DISCLAIMER: I do not own Strawberry Panic, I'm quite sad about that ;-) I also do not own the song "Insomnia" by Faithless
Kaname lay on a huge, comfortable bed. She could feel the sensuous smoothness of the luxurious silk sheets on her bare skin. The room was almost dark, lit only by a few candles.
Her arms were stretched over her head. As she tried to move them, she found that she couldn't. The Spican turned her head and saw that she was handcuffed to the bed's bars.
"I'm naked, tied to a bed, and have absolutely no idea where I am or how I got here," she realized.
Nervous excitement that others might have called fear caused her to shudder involuntarily.
Footsteps sounded. Kaname's excitement heightened as they approached and the door was opened.
The raven-haired woman strained to raise her head to see the doorway. The dusky twilight only allowed her a glimpse of the legs of the person standing there. All she could see was a pair of heeled, black patent leather thigh-high boots.
"This looks promising," Kaname thought as the boots slowly entered the room, revealing more of their wearer.
Bare thighs were above the boots. Then came an extremely short, black patent-leather skirt, barely covering the woman's hips. Only two straps of patent leather, crisscrossing just above the belly button, covered the luscious breasts.
As the woman fully stepped into the room, Kaname could see a mocking smile, emerald eyes, and a cascade of silver hair.
The Spican's excitement turned to lust.
"How the hell did Hanazono know about this fantasy?" she wondered.
"Hello, Kaname." Shizuma said softly, "How does it feel to be completely at my mercy?"
At a loss for words, Kaname nervously licked her lips, her lust rising. This fantasy, her favorite fantasy, coming true, was almost too much.
"Dumbfounded, are you?" The emerald-eyed beauty raised an eyebrow as she sat on the mattress.
"Well, let's see if this is going to draw a sound from you." She reached for a candle on the bedside table, positioning it above Kaname's bare stomach. Slowly, as if in slow motion, she tilted the candle. Kaname closed her eyes, expecting the burning pain of the hot wax on her skin.
A loud, thumping noise tore the Spican away from her dream.
"Kaname, get up or you'll be late! Your alarm has been on for half an hour!" Momomi's voice came through the closed door.
"Noooooooooooooooo!" the raven-haired girl wailed, pulling the blanket over her head. Not only had her fantasy been interrupted before it had gotten good. It had, once again, been only a dream.
She heard the door open.
"Come on, get up, don't grumble. You can't afford to be late for chemistry again." Momomi pulled away her former lover's blanket.
"And you've got to get a better alarm clock. Since I moved out, you've missed breakfast more often than not."
Momomi was right. But only because her thoughts kept her awake, always returning to the pickup party Hanazono had hosted in her summer home six weeks ago and to the night she had spent with exactly that woman. The rest of the night was filled with erotic dreams, in which Kaname was never able to see the other woman's face. This dream had been the first in which her lover didn't remain anonymous.
"Come on, get out of bed!" Momomi started pulling Kaname's arm.
"Momi, let go! I'm perfectly capable of getting out of bed by myself!"
"Yeah, right." the brown-haired girl snorted.
Grumbling, the ruby-eyed girl shuffled into the bathroom. In the shower, her thoughts started wandering again.
She'd taken a shower after bedding Shizuma…or after being bedded by her. God, it had been amazing.
"Just stop obsessing over Hanazono, will you?" she snarled at her brain.
"Kana? Did you say something?" Momomi asked.
"No, I'm okay." she yelled back.
"Okay, I'll wait for you by the chemistry room."
"Do that."
Finally alone, Kaname turned off the shower. As she dried herself off and got dressed, her thoughts returned to her dreams. Every night, she dreamed about her fantasies, without knowing who fulfilled them. And last night, there had been Shizuma's face. Her body. Her eyes. Her smile. Her voice.
But seriously- Hanazono? No way. She'd come to that conclusion in the summer home while showering.
Somehow, her subconsciousness didn't seem convinced that Shizuma wasn't an option. And the former Etoile was most likely the only girl on Astrea Hill that could and would go along with Kaname's fantasies.
On the other hand, a one-night stand should be just that.
Kaname couldn't deny that she was extremely curious what a repeat performance would be like and what else Hanazono had to offer. An affair couldn't hurt, could it? Probably not. But how could it start? Going to Hanazono and asking in any way was completely unthinkable.
Anyway, Kaname had been skipping breakfast and the other mealtimes in the dining room to avoid seeing Shizuma.
She had no idea how she should act when facing the silver-haired beauty.
Sighing, she grabbed her books and headed to chemistry.
Another sleepless night. For the hundredth time, Shizuma shifted in bed, trying to find a position in which sleep would finally come.
After another half hour of tossing and turning, she gave up. No wonder she couldn't sleep, she wasn't even tired. Maybe she should go on a midnight stroll, like she had often done after Kaori's death.
The green-eyed beauty jumped out of bed, slipped a sweater over her nightgown, added a pair of slippers and fled the room.
As her mind wandered, her feet moved as if on their own, choosing a familiar path. Smiling, Shizuma found herself in front of the common room with the grand piano. She slipped inside and quietly closed the door.
A flood of memories was connected with this room. Shizuma moved toward the grand piano. With a sad smile, she ran her hand over the gleaming wood. She had played this instrument with Kaori. With Nagisa. And alone.
She turned toward the window and looked outside, enjoying the beauty of the stars sprinkled across the night sky, like diamonds on dark blue velvet.
'So different from the awful weather during the pickup party.' she thought.
Memories from the party quickly led to thoughts of Kaname.
Shizuma found herself wondering whether the tall Spican would like watching the stars or would find it disgustingly romantic.
She snorted, very un-ladylike. 'As if it matters whether or not Kaname likes stargazing. I can't believe I'm always thinking of her, dreaming of her, fantasizing about her. I've got to stop obsessing over her like that. It was one night, an adventure, nothing more,' she scolded herself, pushing all thoughts of Kaname away from her mind.
With a quiet click, the door opened.
"Can't sleep?" a familiar voice asked.
Some hours earlier…
Kaname paced her room, not being able to sleep at all this night. She felt restless, and lying on the bed had been torture to a body that craved movement. Even her room was too small to get away from all theses thoughts racing through her mind. She dropped onto her bed, clutching her head with both hands.
"Will you just stop it?" she ranted at her brain.
But her thoughts continued their course, completely unimpressed by her anguish.
"I've got to get out of here.'
She pulled on a pair of sweatpants and shoes, opened her door, and left the room.
For hours, she roamed the building, never stopping at a place for longer than a few moments.
A song she'd heard countless times had slipped into her mind during the last hour.
Deep in the bosom of the gentle night
Is when I search for the light
…
I struggle, fight dark forces
In the clear moon light
Without fear... insomnia
I can't get no sleep
Yeah, her obsession with Hanazono could very well be called 'fighting dark forces'.
Insomnia please release me and let me dream of
Makin' mad love to my girl on the heath
Tearin' off tights with my teeth
Nooooooo. That exactly was her problem: dreaming of Hanazono. She didn't want these dreams. If she were capable of feeling fear, she'd say she was afraid of these dreams.
I can't get no sleep
I can't get no sleep
I need to sleep, although I get no sleep
I need to sleep, although I get no sleep
That part fit again.
All day, she'd thought about how to find a reason to talk to Hanazono. But, for the first time, her scheming mind had disappointed her. She hadn't been able to think of anything.
Kaname reached a common room and spotted movement inside. Quietly, she opened the door.
'I should've guessed: Hanazono.' she thought to herself as she recognized the person standing by the window. Maybe this was the chance she'd been searching for all day.
"Can't sleep?" she asked the silver-haired beauty.
Shizuma quickly turned around. "Kaname! You startled me."
The raven-haired girl shrugged "If you don't want to be startled, you should pay more attention to your surroundings." A lazy smile accompanied her words.
A similar smile crossed the Miatorian's face. "You're right. On both accounts. I couldn't sleep and I wasn't paying attention." She moved towards Kaname. "So why are you here?"
"Well, probably same reason as you. Couldn't sleep. Wandered through the dorms. Ended up here."
"I wonder if you can't sleep for the same reason I can't," Shizuma whispered under her breath.
"Didn't quite catch that, Hanazono?"
"Oh, nothing."
The silver-haired beauty eyed Kaname through her long lashes. Why in the world did the black-haired woman suddenly appear? Was that just another way to torment her? Not enough that she spent most of her waking hours and just about all of her dreams thinking of Kaname, now she had to come here, of all places. The former Etoile had been relieved that she hadn't seen the Spican at mealtimes during the last weeks. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Part of her had been disappointed, hoping before every meal that Kaname would be there.
Kaname felt nervous. Here she was, with Shizuma. A situation she'd been avoiding. And now, she felt thrilled. On the other hand she was petrified. The Spican had no idea how to make a move, didn't know what to say. Before the pickup party, she'd never been confronted with a woman like Shizuma, who wouldn't do everything and more just to get into bed with Kaname. She'd have to work to get the Miatorian. The ruby-eyed girl was willing to work, but she didn't know how.
"I didn't come here by chance," Shizuma began quietly. "This room means a lot to me." Why was she telling Kaname this? As if the raven-haired woman cared.
"Why is this common room more special than the one next door?" Kaname heard herself ask. 'Why am I bothering? As if I care why this room is special to Hanazono', she scoffed at herself. But as she thought about it, she realized she was interested.
Shizuma once again stroked the grand piano. "I used to come here often. And I always played the piano. Sometimes alone, sometimes with Kaori, and also with Nagisa." Lost in her memories, her fingers continued to caress the wood.
Kaname stared at the Miatorian's hand, mesmerized by the movement of the slender fingers. Those fingers on her skin…she shook her head, forcing herself to look at Shizuma's face. A sad smile. Eyes looking far into the distance.
"Did you play tonight?"
"What?" Shizuma's thoughts came back to the common room "No, I didn't play tonight."
The two girls were quiet.
After a few minutes, Kaname broke the silence.
"I've never heard you play."
"You wanna change that?" The mocking smile was back on the Miatorian's face.
"Why not?"
Shizuma sat on the bench and laid her hands on the ivory keys. She thought for a minute. 'Barcarole,' she decided, and began to play.
Kaname had heard of the cliché that women melted if someone could play the piano, but she'd never believed it. Now she found that cliché confirmed. Watching Shizuma, who played with her eyes closed, lost in the melody, and hearing the music, made her knees slowly turn to water. Laying a hand on the piano to steady herself, she closed her eyes. She wanted Shizuma. That was becoming painfully clear.
The silver-haired beauty finished playing and looked at the Spican, who stood by the piano with her eyes closed.
Shizuma smiled to herself. 'Never would have thought that Kaname could be impressed by a simple piano piece,' she mused.
The raven-haired girl opened her eyes and found the former Etoile looking at her. She blushed, realising that Shizuma had seen her unguarded moment.
The emerald-eyed woman got up and stood directly in front of the tall Spican.
"Why couldn't you sleep, Kaname?" she asked, her voice a seductive whisper, her lips barely an inch away from the other woman's ear.
"Because…because I was thinking of you…of the party…"
"Really? I've been thinking about you…and the party…" Shizuma purred.
"And what have you been thinking?" Kaname was slowly regaining her composure.
"I've been thinking that I'm curious..." The silver-haired beauty slid her hands across the Spican's hips. "Curious about what a repeat performance would be like."
"Amazing that we're thinking along the same lines."
"Then why don't you just shut up and kiss me?" the former Etoile whispered.
The other woman complied. As their lips met for a deep, soul-searching kiss, both girls moved toward one of the couches.
Two hours later, Kaname let herself drop onto the soft cushions, exhausted and deeply satisfied. She sighed, contented.
"God, you're good." she finally said.
"You are, too." Shizuma smiled as she pushed her hair out of her face. "Move over, I want some room."
The Spican slid to the side, pulling the other woman down next to her.
They lay in silence for a while.
"You know," Kaname drawled, her hand intertwined in Shizuma's hair, "if we both enjoyed it, then there's no reason not to repeat it."
"True," the Miatorian said. "I'm sure there's still a lot to find out about you."
"A small affair can't hurt, can it?" the Spican asked.
"I guess not."
"Good." Kaname got up and put her clothes on. "I'm tired, I'm going to bed. My room or yours next time?"
"Oh, just come over. When?"
The raven-haired woman thought for a moment. "Day after tomorrow?"
"Okay, good night." Shizuma also got dressed.
Both girls left the common room to go to their bedrooms.
As she lay in bed, Kaname went through the night again. That had been interesting. And the perspective of an affair with Shizuma was promising. Smiling, she turned around and finally fell asleep.