Kagura pulled her head up out of the water, breathing heavily. She grabbed hold of the starting blocks above her, trying to catch her breath. Repositioning her goggles atop her head, she looked up expectantly. Her timer and coach, Minamo Kurosawa, stood over her, stopwatch in hand, gazing at the time.
"Well?" the athlete demanded impatiently.
Her coach squatted down on the deck and held the timer out in front of her.
"Damn!" Kagura cursed, slamming a fist down into the water, splashing Miss Kurosawa.
"Hey, watch the splashing!" Her coach laughed, but then added a little more sternly, "And the mouth, for that matter."
"Sorry Coach. I just don't get it!" Kagura said exasperatedly. She allowed herself to let go of the blocks and float on her back. "I've been training for weeks now. How come I'm not getting any better?"
"Be patient. We still have a week."
Kagura dipped under the surface one last time before grabbing the edge of the pool and pulling herself up onto the pool deck, the summer breeze whisking away some of the water still dripping from her hair. She shook her head slightly to drain the remaining water out of her ears. Nyamo watched her star athlete, admiring how much the girl had grown over their three years together. Watching her earn a sports scholarship to her own alma mater was a particularly proud moment for both of them, as well as graduating and being admitted to said university. She handed her a fresh towel, which Kagura gratefully accepted, then the pair proceeded to Nyamo's office. Nyamo sat down behind her desk, and Kagura took the seat across from her.
"Coach, I've got less than a week before I head off to school, and I'm nowhere near this standard they've got set!" Kagura complained, the stress of the matter weighing on her voice.
"Well, that's why we're in here, right? Let's look at your training." Nyamo said coolly, not letting the girl's frustrations influence her as well. She pulled up a spreadsheet on her computer, looking at the personal workout she had designed for her former athlete. The university had high hopes for Kagura, so Nyamo made it a personal effort to provide Kagura with the best chance of making those standards on her first week on campus. Kagura had filled the sheet out with what she had done over the past couple of weeks. Her stats astonished her every time she looked at the data. The girl was truly gifted, as well as motivated. Too motivated, it seemed.
"Kagura, you haven't followed this program at all." Nyamo said with a slight frown. She had put restrictions on the workouts for a reason, knowing Kagura was one to above and beyond the call of duty. But the regime she was following was on the brink of obsessive, and was definitely detrimental.
Kagura blushed. She knew the amount that she was lifting and the distances she was running were excessive. But she was doing them for a reason. A reason that she dared not tell anyone, especially not her coach.
The coach who had pushed her every day of training, the one who was there to keep her in line when she wanted to skip out on classes and train through injury. Nyamo protected her, kept her safe. She had always felt close to her, and she always thought that they shared a stronger bond than the rest of the swim team. She knew that she was the team's best swimmer, and she knew Nyamo knew that. That had to account for the extra attention she got.
Everyone passed it off as hero worship. She did herself for a while as well. It made sense; Nyamo was a great role model. Mature, caring, and a gifted athlete as well. Things that Kagura could, and did, admire. She found herself working harder and harder, making every attempt to impress her. She'd be gone in a week, only to see Nyamo a few weeks during the year, if she was lucky. What she truly wanted was to get her attention, make her remember her name and make her miss her when she left.
Finally, after months of denial, Kagura accepted that what she felt for her coach was more than just a need for approval; it was love.
"I guess I just thought that more is better?" Kagura said, trying to slip in a small grin, pleading ignorance. Unfortunately, Nyamo saw right through it.
"Kagura, we both know you're smarter than that. Why didn't you follow the program I put together? I personalized it for you to optimize performance." Nyamo absolutely hated scolding Kagura; the athlete's puppy dog eyes got her every time, and this time was no different.
Nyamo had a soft spot for the girl, perhaps too soft. Things had gotten this way after graduation; Kagura was no longer her student. No longer 'off limits'. Nyamo saw her as a fully grown adult now, a functioning member of the real world.
Kagura looked up at Nyamo, and the moment she made eye contact, she dropped her gaze right back down to her feet. Her coach's deep blue eyes made her stomach flutter, even when they had a scolding look in them.
Nyamo sighed when she realized that Kagura wasn't going to respond. The athlete had been acting strangely lately, but Nyamo didn't know why. Could it be chalked up to nerves? Or was something else weighing on the athlete's mind? The two had shared a very open relationship in the past; what could change that now?
I still have another week…I could just wait until the last day of training. That way, if she rejects me, I can be out of here for good. Kagura mulled over her next words carefully. To confess would be the ultimate game changer. The ultimate risk. She could gain everything she wanted; someone to confide in, someone who loved her and would look out for her, someone to support her and would understand the pains of being an athlete. She could also destroy the very thing that helped her get through high school. The mentor relationship that she had crafted with her coach could be decimated in a few words.
"I guess…" Kagura stole a glance at her coach, regretting it once again. She found her coach strikingly beautiful with a personality to match; she couldn't understand why her dates went so poorly. The flaws Nyamo had were few and far between; the only one Kagura could pick out would be a lack of skill at mathematics and language. But even those only made her more desirable, more human.
Nyamo nodded encouragingly, trying to nudge an explanation out of Kagura. She noticed how the young woman fidgeted in her seat and rubbed the back of her head nervously, something Nyamo found rather endearing. She always knew when Kagura was anxious. Some days, she felt like she knew the athlete as well as she knew herself.
"I guess…iwasjusttryingtoimpressyou." Kagura blurted out. Immediately afterwards, she covered her mouth with her hands and dropped her head, the blush already exploding onto her tanned cheeks. She shut her eyes tight and shook her head, in disbelief. She knew the risks. Yet she went ahead and said it all the same.
After what felt like eternity, Kagura felt a soft hand lay on her shoulder. She tensed at the touch, fearing the worst. She could sense Nyamo beside her, and felt the hand gently but firmly push against her shoulder, turning her in her seat. Once turned, the hand drifted slowly down from Kagura's shoulder, down her arm and hand, brushing softly against the back of her hand. The touch disappeared briefly, but returned just as quickly and lightly, this time resting on Kagura's knee.
Kagura couldn't bear it anymore. She peaked up out of her hands, afraid of what was to come.
Nyamo sat in front of her, a very sincere, almost bashful look on her face. Her features betrayed her nervousness; the creased and raised eyebrows gave her away the most, but her eyes were steady. The look smoldering inside of them was one that Kagura had never seen before. When Nyamo spoke, her voice was barely audible, hardly over a whisper.
"This was about impressing me?"
Kagura managed a nod.
"I…I don't understand."
She stared back at Nyamo, the tension hanging in the air so thick it was tangible. Everything was riding on Kagura's next words.
"Everything I did…I did because I wanted you to love me like I love you."
The words were natural and strong, completely genuine and full of sincerity. Kagura doubted if she had ever spoken a truer statement.
Nyamo's breath caught in her throat at the statement. Of all the things she expected when she woke up this morning, a confession was not one of them. Her day was a routine, with no room for spontaneity.
However, if this was what fate had in mind for Minamo Kurosawa, then she had no choice but to go along for the ride.
She was taken aback by the athlete's boldness. Kagura took advantage of the the moment to quickly close the gap between them, not even allowing Nyamo to respond to the statement. She had roughly pulled her lips against her own, her hands holding Nyamo's head firmly in place. Nyamo could tell she was reeling, panicking. The kiss had a sense of urgency to it, as if Kagura were attempting to make a point.
If only she knew she's already won.
Nyamo allowed herself to be dragged along in the undertow for a few moments before taking control of the situation herself. While Kagura had been forceful and out of control, Nyamo was gentle and systematic, first tangling a hand in Kagura's short, still damp hair and cupping her chin with the other. She grazed Kagura's lower lip with her teeth, eliciting a sharp gasp from the athlete. The reaction only encouraged Nyamo as she pulled her hand out of Kagura's hair and allowed it to wander down the side of her face before trailing down her neck and going out to explore the rest of the athlete's toned physique.
Kagura was caught on her heels. She hadn't anticipated Nyamo to come back so eagerly. She had prepared herself to be pushed away, to be kissing a statue. She was ready for the scolding, the speech about how "they could never be together". But the way Nyamo was kissing her back was…exhilarating.
Nyamo's experience greatly outdid Kagura's, and soon enough, the young athlete succumbed to Nyamo's steady hands and lips. Kagura did all she could to keep up, but allowed herself to be swept up and away by Nyamo. The kiss was less urgent now, but that didn't take away from its passion. Kagura was a quick learner, and picking up what Nyamo was doing, she tried to reciprocate it. She let go of Nyamo's face and placed them instead on her waist, allowing her fingertips to trail along Nyamo's sides gently. The action made Nyamo pause and inhale sharply, a shudder running down her spine.
The noise surprised both of them. Kagura took it as an invitation, and tried to continue the assault on Nyamo's lips. However, it helped Nyamo to stop and think.
Is this…what she wants from me?
Kagura could sense the hesitation, although she couldn't tell what she had done wrong. She slowed down and pulled back, gasping slightly. The two women sat across from each other, both trying to register what had happened and what was next.
"…Nyamo?" Kagura said tentatively. She never used her coach's name. But to call her anything else at this point seemed wrong.
Hearing her name helped pull Nyamo from her stupor. The athlete sat across from her, a look of both hope and fear on her face.
If I wasn't interested, I wouldn't have kissed back. I know better. I wouldn't have given her that false hope. But I did just that. I kissed back.
And it felt great.
Nyamo was so caught up in her thoughts that she barely heard Kagura talking to her.
"...I'm sorry I did that."
The apology shocked Nyamo. Had she taken too long to respond? She saw Kagura draw back and start to stand. She shot out a hand to stop the athlete from leaving.
Kagura froze at the touch. It had hurt her that Nyamo couldn't say anything to her after the kiss. She had been so confident that things were going to work out, but it seemed that Nyamo had other ideas. Reluctantly, she turned back to her coach.
A soft pair of lips pressed against her own, nothing like the first kiss. This one was short, but sweeter than the first. Aggression gave way to tenderness, and the tension Kagura felt seemed to melt at the touch.
The kiss ended as quickly as it started, and Kagura stared back at a shy-looking Nyamo. While the first kiss had been a question, this second kiss had an answer. And that answer was yes.
"So…does this mean..?" Kagura started, her signature grin beginning to creep onto her face. Her heart raced with anticipation, just like when her name was about to be announced as the winner of a race. But this time was a little different. She knew what was coming, but the answer wasn't what excited her most; she was looking forward everything to come as well.
Nyamo laughed, knowing the look all too well. "I guess it does. How would you like to get dinner tonight?"
"I'd love to, Nyamo."
A/N: I'm cringing a little at the cliche that is the title right now, but I hope you all enjoyed the (short) story! Shout out to the usuals for the proofread, however long ago it was, and to another author, Enis, for encouraging me to get back on the fanfic scene. Shameless plug here, Enis will be coming out with something new and exciting soon, same flavor as this, so check it out when it comes around! Thanks for reading!