The words slipped out effortlessly. She had in fact planned on asking the doctor to accompany her. Ami's head rested in the crook of her neck, her lips rested against the lightly bronzed skin of Makoto's throat. Even though the doctor's reply tickled she could still feel the smile as Ami responded.

"As long as I'm with you I'll go anywhere. But I have heard Hokkaido is nice this time of year."

The songs of cicadas could be heard as the sun lingered in the sky. And in the living room of an old but beautiful home two glasses half-full of barley tea sat side by side.