Cute and Misunderstood: Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten: Knowing Enough

"You knew those men," Michiru wasn't asking but rather stating the fact as she handed Haruka a pack of frozen peas. "And they knew you."

They were in the art student's apartment with Haruka sitting on the very couch where they made love. The thought of it lingered on the surface of her mind but she tried ignored it. There were more pressing matters to take care of. She carefully placed the frozen bag over her bruised and swollen knuckles. How much of it should she tell Michiru? Could she trust the student? Then again, Michiru had risked her own life by returning to the fight. At the very least she was owed some kind of explanation.

"They're a couple of goons who work for a loan shark." Michiru sat down in the other couch across from her and nodded for Haruka to go on. "A while ago I was desperate for money. Every bank I went to denied me so I had to find an alternative. I was able to borrow some but I couldn't pay all of it back in time. I started making deliveries in order to pay off the rest of the debt. Those men were the ones who usually made the deliveries but I ended up taking their work away. They developed a grudge because of that. They probably didn't like me from the start either because I wasn't a typical woman."

Cute and Misunderstood: Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine: Trouble Follows

Haruka's shift was finally over. She sighed in relief, as she stepped out the back door and into the dark alleyway.

"Wait, Haruka!" Michiru called out behind her, and the tall woman whirled around, trapping the art student between the door and herself. The music from the bar could still be heard through the closed door.

"What do you mean wait?" Haruka growled. She was furious but had held it in during the evening. Being nasty to the customers wouldn't have been good for business. "Somehow you ended up here at my job. On a night that I'm working no less. I want to know how you found out where I was. You didn't come here to hang out with friends, or pick up anyone. You sat there all night drinking one drink, those eyes of yours on me the entire time. So, just what are you doing following me around?"

Cute and Misunderstood: Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: Lyrics mentioned in this chapter are from the song called "Closer" which is the property of Dido.

Chapter Eight: The Hunter And The Hunted

Two weeks. Give or take a day or two, it had been two weeks since Michiru's encounter with the handsome Haruka. She would have been lying to herself if she couldn't admit she'd been counting the days. The time had passed quickly; Michiru's charcoal portrait had catapulted her into a series of events which marked a very important time in her life as an artist. But as busy as she was, she simply could not forget the feeling of Haruka's toned body moving against hers. For the first time in her life, Michiru could say that perhaps she had fallen in love. And fallen hard for a stranger no less. Memories of the too short evening spent with the woman assailed her and a slow burn ignited within, much like a burning ember that catches flame with a gust of oxygen, growing and consuming as time went on. It wasn't the first time the feeling visited her and Michiru had tried to some degree of embarrassment to "scratch the itch" so to speak on her own without avail.

"Michiru...," a low voice, Nagi's, interrupted her flow of thoughts and Michiru looked over to her right to see the short brunette staring at her quizzically, "class is over. Are you okay? You look a bit flushed."

Cute and Misunderstood: Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven: A Late Night Conversation

The streetlight in front of the house cast Haruka's warped shadow against the front door as she unlocked it as silently as possible. She opened the door quietly to prevent disturbing everyone sleeping inside; it was one-thirty in the morning. Late nights were a thing of custom for Haruka, she worked long, odd hours and arrived home at strange times. Some nights she arrived home much later if other jobs popped up but no such opportunity had presented itself tonight and so she had come straight home.

"I'm home," she announced quietly to the darkened hallway before she took her boots off. As she stepped further into the house she noticed a flickering light through the archway leading into the living room. Someone was still awake, really, it could only be one person. Making a detour into the kitchen, she grabbed a beer from the refrigerator then headed into the living room and plopped herself down on the couch next to the figure. The metal gave a sharp, loud crack and a hiss as she popped the top of the beer can. Taking a long pull of the contents she sighed in satisfaction as the liquid left a cold, biting trail down her throat.

Cute and Misunderstood:Chapter Six

Chapter Six: Rumors and Reputations

By the next day the typhoon had blown itself away and it was business as usual at St. Lulim Academy. Despite being up late Michiru did not feel tired. Like the day before she was in the clubroom standing in front of an easel; but unlike yesterday the portrait before her sat untouched as she stared out the window. The sun shone down upon the trees, grass, various plants and students all across the campus. She thought being out in the sun might feel a lot like how she had felt when Haruka had looked at her.

"It would have been nice to say goodbye to her at least," Michiru muttered to herself as she bit the tip of her finger. A light pink flushed her cheeks when she thought it was one of the very same fingers used to touch the blonde in intimate ways.

"Oh! Our dear Miss Michiru is staring off into space with a most interesting look on her face, Hikari!"

Michiru looked to her left to find her classmates Nagi and Hikari looking at her in an intrigued manner. A friendship between the women had developed naturally as all three shared many of the same classes, but Michiru liked the shorter dark-haired Nagi more than the tall blonde Hikari. She just could not bring herself to trust the standoffish Hikari as readily as she did the warmer Nagi. Michiru always considered herself a good judge of character and listened to her instincts when it came to allowing people into her life, but she could not just disregard Hikari out of respect for Nagi: the two were cousins, even though they did not share a family resemblance.

Cute and Misunderstood: Chapter Five

Chapter Five: Don't Look Back

The very first moment Michiru experienced Haruka's kiss, she had known she could never accept a kiss from any other. The kiss had proven that what she had felt upon meeting the blonde was not a fluke. Standing in the middle of her living room with mere inches between them Michiru felt the heat of arousal wash over her followed by the warmth of rightness. This is where she was meant to be: in this woman's arms. Haruka's kiss tasted of honeysuckle carried on a warm summer wind. It did not take much for Michiru to imagine herself with Haruka in a field, the music of breezes rustling through the trees and dancing through the blades of grass with the sun shining down upon them. She was surrounded by the heat and taste and smell of the woman.

When Michiru loosened the robe and slid her fingers across Haruka's skin, she could feel the tense form of carved muscles. The blonde woman's body felt like a Greek statue come to life: Michiru's own Galatea made of flesh and bone, tendons and sinews, underlain and intertwined to create a being of perfection for Michiru alone. But Haruka was not made of cold ivory; the very proof of it was the heat generating from the blonde.
She could feel the trim blonde shudder at her touch and she wanted to feel more, wanted to tease more until Haruka cried out. She slid her hands upwards and slipped the robe off the woman's shoulders. Strong shoulders bunched under Michiru's fingers and she felt Haruka's hands release their hold from her hips and slip under her tank top. Her skin was electrified beneath the blonde's hands, the rough calluses eliciting an arousing, chaotic sensation as they lightly caressed her back. She moaned into Haruka's open mouth and the blonde seemed to drink the very moan from Michiru's lips before deepening the kiss. When they broke apart Michiru immediately stepped back and slipped her own meager clothing. She missed the feeling of Haruka's hands on her skin as they returned to the woman's side.

Cute and Misunderstood: Chapter Three

Chapter Three: Familiar Strangers

A furious gust of wind buffeted Michiru's back while she extracted her keys from her bag. She shuddered when the blast hit her, only to go still when she felt that new but already deliciously familiar warmth of the blonde's tall frame behind her. She could no longer feel the wind and she realized that there was a purpose to the woman's act-Michiru was being protected from the typhoon's fury. Flames ignited in her cheeks and in her lower belly. Didn't this stranger realize what her actions caused within Michiru? Was the blonde doing it on purpose? Michiru bit her lips as the stranger moved in closer, she wanted to turn and catch a glance of the woman's face. Not being able to see the woman caused a flash of nervousness accompanied by the unnameable emotion she felt when they stood talking in the rain. Her long, delicate and artful fingers suddenly felt clumsy as she pushed the key into the lock.

Since she arrived in the city for school five months ago Michiru had not invited any of her friends over to her second floor apartment. She did not like the notion of inviting just anyone into her private space and yet here she was with a stranger standing at the door to her home. A very cute stranger, but still a stranger. Just what was she doing? Following your instincts. The idea manifested itself and she pounced on it, readily agreeing. The magnetic attraction she felt the moment she locked her gaze onto the blonde's convinced her to persuade the woman to follow her home. Long callused fingers brushed past hers and gently took the keys from her hands. A tingling heat unlike anything she had ever felt before blossomed immediately on the skin which was lightly grazed and she almost moaned out loud from the sensation.

Cute and Misunderstood: Chapter Two

Chapter Two : Opposites Attract

Michiru blinked once more to clear the rainwater out of her eyes. Despite the glare on the stranger's face she did not feel threatened at all. Or perhaps she did not feel that way now because she saw her rescuer was a woman. A very attractive woman. Michiru was entranced; she had never seen wet hair look so captivating before. The wind flung her wet blonde locks to and fro, water dripping from the ends. Nor had she ever felt such heat from a navy blue stare.

"What the hell are you doing?" the woman growled at her.

Too relieved to pay attention to the aggravated stranger, Michiru continued to take in the woman's appearance. She was dressed in all dark clothing, and the art student had to admit the jeans, button down shirt and motorcycle boots gave the blonde an edgy looked that appealed to her. Her rescuer did not look particularly dangerous until the woman took a step forward and leaned towards her. Michiru felt a thrill scampering up her spine. The stranger smelled of the rain and wind with an underlying hint of soap and cologne.

Cute and Misunderstood: Chapter One

Chapter One: The Typhoon

Fat drops of rain hitting the windows broke her concentration away from charcoal lines, swirls, and careful smudging. Taking two steps back she surveyed the drawing that had engrossed her for the past hour. She shook her head in frustration, waves of teal green hair captured in a ponytail bobbing in silent agreement with her. It still wasn't right somehow. And the deadline was two days away. She muttered what she considered a lady-like curse as she gnawed on her lower lip with her teeth. Am I going to make it in time?

The raindrops pounded against the window panes and she suddenly realized how quiet it was in the clubroom. She was the only one left. Whooshing winds buffeting the side of the building brought home the fact that all the other students with good sense had left before the conditions outside worsened; she sighed at her folly. She had heard the reports of course, a typhoon was making its way towards the city and all students were warned off campus. They were told by faculty members to leave, they didn't have to go home as long as they weren't hanging around St. Lulim Academy.

A set of lone footsteps echoed in the hallway, stopping directly in front of the clubroom door. It slid open to reveal a female faculty member. "Miss Kaioh! What are you still doing here?"

Renewal

Renewal

"What the hell-"

The slam of the bathroom door punctuated Makoto's exclamation. Long legs in faded blue jeans strode to the door and tanned knuckles rapped on the unyielding wood.

"Come on Ami, open the door now!"

"You were undressing her!" The muffled shout did not prevent Makoto from discerning the seething tones in which Ami spoke.

"I explained what happened. Ami, will you just open the door? Please?" Cajoling did not seem to work at all as silence spread through their apartment. Makoto could feel a fury growing despite her efforts to stay calm.
Her hands grabbed the trim around the door, squeezing the wood with increasing force that would splinter and break if she did not stop. Her knuckles protruded whitely from the backs of her hands.
One minute of quiet.

One minute, thirty seconds.

Two minutes had passed since Ami last replied. No sound emerged from the bathroom beyond the door.
Makoto's forehead made a small thud as it dropped on the wood. "Ami..." A soft snarl of her loved one's name, and still no response.

"Fine then. I'm leaving." Her hands dropped to her sides, she could still feel the grain of the wood pressed into her palms not a moment ago. She made her way back to the couch where she had carelessly dropped the motorcycle helmet and her keys upon entering the apartment.

Makoto had almost made it to the front door when she heard the click of the lock and the door opening behind her.

"Wait, Mako..." The voice called out hoarsely from behind her and Makoto's body stilled, and stiffened. The balls of her feet were planted flatly on the floor, her back straight, her shoulders thrown back. In that instant she resembled a strong steadfast oak neither bowing or bending to the harshest wind. She did not turn to face Ami.

"What?" She could have been asking for a second cup of tea, the anger which had quickly flowed into her nowhere apparent in the word.

Once again there was no response from Ami but Makoto heard the tentative footsteps of the smaller woman as she crossed the room behind her. Even so, she did not turn. The set of her shoulders relaxed when she felt Ami's arms wrap around her waist from behind. She could feel the warmth from Ami's body as it pressed against her back.

"I'm sorry. Please don't go." The words were muted, absorbed into the cloth of Makoto's shirt but she heard them clearly. "I'm sorry."

There was a loud thump as the helmet fell from Makoto's fingers followed by the jingle of keys as they crashed to the floor. She gathered the smaller woman into her arms as she turned and Ami buried her face into Makoto's chest.

"You know, of the two, people usually call me the hothead." She joked. Ami trembled in her arms and Makoto felt a wetness penetrate the shirt. "Ami..." Surprise and concern colored the name of her beloved.

"I-I'm sorry!" Ami sobbed into Makoto's chest and the tall woman brushed the shorter woman's hair soothingly.

"It's okay," she reassured, "It's fine now. I just wanted you to talk to me."

"I walked in and saw the two of you and she was shirtless and I was so scared I lost you to someone else."

"Nothing happened, love. She received a cut while training and I helped her clean and dress the wound," Makoto explained once more.

"I know." Ami nodded, "I believed you but the picture of you two standing there...it couldn't leave my head and I got so angry at myself for even thinking you would do that to me. My love is selfish, I only want you all to myself."

"I feel the same," Makoto said quietly before a soft laugh erupted. Ami looked up at her in puzzlement and Makoto grinned while she gently swiped at the smaller's woman's tear trail with a callused thumb. "Imagine if the shoe was on the other foot. I would have probably killed someone if I had seen you in a situation like that without knowing the circumstances."

"Well, it really is no surprise you're known to be hot-headed." She rested head against Makoto's chest again.

"Wha—what are you doing?"

The brunette had bent and picked up Ami in her arms, her calf and thigh muscles flexing under jeans as she strutted towards their bedroom. "Why, I'm going to renew my vows I made that day."

"Mako-" a blush of excitement spread across Ami's cheeks as she stared wide-eyed at the brunette.
Laying Ami gently down in the middle of the bed Makoto bent and kissed her at the corner of her parted lips. "I'm going to prove how much I love and want you over and over again."

"Mako..." It was the barest of sighs, yet Makoto heard and felt the love uttered in those two syllables.
"Only you."