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.

Verdantia: Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight: Above and Below:Part One

"I received a visitor today," Minako announced, wasting not a moment upon Makoto's entrance into the drawing room. Minako's lips quirked and although both Makoto and Ami noticed, they remained silent and waited for the blonde to continue. "We've been summoned by her Majesty, Neo-Queen Serenity."

"What? Why?" Makoto blurted. To say the Traveler was surprised was an understatement, and she surmised from the Healer's expression of amazement that Ami had not anticipated such news either. She had been expecting a meeting where they discussed the information they sought from the blonde.

"Your appearance in Verdantia fits a much larger role than you thought. It was her Highness and her advisor that predicted your arrival," Minako explained. "Queen Serenity requested I discover your and Ami's whereabouts, which I would have happily complied with had you not come to me. Our meeting was destined."

Makoto could only stare at Ami in disbelief at Mina's words.

-x-x-x-

Wake up.

Wake up!

A voice spoke loudly and Rei woke instantly, knowing the voice came from inside her head. It was a familiar sound from her childhood; a voice that could be kind and loving or stern whenever necessary. When that voice spoke: Rei always obeyed. It was time to wake up. Her violet eyes opened slowly to greet utter darkness. Rei groaned as she stirred and the fine layer of dust covering her crumpled form shifted, motes floating into the air unseen as she rolled from her side onto her back. She coughed and brushed her face clean as best as possible in the dark; the jerky movement set off a pounding in her head that made teeth grit. She gently probed the spot below her right temple from where the pounding seemed to emanate and her fingers came away with a sticky substance. She bought her fingers to her nose and sniffed the sticky liquid gingerly; the copper scent of blood assailed her and she winced.

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.

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 Four

Chapter Four: Lying To Oneself

What just happened?

Haruka's forehead made a small thud as it connected to the tiles of the shower. Hot water washed over her body and Haruka had to admit the heat of it felt very good after the cool rain of the typhoon. What the hell just happened? It had only been minutes since the incident at the bottom of the stairs. Haruka barely had time to take in the comfortable kitchen before she was guided into a small hallway and ushered into the bathroom where Michiru demanded her wet clothes. From the moment the blonde met the other woman she had not felt in control at all. It infuriated her how easily she had gotten caught up in the woman's flow.

Her lips still tingled from kissing Michiru. Her right hand, which hung at her side, moved of its own accord until she realized her fingers were touching her lips. She could not get rid of the sensation. Desire had blindsided her until she could do nothing but heed its call. She stared at her hands which only minutes ago had grasped the heated flesh of the teal-haired woman. They could recall perfectly the softness to which she had clung.

Verdantia: Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven: It Begins

Minako was staring in concentration at the Koi Pond's ledger when the rapping of knuckles on her office door made her look up. She rubbed the bridge of her nose between the tip of her thumb and forefinger before sighing and snapped the large leather-bound book closed. Her business was doing well but the numbers always gave her a headache. This ledger issue was best left to the accountant after all. But even the meetings with the accountant were tedious, Minako concluded with another sigh.

She sat back in her chair before calling out, "Enter."

The visitor, a woman with shoulder-length brown hair, entered and closed the door gently behind her before striding to stand in front of Mina's desk. The blonde had never seen the woman before but she only had to take one look at the visitor to know that the woman worked for the Neo-Queen. The knowledge of it was apparent in the visitor's ramrod straight posture. She wore civilian clothing of muted colors but the starched neatness of her attire were a giveaway. She may as well have worn her typical armor, Minako thought.

"You are Mistress Aino?" came the query, much to Mina's amusement. Even the women who worked for Minako did not call her that. Perhaps it was because Minako discouraged such proper custom. At most, some of the women insisted on calling her Miss Minako and the blonde had given up on dissuading her staff from using the prefix.